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- Description:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability highlighted by a series of diagnostic criteria including social communication and social interaction deficiency, and the presence of repetitive behavioral and interest patterns that have the potential of continuing throughout life. Although autism spectrum disorder has always been on the radar of health professionals everywhere, it has garnered much attention and prevalence over the past few decades. There is no known cure for autism spectrum disorder at this time, and it is not clearly known as to why the number of children affected by it continues to rise exponentially. Over the years, research surrounding treatment for those with autism spectrum disorder has revolutionized, bringing to light new therapy treatment techniques, focusing on sensory-motor adaptation, balance, nutrition, and sensory integration. Occupational therapists help children individually with autism spectrum disorder in school settings, in clinical settings, and even in home settings. However, an occupational therapist is just one title on a list of health professionals who work together to improve the lives of those with autism spectrum disorder and their families By working with a team of well-equipped doctors, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, and other qualified professionals, the person with autism spectrum disorder is set up for a lifetime of growth and success, despite the challenges ASD brings. The purpose of this research is to explore the treatment options for autism spectrum disorder in children, evaluating what works best across each age group. In order to complete this thesis, a plethora of literature surrounding the realm of occupational therapy treatment as well as autism spectrum disorder was studied, and interviews with professionals were conducted. Once all the information had been collected, conclusions were drawn and comparisons were made.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Makinen, Alison N.
- Contributor:
- Dr. Christina Mortellaro, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Scientific literacy has been a growing topic of discussion, with claims about the usefulness of science being the root of it. Even so, the goals of education writ suffers from a lack of empirical basis to support these claims about usefulness. Considering some citizens don't have domain-specific knowledge of science, we recognize the notion that science can be useful it if can help citizens when making everyday decisions. We used an anonymous survey to ask individuals to describe meaningful decisions they face in everyday life and if they view science as relevant to those decisions. Our results show that most participants have an interest in diet, medical health, and exercise, while using knowledge that they views as fact, sourced from their own experience or undistinguished. Even though they recognized science as relevant to their everyday decisions, they mostly did not consider multiple sources or bias. By understanding what respondents found meaningful and how they source and view that knowledge, we were able to get a better vision of how science can play a role in someone's life. Our results show we can also provide empirical evidence in order to create a skeletal frame that further studies could use to determine what people find to be relevant.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Ram, Ambika
- Contributor:
- Dr. John Ruppert, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The purpose of this research was to determine the antifungal and antibacterial properties of organic raw honey, organic castor oil, and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum). The fungus, Candida albicans, and microbes found in common places were used to conduct the experiment. These organic solutions possess antibacterial and antifungal properties. There were several groups observed in this experiment: the control, honey vs. fungi, honey vs. bacteria, castor vs. fungi, castor vs. bacteria, honey/castor mix vs. fungi, honey/castor mix vs. bacteria, holy basil vs. fungi, and holy basil vs. bacteria. The petri dishes were first made by making nutrient agar. Afterwards, the C. albicans samples were spread onto the plates and incubated for several days. Once the fungus grew, the organic solutions were placed onto them and left alone for one day in the incubator. The same steps were taken for the bacterial part of the experiment. Results showed that all the plates with honey and castor oil had the best effect against the fungi. Castor oil by itself had zones of inhibition indicating no growth around the areas where the oil was placed. The honey was only effective in high dosages. Lastly, the holy basil was effective in regard to its antibacterial and antifungal activity. This study helped investigate which solution was more suitable to use in modern medicine to fight fungal and bacterial infections, more specifically, Candidiasis.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Patel, Bhavtik
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Candida albicans is one of the most prominent forms of Candidiasis, accounting for more than 75% of all Candidal infections. Aside from its growing prevalence, it is also becoming one of the most resistant strains against antifungal medication. This increase in resistance to allopathic medication has fueled a homeopathic movement in medicine. Homeopathy has recently become a well-known alternative to traditional allopathic medication and has shown success in inhibiting fungal growth in certain strains. Due to the growing amount of resistant strains of fungi due to adaptation to antifungal medication mechanisms, seeking alternative treatments can prevent the rise of a fungal epidemic resistant to known treatments. In this study, 5 separate antifungal agents will be tested on their efficacy of inhibiting fungal growth and their fungicidal properties on cultured C. albicans on Sabouraud dextrose agar plates. The agents being tested are Eucalyptus globulus, Ocimum basilicum, Boiron Benzoicum Acidum 30c, Kali Iodatum 30c, and 100mg Ketoconazole. Growth inhibition rate and fungicidal properties were tested using individual treatment. Results showed that in the growth inhibition trial, Ocimum basilicum had the largest zone of inhibition with Eucalyptus globulus following. The allopathic group showed similar inhibition rates with Benzoicum Acidum and Kali Iodatum showing more inhibition than allopathic Ketoconazole. Fungicidal efficacy was tested in a similar protocol. Data showed that no individual agent had an effective fungicidal effect on Candida albicans, only causing a minimal reduction on the surface in the fungal colony. All data was analyzed using the ANOVA statistical analysis method, and all trials were replicated 10 times to minimize human error and obtain clear results.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Mercado, Chiara Ximena
- Contributor:
- Dr. Brandy Garrett Kluthe, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The use of artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and saccharin, are becoming more prevalent due to its popularity for low calorie diets and sugar alternatives, especially to those with diabetes. Artificial sweeteners have been found to cause adverse health effects ranging from headaches to cancer (Whitehouse, 2008). However, much of the research that has been done on the harmful effects of aspartame and saccharin is centered on their possible carcinogenic effects. Little to no research has been conducted on the effects of aspartame and saccharin on the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome has been linked to the progression of multiple disorders based on the alterations in its composition. Studies have also found a bidirectional interaction between the gut microbiome and the brain (Ma, 2019). As many side effects of artificial sweeteners have been reported in relation to the nervous system, we will explore if these artificial sweeteners are affecting the health of the gut microbiome. The aim of this study is to discuss the effects of aspartame and saccharin on human health, with emphasis on the gut microbiome.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Nazzal, Khawlah
