title,URL,names,date,abstract
A Multi-Modality Magnetic Resonance Imaging Model for Predicting Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5197,"Shruti Vadlakonda; Dr. Raymond Koehler, Janine Sharbaugh",11-30-2023,"Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a heterogenous injury and a leading cause of long-term deficits and mortality in the United States. In order to improve TBI outcomes, an effective prognostication tool is necessary. Standard imaging modalities, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have a limited ability to predict TBI outcomes. Currently, advanced MRI techniques are being studied for their efficacy. The aim of this study is to determine whether a multimodality MRI approach is superior to a single modality MRI approach in determining clinical outcomes of TBI. A secondary data analysis was conducted on TBI data obtained from 31 rat brains; 3-day MRI data in the Ipsilateral Perilesion Cortex and 28-day Behavioral Test data (Novel Object Recognition, Barnes Maze, and Open Field Test Total Distance and Total Act Time) were analyzed. A Best Subset Analysis was conducted for each of the behavioral tests. Three out of four behavioral tests show improved adjusted R2 values for models containing more than one imaging modality. A Multiple Linear Regression Analysis was then conducted on the MRIs from the highest predictive model determined by Best Subset Analysis. This analysis shows that a multimodality MRI approach can explain 25.2% of the variability in behavioral outcomes in the Novel Object Recognition Test with a P value of 0.012. Thus, the study demonstrates that a multi-modality MRI approach has a potential for effectively diagnosing and predicting TBI outcomes."
The Bracero Program: A Catalyst for Social Justice,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5477,Teddy Fleiss; Michele Santosuosso,11-30-2023,"This paper gives a background of the Bracero Program, a little known guestworker program that allowed millions of Mexicans into the United States. The Bracero Program had large-scale impacts, ranging from intertwining Mexican and American economies to impacting social justice movements regarding immigration reform and civil rights. Today, the program holds responsibility for strong links between Mexican and American communities."
"The Role of Central Banks in Managing Monetary Policy and its Effects on the Economy  An Empirical Analysis of Policy Tools, Economic Indicators, and Implications",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5327,Atharva Singh,11-30-2023,"This paper examines the crucial role of central banks in managing monetary policy and its profound effects on the economy. It provides an in-depth analysis of the objectives, tools, and strategies employed by central banks to regulate monetary conditions, control inflation, and promote economic stability. Additionally, it explores the transmission mechanisms through which monetary policy decisions impact various sectors of the economy, including interest rates, exchange rates, investment, consumption, and employment. The paper also highlights the challenges and limitations faced by central banks in conducting effective monetary policy, particularly in an era of economic globalization and financial interconnectedness. Overall, this research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between central bank actions, monetary policy, and macroeconomic outcomes."
A Supervised Deep Learning Model for the Detection of Cardiovascular Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5178,"Ananya Saridena, Abhaya Saridena; Jothsna Kethar",11-30-2023,"In our world today, cardiovascular disease (CVD) stands as the foremost cause of death worldwide, claiming the lives of nearly 20 million individuals annually. As CVD continues to burden the healthcare industry, there is a critical need for early detection and prevention. The rise of Artificial Intelligence in the medical field offers a range of capable solutions. In order to address the problem, this paper presents the development of a simple, supervised deep learning model for detecting cardiovascular disease in patients. The research focused on creating a model enriched with multiple layers, activation functions, optimizers, and loss functions. The chosen approach leveraged the power of AI to analyze labeled patient data and map input features to corresponding class labels, enabling accurate detection of CVD. The dataset used contained 70,000 patient records with 12 different clinical attributes. In addition, it provides an overview of the most common types of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary artery disease, aortic valve disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease. The accuracy of the obtained results from the deep learning model was up to 73%. The utilization of AI systems can present a novel approach to addressing daily challenges within the rapidly-evolving world of medicine. Health personnel can take advantage of rapidly changing artificial intelligence and user friendly deep learning models to detect similar future medical concerns."
The Handover of 1997 and Its Effects on the Hong Kong Aviation Industry,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5448,Gareth Fung; Suraj Nair,11-30-2023,"This paper explains the logistics behind the Handover Hong Kong on July 1st, 1997— an event transition Hong Kong from a sovereign British state to the special administrative region status of the People’s Republic of China. More importantly, it propounds that the Handover of Hong Kong had an indirect but nevertheless negative effect on Hong Kong’s Aviation Industry— most notably affecting the leading Hong Kong airline and air transport company Cathay Pacific. It explores this idea through a critical secondary literature review— intended to analyse the events occurring in Hong Kong prior and during the year 1997 alongside its effects on the industry. Furthermore, employing a case study design on Cathay Pacific enables the research paper to carry out a more structural analysis of the company’s performances in the late 20th century. It takes a macro-to-micro approach for its structure; first explaining the general trends and resilience of the global aviation sector, through developing an analytical lens. Then it uses Cathay Pacific’s performance to evidence the generalised theories. Overall, Hong Kong’s aviation industry saw only slightly deviated results to both empirical and theoretical behaviours of global aviation and air transport airlines following events often causing what is known as a career shock: a disruptive and extraordinary event caused by factors outside an individual’s control.  "
Music as a Language  Assessing the Extent to Which Active Music Therapy Promotes Socialization Development for Children Under 12 with Down Syndrome,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5277,Xinzhi Zhang,11-30-2023,"The number of children in western countries diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS), a disease caused by chromosomal abnormalities, is still increasing. The resulting delayed cognitive development also leads to deficits in social functioning in children under 12. Active music therapy (MT), as a natural intervention to achieve therapeutic functions through improvisation, performance, and singing, has been proven to promote the socialization development of children with DS. To get a better idea of the extent of the promotion and exactly what aspects it has improved, I conducted literature reviews and interviews with a music therapist. The results suggest that active MT can stimulate the socialization development of children under 12 with DS in three aspects: language skills, social-emotional development, and prosocial behavior. Although the improvement effect of active MT is better than that of passive MT, it requires the client to have a basis of music theory, that is, it requires higher requirements on the client, so the treatment method should be selected according to the severity of the client's DS or a combination of the two. Hence, future research could be aimed at finding the simplest interventions with sufficient client engagement and verifying the continuation of the effect of active MT."
Exploring the Search Behavior of Teenagers: A Comparative Study of Social Media and Browser Usage,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5172,Midori Wang; Stephen Lind,11-30-2023,"As technology advances, the use of social media is becoming more extensive, and many businesses are adapting their marketing plans to take advantage of it. Research has shown that individuals, especially teenagers, appear to be increasingly relying on social platforms like Tiktok as their primary search engine. This study aims to determine whether there is a growing number of people who use social media as their search engine. An online survey was distributed to several high school students who were asked to search for answers to questions across six different categories. The results indicate that most teenagers still use browsers and search engines like Safari, Google, or Chrome for information gathering due to their content diversity, quality, and habit. However, there was a wide variety of social media and other platforms used throughout the research, which demonstrates the potential of social media as a search engine."
Antibacterial Properties of Manuka Honey and the Role of Methylglyoxal,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5433,Youlin Feng,11-30-2023," The unique ecosystems of New Zealand have produced a diverse range of honey over the years, with Manuka honey being one of the most renowned. Produced by Western honeybees extracting nectar from Manuka flowers, this monofloral honey has become known for its distinct antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Whilst antibacterial activity in other honey tend to stem from factors such as hydrogen peroxide content, high viscosity, osmotic effect, and acidic pH, the antibacterial activity of Manuka honey is mainly attributed to methylglyoxal (MGO), a dicarbonyl compound which is found in high concentrations in Manuka honey. This review paper will focus on the antibacterial properties of Manuka honey and the role that MGO plays. Understanding the specific chemical mechanisms that of attack on different strains of bacteria by Manuka honey and the role of MGO is crucial to potentially understanding how new drugs or medicines can combat antibacterial resistance to antibiotics. "
Investigating The Performance and Viability of Semiconducting Graphene as A Substitute for Silicon in Field Effect Transistors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5222,Andrew Jiang,11-30-2023,"This paper investigates the electrical and thermal properties of two competing methods of semiconducting graphene, doped graphene and reduced graphene oxide, and their respective viabilities for implementation in field effect transistors. We used the Graphene Field Effect Transistor (GFET) simulation software on nanohub.com to determine the current, voltage, and max temperature based on variations in the channel length, top gate oxide thickness, electron mobility, and thermal conductivity and then compared these performance results with those of a traditional silicon-based transistor. Our results demonstrated that doped graphene had superior current conductivity, higher electron mobility, higher thermal conductivity, and higher maximum temperature to those of reduced graphene oxide and silicon. Practicality wise, reduced graphene oxide is far easier to mass produce, as was found to still perform better than silicon-based transistors. Transistors form the backbone of the electronics industry; this study proves that a shift toward graphene-based transistors, doped ones especially, would make transistors stronger, more durable, and more efficient. With the already ubiquitous usage of transistors in our everyday lives, a switch to graphene could bring revolutionary benefits for electronics such as smarter cell phones, faster computers, and more accurate biosensors."
Effect of Weekly Time Spent Learning and Practicing Musical Instruments on the Intensity of Jitteriness among High School Teenagers in Mainland China,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5515,Yinfu Lyu,11-30-2023,"Psychological disorders have become increasingly prevalent [Liang, 2021]. Among 875 cases, 33.03% of high school students in Mainland China possess some psychological problems [Liang, 2021]. Research has shown that successful musical engagement positively affects physical, social, educational, cognitive, and emotional health [Wang (2022).]. Unfortunately, Chinese teenagers aren't thoroughly studied the connection between musical training and mental health [Pang et al. (2017)]. Also, no statistically significant association between music playing and psychological well-being is seen in previous research [Wesseldijk et al. (2019)]. So, this study investigates how time spent practicing musical instruments influences the intensity of jitteriness among high school teenagers (15~18 years old) to provide insights about mental health-directed musical education in mainland China. A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience and snowball sample of 200 teenagers from mainland China across 11 provinces. Models were conducted hierarchically using linear regression. In the univariate model, time spent practicing musical instruments weekly was associated negatively with the intensity of jitteriness (β=-0.151, p-value=0.033). In the multivariant model, participants' time spent practicing musical instruments per week was significantly and negatively associated with the intensity of jitteriness (β=-0.312, p-value=0.001), adjusted for confounding variables: total time spent on playing musical instruments, positive emotion intensity, negative emotion intensity (other than jittery), and age. The model was built using simple linear regression with r2=0.267. This study shows a significant negative association between weekly time spent practicing musical instruments and the intensity of negative emotions."
Beyond Language Barriers: Exploring the Effects of Implicit Message Decoding and Memory Retention,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5133,Insun Yoon,11-30-2023,"This study examined the interplay between implicit message decoding, the time living abroad on language learning, and memory retention. The findings showed a link between the time spent studying abroad and the capacity to decode implicit messages. Additionally, having a narrator narrate educational materials visibly improved memory retention. The ability to decode implicit messages and memory retention were found to be correlated. These findings underscore the importance of interactive instruction and an immersive learning environment for language acquisition."
Potential for Conduit Hydropower at NYC's Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5393,Reece Davidoff; Prathap Ramamurthy,11-30-2023,"The Newtown Creek facility is New York City's largest wastewater treatment plant, with the capacity to treat up to 2.65 billion liters of combined sewage (rainfall and raw sewage) each day. After treatment at the plant, clean water flows out to the nearby East River via an outfall pipe. On average, the plant treats 810 million liters of combined sewage per day, which means there is potential to extract significant amounts of energy from the water flowing through the outfall. This paper first verifies that hydropower is a viable option at the plant by calculating the theoretical amount of power available from the running water, then determines what type of turbine would be the most appropriate for the outfall, and finally calculates how much electricity could realistically be generated by a turbine in the outfall. The bulb turbine was identified as the most appropriate type of turbine, and it was approximated that a bulb turbine in the outfall could produce, on average, 263 kilowatts of power. Considering that the plant runs year-round, a total of 2.24 gigawatt hours of clean electricity could be generated annually, which could be used to help power the energy-intensive wastewater treatment process or be fed back into New York City's electrical grid, where it could power up to 211 homes annually. "
Treatment Optimization for Tumor Growth by Ordinary Differential Equations,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5202,"Kenneth Chan; Chiu-Yen Kao, Jennifer Gordinier, Katherine Ganden",11-30-2023,"Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and with the disease having over 200 variations, it has not been cured yet despite being the priority of the medical field for decades. Due to the difficulty of human subject research, animal studies, e.g., mouse and Chinese hamster V79 tumors have been widely used to test the modeling of tumor growth due to their dynamic nature and ability to grow to high volumes within short periods of time. Mathematical models, including ordinary differential equations (ODEs), have been utilized to model tumor growth and study treatment of cancer. With most current models being selected only for mathematical convenience, recent studies have been focusing on determining the optimal treatment schedule for the most popular existing treatments of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In this paper, three of the most established ODE models: the Gompertz, Von Bertalanffy, and logistic models are utilized to analyze which model most accurately fits existing tumor growth data for the Chinese Hamster V79 fibroblast tumor, various forms of immunodeficient mice tumors, and glioblastoma based on the minimization of the normalized mean squared error (NMSE). Next, the ODEs themselves were modified to simulate the growth of the tumors when exposed to treatment and determined which treatment schedule produced the lowest final volume of the tumors. The results of this research identify the optimal treatment schedules based on data from all three ODE models and also determine the ODE models that produce curves that most precisely fit the datasets."
Protein Stability in Pasteurized Cow and Goat Milk using Protein Gel Electrophoresis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5490,"Mai Nguyen; Haiyan Zhang, Barbara Schmidt",11-30-2023,"Milk is a nutritious beverage that contains whey, casein, and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) proteins. Pasteurization kills pathogenic microorganisms in milk, making it safe to drink. A high heat load during processing can affect the protein quality of milk. In this study, protein gel electrophoresis (Native and SDS-PAGE) was used to view the protein profiles of retail cow and goat milk samples pasteurized at different temperatures (145, 165, or 280 °F) compared to commercially spray dried milk (356–482 °F). SDS-PAGE provided better resolution of the milk proteins compared to Native-PAGE. There were clear species differences in the MFGM proteins. This could be used to spot adulteration of goat milk with cow milk, however none of the samples showed signs of adulteration. There were no overt patterns of protein degradation with increasing pasteurization temperature. However drying reduced band intensity, especially MFGM and whey proteins in the goat milk sample. Whereas most samples came from different herds where genetics and environmental conditions varied, two of the goat milk samples were from the same herd, one fresh and one spray dried. It was evident from these two samples that spray drying can alter proteins in goat milk. Even so, if fresh milk is unavailable or unaffordable, dry milk remains a valuable protein source."
Towards Sustainable AI: Mitigating Carbon Impact Through Compact Models,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5340,"Eddie Zhang, Jixiu Chang, Ashley Yang",11-30-2023,"As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, it is essential to address the environmental concerns associated with the increasing carbon emissions and their contribution to global warming. The expanding AI industry requires significant computing power, making it a potential major contributor to carbon emissions in the future. Unfortunately, our current understanding of AI models is very limited. We conducted a comprehensive analysis involving 12 distinct AI models, encompassing object detection, translation, and text-to-image generation tasks. Our findings revealed that smaller AI models can achieve equal or even better results compared to larger models while offering a significant reduction of carbon emissions. This highlights the potential for environmental savings by prioritizing smaller models. These findings underscore the importance of considering the environmental impact of AI models and encourage the adoption of strategies such as using smaller models and optimizing workload schedules to reduce carbon emissions. By prioritizing sustainability in AI development and deployment, we can work towards a greener and more sustainable future."
K-band Absolute Magnitude Relations of Red Clump Stars Separated by Age,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5196,Tiffany Zhang; Nicole Spinelli,11-30-2023,"Red clump (RC) stars form a distinguishable clump on the color-magnitude diagram, making it a good distance indicator. Currently, the two main absolute magnitude estimation methods in the I-band (700–900 nm) conflict: one assumes a constant RC magnitude as supported by empirical data and one relates magnitude with other physical characteristics as supported by theoretical models. Studies attribute these discrepancies to population effects, such as dust, and recommend the K-band (2000–2400 nm) to minimize them. Past studies analyzed relations between the K-band magnitude, color, metallicity, and age, including those stratified by age at 2 Gyr. This study aims to investigate these different relations to clarify trends from past studies, discover new trends, and compare them to similar relations in the I-band. After analyzing cluster RC data from Gaia DR3, 2MASS, and Gaia-ESO DR5, K-band magnitude exhibits insignificant correlation in all relations (p>0.05) but has the greatest dependence and the least root mean square error (RMS) with metallicity in the old RC. Significant correlation was found between I-band magnitude and metallicity for all RC and young RC (p<0.05), especially the latter (R2 = 0.804). This consistency with theoretical trends suggests weaker I-band population effects than previously believed. Overall, these three relations yield more accurate predictions than the mean magnitude. Thus, studies cannot solely rely on the mean K-band or I-band magnitude to estimate distance, and magnitude relations stratified by age can potentially lead to more accurate RC distance estimations and a more accurately calibrated distance ladder."
Towards Generalizable Crop-Agnostic Plant Disease Recognition: An Unsupervised-Learning Approach,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5472,Dongmin Choi; Blessina Devakirubai,11-30-2023,"In recent years, machine learning techniques have been incorporated in the agricultural industry to automate plant disease recognition. However, most existing frameworks are constrained to the recognition of certain species’ diseases, such as those of tomatoes, due to the severe imbalance in the published dataset. These methods tend to exhibit a strong bias towards specific plants, which require extensive retraining if the model were to accurately classify the disease of other plants. To ensure the system functions in a more realistic context, where images of various plants would be given, it is crucial to develop a generalized system that can recognize a diverse set of plants. To address the aforementioned problem, in this research paper, I propose a novel crop-agnostic plant detection framework. The method leverages contrastive learning, a type of unsupervised learning, to extract discriminative features from plant images regardless of their species. Moreover, the generalizable solution is capable of successfully distinguishing diseases from a dataset with imbalanced class and category. The method achieved an accuracy of 85.88% in the plant village dataset. Through experimental results, it has been demonstrated that the proposed method outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods by a significant margin. "
Cytogenetics and Molecular Diagnosis in Horse Infertility,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5319,"Jiwon Choi; Mayra Cerna, Terje Raupsepp",11-30-2023,"As the popularity of horse breeding stays steady, many breeders and owners send their horses samples to cytogenetics analysis for signs of infertility or other genetic abnormalities. Here, we report three cases of horses that were subjected to chromosome analysis due to infertility issues. Unfortunately, in the case of the H304 mare, the horse has a normal 64, XX female karyotype and no chromosomal abnormality was observed to explain the infertile issue. In the case of the H305 mare, the horse has a 64, XY male karyotype which indicates genetically male and no sign of chromosomal abnormality under cytogenetic analysis. However, PCR analysis indicates the loss of the SRY in the Y chromosome. This is a typical male to female sex reversal and one of the most common genetic sex abnormalities in horses. In the H306 mare, the horse has only one X chromosome; 63, XO, called X monosomy. This is the most common sex chromosomal abnormality in horses. The combination of clinical cytogenetic analysis and the use of PCR are the strongest tool to determine the chromosomal abnormality in the equine industry and the case H305 is a good example to support how these two different approaches compensate each other to generate a reliable diagnosis. Determination of genetic abnormalities using two techniques will help horse breeders and equine practitioners to make the most informed decisions about breeding plans.   "
Period poverty’s impact on the futures of its most marginalized groups  How the upward mobility of women and girls in the US is influenced by period poverty.,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5877,Karuna Damle; Jaz Riley,11-30-2023,"  The main objective in this paper was to conceptualize how period poverty impacts the upward mobility of women and girls in the United States. With the topic of period poverty gaining awareness and the idea of menstruation becoming more mainstream, the impacts of menstruation on a menstruator’s future must be acknowledged also. One of the main ways to identify these impacts, specifically from a financial perspective, is through socioeconomic growth as it demonstrates an intersection between a person’s economic stability and the opportunities they have been given from a younger age. In this paper, period poverty and its influence on upward mobility is broken into demographic groups of girls in middle and high school, women in college, low-income women, and incarcerated women. This research connects the areas of period poverty and upward mobility to identify how financial precarity and menstruation limit the futures of its most struggling groups.  "
Machine Learning for Risk Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease: Current Advances and Future Prospects,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5177,"Abhaya Saridena, Ananya Saridena; Jothsna Kethar",11-30-2023,"One of the main causes of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Effective treatment of this global concern depends on early detection, as well as management. Currently, people with established heart issues are treated by physicians and other medical experts, with detection at later stages of CVD. However, the burden of cardiovascular disease treatment can be significantly reduced if it was possible to accurately estimate a patient's CVD risk at the initial stages. Machine learning techniques have emerged as a viable method for improving CVD risk prediction, which enables treatments to be more effectively tailored to each individual patient's needs. An in-depth analysis of current research on machine learning applications for CVD risk prediction is provided in this publication. The paper discusses the benefits of applying machine learning techniques, various prediction algorithms, performance assessment, and current research limits. Our findings suggest that machine learning methods are useful for predicting CVD risk and have the potential to improve clinical judgment, which may help to lessen the burden of cardiovascular disease in the future. This research also helps to shape the medical field by providing insights on treating similar deadly diseases using AI and machine learning models.  "
Improving Deforestation Detection Accuracy in Noisy Satellite Images with Contrastive Learning-based Approach,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5440,"Jitae Kim, Lim Lee, Sihu Park; Lenny Musungu",11-30-2023,"Deforestation, the large-scale destruction of trees, has far-reaching biological and environmental consequences that pose a significant threat to the environment. Accurate deforestation detection is crucial for successful conservation initiatives and effective land management. Over the last decade, numerous deforestation detection methods utilizing spaceborne photography have been proposed. However, these methods tend to be sensitive to unique image noise in the satellite domain by virtue of the diverse aerial characteristics and air qualities in different regions. To solve this problem, we propose a novel noise-robust deforestation detection framework with a contrastive-learning based approach. The proposed framework consists of two phases: contrastive learning, which aims to extract similar feature embeddings for the same category, proceeded with transfer learning in order to develop the deforestation classifier. Remarkably, the proposed contrastive learning approach successfully handles noisy input satellite images during the feature extraction process. Upon conducting validation, we have found that the proposed method outperforms existing deforestation detection methods by a significant performance gap, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed contrastive learning approach."
Deep-Learning Based Automatic Ergonomic Assessment Using Webcam Data,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5240,Owen Lu; Clark Hochgraf,11-30-2023,"Primarily due to increasing computer use, people are spending more and more time sitting in front of a desk every day. However, prolonged sitting has been associated with tiredness, hypertension, and pain in areas like the lower back or shoulders. These symptoms arise for a variety of reasons, but musculoskeletal disorders in particular are largely associated with poor postures. The adverse results caused by poor postures can be controlled with proper training and monitoring. This study attempts to provide automatic ergonomic assessment using only webcam data. Since laptops, desktops, and phones are now widely available and equipped with built-in cameras, this solution is accessible and convenient for most people. More importantly, automatic posture assessment may help to prevent conditions associated with poor posture by giving reminders whenever improper posture occurs. To create our model, we make use of Mediapipe, which provides a solution to identifying keypoint locations from an image. By training our MLP classifier on this key-point data, we achieved a 96.96% test F1 score, indicating that our system serves as a convenient way to assess posture while maintaining high performance. To illustrate our results, we perform a final video classification by overlaying the model’s pre-dictions on each frame."
"Image Quality Enhancement via Machine Learning: A Unified Approach to Super-Resolution, Denoising, and Low-Density Enhancement",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5541,Woochan Jung; John Blofeld-Watson,11-30-2023,"Problem: The escalating demand for high-quality images across various applications has underscored the necessity for advanced image enhancement techniques. Traditionally, denoising, super-resolution, and low-density enhancement, the three key image enhancement techniques, have been approached independently, resulting in separate developments for each. Unfortunately, a unified framework that seamlessly combines all three techniques and surpasses individual method performance has been lacking. Proposed Idea: The objective of this research is to develop a unified image enhancement framework that not only unites these techniques but also substantiates its superiority over existing individual methods through an extensive series of experiments. The proposed method utilizes cascade autoencoder architectures to generate high-quality enhanced images. In addition, an auxiliary artifact type prediction module has been introduced to enhance the noise-awareness, resulting in improved accuracy. Result: The proposed method demonstrates superior performance in achieving state-of-the-art accuracy when evaluated against three image quality metrics on various public datasets. Additionally, the practical application of the proposed method showcases its efficacy in effectively solving real-world problems."
A Method for Training Object Scale Estimation System using Feature Extraction Enhancement with Depth Estimation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5144,Kyungryun Kim,11-30-2023,"In recent years, machine learning-based object scale estimation has been growing in popularity, as the significance of the technology lies in its potential for use in many industry fields. Although several methods have been proposed, the possible applications of this technique are limited due to its insufficient accuracy. Hence, a human-level accurate system is needed for the technology to be applied in the real-world domain. This research paper proposes a novel object scale estimation system that incorporates the feature extractor, disentangled feature maps, depth estimator, object localizer, and ground truth depth map. The input of the proposed system is an image, which is inputted into the feature extractor to create disentangled feature maps. These feature maps are then extracted by the depth estimator to generate a depth map, and by the object localizer to create a predicted bounding box around the object. The trained feature extractor can extract disentangled size-related features from the inputted image by jointly training the depth estimator and object localizer. The use of disentangled features boosts the performance of the proposed system. In addition, we propose an actual scale converter module to calculate the actual size of the inputted object. Throughout the experiments, the proposed method has proven that it is superior compared to other state-of-the-art methods. The proposed method achieves an IoU (Intersection over Union) value of 0.8113 on the COCO dataset.   "
Kavain Hydroxylation in Kava Metabolism: Computational Analysis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5419,Youlin Feng,11-30-2023,"Kava, a non-alcoholic beverage derived from the Piper methysticum plant, commonly also known as Kava, has a prominent role in the cultures of Oceania due to its calming and soothing effects. These psychoactive properties have sparked interest beyond Oceania and in the scientific community, who see potential for medicinal applications. However, alongside these beneficial effects, consumption of Kava has been linked to potential hepatotoxicity, raising safety concerns. Understanding the cause of this hepatotoxicity requires a detailed exploration of Kava's metabolic processes, specifically those involving kavain, its primary constituent. Recent studies have found the hydroxylation of kavain to 12-hydroxykavain as a key step in Kava's metabolic pathway. Yet, the precise mechanism of this conversion and the hydroxylation intermediates involved remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, our study employed Spartan, a computational chemistry software, to model the hydroxylation process. We analyzed the stability and chemical properties of the proposed reaction intermediates, providing a detailed view of this critical phase of metabolism. Our analysis reveals that three of the five proposed intermediates appear stable, suggesting they may play significant roles in the hydroxylation process. This finding also enabled us to narrow down the possible reaction pathways of hydroxylation. Having a better understanding of the key step of Kava metabolism could guide the development of safer, more effective Kava-based products, balancing the therapeutic potential of Kava with a reduced risk profile. "
Impact of Non-Thermal Particle Acceleration on Radiative Signatures of AGN Jet-Cloud Interactions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5208,Krish Jhurani; Moninder Modgil,11-30-2023,"This study investigates the complex dynamics of AGN (Active Galactic Nucleus) jet-cloud interactions, particularly focusing on the impact of non-thermal particle acceleration on the resulting radiative signatures. We utilize advanced computational simulations, tracking changes in jet properties and emissions over a span of 0.2 Myr (millions of years). The research design incorporates the modeling of jet-cloud interactions, with a key focus on variations in the jet's density, velocity, and magnetic field. Findings reveal a two-fold increase in the magnetic field strength up to ~5 μG due to cloud incorporation, which, coupled with an elevated non-thermal particle population, enhances synchrotron emissions, shifting the spectral index from 2.2 to 2.4. Inverse Compton scattering saw a 30% increase within the first 0.125 Myr, reflecting in an abrupt X-ray and gamma-ray emissions spike. Furthermore, the jet's light curve flux variability in the X-ray band showcased an initial peak increase of about 28% by 0.175 Myr, settling to a 20% increase by 0.2 Myr, attributable to cloud disruption and absorption. Conclusions drawn from these findings confirm our hypothesis that non-thermal particle acceleration dramatically influences the radiative signatures of AGN jet-cloud interactions .It underscores the necessity of considering such acceleration processes in modeling AGN jet-cloud interactions and posits that these changes could be instrumental as observational indicators, thereby contributing to more accurate interpretations of AGN activity and evolution.   "
The Role of Government in Combating Child Labor: India as a Case Study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5501,Aaliya Gupta,11-30-2023,"The issue of child labour has been a persistent thorn in India’s growth story. Despite the existence of several national and international level legislations pertaining to this issue, completely eradicating the practice of employing child labour has been a difficult and arduous task. This policy paper attempts to explore the reasons behind the persistence of this issue, analyse the adverse impacts on children engulfed in this practice and further suggest some policy-based solutions to this issue by looking at the impact of landmark court cases."
The Relationship Between College Experiences and Middle-Aged Entrepreneurs’ Success,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4708,Alexander Slater; Soo Park,08-31-2023,"This study aims to explore the relationship between success in the world of entrepreneurship and the college experience. Colleges have been growing in cost in recent years and it becomes even more imperative to explore the value of a college education when pursuing a career in entrepreneurship. This study collected data using semi-structured interviews with questions revolving around various characteristics learned during college. The data was analyzed with a thematic analysis that was meant to identify the overarching characteristics that entrepreneurs felt were the most important factors for their success. The study concluded that the most important factors for success as an entrepreneur were interpersonal skills, diversification of perspectives, and critical thinking skills. These results demonstrate that college is valuable for the development of well-rounded entrepreneurs and potentially informs future curricula. "
"The Impact of the 2009 US-backed Coup on the Political, Social, and Economic Spheres of Honduras",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4876,Nashla Turcios,08-31-2023,"This qualitative study explores the perspectives of seven Honduran citizens regarding the 2009 coup in Honduras, with a focus on themes of political instability, economic struggles, social polarization, migration, and international intervention. The participants expressed a range of views on the coup and its aftermath, with some highlighting the negative impact of the coup on Honduran democracy and others suggesting that it represented a necessary corrective measure. The study also examines the role of the United States, in the coup and its aftermath, with a majority of participants expressing negative sentiments towards US intervention in Honduras.   "
Falling Out of Postural Instability: Evaluating the Contribution of Somatosensation to Standing Balance in Parkinson's Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4914,"Katherine Shi, Andrew Monaghan; Daniel Peterson",08-31-2023,"People with PD (PwPD) experience a variety of motor symptoms, including postural instability, impaired gait, tremors, and falls. Falls among PwPD are especially debilitating, as they can result in fracture risk, increased progression of the disease, and even death. Previous research has demonstrated that the somatosensory system, consisting of tactile sensation (which is responsible for feelings of touch and pressure) and proprioceptive feedback (which is important in joint position sense), is crucial for reactive balance control. The primary goal of this project was to determine the unique contributions of the tactile and proprioceptive systems to standing balance control in PD. Participants at the Gait and Balance Disorders Lab at Arizona State University were asked to maintain their balance while experiencing 3 sensory vibration conditions from vibrotactile transducers 1) a control condition with no vibration, 2) vibration underneath the feet to disturb tactile sensation, and 3) vibration on top of their feet (dorsiflexor tendon) to manipulate proprioception. Another goal was to identify predictors of somatosensory impairment during standing balance (i.e., participants affected most by sensory vibration) by associating clinical characteristics with change scores in balance outcomes from the no vibration-control condition to the tactile and proprioceptive stimulation conditions. The results of this study indicate that vibrotactile stimulation had minimal impacts on standing balance responses. This study also found few predictors of somatosensory impairments. Further research is needed to enhance clinical efficiency in designing treatments that have the most impact on improving balance control and preventing falls."
Quantifying the Dynamics of Data Augmentation Hyperparameters for Facial Expression Recognition,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4646,Ryan Lin; Peter Washington,08-31-2023,"Automated recognition of facial expressions is a central component of systems used in an expanding array of domains. For a computer to automatically recognize affect, copious amounts of data are required to successfully train the model. It can often take a lot of work to collect and label data. In recent years, researchers have applied numerous data augmentation strategies to increase the diversity of the data within training datasets. Here, I examined the most common data augmentation strategies to determine which strategies result in higher performance for the facial expression recognition machine learning model. I first tested each data augmentation technique by itself and compared their performances. I next ran an ablation study with the augmentation strategies. I then analyzed the effect of dataset size on the marginal contribution of data augmentation. I find that augmentation does not always improve performance. When the dataset size is small, it results in a degradation of model performance. The accuracy of models with data augmentation starts to outperform the models with no data augmentation when the training dataset size is greater than a certain threshold. These results highlight the importance of considering dataset size when applying data augmentation to computer vision."
Test Anxiety and Perfectionism,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4839,"Melissa Landsman; Grace Escamilla, Justin Matyas",08-31-2023,"Past research demonstrates that test anxiety is an important component impacting academic performance. Perfectionism has been investigated as a factor associated with test anxiety. The purpose of this study is to contribute to an identified research gap by examining the distribution and association of perfectionism and test anxiety among high school students. This study included 74 high school students with the majority consisting of juniors and seniors in a suburban high school in Northeastern United States. Using the Westside Test Anxiety Scale and Short Almost Perfect Scale, 41% self-reported high test anxiety and 66% self-reported perfectionism in the high school student sample. Correlational analyses revealed a strong positive association (r = .47) between perfectionism and test anxiety, a strong positive association (r = .49) between discrepancy perfectionism (i.e., self-criticism) and test anxiety, and a weak positive association (r = .18) between standards perfectionism (i.e., striving) and test anxiety. The findings are consistent with existing studies of other age samples and further the understanding of test anxiety and its association with perfectionism in high school students. Implications for school-based interventions to manage test anxiety and perfectionism and directions for future research are considered.                Keywords: Test Anxiety, Perfectionism"
An Analysis of Costs and Solutions to High Recidivism Rates in Florida,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5008,"Sofia Krivitsky, Aarush Santoshi, Sophia Li, Matthew Diomidous; Krassimir Penev",08-31-2023,"Recidivism affects a significant portion of convicted offenders. It represents the culmination of many factors like social isolation, a lack of work opportunities, and drug abuse. This project evaluates the risks and costs of recidivism in Florida's correctional facilities in terms of the physical cost of incarceration and the social cost that imprisonment has on communities. We derive and analyze data from six main sources: past recidivism trends from the Florida Department of Corrections, data of police employment, data of median income data, drug arrest data, and data of unemployment trends. We then evaluate the feasibility of measures involving drug rehabilitation, educational programs, police employment increases to discourage recidivism and facilitate reentry into society by using symbolic regression to calculate future trends. The R-squared values ranged from 65.4% to 97.3%. A primary component analysis (PCA) was performed with post hoc Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, which yielded a value < 0.6, and Bartlett’s Sphericity, which yielded a value <<< 0.0001, tests, suggesting a substantial correlation. A Monte Carlo analysis was then performed to predict the total instances of recidivism through 2024. This research showed that increasing police efficiency and investing in drug rehabilitation services should be prioritized by the state of Florida. "
The Coevolution of the Understanding and Treatment Modalities for Phantom Limb Pain,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4479,Rachel Rui Hong; Chloe Cavanaugh,08-31-2023,"Phantom Limb Pain (PLP), an inappropriate sensation in a missing limb, is a post-amputation phenomenon that occurs in up to 80% of amputees. The specific sensations vary from person to person, but some common reported sensations include warmth or coldness, itching, tingling, and electric shock. Some patients also perceive a specific position or movement of the phantom limb. Most amputees experience PLP with varying degrees of intensity, frequency, and duration. About 5-10% of amputees continue to have severe PLP for many years after amputation. As technology and scientific understanding have evolved, phantom limb pain has become better understood over the centuries, from its first mention from Ambroise Pare in the 1600s to the usage of a variety of medication, medical therapy, and surgery options available today. Although the field of medicine does not yet have a curative treatment for PLP, treatment modalities have advanced from the use of wooden pegs to the latest and advanced prosthetics. By summarizing the growing understanding and evolution of treatment modalities for the medical condition from its first mention in the 16th century to the current 21st century, we can begin to appreciate the years of study and collaboration to current knowledge of phantom limb pain."
The Impact of Election Laws on the Turnout of Young People  An analysis of the relationship between election laws and youth turnout across the United States in the 2020 election,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4720,Alyvia Bailey,08-31-2023,"The twenty sixth amendment of the United States Constitution says that no citizen over the age of 18 years old shall be denied the right to vote. Despite this constitutional amendment, there are many barriers that hinder this act of voting. Multiple types of barriers exist: location, time, money, and most important to this research, legislative barriers. Based on the voter turnout of all Americans across the country, it appears that these barriers seem to disproportionately affect young people and minorities. The low turnout rates among youth and minorities are a serious threat to the effectiveness of our representative democracy in the United States. Since the raw data for the turnout of minorities does not exist, the effects laws have on their turnout will not be determined in this paper. Minorities, however, will still be discussed in the review of literature because of their importance in regards to voter turnout."
Distractor-Specific Single Neuron Activity Predicts Visual Working Memory Task Outcomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4901,Jia Lakhamraju; Mare Stewart,08-31-2023,"        This paper explores the relationship between neural activity and behavioral performance in the form of visual working memory (VWM) task outcomes, by answering the question: Are there any significant differences in the firing rates of individual neurons during the distractor presentation period of a VWM task between success and error trials that can predict the outcome of a trial? Distractor-specific single neuron firing rates during a VWM task were analyzed to answer this question. A logistic regression was used to identify the predictive capability of neural firing rate on trial outcome with the neural activity of 51 cells from the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of a primate. This study found that a best-fit logistic model could predict the behavioral performance of the primate (success or error of the VWM task) with 63.01% accuracy, with additional machine learning techniques producing scores upwards of 68% accuracy. Moreover, greater firing rates in response to the distractor, indicating less efficient distractor suppression, accompanied the error trials of the VWM task. This suggests that stronger neural responses to task-specific distractors can hinder the attentional filtering required for efficient working memory, supporting previous research that found that distractor suppression is a mechanism that heavily influences WM efficiency. These findings indicate that people, particularly children, with disorders that affect WM capacity such as ADHD may experience stronger neural responses to distractors, and therefore inefficient distractor suppression, at the single neuron level when engaging in goal-oriented behaviors, which can significantly impact learning and other developmental processes.        "
Media Coverage of Macular Degeneration in Countries of Different Developmental Stages,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4620,Miriam Chang,08-31-2023,"Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a chronic degenerative eye disorder that may not be well reported to the public. Current literature regarding media coverage of eye conditions tends to examine general visual impairment (ex. Tillery, 2017) instead of specific disorders such as AMD. The current research aims to examine how news media cover and frame information regarding AMD. Therefore, the researcher conducted an inductive content analysis on newspaper articles with the keyword AMD in the most circulated newspaper in three countries: The United States, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The three countries were chosen based on their varying socioeconomic status as the are categorized as developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries respectively. Results showed that the developed country reported more on treatments while the developing and developed countries reported mostly on the prevention of AMD. Writing strategies examined from all three news sites indicate episodic framing as the most prominent among all news sites and there is no difference in that aspect. Results are further analyzed, discussed, and implications were made as well."
A Continuous Oral-fluid Monitoring of Glucose (O.M.G.) Device with Near-field & Bluetooth Communication Capability,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4805,George Cheng,08-31-2023,"      Around 34 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), while 88 million adults have prediabetes. Unlike the traditional invasive needle method, our proposed salivary glucose-monitoring device, OMG, can facilitate self-monitoring through a noninvasive method via Bluetooth modulation using cost-effective material (Nafion, Polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS], Bluetooth chips). The electrodes designed were coated with Glucose Oxidase (GOx), where a biological redox reaction occurs after being in contact with salivary glucose. When the interdigitated electrode (IDE) connects to the Bluetooth circuit, the impedance changes and modulates the electromagnetic reflection from the course, reflecting it as the “change of resistance” (which is proportional to the glucose concentration). Afterward, commercial chemical methods, ex-vivo, and in-vivo styles were employed to assess viability and usability. Data were assessed by creating several different comparisons between OMG and existing alternatives. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images captured OMG GOx’s morphology, vector multimeters were used to collect data, and Glucose Assay Kits (Colorimetric) were used for OMG comparative analysis. NOREC (software) transfers measured fluctuations into graphical and numerical data. Testing results suggest that the trendline is reliable: R2 = 0.9292 for colorimetric and R2 = 0.9673 for our Performance Tests (ex-vivo and in-vivo), which was better than the gold standard: R2 = 0.8823. Further, we conducted multiple resistance tests, in which resistance and voltage significance was averaged to be p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively. The non-invasiveness and portability demonstrate the necessity of developing such applications and novel, cost-effective smartwatch-based alternatives.      "
"A Case Study on the Efficacy and Usage of Assistive Technologies in Howard County Schools, MD",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4987,Daniel Bi; Callie Casper,08-31-2023,"Assistive technology is equipment that is designed to improve the capabilities of students with disabilities. For many students with disabilities, these technologies enable essential life skills such as daily communication and independence inside and outside of the classroom. This study assesses the efficacy, usage, and implementation of assistive technology in Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) in Maryland, in order to determine any potential barriers and deficiencies towards the effective implementation of the said devices. A voluntary sample of 59 members of 1200 HCPSS staff was asked questions about the assistive technologies used in the county, their effectiveness, potential barriers towards implementation, training given, and available resources. Responses generally indicated that assistive technologies were beneficial, with the 83% of respondents selecting 4 or 5 out of 5 for the effectiveness of assistive technologies in academic and social contexts. Respondents elaborated that technologies allowed students with severe disabilities to communicate, socialize, work independently, and improve reading and writing skills. On the other hand, drawbacks such as distractions and dependencies created by the technologies were noted. Respondents felt confident towards the resources and support provided by the county, noting an assistive technology department and specialists available for support. However, respondents commonly reported that they were under-trained, received only occasional, limited workshop sessions, and were constantly behind on training. Thus, recommendations were drafted to improve training and staff awareness towards assistive technologies, such as required comprehensive training sessions for special education staff and a universal assistive technology guide to be provided.   "
Montessori Education: A Study on the Impact of Montessori Preschools in Washington on Short-Term Emotional Development in Children,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4717,Casey Tebben,08-31-2023,"This research paper investigates how Montessori preschool education impacts short-term emotional development in children ages 3-5 in Washington state, compared to conventional forms of education. This study employs a multimethod approach including a quantitative parental survey measuring common adolescent behaviors on a five-point Likert scale along with a qualitative Montessori educator survey coded for key themes of Montessori education that support emotional development. The findings from the quantitative parental survey show that while both Montessori and conventional preschool students are on track for emotional development, there is a significant disparity as Montessori students were found to have higher emotional development. Furthermore, the educator survey suggests that there are four main aspects of Montessori curriculum: respect, independence/individualization, community/diversity, and conflict resolution. Overall, the results of this study provide valuable insights on the effectiveness of Montessori education in regard to promoting emotional development in preschoolers and how it could be further utilized to inform educational practices and curriculum in conventional preschools."
Women's Labor Participation in Ghana and Effects on Human Development: A Focus on Entrepreneurship,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4889,"Audrey Wang; Antonio Bojanic, Bridget Hamill",08-31-2023,"The purpose of this paper is to examine the gender-rooted challenges that women entrepreneurs face in Ghana and to analyze the impacts that increasing women’s rights and entrepreneurship have had on the country’s economy. Several indicators (including labor force participation, women's seats in national parliaments, the Women Business and the Law index, primary completion rate, and the gender inequality index) of gender equality and the prevalence of women’s entrepreneurship are compared with economic and human development trends. Through statistical regressions, the paper’s findings show a positive correlation between greater income equality and women’s seats in national parliament, as well as with the human development index, and conclude that the best way to reduce gender inequality is to increase the number of women in positions of power, as well as improve the education and skill development for women."
Effect of Brainwave Entrainment Using Binaural Beat Stimulation on Short-Term Memory,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4589,"Meta VanGilder; Maren LaLiberty, Mindy Ray",08-31-2023,"Auditory brain entrainment is a response to a rhythmic stimulus that increases the amount of a single brainwave frequency. It has been proposed to act as a key mechanism to heighten sensory intake.  Auditory brain entrainment can be induced by listening to binaural beat stimulation. It has been shown that there is a positive effect on memory caused by using binaural beat stimulation. There has been research done on memory in young adults using binaural beat stimulation, but little in adolescents. Due to the lack of research on the effects of brain entrainment on memory in adolescents, this study attempts to show that a teen's working memory will improve after listening to a 40 Hz binaural beat for five minutes as compared to 0 Hz and 4 Hz.  Participants were randomly assigned into three groups (0Hz, 4Hz, 40Hz) prior to the experiment. Participants completed the Sternberg Short-term memory test.The participants then listened to a binaural beat of their designated group for 5 minutes, after which they completed the second trial of the Sternberg Short-term memory test. The average change of speed recall and errors from no binaural beat to after the binaural beat stimulus was analyzed using a T-test of independent means. The results do not support the hypothesis that listening to binaural beat stimulation of 40Hz would improve short-term memory compared to 4Hz and 0Hz."