- Contributor:
- Dr. Christina Mortellaro, Thesis Advisor and Dr. Jill Calahan, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Socioscientific Reasoning (SSR) is the reasoning practices that a person uses to make sense of and think of solutions for SocioScientific Issues (SSI). In 2016, Romine et al. designed a Quantitative Assessment of Socioscientific Reasoning (QuASSR) to assess and characterize SSR; however, characterization of the independent dimension of SSR was not achieved. Our study builds upon and improves QuaSSR by using a new model of epistemic cognition called the vAIR model, which is a community-oriented framework that accounts for limitations of the previous SSR model. The vAIR model of SSR is designed to more clearly distinguish the dimensions of SSR and their interactions in evaluating information in the context of how students reason through a complex issue regarding their school and their diet. The instrument’s design consists of a survey-type assessment programmed to select personally meaningful context through a series of questions and then present the participant with an argument exchange scenario, embedded with elements of SSR, that asks them to evaluate and choose which side makes the best arguments based. The instrument records the participants' selections and helps observe epistemic cognition patterns that can help us understand how SSR takes place and how it is affected by epistemic dimensions.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Lobo, Oswaldo
- Contributor:
- Dr. John Ruppert, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- There is an obesity epidemic occurring worldwide, not just in the United States. Although there are many alternatives when it comes to treatment, such as proper exercise and keeping a well-nutritious diet limited in processed food and sugar, there have been several recent studies into Ayurvedic herbal remedies for the disease. A lot of these Ayurvedic herbal medicines were used popularly throughout India, as they have strong beliefs in their natural healing properties.Two particularly popular Ayurvedic remedies used for weight loss medication are green tea (Camellia sinensis) and Triphala (an Indian Ayurvedic compound consisting of various ground up Indian dried fruits). Two different concentrations of two Ayurvedic medicines were tested on zebrafish with diet-induced obesity (the fish were fed a diet high in fat), to see if different concentrations increase the potency of their effect on weight-loss. Also, green tea and Triphala extracts were combined to be tested for possible synergistic effects.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Kim, Wonja
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The purpose of this experiment was to find a conclusive link between smoking and its effects on the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This was evaluated by determining whether certain elements of cigarette smoke affect cognitive ability of mice. Five different groups of mice (control, ammonium hydroxide exposure, methanol exposure, acrylamide exposure, cigarette smoke exposure) attempted to navigate a water maze to complete the Morris water escape task. The experimental method was as follows: the five groups of mice were exposed to the suspected amyloid-inducing chemicals dissolved in their drinking water. The chemical concentrations were proportional to the concentrations human smokers are exposed to in Marlboro Red Full Flavor cigarettes. Over a three week duration, the mice completed the Morris water escape task seven times, with their time to completion recorded. The expected trend was that exposure to chemicals found in cigarette smoke would lead to an increase in the time it takes for that group of mice to navigate the maze. The results obtained actually contradicted this hypothesis: it was found that the control group had the fourth best time amongst the five groups, and one of the experimental groups (acrylamide exposure) was significantly better at solving the maze than the rest. However, these results can only be regarded as preliminary; further testing must be conducted to more positively determine the correlation between chemical exposure and mouse cognitive ability.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Oladipupo, Taofik
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Modified:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Created:
- Spring 2013
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
9. The effects of microwave and cell phone radiation on ocular development in Xenopus laevis tadpoles
- Description:
- The experiment was performed to determine the effects of microwave and cell phone radiation on ocular development and lens opacity in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Our model system for these studies is the amphibian developing retina, a derivative of the diencephalon of the forebrain. In order to examine the tadpoles, MS-222 was used as an anesthetic. To induce amplexus, we injected 500 IU of chorionic gonadotropin into the dorsal lymph sacs of both male and female Xenopus laevis. Embryos were exposed to microwave and cell phone radiation during all stages of embryonic development. Morphological changes in the developing eye were monitored photographically and a qualitative assay was used to assess lens opacity. Results from the experiments have been inconclusive. Deaths of tadpoles were experienced but were tied to outside circumstances.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Watson, Aubrey
- Contributor:
- Dr. E. Regina Giuliani, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Modified:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Created:
- Spring 2013
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Stroke is the second leading cause of death throughout the world, and the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. The incidence of stroke has been gradually increasing with the aging population, and the outcome is often detrimental. It has been shown that the greatest impact on this disease comes from early prevention and intervention. The purpose of this study was to establish an area in patients showing no symptoms with moderate carotid stenosis (50-79%) to help identify the individuals and risk factors that lead a patient to a higher risk for stroke. The severity of carotid artery stenosis and plaque composition determine the treatment options. The two imaging modalities utilized in assessing plaque intensity are the Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA). However, there remained an unknown correlation between components of plaque composition defined by ultrasound versus MRA. My objective was to find the correlation between the two components. With this objective, a hypothesis for the trial was formulated: Ultrasound is equally able to measure plaque volume and heterogeneity when compared with MRA. Twenty subjects who underwent a carotid artery ultrasound and were found to have moderate stenosis, were referred for carotid artery MRA. These imaging modalities assessed percent stenosis severity and plaque heterogeneity index. From the obtained data, the hypothesis was validated as there was no statistical significant difference between plaque volume and heterogeneity of the carotid plaque estimated by either Ultrasound or MRA.
- Subject:
- Biology
- Creator:
- Mendez, Nicole
- Contributor:
- Dr. E. Regina Giuliani, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Modified:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Created:
- Spring 2013
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
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