Detecting Emotions in Audio Data of Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder using Convolutional Neural Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4776,Rohan Gupta,08-31-2023,"As humans, we have an effortless ability and a high accuracy to identify another human's emotions through the tone, pitch and pace of their speech, even the emphasis and stress placed on each word. However, people with a traumatic experience suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 24.4 million people in the USA, can often repress emotions  making it difficult for therapists to identify their patients genuine emotions and to treat them appropriately. Using an upcoming field of emotion detection in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), I identified the human emotions from speech. Instead of using an audio transcription based model, I opted for a newer image based model, RESNET-18, which is widely used and utilizes spectrograms to preserve the subtleties in speech, critical in distinguishing emotions. To train the model, I used the RAVEDESS dataset which consists of wav files with eight different emotions. I was able to achieve an overall accuracy of 82% (greater than human detection by 25%). Specifically, I achieved 99% for no stress class (happiness), 97% for neutral class, (neutral, calm, and surprised), and 8\5% for stressed class (fearful, sadness, anger, disgust). I also found that the model got an accuracy of 87% when only trained on males, with continued training an overall accuracy above 90% is definitely achievable. In conclusion, it is possible to find the emotions of PTSD patients, and in the future, continued research can help improve the lives of people who are not able to express their true emotions."
Roscovitine’s Effect on D. melanogaster with TDP-43 Nuclear Loss Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4965,"Mira Ramachandran, Satvika Aruva; Jessica Eliason",08-31-2023,"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that leads to motor neuron death, causing muscle atrophy and paralysis. The majority of ALS patients die from respiratory failure within 2–5 years. By 2040, the incidence of ALS is predicted to increase worldwide by 70%. ALS has no cure. TDP-43 protein dysfunction is present in ~97% of ALS patients. Past ALS research focused on TDP-43 aggregation in the cytoplasm of neuronal cells; however, loss of TDP-43 from the nucleus is now considered the main contributor to neurodegeneration. Drosophila larvae with dTDP-43 nuclear loss exhibit locomotion deficits and reduced levels of cacophony, a neuronal calcium channel required for neurotransmitter release. When cacophony was restored in dTDP-43 nuclear loss larvae, locomotion was rescued. Roscovitine is a drug that increases calcium influx in neuronal calcium channels, essentially performing the same function as increased cacophony. The purpose and novelty of this research are to determine if a roscovitine supplement can improve the locomotion of a TDP-43 nuclear loss ALS model of Drosophila melanogaster. The larval locomotion assay was used to validate the ALS symptom of muscle weakness. The movements of larvae on an agar plate were recorded. Using ImageJ, the displacements and speeds of the larvae were determined. Results indicate that ALS larvae fed roscovitine performed significantly better on the locomotion assay than ALS larvae fed normal food (p-value < 0.0001). This research provides insight into the role of neuronal calcium channels in TDP-43 nuclear loss and calcium channel agonists’ potential in treating ALS."
The Relationship Between College Experiences and Middle-Aged Entrepreneurs’ Success,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4708,Alexander Slater; Soo Park,08-31-2023,"This study aims to explore the relationship between success in the world of entrepreneurship and the college experience. Colleges have been growing in cost in recent years and it becomes even more imperative to explore the value of a college education when pursuing a career in entrepreneurship. This study collected data using semi-structured interviews with questions revolving around various characteristics learned during college. The data was analyzed with a thematic analysis that was meant to identify the overarching characteristics that entrepreneurs felt were the most important factors for their success. The study concluded that the most important factors for success as an entrepreneur were interpersonal skills, diversification of perspectives, and critical thinking skills. These results demonstrate that college is valuable for the development of well-rounded entrepreneurs and potentially informs future curricula. "
"The Impact of the 2009 US-backed Coup on the Political, Social, and Economic Spheres of Honduras",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4876,Nashla Turcios,08-31-2023,"This qualitative study explores the perspectives of seven Honduran citizens regarding the 2009 coup in Honduras, with a focus on themes of political instability, economic struggles, social polarization, migration, and international intervention. The participants expressed a range of views on the coup and its aftermath, with some highlighting the negative impact of the coup on Honduran democracy and others suggesting that it represented a necessary corrective measure. The study also examines the role of the United States, in the coup and its aftermath, with a majority of participants expressing negative sentiments towards US intervention in Honduras.   "
The Limits of AI Content Detectors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5064,Hongyu Wu; Tom Flanagan,08-31-2023,"As ChatGPT became a popular and powerful language model used by people worldwide in 2023, the problem of students using it to cheat on schoolwork became palpable. While many existing AI content detectors can detect AI-generated texts, such as GPT-2 Content Detector and GPTZero, the accuracy of an AI content detector in detecting generated essays that have been post-edited by humans is unknown. This research discovered the limitations of the GPT-2 Content Detector and answered the question, “How does human post-editing of AI-generated high school English essays affect the result of an AI content detector?” Ten English essays were generated using ChatGPT Plus based on prompts from high school English teachers. Each essay was then edited in 5 different ways to create pairs of unedited and edited essays. All unedited and edited essays were evaluated using GPT-2 Output Detector Demo, and then the results from the detector were studied and analyzed. It was found that introducing spelling mistakes in generated essays and processing the essays with QuillBot will make the result of AI content detectors less accurate. The findings from this research can be used as a guide for companies developing AI-generated text detectors, making them more accurate when dealing with edited generated text. The findings can also be helpful for schools and educators, because knowing that students can edit essays to bypass AI content detectors, educators can develop new ways to examine students’ writing ability."
Impact of Gender Bias in Training Data for Machine Learning Models predicting Myocardial Infarction,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4532,Victoria Harding Bradley,08-31-2023,"The use of biomarkers reference ranges derived from clinical trials to detect and diagnose the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) is well established.  However, the predominance of older male participants in these trials has been shown to contribute to increased rate of misdiagnoses among women.  The application of Machine Learning (ML) to medical diagnosis promises the potential to improve accuracy.  However, ML also has the potential to perpetuate this problem of gender bias in trial data leading to worse outcomes for female patients.  This research found that models trained using data containing only male patient data were less accurate at predicting MI among female patients than those trained using data sets with greater representation of females.  For the model trained only with male patient data, this increased false negative rate corresponds to 2% of female patients with MI not being correctly diagnosed.   Addressing this issue will require (a) the collection of more female patient data to support the construction of training data sets which accurately reflect the patient population (b) consistent reporting of gender mix and other demographic information such as age when ML model performance is reported. "
"IQ as an Indicator of Academic Stress, Study Habits, and Academic Success",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4745,"John Shadwell; Justin Matyas, Grace Escamilla",08-31-2023,"Intelligence quotient (IQ) and its impacts have been studied heavily in previous research. However, studies have not yet sufficiently applied IQ to an academic environment, especially in high-school aged students. To fill this gap in the field of study, this study utilized a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to measure trends in the behavior of students at different IQ levels and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of student populations. The study’s participants, comprising of 21 high schoolers, voiced and quantified their opinions on their personal experiences regarding stress, study habits, and academic success. Ultimately, the trends in high IQ and low IQ groups suggest that IQ is a valuable statistic in educational environments which can be used by educators to improve student weaknesses. The exposure of IQ scores in academic settings would provide crucial insight into the behavioral trends of student groups and can make a lasting positive change in education."
Interleukin-6 Levels in Nasal Secretion as a Potential Diagnostic Tool for Alzheimer’s Disease  Exploring the Feasibility and Clinical Significance of IL-6 Measurements in Nasal Secretions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4925,Lailla Burka; Jessica Lancaster,08-31-2023,"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition affecting millions worldwide, and early detection is crucial for effective treatment and management. Due to the cluster of amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the neurons in the brain begin to undergo gradual and irreversible neuronal loss. This is why early detection of AD is crucial for effectively treating and managing the disease. However, the current diagnostic methods, such as imaging scans, are not always accessible and affordable and cannot be diagnosed early on. This study investigated the potential of nasal secretion as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for AD. The study employed two assays, Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), to measure protein and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in nasal secretion samples. Blood samples were also collected to serve as a comparison tool. The findings suggest that nasal secretion may be a promising diagnostic tool for AD, with elevated levels of IL-6 found in the nasal secretion of mice with AD-like pathology. The total interleukin-6 concentration in Alzheimer’s disease mice was between 0.1367 pg/mL and 0.14233 pg/mL, compared to the nasal secretion in the healthy mice cohort between 0.094 pg/mL and 0.11 pg/mL. The study contributes to the research on the IL-6 biomarker in AD. It shows that utilizing nasal secretion as a diagnostic tool could allow for early detection and improved quality of life for patients. Future research should investigate the accuracy of nasal secretion as a diagnostic tool and compare it to other current methods."
Rice Fields as Mosquito Density Indicators for Malaria Prediction in Nigeria: An Anthropological View,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4695,Gabrielle Wong; Heidi Cooke,08-31-2023,"The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies high-risk areas for disease outbreaks in African countries (WHO, 2019a). Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kebbi state in Nigeria, is particularly susceptible to vector-borne diseases (WHO, 2019a). Malaria is a significant health concern in Kebbi state, where rice fields serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes (CDC, 2020). This paper proposes an early warning system that utilizes satellite imagery and household data to predict mosquito populations in Kebbi State. Integrating machine learning and satellite imagery can inform disease control strategies and public health interventions. Additionally, this approach presents opportunities for anthropological research into the political aspects of malaria and rice farming in Kebbi state, Nigeria. Anthropologists can analyse the socio-political and economic factors influencing malaria persistence while considering the perspectives of local communities. Understanding the intricate relationships between farmers, mosquitoes, and public health officials can contribute to the development of more effective and equitable malaria control strategies. The poverty rate of approximately 72.0% in Kebbi state further complicates healthcare accessibility (Nigeria Health Watch, 2021). By focusing on this region and employing a multidisciplinary approach, this paper aims to address the urgent health challenges and support sustainable solutions for malaria prevention in Kebbi state, Nigeria."
Determining the Efficacy of Polyphenols in Inhibiting the Aggregation of Amyloid Beta Proteins,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4848,"Gayathri Renganathan; Bridget Liu, Bhoomi Jain, Sumayyah Ismail, Kavya Patel, Ayush Patel, Alyssa Halvorsen, Nandini Mannem",08-31-2023,"Alzheimer's Disease is caused by an aggregation of amyloid beta and tau proteins in the brain. Polyphenols, a broad class of naturally-existing compounds, have been shown to inhibit the aggregation of those proteins. This project aims to focus on expressing different combinations of those proteins, as well as assaying those proteins for aggregation inhibition using polyphenols such as curcumin, caffeic acid, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and more to determine which polyphenol is most effective in doing so. We chose to use these polyphenols because of their past precedence in other work, along with their widespread prevalence. However, this project focused more on the biological and in-vitro aspect of polyphenols inhibiting amyloid beta, such as conducting multiple assays including Congo Red, Avoidance, and Dynamic Light Scattering in order to receive tangible results. Through our studies, we found that polyphenols do produce an inhibitory effect on the aggregation of amyloid-beta."
Exploring the Role of Interaction in Engagement and Satisfaction Within Virtual Learning Environments,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5014,Abe Shin,08-31-2023,"Empirical studies have recognized the significant role of student engagement and interaction in determining satisfaction within high-quality, synchronous virtual learning environments. A prevailing concept in research surrounding synchronous virtual satisfaction suggests that interaction is a key driver of learner engagement. However, very few research has delved into the underpinnings of this relationship. This study, therefore, aims to examine the potential mechanisms that link student engagement and satisfaction through interactions within a synchronous virtual learning environment. A sample of 200 South Korean secondary school students, comprising a balanced gender ratio (51% male, 49% female), was included in this research. The findings demonstrate a series of positive correlations among student engagement, interaction, and satisfaction. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed a positive relationship between student engagement and satisfaction, with interaction serving as a mediating variable. The study's results suggest that high school students derive benefits when teachers take active steps to engage them. The findings of this study could guide future planners of synchronous virtual learning environments to prioritize student engagement as a strategic initiative for boosting satisfaction levels."
An Analysis of Interventional Clinical Trials and Trends in Potential Glioblastoma Therapeutics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4500,Ananya Uddanti,08-31-2023,"Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), an aggressive malignant tumor of the central nervous system, carries a poor prognosis. This research aimed to analyze the current and future trends of interventional GBM clinical trials. Analyzed trials met the following eligibility criteria: registration between January 1st, 2012, and July 19, 2022, of interventional study type, in trial phases II-IV, and were either completed, recruiting, or active. Of 1,728 GBM-related trials, 336 were eligible. A majority of trials were of open-label masking (89.58%, n=301), academia-sponsored (44.94%, n=151), and systemic interventions (87.20%, n=293). Despite an increasing trend in the number of trials initiated, other findings provided a basis for concern: negligible focus on localized interventions, minimal funding by industry, and widespread use of open-label maskingof funding by industry and minimal trials examining localized therapies hinders the availability of interventions and the improvement of treatment techniques, respectively.  Likewise, open-label masking is not the standard, nor is the use supported in clinical trial studies, as it does not eliminate placebo responses. These conclusions are the basis of concerns and areas of improvement in the GBM clinical trial landscape."
Factors Contributing to Heightened Anxiety in Airline Pilots During the COVID-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4729,Madeleine Hontz; Jennifer Osborne,08-31-2023,"This study analyzed the specific effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the mental health of airline pilots. Using an exploratory research methodology, the researcher sent a self-designed questionnaire to seventeen (17) currently registered pilots that flew before, during, and after the pandemic. The intent of the survey was to measure anxiety levels and explore causes of anxiety. The results showed that there were three (3) common causes of post-pandemic anxiety: lack of job security, decreased social interactions, and lack of control. This study analyzed mental health, which is less commonly talked about within the aviation industry. Future research should continue to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on airline pilots, and how to manage a comparable situation again in the future."
Analyzing Twitter Data to Understand Stigmatization of Schizophrenia Before and After Elon Musk,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4637,Melinda Mo; Daniel Olivo,08-31-2023,"Stigmatization of mental health has become an increasingly prevalent issue in recent years, particularly on social media. The perpetuation of online stigma has significant negative impact on those with schizophrenia, affecting their social lives, self-esteem, ability to succeed in treatment, and more. One major factor that may affect stigmatization on social media is how content moderation is perceived by the users of the platform, as well as the social norms surrounding acceptable discussions on said platform. This relationship has not yet been examined in the context of schizophrenia stigma on Twitter. Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter has provided an opportunity to do just this, as his public statements and goals for the platform have suggested increased “freedom of speech” and decreased restrictions on content posted, changing how Twitter users perceive allowed conversations. The current study analyzed discussions of schizophrenia on Twitter before and after Elon Musk’s acquisition, coding individual Tweets based on the extent to which they indicated a stigmatizing attitude towards schizophrenia. Main findings include a marginally significant positive association between schizophrenia stigmatization and Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, with an increase in stigmatizing attitudes. Further, in agreement with previous literature on this topic, this study reveals that the stigma of schizophrenia is widespread on Twitter both prior and following Musk’s acquisition. The results of the study may be useful in guiding social networking companies and advocacy efforts to create programs or restrictions that counters stigmatization and further protects those with schizophrenia."
An Innovative Alternative to Plastic Straws with Bacterial Cellulose,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4809,"Sean Lee, Kevin Lee; Joshua Whang",08-31-2023,"This study aims to introduce the usage of biodegradable bacterial cellulose as an alternative material to straw production. Cellulose is a crystalline linear chain polysaccharide found in various organisms with cell walls. Known for its strength and durability, cellulose is also biodegradable due to its organic nature. Through a series of different experiments that include the production of cellulose from SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and the subsequent creation of straws from the cellulose and food-safe glue, this study proposes a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic straws. Further experiments were done to compare the functionality of the cellulose straw to that of plastic straws and other alternatives currently in the market, including paper and metal straws. This was done using a strength test to see how much weight the straws could hold before breaking, a test to see how long the straws could maintain their integrity with water running through them, and an experiment where different drinking liquids were used. It was found that the cellulose straws displayed no loss in functionality when compared to the other straws and displayed similar levels of durability as the plastic straws."
Exploring the Influence of East Asian Culture Tendencies to Judge Others Based on Familial Factors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4994,Hidan Kim; EunHye Song,08-31-2023,"This study aimed to explore the influence of familial factors on prejudice among East Asians, considering the ambiguous impact of Confucian collectivism. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted to examine previous research on prejudice and its association with familial factors. The study employed the Implicit Bias Test and collected data from a voluntary sample of 33 East Asian individuals. The results of a logistical regression test (p=4.31 e -0.5) demonstrated that the participants placed considerable importance on familial factors: parental income, parental occupational prestige, and parental education.  These findings indicate a significant influence of familial qualities in the judgments made by East Asians. However, further investigation is necessary to understand the specific role of Confucian culture in shaping these dynamics (Rsq =0.532). Overall, this study contributes to the existing literature and highlights the need for additional research to fully comprehend the complex interplay between familial factors, prejudice, and cultural influences among East Asians."
Student Perceptions of Involvement in Secondary-Level Competitive Forensics Organizations,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4467,"Nikhil Pochana; Esohe Egiebor, Jeff Baker",08-31-2023,"Previous literature in the field of education highlighted the impacts of student involvement in extracurricular activities on student academic and personal development; however, much of this research is oriented towards postsecondary students and not secondary-level students, and the research is broadly focused on extracurricular activities generally rather than focusing on specific categories of activities that require different levels of student involvement. This study explores specifically competitive forensics (speech and debate) and its impacts on student development at the secondary education level based on student perceptions of their own involvement. A mixed methods phenomenology was used for data collection and analysis where students responded to quantitative Likert items and qualitative short answer items through an online survey. These items collectively discussed the categories of academic development, professional and social communication skills, and mental health and personal wellbeing to explore general student development. Data analysis showed that sampled students perceived their involvement in forensics to have improved academic performance and development and generally improved social and professional communication abilities. However, the sample is in disagreement in regards to mental health and personal wellbeing; a small majority hold the perception that forensics has improved their mental health, while a significant amount hold the opposite perception. Ultimately, analysis of these student perceptions on forensics provides education professionals a greater understanding of the impacts of forensics and similar extracurriculars on secondary student development. This understanding could further opportunities for learning and development beyond the classroom through extracurriculars such as forensics."
Distractor-Specific Single Neuron Activity Predicts Visual Working Memory Task Outcomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4901,Jia Lakhamraju; Mare Stewart,08-31-2023,"        This paper explores the relationship between neural activity and behavioral performance in the form of visual working memory (VWM) task outcomes, by answering the question: Are there any significant differences in the firing rates of individual neurons during the distractor presentation period of a VWM task between success and error trials that can predict the outcome of a trial? Distractor-specific single neuron firing rates during a VWM task were analyzed to answer this question. A logistic regression was used to identify the predictive capability of neural firing rate on trial outcome with the neural activity of 51 cells from the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of a primate. This study found that a best-fit logistic model could predict the behavioral performance of the primate (success or error of the VWM task) with 63.01% accuracy, with additional machine learning techniques producing scores upwards of 68% accuracy. Moreover, greater firing rates in response to the distractor, indicating less efficient distractor suppression, accompanied the error trials of the VWM task. This suggests that stronger neural responses to task-specific distractors can hinder the attentional filtering required for efficient working memory, supporting previous research that found that distractor suppression is a mechanism that heavily influences WM efficiency. These findings indicate that people, particularly children, with disorders that affect WM capacity such as ADHD may experience stronger neural responses to distractors, and therefore inefficient distractor suppression, at the single neuron level when engaging in goal-oriented behaviors, which can significantly impact learning and other developmental processes.        "
Media Coverage of Macular Degeneration in Countries of Different Developmental Stages,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4620,Miriam Chang,08-31-2023,"Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a chronic degenerative eye disorder that may not be well reported to the public. Current literature regarding media coverage of eye conditions tends to examine general visual impairment (ex. Tillery, 2017) instead of specific disorders such as AMD. The current research aims to examine how news media cover and frame information regarding AMD. Therefore, the researcher conducted an inductive content analysis on newspaper articles with the keyword AMD in the most circulated newspaper in three countries: The United States, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The three countries were chosen based on their varying socioeconomic status as the are categorized as developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries respectively. Results showed that the developed country reported more on treatments while the developing and developed countries reported mostly on the prevention of AMD. Writing strategies examined from all three news sites indicate episodic framing as the most prominent among all news sites and there is no difference in that aspect. Results are further analyzed, discussed, and implications were made as well."
A Continuous Oral-fluid Monitoring of Glucose (O.M.G.) Device with Near-field & Bluetooth Communication Capability,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4805,George Cheng,08-31-2023,"      Around 34 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), while 88 million adults have prediabetes. Unlike the traditional invasive needle method, our proposed salivary glucose-monitoring device, OMG, can facilitate self-monitoring through a noninvasive method via Bluetooth modulation using cost-effective material (Nafion, Polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS], Bluetooth chips). The electrodes designed were coated with Glucose Oxidase (GOx), where a biological redox reaction occurs after being in contact with salivary glucose. When the interdigitated electrode (IDE) connects to the Bluetooth circuit, the impedance changes and modulates the electromagnetic reflection from the course, reflecting it as the “change of resistance” (which is proportional to the glucose concentration). Afterward, commercial chemical methods, ex-vivo, and in-vivo styles were employed to assess viability and usability. Data were assessed by creating several different comparisons between OMG and existing alternatives. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images captured OMG GOx’s morphology, vector multimeters were used to collect data, and Glucose Assay Kits (Colorimetric) were used for OMG comparative analysis. NOREC (software) transfers measured fluctuations into graphical and numerical data. Testing results suggest that the trendline is reliable: R2 = 0.9292 for colorimetric and R2 = 0.9673 for our Performance Tests (ex-vivo and in-vivo), which was better than the gold standard: R2 = 0.8823. Further, we conducted multiple resistance tests, in which resistance and voltage significance was averaged to be p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively. The non-invasiveness and portability demonstrate the necessity of developing such applications and novel, cost-effective smartwatch-based alternatives.      "
"A Case Study on the Efficacy and Usage of Assistive Technologies in Howard County Schools, MD",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4987,Daniel Bi; Callie Casper,08-31-2023,"Assistive technology is equipment that is designed to improve the capabilities of students with disabilities. For many students with disabilities, these technologies enable essential life skills such as daily communication and independence inside and outside of the classroom. This study assesses the efficacy, usage, and implementation of assistive technology in Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) in Maryland, in order to determine any potential barriers and deficiencies towards the effective implementation of the said devices. A voluntary sample of 59 members of 1200 HCPSS staff was asked questions about the assistive technologies used in the county, their effectiveness, potential barriers towards implementation, training given, and available resources. Responses generally indicated that assistive technologies were beneficial, with the 83% of respondents selecting 4 or 5 out of 5 for the effectiveness of assistive technologies in academic and social contexts. Respondents elaborated that technologies allowed students with severe disabilities to communicate, socialize, work independently, and improve reading and writing skills. On the other hand, drawbacks such as distractions and dependencies created by the technologies were noted. Respondents felt confident towards the resources and support provided by the county, noting an assistive technology department and specialists available for support. However, respondents commonly reported that they were under-trained, received only occasional, limited workshop sessions, and were constantly behind on training. Thus, recommendations were drafted to improve training and staff awareness towards assistive technologies, such as required comprehensive training sessions for special education staff and a universal assistive technology guide to be provided.   "
Montessori Education: A Study on the Impact of Montessori Preschools in Washington on Short-Term Emotional Development in Children,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4717,Casey Tebben,08-31-2023,"This research paper investigates how Montessori preschool education impacts short-term emotional development in children ages 3-5 in Washington state, compared to conventional forms of education. This study employs a multimethod approach including a quantitative parental survey measuring common adolescent behaviors on a five-point Likert scale along with a qualitative Montessori educator survey coded for key themes of Montessori education that support emotional development. The findings from the quantitative parental survey show that while both Montessori and conventional preschool students are on track for emotional development, there is a significant disparity as Montessori students were found to have higher emotional development. Furthermore, the educator survey suggests that there are four main aspects of Montessori curriculum: respect, independence/individualization, community/diversity, and conflict resolution. Overall, the results of this study provide valuable insights on the effectiveness of Montessori education in regard to promoting emotional development in preschoolers and how it could be further utilized to inform educational practices and curriculum in conventional preschools."
Women's Labor Participation in Ghana and Effects on Human Development: A Focus on Entrepreneurship,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4889,"Audrey Wang; Antonio Bojanic, Bridget Hamill",08-31-2023,"The purpose of this paper is to examine the gender-rooted challenges that women entrepreneurs face in Ghana and to analyze the impacts that increasing women’s rights and entrepreneurship have had on the country’s economy. Several indicators (including labor force participation, women's seats in national parliaments, the Women Business and the Law index, primary completion rate, and the gender inequality index) of gender equality and the prevalence of women’s entrepreneurship are compared with economic and human development trends. Through statistical regressions, the paper’s findings show a positive correlation between greater income equality and women’s seats in national parliament, as well as with the human development index, and conclude that the best way to reduce gender inequality is to increase the number of women in positions of power, as well as improve the education and skill development for women."
Effect of Brainwave Entrainment Using Binaural Beat Stimulation on Short-Term Memory,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4589,"Meta VanGilder; Maren LaLiberty, Mindy Ray",08-31-2023,"Auditory brain entrainment is a response to a rhythmic stimulus that increases the amount of a single brainwave frequency. It has been proposed to act as a key mechanism to heighten sensory intake.  Auditory brain entrainment can be induced by listening to binaural beat stimulation. It has been shown that there is a positive effect on memory caused by using binaural beat stimulation. There has been research done on memory in young adults using binaural beat stimulation, but little in adolescents. Due to the lack of research on the effects of brain entrainment on memory in adolescents, this study attempts to show that a teen's working memory will improve after listening to a 40 Hz binaural beat for five minutes as compared to 0 Hz and 4 Hz.  Participants were randomly assigned into three groups (0Hz, 4Hz, 40Hz) prior to the experiment. Participants completed the Sternberg Short-term memory test.The participants then listened to a binaural beat of their designated group for 5 minutes, after which they completed the second trial of the Sternberg Short-term memory test. The average change of speed recall and errors from no binaural beat to after the binaural beat stimulus was analyzed using a T-test of independent means. The results do not support the hypothesis that listening to binaural beat stimulation of 40Hz would improve short-term memory compared to 4Hz and 0Hz."
Detecting Emotions in Audio Data of Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder using Convolutional Neural Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4776,Rohan Gupta,08-31-2023,"As humans, we have an effortless ability and a high accuracy to identify another human's emotions through the tone, pitch and pace of their speech, even the emphasis and stress placed on each word. However, people with a traumatic experience suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 24.4 million people in the USA, can often repress emotions  making it difficult for therapists to identify their patients genuine emotions and to treat them appropriately. Using an upcoming field of emotion detection in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), I identified the human emotions from speech. Instead of using an audio transcription based model, I opted for a newer image based model, RESNET-18, which is widely used and utilizes spectrograms to preserve the subtleties in speech, critical in distinguishing emotions. To train the model, I used the RAVEDESS dataset which consists of wav files with eight different emotions. I was able to achieve an overall accuracy of 82% (greater than human detection by 25%). Specifically, I achieved 99% for no stress class (happiness), 97% for neutral class, (neutral, calm, and surprised), and 8\5% for stressed class (fearful, sadness, anger, disgust). I also found that the model got an accuracy of 87% when only trained on males, with continued training an overall accuracy above 90% is definitely achievable. In conclusion, it is possible to find the emotions of PTSD patients, and in the future, continued research can help improve the lives of people who are not able to express their true emotions."
Roscovitine’s Effect on D. melanogaster with TDP-43 Nuclear Loss Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4965,"Mira Ramachandran, Satvika Aruva; Jessica Eliason",08-31-2023,"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that leads to motor neuron death, causing muscle atrophy and paralysis. The majority of ALS patients die from respiratory failure within 2–5 years. By 2040, the incidence of ALS is predicted to increase worldwide by 70%. ALS has no cure. TDP-43 protein dysfunction is present in ~97% of ALS patients. Past ALS research focused on TDP-43 aggregation in the cytoplasm of neuronal cells; however, loss of TDP-43 from the nucleus is now considered the main contributor to neurodegeneration. Drosophila larvae with dTDP-43 nuclear loss exhibit locomotion deficits and reduced levels of cacophony, a neuronal calcium channel required for neurotransmitter release. When cacophony was restored in dTDP-43 nuclear loss larvae, locomotion was rescued. Roscovitine is a drug that increases calcium influx in neuronal calcium channels, essentially performing the same function as increased cacophony. The purpose and novelty of this research are to determine if a roscovitine supplement can improve the locomotion of a TDP-43 nuclear loss ALS model of Drosophila melanogaster. The larval locomotion assay was used to validate the ALS symptom of muscle weakness. The movements of larvae on an agar plate were recorded. Using ImageJ, the displacements and speeds of the larvae were determined. Results indicate that ALS larvae fed roscovitine performed significantly better on the locomotion assay than ALS larvae fed normal food (p-value < 0.0001). This research provides insight into the role of neuronal calcium channels in TDP-43 nuclear loss and calcium channel agonists’ potential in treating ALS."
The Relationship Between College Experiences and Middle-Aged Entrepreneurs’ Success,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4708,Alexander Slater; Soo Park,08-31-2023,"This study aims to explore the relationship between success in the world of entrepreneurship and the college experience. Colleges have been growing in cost in recent years and it becomes even more imperative to explore the value of a college education when pursuing a career in entrepreneurship. This study collected data using semi-structured interviews with questions revolving around various characteristics learned during college. The data was analyzed with a thematic analysis that was meant to identify the overarching characteristics that entrepreneurs felt were the most important factors for their success. The study concluded that the most important factors for success as an entrepreneur were interpersonal skills, diversification of perspectives, and critical thinking skills. These results demonstrate that college is valuable for the development of well-rounded entrepreneurs and potentially informs future curricula. "
"The Impact of the 2009 US-backed Coup on the Political, Social, and Economic Spheres of Honduras",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4876,Nashla Turcios,08-31-2023,"This qualitative study explores the perspectives of seven Honduran citizens regarding the 2009 coup in Honduras, with a focus on themes of political instability, economic struggles, social polarization, migration, and international intervention. The participants expressed a range of views on the coup and its aftermath, with some highlighting the negative impact of the coup on Honduran democracy and others suggesting that it represented a necessary corrective measure. The study also examines the role of the United States, in the coup and its aftermath, with a majority of participants expressing negative sentiments towards US intervention in Honduras.   "
The Limits of AI Content Detectors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5064,Hongyu Wu; Tom Flanagan,08-31-2023,"As ChatGPT became a popular and powerful language model used by people worldwide in 2023, the problem of students using it to cheat on schoolwork became palpable. While many existing AI content detectors can detect AI-generated texts, such as GPT-2 Content Detector and GPTZero, the accuracy of an AI content detector in detecting generated essays that have been post-edited by humans is unknown. This research discovered the limitations of the GPT-2 Content Detector and answered the question, “How does human post-editing of AI-generated high school English essays affect the result of an AI content detector?” Ten English essays were generated using ChatGPT Plus based on prompts from high school English teachers. Each essay was then edited in 5 different ways to create pairs of unedited and edited essays. All unedited and edited essays were evaluated using GPT-2 Output Detector Demo, and then the results from the detector were studied and analyzed. It was found that introducing spelling mistakes in generated essays and processing the essays with QuillBot will make the result of AI content detectors less accurate. The findings from this research can be used as a guide for companies developing AI-generated text detectors, making them more accurate when dealing with edited generated text. The findings can also be helpful for schools and educators, because knowing that students can edit essays to bypass AI content detectors, educators can develop new ways to examine students’ writing ability."
Impact of Gender Bias in Training Data for Machine Learning Models predicting Myocardial Infarction,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4532,Victoria Harding Bradley,08-31-2023,"The use of biomarkers reference ranges derived from clinical trials to detect and diagnose the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) is well established.  However, the predominance of older male participants in these trials has been shown to contribute to increased rate of misdiagnoses among women.  The application of Machine Learning (ML) to medical diagnosis promises the potential to improve accuracy.  However, ML also has the potential to perpetuate this problem of gender bias in trial data leading to worse outcomes for female patients.  This research found that models trained using data containing only male patient data were less accurate at predicting MI among female patients than those trained using data sets with greater representation of females.  For the model trained only with male patient data, this increased false negative rate corresponds to 2% of female patients with MI not being correctly diagnosed.   Addressing this issue will require (a) the collection of more female patient data to support the construction of training data sets which accurately reflect the patient population (b) consistent reporting of gender mix and other demographic information such as age when ML model performance is reported. "
"IQ as an Indicator of Academic Stress, Study Habits, and Academic Success",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4745,"John Shadwell; Justin Matyas, Grace Escamilla",08-31-2023,"Intelligence quotient (IQ) and its impacts have been studied heavily in previous research. However, studies have not yet sufficiently applied IQ to an academic environment, especially in high-school aged students. To fill this gap in the field of study, this study utilized a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to measure trends in the behavior of students at different IQ levels and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of student populations. The study’s participants, comprising of 21 high schoolers, voiced and quantified their opinions on their personal experiences regarding stress, study habits, and academic success. Ultimately, the trends in high IQ and low IQ groups suggest that IQ is a valuable statistic in educational environments which can be used by educators to improve student weaknesses. The exposure of IQ scores in academic settings would provide crucial insight into the behavioral trends of student groups and can make a lasting positive change in education."
Interleukin-6 Levels in Nasal Secretion as a Potential Diagnostic Tool for Alzheimer’s Disease  Exploring the Feasibility and Clinical Significance of IL-6 Measurements in Nasal Secretions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4925,Lailla Burka; Jessica Lancaster,08-31-2023,"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition affecting millions worldwide, and early detection is crucial for effective treatment and management. Due to the cluster of amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the neurons in the brain begin to undergo gradual and irreversible neuronal loss. This is why early detection of AD is crucial for effectively treating and managing the disease. However, the current diagnostic methods, such as imaging scans, are not always accessible and affordable and cannot be diagnosed early on. This study investigated the potential of nasal secretion as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for AD. The study employed two assays, Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), to measure protein and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in nasal secretion samples. Blood samples were also collected to serve as a comparison tool. The findings suggest that nasal secretion may be a promising diagnostic tool for AD, with elevated levels of IL-6 found in the nasal secretion of mice with AD-like pathology. The total interleukin-6 concentration in Alzheimer’s disease mice was between 0.1367 pg/mL and 0.14233 pg/mL, compared to the nasal secretion in the healthy mice cohort between 0.094 pg/mL and 0.11 pg/mL. The study contributes to the research on the IL-6 biomarker in AD. It shows that utilizing nasal secretion as a diagnostic tool could allow for early detection and improved quality of life for patients. Future research should investigate the accuracy of nasal secretion as a diagnostic tool and compare it to other current methods."
Effects of Work-Family Conflict on Working Women,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4329,Jean Kim,05-31-2023,"This paper is mainly about the work-family conflict women face in this society. This paper shows the relationship between work-family conflict and various factors such as social support, turnover intention, and low job engagement. To find the effects of work-family conflict on working women, the survey was sent out to the people who currently have a workplace. The majority of the participants were women, as the research’s main focus was on working women. The results proved the positive correlation between work-family conflict and turnover intention. In addition, surprisingly, the survey showed that the control variables such as age, tenure, gender, and the number of children had insignificant impacts on the work-family conflict.   "
The Behavioral and physiological impacts of the hormesis of chemical contaminants on embryonic zebrafish,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4409,"Akshay Kumar; Leya Joykutty , Juliana Caulkins",05-31-2023,"Pharmaceutical chemicals are being produced, consumed, and excreted in human civilization at an increasing rate. These chemicals have the capacity to accumulate, especially in environments such as freshwater systems, but there have not been any major responses to this threat yet as the present concentrations of the chemicals is not viewed as dangerous. Previous research has shown that the developing concentrations of chemicals is an issue, supporting that these chemicals, though not present in large doses, have impacts on exposed organisms. However, prior research has not been conducted to examine the specific effects of chemicals at hormetic concentrations on freshwater organisms. “Hormetic concentration” defines the concentrations of chemicals at specific levels where the response to a low dose of chemical differs from the response to the high dose, and these were the ranges of concentration that were tested in this experiment.  Zebrafish were acquired at zero days post fertilization, transferred to the medium containing the appropriate concentration of chemicals for the group that they would be a part of, and used as a model for aquatic organisms to show the resulting chemical, neural, and physical response to the chemical concentrations. The zebrafish were euthanized via bleaching and freezing prior to seven days post fertilization. The results of this experiment show that there is an ecological risk associated with the environmental accumulation of pharmaceutical chemical contaminants that is inherent to their use in human civilization, a result which makes it clear that this issue needs to be addressed."
Solving Partial Differential Equations for Physical and Chemical Problems Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4200,Xiaorui Yang; Haotian Chen,05-31-2023,"Numerous physical and chemical problems at a high school level can be described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and partial differential equations (PDEs). However, the underlying equations troubled high school students because they often lack advanced mathematical skills, such as discrete calculus. Our goal is not to elaborate on those skills, but to offer a shortcut to the solution. In this paper, we demonstrated the use of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), a neural network which solves the PDEs by incorporating the PDEs into the loss functions. The heat transfer equation and second order chemical kinetics are the two chosen model problems for high school seniors. Using PINNs, we were able to solve these two problems without recurring to university math. Hence, we strongly recommend peers to employ this method for physical or chemical problems for high school students and beyond."
The Aerospace Industry’s Impact on 20th Century American Society,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4268,Aniket Martins,05-31-2023,"Since the dawn of mankind, the stars have been an inspiration for humanity. From the studies of the Greeks and the observations of the Indians and Chinese to Da Vinci’s plans and the research of the Wright Brothers, exploring the sky, space and stars has always been at the forefront of human ingenuity. In the United States, the idea of flight exploration began in the early 1900s: a true embodiment of the American dream. This paper examines developments in politics, economics and social movements in 1900s America while contrasting claims with counter arguments and exposing continuities in U.S. history to discuss the impact of the aerospace and defense industry on U.S. society. From Women’s Rights and Civil Rights to military and economics, the growth of the aerospace and defense industry paralleled a period of radical growth for American society creating lasting changes in the process. "
Mass-Market Augmented Reality: The Difficulty behind its Integration and the Path to Success,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4905,Roman Guthrie McNerney; Brandon Galang,05-31-2023,"The failure of Google Glass changed the path of augmented reality (AR), delaying its integration into a mass market by years. Google Glass contained numerous technical limitations that companies are still facing today. The product also showcased the social issues that come with the technology. Shared privacy concerns among many cause consumer reluctance, with information tyrants such as Google leading and largely controlling AR development. In addition to privacy concerns, health concerns steer people away from the technology. Worse yet, the many negative connotations associated with AR give it a stigma that causes major social limitations. Without normalization of the technology, people will not be interested to invest large sums of money in a product centered on convenience rather than purpose. This lack of purpose and perceived unknowns, combined with the pragmatic elements of a low battery life and glitchy, bulky design, makes the technology unappealing. Companies today are attempting to circumnavigate these problems in multiple ways. Some are attempting to create a product with a centralized purpose that solves a problem. Others are using already established industries such as the smartphone or gaming market to sell a more manageable product. Some companies have abandoned the idea of selling AR products, and are instead using it as a service.   Augmented reality is a field that still must develop due to its initial setbacks, compelling companies to become creative with the technology’s usage. The consumer market is not adapted to wearable AR, making normalization necessary for further progression in the field. "
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Disorders,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4223,Pranay Mehta; Jothsna Kethar,05-31-2023,"Regenerative medicine is a field of medicine focused on the repair or replacement of damaged or diseased cells, tissues, and organs through the use of various medical technologies. These technologies include stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, and gene therapy, among others. Millions across the globe are plagued with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) with ranging debilitating effects that are detrimental to the functionality of one's life. The healing process of MSD can be arduous and sometimes worse than the injury itself. The various methods of treatment including stem-cell based therapy and the origin and composition of these stem cells has been reviewed in this paper, in order to present a way in which the natural healing process of MSD can be amplified and catalyzed."
A study on US Mass Shooting using data analysis and machine learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4321,Andrew Fang,05-31-2023," Many years ago, mass shootings have become one major problem in our country. In 2021, more than 45,000 people were murdered in mass shootings. And I started to wonder, why are people doing this? If we can get some clues with existing data, it might help prevent future tragedies from happening.      In many shooting incidents, the shooters seem to massacre without any reason. Many people wonder if it’s related to the murderer’s mental health. I started to gather some data and found two datasets about mass shootings and mental health on Kaggle, a public data-sharing website. First, I performed data analysis and statistical testing with the two datasets To further investigate the relationship between mass shootings and mental health, I fitted a linear regression model with the merged datasets. I found out that there’s an obvious correlation between these two variables, which means mental illness was one of the direct reasons that caused mass shootings.   In addition, I want to help people avoid mass shootings. So I made a linear regression model, which helps to predict how many total victims there will be based on input factors, like location, race, age, etc. Using this model, people can put more security in dangerous locations to best avoid mass shootings. "
The Application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Anesthesiology,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4403,Srinithya Kothapalli; Dr. Rajagopal Appavu PhD.,05-31-2023,"This research paper explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in anesthesiology. AI and ML have the potential to improve patient outcomes and enhance clinical decision-making by enabling anesthesiologists to monitor patient vital signs in real-time, predict the likelihood of complications, and optimize drug dosages to minimize side effects and enhance efficacy. The Hypotension Prediction Index algorithm is a compelling example of how AI and ML can be utilized to improve intraoperative patient care. However, there is a need for further research and validation to ensure the safety and efficacy of these technologies in clinical practice. Future advancements in AI and ML techniques are likely to result in more sophisticated and accurate predictive models, decision support tools, and monitoring systems that will ultimately benefit patients undergoing anesthesia. Overall, the application of AI and ML in anesthesiology presents a promising avenue for improving patient care and outcomes."
"The Effect of IMS on Cognitive and Behavioral Abilities of mutant Drosophila, causing Neuroplasticity  Finding a Preventative Mechanism for Alzheimer’s Disease",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4358,"Emma Colarte Delgado, Leya Joykutty, Juliana Caulkins Caulkins",05-31-2023,"The goal of this experiment was to determine the effect of the Intermediate Metabolic Switching (IMS) diet on the short and long-term memory of mutant Drosophila due to neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity creates new neural networks and can be measured in ketone count. The IMS diet includes two components: fasting and a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. The Phenol-Sulfuric Acid Test and the Hanus Iodine Solution Test were both used to quantify two ratios, a 2:2 ratio carbs to fats, and the 4:1 ratio fats to carbs. It was hypothesized that if fruit flies are fed the IMS diet, leading to plasticity, then their overall memory and behavioral health will increase because of the amount of ketones released, increasing memory formation. Mutant Drosophila tested, which lacked the Amyloid-Precursor Protein-like gene (APPL), exhibited similarities to early-stage Alzheimer's patients. Assays include the Aversive Phototaxic Suppression Assay to measure short term memory, the Aversive Pavlovian Olfactory Assay to measure long-term memory, the Drosophila Activity Monitor software to track movement of Drosophila, the Drosophila Stress Odorent (dSO) Assay to measure mood changes, and the ß-Hydroxybutyrate Ketone Quantification assay to measure ketone levels and ensure the IMS diet worked. Results were all conclusive, establishing that the flies in the 4:1 diet were more sensitive but retain short and long term memory, showing IMS could be used as a preventative mechanism for Alzheimer’s. "
Artificial Intelligence Assisted Mobility Device Development,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4401,Shivali Upadhyay; Jothsna Kethar,05-31-2023,"Artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining attention in the world for assisting humans with tasks that they could not achieve otherwise. In the medical industry specifically, artificial intelligence has made it possible to almost connect the original human body with another perfected body. This paper is intended to summarize the different conditions that may lead to someone needing a mobility device in the first place, what companies have preexisting parts that we can repurpose for the ideal artificial intelligence assisted mobility device, and the different AI technology that we can use to build this machine.   The main methods utilized to collect the data used in this paper were collecting research from various scientific journals on the different conditions that can lead to the need for a mobility device, data collected from medical technology companies, and research on different artificial intelligence tools. Combining these pieces of research from different scientific journals and technological sources, it was found that the leading causes of falls are a result of cognitive impairment and balance-related issues. It was also concluded that the main pieces of equipment, are already present and would need to be manufactured in a way that the elderly user could use it on a daily basis. The overall research concluded to find that the artificial intelligence device would need to be flexible, durable, and greatest of all, prevent the user from falling or alarm a medical professional that someone is at risk of falling."
A First Step Toward Ontic Pluralism in Mathematical Explanation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4239,Wenshi Zhao; Blake,05-31-2023,"Although discussions about the nature of mathematical explanation are scarce in the philosophy literature, mathematical explanation plays an integral role in the philosophy of mathematical practice and has important consequences in other branches of philosophy. Various proposals are given to describe the criteria that make certain mathematical proofs more explanatory than others; however, none has been free from objections. These proposals also differ in important ways, which leads to the divergence of the two approaches to mathematical explanation: the ontic approach and the epistemic approach. This paper analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the popular proposals, defends the ontic approach, and proposes the ontic pluralism account. This new account addresses a significant problem of previous ontic proposals."
Displaced By Words: How Does Media Impact Gentrification?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4345,Linxiang Sheng; Chyng Sun,05-31-2023,"  To put it simply, gentrification is a process where capital investment in a previously neglected area leads to the influx and eventual takeover of middle-class groups, displacing the original working-class residents in the area during the process. This research paper is a literature review that discusses the background of gentrification, how it is portrayed and facilitated by the media, and how it could be countered through media. I specifically examined different forms of media that can either facilitate or counteract gentrification, while closely relating these examinations with societal factors of class and race. Overall, the media has an affirmative role in gentrification, with some forms more so than others. This can be largely attributed to the fact that mainstream media typically supports the stance of the middle class, which is the primary gentrifier in the process of gentrification. The media can also be used to combat gentrification, both for promoting anti-gentrification movements and for identifying gentrification. However, there are significant challenges in these methods that are yet to be fully overcome.  "
Is Gen Z in India Moving Towards Financial Independence? - A Study of Their Investment Preferences,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4446,Mahek Dugar; Vinodh Madhavan,05-31-2023,"Gen Z are financially more sophisticated than any previous generation was at their age and are only at the beginning of their journey to financial independence. With increasing evidence of Gen Z investing in India, the current study aims to explore their investment preferences. A survey was conducted for age group 15-25 asking them about their source of monthly funds, proportions and reasons for saving, investment preferences including proportions, avenues, time frame, risk perceptions and behaviour of investing. The study finds that saving habits of Gen Z are significantly different across gender, age and annual family income and they are gradually moving towards financial independence by relying on their own earnings. Consequently, we found that Gen Z’s investments were largely influenced by higher saving proportions and investing experience of their family members. We also observe that Gen Z is investing long term in assets like Equity Shares, Mutual funds, Fixed Deposit and Gold/Silver, and intraday in risky assets like Crypto.  Factors like rate of return, long term gains and historical performance were found to influence their investment decisions as more than 50% of the Gen Z were found likely to invest in Growth and SIP’s of mutual funds, Growth and Value equity stocks and in Banking and Information Technology sector. Lastly, we see that majority of Gen Z follows a herd behaviour, uses new age investing apps, fearing losses find it difficult to take the first step in investing but are optimistically ready to learn and improve their investing skills."
Brain Tumor Detection Using Convolutional Neural Network,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4213,"Falak Chhatre, Sudhanva Deshpande , Sidhant Malik , Grace Yan ; Suresh Subramaniam",05-31-2023,"Early and accurate diagnosis of brain tumors, a lethal disease caused by the abnormal growth of cells in the brain, is imperative to increase survival rates. A popular method for detection, diagnosis, and treatment is magnetic reasoning imaging (MRI) because it is non-invasive and provides high-quality visuals. Unfortunately, analyzing them manually can often be time-consuming and requires medical expertise. Image classification, a subset of computer vision, is a computer’s ability to classify and interpret objects within images. It can support a doctor’s diagnosis and serve as an entry-level screening system for brain tumors.  This study aims to build an accurate machine learning model to predict the existence of brain tumors from magnetic resonance images. We used the Br35H dataset to build two different convolutional neural network (CNN) models: Keras Sequential Model (KSM) and Image Augmentation Model (IAM). First, images from our dataset were preprocessed, augmented, and standardized to improve efficiency and reduce inaccuracies. Then, the data was normalized, and our models were trained. Lastly, aside from the validation accuracy and loss observed while training, we cross-referenced the accuracy of our model using the accuracy validation dataset. Of our two models, the IAM outperformed the KSM. The IAM had a validation accuracy of 97.99% and a validation loss of 4.94% on the Br35H dataset, and a 100% accuracy when classifying MRIs from the accuracy validation dataset."
AI and the Neurobiology of Consciousness,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4283,Chandni Kumar; Tom McClelland,05-31-2023,"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a method used to teach machines to process and experience data/information the way humans do. The claustrum, the cellular unit of the nervous system that communicates with the body through electrical patterns, is an excellent model for AI when trying to derive consciousness. It has been used as a model for neural networks to teach machines to process, experience, and process information the way people do. This paper discusses the need to understand what makes a human conscious in order to determine if an inorganic addition affects this consciousness in the face of innovations such as neural implants and other brain-computer interface technologies that aim to merge the human brain and computers. It is important to examine the impact AI has on the conscious mind and the possibility of extended consciousness."
A First Step Toward Ontic Pluralism in Mathematical Explanation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4239,Wenshi Zhao; Blake,05-31-2023,"Although discussions about the nature of mathematical explanation are scarce in the philosophy literature, mathematical explanation plays an integral role in the philosophy of mathematical practice and has important consequences in other branches of philosophy. Various proposals are given to describe the criteria that make certain mathematical proofs more explanatory than others; however, none has been free from objections. These proposals also differ in important ways, which leads to the divergence of the two approaches to mathematical explanation: the ontic approach and the epistemic approach. This paper analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the popular proposals, defends the ontic approach, and proposes the ontic pluralism account. This new account addresses a significant problem of previous ontic proposals."
Displaced By Words: How Does Media Impact Gentrification?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4345,Linxiang Sheng; Chyng Sun,05-31-2023,"  To put it simply, gentrification is a process where capital investment in a previously neglected area leads to the influx and eventual takeover of middle-class groups, displacing the original working-class residents in the area during the process. This research paper is a literature review that discusses the background of gentrification, how it is portrayed and facilitated by the media, and how it could be countered through media. I specifically examined different forms of media that can either facilitate or counteract gentrification, while closely relating these examinations with societal factors of class and race. Overall, the media has an affirmative role in gentrification, with some forms more so than others. This can be largely attributed to the fact that mainstream media typically supports the stance of the middle class, which is the primary gentrifier in the process of gentrification. The media can also be used to combat gentrification, both for promoting anti-gentrification movements and for identifying gentrification. However, there are significant challenges in these methods that are yet to be fully overcome.  "
Is Gen Z in India Moving Towards Financial Independence? - A Study of Their Investment Preferences,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4446,Mahek Dugar; Vinodh Madhavan,05-31-2023,"Gen Z are financially more sophisticated than any previous generation was at their age and are only at the beginning of their journey to financial independence. With increasing evidence of Gen Z investing in India, the current study aims to explore their investment preferences. A survey was conducted for age group 15-25 asking them about their source of monthly funds, proportions and reasons for saving, investment preferences including proportions, avenues, time frame, risk perceptions and behaviour of investing. The study finds that saving habits of Gen Z are significantly different across gender, age and annual family income and they are gradually moving towards financial independence by relying on their own earnings. Consequently, we found that Gen Z’s investments were largely influenced by higher saving proportions and investing experience of their family members. We also observe that Gen Z is investing long term in assets like Equity Shares, Mutual funds, Fixed Deposit and Gold/Silver, and intraday in risky assets like Crypto.  Factors like rate of return, long term gains and historical performance were found to influence their investment decisions as more than 50% of the Gen Z were found likely to invest in Growth and SIP’s of mutual funds, Growth and Value equity stocks and in Banking and Information Technology sector. Lastly, we see that majority of Gen Z follows a herd behaviour, uses new age investing apps, fearing losses find it difficult to take the first step in investing but are optimistically ready to learn and improve their investing skills."
Brain Tumor Detection Using Convolutional Neural Network,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4213,"Falak Chhatre, Sudhanva Deshpande , Sidhant Malik , Grace Yan ; Suresh Subramaniam",05-31-2023,"Early and accurate diagnosis of brain tumors, a lethal disease caused by the abnormal growth of cells in the brain, is imperative to increase survival rates. A popular method for detection, diagnosis, and treatment is magnetic reasoning imaging (MRI) because it is non-invasive and provides high-quality visuals. Unfortunately, analyzing them manually can often be time-consuming and requires medical expertise. Image classification, a subset of computer vision, is a computer’s ability to classify and interpret objects within images. It can support a doctor’s diagnosis and serve as an entry-level screening system for brain tumors.  This study aims to build an accurate machine learning model to predict the existence of brain tumors from magnetic resonance images. We used the Br35H dataset to build two different convolutional neural network (CNN) models: Keras Sequential Model (KSM) and Image Augmentation Model (IAM). First, images from our dataset were preprocessed, augmented, and standardized to improve efficiency and reduce inaccuracies. Then, the data was normalized, and our models were trained. Lastly, aside from the validation accuracy and loss observed while training, we cross-referenced the accuracy of our model using the accuracy validation dataset. Of our two models, the IAM outperformed the KSM. The IAM had a validation accuracy of 97.99% and a validation loss of 4.94% on the Br35H dataset, and a 100% accuracy when classifying MRIs from the accuracy validation dataset."
AI and the Neurobiology of Consciousness,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4283,Chandni Kumar; Tom McClelland,05-31-2023,"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a method used to teach machines to process and experience data/information the way humans do. The claustrum, the cellular unit of the nervous system that communicates with the body through electrical patterns, is an excellent model for AI when trying to derive consciousness. It has been used as a model for neural networks to teach machines to process, experience, and process information the way people do. This paper discusses the need to understand what makes a human conscious in order to determine if an inorganic addition affects this consciousness in the face of innovations such as neural implants and other brain-computer interface technologies that aim to merge the human brain and computers. It is important to examine the impact AI has on the conscious mind and the possibility of extended consciousness."
The Effects of Musical Genres on Emotion,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4383,Michael Li,05-31-2023,"The purpose of this research was to establish a connection between a specific genre of music and the emotions they elicit in listeners. The study included seven genres, musical theater, African tribal, pop, jazz, Chinese folk, sitar, and classical. After listening to each piece participants were asked a series of questions including their emotions when listening to it, if they enjoyed it, and if they recognized it in hopes of answering the question “How do different genres of music affect people’s mood after listening?” The participants’ responses showed that in general, listening to music would elicit positive emotions no matter the genre. Additionally, pieces that elicited more powerful reactions from the listener correlated with how enjoyable the piece was. Overall, the results of this study highlight how individuals can potentially alter their mood by enjoying music from different genres and by being aware of the factors in music that go beyond just the genre."
Alzheimer's Disease: Why is Early Detection Important?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4233,Emma Zhang,05-31-2023,"Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can bring benefits to the patient by giving them time to process and prepare for the development of the disease in the future. To detect the early stages of AD, patients can take brain imaging tests, auto-encoders, genetic tests, mental state tests, and cerebral spinal fluid tests. Through these tests, patients can determine their amyloid build-up levels, tau build-up levels, possible chromosomes related to AD, and mental health illnesses related to AD. "
Caravaggio’s Loyalty to “the Truth”: The Accessibility of His Paintings,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4340,"Wanqing Gao; Dr. Nagel , Paul Ashton",05-31-2023,"Caravaggio is famous for his mastering of chiaroscuro and controversial subject matters. From both a technical and social perspective, Caravaggio’s works were revolutionary. As he broke the decorums, he was redefining aestheticism and pushing the boundaries of the artistic society, sometimes also facing rejections. This paper will examine how Caravaggio committed to paint truthfully, thus, making his works accessible to the general public and changing the artistic landscape. By looking into both Caravaggio’s artistic compositions and his interactions with the society at large, this paper examines his unique loyalty to truthfulness and the consequences to his artistic choices. "
What the COVID-19 Pandemic has Taught Us About Future Health Standards,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4204,Brandon Bao; Reto Asmis,05-31-2023,"The COVID-19 pandemic has been the greatest global health crisis of the 21st century, responsible for over six million deaths and half a billion cases in the past three years. Unfortunately, the world was unprepared for the pandemic and, as a result, struggled to respond to the outbreak with effective public health measures. In order to prepare for the next pandemic, this paper seeks to explore the effectiveness of many different public health policies. This paper examines whether implementing mask policies, social distancing, targeted lockdowns, efficient testing, and strict quarantining controls are the best tactics for combating the next virus outbreak. The burden caused by the next pandemic could be radically reduced if all of these policies are implemented strategically. "
The Pathogenesis of Adrenoleukodystrophy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4272,Kyle Wang; Sajeth Dinakaran,05-31-2023,"Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a rare, inherited disorder that affects the brain, spinal cord, and adrenal glands. It is caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called ABCD1, which is involved in the metabolism of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). In ALD, the body cannot properly break down and clear VLCFAs, which can lead to the accumulation of these fatty acids in the brain and other tissues. This accumulation can cause inflammation and damage to cells and tissues, leading to various symptoms.  Symptoms of ALD may vary depending on the type of ALD and the severity of the condition. Common symptoms include neurological problems, such as difficulty walking, speaking, behavioral changes, and problems with the adrenal gland, such as adrenal insufficiency which is a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones. ALD is a progressive disorder, meaning symptoms may worsen over time if left untreated. Treatment for ALD typically involves medications and supportive care to manage symptoms and prevent complications. Sometimes, a bone marrow transplant may be recommended to replace damaged cells and tissues.  Genetic testing is available for ALD and can be used to diagnose the disorder and identify people at risk of developing it. Early diagnosis and treatment can help improve the chances of a full recovery and a good quality of life for people with ALD."
The Effects of Congenital Heart Disease on the Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Pediatric Patients,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4224,Dhriti Shah; Jothsna Kethar,05-31-2023,"It is a well-known fact that congenital heart disease (CHD) can cause life-long health complications, especially if it impairs other bodily functions early in life. One of these complications is the risk of developing a serious neurodevelopmental disorder known as autism spectrum disorder (AuSD). With some case studies identifying the linkage of CHD and AuSD, it has been successfully established that being diagnosed with CHD does increase a child’s chances of developing AuSD later in life. There is not a simple answer for why this occurs. However, there are several factors that can contribute to why CHD increases the risk of developing autism. Some possible explanations may include synthetic factors such as the alteration of blood flow in genetic pathways due to early cardiac surgery. These explanations can also include uncontrollable factors such as demographics, maternal conditions, and viral infections, all of which are just as likely as synthetic factors. This research, based on case studies conducted recently, further reinforces the conclusion that the diagnosis of certain lesions of CHD results in an elevated risk of developing AuSD. "
"Associations Between Biofuel Production and Sustainable Development Goals 2, 6, 7, 13, and 15",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4324,Alicja Mazurkiewicz; Ceyhun Elgin,05-31-2023,"Total biofuel demand in areas like transport and energy is set to grow by almost 30% annually to reach 50 billion gallons by 2026. Biofuels' association with sustainable development has been a subject of discussion among researchers and policymakers. Even the most robust studies on this topic examine only a small number of sustainable development indicators across a limited number of countries. This study analyzes whether biofuel production could advance, impede, or have no association with targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2, 6, 7, 13, and 15, which relate to biofuel production on a global scale. Correlations between ethanol, biodiesel, and total biofuel production datasets and 23 indicators of the selected targets in 34 of the world's largest biofuel-producing countries for 2009–2019 were compiled and analyzed in the context of the existing literature. Findings suggest that biofuel production has varying associations with SDG targets."
Investigating convergence and divergence of sequences,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4181,Jayan Gandhi; Hayk Sedrakayan,05-31-2023,"Convergence and divergence questions and limit of sequences appear in many different levels of mathematics including high school calculus and college-level research topics. In this paper, we are providing different approaches and techniques to deal with limit of sequences, convergence, and divergence. We also consider several applications and different examples to explain how these techniques can be used."
Population Dynamics of Intertidal Resident Species during a Reduction in Asian Shore Crab Population,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4262,Ryan Fernandez; Alejandro Victoria,05-31-2023,"Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian shore crab), which is native to coastal estuarine habitats along the east coast of Asia, have overtaken a wide range of the coast in the northeastern region of the United States. Intertidal population densities of Hemigrapsus sanguineus, Cancer irroratus (Atlantic rock crab), Littorina littorea (Common periwinkle), and Modiolus demissus (Atlantic Ribbed Mussel), among others, were measured at three sample sites from 8/2/22 to 11/14/22 using quadrat sampling techniques. A period of removal was enacted solely upon Sample site #1 from 9/28/22 to 11/2/22 to cause a reduction in the Asian shore crab population. During the period of removal, no statistically significant changes in Asian shore crab demographics (Carapace size/sex ratios) would be observed (p = 0.181 for carapace size changes). There would however be an 8% decrease in Asian shore crab population density within Sample site #1, comparative to a 1% increase at Sample site 2. Rock crab population density at Sample site #1 would increase by a relatively drastic 31%, whereas the Rock crab population would experience only a 7% increase at Sample site #2. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index was used to derive the effective number of species (ENS). There would be a drastic difference in change of ENS following the removal period at Sample site #1 (increase of 0.248 ENS), and the change of ENS at Sample site #2 (decrease of 0.024 ENS), suggesting the reduction in Asian Shore Crab population played a role in increased population diversity of intertidal resident species."
Utilizing Machine Learning to Predict the Number of Bikes in an Area,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4220,Tavishi Bansal; Guillermo Goldsztein,05-31-2023,"Machine learning is a type of Artificial Intelligence that uses data to make predictions and improve the accuracy of its outcomes. In this article, the problem discussed is classified as supervised learning and the technique utilized is Logistic Regression. After a description detailing what supervised learning and logistic regression are, using a data set to develop a model which predicts the number of bikes a rental bike company should provide based on certain conditions is discussed. The accuracy of this model is also communicated and the challenges and how the final estimations were reached are covered."
Exploring the Acculturation Strategies Among First Generation and Second Generation  Indian Immigrants residing in the United States of America,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4173,Arjun Arya,05-31-2023,"The majority of Indians living in the US came to the US during the Y2K scare close to 2000 and were first-generation immigrants who faced a very different culture than they had in India. Many people had different strategies to adapt to the newness of American Culture. This paper aims to explore and understand the similarities and differences in the acculturation strategies used by  how first-generation parents, specifically mothers and second-generation immigrants i.e. their adolescent children. A total sample of 30 respondents reading in Bay Area (15= mothers, 15= adolescents) was taken using convenience sampling. The adolescent acculturation strategies were measured by the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (BIQ) (Szapocznik, Scopetta, Kurtines, & Aranalde, 1978), and adult acculturation strategies were measured by the Likert scale. This questionnaire, based on a scale of 1-5, measures biculturalism and lack thereof, as well as cultural involvement and lack thereof. To analyze, a Mann-Whitney U test was carried out. Children adapted to the new American culture, whereas mothers mainly stayed with Indian culture, and children were more culturally involved than their mothers. This implies that children on the whole used their mother’s strategies about halfway through when they began to incorporate American culture into their life."
Clinical Pathology of Breast Cancer: Staging and Biomarkers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4244,Adithi Jonnagadla,05-31-2023,"Based on recent statistics, one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their life. Breast cancer is classified into a staging system that ranges from zero to four, which is determined by several factors. In the staging system, the clinical pathology taken and tested by the healthcare professional plays a key role in determining the gravity of the patient's case. Biomarkers provide insight into the carcinogenic cells in the person's body, such as the Estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor (HER2), and the progesterone receptor which are discussed in this paper. Each of these biomarkers communicates a specific attribute about the tumor cells and signifies the severity and the extent of the breast cancer. Based on this research, it was proven that there is not a direct correlation, but a slight correlation between the biomarkers found in the cells with the relative stage the patient has. Studies have shown a link between cells testing HER2 positive with high-grade tumors, unfavorable prognosis, lymph node collusion, high mortality rates, and higher rates of recurrence in patients which signify a stage three or four cancer. Studies also suggested that patients who test ER positive, PR negative, and HER2 negative are more likely to have early-stage invasive breast cancer, which alludes to stage one or two clinically. A definite conclusion was not able to be obtained as more research must be conducted, however, general trends were discovered between stages and biomarkers. "
Using Machine Learning to Forecast Progression from Cognitively Normal to Alzheimer's Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4347,Ann Song,05-31-2023,"Alzheimer's Disease (AD) affects approximately 50 million individuals worldwide and is estimated to rise to 152 million by 2050. There is currently no treatment for AD that halts the progression from cognitively normal (CN) and/or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD. The ability to predict disease progression will allow for early treatment. While Machine Learning (ML) has been successful in diagnosing the cognitive state, further improvement is necessary for predicting progression. In this study, Random Forest and Bagging Decision Tree Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) was utilized to ascertain the cognitive state and forecast progression. Clinical diagnoses, demographics, and post-processed PET and MRI scans used in this study were obtained from the Open Access Series of Imaging Studies (OASIS). The findings suggest that aging and lower levels of education are associated with higher risk. The study found that ML using post-processed MRI and PET scans, particularly RFE ML, is effective in diagnosing cognitive states with 90% accuracy. It can predict progression from CN to MCI or AD with 85% accuracy, which is significantly higher than the average reported in literature. Patients with progression from CN to AD were distinguished by elevated amyloid deposition, hippocampus and amygdala atrophy, left accumbens atrophy, thinning of the left hemisphere temporal, and enlarged inferior lateral ventricles. The study demonstrated that RFE ML is effective in diagnosing and predicting the progression of AD. Future studies will concentrate on identifying the specific regions of amyloid plaque that have the most significant impact on cognitive state and progression.   "
Heading Towards Accountability: An Analysis of the Efficacy of Concussion Protocol,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4457,Lucy Rudolph,05-31-2023,"The objective of this study was to evaluate the success of concussion protocols and accommodations, focusing on what factors were most influential. The approach will be a qualitative one, involving the use of open-ended questions and interviews to extract subjective responses. This approach was taken to encourage authentic answers and data. It concludes with an analysis of the data which reveals that while academic accommodations are beneficial, concussion protocols are not."
The Bioinformatic Analysis of Cancerous Cells,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4214,Ayush Yavagal; Coach Jo,05-31-2023,"Cancer is a ruthless disease that has no definite cure and it is very consequential to treat it. Chemotherapy and other cancer treatments have lasting negative effects on patients, like fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, and many other harmful side effects. To decrease the time period of vigorous cancer treatments like chemotherapy, cancer should be detected very early. Pathologists and clinicians have used many methods of cancer diagnosis over the years, but to do this, large amounts of data about a patient and their history are needed. This is known as the bioinformatic analysis of cancer cells. Bioinformatics is the act of using biological information to aid in the diagnosis of a disease, which in this case is cancer. When pathologists have diagnosed cancer in the past, the main component of diagnosis was the processing of this biological data, and it still is a major part of diagnosis today. With the rise of new technologies, Artificial Intelligence has been brought into the medical limelight and has been used extensively in the medical field to process the abundance of this data in recent years. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, the analysis speed of data used to diagnose cancer is higher than if pathologists alone analyzed the data. This paper focuses on the processing of bioinformatic data in pathologists’ cancer diagnosis workflow.  "
The Federal Reserve and Institutional Money Market Funds in March 2020,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4286,Nikhil Kamisetty,05-31-2023,"In this article, I discuss which Federal Reserve (Fed) policies implemented impacted Money Market Funds (MMFs) inflows or outflows the most. The timeframe is March 2020, with the exigence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is necessary because it helps the Federal Reserve know which policies can support the short-term money market. The Short-term money market is vital for the economy because it provides short-term funding for banks which are the foundation of the US economy. Although MMFs are only a portion of the short-term money market, any change implemented in one sector will affect all others because they’re closely intact. I used qualitative content analysis to find which policies prompt the most inflows/outflows. Through my research, I concluded that Federal Reserve Facilities to provide funding to various areas of the economy are what investors deem most worthy of investment."
Convolutional Neural Network Approach to Classifying the CIFAR-10 Dataset  How can supervised machine learning be applied as a technique on a convolutional neural network to solve the image classification problem of recognizing and classifying images in the CIFAR-10 dataset?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4388,Chaoyi Jiang; Guillermo Goldsztein,05-31-2023,"Convolutional neural network (CNN) is a powerful tool that can be used in many applications of machine learning. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of using a CNN to classify images in the CIFAR-10 dataset. The model achieved an accuracy of 0.6276 and a loss of 1.116452 on the validation set. It was observed that the accuracy of predictions varied from class to class, and this paper discusses the potential causes for this variation, such as similar classes sharing common features. Further research in this field could lead to improvement in driving assistance technology and eventually automated driving."
Should pharmaceutical scientists use liposomes or micelles as a means for drug delivery?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3415,Mohammed Khan; Coach Jo,04-09-2023,"Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a near-atomic scale to produce structures, machines, and devices. Nanotechnology is being used as a method to deliver drugs to combat cancer due to current, artificial systems producing harmful side effects. In this, two main systems stand out: liposomes and micelles. This paper compares the two systems to decide whether one system is more capable and should currently be used in drug deliveries. This paper will look at the structure of liposomes and micelles, clinical studies, and issues that have been noted. It was found that liposomes have a higher carrying capacity and can carry multiple types of drugs. In clinical trials, liposomes were found to be just as effective as current systems. However, they are known to have premature drug releases as well as being difficult to load. Micelles were found to be smaller, making them easier to enter the body. They are also easier to manufacture. In clinical studies, they were found to be just as effective as current systems. However, micelles are not as flexible, have a smaller volume, and much less stable than liposomes. Through compiling the advantages and disadvantages of both of these systems, it was found that overall, liposomes were a better system for drug delivery."
Effects of Protein Concentration in Fish Feed on Physical and Chemical Water Pollution,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2393,Indeever Madireddy; Dr. Lynae Brayboy,03-13-2023,"Nitrates are linked to higher rates of fish mortality. Fish feces discolors water, reducing clarity and affecting the metabolism of organisms. Food eaten by fish is the main source of nitrates and feces. This work studies how protein concentration in fish feed affects the production of wastes that pollute water. It is hypothesized that high protein fish foods lead to more nitrates, less clear water in addition to an increased amounts of trace amino acids entering the water column. Three experiments were performed to determine which food at a 28%, 36%, or 42% protein concentration contributed most to poor water quality. These tests were performed on feces collected from three species of fish, the freshwater angelfish, koi and the tamasaba goldfish. The tests determined that increasing the protein concentration in fish food did in fact increase nitrate levels in aquariums while water clarity and residual amino acid concentration did not necessarily increase. This is significant because it allows for greater insights into fish feeding which are important for the traditional aquarium hobby and aquaculture farms. "
The Gender Bias within Investors; an opportunity cost of $4 trillion,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2482,Nivedita Malu; Alba Castaneda,03-13-2023,"Estimates suggest that $28 trillion could be added to the global GDP/year by 2025 if women play a significant role in businesses. This study focuses on the reasons hindering this phenomenon, while investigating the gender bias within investors, it’s potential impacts, and possible solutions and reforms. The study found that women are disadvantaged due to psychological and cognitive aspects of an individual's behavior. Including different biases, and differences in questioning processes relative to gender which stems from cognitive aspects such as gender stereotypes. The study has concluded that  breaking the gender bias requires 3 steps. The first of which requires every investor to be educated about invalid stereotypes influencing their decisions while also being encouraged to break them down. Secondly, there is a requirement for an increase in female investors to mentor and provide women with the necessary tools. Lastly, the pitch process is in urgent need of reformation, whether it is to allocate funds that are categorized according to gender or to remove the pitch in its entirety."
A For-Profit Model of Microcredit  Can Profit-Driven Firms Improve Financial Inclusion in India?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2378,Aarav Monga; Yiqiao Yin,03-13-2023,"Microcredit is a proven means of poverty alleviation. However, its implementation in India is flawed. High interest rates, incompetent use of credit, and insufficient loan-sizes are just some of the problems well-documented in literature. This paper seeks to assess if these problems can be alleviated by a for-profit model of microcredit, and hence if this model can sustainably improve financial inclusion in India. The role of profit-motives in Indian microcredit has only been analyzed from a theoretical perspective thus far, so this paper adds to existing research by bringing in an empirical perspective through data from Microfinance Institutions from the MIX Markets database.  A baseline binary Logistic Classifier is trained, alongside proposed models of a Decision Tree Classifier and a Gradient-boosted Tree Classifier. Feature analysis is conducted on the models, and the results are used to devise profit-maximizing strategies. These strategies are then analyzed to assess if profit-driven companies can improve financial inclusion in a socially desirable manner. The study finds that for-profit incentives can increase the spread, efficiency, and accessibility of microcredit while potentially fostering competent use of credit and reducing the cost of borrowing. However, the study also notes the requirement for regulation in the growth and means of enforcing repayment in such for-profit models. Further, the study observes that a for-profit model may increase credit risk and will fail to allocate credit to the lowest strata of the poor. As such, for-profit firms must be complemented by not-for-profit MFIs to improve financial inclusion across the board."
The Impacts of COVID-induced School Closures on Inequality in Education Outcomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2312,Peter Ma; Mr. Wang LingZhen,03-13-2023,"I use online math participation and student math progress data from online learning platform Zearn to study the impacts of COVID-induced school closures on inequality in education outcomes using an event study approach. There were sharp declines in online math participation and progress following school closures but both outcomes were back to the pre-COVID levels in 2021 May. The pandemic widened socioeconomic inequalities in education outcomes transitorily, where most of the post-COVID socioeconomic gaps had vanished by 2021 May. Areas with lower income, more students in rural schools, worse computer and Internet access, and less higher education completion (measured by the percent of adults having a B.A.) saw more learning losses but only in the remaining 2020 spring semester."
Stress Hormone Adrenaline Boosts the Antibacterial Properties of L. plantarum and E. hallii,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2471,Michelle Bok,03-13-2023,"Amid intense exercise, the human body’s quick adaptability to stressful conditions is vital to cellular function, initiating what we recognize as an “adrenaline rush”. Despite findings on the in vitro interaction of adrenaline with the gut microbiome to regulate its virulence gene expression through AI-3 quorum sensing, studies conducted to examine the influence of the stress hormone adrenaline released through exercise on the function of the microbiome in our gut are yet insufficient. The human gut consists of a variety of microbes such as L. plantarum and E. hallii that hold vital roles in maintaining metabolic balance in the gut microbiome. Through our research, we envisioned investigating how adrenaline treatment at different time intervals or concentrations mirroring the various circumstances of exercise may affect bacterial growth, antibacterial substance production, and their antibacterial properties. While both bacteria were not affected in its growth for 48 hours, in L. plantarum, demonstrating decreased growth in the first 8 hours, its main functions — lactic acid production — were furthered with the hormone. In E. hallii, butyric acid production, with the hormone, significantly increased in its supernatant, and the intermediate treatment of adrenaline for 8 hours served to catalyze the rate at which the bacteria reached its stationary phase of growth. The study holds great promise for future investigations on how such a mechanism can be applied to therapies boosting our existing abilities of protein disposal directly correlated to the prevention of diseases. What remains is, nevertheless, the discussion regarding the true control center of these bacteria that interact with adrenaline to cause changes in the antibiotic properties, function, and growth. In other words, future studies can be oriented towards understanding the changes in the antibacterial properties of given bacteria not indirectly through chemicals with antibacterial traits but rather through the quantitative measurement of growth inhibition with other bacteria or organisms."
Hearing Dogs and Seeing Barks: Multimodal Sensory Perception of Dogs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2496,"Hannah Yu; Dr. Trevor Chen, Ph.D.",03-13-2023,"The field of multisensory integration in human speech perception has been well explored throughout a multitude of studies. Perceptual phenomena and models have been reported, including most notably, the McGurk effect and the Morton-Massaro law of information integration. Existing research of multimodal integration in human perception, include studies that involve perception of drinks and food. Beyond this, scientists have also studied how non-human species, such as dolphins and bats, integrate different sources of information. The purpose of the current study was to test whether multimodal sensory integration is used by humans when perceiving the size of dogs. Three separate audio-visual sources of barking dogs – sized small, medium, and large – were used. A 3x3 expanded factorial design was applied to test all possible pairings of auditory and visual combinations from the three sources. The stimuli were included on a questionnaire and then digitally distributed to participants, the majority of whom were high-school students aged 13-17. After viewing each stimulus, participants were prompted to answer what sized dog barked. The results of the current study were consistent with the McGurk effect. When the auditory-visual stimuli were consistent, participants were able to accurately identify what kind of dog barked. However, when the auditory-visual stimuli were inconsistent, the intermediate responses were most frequent. Thus, the results of this study are not consistent with the motor theory of perception. This study yields practical applications in the field of interspecies perception and human-canine communication."
The Buddhist Revival Movement: An Investigation into the Mutual Relationship between Chinese Buddhism and the Chinese Government,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2262,Xiaochen Liu; Nick DiSalvatore,03-13-2023,"It has been four decades since the Buddhist revival started. To comprehensively document the process, I divide the paper into three sections. The first section summarizes the history of the revival movement and the Chinese government’s policies before 1978. The second section analyzes three categories of policies in the 21st century: support, suppress, and distort Chinese Buddhism. In the final section, I examine the case of one particular temple, the Xingsheng temple in Baita village, China. Because it is among the temples reconstructed in the recent decade, the paper investigates how this temple was successfully rebuilt while others were not. Unlike the previous section, the primary supporting evidence are interviews with abbot Huiren – the builder of Xingsheng temple – government officials, and villagers"
The History of Yellow Peril and the Model Minority Myth in Relation to AAPI-Hate in 2020,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2402,"Safia Peer, Lesley Tan, Khushi Kunjoor",03-13-2023,"In this paper, we discuss the relationship between the yellow peril stereotype along with the model minority myth and how they influence the recent Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate in 2020. We first delve into the treatment of Asian Americans during the interwar years, specifically the immigration center Angel Island. Using oral histories we collected from outside sources and books, we discuss the social and legal treatments of the Asian immigrants both in the immigration center and in the country. Next, we discuss the origins of the model minority myth that date back to the 1960s to 70s using newspaper articles and interviews conducted during the time period. We also explore the formation of the Asian American identity and movement in the 1960s and 70s through newspaper articles that demonstrate the community’s pushback to white supremacy and dismantling harmful prejudices against Asian Americans. From this historical lens, we connect the formation and continuation of the yellow peril and model minority stereotypes to the Asian American hate of 2020 through current interviews and podcasts with Asian Americans. This reemergence of hate against the Asian American community demonstrates the stereotypes’ long-lasting effects. Simultaneously, the AAPI protests evidence that Asian Americans continue to fight back against their mistreatment as a continuation of the Asian American Movement that started in the late 1960s. These historical and modern events assist our discussion of the Asian-American community’s relationship with white supremacy in order to fight back against the discrimination we face today."
"The Green Party and Germany’s Environment: Integration, Influence, and Comparisons",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2108,Nitish Kaza; Frau Smith,03-11-2023,"The German Greens are helping Germany continue its legacy of being eco-friendly. This paper covers the history of the German Green Party. It will evaluate the success of the party and the reasons for its success. In addition, it will compare the German Greens to the United States Green Party in terms of their vote wins in elections and impact on their respective countries’ environments.  The German Greens are known to be highly successful, forming coalitions with several big-name German parties. The party won 20.5% of votes in the 2019 European Election. In comparison, the US Green Party is not as well known. It was found that the German Green Party won a steadily increasing number of votes in every election, while the US Green Party had an overall decrease in the number of votes won every election. In addition, Germany has decreased its carbon dioxide emissions since 1971, while the US yearly carbon emission totals have increased. Because the Green Parties from the two countries have very similar policies, the reasons for their gap in success will be explored. In doing this, the conditions and actions required to form a highly dynamic political party will be indicated. Given the imminent problem of environmental degradation, this research endeavor would help countries and political parties understand how to properly care for the planet. It will also examine the direct impact of the strength of a political party on its country’s culture."
Increases in gross domestic product decrease working age population deaths in US counties: 2015-2019,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2058,Burton Alexander; Patryk Perkowski,03-11-2023,"In this paper I investigate the link between GDP growth and deaths among the working age population. I gather economic data at the U.S. county level from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and premature deaths data from Center for Disease Control. Using regression analysis, I find a strong and statistically significant negative relationship between GDP growth and premature deaths, especially once I control for other economic and religious factors. My results indicate that a 10-percentage point increase in the GDP results in 1 percentage point fewer premature deaths in the county. My literature review suggests that more active leisure time, better diet, and more health care expenditure are potential mechanisms through which GDP growth impacts premature deaths. My results suggest that it is possible to save lives through economic stimulation in low GDP areas."
How do Political Opportunity Structures affect the success of social movements in China and the USA?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2111,Ananya Sreekumar; Noah Daponte-Smith,03-11-2023,"This paper investigates the effects political opportunity structures have on the mobilisation, organisation, and outcomes of civil rights movements in the USA and Hong Kong. The Civil Rights Movement between the 1950s-60s and the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement of 2019 are used as case studies in this research. The paper examines the various attributes of both regions’ political input and output structures while examining how the movement was organised and strategised. It then considers whether either movement can be deemed successful. Through comparative analysis, it contrasts the assessments made in both case studies to determine which factor discussed had the most significant impact on the success of both campaigns. It finds that the initial hypothesis put forth can be disproved and that a fluid link between the movement and institutional elites plays the most critical role in the success of both movements."
The Contrast Between Depression Now and In the Earlier Generations,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3995,Irmak Buyrukbilen,02-28-2023,"Depression is a mood disorder in which one experiences sadness, hopelessness, a loss of desire to live or to enjoy simple activities. It is a prevalent mental disorder that has historically been seen in all age groups. However, depression rates among adolescents have increased in the past few decades. Given this increase, researchers have increasingly studied this topic. According to some of the studies conducted in the past 20 years the increase in adolescent depression has been found to be associated with factors, including increased use of social media among adolescents, decreased free play among children, and more recent COVID-19-related impacts (e.g., staying locked up in their homes for more than a year, doing everything online, not being able to see their close friends.). This article reviews the aforementioned factors in relation to the significant increase in adolescent depression in recent years.    "
The Effect of Audio-Visual Cues in Understanding Musical Performance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4098,Julie Kim; Nicholas Pellegrino,02-28-2023,"This study investigated the effects of adding visual aesthetics to a music performance. Two modes of visual performance are explored: multimedia and performance cues. Multimedia and performer cues serve different purposes in expressing music in a performance and allowing the audience to interpret the music. Multimedia refers to the use of more than one medium of expression or communication in performance, while performance cues refer to the implementation of gestures and facial expressions to guide the direction of the music. In this research study, two experiments were performed with two separate samples of 24 subjects.  These experiments observe the two modes' effects on engagement, understanding, and overall enjoyment of the performance by their audience. Participants were required to listen to the audio performance of an excerpt of music and listen to the same excerpt with the visuals as well. The subjects answered a series of questions rating the listening and watching experience. The results overall showed that having the visual experience while listening to a musical performance enhances the subjects engagement, enjoyment and understanding of the music. A wilcoxin ranked sum test was performed on the two different parts of this experiment and the p values were 0.0486 and 0.00148, which showed that there was enough statistical evidence in the experiment that showed engagement levels were higher when both audio and visual modes were provided to the audience."
Synthesizing mRNA To Treat Hereditary Cataracts,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4049,"Aaryan Chopra; Ying Wang; Callie Fields, Gavin Nazir, Pranesh Senthilkumar",02-28-2023,
Automatically Labeling Offensive Formations in American Football Film Using Deep Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4278,Kyle Zhou; Jason Galbraith,02-28-2023,"Web services for storing, annotating, and sharing sports videos by high-school athletic teams have become more prevalent in recent years. However, most services lack the ability for coaches to automatically tag film, leading to many hours of manual annotation. For American football videos, coaches need to label formations, plays, and field positions in order to extract insights and create strategic game plans. This paper presents an end-to-end machine learning pipeline for automatically labeling American football offensive formations in videos. The pipeline includes pre-processing of videos, image classification, and a novel inference approach. The study compares a custom CNN model with pre-trained image classifier models using transfer learning. Specifically, CNN-based architectures (MobileNet, Inception, EfficientNet, etc.) and a transformer-based Vision Transformer (ViT) are compared. All models are trained on ~1400 images with the three most popular formation labels extracted from video clips of high-school football team games. The results show that several models, including the custom CNN model, achieved greater than 90% classification accuracy on the test dataset. The inference is performed by sampling multiple frames from a video clip, passing them through a trained image classifier, and taking a majority vote on the classification results to determine the final outcome. Our study found that using a sampling rate of 0.5 seconds, starting at 1 second, and taking five frames yields the highest inference accuracy of 95.4% using a trained customized CNN model. This system can assist all levels of football coaches in the analysis of game footage and formation identification."
The Role of Morphology and Heart Rate Variability Features in Detecting Arrhythmias from Short ECGs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3967,Alice Hu; Shadi Ghiasi,02-28-2023,"Detecting heart arrhythmias from short Electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings remains challenging since recordings are short and contaminated by noise. ECG morphology features and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) time and frequency domain features are widely used for classifying short ECG recordings. Here we investigate the relative roles of ECG morphology features and HRV time and frequency domain features in classifying short ECG recordings provided by the 2017 PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge. The classification is performed separately by four machine learning models: Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, K Nearest Neighbors, and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Our best classification score is obtained using the deep learning 1-dimensional CNN model trained on HRV time domain features combined with ECG morphology features. It gives an overall F1 score of 0.70 and 0.73 for the cross validation and hidden test respectively when considering the average classification performance over all 4 categories: Atrial Fibrillation (AF), normal, other arrhythmias, and noisy signal. We found that HRV time domain features play an important role in detecting AF, normal, and other classes, whereas ECG morphology features play a key role in detecting the noisy class. When HRV frequency domain features are combined with HRV time domain features, they do not improve and often degrade classifications of short ECG recordings compared to classifications using only HRV time domain features. Combining ECG morphology features with HRV time domain features leads to a better classification performance for short ECG recordings. Feature-based deep learning could serve as a viable and less expensive approach for ECG classifications."
A Sentiment Analysis on Roe v. Wade Twitter Data,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4078,Hyewon Park; Monika Richardson,02-28-2023,"In May of 2022, the US Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization threatened to and did overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court case that created prenatal healthcare guidelines, including specifications for regulation of abortion. This work aims to investigate tweets on Roe v. Wade during a period of interest through posts on Twitter to provide an understanding of general public opinion. This was done primarily by running sentiment analysis on a dataset of 35,999 tweets from May 1st, 2022 to July 8th, 2022 from the #RoeVWade, separating them into negative, positive, and neutral sentiments, then finding collocations and often used hashtags in each category. Although the sentiment analysis model used classified sentiment rather than “pro-choice” versus “pro-life,” negative and neutral tweets were more likely to use phrases associated with “pro-choice” beliefs. In contrast, positive tweets often used hashtags aligned with Republican or conservative views."
Building and Interpreting Clausal Possession in Isbukun Bunun,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4227,Hung-Chi Chen; Kuo-Chiao Lin,02-28-2023,"This paper shows that clausal possession in Isbukun Bunun, a Formosan language, involves two distinct structures with one single thematic interpretation. Although thematically identical, the two distinct structures are not derived via agreement/movement from a single underlying structure. To best capture the (morpho)syntactic patterns within and beyond the phenomenon, the too-many-structures problem is best analyzed as involving distinct underlying structures with syntactic heads that are semantically null, and delayed saturation of thematic relations at the (morpho)syntax-semantics interface."
A Machine Learning Approach to Finding Factors that Lead to Environmental Friendliness,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3807,Sucheer Maddury; Anjana Manian,02-28-2023,"                To maintain a sustainable society, environmental friendliness is necessary, an effort that all countries must take part in. The effort must be pioneered by developed nations with the resources to enact sustainable policies, reduce emissions and conserve energy, from which developing nations will follow the eroded path. Recognizing the factors that promote environmental friendliness is necessary for researchers, policymakers, and activists alike.                 Several past studies have examined the relationship between environmental performance and various nationwide factors such as economic strength, education, and corruption. In this paper, however, we introduce the machine learning approach Multiple-Linear Regression, allowing several variables to be used in tandem. We constructed a dataset using a variety of variables from a variety of sources, either examined in past literature or justified logically. We measured environmental friendliness through the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and chose feature variables of Women in Parliament (%), Internet users (%), Freedom Index, Ethnic fractionalization, Technological development, Press Freedom Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, GDP per capita ($), and Education Index, and Population.                 We found that Multiple-Linear Regression is an effective way of measuring EPI, where several metrics indicate that EPI is almost completely determined by the feature variables. We end the study by presenting the correlations of each of the variables with EPI, and find that almost all exhibit strong linear relationships. These correlations should bring light to the characteristics of environmentally friendly countries, mainly Nordic nations."
Analyzing Properties of Monolayer MoS2 Using RHEED and Ultrafast Electron Diffraction,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4023,"Calvin Chiu, Thomas Liang",02-28-2023,"Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) are techniques used to characterize crystal structures both statically and dynamically. These experimental methods are of academic interest due to their ability to visualize crystal structures on the atomic level and analyze dynamic changes on the picosecond scale. In this experiment, RHEED and UED are implemented to analyze monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a compound that may contribute to the future of microelectronics. Images of various diffraction patterns are presented, and analysis is conducted on diffraction peaks, lattice spacing, and photoinduced intensity changes."
NanoMedicine; An Analysis of Hydrogels Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4360,"Ananya Saridena, Abhaya Saridena; Jothsna Kethar",02-28-2023,"Tissue damage and disease impose a significant burden on individuals, society, and the economy. Current tissue engineering techniques have limitations, and improvements are necessary to more effectively repair or regenerate damaged or diseased tissues. Hydrogels, a type of synthetic scaffold, have gained increasing attention in tissue engineering due to their mechanical support for cells, customizable characteristics, and potential to overcome challenges in specific applications. However, the full extent of their effectiveness and capabilities in tissue engineering is not yet determined. This research paper aims to analyze the uses and capabilities of hydrogels in tissue engineering through a meta-analysis of various studies, contributing to the advancement of regenerative medicine. Hydrogels present a versatile and promising scaffold for tissue engineering, with the potential to significantly improve the field of regenerative medicine."
Disentanglement of Latent Factors of Real and Fake Appearance for Deepfake Face Manipulation Detection,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4076,"Suh-Yoon Hong, Dayul Park; GeunJung Yi",02-28-2023,"A deepfake video is a video in which generative models are used to alter the facial features to make the subject appear to be a different person. There are various ways to utilize such content, including those that are positive such as entertainment. However, it is also very easy to exploit deepfake videos for harmful use, including for spreading fake news or creating unwanted content. Thus there have been numerous attempts to detect whether a video has been manipulated using deepfake technology so as to prevent further harm. Previous approaches for achieving this purpose have attempted to detect discrepancies in the video frames through the use of techniques such as exploiting the temporal consistency between each frame with convolutional neural networks. Though this has produced adequate results, its accuracy is insufficient for real-world use. In this paper, we propose a novel method of using a convolutional neural network based autoencoder to detect whether a video is pristine or deepfake. Our method successfully disentangles latent factors of real and fake appearance to increase the classification accuracy while maintaining a relatively low time complexity, enhancing real-world applicability. Results from extensive experimentation show significant improvement from state-of-the-art-methods by upwards of 18.51%."
Extended Kalman Filter State Estimation for Autonomous Competition Robots,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5578,Ethan Kou; Acshi Haggenmiller,02-28-2023,"Autonomous mobile robot competitions judge based on a robot’s ability to quickly and accurately navigate the game field. This means accurate localization is crucial for creating an autonomous competition robot. Two common localization methods are odometry and computer vision landmark detection. Odometry provides frequent velocity measurements, while landmark detection provides infrequent position measurements. The state can also be predicted with a physics model. These three types of localization can be “fused” to create a more accurate state estimate using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The EKF is a nonlinear full-state estimator that approximates the state estimate with the lowest covariance error when given the sensor measurements, the model prediction, and their variances. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the EKF by implementing it on a 4-wheel mecanum-drive robot simulation. The position and velocity accuracy of fusing together various combinations of these three data sources are compared. We also discuss the assumptions and limitations of an EKF."
Comparing Machine Learning Models to Determine Which is Most Effective at Detecting Brain Tumors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3999,"Samya Chauhan; Shreya Parchure, Jenna Scott",02-28-2023,"In this project, by using machine learning techniques to analyze various brain tumor scans, the goal was to determine which techniques are the most efficient and accurate in determining the presence of brain tumors. Specifically, the goal was to adequately process a dataset to determine if brain tumors can be detected with more than 75% accuracy using machine learning. The chosen dataset includes just over 250 axial MRI brain scans, thus providing a sufficient dataset to properly analyze. This research is most applicable to the healthcare field, specifically relating to the work done by neurologists and radiologists. If the most efficient and accurate way to detect brain tumors is not determined soon, individuals may have to continue waiting longer than necessary for their results. In this project, K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Trees, and Muti-Layer Perceptron Models were compared to determine which machine learning algorithm is most effective at determining the presence of a brain tumor in an axial brain scan."
How to Be a Perfect Woman: The Evolution of Italian Renaissance Female Portraiture and Decorum,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4180,Yiyuan Xue,02-28-2023,"Renaissance portraiture represents more than the sitters. These images portray complex conceptualizations of identities, layered amalgams of the personal and political; dynastic and economic; amorous and pious; and present, future, and eternal. In the late fifteenth century, side profile portraits were the norm, characterized by the superiority of aloofness and nonchalance. Typically commissioned by husbands to celebrate marriages, these portraits memorialize the brides’ domesticity, piety, and above all, chastity. With Leonardo da Vinci’s groundbreaking Mona Lisa of ca. 1503 came the revolutionary change in female portrait composition, widely imitated by masters of the time. Females portrayed after this transition engaged the viewers directly, deviating from the previous detachment. These portraits are focused on harmony, with the prevalence of triangular formations along with scenic backdrops. The early sixteenth century saw another shift in female portrait ideals: artists were no longer constrained by traditional female decorum, but rather focused on exploring feminine sexuality. Belle Donne paintings and various counterparts grant viewers intimate insights into the lives of Renaissance women, whose sexuality was celebrated in the private sphere but remained taboo in public. Eventually, as more female art patrons rose to power in the mid-sixteenth century, the practice of female portraiture ceased to be dominated by male patriarchy, becoming rather a part of the female sphere. In this paper, I explored the evolution of female portraiture in chronological order, tracing the shift in feminine decorum along the way, ending with a survey of the connection between the art world and the literary realm."
Permanent Time as an Alternative to Counter the Detrimental Effects of DST on Canadian Society,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4259,Chengtai Li,02-28-2023,"Daylight saving time (DST) is a practice that shifts the perceived time one hour forward in the spring and one hour behind in the fall, effectively granting more sunlight in the evenings of springs and summers. In recent years, an increasing number of people have been dissatisfied with this method of keeping the time for a variety of reasons. To begin with, DST no longer saves energy because artificial illumination no longer contributes to the majority of energy expenditure in the current Canadian society. Secondly, DST affects many different forms of economy, varying from farming and manufacturing to family owned businesses. DST also damages the well-being of Canadians by increasing the risks of health problems from every time change. From an online survey study to investigate the public opinion on the timekeeping ways, most participants have shown that they do not want the current DST arrangement; Around three-quarters indicated that they prefer one of the permanent time schemes, one that they do not need to change clocks twice a year. The method to keep time is one that affects everyone, and may have major impacts on the socioeconomic well-being of a society. Therefore, it is imperative that the significance of the current DST scheme on society be clarified and the people’s opinions be heard in subsequent survey studies that include more participants."
"Combining CAR T-cell and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, a promising, yet unproven immuno-oncology approach",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3897,Kshetra Polavarapu; Thomas Shroka,02-28-2023,"Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a method that extracts T cells from the patient's blood and virally introduces a genetically engineered T cell receptor targeting a specific cancer antigen and subsequently readministering these genetically engineered CAR T cells to the patient. These T cells are then better at identifying the tumors and attaching to these tumor cells resulting in a stronger cytotoxic immune response. The development of CAR T cells has been a huge success as an immunotherapy, especially for the targeting of non-solid tumors. Since their original inception in 1987, there are now six independent FDA approved CAR T cell therapies targeting a variety of blood cancers, with the first being approved in 2017. As a relatively new treatment, there is a continuous effort in improving the safety and efficacy of CAR T cell therapies. As mentioned previously, CAR T cells have undoubtedly been successful in the treatment of non-solid tumors, however their efficacy towards treatment of solid tumors has been limited. Additionally, the safety and long-term effects of CAR T cell treatments is still a concern. Combination therapy utilizing CAR-T cells and immune checkpoint inhibitors is being explored to potentially mitigate some of the limitations associated with CAR-T cells."
Corporate Sustainability in the Fashion Industry,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4065,Ethan Qiu; Tyler Vitone,02-28-2023,"3.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 342 million barrels of petroleum to produce plastic-based fibers (Wired, 2022). And 92 million tons of textile waste (Igini, 2022). This all stems from the fashion industry on a yearly basis. Climate change is the most pressing issue in our society today and as it progresses, comes a heavier emphasis on sustainability and environmental consciousness. Effective ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) has been shown to affect overall profit by 60% (Henisz, 2019). With this, companies are taking advantage of and capitalizing on the new sustainability “trend”, marketing themselves as corporately responsible and committed to environmental causes.    As we are dependent on the fashion industry for clothing and contributing to the immense impact of global warming, consumers need to be educated on the true nature of the fashion industry and the extent of its impacts. As such, this research paper will provide comprehensive information for consumers to navigate through the fashion industry and ultimately be more mindful in their purchasing decisions. This project explores the role of the government, corporations, and consumers in modern sustainability practices and dives into the fashion industry, building upon the abstract concepts discussed. This includes evaluating the business models of the fashion industry in response to market trends and discussing how it impacts overall environmental sustainability. The research paper concludes by thoroughly proposing best practices firms can adopt to improve upon their corporate responsibility, simultaneously bettering the environment and business performance. "
Efficacy of virtual reality treatment with NIBS for Schizophrenia,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4218,Sashvathkumar Krishnakumar; Jothsna Kethar,02-28-2023,"Technology plays a more significant role in healthcare today than it has ever done before. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and neurotechnology have advanced healthcare by leaps and bounds that wouldn’t have even been dreamt about 50 years ago. In recent years, virtual reality technology has advanced along with these technologies and medical professionals have taken an interest in its applications, especially in the treatment of treatment-resistant mental health conditions. Research on whether virtual reality is a viable option for psychotherapy is an ongoing process that is highly influential in the medical world. VR enables therapies that may be more accessible, need less delivery time, and have more ecological validity. While NIBS has the ability to directly modify activity in social brain regions in order to promote neuroplasticity, build neural connections, and improve brain function linked to social cognitive behaviors. This paper will aim to examine the benefits virtual reality along with NIBS (Non-invasive Brain Stimulation) has over today’s conventional treatment method for Schizophrenia through analyzing past case studies and discussing it in the context of a new virtual technology, Metaverse. As a result, it was concluded that virtual reality treatment is a better alternative to standard treatment today. "
The Dymaxion Dwelling Machine: R. Buckminster Fuller’s Vision to House All of Humanity,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4298,Blake Lee,02-28-2023,"Traditional housing is, and has for many centuries, been uniquely made for their individual clients, making houses difficult to mass-produce and, sometimes, too expensive to provide for those who need it most. R. Buckminster Fuller, an architect who believed that we had an obligation to provide adequate housing, attempted to address this challenge almost a century ago through his creation, the Dymaxion Dwelling Machine. The Dymaxion (a portmanteau of Fuller’s favorite words: dynamic, maximum, and tension) Dwelling Machine was a dome-shaped home optimized for mass-production, and it maintained a higher rate of efficiency and sustainability than the standard cube-shaped home. This paper will analyze several methods and facets that Fuller implemented within this atypical house, such as the Dymaxion Bathroom, Fog Gun, tensegrity, cooling/heating, autonomy, affordability, materials, maintenance, and construction, that inspired sustainable, versatile, and affordable solutions that have contributed to addressing the climate and inadequate housing crises of today.      “You never change things by fighting the existing reality.   To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”"
A Hybrid CNN-LSTM Model for Predicting Solar Cycle 25,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3996,Alice Hu; Antonio Rodriguez,02-28-2023,"The solar cycle is linked to the number of sunspots and follows the fluctuations of the Sun’s magnetic field. It can have powerful global impacts on the Earth. Thus, predicting the timing and amplitude of the peak of the incoming solar cycle 25 is of great importance. This study uses a hybrid deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) - long short-term memory (LSTM) model and the observed 13-month smoothed sunspot numbers to predict Solar Cycle 25. Here it is shown for the first time that the MinMax normalization method substantially reduces the error of the CNN-LSTM model’s solar cycle predictions compared to the Standard Deviation normalization method. The results also suggest that it is best to use four historical solar cycles to predict the future solar cycle. The predicted Solar Cycle 25 has a 13-month smoothed peak amplitude similar to that of Solar Cycle 24. The predicted Solar Cycle 25 peak spans a relatively long period of time between approximately August 2023 and July 2024."
Audio Classification of Bird Species Using Convolutional Neural Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4108,Jocelyn Wang; Guillermo Goldsztein,02-28-2023,"As the total number of birds has declined in the billions over the last 50 years, an accurate method for classifying bird species is necessary for conservation efforts and population monitoring. One promising method is using machine learning models to classify birds by their sounds, which has emerged due to benefits such as being less affected by environmental factors (eg. habitat, time of day), and lower disturbances to bird species during the data collection process, contrary to other processes such as image classification. As audio processing may eventually become the main method of classifying birds and may be used as an important conservation tool, it is imperative to understand the challenges that must be overcome before it can be successfully applied. In this work, the programming language Python and the machine learning model Convolutional Neural Networks were used to process and classify audio recordings from over 150 different bird species. This study demonstrates that although audio classification is a promising method of classification, many challenges are still present in the field, such as the amount of variety in the different calls of a single bird, the presence of background noises in many audio recordings, and the difficulty in efficiently representing an audio signal with images, highlighting the importance of overcoming these challenges for conservation efforts. "
The usage of melittin in breast cancer microenvironment targeting,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3834,"Gaurav Ramasani, Dr. Raj",02-28-2023,"In today’s society, there are more people dying from breast cancer than ever. In fact, it has been projected that 1 in 39 women will die from breast cancer. Over the years, scientists have developed many forms of treatment to help alleviate some of the symptoms and keep the cancer at bay, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Recently, however, a discovery has been made that could have the most efficacy and effectiveness against breast cancer. Melittin, a cationic peptide found in bee venom, is a 26 amino acid peptide that is being studied in many fields of medicine to be used as a new form of treatment in conjunction with the current forms. It is being tested in cancer research because of a special function that it has: the ability to start apoptosis by punching holes in the actual cell itself. In this paper, we will look at an overview of breast cancer’s history and statistics, look through some of the types of treatments that are already being used to fight breast cancer, and analyze five case studies to see how melittin can be used to target the microenvironments of breast cancer cells and figure out which method of treatment melittin will best fit into."
Variation in Student Achievement: Effects of NCLB on Standards-based Accountability in Arizona,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4055,Avinash Thakur; Nicole Yates,02-28-2023,"Over the years, the United States government has assumed a larger role in educational policy. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is one of the most notable examples of an increase in federal involvement in education. Through the creation of accountability systems, NCLB required states to test in reading and mathematics. Prior research has maintained that states with pre-existing test-based accountability remained relatively unchanged by the passage of the Act. States without test-based accountability measures pre-NCLB may have been more likely to be affected by its implementation (e.g., Arizona). In order to test this claim, I examined student achievement in Arizona pre-, during, and post-NCLB under AZ LEARNS and the A-F Accountability System over certain years (1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2015). Through the use of data from the Nation’s Report Card and the Arizona Department of Education, I sought to answer two key questions: (1) How do Arizona’s achievement scores pre-, during, and post-NCLB compare to other accountability types? and (2) In what way do Arizona school ratings vary during and after NCLB? By conducting a series of independent sample t-tests, I compared Arizona’s state scale scores to states with moderate accountability, and I compared school ratings under the accountability systems. These analyses reject the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference associated with school ratings under the two accountability systems, therefore supporting the prior stated claim. The results offer insight into Arizona’s accountability and are valuable for future evidence-based policymaking."
Insights to Improve Computer Science Education by Enhancing the Java Language and Tools,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3994,Pranav Eluri; Domingo David,02-28-2023,"Java is the most well-known and widely used object-oriented programming language. It uses “objects” as instances of particular data types, or classes. While many computer science students who take Java programming beginner courses, such as AP Computer Science A and fundamental college Java coding courses, succeed in learning Java fundamentals, some aspects of Java make it less intuitive than other programming languages and more difficult to understand than necessary. The purpose of this study is to present eleven insights on how Java could be made more learner-friendly based on the author’s personal experience learning Java and analyze whether these eleven insights are consistently perceived as useful to current student learners and industry practitioners. A digital survey was conducted with individuals who are learning or have learned the language. Respondents were presented with questions and were instructed to choose the best answer to each question. The results from the survey indicated that four insights were perceived as useful and that there was no inherent preference for the remaining six insights. Further research must be conducted to fully understand the perception differences between new learners and experienced practitioners."
The Unique Stress Treatment of Martial Arts on the Adolescent Demographic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4094,Elliott Lee; Jenny Ihn,02-28-2023,"In the 21th century, the phenomenon of stress and mental fatigue is ever so common in the age group of adolescents and teens. At a crucial time in their lives and in their transition to adults, the coping strategies and methodology in which these young adults deal with stress is largely unpatterned and inconsistent. With the unique hurdles that adolescents experience in dealing with their future and academic challenges, the need for alternate treatment or therapy in the adolescent demographic is crucial in securing their physical and mental wellbeing. Martial arts can be used to treat this unique stress. The effects of martial arts on the general stress levels and mental states of a small group of experimental adolescents was observed through an experiment of 14 participants before and after a martial arts session in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such treatment based on correlations drawn from subcategories organized by ordered levels of anger management, levels of stress frequency, levels of martial arts experience, and levels of exercise frequency. Main findings of the trial include a general reduction in stress levels across all participants of the martial arts experience and encouragement of martial arts as a stress reducing platform. Further subcategories of the trial revealed additional traits of anger management on mental states and stress levels. Limitations include the experimental nature of the trial, limited exposure to various martial arts, and limited pool of participants or the diversity of the demographic studied.    "
Saudi Israeli Relations: The Benefits and Implications of an Alliance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3321,Amani Altaf; Steven David,02-28-2023,"As the power dynamics in the Middle East change, with Iran gaining power and influence, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel are changing as well. While previously in an antagonistic relationship, the two countries would benefit from developing an alliance. However, the cultural and social implications, especially in terms of Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem and the Islamic significance of the city, must be considered. Despite these reservations, an alliance could prove beneficial as Saudi Arabia could encourage and move forward with a peace process between Israel and Palestine. In addition, Israel could help improve Saudi Arabia’s defense against Iran – an issue important to both countries – and speed up the economic transformation currently taking place in the country as it moves away from dependence on oil. Given these benefits, and the likelihood that there will be little internal opposition to an alliance, the development of a relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel would strengthen Saudi Arabia as a country and improve stability in the Middle Eastern region."
Extended Kalman Filter State Estimation for Autonomous Competition Robots,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/5578,Ethan Kou; Acshi Haggenmiller,02-28-2023,"Autonomous mobile robot competitions judge based on a robot’s ability to quickly and accurately navigate the game field. This means accurate localization is crucial for creating an autonomous competition robot. Two common localization methods are odometry and computer vision landmark detection. Odometry provides frequent velocity measurements, while landmark detection provides infrequent position measurements. The state can also be predicted with a physics model. These three types of localization can be “fused” to create a more accurate state estimate using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The EKF is a nonlinear full-state estimator that approximates the state estimate with the lowest covariance error when given the sensor measurements, the model prediction, and their variances. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the EKF by implementing it on a 4-wheel mecanum-drive robot simulation. The position and velocity accuracy of fusing together various combinations of these three data sources are compared. We also discuss the assumptions and limitations of an EKF."
Comparing Machine Learning Models to Determine Which is Most Effective at Detecting Brain Tumors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3999,"Samya Chauhan; Shreya Parchure, Jenna Scott",02-28-2023,"In this project, by using machine learning techniques to analyze various brain tumor scans, the goal was to determine which techniques are the most efficient and accurate in determining the presence of brain tumors. Specifically, the goal was to adequately process a dataset to determine if brain tumors can be detected with more than 75% accuracy using machine learning. The chosen dataset includes just over 250 axial MRI brain scans, thus providing a sufficient dataset to properly analyze. This research is most applicable to the healthcare field, specifically relating to the work done by neurologists and radiologists. If the most efficient and accurate way to detect brain tumors is not determined soon, individuals may have to continue waiting longer than necessary for their results. In this project, K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Trees, and Muti-Layer Perceptron Models were compared to determine which machine learning algorithm is most effective at determining the presence of a brain tumor in an axial brain scan."
How to Be a Perfect Woman: The Evolution of Italian Renaissance Female Portraiture and Decorum,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4180,Yiyuan Xue,02-28-2023,"Renaissance portraiture represents more than the sitters. These images portray complex conceptualizations of identities, layered amalgams of the personal and political; dynastic and economic; amorous and pious; and present, future, and eternal. In the late fifteenth century, side profile portraits were the norm, characterized by the superiority of aloofness and nonchalance. Typically commissioned by husbands to celebrate marriages, these portraits memorialize the brides’ domesticity, piety, and above all, chastity. With Leonardo da Vinci’s groundbreaking Mona Lisa of ca. 1503 came the revolutionary change in female portrait composition, widely imitated by masters of the time. Females portrayed after this transition engaged the viewers directly, deviating from the previous detachment. These portraits are focused on harmony, with the prevalence of triangular formations along with scenic backdrops. The early sixteenth century saw another shift in female portrait ideals: artists were no longer constrained by traditional female decorum, but rather focused on exploring feminine sexuality. Belle Donne paintings and various counterparts grant viewers intimate insights into the lives of Renaissance women, whose sexuality was celebrated in the private sphere but remained taboo in public. Eventually, as more female art patrons rose to power in the mid-sixteenth century, the practice of female portraiture ceased to be dominated by male patriarchy, becoming rather a part of the female sphere. In this paper, I explored the evolution of female portraiture in chronological order, tracing the shift in feminine decorum along the way, ending with a survey of the connection between the art world and the literary realm."
Permanent Time as an Alternative to Counter the Detrimental Effects of DST on Canadian Society,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4259,Chengtai Li,02-28-2023,"Daylight saving time (DST) is a practice that shifts the perceived time one hour forward in the spring and one hour behind in the fall, effectively granting more sunlight in the evenings of springs and summers. In recent years, an increasing number of people have been dissatisfied with this method of keeping the time for a variety of reasons. To begin with, DST no longer saves energy because artificial illumination no longer contributes to the majority of energy expenditure in the current Canadian society. Secondly, DST affects many different forms of economy, varying from farming and manufacturing to family owned businesses. DST also damages the well-being of Canadians by increasing the risks of health problems from every time change. From an online survey study to investigate the public opinion on the timekeeping ways, most participants have shown that they do not want the current DST arrangement; Around three-quarters indicated that they prefer one of the permanent time schemes, one that they do not need to change clocks twice a year. The method to keep time is one that affects everyone, and may have major impacts on the socioeconomic well-being of a society. Therefore, it is imperative that the significance of the current DST scheme on society be clarified and the people’s opinions be heard in subsequent survey studies that include more participants."
"Combining CAR T-cell and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, a promising, yet unproven immuno-oncology approach",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3897,Kshetra Polavarapu; Thomas Shroka,02-28-2023,"Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a method that extracts T cells from the patient's blood and virally introduces a genetically engineered T cell receptor targeting a specific cancer antigen and subsequently readministering these genetically engineered CAR T cells to the patient. These T cells are then better at identifying the tumors and attaching to these tumor cells resulting in a stronger cytotoxic immune response. The development of CAR T cells has been a huge success as an immunotherapy, especially for the targeting of non-solid tumors. Since their original inception in 1987, there are now six independent FDA approved CAR T cell therapies targeting a variety of blood cancers, with the first being approved in 2017. As a relatively new treatment, there is a continuous effort in improving the safety and efficacy of CAR T cell therapies. As mentioned previously, CAR T cells have undoubtedly been successful in the treatment of non-solid tumors, however their efficacy towards treatment of solid tumors has been limited. Additionally, the safety and long-term effects of CAR T cell treatments is still a concern. Combination therapy utilizing CAR-T cells and immune checkpoint inhibitors is being explored to potentially mitigate some of the limitations associated with CAR-T cells."
Corporate Sustainability in the Fashion Industry,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4065,Ethan Qiu; Tyler Vitone,02-28-2023,"3.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 342 million barrels of petroleum to produce plastic-based fibers (Wired, 2022). And 92 million tons of textile waste (Igini, 2022). This all stems from the fashion industry on a yearly basis. Climate change is the most pressing issue in our society today and as it progresses, comes a heavier emphasis on sustainability and environmental consciousness. Effective ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) has been shown to affect overall profit by 60% (Henisz, 2019). With this, companies are taking advantage of and capitalizing on the new sustainability “trend”, marketing themselves as corporately responsible and committed to environmental causes.    As we are dependent on the fashion industry for clothing and contributing to the immense impact of global warming, consumers need to be educated on the true nature of the fashion industry and the extent of its impacts. As such, this research paper will provide comprehensive information for consumers to navigate through the fashion industry and ultimately be more mindful in their purchasing decisions. This project explores the role of the government, corporations, and consumers in modern sustainability practices and dives into the fashion industry, building upon the abstract concepts discussed. This includes evaluating the business models of the fashion industry in response to market trends and discussing how it impacts overall environmental sustainability. The research paper concludes by thoroughly proposing best practices firms can adopt to improve upon their corporate responsibility, simultaneously bettering the environment and business performance. "
Efficacy of virtual reality treatment with NIBS for Schizophrenia,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4218,Sashvathkumar Krishnakumar; Jothsna Kethar,02-28-2023,"Technology plays a more significant role in healthcare today than it has ever done before. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and neurotechnology have advanced healthcare by leaps and bounds that wouldn’t have even been dreamt about 50 years ago. In recent years, virtual reality technology has advanced along with these technologies and medical professionals have taken an interest in its applications, especially in the treatment of treatment-resistant mental health conditions. Research on whether virtual reality is a viable option for psychotherapy is an ongoing process that is highly influential in the medical world. VR enables therapies that may be more accessible, need less delivery time, and have more ecological validity. While NIBS has the ability to directly modify activity in social brain regions in order to promote neuroplasticity, build neural connections, and improve brain function linked to social cognitive behaviors. This paper will aim to examine the benefits virtual reality along with NIBS (Non-invasive Brain Stimulation) has over today’s conventional treatment method for Schizophrenia through analyzing past case studies and discussing it in the context of a new virtual technology, Metaverse. As a result, it was concluded that virtual reality treatment is a better alternative to standard treatment today. "
The Dymaxion Dwelling Machine: R. Buckminster Fuller’s Vision to House All of Humanity,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4298,Blake Lee,02-28-2023,"Traditional housing is, and has for many centuries, been uniquely made for their individual clients, making houses difficult to mass-produce and, sometimes, too expensive to provide for those who need it most. R. Buckminster Fuller, an architect who believed that we had an obligation to provide adequate housing, attempted to address this challenge almost a century ago through his creation, the Dymaxion Dwelling Machine. The Dymaxion (a portmanteau of Fuller’s favorite words: dynamic, maximum, and tension) Dwelling Machine was a dome-shaped home optimized for mass-production, and it maintained a higher rate of efficiency and sustainability than the standard cube-shaped home. This paper will analyze several methods and facets that Fuller implemented within this atypical house, such as the Dymaxion Bathroom, Fog Gun, tensegrity, cooling/heating, autonomy, affordability, materials, maintenance, and construction, that inspired sustainable, versatile, and affordable solutions that have contributed to addressing the climate and inadequate housing crises of today.      “You never change things by fighting the existing reality.   To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”"
A Hybrid CNN-LSTM Model for Predicting Solar Cycle 25,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3996,Alice Hu; Antonio Rodriguez,02-28-2023,"The solar cycle is linked to the number of sunspots and follows the fluctuations of the Sun’s magnetic field. It can have powerful global impacts on the Earth. Thus, predicting the timing and amplitude of the peak of the incoming solar cycle 25 is of great importance. This study uses a hybrid deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) - long short-term memory (LSTM) model and the observed 13-month smoothed sunspot numbers to predict Solar Cycle 25. Here it is shown for the first time that the MinMax normalization method substantially reduces the error of the CNN-LSTM model’s solar cycle predictions compared to the Standard Deviation normalization method. The results also suggest that it is best to use four historical solar cycles to predict the future solar cycle. The predicted Solar Cycle 25 has a 13-month smoothed peak amplitude similar to that of Solar Cycle 24. The predicted Solar Cycle 25 peak spans a relatively long period of time between approximately August 2023 and July 2024."
Audio Classification of Bird Species Using Convolutional Neural Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4108,Jocelyn Wang; Guillermo Goldsztein,02-28-2023,"As the total number of birds has declined in the billions over the last 50 years, an accurate method for classifying bird species is necessary for conservation efforts and population monitoring. One promising method is using machine learning models to classify birds by their sounds, which has emerged due to benefits such as being less affected by environmental factors (eg. habitat, time of day), and lower disturbances to bird species during the data collection process, contrary to other processes such as image classification. As audio processing may eventually become the main method of classifying birds and may be used as an important conservation tool, it is imperative to understand the challenges that must be overcome before it can be successfully applied. In this work, the programming language Python and the machine learning model Convolutional Neural Networks were used to process and classify audio recordings from over 150 different bird species. This study demonstrates that although audio classification is a promising method of classification, many challenges are still present in the field, such as the amount of variety in the different calls of a single bird, the presence of background noises in many audio recordings, and the difficulty in efficiently representing an audio signal with images, highlighting the importance of overcoming these challenges for conservation efforts. "
The usage of melittin in breast cancer microenvironment targeting,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3834,"Gaurav Ramasani, Dr. Raj",02-28-2023,"In today’s society, there are more people dying from breast cancer than ever. In fact, it has been projected that 1 in 39 women will die from breast cancer. Over the years, scientists have developed many forms of treatment to help alleviate some of the symptoms and keep the cancer at bay, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Recently, however, a discovery has been made that could have the most efficacy and effectiveness against breast cancer. Melittin, a cationic peptide found in bee venom, is a 26 amino acid peptide that is being studied in many fields of medicine to be used as a new form of treatment in conjunction with the current forms. It is being tested in cancer research because of a special function that it has: the ability to start apoptosis by punching holes in the actual cell itself. In this paper, we will look at an overview of breast cancer’s history and statistics, look through some of the types of treatments that are already being used to fight breast cancer, and analyze five case studies to see how melittin can be used to target the microenvironments of breast cancer cells and figure out which method of treatment melittin will best fit into."
Variation in Student Achievement: Effects of NCLB on Standards-based Accountability in Arizona,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4055,Avinash Thakur; Nicole Yates,02-28-2023,"Over the years, the United States government has assumed a larger role in educational policy. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is one of the most notable examples of an increase in federal involvement in education. Through the creation of accountability systems, NCLB required states to test in reading and mathematics. Prior research has maintained that states with pre-existing test-based accountability remained relatively unchanged by the passage of the Act. States without test-based accountability measures pre-NCLB may have been more likely to be affected by its implementation (e.g., Arizona). In order to test this claim, I examined student achievement in Arizona pre-, during, and post-NCLB under AZ LEARNS and the A-F Accountability System over certain years (1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2015). Through the use of data from the Nation’s Report Card and the Arizona Department of Education, I sought to answer two key questions: (1) How do Arizona’s achievement scores pre-, during, and post-NCLB compare to other accountability types? and (2) In what way do Arizona school ratings vary during and after NCLB? By conducting a series of independent sample t-tests, I compared Arizona’s state scale scores to states with moderate accountability, and I compared school ratings under the accountability systems. These analyses reject the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference associated with school ratings under the two accountability systems, therefore supporting the prior stated claim. The results offer insight into Arizona’s accountability and are valuable for future evidence-based policymaking."
Insights to Improve Computer Science Education by Enhancing the Java Language and Tools,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3994,Pranav Eluri; Domingo David,02-28-2023,"Java is the most well-known and widely used object-oriented programming language. It uses “objects” as instances of particular data types, or classes. While many computer science students who take Java programming beginner courses, such as AP Computer Science A and fundamental college Java coding courses, succeed in learning Java fundamentals, some aspects of Java make it less intuitive than other programming languages and more difficult to understand than necessary. The purpose of this study is to present eleven insights on how Java could be made more learner-friendly based on the author’s personal experience learning Java and analyze whether these eleven insights are consistently perceived as useful to current student learners and industry practitioners. A digital survey was conducted with individuals who are learning or have learned the language. Respondents were presented with questions and were instructed to choose the best answer to each question. The results from the survey indicated that four insights were perceived as useful and that there was no inherent preference for the remaining six insights. Further research must be conducted to fully understand the perception differences between new learners and experienced practitioners."
The Unique Stress Treatment of Martial Arts on the Adolescent Demographic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/4094,Elliott Lee; Jenny Ihn,02-28-2023,"In the 21th century, the phenomenon of stress and mental fatigue is ever so common in the age group of adolescents and teens. At a crucial time in their lives and in their transition to adults, the coping strategies and methodology in which these young adults deal with stress is largely unpatterned and inconsistent. With the unique hurdles that adolescents experience in dealing with their future and academic challenges, the need for alternate treatment or therapy in the adolescent demographic is crucial in securing their physical and mental wellbeing. Martial arts can be used to treat this unique stress. The effects of martial arts on the general stress levels and mental states of a small group of experimental adolescents was observed through an experiment of 14 participants before and after a martial arts session in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such treatment based on correlations drawn from subcategories organized by ordered levels of anger management, levels of stress frequency, levels of martial arts experience, and levels of exercise frequency. Main findings of the trial include a general reduction in stress levels across all participants of the martial arts experience and encouragement of martial arts as a stress reducing platform. Further subcategories of the trial revealed additional traits of anger management on mental states and stress levels. Limitations include the experimental nature of the trial, limited exposure to various martial arts, and limited pool of participants or the diversity of the demographic studied.    "
An Investigation of the Effects of the Ukraine War on Children’s Mental Health,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3582,Seung Hee Rhew; Christine Salerno,11-30-2022,"Since the start of the Ukraine war, children that have fallen victim to the war have become a part of the “lost generation”. Many of them lost family members, educational opportunities, and their childhoods. After losing the most important aspects of lives, they only encountered more impediments: physical, mental, and moral injuries. In order to mitigate the destructive impacts of this war, charities are donating food, water, clothes, and money – basic necessities that humans need to survive. Although the Ukraine war has received global attention and countless charities and non-profit organizations have provided such tangible services, there are other significant issues regarding children’s mental health that are going unseen. Mental illnesses and psychological disorders have been more prevalent in children as a result of the war. Mental issues are much more impairing and serious than physical injuries.Yet, most of the focus is on the physical health of the victims. In conclusion, more humanitarian organizations must consider interventions that would relieve psychological distress and help the children overcome their hurdles.     "
The Importance of Education on Bhutanese Refugees and their Personal Incomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3666,Arjun Kalyandurg; Olufemi Olaleye,11-30-2022,"In this paper, I look to find the personal income rates of Bhutanese Refugees. I have been looking to find how variables like a refugee's educational attainment, poverty rate, and family situation affect how much money they make. Through the usage of Integrated Public Use Microdata Series(IPUMS) quantitative data, I took a sample of the specific year 2018 to visit the causation behind these variables and the result. An increase in the educational attainment of a Bhutanese Refugee will lead to an increase in their personal income and with a larger family, they will make more money. This means that the actions of the variables, whether they increase or decrease, have an effect on the personal income rates of a refugee."
Can Stress Cause Cancer?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3484,TRISHA NATARAJ; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"Stress is how people react when they feel under pressure or threatened. Stress typically occurs when people are in a situation that they do not feel they can manage or control. Today, more than ever, people of all ages and backgrounds experience stress which can have many negative effects on the body. Stress’ effect on the body is harmful no matter what form it is in. However, the longer that stress is present in the body, the more harmful it becomes. Stress slowly weakens the immune system and the rest of the body’s systems in different ways making the body more susceptible to certain diseases. This paper uses research done on stress’ affect on the body and the health conditions people are more prone to develop if they are stressed, to identify if stress can cause someone to develop cancer. Along with this, the paper also uses research to describe the different effects the two different forms of stress have on the body and how chronic or long-term stress affects the body systems at a larger scale in comparison to acute or short-term stress. Using this paper one can conclude that stress alone cannot directly cause a person to develop cancer, however, stress weakens the immune system and negatively affects the body making a person more prone to developing cancer. The aim of this paper is to identify how stress’ affect on the body can lead to the development of cancer and cause cancer to spread in those with cancer."
Modeling piezoelectricity’s impact on environmental parameters with real-life applications,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3609,"Sriram Seshadri, Armaan Sayyad",11-30-2022,"With a rapid increase in the global human population in recent years, the Earth is in dire need of alternative energy sources. The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility of implementing piezoelectricity as a primary source of renewable energy. Specifically, this paper looks at its consequent impact if introduced in 3 fundamental areas of implementation: bus tires, train tracks and railway stations. Each of these areas provide input elements at scale to generate electricity and are simple to implement, maintain and measure through government support.  This paper limits the data to the city of Cairo, Egypt. Being low cost as well, the three areas come close to an ideal situation from an economic standpoint. Predictive algorithms and existing data are used to evaluate the consequent change in global green-house emissions and other environmental parameters, had piezoelectricity been previously implemented. The results of the equations show that there would be improved environmental conditions - thus, a net positive impact - that switching to piezoelectricity would have had on the atmosphere and environment. The predictions stay true, provided that the efficiency of the piezoelectric crystal remains constant- an outcome which serves to boost output and lower greenhouse emissions"
A Comprehensive Modeling of Bioenhancers Docked to Transport Proteins to Enhance Bioavailability,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3727,"Via Das, Destiny Pinto, Tejasvi Hariharan, Tanusree Banerjee, Riya Ubale, Avi Uppalapati; Gayathri Renganathan",11-30-2022,"With pharmaceutical availability being a pertinent issue in modern medicine, the ability of bioenhancers to increase the bioavailability of a drug, thereby reducing the required dosage, can be critical for reducing treatment costs. Flavonoids, one form of bioenhancers, are metabolites that increase the availability through inhibition of key proteins in gut epithelial cells and transport proteins. Bioenhancers have the potential to inhibit proteins that limit absorption, thus increasing the amount of a target drug that can enter systemic circulation, increasing bioavailability. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is one of the membrane transport proteins whose function is to transport drugs in and out of the cell. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in the human plasma, is a protein that serves to transport several signals and other compounds throughout the circulatory system. This study assessed the binding of various bioenhancers (piperine, quercetin, capsaicin, naringin, genistein, lysergol, sinomenine, tangeretin) to various forms of P-gp, HSA and ABC transporters to improve drug bioavailability. We hypothesized that the bioenhancers would bind to these transport proteins, thereby inhibiting them and increasing bioavailability.An examination of the geometric shape complementarity scores in PatchDock and the binding affinities (ΔG kcal/mol) from three other web servers (Webina, DockThor, CB-Dock) showed that naringin produces the most optimal binding scores overall. Given the promising optimal binding scores, the data provides critical insight into administering bioenhancers with drugs to improve bioavailability, as well as suggesting that naringin may be a valuable compound to conduct further tests in vitro and in vivo."
A Study on The Effect of Big Data Analytics on Product Innovation Performance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3225,"Chih-Hsuan Ashley Cheng, Millie Y.S. Hong; Colin C. J. Cheng",11-30-2022,"Despite the rising interests in the use of big data analytics (BDA), it is unclear whether the use of BDA is beneficial to product innovation. Building on the Resource-Based View, this study aims to examine the relationship between BDA and product innovation performance. Conducting survey from 163 firms, this study provides compelling evidence indicating that the use of BDA has a significant positive impact on firms’ product innovation. This study discusses theoretical implications for advancing BDA research and suggests actionable steps for managers to get benefits from using BDA."
Exploring the connections between alcohol and chronic traumatic encephalopathy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3373,Arnav Srivastava; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"In the world of hard-hitting sports, a deadly consequence has come up in the past years: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (commonly known as CTE). This brain condition has long eluded scientists attempting to find a treatment and the effects of it are some of the worst we have ever seen. Moreover, the appearance of the disease has only increased in occurrence over recent years. Football, hockey, and other physical sports continue to get more and more popular across the world and if treatment for CTE is not found promptly, the effect of the dangerous sports will be seen in the players’ brains like never before. CTE has claimed countless lives on the record and even more that have never quite been proven. However, though most believe the cause is the constant head trauma experienced by players, perhaps this mystery does not stop at just that. The specific causes of CTE and still not completely known, and this paper intends to answer that with at least one cause: alcohol. Alcohol has been a favorite among many players and its presence is undeniable in the sporting community. Its effects on the liver, kidney, and other organs are clear already, and perhaps after this research and more, its effects on the brain can become clearer as well. A connection between alcohol and CTE can be seen here in this research and this link can be built upon in efforts to create a treatment for the horrible disease, eventually hoping to render this issue nonexistent. "
"Biocrest: A novel, organic and sustainable alternative to traditional thermoplastic-based packaging",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3517,"Shalav Kakati, Sriram Seshadri, Mithun Makam",11-30-2022,"Plastic is handy as an industrial packaging material because it is mouldable, rigid yet flexible, durable, reusable, and cheaper than most alternatives, making it profitable to use. Although it has many advantages, its fair share of drawbacks, the most concerning being the amount of pollution it causes. Although plastics have been in use only since 1907, they have accumulated over time in astronomical quantities, destroying our environment. There are already some excellent sustainable packaging materials out on the market, but it still isn’t as mainstream as it needs to be to put a real dent into plastic pollution. Unless we can find ways to modify plastic to lessen its environmental impact, we must find sustainable packaging alternatives. Our project presents a novel solution to the pervasive plastic problem and sustainably looks into the issue. Our review showcases how materials such as seed extracts and natural binder extracts can be used to develop material that can serve as a potential replacement for the thermoplastic used presently."
The Phenomena of Using Adjectives as Verbs and Using Nouns as Adjectives in Chinese,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3571,Puyuan Ye; Deniz Satik,11-30-2022,"In Chinese, adjectives are sometimes used as verbs and nouns are sometimes used as adjectives, especially online. Usually, although the word occupies only one part of speech, it may be used as another part of speech, which may violate the syntactical rules but make sense to most people. In this paper, various examples of these two phenomena will be closely examined, tests are implemented to verify the original part of speech of the exact word that is used as a different part of speech, and many observations are made."
A Exploratory data analysis to understand the causes of global warming and application of soft computing techniques to develop its forecasting model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3117,Aarush Mahajan; Reetu jain,11-30-2022,"Global warming (GW) is one of the major effects of human activity where excessive use of fossil fuels as energy sources has led to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as CO2, CH4, and water vapour, in the atmosphere one of the main reason to increase the average surface temperature. This study analyzes the time-series data to come to a rational conclusion about the role of GW in increasing sea-water level, the reason for the increase in GHG and the correlation of GHG to GW. In this direction time-series analysis is carried out on four different datasets. The first and second dataset comprises global temperature anomalies data and the cumulative changes in seawater level for the world’s oceans since 1880. The third and fourth dataset comprises the records of concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere since 1st AD and the last 4 ice age years respectively. Finally, forecasting models are developed based on Holt’s and SARIMA techniques to predict the global temperature anomaly, the concentration of GHGs and their correlation with GW. The developed models showed 74.6%, 94.5% and 95.7% accuracy in predicting temperature anomaly, CO2, and CH4 concentration in the atmosphere respectively. The strength of the forecasting model is its ability to compute the critical values of the factors. Therefore, the forecasting models are applied to predict the year in which the critical values of the factors contributing to GW will be attained."
Factors Contributing to Youth’s Exposure to Mental Health Misinformation on TikTok During the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3296,Jimin Lee,11-30-2022,"There is an increasing number of youth having access to smartphones and technology, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (McClain, 2022). Social media, such as TikTok, grew exponentially during the pandemic alongside increased postings of mental health content. As the majority of TikTok users are young people, this paper examines the question: “what factors have contributed most to the increase in the use of potentially misleading online mental health information among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic?”. Reviewing previous research, this paper mainly applies descriptive and evaluation analysis to study the factors that prompted youth to seek mental health information on TikTok. This paper argues that barriers to mental health care and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have led young people to turn to TikTok for mental health information, in turn leading to youth to be more exposed to misinformation. This paper calls for improvements in mental health care accessibility for youth and identifies the root causes of increased misinformation exposure on TikTok. The increased mental health discussions that took place through TikTok should continue but it is imperative to explore ways to prevent information from overflowing and being unreliable for the users."
Shoulder Dysfunction in High School Tennis Players - an exploratory study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3393,Sandheep Ranganathan; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"Previous studies have investigated sports activity related shoulder dysfunction, such as scapular dyskinesis and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD), mainly in high-level tennis players. The prevalence of these dysfunctions in comparatively low to moderate level tennis players, such as those at the high school level is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of scapular dyskinesis and GIRD at the high school level and identify some of the factors that makes a high school tennis player more susceptible to developing shoulder dysfunction. A survey related to sports-related shoulder dysfunction was developed in collaboration with physical therapists and was completed by twenty-seven high school level tennis players. The results show that players who have more years of experience, played tennis more often on a weekly basis, and were on the varsity team are more likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction. The average number of symptoms increased with years of playing experience and a higher frequency of playing tennis every week, with more than 40% of players on the varsity team reporting a decrease in the velocity, control, and arm motion during their serve. While male players reported more symptoms related to pain, decreased performance and strength, female players reported almost three times more occurrence of lower shoulders compared to male players. Players who consistently did workouts for shoulder and back muscles were less likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction, regardless of their level of experience and gender."
The Effect of Talking to Plants in Order to Improve Emotions and Reduce Stress in High School Students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3472,Amelia Gandhi,11-30-2022,"This study was designed to see if students could improve their emotional state and/or reduce stress by talking to a plant.  One of the major benefits of using plants to study feelings or stress is that implementation of the plant does not need to be standardized in order to measure mood or emotional feeling. Plants make excellent listeners because they do not talk back.  They allow a person to express their feelings and emotions without interruption or reciprocal feedback. Volunteer high school students, 9th through 12th grade, were given a plant and asked to document their pre-discussion feelings, talk to the plant for 15 minutes about anything they wanted, then document their post-discussion feelings. The study was conducted for 4 weeks through self-guided surveys.  The analysis showed a decrease in stress and nervousness across all grade-levels, with an increase in relaxation."
The Effectiveness of Counterconditioning and Extinction in Extinguishing Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3605,Pradnya Rajalakshmi,11-30-2022,"Counterconditioning and extinction are two different forms of learning that inhibit the expression of a learned unwanted behavior by either eliminating the behavior (extinction) or replacing it altogether with a wanted behavior (counterconditioning). While counterconditioning has been shown to be more effective than extinction in some cases, both of these techniques can be vulnerable to the relapse of an unwanted behavior. Separate work has also shown that learning to inhibit unwanted behavior can be more effective if done across multiple different contexts rather than a single experimental context. A systematic comparison of extinction and counterconditioning across single and multiple contexts is, however, lacking. This research paper aims to identify the effectiveness of each of these learning techniques across a single context as well as multiple contexts to identify which is the most suitable for removing unwanted learned behavior. A two-by-two between-subjects design was used wherein four groups completed a learning task in either single or multiple contexts and with either extinction or counterconditioning. It was hypothesized that the counterconditioning group in multiple contexts should turn out to be more effective in extinguishing learning. The results did not support this hypothesis and instead suggest that these methods were all similarly effective at reducing unwanted behaviors."
Supply Chain Disruption Factors and Influences in Industrial Manufacturing and Technology Industries,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3725,Adrish Kar; Joshua Eaton,11-30-2022,"Objective: This paper investigates the main supply chain disruption factors and influences in a set of industrial manufacturing and technology industries as well as the relationships that exist between them. Background: Disruption factors are obstacles that impede a manufacturing company filling customer orders and are treated as the main causal factors in this study. The number of unfilled orders of an industry is any obligation to provide a good or service that has not been met and is used as the main response variable in this research. Methods: Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis are both variable reduction techniques that were utilized together in order to isolate latent constructs behind disruption factors and identify significant disruption factors contributing to the unfilled orders for each industry. Results: Across a majority of manufacturing industries, insufficient supply of materials, equipment limitations, logistics/transportation constraints, and storage limitations were observed to be amplified significantly as disruption factors by the pandemic. Conclusions: This research reveals the disruption factors that were exacerbated by the pandemic in a set of certain industrial manufacturing and technology industries that were not extensively examined by previous research and strongly corroborate existing literature on the general challenges imposed by the pandemic on supply chain networks. This work also provides a future research objective of improving supply chain resilience."
Digital Marketing in the Makeup Industry - Attraction and Retention of Generation Z,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3204,Meghna Sahu; Kyle Karnuta,11-30-2022,"This study investigates the changing nature of marketing, especially by the makeup industry, as Generation Z increasingly employs its growing purchasing power. What do attraction and retention marketing tactics look like as brands seek to win Generation Z consumers? The research investigated the significance of Generation Z’s purchasing power, and found that younger consumers value personal connections, authenticity, and engaging with brands over digital platforms. Specifically in the makeup industry, social media, beauty influencer partnerships, and storytelling are employed to attract Generation Z. Brand communities, satisfying consumers, and loyalty programs are used to retain the younger consumers. A case study of the makeup brand Glossier illustrates how a digitally native brand uses digital tactics to win over the tech-savvy generation."
Are Hate Crime Enhancements Warranted in American Law?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3466,Joshua Zhang,11-30-2022,"Hate crimes are crimes that have an unusual bias upon a certain group due to their specific identity. In the American legal system, it has been a long-time controversy surrounding whether a hate crime enhancement is warranted for those classified as such. This paper first seeks to examine the rationality of hate crime enhancements, using established hate crime legislature to analyze its purpose. Then it will apply such a framework to evaluate whether the legislature abides with legal philosophy and constitutional rights through the lens of moral culpability, past landmark cases, and implementation observances. The paper will explain that legal philosophy deems it impossible to assess motive, a key component of hate crimes. It will also challenge the current supreme court and landmark rulings upon hate crime legislature and points out an unconstitutional logical loophole. Flaws of implementation on demographics and due process are also pointed out as limitations. Through the three-prong analysis, although a justification for current hate crime enhancements is present due to the potential physical and mental damages, it is concluded that they are unconstitutional, unwarranted, and must be limited to ensure the justice of the American legal system."
The malfeasance of the juvenile justice system through social institutions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3569,Kareena Mehra; Amber,11-30-2022,"I will be exploring how social institutions impact the behavior of adolescent delinquents. I am analyzing the environment and rehabilitative system inside juvenile jail that could increase or decrease the juvenile’s behavior. Some factors that can contribute to institutionalized corruption and criminal behavior are race-based and socioeconomic-based stereotypes towards adolescents from communities of color. In my analysis, I will be following the stories of two case studies. Case study #1 follows a caucasian man, whereas case study #4 follows a black man, however, both these young men are of different ages. There is a clear distinction between how the two go in and out of the system. I will highlight some key points of each juvenile’s home life where we see minor factions resulting in life-altering sentences. While questioning fundamental aspects of a working functioning society I ask, how do the home and street environments of different races influence or perpetuate juvenile behavior? I expect to open a wall to misconceptions made about the juvenile system and expose maltreatment towards troubled youth by elaborating and expanding the research done on their origins.  I collected findings such as a lack of resources to support the youths’ physical needs in juvenile centers, the lack of protection from government officials when sentencing youth in the courtrooms, and how the youths’ adolescent and personal change and development can contribute to juvenile behavior. "
The Relationship between Developmental Factors and the Big Five personality Traits,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3761,Alexander Ji; Ana Patricia Esqueda,11-30-2022,"The Big Five personality traits theory is a well-accepted taxonomy of personality traits in personality psychology, which consists of five dimensions: openness to experiences, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness. Understanding the Big Five personality theory is critical to recognizing each individual's underlying nature and characteristics. While there is a plethora of research on the impacts and influences of the Big Five personality traits, little is known about the relationship between an individual's developmental factors and their Big Five personality traits. Without understanding the behaviour between development and personality, accurate and reliable causational experiments in personality psychology cannot exist. This study attempts to provide insight into how an individual's developmental factors are correlated with their Big Five personality traits. The original data was collected from surveys distributed to high schoolers studying in an American curriculum. This exploratory study concluded that an individual's familial relationship quality during childhood was correlated with some of the most significant deviations from the mean score of each Big Five personality trait. Individuals with married but separated parents had the highest scores in agreeableness, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experiences than any other developmental factor. Overall, the findings of this research indicated the complex relationship between an individual's Big Five personality traits and their development factors, providing information necessary for future causation experiments in personality psychology."
Predicting Diabetic Retinopathy Using Machine Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3179,Nathan Zhang,11-30-2022,"Over the last 3 decades, advances in laser surgery and intraocular drug delivery have decreased the risk of diabetic retinopathy. However, the use of artificial intelligence and other forms of data analysis in retinopathy screening has not had the same advances. This project aimed to analyze the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and to develop the best machine learning model to predict the disease. Violin plots were created to compare the distribution of diabetic retinopathy diagnosis with gender. The plot showed that females who had said they were not taking insulin were less likely to be diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Another violin plot showed that those with hypertension who were taking insulin were less likely to have diabetic retinopathy. Histograms were also created to show the distributions of the variables, color-coded by retinopathy diagnosis. Specifically, it was found that the bigger the time gaps since the diabetes diagnosis, the more likely a person suffers from diabetic retinopathy. Finally, multiple machine learning models were tested and these were the most accurate in predicting diabetic retinopathy with an 80% accuracy, LinearSVC, CalibratedClassifierCV, and Logistic Regression. "
Comparison of the efficacy of Natural Language Processing Algorithms at classifying Cyberbullying Tweets,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3432,Eric Cui; Christopher Brown,11-30-2022,"Machine Learning is frequently used to predict and classify data. Natural Language Processing (NLP) uses machine learning to classify strings of words. There are many different machine learning models that can be used for NLP, with three main categories being regression, decision tree, and neural net models. Each has their own advantages and drawbacks. After being trained and tested on a set of tweets concerning cyberbullying, Logistic Regression, XGboost, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) were compared in terms of several metrics, including accuracy, recall, precision, and f1-score. Afterwards, the metrics were considered in combination with model runtime and complexity to determine which model was most appropriate for the given dataset and other similar datasets. Logistic Regression was found to lack sufficient complexity to properly classify the data. LSTM had worse metrics than XGboost and had significantly higher complexity and runtime. XGboost performed best, with the highest metrics and relatively short runtime."
Using Machine Learning Regressors for the Discovery of Culex Mosquito Habitats and Breeding Patterns in Washington D.C.,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3710,"Iona Xia, Neha Singirikonda, Landon Hellman, Jasmine Watson, Marvel Hanna; Dr. Russanne Low",11-30-2022,"Culex mosquitoes pose a significant threat to humans and other species due to their ability to carry deadly viruses such as the West Nile and Zika. Washington D.C., in particular, has a humid subtropical climate that is ideal as a habitat for mosquito breeding. Thus, tracking mosquitoes’ habitats and breeding patterns in Washington D.C. is crucial for addressing local public health concerns. Although fieldwork techniques have improved over the years, monitoring and analyzing mosquitoes is difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming. In this work, we propose a solution by creating a Culex mosquito abundance predictor using machine learning techniques to determine under which conditions Culex mosquitoes thrive and reproduce. We used four environmental variables to conduct this experiment: precipitation, specific humidity, enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and surface skin temperature. We obtained sample data of these variables in the Washington D.C. areas from the NASA Giovanni Earth Science Data system, as well as mosquito abundance data collected by the D.C. government. Using these data, we created and compared four machine learning regression models: Random Forest, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine, and Multi-Layer Perceptron. We searched for the optimal configurations for each model to get the best fitting possible. Random Forest Regressor produced the most accurate prediction of mosquito abundance in an area with the four environment variables, achieving a mean average error of 3.3. EVI was the most significant factor in determining mosquito abundance. Models and findings from this research can be utilized by public health programs for mosquito-related disease observations and predictions."
How does the architecture in the movie Parasite help portray the social class differences?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3059,Rhea Kochhar,11-30-2022,"Social class difference is the central plot in the film “Parasite”. The movie shows the difference in lifestyles of the upper-class and lower-class. One way it does so is through the architecture portrayed in it, which is precisely what this research paper focuses upon. The subthemes of architecture chosen for this paper include spatial elevation, interior orientation, and perspective of the outside world from the upper-class and lower-class streams. Different points are characterized into these three groups and are explored as a whole in the film. This research paper also tries to identify why a certain setting has been used, why has the layout been made a certain way, and why has a certain object been placed in a particular spot. All the answers to these questions mainly point in the direction of creating an empathetic response from the audience. This refers to the audience feeling sorry for the low-income Kim household and hence actively depicting their plight. As the film is set in South Korea, it can be derived that it not only highlights the general wage gap but rather specifically the one in Korea as it is filled with poverty and unequally distributed income. Moreover, architecture itself might have been one chosen medium to bring the social difference to notice as it is very subtle in nature. It makes the audience sympathize without them even realizing when or why.    "
Are Collectivist Societies Better at Managing National Crisis?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3457,Edward Sun; Lisa Callender,11-30-2022,"Based on the cultural psychology literature, we investigate which type of society is more effective in response to national crisis by comparing four aspects of individualistic and collectivistic states – sense of unity, conspiracy theories, political policy, and technology advancement. Our analysis suggests that the stronger psychological sense of unity and lower impact of conspiracy theories in collectivist societies leads to stronger support for government policies, resulting in more efficient response to national crisis in the short term. However, these features in collectivist nationals may suppress creativity and technology advancement, which compromise their effectiveness in combating national crisis in the long run."
Nursing Homes:The Overshadowed and Undervalued Aspects of Covid-19 By:Abdul Hadi Kamran,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3349,Abdul Hadi Kamran; Angel Aguilar,11-30-2022,"Abstract  Every 100 years, some sort of infectious disease devastates the world.  In 1720, we had the Plague, in 1817, Cholera, in 1918, the Spanish Flu, and now in 2020, we have the Coronavirus.  The disease, having been first discovered in Wuhan, China, soon took the world by storm as more and more people fell ill to the contagious disease.  Due to how new and unique the disease was, everyone was vulnerable to it.  However, certain demographics were at a higher risk of being fatally affected by the disease.  This being the elderly and young children.  At the start of the pandemic, the entire world was focused on hospitals, how to quarantine patients, where to separately keep them, etc.  The type of facility with the highest percentage or the elderly, however, are not in fact hospitals.  The type of facility with the highest percentage of elderly is Nursing Homes, who were treated extremely differently to hospitals during the early portion of the pandemic.  The goals of this project were to assess the mentality of those who were held responsible for the lives of those most at risk, and whether or not they believe they were given adequate support during the pandemic."
Xenotransplantation and its adverse effects on the immunology of the human body and solutions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3419,Chaitanya Krishna; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"The current demand in the U.S. for a transplant far exceeds of what is available. In fact, 22 people die each day because they do not get the necessary organ in time. With the human population growing, this problem will surely continue to get worse, but innovative solutions exist. Xenotransplantation, a method where a non-human organ is transplanted into a human, offers exciting potential like none seen before. An unlimited number of cells, tissues, and organs could be “manufactured” through genetic engineering, and this would truly be able to solve the high demand of organs in the United States. Obviously, tons of hurdles exist. Based on multiple sources, specific effects because of hidden diseases inside the graft, or organ of the animal, can cause damage to the patient which is alarming. Organ rejection is also deeply covered: the several types and what it entails in the body. Analyzing from various sources, the purpose of this research paper is to explain the adverse effects that transplantation can cause and to promote further research and investigation on combating the adversities presented.  "
Characteristics of Psychotic Depression in Juveniles and Analyzing 4 Antipsychotics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3486,Deepak Vaidyula; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"This research paper attempts to answer how psychotic depression differs in children and adults and focuses on the properties of the following four antipsychotics: Mellaril, Clozaril, Zyprexa, and Abilify to analyze which antipsychotic was most effective. This research paper analyzed differences in how children and adults react to psychotic depression by analyzing a recent study. To compare the different drugs, one or more studies were analyzed for each drug, and each drug’s properties were analyzed. After evaluating the different effects of psychotic depression, it was found that hallucinations were much more common in teenagers and children. More specifically, it was found that the most common type of hallucination was auditory. It was also found that the number of minors suffering from psychotic depression may be grossly underestimated. Clozaril was found to be very effective for patients that didn’t respond to other antipsychotics but dangerous because of its side effects. Mellaril seemed to be effective at treating schizophrenia, but had many side effects. Zyprexa seemed to be useful for weight gain for Anorexia Nervosa (AN), and Abilify seemed to be good for treating schizophrenia over a long period of time. It was concluded that children were more at risk for psychotic depression as they would not tell their guardians because of fear of backlash. It was also found that a few children believed hallucinations to be make-believe and not a disorder. Clozaril was found to be the most effective antipsychotic, while Zyprexa was the least."
"Variations in the English Language Depending on Audience as Seen Through Tyler, The Creator",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3589,Brinley Belding; Anna Trester,11-30-2022,"Tyler, the Creator is one of the most popular artists of the late 2010s. Perceptible in many of his works, Tyler changes the way he speaks depending on the context of his song and his audience. This paper argues that, in order to fit into the hip-hop community, Tyler uses more variations characteristic of African American English whereas personal albums stray away from variations to focus on the content itself. This is because Tyler is more focused on his story than fitting in.   "
Efficacy of Techniques Used in the Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Glioblastoma,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3673,Pranav Potluri; Jothsna Kethar,11-30-2022,"Upon diagnosis, patients are presented with various treatment options from which to choose from. Oftentimes, however, the patient is oblivious to what exactly is being presented to them. The complexity of the medical field is unrivaled and patients are often blind to what is being done, especially in oncology. Oncology is regarded as an incredibly complex field with even more complex subgroups. One of society’s most perplexing cancers is Glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer in which a growth appears in the brain or spinal cord Scientists know very little about the disease as it affects an extremely small percentage of the population. However, it is important to be informed about the possible treatment options and specific details of each. The purpose of this research is to inform society of the treatment options for Glioblastoma and how effective they are at curing the disease. This journal elaborates on these complex treatments, ranging from the classic methods of radiation therapy to the intricate methods of brain surgery. Upon reading this paper, one will have a deeper understanding of what it means to undergo cancer treatment, especially for a sickness as dire as Glioblastoma. The paper will explain three techniques used to treat Glioblastoma including how the treatment is performed, under what circumstances will it be performed, and the effectiveness of the technique. These treatments are incredibly elaborate, but by congesting the main cancer treatment techniques into one, organized document, patients can better their understanding of Glioblastoma and its treatment options."
The Quarter-Life Crisis: The Lack of Identity Development Support in Adolescents,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3049,Kristina Chao,11-30-2022,"The adolescent stage of development involves wide-scale neurological growth, thus allowing for a considerable emergence of mental health disorder symptoms, stemming from imbalances within the brain. Identity formation is a significant factor in adolescent maturation; however, rapid development can result in small-scale identity crises. Lack of identity development support in a teenager’s environment can lead to discrepancies between their self-concept and the societal image they present, otherwise known as identity regression. During the adolescent period of growth, teenagers evolve into fully-functioning members of society which is undoubtedly a critical stage that would benefit from identity development support. In order to prevent future difficulties, it is crucial to establish a nurturing foundation that is accepting of mistakes. Establishing healthy behaviors that are suitable to one’s environment can assist in identifying the vulnerabilities that arise within teenagers, in turn potentially avoiding many more severe mental disorder symptoms. "
The Impact of Payday Loans on Healthcare Choices & Physical Health,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3447,Achinteya Jayaram; Hammad Shaikh,11-30-2022,"Healthcare economics and payday loans have been a significant challenge for the United States population for many years, with various papers finding broad connections between them. This paper focuses on one such connection: how payday loans impact the overall physical health of an individual. I have analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth and the Payday Loans and Customer Service data source from Kaggle, and estimated regression models in order to find correlations between variables. Using this, I have found a direct connection between payday loans and healthcare choices: if people take out payday loans, they are more likely to be in a better state of physical health. Also, taking out a payday loan does not necessarily result in a visit to the doctor's office. In additional analysis, I find that racial minorities are most likely to take out payday loans. Lastly, I have highlighted the need for higher transparency around the fees/interest charged on payday loans.   "
Impacts of Climate Change on American Immigrant Flows and Employment Sectors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3523,Ziang Li; Gabriela Nagle Alverio,11-30-2022,"This paper focuses on the impacts of natural disasters caused by climate change on American immigrant flows and American immigrants’ employment sectors. This paper consists of two distinct quantitative analyses. The first analysis investigates the relationship between climate disasters and the number of people that immigrated to the U.S. from 2010 to 2019 (which is the closest intact decade before the pandemic) for several countries and shows a positive relationship between climate change and American immigrant flows. This part also discusses the inherent variation between developed countries and developing countries, and analyzes the relationship between the gross domestic production index and the number of people that immigrated to the U.S. In the second part of the analysis, the paper analyzes the several American states that contain the highest number of immigrants and which employment sectors immigrants preferred in 2015, which is the median year of the period in the first analysis. As a result, the result shows that American immigrants’ employment sector distribution varies for each state, and American immigrants are more likely to participate in fundamental occupations such as agriculture and infrastructure construction. At the end of the paper, some viable suggestions on current immigration policy and future prospects in the related research fields are mentioned."
The Effect of the NIL on Recruitment,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3629,Mehul Arunarthi; Genevieve Gregorich,11-30-2022,"The recent emergence of pay for collegiate athletes through the reformation of the NIL rules (name, image, and likeness), can change the entire system of recruitment of college sports, while will affect the entire business scope of the NCAA. I studied the subject of recruitment for the NCAA from the years 2018-2022 to analyze any changes in the recruitment plane before and after the NIL rule change in 2019. This research showed while a profound effect hasn’t taken place yet, changes are bound to come along, as the NIL rule becomes more widespread, and athletes start to take advantage of its benefits. These choices made by rising college athletes will alter the recruiting game as a whole as some schools will be targeted more than others."
Can Stress Cause Cancer?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3484,TRISHA NATARAJ; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"Stress is how people react when they feel under pressure or threatened. Stress typically occurs when people are in a situation that they do not feel they can manage or control. Today, more than ever, people of all ages and backgrounds experience stress which can have many negative effects on the body. Stress’ effect on the body is harmful no matter what form it is in. However, the longer that stress is present in the body, the more harmful it becomes. Stress slowly weakens the immune system and the rest of the body’s systems in different ways making the body more susceptible to certain diseases. This paper uses research done on stress’ affect on the body and the health conditions people are more prone to develop if they are stressed, to identify if stress can cause someone to develop cancer. Along with this, the paper also uses research to describe the different effects the two different forms of stress have on the body and how chronic or long-term stress affects the body systems at a larger scale in comparison to acute or short-term stress. Using this paper one can conclude that stress alone cannot directly cause a person to develop cancer, however, stress weakens the immune system and negatively affects the body making a person more prone to developing cancer. The aim of this paper is to identify how stress’ affect on the body can lead to the development of cancer and cause cancer to spread in those with cancer."
An Investigation of the Effects of the Ukraine War on Children’s Mental Health,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3582,Seung Hee Rhew; Christine Salerno,11-30-2022,"Since the start of the Ukraine war, children that have fallen victim to the war have become a part of the “lost generation”. Many of them lost family members, educational opportunities, and their childhoods. After losing the most important aspects of lives, they only encountered more impediments: physical, mental, and moral injuries. In order to mitigate the destructive impacts of this war, charities are donating food, water, clothes, and money – basic necessities that humans need to survive. Although the Ukraine war has received global attention and countless charities and non-profit organizations have provided such tangible services, there are other significant issues regarding children’s mental health that are going unseen. Mental illnesses and psychological disorders have been more prevalent in children as a result of the war. Mental issues are much more impairing and serious than physical injuries.Yet, most of the focus is on the physical health of the victims. In conclusion, more humanitarian organizations must consider interventions that would relieve psychological distress and help the children overcome their hurdles.     "
The Importance of Education on Bhutanese Refugees and their Personal Incomes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3666,Arjun Kalyandurg; Olufemi Olaleye,11-30-2022,"In this paper, I look to find the personal income rates of Bhutanese Refugees. I have been looking to find how variables like a refugee's educational attainment, poverty rate, and family situation affect how much money they make. Through the usage of Integrated Public Use Microdata Series(IPUMS) quantitative data, I took a sample of the specific year 2018 to visit the causation behind these variables and the result. An increase in the educational attainment of a Bhutanese Refugee will lead to an increase in their personal income and with a larger family, they will make more money. This means that the actions of the variables, whether they increase or decrease, have an effect on the personal income rates of a refugee."
A Study on The Effect of Big Data Analytics on Product Innovation Performance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3225,"Chih-Hsuan Ashley Cheng, Millie Y.S. Hong; Colin C. J. Cheng",11-30-2022,"Despite the rising interests in the use of big data analytics (BDA), it is unclear whether the use of BDA is beneficial to product innovation. Building on the Resource-Based View, this study aims to examine the relationship between BDA and product innovation performance. Conducting survey from 163 firms, this study provides compelling evidence indicating that the use of BDA has a significant positive impact on firms’ product innovation. This study discusses theoretical implications for advancing BDA research and suggests actionable steps for managers to get benefits from using BDA."
Exploring the connections between alcohol and chronic traumatic encephalopathy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3373,Arnav Srivastava; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"In the world of hard-hitting sports, a deadly consequence has come up in the past years: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (commonly known as CTE). This brain condition has long eluded scientists attempting to find a treatment and the effects of it are some of the worst we have ever seen. Moreover, the appearance of the disease has only increased in occurrence over recent years. Football, hockey, and other physical sports continue to get more and more popular across the world and if treatment for CTE is not found promptly, the effect of the dangerous sports will be seen in the players’ brains like never before. CTE has claimed countless lives on the record and even more that have never quite been proven. However, though most believe the cause is the constant head trauma experienced by players, perhaps this mystery does not stop at just that. The specific causes of CTE and still not completely known, and this paper intends to answer that with at least one cause: alcohol. Alcohol has been a favorite among many players and its presence is undeniable in the sporting community. Its effects on the liver, kidney, and other organs are clear already, and perhaps after this research and more, its effects on the brain can become clearer as well. A connection between alcohol and CTE can be seen here in this research and this link can be built upon in efforts to create a treatment for the horrible disease, eventually hoping to render this issue nonexistent. "
"Biocrest: A novel, organic and sustainable alternative to traditional thermoplastic-based packaging",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3517,"Shalav Kakati, Sriram Seshadri, Mithun Makam",11-30-2022,"Plastic is handy as an industrial packaging material because it is mouldable, rigid yet flexible, durable, reusable, and cheaper than most alternatives, making it profitable to use. Although it has many advantages, its fair share of drawbacks, the most concerning being the amount of pollution it causes. Although plastics have been in use only since 1907, they have accumulated over time in astronomical quantities, destroying our environment. There are already some excellent sustainable packaging materials out on the market, but it still isn’t as mainstream as it needs to be to put a real dent into plastic pollution. Unless we can find ways to modify plastic to lessen its environmental impact, we must find sustainable packaging alternatives. Our project presents a novel solution to the pervasive plastic problem and sustainably looks into the issue. Our review showcases how materials such as seed extracts and natural binder extracts can be used to develop material that can serve as a potential replacement for the thermoplastic used presently."
Modeling piezoelectricity’s impact on environmental parameters with real-life applications,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3609,"Sriram Seshadri, Armaan Sayyad",11-30-2022,"With a rapid increase in the global human population in recent years, the Earth is in dire need of alternative energy sources. The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility of implementing piezoelectricity as a primary source of renewable energy. Specifically, this paper looks at its consequent impact if introduced in 3 fundamental areas of implementation: bus tires, train tracks and railway stations. Each of these areas provide input elements at scale to generate electricity and are simple to implement, maintain and measure through government support.  This paper limits the data to the city of Cairo, Egypt. Being low cost as well, the three areas come close to an ideal situation from an economic standpoint. Predictive algorithms and existing data are used to evaluate the consequent change in global green-house emissions and other environmental parameters, had piezoelectricity been previously implemented. The results of the equations show that there would be improved environmental conditions - thus, a net positive impact - that switching to piezoelectricity would have had on the atmosphere and environment. The predictions stay true, provided that the efficiency of the piezoelectric crystal remains constant- an outcome which serves to boost output and lower greenhouse emissions"
A Comprehensive Modeling of Bioenhancers Docked to Transport Proteins to Enhance Bioavailability,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3727,"Via Das, Destiny Pinto, Tejasvi Hariharan, Tanusree Banerjee, Riya Ubale, Avi Uppalapati; Gayathri Renganathan",11-30-2022,"With pharmaceutical availability being a pertinent issue in modern medicine, the ability of bioenhancers to increase the bioavailability of a drug, thereby reducing the required dosage, can be critical for reducing treatment costs. Flavonoids, one form of bioenhancers, are metabolites that increase the availability through inhibition of key proteins in gut epithelial cells and transport proteins. Bioenhancers have the potential to inhibit proteins that limit absorption, thus increasing the amount of a target drug that can enter systemic circulation, increasing bioavailability. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is one of the membrane transport proteins whose function is to transport drugs in and out of the cell. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in the human plasma, is a protein that serves to transport several signals and other compounds throughout the circulatory system. This study assessed the binding of various bioenhancers (piperine, quercetin, capsaicin, naringin, genistein, lysergol, sinomenine, tangeretin) to various forms of P-gp, HSA and ABC transporters to improve drug bioavailability. We hypothesized that the bioenhancers would bind to these transport proteins, thereby inhibiting them and increasing bioavailability.An examination of the geometric shape complementarity scores in PatchDock and the binding affinities (ΔG kcal/mol) from three other web servers (Webina, DockThor, CB-Dock) showed that naringin produces the most optimal binding scores overall. Given the promising optimal binding scores, the data provides critical insight into administering bioenhancers with drugs to improve bioavailability, as well as suggesting that naringin may be a valuable compound to conduct further tests in vitro and in vivo."
A Exploratory data analysis to understand the causes of global warming and application of soft computing techniques to develop its forecasting model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3117,Aarush Mahajan; Reetu jain,11-30-2022,"Global warming (GW) is one of the major effects of human activity where excessive use of fossil fuels as energy sources has led to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as CO2, CH4, and water vapour, in the atmosphere one of the main reason to increase the average surface temperature. This study analyzes the time-series data to come to a rational conclusion about the role of GW in increasing sea-water level, the reason for the increase in GHG and the correlation of GHG to GW. In this direction time-series analysis is carried out on four different datasets. The first and second dataset comprises global temperature anomalies data and the cumulative changes in seawater level for the world’s oceans since 1880. The third and fourth dataset comprises the records of concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere since 1st AD and the last 4 ice age years respectively. Finally, forecasting models are developed based on Holt’s and SARIMA techniques to predict the global temperature anomaly, the concentration of GHGs and their correlation with GW. The developed models showed 74.6%, 94.5% and 95.7% accuracy in predicting temperature anomaly, CO2, and CH4 concentration in the atmosphere respectively. The strength of the forecasting model is its ability to compute the critical values of the factors. Therefore, the forecasting models are applied to predict the year in which the critical values of the factors contributing to GW will be attained."
Factors Contributing to Youth’s Exposure to Mental Health Misinformation on TikTok During the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3296,Jimin Lee,11-30-2022,"There is an increasing number of youth having access to smartphones and technology, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (McClain, 2022). Social media, such as TikTok, grew exponentially during the pandemic alongside increased postings of mental health content. As the majority of TikTok users are young people, this paper examines the question: “what factors have contributed most to the increase in the use of potentially misleading online mental health information among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic?”. Reviewing previous research, this paper mainly applies descriptive and evaluation analysis to study the factors that prompted youth to seek mental health information on TikTok. This paper argues that barriers to mental health care and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have led young people to turn to TikTok for mental health information, in turn leading to youth to be more exposed to misinformation. This paper calls for improvements in mental health care accessibility for youth and identifies the root causes of increased misinformation exposure on TikTok. The increased mental health discussions that took place through TikTok should continue but it is imperative to explore ways to prevent information from overflowing and being unreliable for the users."
Shoulder Dysfunction in High School Tennis Players - an exploratory study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3393,Sandheep Ranganathan; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"Previous studies have investigated sports activity related shoulder dysfunction, such as scapular dyskinesis and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD), mainly in high-level tennis players. The prevalence of these dysfunctions in comparatively low to moderate level tennis players, such as those at the high school level is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of scapular dyskinesis and GIRD at the high school level and identify some of the factors that makes a high school tennis player more susceptible to developing shoulder dysfunction. A survey related to sports-related shoulder dysfunction was developed in collaboration with physical therapists and was completed by twenty-seven high school level tennis players. The results show that players who have more years of experience, played tennis more often on a weekly basis, and were on the varsity team are more likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction. The average number of symptoms increased with years of playing experience and a higher frequency of playing tennis every week, with more than 40% of players on the varsity team reporting a decrease in the velocity, control, and arm motion during their serve. While male players reported more symptoms related to pain, decreased performance and strength, female players reported almost three times more occurrence of lower shoulders compared to male players. Players who consistently did workouts for shoulder and back muscles were less likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction, regardless of their level of experience and gender."
The Effect of Talking to Plants in Order to Improve Emotions and Reduce Stress in High School Students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3472,Amelia Gandhi,11-30-2022,"This study was designed to see if students could improve their emotional state and/or reduce stress by talking to a plant.  One of the major benefits of using plants to study feelings or stress is that implementation of the plant does not need to be standardized in order to measure mood or emotional feeling. Plants make excellent listeners because they do not talk back.  They allow a person to express their feelings and emotions without interruption or reciprocal feedback. Volunteer high school students, 9th through 12th grade, were given a plant and asked to document their pre-discussion feelings, talk to the plant for 15 minutes about anything they wanted, then document their post-discussion feelings. The study was conducted for 4 weeks through self-guided surveys.  The analysis showed a decrease in stress and nervousness across all grade-levels, with an increase in relaxation."
The Phenomena of Using Adjectives as Verbs and Using Nouns as Adjectives in Chinese,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3571,Puyuan Ye; Deniz Satik,11-30-2022,"In Chinese, adjectives are sometimes used as verbs and nouns are sometimes used as adjectives, especially online. Usually, although the word occupies only one part of speech, it may be used as another part of speech, which may violate the syntactical rules but make sense to most people. In this paper, various examples of these two phenomena will be closely examined, tests are implemented to verify the original part of speech of the exact word that is used as a different part of speech, and many observations are made."
"Biocrest: A novel, organic and sustainable alternative to traditional thermoplastic-based packaging",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3517,"Shalav Kakati, Sriram Seshadri, Mithun Makam",11-30-2022,"Plastic is handy as an industrial packaging material because it is mouldable, rigid yet flexible, durable, reusable, and cheaper than most alternatives, making it profitable to use. Although it has many advantages, its fair share of drawbacks, the most concerning being the amount of pollution it causes. Although plastics have been in use only since 1907, they have accumulated over time in astronomical quantities, destroying our environment. There are already some excellent sustainable packaging materials out on the market, but it still isn’t as mainstream as it needs to be to put a real dent into plastic pollution. Unless we can find ways to modify plastic to lessen its environmental impact, we must find sustainable packaging alternatives. Our project presents a novel solution to the pervasive plastic problem and sustainably looks into the issue. Our review showcases how materials such as seed extracts and natural binder extracts can be used to develop material that can serve as a potential replacement for the thermoplastic used presently."
Modeling piezoelectricity’s impact on environmental parameters with real-life applications,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3609,"Sriram Seshadri, Armaan Sayyad",11-30-2022,"With a rapid increase in the global human population in recent years, the Earth is in dire need of alternative energy sources. The objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility of implementing piezoelectricity as a primary source of renewable energy. Specifically, this paper looks at its consequent impact if introduced in 3 fundamental areas of implementation: bus tires, train tracks and railway stations. Each of these areas provide input elements at scale to generate electricity and are simple to implement, maintain and measure through government support.  This paper limits the data to the city of Cairo, Egypt. Being low cost as well, the three areas come close to an ideal situation from an economic standpoint. Predictive algorithms and existing data are used to evaluate the consequent change in global green-house emissions and other environmental parameters, had piezoelectricity been previously implemented. The results of the equations show that there would be improved environmental conditions - thus, a net positive impact - that switching to piezoelectricity would have had on the atmosphere and environment. The predictions stay true, provided that the efficiency of the piezoelectric crystal remains constant- an outcome which serves to boost output and lower greenhouse emissions"
A Comprehensive Modeling of Bioenhancers Docked to Transport Proteins to Enhance Bioavailability,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3727,"Via Das, Destiny Pinto, Tejasvi Hariharan, Tanusree Banerjee, Riya Ubale, Avi Uppalapati; Gayathri Renganathan",11-30-2022,"With pharmaceutical availability being a pertinent issue in modern medicine, the ability of bioenhancers to increase the bioavailability of a drug, thereby reducing the required dosage, can be critical for reducing treatment costs. Flavonoids, one form of bioenhancers, are metabolites that increase the availability through inhibition of key proteins in gut epithelial cells and transport proteins. Bioenhancers have the potential to inhibit proteins that limit absorption, thus increasing the amount of a target drug that can enter systemic circulation, increasing bioavailability. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is one of the membrane transport proteins whose function is to transport drugs in and out of the cell. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in the human plasma, is a protein that serves to transport several signals and other compounds throughout the circulatory system. This study assessed the binding of various bioenhancers (piperine, quercetin, capsaicin, naringin, genistein, lysergol, sinomenine, tangeretin) to various forms of P-gp, HSA and ABC transporters to improve drug bioavailability. We hypothesized that the bioenhancers would bind to these transport proteins, thereby inhibiting them and increasing bioavailability.An examination of the geometric shape complementarity scores in PatchDock and the binding affinities (ΔG kcal/mol) from three other web servers (Webina, DockThor, CB-Dock) showed that naringin produces the most optimal binding scores overall. Given the promising optimal binding scores, the data provides critical insight into administering bioenhancers with drugs to improve bioavailability, as well as suggesting that naringin may be a valuable compound to conduct further tests in vitro and in vivo."
A Exploratory data analysis to understand the causes of global warming and application of soft computing techniques to develop its forecasting model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3117,Aarush Mahajan; Reetu jain,11-30-2022,"Global warming (GW) is one of the major effects of human activity where excessive use of fossil fuels as energy sources has led to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as CO2, CH4, and water vapour, in the atmosphere one of the main reason to increase the average surface temperature. This study analyzes the time-series data to come to a rational conclusion about the role of GW in increasing sea-water level, the reason for the increase in GHG and the correlation of GHG to GW. In this direction time-series analysis is carried out on four different datasets. The first and second dataset comprises global temperature anomalies data and the cumulative changes in seawater level for the world’s oceans since 1880. The third and fourth dataset comprises the records of concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere since 1st AD and the last 4 ice age years respectively. Finally, forecasting models are developed based on Holt’s and SARIMA techniques to predict the global temperature anomaly, the concentration of GHGs and their correlation with GW. The developed models showed 74.6%, 94.5% and 95.7% accuracy in predicting temperature anomaly, CO2, and CH4 concentration in the atmosphere respectively. The strength of the forecasting model is its ability to compute the critical values of the factors. Therefore, the forecasting models are applied to predict the year in which the critical values of the factors contributing to GW will be attained."
Factors Contributing to Youth’s Exposure to Mental Health Misinformation on TikTok During the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3296,Jimin Lee,11-30-2022,"There is an increasing number of youth having access to smartphones and technology, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (McClain, 2022). Social media, such as TikTok, grew exponentially during the pandemic alongside increased postings of mental health content. As the majority of TikTok users are young people, this paper examines the question: “what factors have contributed most to the increase in the use of potentially misleading online mental health information among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic?”. Reviewing previous research, this paper mainly applies descriptive and evaluation analysis to study the factors that prompted youth to seek mental health information on TikTok. This paper argues that barriers to mental health care and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have led young people to turn to TikTok for mental health information, in turn leading to youth to be more exposed to misinformation. This paper calls for improvements in mental health care accessibility for youth and identifies the root causes of increased misinformation exposure on TikTok. The increased mental health discussions that took place through TikTok should continue but it is imperative to explore ways to prevent information from overflowing and being unreliable for the users."
Shoulder Dysfunction in High School Tennis Players - an exploratory study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3393,Sandheep Ranganathan; Coach Jo,11-30-2022,"Previous studies have investigated sports activity related shoulder dysfunction, such as scapular dyskinesis and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD), mainly in high-level tennis players. The prevalence of these dysfunctions in comparatively low to moderate level tennis players, such as those at the high school level is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of scapular dyskinesis and GIRD at the high school level and identify some of the factors that makes a high school tennis player more susceptible to developing shoulder dysfunction. A survey related to sports-related shoulder dysfunction was developed in collaboration with physical therapists and was completed by twenty-seven high school level tennis players. The results show that players who have more years of experience, played tennis more often on a weekly basis, and were on the varsity team are more likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction. The average number of symptoms increased with years of playing experience and a higher frequency of playing tennis every week, with more than 40% of players on the varsity team reporting a decrease in the velocity, control, and arm motion during their serve. While male players reported more symptoms related to pain, decreased performance and strength, female players reported almost three times more occurrence of lower shoulders compared to male players. Players who consistently did workouts for shoulder and back muscles were less likely to develop shoulder pain and dysfunction, regardless of their level of experience and gender."
The Effect of Talking to Plants in Order to Improve Emotions and Reduce Stress in High School Students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3472,Amelia Gandhi,11-30-2022,"This study was designed to see if students could improve their emotional state and/or reduce stress by talking to a plant.  One of the major benefits of using plants to study feelings or stress is that implementation of the plant does not need to be standardized in order to measure mood or emotional feeling. Plants make excellent listeners because they do not talk back.  They allow a person to express their feelings and emotions without interruption or reciprocal feedback. Volunteer high school students, 9th through 12th grade, were given a plant and asked to document their pre-discussion feelings, talk to the plant for 15 minutes about anything they wanted, then document their post-discussion feelings. The study was conducted for 4 weeks through self-guided surveys.  The analysis showed a decrease in stress and nervousness across all grade-levels, with an increase in relaxation."
The Phenomena of Using Adjectives as Verbs and Using Nouns as Adjectives in Chinese,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3571,Puyuan Ye; Deniz Satik,11-30-2022,"In Chinese, adjectives are sometimes used as verbs and nouns are sometimes used as adjectives, especially online. Usually, although the word occupies only one part of speech, it may be used as another part of speech, which may violate the syntactical rules but make sense to most people. In this paper, various examples of these two phenomena will be closely examined, tests are implemented to verify the original part of speech of the exact word that is used as a different part of speech, and many observations are made."
Digital Marketing in the Makeup Industry - Attraction and Retention of Generation Z,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3204,Meghna Sahu; Kyle Karnuta,11-30-2022,"This study investigates the changing nature of marketing, especially by the makeup industry, as Generation Z increasingly employs its growing purchasing power. What do attraction and retention marketing tactics look like as brands seek to win Generation Z consumers? The research investigated the significance of Generation Z’s purchasing power, and found that younger consumers value personal connections, authenticity, and engaging with brands over digital platforms. Specifically in the makeup industry, social media, beauty influencer partnerships, and storytelling are employed to attract Generation Z. Brand communities, satisfying consumers, and loyalty programs are used to retain the younger consumers. A case study of the makeup brand Glossier illustrates how a digitally native brand uses digital tactics to win over the tech-savvy generation."
Analysis of PyroTamer’s Effect on Current Wildfire Situations,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3434,"Jaein Kim, Jermaine Lei, Matthew Lee, Daniel Cha",11-30-2022,"Wildfires have been devastating Earth’s lands since its birth, but only recently have the fires become more rampant and increasing in numbers due to poor human decisions and excruciatingly worsening climate crisis. Our protectors, the firefighters, are constantly on an uphill battle to fight the numerous wildfires surrounding them during fire season, let alone risk their precious lives. To make matters worse, critical amounts of time are wasted as firefighters are still using old technology from decades ago like hand radios as they have been proven for a long time to be reliable. Although the reliability of hand radios is strong, they have extremely limited range and make communication onerous as verbal communication is not that efficient and prone to errors. PyroTamer is developing an application that focuses on reliability and efficiency to ensure firefighters are able to effectively communicate quickly in order to put out fires faster."
The Effectiveness of Counterconditioning and Extinction in Extinguishing Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3605,Pradnya Rajalakshmi,11-30-2022,"Counterconditioning and extinction are two different forms of learning that inhibit the expression of a learned unwanted behavior by either eliminating the behavior (extinction) or replacing it altogether with a wanted behavior (counterconditioning). While counterconditioning has been shown to be more effective than extinction in some cases, both of these techniques can be vulnerable to the relapse of an unwanted behavior. Separate work has also shown that learning to inhibit unwanted behavior can be more effective if done across multiple different contexts rather than a single experimental context. A systematic comparison of extinction and counterconditioning across single and multiple contexts is, however, lacking. This research paper aims to identify the effectiveness of each of these learning techniques across a single context as well as multiple contexts to identify which is the most suitable for removing unwanted learned behavior. A two-by-two between-subjects design was used wherein four groups completed a learning task in either single or multiple contexts and with either extinction or counterconditioning. It was hypothesized that the counterconditioning group in multiple contexts should turn out to be more effective in extinguishing learning. The results did not support this hypothesis and instead suggest that these methods were all similarly effective at reducing unwanted behaviors."
Supply Chain Disruption Factors and Influences in Industrial Manufacturing and Technology Industries,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3725,Adrish Kar; Joshua Eaton,11-30-2022,"Objective: This paper investigates the main supply chain disruption factors and influences in a set of industrial manufacturing and technology industries as well as the relationships that exist between them. Background: Disruption factors are obstacles that impede a manufacturing company filling customer orders and are treated as the main causal factors in this study. The number of unfilled orders of an industry is any obligation to provide a good or service that has not been met and is used as the main response variable in this research. Methods: Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis are both variable reduction techniques that were utilized together in order to isolate latent constructs behind disruption factors and identify significant disruption factors contributing to the unfilled orders for each industry. Results: Across a majority of manufacturing industries, insufficient supply of materials, equipment limitations, logistics/transportation constraints, and storage limitations were observed to be amplified significantly as disruption factors by the pandemic. Conclusions: This research reveals the disruption factors that were exacerbated by the pandemic in a set of certain industrial manufacturing and technology industries that were not extensively examined by previous research and strongly corroborate existing literature on the general challenges imposed by the pandemic on supply chain networks. This work also provides a future research objective of improving supply chain resilience."
How Changes in Individual Spending Habits Under COVID-19 Impact SMEs in Sports Industry in Guangzhou,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3390,Zhengnan Liu; Cody Dodd,11-30-2022,"Starting from 2020, life for everyone has shifted due to the unprecedented pandemic (Coronavirus, COVID-19), and so do SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship in what COVID impacts SMEs in Sport industry and whether structural changes have occurred for those firms due to the transformation of customers' spending habits. The study mainly focuses on a regional scale in Guangzhou, one of the cities in Guangdong Province, China. Five Interviews had conducted via phone call or personal meeting about the current situation of sport-related firms and their experiences about their past two years. Through those interviews, it can be concluded that SMEs in the Sports Industry have been devastating in the past two years, and most of them have to make structural changes to the structure of the firm to keep the firm functioning under current circumstances. Through past literatures, a social phenomenon has shown that people started to change their spending habits after COVID through reasons of anxiety and higher tension in their financial situation."
The Role of American NGOs in International Development,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3462,Emma Crasnitchi; Svetlana Crasnitchi,11-30-2022,"In this paper, I will examine the role of American nonprofit NGOs - specifically D.C. located CNFA (Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture), Inc. - on the long-run input into agricultural growth and sustainability of third-world countries. Such NPOs render production successful. I surveyed various employees from CNFA to understand the commercial and humanitarian principles behind international development and collaboration with foreign agribusiness companies. I will describe the methods of helping food security, program development, and financing to reduce the cleavage of modern-day society."
Is Gene Therapy a Band-aid or a Cure?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3566,"Sanjitha Sadhneni; Rajagopal Appavu, Coach Jo",11-30-2022,"The goal of innovation in treating diseases is to provide a long-lasting solution. For rare diseases such as sickle cell disease (SCD) and hemophilia, this can mean reducing the number of complications or even increasing life expectancy. One of the innovations that is having increasing attention is gene therapy. Gene therapy entails substituting flawed genes with normal ones by utilizing vectors derived from the outer shells of viruses, retaining the inherent properties of being able to target and enter specific cells. The modified gene is placed within this shell. Gene therapy can target germline or somatic cells - the latter being the most commonly used. The process for gene therapy is in-vivo or ex-vivo, depending on whether the transduction of the cells happens within or outside the body. Clinical trials in gene therapy have progressed tremendously, and even a few have reached approval by the FDA - but none yet for SCD or hemophilia. For both these diseases, the current treatments provide symptomatic relief but not long-lasting benefits. Currently, there are several gene therapy clinical trials ongoing for both conditions. This paper focuses on published results of sickle cell diseases and hemophilia and examines whether they are pointing towards short-term benefits or whether the effect is long-term. "
Public Healthcare Policies for the Elderly in the United States: Suggestions from a Comparison between South Korea and the United States,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3650,Jooyoung Choi; Deepon Bhaumik,11-30-2022,"As the aging population percentage rapidly increases across the world, leading to an increase in the necessity of long-term care, it is crucial for the government of the United States to implement changes to create more sustainable, and sufficient programs. This policy brief intends to identify problems in the current United States long-term health care system, and will try to find a possible suggestion to impede the gaps in the system. To bring a direct comparison and possible solutions, this brief will also investigate South Korea, a country with similar aging demographics and economic development as the United States. South Korea ranks 10th in GDP, and the elderly population comprise of 17.5% of the entire population (compared to 16% for the U.S). The South Korean examples of the policy suggest a few practical solutions to the issue, such as an increase in basing long term care eligibility on health status of an individual, rather than an emphasis on income eligibility. Targeted policies such as South Korea’s Alzheimer detection program should be more widely utilized for most chronic diseases in the United States. These types of prevention services will be able to help decrease the total amount of funding spent on these patients. Learning from South Korea’s policies can provide the U.S. with services that can adequately address the elderly population’s need for assistance and care."
Exploring Cryptocurrency: How do individual behaviors in the financial world affect the potential of economic bubbles?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3758,Ren Leong; Stefano Benigni,11-30-2022,"Cryptocurrency has made waves recently with its absurd increase in prices and volume. In this paper, I sought to understand, fundamentally, what factors could have helped its rise to the top. On the other hand, large ascents like this in the past have shown to be fatal, such as the housing market bubble of 2008. It struck me that cryptocurrency seemed to be heading down a similar path, especially with its unpredictable volatility and lack of practical usage in daily life. I explored some of the behavioral trends that are prevalent in finance, and used them to understand the 2008 bubble. I then further explored cryptocurrency behavior to draw comparisons, which were not lacking. By understanding what was behind cryptocurrency’s incredible rise and what behaviors and trends may factor into its volume, I was able to come to the conclusion that cryptocurrency is an asset class that treads dangerously along the lines of forming bubbles."
Military Conscription in the 21st Century: Obsolescence or Relevance?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3422,Glenn Lee; Ja Kyung Han,11-30-2022,"Post Russian invasion of Ukraine, questions about conscription have come into focus, prompting questions about military readiness and the value of such a policy. In analyzing the policy, international relations theories can act as a useful framework, and help elucidate conflict dynamics. In particular, Realism and Liberalism have contrasting depictions of the world, with the former characterizing it as an anarchic system in which states compete for power and security and the latter as a system in which states allay tensions through cooperation. This research draws upon these theories as it uses hypothesis testing—t-tests, ANOVA, and chi-squared statistics—to investigate the different attributes of countries as they relate to conscription policies. A wide range of variables were chosen including military expenditure, imports and exports, the Human Development Index, and the EIU Democracy Index in order to test statistically significant differences through the aforementioned tools. Overall, this research finds that both realist and liberal theories have explanatory power and provide insight into how desire for hard and soft power may impact decisions to enact and maintain conscription policies. Data and graphs were interpreted alongside such concepts in order to reach this conclusion."
Sustaining Green Efforts: How Tech Parks in Bangalore Address Environmental Crises,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3594,Arshia Mehra; Courtney,11-30-2022,"Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka is known as the Silicon Valley of India for the high number of ICT(Information and Communications Technology) companies and tech parks it has. The ICT industry has providedmillions of people with jobs in this city and has resulted in a population explosion, which has over time led toBangalore facing infrastructural crises along with strain on its natural resources. This paper discusses howsustainable architecture can set up a model for sustainability in perpetuity in Bangalore’s tech parks in the 21 stcentury."
International Law and The Responsibility to Protect,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2605,Sophia Sultan; Christopher Michael Garrity,08-31-2022,"In the UN, there is a doctrine called the Responsibility to Protect that allows the blue helmets from the UN to intervene in a country if a country violates international human rights laws. This doctrine was created to aid refugees and the international community when their own countries abuse power and, as a result, them. My question was what determines when the UN decides to intervene under R2P. My hypotheses theorized that GDP, nuclear weapons, or race demographics must influence the verdict of when the UN intervenes. I thought that countries that had a higher GDP probably had a lower chance of being intervened even if they had committed humanitarian crimes. I also figured that any country with nukes would have high unlikeliness to be intervened upon, and finally, I hypothesized that countries with a white majority population were less likely to be intervened in. I found that a combination of portions from all three hypotheses was ultimately correct. Of the countries I tested most countries that had been intervened in under R2P were poorer than countries that had not been protected by the UN despite being guilty of similar injustices. My second hypothesis was arguably arbitrary since no country that owns a nuke has been intervened in by the UN. Lastly, the countries I tested for their race demographics were mainly non-white countries, and, therefore, the countries that had and had not been intervened in under R2P were isolated from the race debate. "
Analysis of Anxiety and Depression in the Context of Commercially-Available Energy Beverage Consumption,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2681,Nathan Ming; Chloe Cavanaugh,08-31-2022,"Energy drinks are common in the diets of teenagers. Despite the increase in consumption in American teenagers, little has been done to study its effects on the anxiety and depressive behaviors of teenagers. 25 participants were selected including a majority of Asians and Caucasians between the ages of 12 to 22. The participants filled out a survey that recorded a baseline for a week, and then drank increasing dosages of energy drinks the following week while continuing to fill out a survey. They filled out a survey that was designed with SIG E CAPS indicators on each day, and the results were compared using a student’s t-test. The results were not statistically significant, but this supports that the caffeine limit set by the Food and Drug Administration does indeed prevent negative effects of caffeine on adolescents. One participant, with a pre-existing psychiatric condition, withdrew from the study after his markers of anxiety were significantly higher in the week that he took the energy drinks. While the study was limited in both scale and dosage, it did fall in alignment with the body of literature that preceded it. To formulate a statistically significant study with results that have a higher confidence level, the dosage of caffeine and the number of participants who consume it would need to be increased. The study, while not being statistically significant, reinforced the pediatric limit of caffeine and opened the door to further studies that involve a higher dosage or more participants. "
Prediction of Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease Using Machine Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2910,Sanay Bordia; Professor Ramezani,08-31-2022,"This paper attempts to predict the onset of chronic Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) in children with blood cancers who have received a bone marrow or stem cell transplant using machine learning models. It analyzes and compares the results of three different models in terms of how accurate they each are in predicting chronic GVHD. These models are Logistic Regression, J48 algorithm using decision trees, and Multilayer Perceptron. The models are formed using a dataset containing 36 attributes, excluding chronic GVHD itself. Through data preprocessing and analysis in Weka, these 36 attributes are narrowed down for each model to figure out which combination of attributes leads to the best predictive accuracy. The study uses 10-fold cross validation for each model and uses the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Area as a measure of the accuracy for each model. The study found that Multilayer Perceptron is the best predictor of chronic GVHD. In comparison, Logistic Regression was the worst predictor of chronic GVHD. The J48 algorithm used the least number of attributes to make its prediction."
Examining the predictive power of moving averages in the stock market,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3382,Arjun Chaddha; Shilpa Yadav,08-31-2022,"Moving averages are common technical analysis tools which investors use to generate buy and sell calls in the stock market. The purpose of this research paper is to analyse whether common moving average techniques can reliably predict stock market behaviour. Using hypothesis testing, this paper tests whether the percentage return yielded by using moving average combinations to trade stocks in the S&P 500 index was significantly higher than a) the percentage return yielded by randomly buying and selling the stocks and b) the market percentage return. The tests were conducted for the S&P 500 stocks in four different time frames to understand the performance of moving averages during different stock market trends (uptrend, sideways trend, downtrend). Moreover, the performance of three different buying and selling techniques which use moving averages were compared. The results of the paper indicate that an investor should not use moving averages to trade stocks owing to their limited predictive power. There were only a few moving average combinations which were significantly better than randomly buying and selling. Even those few combinations could not yield higher percentage returns than the market percentage return."
Deep Neural Network Classifier for Alzheimer’s Disease  Omics biomarker prediction for early and quantitative Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3553,"Jason Lin; Dr. Hayan Lee, Dr. Michael Snyder",08-31-2022,"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by dementia and, eventually, a loss of cognitive abilities. Two histopathological features are associated with AD, neurofibrillary tangles, and amyloid-beta plaque. Both contribute to neuron cell death, neuron dysfunction, and AD pathogenesis. Current methods to diagnose AD remain reliant on symptomatic diagnosis with interviews that can be time-consuming, costly, and inaccurate. Alternative methods such as brain imaging are expensive and require extensive laboratory setup for accurate results. Thus molecular-level quantitative approaches are necessary. Omics datasets and machine learning technology advancements have opened new avenues to diagnose AD. This paper proposes using statistical methods such as principal component analysis, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test combined with Benjamini-Hochberg correction through feature selection and dimensionality reduction to isolate significant features associated with AD. Furthermore, we developed machine learning models based on logistic regression, random forest classifier, and deep neural network (DNN) classifier to predict AD diagnosis. Eight unique genes (TGM2, NKIRAS1, SYK, GABARAPL2, ABCC12, NDEL1, TEP1) were identified as significant biomarkers of AD and confirmed previous works identifying prognoses' roles in AD. After extensive hyperparameter tuning, the DNN model showed the best prediction performance for AD diagnosis among the three machine learning algorithms. The DNN model and preprocessed dataset demonstrated a 5-fold cross-validation accuracy of 0.823 and AUC-ROC of 0.940. Its code is publicly available at https://www.kaggle.com/neobrando/ml-dnn."
A Study of the Endowment Effect in Phase II and III of the EU Emissions Trading System,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2761,Sophia Qin; Edoardo Gallo,08-31-2022,"This paper investigates the endowment effect in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) over Phase II and Phase III using complete transaction records from the market. The results show that for most companies in both Phase II and Phase III, their WTA (willingness to accept)/WTP (willingness to pay) ratio is less than or equal to 1, signifying that there is an insubstantial degree of the endowment effect in the EU ETS. This challenges the results of a pioneering study and brings into light the need for a more rigorous study to re-examine the endowment effect in the carbon market. "
Prohibition and Suffrage During World War I: The War’s Dual Impact,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2967,Jason Fu; Charles Argon,08-31-2022,"This study analyzes how World War I impacts two Progressive Era reforms—Prohibition and women suffrage—both positively and negatively. While the war promoted the passage of two constitutional amendments, it reduced the two movement’s commitment to reform that would benefit the society. Prohibition became quasi-authoritarian, intruding individual rights; suffrage turned conservative by adopting racist justifications in order to win support. This paper proposes a hypothesis that could explain this turn from progressivism to authoritarianism and conservatism, and discuss the two movements in detail to support the hypothesis."
Impact of the Recent South Korean Presidency Change on Security Relationship with North Korea,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3330,Daniel Ha; Elliot Ji,08-31-2022,"Tensions in the Korean Peninsula have soared with the advancement of North Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear weapons development. Along with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, DPRK’s 7th nuclear test is impending. In the era of a “new Cold War,” the presidency of South Korea (ROK) changed in May 2022. This study examined how the recent ROK presidency change affects its security relationship with DPRK. To analyze this, I performed a literature review of DPRK-related policies that former ROK presidents implemented. I used qualitative data from my three in-depth interviews that focused on Yoon’s policy initiatives in three aspects: DPRK policy, US-ROK alliance, military defense. To obtain updated information on ROK’s international situation, I conducted a debriefing of the 8th Yonhap News Symposium on Korean Peace (June 2022). Throughout past ROK governments, the strategies toward DPRK differed significantly between progressive and conservative parties. Inter-Korean relations were stronger under progressive party governments, but neither made progress towards DPRK’s denuclearization. President Yoon stated his policy would be principled and consistent, with a strong US-ROK alliance and international cooperation. Yoon planned the implementation of ROK’s 3-axis system and the establishment of the Military Strategic Headquarters, including advanced detection and precision strike counter-force capabilities. If he can achieve a US-ROK alliance and attain non-nuclear deterrence, ROK’s security relationship with DPRK will likely be safer than in the past. My research addresses a detailed question that is part of a larger global landscape to analyze ROK’s international affairs and gain insight into effective security policies. "
Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Metabolism and Their Cellular Cycles,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3418,Harshita Ganga; Dr. Raj Appavu,08-31-2022,"Cancer is a prevalent disease, with 1,752,735 new cases reported to the CDC in 2019.  The disease is characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Current treatments for cancer can affect the whole body and have detrimental effects. Cancer cells are often programmed metabolically. In recent years, treatments to undermine this metabolic reprogramming have come to the forefront. In this review, we explore some of the molecular mechanisms underlying certain dietary interventions and critical metabolic pathways. Dietary interventions such as chronic calorie restriction (CR) and fasting have been shown to aid in adjusting metabolic reprogramming to help in reducing cancer progression. Other dietary interventions target amino acid (AA) metabolism. Essential AAs are only consumed from the diet and their restriction has been shown to work as a treatment in mice. Lastly, central carbon metabolism includes the TCA cycle and glycolysis, both commonly reprogrammed pathways in cancer cells. Other dietary interventions and the reprogramming of these pathways can be used to treat cancer in other ways, such as knocking out genes and cell cycle arrest."
Using Newton’s Laws to Determine the Quality of Bharatanatyam Dance Movements,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3672,Sidhya Ganesh; Professor Ramachandran,08-31-2022,"Bharatanatyam, an ancient Indian Classical dance form, places a heavy emphasis on dancers’ body positioning and usage of space, categorizing movements as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ qualitatively. The present experiment investigated the extent to which statics/kinematics can be used to evaluate the quality of a Bharatanatyam dance movement. The declared hypothesis was that the dancer’s body could be approximated as a rigid body/simple object, for analysis. Two Bharatanatyam movements, a one-dimensional jump, and a two-dimensional parabolic leap were each performed in a ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ manner, recorded with calibration sticks in the background, and analyzed using Tracker. Inconsistencies within acceleration due to gravity values disproved the hypothesis. However, kinematics/statics comparisons between ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ versions of both movements resulted in the following quantitative takeaways. In the one-dimensional movement, the ‘Good’ movement had a longer duration of free fall, a higher maximum vertical height, and a smaller horizontal displacement than the ‘Bad’ movement. The force exerted by the floor on the dancer was around 100 times the dancer’s body mass in the ‘Good’ movement vs. only 72 times in the ‘Bad’ movement. In the two-dimensional ‘Good’ movement, the dancer vertically jumped 2.15% of their body height and horizontally jumped 16% of their body height. In the ‘Bad’ movement, the same values were 0.895% and 21%. Calculating torque during launch revealed that the launch leg in the ‘Good’ movement was closer to  than in the ‘Bad’ movement. The ratio of horizontal to vertical displacement was also 3 times lower for the ‘Good’ movement."
Equality Means Business: Factors Affecting Indian Women-Owned Small Business’s Scalability & Impact of Entrepreneurship On Financial Independence,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3830,Maanya Singh,08-31-2022,"The lack of women’s economic participation and financial independence is a major contributor to gender inequality in India. The creation of women-owned MSME businesses in the  cottage and F&B  industry  not  only provides women with job opportunities, but also empowers them in the sense that they no longer need to be socioeconomically subordinate to their male representatives.   Towards this need, the aim of this study was to understand the factors that impact the financial independence of India’s urban-based women entrepreneurs owning small F&B businesses, as well as evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship on their social and economic empowerment. The sample set of the data were 21 urban India-based female entrepreneurs, between the ages of 20-60 years of age, owning small (less than 10 employees) businesses. The interviews and surveys were conducted in English. The results of this research study have established that the creation of MSME enterprises results in a significant increase in Indian women’s financial independence and social empowerment. While the 95% entrepreneurs aspire to upscale their business ventures, they are being held back by a lack of access to mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and financial support. Qualitative analysis evidenced the ability of entrepreneurship to socially empower Indian women, through the formation of a professional identity, as well as newfound economic self-sufficiency. These findings imply that entrepreneurship is a tool that can be leveraged by government and non-profit organizations to radically increase Indian women’s financial independence and economic participation, leading to an increase in social empowerment as well. "
The Artificial Synthesis of Raphide,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2896,Shoki Matsushima; Yuko Morimoto,08-31-2022,"Have you ever had an itchy mouth after eating yam? This is because the calcium oxalate needle shaped crystals, known as raphide, is contained in the plant that irritate the skin. raphide has been studied in various fields such as medicine and agriculture because of their characteristic effects. Although previous studies have reported useful effects, no successful artificial synthesis of raphide crystals has yet been reported. Therefore, I researched for factors that affect the synthesis of raphide. First, I conducted targeted experiments on drop rate, rotation speed, and concentration. As a result, it was found that the drop rate and rotation speed are factors that change the crystal structure. When these crystals were analyzed by X-ray crystallography, it was confirmed that they were calcium oxalate crystals. However, they were not raphide, so I attempted to synthesize them using a catalyst. For the catalyst, I decided to use the cell fluid part of aloe vera and an aqueous solution of amino acids. When the synthesized crystals were observed under a microscope, there were few raphide could be seen. Furthermore, since the extracted crystals may be the catalytic amino acid, ninhydrin reaction was performed on the filtrate and crystals, and no reaction was observed in both. Since it reacted in the solution before the experiment, I can say that it is calcium oxalate crystal. Therefore, it can be said that the synthesis of raphide was successful and the purpose of the research was achieved."
Profitability and Polarization: TikTok's Dominance of the Attention Economy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2963,Aditya Jain; Allison Hussenet,08-31-2022,"With increased access to technology, our dependency on Internet platforms for information has increased. The COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown measures, such as stay-at-home orders and quarantines, seem to have accelerated the natural drift towards greater technological usage. One Internet platform that individuals use to consume online content is TikTok, a rapidly growing entertainment source that uses algorithms to curate and prioritize user preferences. Increasing technological dependence, however, may be tied to rising concerns about polarization associated with online content. This research explores if and in what way users perceive that Tikok benefits from polarizing content in terms of increasing user engagement and profits. This study of high school TikTok users found that these consumers believe engagement and profits thrive because of the algorithm’s increased frequency of displaying divisive content to active users, increasing their use of TikTok."
Python-based Prediction of Rapid Intensification from MIMIC-TC Ensemble (PRIME),https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2659,"Lorenzo Pulmano; Leya Joykutty, Dr. Juliana Carvalho De Arruda Caulkins",08-31-2022,"Rapid intensification (RI), as defined by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), is an increase in the maximum sustained winds of a tropical cyclone (TC) of at least 30 knots (~34-35 mph) within a 24-hour period.  Intensity forecasting is one of the most difficult aspects of TC analysis forecasting, with RI prediction being one of the most challenging issues.  Predicting intensity and RI is critical for emergency responses, including evacuation and disaster prevention.  Deep learning (DL) and its application in TC analysis holds much potential.  Morphed Integrated Microwave Imagery at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (MIMIC) is a product that synthesizes “morphed” images of TCs.  MIMIC-TC is a product that uses 85-92 GHz microwave imagery to create the images.  Using the Python programming language, a DL convolutional neural network (CNN) ensemble was developed as a proof-of-concept for prediction of RI, known as the Prediction of Rapid Intensification from MIMIC-TC Ensemble (PRIME).  Six members comprise PRIME, split into three 10 and 20 epoch models.  Each model has either 2, 3, or 4 convolutional layers.  A MIMIC-TC dataset was created using available North Atlantic Basin (NATL) storms from 2019 and 2020, and a total of 1508 images were used for training the models.  After running the Ensemble on all available storms from 2019 and 2020, it appeared all models were overfit, and subsequently gave inaccurate classifications.  The average percentage of correct classifications of “No RI” (nRI) was 30%, and the average percentage of correct classifications of “Possible RI” (pRI) was 27%."
Effect of Taurine on the Proliferation of Leishmania tarentolae Cells in Culture,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3014,Srihas Rao,08-31-2022,
Electric Potential Analysis of Contaminated Lands in Idaho for Utility-scale Solar Energy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3368,Cindy Su; Erin Stutzman,08-31-2022,"In the state of Idaho, major electric utilities, such as Idaho Power, have shown a growing interest in solar energy. Because utility-scale solar energy (USSE) requires large land usage, this aspect may be especially problematic for indigenous communities and wildlife when siting USSE. Though less problematic, the proximity of transmission networks to a new USSE site may also be a drawback because of the cost associated with building new networks. However, the use of contaminated sites listed in EPA’s RE-Powering Initiative may be an effective solution for reducing the difficulties associated with siting USSE. Within Idaho borders, the estimated electric potential of such contaminated sites within Idaho Power’s service area was evaluated in this study. This was done through map overlays and simple mathematical calculations that consider factors that affect PV performance. The RE-Powering sites were found to be of use for providing energy to Idaho Power’s customers in Idaho and reducing greenhouse gas. Thus, this study may be of use in mitigating the challenges associated with siting USSE so that further solar energy adoption may be achieved."
Investigating the Central Asian Perspective on Working Women’s Level of Competence,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3726,Samirakhon Makhkamjonova; Rebecca Totton,08-31-2022,"Numerous studies have revealed that women do not get equally paid as men do, and this can specifically impact working mothers to a higher extent. In Central Asian communities many women are underrepresented in high-status professions. Previous research has found that this can be from cultural influence, religious beliefs, and the consequence of the Soviet Union event that Central Asian countries were affected. The overall goal of this research was to find evidence to support that Central Asian women are affected by stereotypes and thus are seen as incompetent in the professional field. This is a follow-up study to Cuddy and Fiske (2004) that examined the Stereotype Content Model, with personalities competence versus warmth. A Google Forms survey was used, to record and compare the responses that rated people's personalities from four different conditions. The participants included were audience from Central Asian organizations and content creators, their ages ranged from 18 to 55 and up. The gathered data was examined through JASP (Anova). The results of this study suggest that working mothers are most impacted, as they are viewed as less competent and warm. With this information, future researchers should look into understanding how these stereotypes towards women, could influence the younger generations of girls in Central Asia."
Designing a Unified Healthcare Data System with Blockchain and Cryptography,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3951,Rohan Phanse,08-31-2022,"The majority of public and private healthcare data systems across the globe are proprietary, making it difficult to coordinate and share data between medical institutions on different systems. For the United States, a technically and economically advanced nation, patients still face significant issues with healthcare data sharing, which contribute to inefficiencies in the healthcare system. Friction in data sharing is also prevalent in developing nations like India, where the lack of shareability of patient data leads to redundant tests and unnecessarily high healthcare costs. To improve the integrity and shareability of patient data, we propose a Unified Healthcare Data System, built with blockchain and cryptography. Under this system, patients are in control of their data, and can choose to share their data with doctors and institutions without traditional barriers. To ensure data integrity, blockchain is used to provide immutability and data ownership while cryptography is used to encrypt patient data and implement permissioned access. In this paper, we provide a working implementation of Unified Healthcare Data System and expand on the viability, impact, and evolution of this blockchain-based healthcare data system."
The Censorship Continues to Sail: The Relationship Between Political Ideology and Book Challenging,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2690,Ure Nwokoji; Dr. Sullivan,08-31-2022,"The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which political ideology affects the quality of the book challenge process, with a special focus on the motivations for a challenge and push in political agenda. The approach will be a qualitative one, involving the use of open-ended questions and interviews to extract subjective responses. This approach was taken to encourage authentic answers and data. It concludes with an analysis of the data that reveals that there is a conservative attitude in recent initiation of book challenges."
A Deep Learning-Based Approach for Adaptive Virtual Learning with Human Facial Emotion Detection,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2951,Ishani Das; Mr.,08-31-2022,"Classroom learning has become difficult since COVID-19 began. Students and educators have had to adapt to virtual learning by using the available tools and technologies. However, a virtual classroom does not simulate the same experience as a real, in-person classroom.  In this setting, teachers can immediately receive feedback on the students’ understanding of content by analyzing their facial expressions. By doing so, they can take immediate action to create a more effective learning experience. For example, teachers can individually help students that express an emotion of confusion by reiterating the concept privately and in greater detail. This style of teaching allows educators to ensure every student is receiving the appropriate amount of support and guidance. With online learning, this method of adaptive teaching is compromised. In a virtual class with video conferencing software such as Zoom, it is not practical for a teacher to be able to constantly check each students’ webcam while also teaching and managing technical difficulties.   Utilizing classification models in deep learning, an advanced subfield of machine learning based on neural networks, offers  a novel approach to potentially working towards solving this issue. These models are trained with large datasets to mimic human behavior and achieve Artificial Intelligence (AI). The software simulates an effective virtual learning environment by using these methods to detect students’ emotions from facial expressions and providing educators this real time feedback. In this study, it was discovered that a convolutional neural network classification model produced results with the highest accuracy of 55.0%."
The Effects of bride price on the Chinese marriage market,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3110,bai bairuiyang,08-31-2022,"This paper will mainly focus on the marriage market of China and how bride price affects it through diverse methods like analyzing the amount of bride price in different parts of China, using the economics models including demand and supply curve and the indifference curves to figure out whether bride price will affect the marriage rate, and finally developing a theory to depict a females’ psychological and economics evaluation on whether a male is worth marrying. The author finds that if the bride price is too high, then it will negatively affect the marriage rate. The bride price will also affect some of the females’ decisions in choosing their lifestyles. However, for more educated women, the theory suggests that the bride price is no longer the most important factor in their marriage decision."
Partial Solution-preserving Integrable generalization Method for Autonomous ODE Systems,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2654,Oleksii Babaskin; Mr. Babaskin,08-31-2022,"In this paper, we propose a method for the generalization of some generic fundamental, abstract differential equations into generalized systems. We hypothesize that these generalized systems are fit to model some real-life phenomena, which can be of practical interest. We confirm our hypothesis by considering examples that are known to be confirmed with the experiment as well as examples that are still to be discovered. "
Regional Disparities in Youth Marijuana Use Before and After Recreational Marijuana Legalization: A Longitudinal Examination from 2010 to 2020,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2857,Amy Park,08-31-2022,"Studies have argued that the recent recreational marijuana legalization should increase the accessibility and acceptability of marijuana for youth and elevate youth marijuana use. While many empirical studies have supported this argument and presented the increase in youth marijuana use after the legalization, there has been no study that examines regional disparities in the effect of legalization on youth marijuana use. The examination of regional disparities is required because the different sub-culture and attitudes across regions should generate differentiated situations for youth marijuana use. The current study analyzes eleven-year datasets, “Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth - 12th-Grade Survey ” from 2010 to 2020, and investigates the distinctive temporal changes in youth marijuana use across regions before and after marijuana legalization. The results show that the legalization effect is critical in some regions without pre-existing availability of marijuana but not in the other regions with pre-existing availability. This study concludes that policymakers should consider local situations to deter youth marijuana use more effectively."
An Intelligent System for Early Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease using Machine Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2989,Aarush Kachhawa; Jeremy Hitt,08-31-2022,"Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death, responsible for 18.6 million deaths globally in 2019. Given the wide availability of several effective therapeutic treatment options, early diagnosis of CVD is critical for timely intervention and slowing down the progression of the disease. CVD is associated with a multitude of risk markers with non-linear interactions among them, making accurate diagnosis of CVD quite challenging, especially for non-specialized clinicians and under-resourced facilities in developing countries. In recent years, machine learning based computational techniques have shown great promise in becoming a great diagnostic tool. The goal of this research is to leverage multiple machine learning methods such as random forest, gradient boosting, logistic regression and artificial neural network and evaluate their prediction efficacy. This study also evaluates the feasibility of combining multiple UCI datasets in order to improve the prediction accuracy of the models. On a merged dataset of over 700 patients from the UCI machine learning repository, the most accurate model was found to be the random forest classifier, showing an accuracy and F1 score of 94% and AUC of 0.98. It was found that ensemble learning methodologies along with data optimization and hyperparameter tuning techniques were able to achieve higher accuracy relative to prior published studies on these datasets. Finally, this study also proposes how these machine learning workloads can be incorporated into a distributed cloud connected healthcare system to make them widely accessible to practicing doctors and enable them to assess CVD risk of their patients."
Treating Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Methylene Blue Using the Drosophila melanogaster Heart Model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3361,"Tiffany Zhang, Aiden Pan; Nicole Spinelli",08-31-2022,"Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the most common cardiomyopathy, is characterized by ventricular dilation and impaired heart contractility. Past studies found that the inhibition of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), a crucial protein degradation system that removes dysfunctional proteins, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DCM. Since treatments for DCM only aim at alleviating heart failure symptoms, a new therapeutic was sought. Methylene blue (MB) was selected because of its cardioprotective properties and ability to increase proteasome activity, potentially allowing it to revert the impact of an impaired UPS. The Drosophila melanogaster strain wupA, which presents DCM symptoms, was used and treated with MB (30 μM). The flies’ lifespans and negative geotaxis were assessed, and dissections were conducted to analyze heart rates (HR), heart diameters, and fractional shortening (FS) with ImageJ. The log-rank test and t-tests were used to analyze statistical significance. Results showed that DCM increased the heart diameters (p<0.01) and decreased the HR (p<0.05), FS (p<0.01), and negative geotaxis (p<0.01). MB fully restored the dilated heart diameters and impaired FS as there was no significant difference between control and experimental groups (p>0.05), exhibiting potential in treating DCM. However, MB didn't affect the impaired HR and negative geotaxis of flies with DCM. Hence, future studies should investigate supplemental treatments to fully restore those properties."
Denoising Speech Signals with Hifi-Coulomb-GANs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3501,Anirudh Satheesh; Karthick Muthu-Manivannan,08-31-2022,"Recorded speech signals often contain noise that affects the quality of the signal and reduces intelligibility. Several studies have used Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to remove noise artifacts and improve speech intelligibility. However, GANs can suffer from gradient vanishing or gradient explosion that can reduce their effectiveness in denoising. To mitigate gradient vanishing, we applied the CoulombGAN architecture to speech denoising using a model structure similar to Hifi-GAN, the current state of the art speech denoiser. We call this new model Hifi-CoGAN. We used a WaveNet generator to denoise signals, a PostNet for general cleanup, and a Multi-Resolution Discriminator to evaluate the signal quality relative to the clean signal. Our results show that Hifi-CoGAN was able to outperform Hifi-GAN in many of the narrowband signals (signals with a limited range of frequencies) in terms of the Short-Term Objective Intelligibility (STOI) and Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) metrics. However, the model did not perform as well as Hifi-GAN with wideband noise signals (signals with a wider range of frequencies) such as white noise, so future work must be done to improve the model for these noise signals."
Machine Learning for Policy Guidance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3597,Justin Chae; Timothy Raines,08-31-2022,"This paper leverages machine learning algorithms and techniques to create models that can assist in a country's policy guidance. The machine learning process used to conduct research is discussed with steps such as preprocessing, feature selection, model selection, and model interpretation. Specifically, using datasets from the CIA's World Factbook and the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI), machine learning models are created that use select features from several counties (e.g., real gross domestic product (GDP), population, and area). Then, the models make predictions on the countries' HDI scores. Model interpretation methods are used to find the most important features in predicting a country's score. This paper argues that important features can be derived through machine learning and guide government policy relevant to human development. Supply-side policies are discussed based on the results from the machine learning models. The use of machine learning with other indexes is also explored."
Ursula Le Guin’s Refutation of Gendered Traits in ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2686,Avni Bansal,08-31-2022,"In her novel ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’, Ursula Le Guin challenges the idea that certain human behaviors are fundamentally feminine or masculine, or that gendered traits exist. Firstly, she cleaves gender and personality apart by setting the novel on a planet of androgynes. Secondly, she creates complex characters that exhibit both stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviors. Thirdly, she presents an allegory that criticizes the idea of gendered traits as irrational and unnecessary. Finally, the novel is peppered with subversive images like that of a pregnant king, which are designed to challenge gender roles. "
The Move Towards Sustainable Aviation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2923,Ishaan Jain; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,08-31-2022,"This paper discusses how the aviation industry has been shaped by sustainability and examines how the aviation industry is progressing towards a more sustainable future. It compares the fuel usage of similar aircraft between aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. The research also looks at how aircraft designs have evolved over time to reduce fuel usage and cut down carbon emissions. This can be seen in the fuel usage of aircraft. For example, if you compare the fuel usage of the Airbus A340 to the Airbus A350, the Airbus A350 uses significantly less fuel as it has improved engines and aerodynamics, allowing it to transport a similar number of passengers over a similar range. Airbus managed to make a better and far more fuel-efficient aircraft within 20 years.     The aim of this research study was to examine how the commercial aviation industry can promote sustainable aviation in the future through a mixed-method approach. First, by using a quantitative approach, the impact of all the aircraft designs of Boeing and Airbus for commercial aircraft carrying 40 passengers and above on fuel usage and CO2 emissions would be compared, followed by a qualitative analysis explaining the varying fuel usage of similar aircraft and comparing which aircraft manufacturer holds the upper hand going into the future. "
Identifying the difference in bacterial composition and life history strategies between high versus low nutrient soils,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3271,Felix Tuchscherer,08-31-2022,"In this study, we aim to identify bacterial composition in soils treated with and without wood chips, as well as high levels and low levels of nitrogen. In order to do this, we used both culture dependent methods including plating, observing, and GenIII plates; as well as culture independent methods which include microbiome sequencing and EcoPlates. By doing this, we concluded that the bacterial communities differ between unamended and wood-chipped treated soils. Multiple differences were identified: rate of carbon consumption, bacterial diversity, rRNA gene copy number, and colony morphologies. Identifying the bacteria in wood-chipped soils will allow us to understand their effect on biogeochemical cycles, plant pathogens, and relationship with the trees (symbiotic/pathogen). Additionally, understanding the effect lower nitrogen levels have on the bacterial composition of soils can lead to reduction of synthetic fertilizer use, therefore lessening the environmental impact of nitrogen."
Bioartificial Liver Manufacturing Methodologies in Comparison to Hepatogenesis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3385,Aanya Roy; Coach Jo,08-31-2022,"End-stage organ failure is a major global issue, with the liver being the second-highest transplanted organ due to lifestyle choices or other conditions. In the field of biomedical engineering, artificial organ manufacturing has been a possible alternative to organ transplants by aiming to achieve less immune rejection, more efficient production, and higher accessibility. Of the biological manufacturing methods today, two up-and-coming technologies for the liver include 3D bioprinting and decellularized organ regeneration. By analyzing general stages of 3D bioprinting and decellularization for liver development and comparing it to the cellular and genetic stages of hepatic development in the embryo, dilemmas and successes in bioartificial manufacturing can be identified. Overall, neither artificial methodology can replicate the genetic influence or non-liver based influence of hepatogenesis. 3D bioprinting is similar to hepatogenesis in cell development and construction, but contains shortcomings in vascularization, which can be addressed using the vasculogenesis and angiogenesis processes in hepatic development. Decellularization allows for cell differentiation, although it is unable to instill natural cellular distribution and gradual ECM development. This may cause blockages for clinical use in the future. Both methods have potential for bioartificial liver development and clinical application, but 3D bioprinting technology is more aligned with the stages of hepatic development, which has proven to induce fewer errors in the physiological nature of the manufactured liver. In the future, modification and research must be conducted on the specific stages of these methodologies for either to create an operational bioartificial liver for clinical use."
Does the U.S. Federal Reserve Consider the Credit Cycle Theory When Trying to Predict Recession?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3565,Tommy Heaton; Niklas Schmitz,08-31-2022,"The credit cycle theory states that credit build-ups and their subsequent crashes are the common cause of recessions. If true, this theory could be used to both predict and prevent future recessions. However, it is unclear if policymakers do in fact take the theory into account when crafting monetary policy. Using the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) as a case study, this paper seeks to answer if policymakers consider the credit cycle theory when attempting to predict recessions and determine optimal monetary policy. This paper analyzes Federal Open Market Committee minutes from meetings prior to four previous recessions: the Savings and Loan Crisis, the Dot-Com Bubble, the Great Recession, and the Covid Recession. The results indicate that the Fed did not begin to consider the credit cycle theory when implementing monetary policy until after the Great Recession. Credit was not addressed prior to the Savings and Loan Crisis and was only substantially mentioned on the eve of the Dot-Com Bubble and the Great Recession. This indicates that instead of continually discussing credit, the Fed was only concerned with credit when it began to tighten. While it did mention credit build-up, especially before the Great Recession, the Fed did not adjust its monetary policy accordingly. Instead, it primarily adjusted policy to manage inflation. However, after the Great Recession, the Fed began adhering more closely to the credit cycle theory both in terms of what was discussed in each meeting, as it consistently discussed credit, and how it implemented monetary policy. "
"Effects Of Online Tutoring On Test Scores, Confidence, and Future Career Paths During The Pandemic",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3753,Grace Gao; Rodion Kosovsky,08-31-2022,"Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, online learning has rapidly begun to replace in-person learning and demand for online tutoring has grown. The switch to remote learning has also exacerbated learning inequality, as shown by students’ test scores. The paper examines the efficacy of ManhattanACE’s mathematics online tutoring model to provide a template for creating a valuable online tutoring experience.  To understand the main aspects of online learning and its effects on students’ learning outcomes, an electronic survey was created and sent to the students. The survey contained both Yes/No questions and scaled 1-5 questions. Analysis of the survey responses shows that through a combination of factors such as passionate tutors and a responsive learning environment that feels like a community, online learning can boost both students’ grades in math class and the effectiveness of virtual learning, while fostering students’ confidence in their skills and future career choices. These three outcomes can, in turn, work to minimize educational and resource inequality."
Melanoma Skin Cancer Classification via Region-Aware Hierarchical Feature Aggregation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2817,Kyungryun Kim,08-31-2022,"Melanoma is a type of skin cancer with the highest risk of death. It is critical to identify these early, as the chances of survival significantly drop after stage 2 melanoma. The use of many technologies has lessened this risk but is still limited when correctly identifying malignant ones. Classifying malignant skin cancers is difficult for the following reasons: the shapes and sizes of melanomas are irregular. It is also challenging to visually distinguish between melanomas and non-melanoma regions. The performance of the previous research is based on the depth of the networks. This has a significant trade-off as using more layers adds to the computational cost of the process. Also, their methods use melanoma segmentation as an auxiliary input to the classification network. Thus, the performance of the classification significantly drops when the segmentation task fails. To address this issue, I propose a novel melanoma classification network that uses hierarchical feature aggregation with an attention mechanism. The overall architecture of the proposed network is as follows: The melanoma feature extractor takes the melanoma image as input and produces the image feature related to melanoma. The second module, the attention network, takes the same melanoma image and outputs the attention map which provides the melanoma feature extractor with feature-level regions of interest. The proposed network achieves an accuracy of 82.7% on the melanoma detection dataset which is publicly available online. Throughout the experiments, I have shown that the proposed method outperforms the previous state-of-the-art methods."
Nuclear Energy as a Highly Viable Source to Mitigate Rapid Warming,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3145,Huaxu Zhang; Joel Morrissey,08-31-2022,"The longstanding issue of global warming has taken its toll on countries around the world. Global warming has become one of the major issues that humans need to face together in the 21st century. A highly viable solution to this issue is adopting nuclear energy as one of the world’s major energy sources. Nuclear energy is more reliable and consistent than renewable energy and cost-efficient in energy generation in the long run, making it a suitable replacement for acquiring energy from traditional fossil fuels. In addition, nuclear power and renewable energy should both be considered as possible solutions for mitigating global warming, rather than as rivals contending for superiority. Currently, the two major challenges of using nuclear energy include the high short-term cost of building nuclear power plants and nuclear fear by the general public. At the current rate of warming, it is necessary to use every viable means to slow down the process of warming enough for better solutions to climate change to be devised."
Machine Learning Methods for Breast Cancer Diagnosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2676,Matthew Lee; Zhaonan Sun,08-31-2022,"As many modern diseases begin to surface especially as of late, such as the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics, scientists have begun developing new and innovative tactics to combat them. While new medicine and vaccines may be developed, one area that needs special attention is the diagnosis of diseases – this is because without a proper and speedy diagnosis, scientists wouldn’t be able to detect diseases, rendering treatment ineffective. Scientists have begun using machine learning algorithms to help ensure an accurate and speedy diagnosis. One specific disease that has seen frequent testing around machine learning diagnosis is breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the deadliest and common cancers around the world for women, and due to its effects, the doctrine of speed in diagnosis is essential. This study will attempt to find out, out of three machine learning algorithms (neural networks, logistic regression and K-nearest neighbours), which one is the most effective at diagnosing breast cancer using the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset. Results suggest that neural networks perform the best in diagnosing breast cancer, however only by a small margin compared to other results."
Predicting the Chance of Heart Attack with a Machine Learning Approach – Supervised Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3380,Lanting Zhu; Guillermo Goldsztein,08-31-2022,"Machine learning is a multidisciplinary field combining statistics, computer science and artificial intelligence. This research finds a way to use machine learning to predict the chance of heart attack based on information about the patient. There are 13 features collected about each patient which are age, sex, cholesterol, chest pain type, maximum heart rate achieved, resting blood pressure, resting electrocardiographic results, fasting blood sugar, exercise-induced angina, previous peak, slope, number of major blood vessels, and thalassemia. The information of all the patients is put into a dataset. The dataset is split into two sets, one for training and another for validation. A computer model using a supervised learning algorithm is developed and trained to predict the chance of heart attack. During training, the training set is used for training the model, while the validation set is used for evaluating the accuracy of the model."
An Analysis of COVID-19 Fiscal Policies in the US and Japan,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3733,Avinash Gogineni; Mr. Martin,08-31-2022,"In 2020, the COVID-19 disease created an unprecedented impact on the world. It created a health crisis in many countries, causing a pandemic. Along with the health crisis, most countries fell into an immediate economic recession including the US and Japan. This paper focuses on the fiscal policies used in the US and Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related economic recession in both countries. First, a detailed analysis of the US and Japanese fiscal policies is presented, analyzing their effectiveness. Subsequently, these policies were compared and contrasted to obtain a better understanding of fiscal responses around the world. Overall, this paper aims to provide a new global perspective on the implementation of fiscal policies while also aiding policy-makers in making more educated decisions for future recessions caused by COVID-19 or other pandemics.  "
NFTs: License to Own?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2757,Jeremy Freeman,08-31-2022,"In recent years, NFTs have burst onto the global scene, quickly going from an internet meme to a multi-billion dollar digital industry. These digital assets have everyone talking, but nobody seems to know what they are or whether you actually own anything when you buy one. This article uses extensive philosophical, legal, copyright, and empirical research to explore what is actually being purchased with an NFT. With everything from the morale words of John Locke to warnings from the district office of Manhattan, this article quantifies what NFT ownership entails, which is, essentially, nothing. Although governments acknowledge the possibility of legitimate ownership for NFTs, the lack of regulations and protections, as well as the unclear copyright laws and shady ownership claims make NFTs, for our current legal system at least, essentially worthless. "
Deep Learning for MS2 Feature Detection in Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2964,"Jonathan He, Olivia Liu; Xuan Guo",08-31-2022,"Accuracy of peptide identification is crucial for LC-MS analysis to reveal information regarding many different aspects of proteins that aid in the discovery of biomarkers and profiling of complex proteomes. Preprocessing steps such as feature detection are crucial yet challenging; current feature detection tools are not robust enough to detect low-abundance, low-peak fragments of peptides found in MS2 data from tandem mass spectrometry. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based model with an innovative sliding window process that enables high-resolution processing of quantitative MS/MS data to conduct accurate feature detection on MS2 data. Experimental results show that our model is able to produce more accurate values and identifications than existing feature detection tools. Therefore, we believe that our model can realize the full potential of neural networks in the field of bioinformatics and yields long-term benefits in the advancement of proteomic inquiry."
Profit and Stock Prices: New Evidence Contrasting the General Consensus of Their Relationship,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3813,Ziyang Zhong,08-31-2022,"Ever since the early 17th century, the stock market has become one of the most important aspects of economy in modern society. Which is why is it important to clearly understand the stock market and invest in the companies that would bring profit. When profit and stock prices are discussed together, people tend to assume that there is a correlation between the two. This is because profit is the monetary representation of that company outside of the stock market, and stock prices are the monetary representation within the stock market. However, while there are countless articles proving why there are such relationships between the two, there are also articles disputing that there are any significant relationships. Due to this disagreement in the literature, this paper is going to investigate the relationship between profit and stock prices."
The Censorship Continues to Sail: The Relationship Between Political Ideology and Book Challenging,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2690,Ure Nwokoji; Dr. Sullivan,08-31-2022,"The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which political ideology affects the quality of the book challenge process, with a special focus on the motivations for a challenge and push in political agenda. The approach will be a qualitative one, involving the use of open-ended questions and interviews to extract subjective responses. This approach was taken to encourage authentic answers and data. It concludes with an analysis of the data that reveals that there is a conservative attitude in recent initiation of book challenges."
A Deep Learning-Based Approach for Adaptive Virtual Learning with Human Facial Emotion Detection,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2951,Ishani Das; Mr.,08-31-2022,"Classroom learning has become difficult since COVID-19 began. Students and educators have had to adapt to virtual learning by using the available tools and technologies. However, a virtual classroom does not simulate the same experience as a real, in-person classroom.  In this setting, teachers can immediately receive feedback on the students’ understanding of content by analyzing their facial expressions. By doing so, they can take immediate action to create a more effective learning experience. For example, teachers can individually help students that express an emotion of confusion by reiterating the concept privately and in greater detail. This style of teaching allows educators to ensure every student is receiving the appropriate amount of support and guidance. With online learning, this method of adaptive teaching is compromised. In a virtual class with video conferencing software such as Zoom, it is not practical for a teacher to be able to constantly check each students’ webcam while also teaching and managing technical difficulties.   Utilizing classification models in deep learning, an advanced subfield of machine learning based on neural networks, offers  a novel approach to potentially working towards solving this issue. These models are trained with large datasets to mimic human behavior and achieve Artificial Intelligence (AI). The software simulates an effective virtual learning environment by using these methods to detect students’ emotions from facial expressions and providing educators this real time feedback. In this study, it was discovered that a convolutional neural network classification model produced results with the highest accuracy of 55.0%."
The Effects of bride price on the Chinese marriage market,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3110,bai bairuiyang,08-31-2022,"This paper will mainly focus on the marriage market of China and how bride price affects it through diverse methods like analyzing the amount of bride price in different parts of China, using the economics models including demand and supply curve and the indifference curves to figure out whether bride price will affect the marriage rate, and finally developing a theory to depict a females’ psychological and economics evaluation on whether a male is worth marrying. The author finds that if the bride price is too high, then it will negatively affect the marriage rate. The bride price will also affect some of the females’ decisions in choosing their lifestyles. However, for more educated women, the theory suggests that the bride price is no longer the most important factor in their marriage decision."
Machine Learning for Policy Guidance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3597,Justin Chae; Timothy Raines,08-31-2022,"This paper leverages machine learning algorithms and techniques to create models that can assist in a country's policy guidance. The machine learning process used to conduct research is discussed with steps such as preprocessing, feature selection, model selection, and model interpretation. Specifically, using datasets from the CIA's World Factbook and the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI), machine learning models are created that use select features from several counties (e.g., real gross domestic product (GDP), population, and area). Then, the models make predictions on the countries' HDI scores. Model interpretation methods are used to find the most important features in predicting a country's score. This paper argues that important features can be derived through machine learning and guide government policy relevant to human development. Supply-side policies are discussed based on the results from the machine learning models. The use of machine learning with other indexes is also explored."
Partial Solution-preserving Integrable generalization Method for Autonomous ODE Systems,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2654,Oleksii Babaskin; Mr. Babaskin,08-31-2022,"In this paper, we propose a method for the generalization of some generic fundamental, abstract differential equations into generalized systems. We hypothesize that these generalized systems are fit to model some real-life phenomena, which can be of practical interest. We confirm our hypothesis by considering examples that are known to be confirmed with the experiment as well as examples that are still to be discovered. "
Regional Disparities in Youth Marijuana Use Before and After Recreational Marijuana Legalization: A Longitudinal Examination from 2010 to 2020,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2857,Amy Park,08-31-2022,"Studies have argued that the recent recreational marijuana legalization should increase the accessibility and acceptability of marijuana for youth and elevate youth marijuana use. While many empirical studies have supported this argument and presented the increase in youth marijuana use after the legalization, there has been no study that examines regional disparities in the effect of legalization on youth marijuana use. The examination of regional disparities is required because the different sub-culture and attitudes across regions should generate differentiated situations for youth marijuana use. The current study analyzes eleven-year datasets, “Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth - 12th-Grade Survey ” from 2010 to 2020, and investigates the distinctive temporal changes in youth marijuana use across regions before and after marijuana legalization. The results show that the legalization effect is critical in some regions without pre-existing availability of marijuana but not in the other regions with pre-existing availability. This study concludes that policymakers should consider local situations to deter youth marijuana use more effectively."
An Intelligent System for Early Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease using Machine Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2989,Aarush Kachhawa; Jeremy Hitt,08-31-2022,"Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death, responsible for 18.6 million deaths globally in 2019. Given the wide availability of several effective therapeutic treatment options, early diagnosis of CVD is critical for timely intervention and slowing down the progression of the disease. CVD is associated with a multitude of risk markers with non-linear interactions among them, making accurate diagnosis of CVD quite challenging, especially for non-specialized clinicians and under-resourced facilities in developing countries. In recent years, machine learning based computational techniques have shown great promise in becoming a great diagnostic tool. The goal of this research is to leverage multiple machine learning methods such as random forest, gradient boosting, logistic regression and artificial neural network and evaluate their prediction efficacy. This study also evaluates the feasibility of combining multiple UCI datasets in order to improve the prediction accuracy of the models. On a merged dataset of over 700 patients from the UCI machine learning repository, the most accurate model was found to be the random forest classifier, showing an accuracy and F1 score of 94% and AUC of 0.98. It was found that ensemble learning methodologies along with data optimization and hyperparameter tuning techniques were able to achieve higher accuracy relative to prior published studies on these datasets. Finally, this study also proposes how these machine learning workloads can be incorporated into a distributed cloud connected healthcare system to make them widely accessible to practicing doctors and enable them to assess CVD risk of their patients."
Treating Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Methylene Blue Using the Drosophila melanogaster Heart Model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3361,"Tiffany Zhang, Aiden Pan; Nicole Spinelli",08-31-2022,"Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the most common cardiomyopathy, is characterized by ventricular dilation and impaired heart contractility. Past studies found that the inhibition of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), a crucial protein degradation system that removes dysfunctional proteins, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DCM. Since treatments for DCM only aim at alleviating heart failure symptoms, a new therapeutic was sought. Methylene blue (MB) was selected because of its cardioprotective properties and ability to increase proteasome activity, potentially allowing it to revert the impact of an impaired UPS. The Drosophila melanogaster strain wupA, which presents DCM symptoms, was used and treated with MB (30 μM). The flies’ lifespans and negative geotaxis were assessed, and dissections were conducted to analyze heart rates (HR), heart diameters, and fractional shortening (FS) with ImageJ. The log-rank test and t-tests were used to analyze statistical significance. Results showed that DCM increased the heart diameters (p<0.01) and decreased the HR (p<0.05), FS (p<0.01), and negative geotaxis (p<0.01). MB fully restored the dilated heart diameters and impaired FS as there was no significant difference between control and experimental groups (p>0.05), exhibiting potential in treating DCM. However, MB didn't affect the impaired HR and negative geotaxis of flies with DCM. Hence, future studies should investigate supplemental treatments to fully restore those properties."
Denoising Speech Signals with Hifi-Coulomb-GANs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3501,Anirudh Satheesh; Karthick Muthu-Manivannan,08-31-2022,"Recorded speech signals often contain noise that affects the quality of the signal and reduces intelligibility. Several studies have used Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to remove noise artifacts and improve speech intelligibility. However, GANs can suffer from gradient vanishing or gradient explosion that can reduce their effectiveness in denoising. To mitigate gradient vanishing, we applied the CoulombGAN architecture to speech denoising using a model structure similar to Hifi-GAN, the current state of the art speech denoiser. We call this new model Hifi-CoGAN. We used a WaveNet generator to denoise signals, a PostNet for general cleanup, and a Multi-Resolution Discriminator to evaluate the signal quality relative to the clean signal. Our results show that Hifi-CoGAN was able to outperform Hifi-GAN in many of the narrowband signals (signals with a limited range of frequencies) in terms of the Short-Term Objective Intelligibility (STOI) and Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) metrics. However, the model did not perform as well as Hifi-GAN with wideband noise signals (signals with a wider range of frequencies) such as white noise, so future work must be done to improve the model for these noise signals."
"Effects Of Online Tutoring On Test Scores, Confidence, and Future Career Paths During The Pandemic",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3753,Grace Gao; Rodion Kosovsky,08-31-2022,"Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, online learning has rapidly begun to replace in-person learning and demand for online tutoring has grown. The switch to remote learning has also exacerbated learning inequality, as shown by students’ test scores. The paper examines the efficacy of ManhattanACE’s mathematics online tutoring model to provide a template for creating a valuable online tutoring experience.  To understand the main aspects of online learning and its effects on students’ learning outcomes, an electronic survey was created and sent to the students. The survey contained both Yes/No questions and scaled 1-5 questions. Analysis of the survey responses shows that through a combination of factors such as passionate tutors and a responsive learning environment that feels like a community, online learning can boost both students’ grades in math class and the effectiveness of virtual learning, while fostering students’ confidence in their skills and future career choices. These three outcomes can, in turn, work to minimize educational and resource inequality."
Ursula Le Guin’s Refutation of Gendered Traits in ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2686,Avni Bansal,08-31-2022,"In her novel ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’, Ursula Le Guin challenges the idea that certain human behaviors are fundamentally feminine or masculine, or that gendered traits exist. Firstly, she cleaves gender and personality apart by setting the novel on a planet of androgynes. Secondly, she creates complex characters that exhibit both stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviors. Thirdly, she presents an allegory that criticizes the idea of gendered traits as irrational and unnecessary. Finally, the novel is peppered with subversive images like that of a pregnant king, which are designed to challenge gender roles. "
The Move Towards Sustainable Aviation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2923,Ishaan Jain; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,08-31-2022,"This paper discusses how the aviation industry has been shaped by sustainability and examines how the aviation industry is progressing towards a more sustainable future. It compares the fuel usage of similar aircraft between aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. The research also looks at how aircraft designs have evolved over time to reduce fuel usage and cut down carbon emissions. This can be seen in the fuel usage of aircraft. For example, if you compare the fuel usage of the Airbus A340 to the Airbus A350, the Airbus A350 uses significantly less fuel as it has improved engines and aerodynamics, allowing it to transport a similar number of passengers over a similar range. Airbus managed to make a better and far more fuel-efficient aircraft within 20 years.     The aim of this research study was to examine how the commercial aviation industry can promote sustainable aviation in the future through a mixed-method approach. First, by using a quantitative approach, the impact of all the aircraft designs of Boeing and Airbus for commercial aircraft carrying 40 passengers and above on fuel usage and CO2 emissions would be compared, followed by a qualitative analysis explaining the varying fuel usage of similar aircraft and comparing which aircraft manufacturer holds the upper hand going into the future. "
Identifying the difference in bacterial composition and life history strategies between high versus low nutrient soils,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3271,Felix Tuchscherer,08-31-2022,"In this study, we aim to identify bacterial composition in soils treated with and without wood chips, as well as high levels and low levels of nitrogen. In order to do this, we used both culture dependent methods including plating, observing, and GenIII plates; as well as culture independent methods which include microbiome sequencing and EcoPlates. By doing this, we concluded that the bacterial communities differ between unamended and wood-chipped treated soils. Multiple differences were identified: rate of carbon consumption, bacterial diversity, rRNA gene copy number, and colony morphologies. Identifying the bacteria in wood-chipped soils will allow us to understand their effect on biogeochemical cycles, plant pathogens, and relationship with the trees (symbiotic/pathogen). Additionally, understanding the effect lower nitrogen levels have on the bacterial composition of soils can lead to reduction of synthetic fertilizer use, therefore lessening the environmental impact of nitrogen."
Bioartificial Liver Manufacturing Methodologies in Comparison to Hepatogenesis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3385,Aanya Roy; Coach Jo,08-31-2022,"End-stage organ failure is a major global issue, with the liver being the second-highest transplanted organ due to lifestyle choices or other conditions. In the field of biomedical engineering, artificial organ manufacturing has been a possible alternative to organ transplants by aiming to achieve less immune rejection, more efficient production, and higher accessibility. Of the biological manufacturing methods today, two up-and-coming technologies for the liver include 3D bioprinting and decellularized organ regeneration. By analyzing general stages of 3D bioprinting and decellularization for liver development and comparing it to the cellular and genetic stages of hepatic development in the embryo, dilemmas and successes in bioartificial manufacturing can be identified. Overall, neither artificial methodology can replicate the genetic influence or non-liver based influence of hepatogenesis. 3D bioprinting is similar to hepatogenesis in cell development and construction, but contains shortcomings in vascularization, which can be addressed using the vasculogenesis and angiogenesis processes in hepatic development. Decellularization allows for cell differentiation, although it is unable to instill natural cellular distribution and gradual ECM development. This may cause blockages for clinical use in the future. Both methods have potential for bioartificial liver development and clinical application, but 3D bioprinting technology is more aligned with the stages of hepatic development, which has proven to induce fewer errors in the physiological nature of the manufactured liver. In the future, modification and research must be conducted on the specific stages of these methodologies for either to create an operational bioartificial liver for clinical use."
Does the U.S. Federal Reserve Consider the Credit Cycle Theory When Trying to Predict Recession?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3565,Tommy Heaton; Niklas Schmitz,08-31-2022,"The credit cycle theory states that credit build-ups and their subsequent crashes are the common cause of recessions. If true, this theory could be used to both predict and prevent future recessions. However, it is unclear if policymakers do in fact take the theory into account when crafting monetary policy. Using the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) as a case study, this paper seeks to answer if policymakers consider the credit cycle theory when attempting to predict recessions and determine optimal monetary policy. This paper analyzes Federal Open Market Committee minutes from meetings prior to four previous recessions: the Savings and Loan Crisis, the Dot-Com Bubble, the Great Recession, and the Covid Recession. The results indicate that the Fed did not begin to consider the credit cycle theory when implementing monetary policy until after the Great Recession. Credit was not addressed prior to the Savings and Loan Crisis and was only substantially mentioned on the eve of the Dot-Com Bubble and the Great Recession. This indicates that instead of continually discussing credit, the Fed was only concerned with credit when it began to tighten. While it did mention credit build-up, especially before the Great Recession, the Fed did not adjust its monetary policy accordingly. Instead, it primarily adjusted policy to manage inflation. However, after the Great Recession, the Fed began adhering more closely to the credit cycle theory both in terms of what was discussed in each meeting, as it consistently discussed credit, and how it implemented monetary policy. "
Melanoma Skin Cancer Classification via Region-Aware Hierarchical Feature Aggregation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2817,Kyungryun Kim,08-31-2022,"Melanoma is a type of skin cancer with the highest risk of death. It is critical to identify these early, as the chances of survival significantly drop after stage 2 melanoma. The use of many technologies has lessened this risk but is still limited when correctly identifying malignant ones. Classifying malignant skin cancers is difficult for the following reasons: the shapes and sizes of melanomas are irregular. It is also challenging to visually distinguish between melanomas and non-melanoma regions. The performance of the previous research is based on the depth of the networks. This has a significant trade-off as using more layers adds to the computational cost of the process. Also, their methods use melanoma segmentation as an auxiliary input to the classification network. Thus, the performance of the classification significantly drops when the segmentation task fails. To address this issue, I propose a novel melanoma classification network that uses hierarchical feature aggregation with an attention mechanism. The overall architecture of the proposed network is as follows: The melanoma feature extractor takes the melanoma image as input and produces the image feature related to melanoma. The second module, the attention network, takes the same melanoma image and outputs the attention map which provides the melanoma feature extractor with feature-level regions of interest. The proposed network achieves an accuracy of 82.7% on the melanoma detection dataset which is publicly available online. Throughout the experiments, I have shown that the proposed method outperforms the previous state-of-the-art methods."
Nuclear Energy as a Highly Viable Source to Mitigate Rapid Warming,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3145,Huaxu Zhang; Joel Morrissey,08-31-2022,"The longstanding issue of global warming has taken its toll on countries around the world. Global warming has become one of the major issues that humans need to face together in the 21st century. A highly viable solution to this issue is adopting nuclear energy as one of the world’s major energy sources. Nuclear energy is more reliable and consistent than renewable energy and cost-efficient in energy generation in the long run, making it a suitable replacement for acquiring energy from traditional fossil fuels. In addition, nuclear power and renewable energy should both be considered as possible solutions for mitigating global warming, rather than as rivals contending for superiority. Currently, the two major challenges of using nuclear energy include the high short-term cost of building nuclear power plants and nuclear fear by the general public. At the current rate of warming, it is necessary to use every viable means to slow down the process of warming enough for better solutions to climate change to be devised."
An Analysis of COVID-19 Fiscal Policies in the US and Japan,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3733,Avinash Gogineni; Mr. Martin,08-31-2022,"In 2020, the COVID-19 disease created an unprecedented impact on the world. It created a health crisis in many countries, causing a pandemic. Along with the health crisis, most countries fell into an immediate economic recession including the US and Japan. This paper focuses on the fiscal policies used in the US and Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related economic recession in both countries. First, a detailed analysis of the US and Japanese fiscal policies is presented, analyzing their effectiveness. Subsequently, these policies were compared and contrasted to obtain a better understanding of fiscal responses around the world. Overall, this paper aims to provide a new global perspective on the implementation of fiscal policies while also aiding policy-makers in making more educated decisions for future recessions caused by COVID-19 or other pandemics.  "
Machine Learning Methods for Breast Cancer Diagnosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2676,Matthew Lee; Zhaonan Sun,08-31-2022,"As many modern diseases begin to surface especially as of late, such as the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics, scientists have begun developing new and innovative tactics to combat them. While new medicine and vaccines may be developed, one area that needs special attention is the diagnosis of diseases – this is because without a proper and speedy diagnosis, scientists wouldn’t be able to detect diseases, rendering treatment ineffective. Scientists have begun using machine learning algorithms to help ensure an accurate and speedy diagnosis. One specific disease that has seen frequent testing around machine learning diagnosis is breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the deadliest and common cancers around the world for women, and due to its effects, the doctrine of speed in diagnosis is essential. This study will attempt to find out, out of three machine learning algorithms (neural networks, logistic regression and K-nearest neighbours), which one is the most effective at diagnosing breast cancer using the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset. Results suggest that neural networks perform the best in diagnosing breast cancer, however only by a small margin compared to other results."
Predicting the Chance of Heart Attack with a Machine Learning Approach – Supervised Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3380,Lanting Zhu; Guillermo Goldsztein,08-31-2022,"Machine learning is a multidisciplinary field combining statistics, computer science and artificial intelligence. This research finds a way to use machine learning to predict the chance of heart attack based on information about the patient. There are 13 features collected about each patient which are age, sex, cholesterol, chest pain type, maximum heart rate achieved, resting blood pressure, resting electrocardiographic results, fasting blood sugar, exercise-induced angina, previous peak, slope, number of major blood vessels, and thalassemia. The information of all the patients is put into a dataset. The dataset is split into two sets, one for training and another for validation. A computer model using a supervised learning algorithm is developed and trained to predict the chance of heart attack. During training, the training set is used for training the model, while the validation set is used for evaluating the accuracy of the model."
Increase in Stress and Post-Traumatic Stress During 6 Month Quarantine in Various Demographics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2186,Claire Padilla,06-10-2022,"Due to the Coronavirus, people have quarantined for periods of at least six months all over the world. In the United States, there have been over six hundred thousand Coronavirus deaths and over 33 million cases of COVID-19 as of May 2021(World O Meter 2021). When the pandemic first struck, 23 million people in the U. S. lost their jobs. Today's unemployment rate is higher than it was during the Great Depression, which lasted from the 1920s to the late 1930s. People are stressed about COVID, according to John Hopkins (Maguire 2020), and they encourage people to find coping mechanisms. When a person is stressed, they experience physical or emotional tension (MedlinePlus 2020). Since coping can have a detrimental effect on the immune system, coping in necessary (Maguire 2020). This study sought to determine whether people aged 18 and up experienced a rise in stress levels during a 6-month quarantine period. Then, based on the Impact of Event Scale - Revised  (IES-R) score, this study would determine which coping mechanism, if any, is most successful in alleviating quarantine-induced stress. It was found that there was a significant increase in stress levels after a six-month quarantine period with a confidence level of 95% and a p-value of 0.00000031. The data also showed that there was not a significant difference in the stress levels between varying coping mechanisms with a p-value of 0.23. It is recommended to use a coping mechanism, all coping mechanisms are effective when matched properly to each individual."
Public Opinion of WA Residents on Free-range Parenting and Its Legal Implications on Child Neglect,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2136,"Ruoya Huang, Lauren Barry, Sam Niehl, Rielly Springer ; Elizabeth Mader, Tara Maloney",06-10-2022,"Free-range parenting is the practice of giving children more freedom to act independently. However, in recent years, many proponents of this practice got into legal trouble or faced social criticism for being neglectful and were labeled as “bad parents.” Most of them are low-income families that cannot afford babysitters. Others are well-off parents that advocate for fostering independence. Nevertheless, their actions incurred various consequences due to their socioeconomic status as helicopter parenting becomes increasingly popular. The lack of specific laws to clarify the difference between neglectful parenting and free-range parenting cause poorer or uneducated parents to suffer from serious legal charges unjustly. Washington is among those states that have not updated its laws to keep up with the heated debate over parenting preference, so gathering input from WA residents on this topic is essential for highlighting the controversy and providing necessary insights into the social trend to inform the policymakers when evaluating and amending neglect laws. 222 WA residents were conveniently selected to answer a 30+ question survey over two months. This study found that younger generations, high-income parents, and people with higher education are more disapproving of free-range parenting. It was also found that average WA residents believe parents have the responsibility to always accompany children under 12 years old, presenting a more conservative/pro-helicopter parenting preference. The reasons behind the inclination were explored. Based on those results, the researchers discussed legal recommendations for the WA legislature to reduce ambiguity to better protect parental rights while sustainably alleviating child neglect."
Quantitative Comparison of a Hierarchy of Commonly Used Planetary Climate Energy Balance Models,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2174,Mihir Dasgupta; Joy Merwin Monteiro,06-10-2022,"The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of the various simplifications inherent in commonly-used planetary energy balance climate models (EBMs). Specifically, we look at the zero-dimensional (0-d) radiative equilibrium model, the 1-d radiative equilibrium model, and the 1-d radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE) model. Each of these models make fundamental steps towards a well-represented Earth system model, and make different simplifications and assumptions in the process. We seek to evaluate the effects these assumptions have on key thermal quantities of the system (OLR / outgoing longwave radiation, surface temperature, etc.). These evaluations lead us to identify contexts for each model wherein it remains a valid option to accurately replicate a system. The 0-d model fails to account for the greenhouse effect’s impact on energetics, thus predicting an erroneously-low surface temperature and low OLR. It instead requires an emissivity coefficient ~ 0.619 to balance OLR and temperature and model the Earth system. The 1-d radiative equilibrium model is a significant improvement on its predecessor, creating a stratospheric thermal profile reasonably similar to that of the Earth. The strong low-altitude temperature lapse rate and convective instability near the surface, however, slightly diminishes the validity of the low-level thermal profile – a drawback the RCE model appears to resolve with the addition of convective and boundary layer components. We conclude that the 0-d radiative equilibrium is best suited to isothermal atmospheres, the 1-d radiative equilibrium model to non-isothermal atmospheres where convection is suppressed, and the 1-d RCE model to convectively-active atmospheres."
Discovering B/T Cell-Cancer Antigen Affinity for Targeted Cancer Drug Therapy and Diagnosis Through Deep Neural Network Models,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2065,Aryansh Shrivastava; Vaishnavi Shrivastava,06-10-2022,"Cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, derives from an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a given part of the body. Targeted immunotherapy is a promising avenue of cancer treatments, galvanizing the body's own immune system to marshal B and T cells against abnormal cell growth, pathologically inhibiting antigen function and proliferation. In the current landscape of cancer immunotherapy, however, medicine industries are belabored with the need to use painstaking trial and error and numerous wet-lab investigations to test amino acid sequences' affinities to cancer antigens. Furthermore, most cancer antigens and the structures of their epitopes are unknown, and although most malignancies can be cured when diagnosed early, organ-specific assessments cannot be used for early-stage cancers. To bridge this gap, I innovate a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model pipeline, which analyzes the complex amino acid makeup of tumor infiltrating B/T cell receptors based on the relationships of biochemical properties among adjacent amino acids predictive of how these receptor polypeptides fold in three-dimensional space, computing high affinity amino acid sequences to revolutionize both targeted drug discovery and early diagnosis."
The Connection between COVID-19 Variants (Gamma and Delta Variant) and Demographics Using Python,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2138,"Sneha Nangunoori; Rajagopal Appavu, Jothsna Kethar",06-10-2022,"From schools shifting to virtual learning and offices promoting work from home, COVID-19 transformed the way the world functions. Like any other virus, the coronavirus has many variants. This research paper discusses the connection between two prominent variants: the Gamma variant and the Delta variant and certain demographic features like gender, age, and location. The method used in this research paper includes finding data from credible sites and other evidence and using python to extract the needed data to support theories. The theories stated in this research paper are not completely valid due to the lack of strong evidence. So, instead of concluding with a strong thesis, this research paper aims to motivate other researchers to delve even deeper into this topic. Basically, this study focuses on the importance of future research and acts as a stepping stone for other researchers who are interested in learning more about COVID-19 variants and their connection with different demographic features. "
Manufacturing Firms Leaving China and Moving into Southeast Asia,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2184,Eudora Chi; Tim Cavnar,06-10-2022,"Over the past twenty years, a growing number of manufacturing firms have left China. This paper explains the three principal reasons behind this exodus: disadvantages of Chinese manufacturing, US-China trade-war tariffs, and manufacturers’ emphasis on diversification. This study analyzes the current trend with an economic model to examine the relationship between manufacturing firms and the Southeast Asian host countries. As foreign direct investment (FDI) tends to shift from higher to lower-cost regions, manufacturing firms are now leaving China and moving into Southeast Asia. This paper also suggests the option of reshoring and manufacturers’ concerns about moving. This paper is useful for investors in the manufacturing industry."
Name and Personality: Is There a Similarity Between You And Others With The Same Name?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2002,"Michael Wang, Sophie",06-10-2022,"Previously, researchers have determined that people tend to attribute certain personality traits with certain names. For this reason, we conducted a research study to determine whether or not a person’s name actually has an effect on their personality. We surveyed people with the given name “Ryan” and asked them to take the HEXACO personality trait, which tests for six traits: honesty, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. We averaged our sample’s results for each trait and compared them with the HEXACO medians for each trait in the general population. We hypothesized that if name indeed has an impact on personality, people with the same name would have distinctly disparate trait scores than the general population. We found that between our “Ryan” sample and the general population, there was a significant difference in scores for five of six personality traits. Compared to the general population, Ryans are more likely to be more honest, less emotional, less extraverted, more agreeable, and less conscientious. The sixth HEXACO trait, openness to experience, has no statistical significance. Because five of six traits had significance, we were able to conclude that names are likely to have an influence on personality traits. "
Design of a Physical Therapy Device for Lower Leg Recovery,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2139,"Ashna Khemani, Katie Hahm",06-10-2022,"Currently, some physical therapy requires another person to assist in exercises that rehabilitate patients with leg injuries such as sprains and fractures. In this paper, we propose a device that can help strengthen muscles that have weakened due to injury without the help of another person. The device is portable and can be used in a home setting, and the amount of resistance it provides can be adjusted by the patient. We suggest a design that aids patients in lower leg rehabilitation and can adjust for the patient’s preference in exercise type and intensity."
Designing a Science-based Strategy to Prepare for the Next Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2238,"Ningrui Zhang; Reto Asmis, Mark Crowder",06-10-2022,"  For the last nearly two years, the world and its peoples have been on edge, dealing with a pandemic that killed millions of people and altered forever the lives of many others. The COVID-19 pandemic is a once in a generation event that provides an opportunity, despite its horrible impact, for us to be better prepared for future pandemics. This aim of this work is to investigate strategies that were used to combat COVID-19 and develop improved ones that will mitigate both the spread and mortality of similar episodes for the next generation. A review of public health guidance and primary literature suggests many currently used strategies were effective, but additional strategies and guidance are proposed here. These proposed strategies will improve not only preparedness, but also the responses used to tackle and defeat the next COVID pandemic.  "
An Analysis of Gender Gap in Computer Science in High School,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2572,Kashika Mahajan; Gayathri Thirumalai,05-31-2022,"Computer Science has been a male-dominated field even at its beginning, and it continues to be so. A distinct gap has developed between the number of women and men studying and working in Computer Science, commonly termed as the Gender Gap. Previous studies have uncovered this gap at its worst during college education, where women occupy a small fraction of the STEM-related classes. Surveys and data were taken from a high school to be analyzed. These provide insight into why female students are not as encouraged as their male counterparts regarding the subject. The results show that even at a stage as early as high school, differences in confidence, upbringing and exposure have often deterred female students from pursuing Computer Science. Contrary to the belief that due to the rising dependency on technology more women are pursuing Computer Science, a four-year plot shows that in high schools there is rather a widening gender gap."
The Effects of Social Isolation From The COVID-19 Lockdown on Social Anxiety in Individuals,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2599,Mina Kim; Dr. Barker,05-31-2022,"As the world continues its second year of the COVID-19 pandemic with varying degrees of lockdown, not much is known yet about how the extended periods of social isolation have affected individuals. This study used an online survey of individuals with varying levels of social anxiety to find that social isolation from the COVID-19 lockdown exacerbated self-rated social anxiety severity in individuals and led to new problems such as feelings of depression, loneliness, and worse self-esteem. As individuals with social anxiety already struggle to or avoid seeking out help or treatment, these findings have concerning implications for the mental health treatment of individuals with social anxiety after the pandemic."
Predicting Whether Inflation Will Remain in the U.S. after the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3025,Alex Lee,05-31-2022,"This paper focuses on the possibility of inflation occurring in the United States in the foreseeable future. Inflation, the progressive increase in the price of goods and services over time in an economy, is affected by demand and supply. If the demand for goods and services exceeds the supply of those goods and services, prices naturally increase and rise in inflation. While many have attempted to predict inflation through various methods, no one has been able to guarantee a result as demand and supply are unstable variables. However, using the vulnerable, weak covid environment, the relationship between the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and unemployment rates was used to assemble Philips Curves. "
Mutations In Influenza Viruses and Prevention Against These Viruses,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2568,"Rohit Rao; Rajagopal Appavu Appavu, Jothsna Kethar",05-31-2022,"The flu originated in 1918 and started a pandemic that spread around the world, killing millions. Other than the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Flu Pandemic of the late 1910s and early 1920s has killed and infected more people than any other virus in modern world history. Since then, the flu has become a seasonal virus that has predictable times of infections. Due to modern medicine, most people are able to survive such infections, and continue on with their lives with little impact. However, as you might come to wonder either eventually or even right now, a person may be curious behind why such an “outdated virus” still continues to live on every winter season. This paper will research the mechanisms of such processes that allow these viruses to stay “alive” (because they technically are not a living thing) and prevent themselves from being eradicated by today’s medical technology. We also look into common and new preventions/ treatments that is/ can be used to eventually eradicate the flu."
The Willingness of Humans to Settle on Mars and the Factors that Affect It,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2623,Savyan Aggarwal; Himani Rathore,05-31-2022,"The willingness of humans to go to Mars is one of the most important facets of a successful human colony on Martian soil and is also arguably the most neglected since even if all the technological and logistical issues of the mission were to be perfected, it would be meaningless if no one were willing to go to Mars. The aim of this study is to study people’s willingness to go to Mars, and the factors that affect it most, both positively and negatively. A pre-post study design with a survey was used for the primary data collection and analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively to derive conclusions from a total sample of 93 respondents. The results showed that the factors that most affected humans’ willingness to settle on Mars were the advancement of research and innovation and the impacts on their body as a result of radiation and microgravity, closely followed by quality of life. The findings of this research study can be utilised by firms or even states in the future to determine how to promote their Mars missions, even if they do not involve settlements."
A Meta-Analysis Evaluating the Performance of Machine Learning Models on Probability of Loan Default,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2726,Ely Hahami; Mr. Piper,05-31-2022,"There has been a recent increase in the implementation of machine learning algorithms to predict the credit risk of prospective loan applicants. This meta-analysis aims to contribute to the small but growing research on the effects of algorithmic lending. Specifically, we compare the performance of the Logistic Regression (LR) model and Random Forest (RF) model in predicting loan default (PD). Using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve as a measure of aggregate machine learning model performance, we ultimately find convincing evidence that the RF model is more accurate than the logit model in PD (p-value=0.029, α = 0.01). These results have major implications for banks and financial firms as mortgage lending transitions into the FinTech era. "
Examining the Connections between Personality and Group-Based Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2517,Jonathan Huang; Hannah Dunn,05-31-2022,"The most common interpretation of personality is a tripartite model: introversion, extroversion, and ambiversion. Personality styles can have an impact not only on how people develop relationships and pursue interests, but also how students operate in the classroom. Given that schools and teachers frequently require students to collaborate in group-based learning activities, it is crucial to consider how personality styles affect this process. In this cross-sectional research study, 14 high school participants responded to a questionnaire about personality type and group learning experiences. The questionnaire was designed with the goal of gathering experiences from high school students about group work and group-based learning in the classroom and personality styles. The results of the questionnaire showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the three personality styles. The results were also analyzed for themes to compare commonalities and differences in responses across personality styles. There was a relatively small sample size in the current study of 14 participants out of the 60 who were sent the questionnaire meaning this study might not have been able to fully capture the most accurate answer to the question of whether introverts work well while working in groups. Nonetheless, this study paves the way for further research on the topic of group-based learning and personality styles."
Navigating Desi American Cultural Identity,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2594,Chandha Dhinaker; Jim Haisler,05-31-2022,"The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 began a major shift in US immigration patterns, with Indian immigration seeing a notable uptick in the late 1900s. As Indian immigrant populations began increasing in the United States, the predominantly Christian America began to increase tolerance towards religions previously viewed as “heathenistic” (i.e., Hinduism). Understanding the impact Asian-Indian immigrants have had on the cultural and religious landscape of the Western world is essential in order to conceptualize and navigate the true depth of South Asian cultural identities. Thus, it becomes crucial to acknowledge these cultural placements not as a haphazard assemblage of identities, but rather as a product of relationships with religion and the adoption of both ethnic and racial identifying terms. A more assiduous exploration of the comprehensive history of Hinduism in America and the discourse of social identity development as a Desi-American illuminates the dichotomous relationship between religion and socialization in the formation of cultural identity. For South Asian Americans especially, the contiguity of learned cultures, in addition to the cultural environment an individual is raised in plays a significant role in the construction of one’s identity. Consequently, the differences in identity development and perspectives between two Indian sub-groups in the US (first-generation/Indian-born; second-generation/American-born) can be understood by canvassing several socio-cultural factors of influence such as the level of interplay within culture and religion in the social landscape, availability and access to temples, nomenclature used for personal identification, and conformity to the “Model Minority” myth."
"Based on the Different History of Feminism Movement, Different Gender Achieving the Workplace Equality is Easier in Huawei or Apple?",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2874,Yutong Yang; Maya Herzog,05-31-2022,"In this paper, I try to compare which of Huawei and apple can achieve gender equality in the workplace in the future. First of all, I will briefly summarize the history of feminism in these two countries; Second, I will introduce why I want to compare the two companies and their current situation; Finally, based on these, I will draw a predictive conclusion."
Trends and Effects of Privatization on Universities in Canada,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3217,Marshal Wang; Helen Goldenz,05-31-2022,"With the rise of privatization of universities across Canada in the last decade, it has become increasingly important to understand its impact on students both financially and on the universities themselves. While many previous papers analyze trends or the benefits/disadvantages of privatization of public education, this paper focuses on trends of funding sources in universities, in particular, government spending, student tuition, increased private donations, and student loans. Specifically, this paper will delve into the trends over time, particularly focusing on the recent last two decades.   The main conclusion to be reached by this paper is a look at privatization through the lens of a decrease in government spending and increased presence of corporate sponsorship, changes in tuition, and changes in overall student debt. Using data from public sources as well as past papers and analyzing these have led to several conclusions. Public spending has decreased through reduced government spending as a percentage of operating revenue. This in turn has led universities to increase the need for other sources of funding, more notably, through tuition and private donations from individuals or corporations. Both these sources have increased as a source of funding overtime. Moreso, while domestically tuition has grown at a more or less normal rate, international student tuition has skyrocketed. Next, it has been shown that increased tuition has direct effects on student debt which has also been shown to increase overtime. Lastly, private donations and non-governmental grants from both individuals and corporations have increased significantly."
Other-serving vs Self-serving Instructions in US College Commencement Speeches: A Quantitative Study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2613,Isabel Trzeciak; Stephen Trzeciak,05-31-2022,"INTRODUCTION: Research supports that serving others and practicing altruism is beneficial for one’s health, wellbeing, and success compared to solely serving oneself. However, it is unclear if this mindset is effectively communicated to young people, particularly college students. My objective was to perform a quantitative analysis of other-serving versus self-serving instructions in commencement speeches at graduation ceremonies of top-ranked U.S. colleges.  METHODS: I analyzed transcripts of commencement speeches at the 20 “Best Colleges” according to U.S. News and World Report rankings. Two trained independent raters coded each sentence of the speeches as either containing instruction (i.e., imperative/command sentence) versus no instruction. Next, the two raters classified each instruction as either (1) other-serving, (2) self-serving, or (3) neutral (serving neither). I tested inter-rater agreement using Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ), and resolved any disagreement by consensus with a third rater. I pooled the data and performed descriptive statistics with sensitivity analyses to ensure that a small proportion of speeches were not skewing results.  RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement was very good (κ >0.85). Of 305 total instructions (mean 15/speech, range 2-44/speech), 148 were neutral. Of the 157 non-neutral instructions, 71 (45%) were other-serving and 86 (55%) were self-serving. Within individual speeches, there was wide variation in the proportion of other-serving versus self-serving instructions (range 0-100%); however, sensitivity analyses did not substantially affect results.  CONCLUSION: I found that other-serving and self-serving instructions were balanced in commencement speeches at top-ranked U.S. colleges. Additional research is needed to test the impact of these different messages on students."
The Prevalance of Female Genital Mutilation in India,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3285,Anjani Nanda; Vandanee Ramani,05-31-2022,"Female Genital Mutilation is a deep-rooted cultural practice in several cultures in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Although in the modern ages, through the impacts of migration and increasing social awareness, this practice is being abandoned by several, it is still a custom being practiced in secrecy by small groups of individuals across the world. This study aims to evaluate the Delhi NCR public’s understanding of the practice and whether increased awareness amongst them would encourage individuals to work towards eradicating the practice. In order to measure this, a survey was carried out on 103 participants from the Delhi NCR Region containing an informative video on the basics of Female genital mutilation and participants were asked mirroring questions before and after viewing the video on their emotions towards the topic, their level of awareness and their likelihood of intervention. The results were analyzed using a paired t-test and descriptive statistics. These results were then presented in the forms of tables and charts, and the alternative hypothesis was retained stating that participants felt better informed, viewed the issue with higher importance and felt more emotionally motivated by the practice after viewing the video. The study implies that an increased level of information and awareness of the topic can lead to increased participation in eradicating the practice and showed how useful even general and basic knowledge on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation created a large impact on the participants.     Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation, Delhi NCR, Bohra, Khatna   "
The Inequitable Distribution of Government Funds: The Case of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3654,"Jayden Ko; Jong Kim, Jane JaKyung Han",05-31-2022,"The COVID-19 pandemic brought a wave of challenges to the U.S. economy, from skyrocketing unemployment to state-wide lockdowns which hampered many small businesses. GDP dropped by 8.9% in the second quarter of 2020, and susceptible industries such as Restaurants, Hotels, and Airlines faced the brute of these hardships. In response, the U.S. government initiated enormous Keynesian spending programs to inject liquidity into the economy and support businesses, establishing low interest rates and offering generous loan forgiveness. From March 2020 to June 2022, the government distributed nearly $4.5 trillion in total budgetary resources to mitigate the struggles faced by Americans. Specifically, the Small Business Administration (SBA) leveraged the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) Program to aid small businesses. This study sought to determine whether government funding was equitably distributed on the county level, and whether they resulted in higher employment. The findings reveal inequitable distribution of government funds based on the size of the county (funding per capita or funding per laborer) that may be explained by inequitable COVID-19 impacts (more targeted spending in more urban areas with greater concentration of businesses). Moreover, negative correlations exist between the number of direct payments and the unemployment rate, and the total funding amount and unemployment rate."
VR Workspace in the New Normal  Evaluation of Factors Influencing Indian Working Population’s Perception Towards use of VR Workspace in Work from Home Arrangements,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2584,Lakshya Goenka; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,05-31-2022,"For the past one year, we all have experienced life changing situations. Due to the lockdown because of Covid-19 virus, overnight, our lives shifted from the physical world to the online world. From offices, to schools, everything was operating virtually through a laptop screen. Instead of working with a group of people like in normal times, people were now isolated in their own bedrooms. To make the ‘new normal’ more productive, people started looking at the problem differently and came up with the idea of VR Workspace. It gave a more realistic feel to the whole WFH Arrangement. This research study is aimed to examine the viability of promoting VR Workspace and evaluate the factors that influenced the Indian Working Population perception towards the use of VR Workspace in online collaboration for improved Work From Home Arrangements. An online survey was conducted which included two short videos. The respondents had to rate the usage of VR before and after watching the video. The responses were divided into several social groups based on age, gender and job position. From the responses we can clearly see a difference before and after watching the video in the ratings for use of VR. From all the factors, the most influential factor was the headset being portable and wireless."
A Novel and Low-Cost Visual Aid for Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients to Improve Peripheral Vision Loss,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2546,Ganesh Venu; Susanne Stafford,05-31-2022,"Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic eye disorder that affects 1 in 3000-8000 people worldwide and causes the deterioration of the light-sensitive pigmented layer of the eye. Typical symptoms include night blindness and subsequently decreasing visual fields. Unfortunately, the specific cause of RP is not known and there is no cure. The disease is currently managed by expensive visual aids ranging from $3000 to $6000. This creates a need to develop affordable glasses for the common individual. In this study, 3D printed glasses were developed that enhanced the peripheral vision of the mocking RP patient (student researcher) utilizing external smartphone wide-angle lenses. To test different levels of tunnel vision, 3D printed circular discs with hole sizes of 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm were created representing the varying severity of vision loss in RP patients. These discs were inserted in the frames of 3D printed glasses with and without wide-angle lenses. The student researcher validated these glasses on a bullseye model and observed a doubling in the visual field. Three replication data was collected comparing normal vision and different levels of RP (using tunnel vision discs) with and without the wide-angle lens glasses. Regression analysis of data generated from a Monte Carlo Simulation and T-Test procedure further confirmed a statistically significant increase in the visual field utilizing wide-angle lens glasses.  Thus, a cost-effective visual aid ($20) was developed by the student researcher to improve peripheral vision and break socio-economic barriers for RP patients.  "
Exploring What Determines Value For The Ocean,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2610,Sabhyata Joshi; Srishti Kapoor,05-31-2022,"Housing 15% of the world's species, regulating climate, and providing half of human oxygen, the ocean is quite literally mankind’s lifeline. Unfortunately, this lifeline is dying. It is predicted that by 2050, over 1 million of the ocean’s species will be lost to plastic, which makes up a greater percent of the ocean than fish. Hong Kong’s flourishing marine trade and abundant use of plastic makes it especially susceptible to this threat. The problem, of course, is not limited to this. Brain biases prevent humans from assessing the dangers of the long term threat, and along with echo chambers they serve to spread these limiting views. To address the issue, this study aims to assess what factors generate value (internalized care) for the ocean and consequently lead to action in a largely young adult population. In the study, 81 participants were presented with a 15 question survey about their experience with the ocean and results were analyzed using qualitative analysis. It was found that the two major value generation factors were proximity to the ocean and experiencing life below water. The findings pose implications in supporting the increase of workplace and school efforts to augment proximity to the ocean as well as of advocacy missions which bring the ocean and its threats to the individual, allowing them to experience the underworld without restriction."
An Estimation of Hailstone Radii using the Collatz Conjecture,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3638,Rhea Gupta; Morena Porzio,05-31-2022,"There is an alleged connection between a much researched, yet unsolved math problem, the Collatz conjecture, and a quite common, damaging meteorological phenomenon: hailstorm. The relationship would be that, in sequences generated by Collatz algorithm, the way in which numbers rise and fall resembles hailstones going up and down inside a cloud, whence the name “Hailstone sequences”. The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, to use JavaScript to research on the Collatz conjecture with the perspective of a high-school student. Our algorithm tested a generalized form of the conjecture for multiple primes (3, 5, 7) and signs (+,). The Pearson correlation coefficient found between the initial value and, respectively, the total stopping time or the maximum value reached excluded any linear correlation. The second (and main) goal was to assess the hypothesis whether hailstones could indeed follow a Collatz-like function trajectory, studying the implication on the radii of them. Introducing the concept of conversion formula, we estimated the final radii for different functions (straight line, square-root, square, logarithmic, exponential), unit of measures (from Km to mm), and starting heights ranging from 4000m to 10000m, should the motion of hailstones behave like a Collatz function. In all but one case, we did not get radii believable in size, and reasonably randomly distributed. For the linear formula (in cm), the -test values between our estimated values and Nelson’s model values are above the critical values. Hence, we should reject the initial hypothesis."
The Government's Role in U.S. Health Care,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2502,Grace Martin; Keenan Reader,05-31-2022,"This paper will discuss the different aspects of the government’s role in the United States health care system. It will look into private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare which will point out how politics have become involved in the discussion of people’s health and their lives. It will also discuss the health care system of the Canadian government, to compare and contrast the differences between the two systems. The purpose of this study is to understand how the United States government is involved in the health care system and how it can be changed for betterment of Americans. It will become clear after reviewing the United States and Canada, that if the US were to switch to a universal coverage system Americans would be better off because everyone would be covered. The information in this paper is a reflection of how one change can make the health care system of America beneficial to everyone."
Impact of Globalization on the Manufacturing Sector of India and China,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2575,Mahek Gupta; Emma Campbell-Mohn,05-31-2022,"This research paper explores the impact of globalization on the manufacturing sector of India and China. It compares the manufacturing sectors of India across four factors: demand and supply of labour, labour cost, literacy rate, and productivity. Through this comparison, the paper concludes that while the trends in both India and China’s economies remained similar before globalisation, China’s manufacturing sector eventually grew much faster due to its access to better technology and skilled labour. The impact of globalization in the manufacturing sector is seen through capital as the economies shifted into the secondary sector with the increase in technological advancement. But how do these shifts unfold in developing economies? This paper analyses the labour market of India before and after globalization and the findings are compared to the labour market of China during the same period."
Sustained Anxiety-Like Behavior in Crayfish Exposed to Thermal Burn,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2641,"Jacob Greisberg; Prakash Gorroochurn, Justin K. Greisberg",05-31-2022,
Applicability to the Polak Model as a Factor Affecting the Outcome of Austerity Policies,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2979,"Pranav Marneni, Aadarsh Battula; Joel Miller",05-31-2022,"Many of the IMF’s loans to struggling countries require the borrowing country to implement austerity. A set of policies meant to restore a country’s economy and ensure that the IMF’s loans are effective. Though the policies work in some countries, in others they lead to economic decline. As the IMF continues to place austerity it is important to understand factors that could be affecting the outcome of these policies to prevent economic disaster. We theorize that the Polak Model, an economic model underlying the justification behind austerity, doesn’t apply to all countries, leading to poor economic policy due to an incorrect understanding of a country’s economy. To test if applicability to the relations outlined by the Polak Model is a key variable leading to the mixed outcomes of austerity we examined countries where austerity was detrimental (Greece and Argentina) and countries that were better off after austerity (Estonia and Croatia) by reviewing existing research on the countries’ economies’ application to the Polak Model and outcomes of austerity measures in those countries. We hypothesize that if austerity measures were detrimental to a country’s economy, then it would fail to fit the Polak model while a country that improved following austerity would fit the model. We find that our hypothesis is supported, indicating that the IMF must evaluate to which countries the Polak Model applies before pushing austerity instead of assuming that the model holds true for all countries and implementing ineffective policy based on flawed economic reasoning."
Challenges Faced by Patients while Undertaking Treatment for Tuberculosis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2534,Suveera Batra; Dr. Pallavi Parwar,05-31-2022,"Despite the immunisation of 92% of the Indian population against tuberculosis with the bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine (Statistica, 2019), India recorded 79,000 deaths due to this bacterial infection (The Times of India, 2020). Professionals in the field have tried to find the reason behind  the high mortality and high infection rate in the country with the aim of eliminating tuberculosis in India by 2025 as part of the TB National Strategic Plan. A significant reason identified for this phenomenon is non-adherence to treatment due to challenges faced by the patients while undertaking treatment. The aim of the present research study is to identify the challenges faced by  Indian tuberculosis patients visiting a dispensary in South Delhi undertaking treatment for tuberculosis and evaluating their relative importance in influencing their treatment experience through a mixed-method approach. The study was carried out by conducting a survey via phone with 35 Tuberculosis patients. Financial difficulties/loss of job/ school was found to have the highest mean rating which mirrors the trend in other developing countries such as Bangladesh. The study has implications for the government at different levels and private hospitals can be convinced that providing free-of-cost treatment is not enough and more budget should be allocated to tuberculosis treatment to ensure that patients receive a wholesome diet during and post-treatment. These changes combined would be a great step to improving public health crises such as the transmission of infectious diseases in developing countries like India."
The Molecular Mechanism of Vitamin D3 in Mitigating Pathological Formation of Parkinson’s Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2601,Brianna Kwan; Dr. Wei Zhu,05-31-2022,"Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has been in the spotlight of research for decades, but despite efforts aiming to discover treatments, there is still no effective therapy that targets PD pathology. Vitamin D3, however, has been identified as a promising chemical in mitigating the effects of alpha synuclein (⍺-syn), a hallmark protein in diagnosing PD. Mitochondrial complex I is a protein complex that produces oxidative stress, an effect that can lead to symptoms of PD. Rotenone, a chemical which induces PD-like effects was used to set a PD model. This study focused on the anti-PD effects of vitamin D3 in attenuating rotenone through mitochondrial complex I. Treatments were tested by measuring cell proliferation, rotenone induced necrosis, and rotenone induced apoptosis. Varying concentrations of vitamin D3 proved to reduce cytotoxicity substantially. Caspase activity in apoptosis decreased with vitamin D3 presence, suggesting that cell death was mitigated. In addition to using in vitro rotenone PD models, molecular docking was used to depict vitamin D3, rotenone, and mitochondrial complex I interactions. To our knowledge, this was the first study to use vitamin D3 and mitochondrial complex I in a molecular docking analysis in addition to utilizing rotenone to study PD. Docking established a connection between mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, and vitamin D3 by displaying a strong bond between molecules. This ultimately suggested that vitamin D3 can indirectly mitigate oxidative stress by attenuating rotenone and ⍺-syn through mitochondrial complex I, thus limiting the presence of ⍺-syn, which is seen in elevated amounts in PD. "
Securing a Safe City  Labor Conditions of the Residential Security Guards in Hong Kong,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2897,Janice Shen; Fernando Montero,05-31-2022,"While contemporary ethnographies on “security” focus on abstract notions of safety or the active implementation of security measures, this paper dives into the passive, subconscious structures shaping the labor conditions of residential security guards in Hong Kong. Private security forces have been around since ancient civilization and are so familiar that they have become vastly overlooked in modern society, camouflaging within the social landscape. However, private security forces are everywhere in Hong Kong, crucial to the high levels of safety and convenience of the city’s residents. Security companies display consistent employment practices showing the intrinsic nature of how companies manage their labor in a capitalist economy. This paper depicts how divides between socio-economic groups and security perceptions channel middle-aged or elderly sectors towards residential security guard employment. Additionally, labor management strategies and relationships between residents and security guards further reinforce the structure of dominance, maintaining the status quo while preventing the security guards from unionizing and creating change."
An Analysis of Gender Gap in Computer Science in High School,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2572,Kashika Mahajan; Gayathri Thirumalai,05-31-2022,"Computer Science has been a male-dominated field even at its beginning, and it continues to be so. A distinct gap has developed between the number of women and men studying and working in Computer Science, commonly termed as the Gender Gap. Previous studies have uncovered this gap at its worst during college education, where women occupy a small fraction of the STEM-related classes. Surveys and data were taken from a high school to be analyzed. These provide insight into why female students are not as encouraged as their male counterparts regarding the subject. The results show that even at a stage as early as high school, differences in confidence, upbringing and exposure have often deterred female students from pursuing Computer Science. Contrary to the belief that due to the rising dependency on technology more women are pursuing Computer Science, a four-year plot shows that in high schools there is rather a widening gender gap."
Epigenetics and Genetics of Schizophrenia,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2629,Dyuti Ganesh,05-31-2022,"Millions of people around the world suffer from schizophrenia and the resulting delusions, social withdrawal and other symptoms. All of these symptoms have treatments available such as anti-psychotics and therapy. However, these treatments are merely symptomatic and do not address the root of the disorder. The treatments can dull the impact of the symptoms of schizophrenia but cannot treat the disorder itself, therefore more effective treatments must be offered. Schizophrenia is an extremely heritable disorder, so genetics, as well as epigenetics, plays a crucial role in the prevalence and severity of the disorder. Studying the epigenetics and genetics of schizophrenia can help to gain a more thorough understanding of the disorder to help develop and test treatments that aren’t just symptomatic. There have been various studies searching for parts of the genome that could play a role in an individual’s likelihood to develop schizophrenia and gene therapy could be used to edit these parts of the genome. Epigenetics refers to the alteration in how one’s body reads the genome using histone modification. Although there is minimal research in the area and as a result, there are also no treatments currently being researched or tested, epigenetic treatments have the potential to become a revolutionary treatment for schizophrenia. However, considering the lack of knowledge and research surrounding epigenetics, currently, genetic treatment has more likelihood of being a useful treatment in the near future. Nonetheless, increased research about epigenetics and genetics can help create more treatments to help those suffering from this disorder."
Putting the Jury System on Trial,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/3138,Nathan Chan; John Yates,05-31-2022,"The Sixth Amendment guarantees all United States citizens the “right to an impartial jury.” Yet, this is not the case. In this paper, I will focus on examining the racial bias and the prejudice against under-resourced defendants that plague the criminal justice system. However, I will argue that these flaws stem from the execution, not the theoretical basis, of jury trials. Rather, trials by jury are uniquely suited to encourage civic participation while preventing tyranny, which are key pillars of American democracy. Nonetheless, without action, the prejudice that has rendered jury trials unconstitutional will stop real justice from ever being reached. Thus, should a response be prompted against trials by jury, it should be one that reforms its bias and prejudice, instead of abolishment. In this paper, I will first discuss the failings of jury trials, before justifying why they should not be abolished and thereafter providing suggestions for their improvement."
The Ways of preservation of Indian music for Generation X and Generation Z,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2520,Simra Faisal; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,05-31-2022,"Overtime, there has been a loss of appreciation for music, as many people choose to listen to different types of songs and stay in their comfort zones. Due to this, many important pieces of art are being lost and remain unexplored. The present study focuses on identifying ways to preserve Indian music in order to conserve the feeling of home and familiarity which they instill. Thus, it also aims to bring people closer, explore uncharted genres, find ways to bridge their differences and form bonds. The research consisted of six Hindi songs out of which three were from generation X (40-50) and the rest from generation Z (15-20) living in Delhi NCR (Gurgaon). The main focus was to gather participants’ views on each song  and use their opinions to identify methods of preservation. It was observed that many of the participants of both generations had similar viewpoints on each song. Through this, the study was able to shed light on the main factors which can affect a person’s thought process on how music stirs different emotions for everybody. The findings were different from the assumption that there was a large gap between generations' music tastes. Music for people is about comfort, happiness and emotional support, over just being a means of superficial entertainment. It is a very subjective and immersive experience for people from both the generations and it shouldn't be simply confined to any one era or relatability factor, as it transcends thresholds. "
Exploring Gender Inequality in Shonen Manga: A Cross-Sectional Study of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2595,David Mun,05-31-2022,"The Naruto series is one of the most popular manga series in history, continuing with creator Masashi Kishimoto’s sequel story Boruto. Because it is a product of both the Shonen genre and Japanese patriarchy, the series funnels problematic sexist components in its female characterizations, all targeting a young male audience. As one of the most-read manga of all time, this issue poses a great threat of cementing obsolete sexist values in the younger generation and inspiring other literature to follow suit. Thus far, significant research on the connection between Japanese culture and gender themes in the manga is lacking. Therefore, this paper aims to address this gap in research and provide for future research in identifying and quantifying sexism through character strength and roles in stories. The paper synthesizes previous literature on Japanese culture, the Shonen genre, and Kishimoto’s influences, in addition to qualitative research comparing power rankings of female and male characters in Naruto and the identification of gender roles assigned to its female characters. The paper concludes by establishing the presence of sexism in the series and calling for a more dignified characterization of its female characters in the series Boruto. "
How a Soviet Past Influences the Present: Vaccine Hesitancy in the Russian-speaking Population Today,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2880,Jonathan Tyshler; Nathan Manning,05-31-2022,"The Russian-speaking population in the United States has shown a notoriously high prevalence of vaccine hesitancy. The same trends are present in the former Soviet republics. This was illuminated during the COVID-19 pandemic as World Health Organization cited this demographic as among the lowest vaccinated. This study aims at discovering key factors behind vaccine hesitancy in the Russian-speaking population in former Soviet republics and the USA.  From August to November of 2021, twenty five 30-minute interviews with subjects ranging between ages 16-81 were conducted in Russian. Through these 25 interviews, 15 with immigrants in the Russian-speaking community in Washington State and 10 with residents of Russia and Ukraine, coupled with reviews of published literature and online sources, a strong relationship between vaccine hesitancy and a multitude of factors was established.  The key factors behind vaccine hesitancy documented in this study were tied to subjects’ experiences and culture in the former Soviet Union. Among these was a strong distrust of government, doubts towards the healthcare system, mistrust of medical professionals, a Soviet medical culture that questions prophylactic treatment options, the eruption of a consumer-dominated society in the post-soviet era, and misinformation in the media. For immigrants in the U.S., a general confusion with the American healthcare system was also a contributing factor.  These findings reveal key drivers of vaccine hesitancy in one of the lowest vaccinated demographics overall, highlighting the persisting importance of Soviet background. Shining light on these factors is essential for combating vaccine hesitancy in this population."
Exploring Indian Views on the underrepresentation of female teenagers in STEM,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2566,Abhishek Mukherjee; Aamina Rahim,05-31-2022,"Only 15% to 20% of tenured faculty at Indian universities are women, while 14% of employed researchers in STEM fields are women. To investigate reasons for this problem, the present research study was conducted to gather data for Indian respondents’ perceptions of the reasons for understanding of the women underrepresentation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, focusing on female teenagers. The study asked respondents to rate the overall underrepresentation and the importance of different factors on a scale of 1 to 7, along with their own explanations and suggestions. The study found that the most important factor to explain the underrepresentation was Poverty, followed by Parent’s Traditional values. In contrast, the least important factors were Feminine Attributes and the idea that female teenagers wanted to avoid the male field, while Absorb Stereotypes (the idea that female teenagers subconsciously take in stereotypes of STEM being a male field), Teacher’s Discouragement and Less Confidence were given ratings closer to the middle. Additional factors suggested by respondents included females having to take care of family responsibilities and lack of role models in STEM fields. This suggests Indians have increased awareness of the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields."
The Ways of preservation of Indian music for Generation X and Generation Z,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2520,Simra Faisal; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,05-31-2022,"Overtime, there has been a loss of appreciation for music, as many people choose to listen to different types of songs and stay in their comfort zones. Due to this, many important pieces of art are being lost and remain unexplored. The present study focuses on identifying ways to preserve Indian music in order to conserve the feeling of home and familiarity which they instill. Thus, it also aims to bring people closer, explore uncharted genres, find ways to bridge their differences and form bonds. The research consisted of six Hindi songs out of which three were from generation X (40-50) and the rest from generation Z (15-20) living in Delhi NCR (Gurgaon). The main focus was to gather participants’ views on each song  and use their opinions to identify methods of preservation. It was observed that many of the participants of both generations had similar viewpoints on each song. Through this, the study was able to shed light on the main factors which can affect a person’s thought process on how music stirs different emotions for everybody. The findings were different from the assumption that there was a large gap between generations' music tastes. Music for people is about comfort, happiness and emotional support, over just being a means of superficial entertainment. It is a very subjective and immersive experience for people from both the generations and it shouldn't be simply confined to any one era or relatability factor, as it transcends thresholds. "
Exploring Gender Inequality in Shonen Manga: A Cross-Sectional Study of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2595,David Mun,05-31-2022,"The Naruto series is one of the most popular manga series in history, continuing with creator Masashi Kishimoto’s sequel story Boruto. Because it is a product of both the Shonen genre and Japanese patriarchy, the series funnels problematic sexist components in its female characterizations, all targeting a young male audience. As one of the most-read manga of all time, this issue poses a great threat of cementing obsolete sexist values in the younger generation and inspiring other literature to follow suit. Thus far, significant research on the connection between Japanese culture and gender themes in the manga is lacking. Therefore, this paper aims to address this gap in research and provide for future research in identifying and quantifying sexism through character strength and roles in stories. The paper synthesizes previous literature on Japanese culture, the Shonen genre, and Kishimoto’s influences, in addition to qualitative research comparing power rankings of female and male characters in Naruto and the identification of gender roles assigned to its female characters. The paper concludes by establishing the presence of sexism in the series and calling for a more dignified characterization of its female characters in the series Boruto. "
How a Soviet Past Influences the Present: Vaccine Hesitancy in the Russian-speaking Population Today,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2880,Jonathan Tyshler; Nathan Manning,05-31-2022,"The Russian-speaking population in the United States has shown a notoriously high prevalence of vaccine hesitancy. The same trends are present in the former Soviet republics. This was illuminated during the COVID-19 pandemic as World Health Organization cited this demographic as among the lowest vaccinated. This study aims at discovering key factors behind vaccine hesitancy in the Russian-speaking population in former Soviet republics and the USA.  From August to November of 2021, twenty five 30-minute interviews with subjects ranging between ages 16-81 were conducted in Russian. Through these 25 interviews, 15 with immigrants in the Russian-speaking community in Washington State and 10 with residents of Russia and Ukraine, coupled with reviews of published literature and online sources, a strong relationship between vaccine hesitancy and a multitude of factors was established.  The key factors behind vaccine hesitancy documented in this study were tied to subjects’ experiences and culture in the former Soviet Union. Among these was a strong distrust of government, doubts towards the healthcare system, mistrust of medical professionals, a Soviet medical culture that questions prophylactic treatment options, the eruption of a consumer-dominated society in the post-soviet era, and misinformation in the media. For immigrants in the U.S., a general confusion with the American healthcare system was also a contributing factor.  These findings reveal key drivers of vaccine hesitancy in one of the lowest vaccinated demographics overall, highlighting the persisting importance of Soviet background. Shining light on these factors is essential for combating vaccine hesitancy in this population."
Exploring Indian Views on the underrepresentation of female teenagers in STEM,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2566,Abhishek Mukherjee; Aamina Rahim,05-31-2022,"Only 15% to 20% of tenured faculty at Indian universities are women, while 14% of employed researchers in STEM fields are women. To investigate reasons for this problem, the present research study was conducted to gather data for Indian respondents’ perceptions of the reasons for understanding of the women underrepresentation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, focusing on female teenagers. The study asked respondents to rate the overall underrepresentation and the importance of different factors on a scale of 1 to 7, along with their own explanations and suggestions. The study found that the most important factor to explain the underrepresentation was Poverty, followed by Parent’s Traditional values. In contrast, the least important factors were Feminine Attributes and the idea that female teenagers wanted to avoid the male field, while Absorb Stereotypes (the idea that female teenagers subconsciously take in stereotypes of STEM being a male field), Teacher’s Discouragement and Less Confidence were given ratings closer to the middle. Additional factors suggested by respondents included females having to take care of family responsibilities and lack of role models in STEM fields. This suggests Indians have increased awareness of the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields."
Dopamine Agonists and their Optimality in Treating Parkinson's Disease Compared to Other Treatments,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2622,"Samarth Keerthivasan; Jotsna Kethar, Rajagopal Appavu",05-31-2022,"Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that has been plaguing tens of thousands of people each year, and as a result, there has been lots of research to find a drug or compound which, if used correctly, will allow for a decrease in the symptoms of the disorder. One idea that is of question is whether dopamine agonists might be able to help reduce the effects that the disease has upon a person. As a result, the question of how useful dopamine agonists are in the treatment of or minimization of the effects of Parkinson’s Disease rises. This paper focuses heavily on the topic of the optimality of dopamine agonists in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and relies upon past research on the subject of PD treatments/therapies. Although an agonist, in scientific terms, is known as a chemical substance capable of combining with a specific receptor on a cell and initiating the same reaction or activity typically produced by the original substance itself, these dopamine agonists have not proven to be as effective as can be assumed. These agonists, even with the ability to imitate the reaction of dopamine agonists, are not as useful as other treatments to PD, such as Levodopa. In this paper, comparisons were conducted between the two largest categories of PD therapy to derive a conclusion. The findings indicate some rather surprising results, and prove that dopamine agonists might not be as useful in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease as one might assume."
Analyzing Receptivity of Indian Respondents for Introduction of a Regulated Cryptocurrency Market,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2315,Kashvi Jindal; Akanksha Chhetri,05-31-2022,"There have been increasing concerns regarding the cryptocurrency market for several reasons, regarding its decentralized system, and impact on the current financial market. Thus, the introduction of a regulated cryptocurrency market has sparked the public’s interest. This research study aimed to evaluate Indian respondents’ knowledge of cryptocurrencies and their receptivity (on the basis of several factors) towards the introduction of a regulated cryptocurrency market in India by conducting an online survey using a mixed-method research approach. Among the eight different factors examined, the study found the level of liquidity to be the highest-rated factor amongst respondents in influencing their receptivity. This finding suggests that the Indian public prefers a fast-flowing and smooth trading market, like the cryptocurrency market. Another top-rated factor was the level of security, possibly due to the increasing concern of cyberattacks in the financial markets.  Conversely, anonymous usage, inflation risk, and operation cost were the least influential, highlighting the Indian public’s unique characteristics. Data revealed that respondents who were finance professionals and had IT experience were generally more receptive to the idea of a regulated cryptocurrency market in India. As a result, additional nuanced marketing strategies targeted at different sectors, especially the finance and IT sectors, as identified through the results include: introducing a regulated cryptocurrency market to the Indian public by highlighting their concern for the level of security and attracting them by highlighting how its regulation by authorities would keep in check the threats it poses."
The Psychopath's Brain: Is it Structurally Different From the Normal Brain?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2515,Shiwon Chang; Kimberly Pyland,05-31-2022,"Antisocial personality disorder, also called psychopathy, is caused by an individual’s brain structure. This paper analyzes the methods, limitations, and findings of the research that supports this claim. Case studies and correlational studies show a connection between gray matter volume in brain regions and psychopathic emotionlessness. Experiments show the inner workings of a psychopath’s brain as they display dishonesty and lack of empathy. Furthermore, this paper will also explain the relevance of this research to the field of psychology, and the practical applications of the research in society as a whole outside, including in the fields of law and medicine."
COVID-19 Uncertainty and Its Impact on Stock Prices,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2592,Steven Yao; Jenny Hu,05-31-2022,"This paper develops a stock-pricing model to investigate how the COVID-19 induced uncertainty affects stock prices. Through utilizing a series of mathematical techniques and conducting a comparative static analysis, we find that when economic uncertainty intensifies, the future payouts of firms, such as dividend payments to stockholders, tend to diminish, indicating a deterioration of firms’ stability and prospect. As a result, investors expect a reduction in the future payoffs of the stocks issued by firms. Given that the price of a stock reflects the present values of its expected future payoffs, the rising level of COVID-19 uncertainty, which undermines the future payoffs of the stocks that investors expect to receive, decreases stock prices."
"Comparison and Review of DAT Scan, PET Scan, and α-synuclein In Relation to Parkinson’s Disease",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2549,Pranav Vijay Kumar; Rajagopal Appavu,05-31-2022,"In this article, the role of the Dopamine Active Transporter (DAT) scan, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan along with the role of α-synuclein with regards to Parkinson’s disease will be discussed. Furthermore, their applications and dependence as diagnostic techniques, as well as biomarkers, are also reviewed. In short, DAT-SPECT and PET scans can be used well to differentiate between Parkinson’s and other Parkinsonian syndromes, but it takes experts with many years of experience to help with diagnosis. Ɑ-synuclein on the other hand may not serve as a good biomarker but it does have potential in therapeutic treatments.  Furthermore, a few common diseases that are most often misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s are also discussed. They include Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. MS deals with the degeneration of the myelin sheath which PSP deals with the build-up of a certain protein in the brain called tau. In both cases, neuronal degeneration occurs, similar to what happens with respect to Parkinson’s. Unfortunately, there is no current cure for Parkinson’s, PSP, or MS.   Lastly, this paper also reviews the author's future plans with regard to Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases in general. There is a dire need for biomarkers and/or a concrete diagnostic technique that can detect Parkinson’s earlier such that progression is either delayed or treatment is developed based on this."
The Relationship Between the Type of Government and Support for War: Research on Major Wars Fought Since 1965,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2611,Joon Sung Kim,05-31-2022,"Throughout the history of wars, especially during the 20th century, as wars became a national effort not only limited to the military, public support for wars has been an important factor in a government’s decision to start, continue and end a war. This paper observes major wars that were fought during the second half of the 20th century, up to contemporary times, and examines the relationships between the warring nations’ political systems, and how much support they have received from their people. The paper uses its own scale to measure both variables at play. The paper initially hypothesized that authoritarian states gain more support from their people during times of war, but eventually concluded that there is no significant correlation between the two variables."
Enter The Darkness To Bring Others Into The Light  Human Trafficking: The Modern-Day Version of Slavery,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2504,Mike Zoi; Kaley Ciluffo,05-31-2022,"This research primarily examines how human trafficking systems in the Balkan region of Europe compare and contrast to the ones in the United States. Trafficking in these specific areas can be analyzed and summarized using the perspectives of shame in trafficking, lack of social support, and the need for reform in schooling and the general public’s understanding of human trafficking. Using comparative analysis with cultural patterns and ethnographic data, I discuss various genres of human trafficking, the patterns and methods of trafficking in the areas specified, the effects on the victims, and how trafficking culture had shifted. I provide case-specific examples of scenarios the various victims of human trafficking face, primarily focusing on women. These findings indicate a need for further analysis on the differences between trafficking systems around the world and prevention methods."
Robots - Inanimate or Living: To evaluate the receptivity of Xenobots by Indian Respondents,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2577,Aarav Agrawal; Saurav Debnath,05-31-2022,"As industrialization continues, the world is introduced to many challenges, such as Global Warming and Pollution. Even with adverse effects on the environment, synthetic materials continue to be commonly used. To tackle this, scientists from the University of Vermont combined the fields of AI and bio-technology to develop a robot capable of performing specific functions e.g, locomoting and manipulating objects, using cells. Other than reducing the use of synthetic materials, this robot can directly help in collecting microplastics from the ocean, while being biodegradable. With time, as manufacturing gets automated, the capability of these robots will be widened. Though it’s not an immediate concern, the idea of a living robot can be seen to come with many ethical concerns. To understand the reservations it can create, this research paper intends to evaluate the receptivity of Xenobots by high-school students and teachers. A total of 30 respondents from various urban and suburban locations of the country were surveyed on their knowledge and interest of Xenobots, before and after watching an informational video, and their thoughts on its ethical concerns and effectiveness were collected from open-ended questions. Qualitative and Quantitative tools such as t-tests, mean, SD tests and thematic analysis were used to study the accumulated data. The video positively impacted their rating of knowledge, however interest remained equally high. Further thematic analysis revealed that respondents were doubtful about its usefulness as well as its drawbacks, which notifies aspiring companies and governments that it might be too soon for such technology. "
A Microfluidic Chip Designed for Stimulating Drug Diffusion,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2644,Chenchen Zheng; Xin Xie,05-31-2022,"Two-dimensional, three-dimensional or microfluidic chip-based cell cultures have been extensively used to identify effective compounds for drug development in the past few decades. Nevertheless, these traditional strategies of cell cultures are unable to capture the in vivo process of drug administration and diffusion. Here, we exploited the techniques of microfluidic chips and developed a new platform to dynamically simulate drug delivery and diffusion. Using this platform, we designed two experiments to quantify the diffusivity from source channel to target channel: (1) the pH value in target channel regulated by the diffusion of input solution from source channel; (2) the oxygen concentration in target channel regulated by the diffusion of oxygen produced by oxygen-enriched water in source channel. The input channel and the target channel were separated by nanoporous membranes mimicking biological tissue walls. These two experiments as proof-of-concept demonstrated that our platform can simulate the in vivo process of drug diffusion and be applied to study drug diffusivity."
Preparation for the Next Pandemic: A Study on Past Techniques Used During Pandemics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2985,"Tara Flynn, Mr. Mark Crowder; Dr. Reto Asmis",05-31-2022,"When citizens of Wuhan, China starting contracting Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), it was inevitable that the diease was going to spread to the rest of the world, therefore resulting in a pandemic. This disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and was discovered for the first time in December of 2019. COVID-19 affects the lungs and has symptoms that are similar to the common cold, pneumonia, or the flu. Over 6 million people have died from COVID-19 and number continue to rise.  When there was first talk of the pandemic in the United States, it was said that the United States of America was the most prepared country in the world to tackle a pandemic. The United States ended up having one of the worst outcomes when COVID-19 struck and this was because of faulty planning. It is crucial to know information about COVID-19 before looking into what the United States did wrong. The research provided in the following study shows the lack of testing, bad mask mandates, poor public health funding, etc. Along with this, a plan is created on what to do if a pandemic were to hit the United States once again in the future and how to stop it before it wrecks havoc on the nation. "
Effects of Adding Noise to Circuit Model and Numerical Model of Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emissions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2458,Lucy Feng; Carey Witkov,02-28-2022,"Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions have long been modeled using self-excited, nonlinear oscillators. The van der Pol oscillator is a common choice, as many of its properties reflect those of SOAEs: both can begin oscillation in the absence of a direct stimulus, both have narrow frequency bands, and both become stable over time, to name a few. Yet such an idealized equation cannot have a one-to-one correspondence with SOAEs in all factors. Many previously used mathematical and circuit models lack the addition of noise to more accurately show how real world SOAEs operate in an organism’s ear, where noise from the environment is almost entirely unavoidable. The inclusion of uniformly distributed noise in both numerical and circuit models of the van der Pol oscillator was studied to determine whether these models can still accurately explicate SOAEs when modified to be more realistic. In both cases, both models retained the attributes of real world SOAEs despite the addition of noise, allowing them to serve as more useful and accurate models of the phenomenon.   "
Bioethanol and Gel Production using Organic Fruit Waste,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2529,Sofia Vasquez; Haydde Gomez,02-28-2022,
What are the Risks and Benefits of Alternative Assets?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2669,Kirill Vorobyev; Niklas Schmitz,02-28-2022,"This paper explores the risks and benefits of alternative assets (private equity, hedge funds and cryptocurrency), and assesses whether they are worth investing in. The evaluation of the safety of the investments was done with the use of different measures of risk, such as maximum drawdown and standard deviation. I also calculated Sharpe ratio to compare different kinds of assets and correlation between them to understand how they would fit in a portfolio. The analysis shows that though cryptocurrencies (especially bitcoin) show very high returns, the risk of fall is too large to consider them as safe investments. Broadly speaking, the safest type of investment in alternative assets are hedge funds as their main goal is “to hedge risks”. Private equity is much riskier than hedge funds, but its returns are more likely to be higher. Even with the safer investments, picking the right funds becomes crucial as performance of top-quartile funds and the others tend to differ significantly. Correlation is high between hedge funds, private equity and stocks, and low between bitcoin and other types of assets. In general, the market of alternative assets is very prospective and investors should consider them as possible diversifiers in their portfolios."
Understanding Alzheimer’s Risk Factors Associated with the Prevalence of US Populations and Women,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2269,Krrishika Saxena; Sabin Nettles,02-28-2022,"Alzheimer's disease (AD), a fatal neurological disease, is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States 43, affecting millions of people. This is a great concern as, by 2060, the number could grow to 13.8 million if no cure is discovered0. Despite sophisticated research and technology, finding a solution in the near future appears unattainable due to financing and the brain's complexity. Due to Alzheimer's disease affecting millions of people, the goal of this research is to inform and educate people about the risk factors, prevalence in individuals, and therapeutic treatments available early on for this disease so that one can minimize their risk of developing it. People are unaware of genetic, behavioral, and environmental vulnerabilities that raise their chances of acquiring the disease chronically, which is why this disease has affected millions and is one of the leading causes of mortality. People would avoid these risks if they were aware of them early on. Methods to reduce the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease are discovered through examining the risks and existing therapeutic treatments, as well as analyzing the prevalence of the disease in different ethnic groups and women in the United States through a variety of sources. The findings identified the major causes of Alzheimer's disease, why particular ethnic groups are more susceptible to the disease, and why women are disproportionately impacted by the disease compared to males. Knowing all of this, plus the therapies, can help reduce the number of AD cases in the US. "
What Does Western White Prose Fiction Teach the Woke Generation About Othering and Belonging?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2391,Coco Cresswell; Mrs. T. Anslow,02-28-2022,"This research explores the portrayal of otherness and non-conformity in Western literature and proves that modern phenomena such as “cancel culture” are giving contemporary authors a new relevance. Using William Faulkner’s Light in August and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as my foundation, I intend to demonstrate that the lessons they provide on race, gender, and extremism are often ignored by Generation Z, yet applicable to modern discourse. By referencing earlier works including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, as well as George Orwell’s dystopian Nineteen Eighty-Four, I want to prove that the warnings given about the consequences of trying to eradicate otherness are multi-dimensional and deeply entrenched. Ultimately, my research illustrates that despite the societal tendency to make distinctions between normative and “other”, the line between the two is non-existent: in attempts to eliminate otherness, we become violent ""others"" ourselves, possessing characteristics to the “bestial” individual that we originally sought to oppress."
Brain Computer Interfaces: Wireless Recording of Brain Signals with Electro-Plasmonic Nanoantenna,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2421,"Alexa Lowe, Safaa Hussain, Grace Xia; Ahsan Habib, Ali Yanik",02-28-2022,"Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) recording brain signals via implantable sensors aims to substitute, restore, improve, add, or enhance human functions. However, wiring requirements for power transfer and signal transmission, acute immune response to implanted electrodes, and the limited scalability of the ever-popular microelectrode arrays prevent wide adaptation of BCIs. Here, we show that electro-plasmonic nanoparticles, plasmonic nanoparticles loaded with an electrochromic polymer, can overcome the limitations of the conventional implantable microelectrode arrays as BCI probes. Much like radio frequency identification (RFIDs) tags that use backscattering for remote readout, electro-plasmonic nanoparticles report the spiking activity of neurons by modulating the input light and the re-radiated light spectrum.  Our electro-plasmonic nanoantennas are non-invasive, wire-free, highly sensitive (field sensitivity up to 15.5%) and require no surgical implantation. We believe that electro-plasmonic neural probes can help usher in a new era of BCIs."
Predicting the 2022 Australian Federal Election with Actuarial Methodologies,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2556,Sumedh Kundu; Stuart Madgwick,02-28-2022,"Election forecasting has, for a long time, been considered a major tool used by voters and politicians alike to understand the electoral mood. In Australia, tools such as opinion polling even drive many policy decisions made by governments. Yet, these same tools have been misleading and/or wrong in recent elections. The consequences of this have meant large fiscal loss for bookmakers, rash policy decisions, inappropriate leadership changes, and, recently, erosion of trust in the democratic process. Hence, we must look at new ways to analyse elections, and use a more appropriate system to mimic the actual voting system in the country where the election is being held. For example, in representative democracies with strong minor party representation like Australia, any forecasting method used must not use two-party preferred on a national basis, and, instead, analyse preference flows, and first preferences, for each seat. This study uses actuarial techniques to analyse probabilities of parties winning each of the 151 seats in the 2022 Election, and then calculates final party totals based on these probabilities.     This study aims to accurately predict the 2022 Election using a methodology which will enable a final forecast which is not misleading and is, in fact, appropriate for a representative democracy. Data used includes first preferences and Preference Flow data from the 2019 Election, Demographic data from the 2016 Census, Economic Data across 2019-22, and Opinion Polls from The Australian and Roy Morgan. Further, political insight will be used to discuss these results and the potential variances."
A Comparative analysis of War Propaganda  Words Stronger than Guns,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2408,Alex Han; Gregory Slosek,02-28-2022,"This paper analyzes propaganda leaflets in different wars. The importance of propaganda and its use and creation in different wars indicates its significance in terms of success. Every war has used certain different tactics and strategies in wars to win and influence the people through their war strategies and different types of leaflets. Following wars are discussed with their powerful propaganda during the war. For instance, the Korean war propaganda leaflets, German propaganda leaflets, Franco-Prussian War 1870 propaganda leaflets, Vietnam war 1954-75 propaganda, World War I Propaganda, and Spanish American War Propaganda. Propaganda has been used in these wars through different method either through leaflets, posters, music, through women, or yellow journalism etc. diverse impact of different propagandas were witnessed on the civilians and soldiers in these wars. That means that propaganda has remain an important element of war and has its strong crucial role in the winning war."
Machine Learning as a Tool to the Diagnosis of Diabetes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2513,Mr. Yosef Granillo; Guillermo H. Goldsztein,02-28-2022,"Machine learning is the field of computer science that uses data to make predictions and decisions. The problem we consider in this article belongs to the class known as supervised learning and the technique we use is logistic regression. After explaining supervised learning and logistic regression, we use a data set to develop a computational model able to give a diabetes diagnosis to patients. We discuss the accuracy of the model developed."
AOS: Anti-Obesity System With Deep Learning-based Classification Model Using a Novel Data Augmentation Technique,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2349,Sungmin Kim; Kyoung-Hyoun Kim,02-28-2022,"Obesity has been a worldwide leading cause of associated health risks for decades, yet not much is being done to solve this issue. Previously, minimal efforts have been made to address this issue in regards to mandating nutrition labels on the back of packaged foods. However, the mundane and growingly elusive packing labels have diminished the proper effects of this constitution as people rarely ever take the time nor effort to thoroughly read through the labels. Moreover, most dishes served from restaurants do not serve with any nutritional information, which places many of the people dining out in complete darkness of what they are truly consuming. To solve this problem, we propose the deep learning-based AOS (Anti-Obesity System), which analyzes images of common junk foods and unhealthy meals to classify the category of food. The proposed system consists of a deep learning-based classifier and a post-processing module that outputs relevant nutritional information regarding each category of food. In addition, we propose a novel data augmentation technique in order to make the trained model produce better results. We also conduct the ablation study to experimentally prove that the proposed method enforces the model to work better in real-world situations. We achieve an AP of 59.30% on the proposed food dataset. Code will be available at https://github.com/smkim0508/ObesityNutritionClassifier.git."
The Persistence of Human Capital over Time: Evidence from a Positive Immigration Shock,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2392,Anoushka Khatri,02-28-2022,"In this paper, I study the long-run effects of a positive shock to the labor force in Sao Paulo. Using a dataset based on Brazil and an estimation strategy based on regression analysis, I show both a positive direct and indirect effect of settlement on human capital. Being a recipient of highly skilled immigrants in 1872 is found to be positively associated with a rise in literacy rates, as well as higher per capita income and access to running water."
The Effects of Closed-door Baseball Games,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2426,Nathan Hong; Danilo Tadeo,02-28-2022,"With the ongoing trend of closed-door baseball games, we researched to discover the actual effect of the crowd during this isolated season. Taking advantage of the current data provided by three reliable sports-related websites, we obtained significant results comparing previous years’ home team winning percentage data to this year’s. Initially, we found that the overall home team winning percentage of 2020 (the crowd-less season) was lower than that of the previous year (with crowds). From this finding, additional analyses were conducted, each controlling for another different factor of home winning percentage. Analysis 1 found that holding for skill difference amongst teams, the matchup of teams with a similar skill level showed a positive effect of crowds, aiding the home team wins. Analysis 2 found that home-field advantage of home teams in 2020 had decreased compared to 2019, proving once again that crowd does have a positive effect on home winning percentage. Thus, it was ultimately determined through the multiple qualifications and subsequent tests that there was evidence of a positive correlation between crowds and increased home winning."
Correlating Anxiety and Risk Perceptions of Future Academic Prospects Among High-Achieving Students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2418,"Joanne Ji; Mark Porto, Stacy Gil",02-28-2022,"The twenty-first century is redefining the boundaries of adolescent mental health with its “epidemic of anxiety.” As a psychologically vulnerable demographic, academically intensive high school students are as unrivaled in their anxiety levels as they are in their ambition, which inflates their fear factors and undermines their personal values as well. In this paper, I expand on this subject by specifically exploring high-achieving students’ risk perceptions of their future academic prospects and how they correlate with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study dives into the inquiry by utilizing quantitative survey research followed by a mixed cross-examination analysis. A total of 47 Advanced Placement high schoolers responded to the survey, and, based on the final numerical values assigned to their anxiety and risk perception levels, I calculated several correlation coefficients to interpret the results. My findings demonstrated that there was a strong positive correlation between anxiety and risk perceptions of academic prospects among high-achieving students. Despite their superlative academic statistics, results showed that many of the participants not only had high anxiety levels but also perceived a substantial amount of risk for their future success. This target population comprises only a fraction of teenagers who experience such symptoms, but this study presents how they uphold negative trends in anxiety-related disorders that require more attention and research in the field of psychology as a whole."
To Transition to a Green Economy: Understanding World CO2 Greenhouse Gas Solutions to Climate Change,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2657,Neil Tamhankar; Smile Dube,02-28-2022,"The importance of shifting to a green economy is clearly established within the UN Social Development Goal (SDG) 13. SDG 13 focuses on combating climate change and its impacts; the UN reports that over 197 parties have signed the UN document. However, the green economy definition is so broad that it encompasses all 17 SDGs. A feasible approach in this paper is to limit our discussion to CO2, which accounts for almost 75% of greenhouse gases. Methane, nitrous oxide (NOx), and fluorinated gases account for 14%, 8%, and 1% respectively. Thus, we use world data from the World Development Indicators to examine the main sources of CO2 from 1960 to 2014. We find the persistence of CO2 over the years, which indicates that most countries have failed to limit the output of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The conclusions drawn are stronger within an econometric model relating CO2 to GDP by employing an Environmental Kuznets (EKC) model for each region of the world. NOx emissions are also discussed later in the paper as another application of the EKC model. "
Nanophotonics: An Emerging and Promising Approach for COVID-19 Diagnostic Technology,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2475,"Annmaria Antony, Eileen Chen, Shreya Kakhandiki; Ahsan Habib",02-28-2022,"The public health crisis initiated by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the need for rapid and accurate diagnostic tests to monitor large populations through community mass testing. Many testing techniques have been implemented to prevent disease spread, critical to pandemic control. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detecting viral RNA and immunoassay tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are currently used to diagnose COVID-19. PCR tests are time-consuming, with a 24–48 hours turnaround time. Samples undergoing PCR detection must also be sent to a laboratory to be processed by highly specialized workers, preventing a point-of-care diagnosis from being provided. Popular immunoassay tests have drawbacks as well. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are extremely labor-intensive and expensive, whereas lateral flow assays (LFAs) are primarily used for antigen detection. In this work, we propose a photonic SARS-CoV-2 detection method based on a ring resonator. We calculate the sensor performance using the finite-difference eigenmode (FDE) method. The sensor sensitivity in ring resonator resonance frequency is 29 nm/RIU, with an intrinsic detection level (iLOD) of 6.89 × 10-5 RIU. We envision ring resonator-based lab-on-chip devices being widely used for applications such as early diagnosis, with the added benefit of being ultra-compact and easily handled by non-specialists."
Cross-Cultural and Gender Comparison of Emotional Connotation of Words,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2009,Yaxuan Liang; Xiaohong Xu,01-04-2022,"So far, scientists have researched to explore the emotional connotation of words in different native languages and genders. This study investigates how connotations of words differ by cultures and genders by inspecting valence values, which indicates how happy people feel about specific words in datasets obtained from USA, Spain, and Portuguese. To fulfill the objective, we categorized people’s feelings evoked by the words based on a criterion created by adding or subtracting standard deviation to or from valence means for the upper and lower bound. Then, words with valence values outside of the upper and lower bounds were categorized as emotional words (positive or negative) and were analyzed. The results show that people of different cultures are more connected regarding the perception of negative connotation of words than positive connotation. Moreover, Portuguese and Spanish are more connected than either of them with the US as they have more emotion words in common. On the gender aspect, we notice that females tend to give more extreme ratings for words than males. Furthermore, the analysis shows that males have a more positive feeling towards sex-related words than females. Overall, this study outlines a way for people interested in anthropology to understand the differences in the emotional connotation of words between males and females and across cultures."
The Likely Impact of COVID-19 on US Employment in the Medium Term,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2257,Lily Fu; Dr. Schonger,12-27-2021,"COVID-19 caused an abrupt increase in unemployment rates for people across various fields of work. This paper compares the COVID-19 crisis with the Great Recession and the Spanish Influenza. After careful data collection and analysis, it is clear that COVID-19 caused a steep, immediate decline in the economy although it did not last long. By comparison, the Global Financial Crisis was a persistent recession though less severe. Comparison of the health effects for COVID-19 and the Spanish flu reveals that the influenza was much more contagious as it infected 29.3% of the US population in three years. In contrast, this percent is 2.4% for COVID-19 as of August, 2021. The flu outbreak also coincided with WWI which caused further spread of the virus, and an effective vaccine was never developed. Therefore, the current economic decline should not be worse than that of the influenza. Moreover, the government is more actively participating in the economy now than it was during the flu pandemic. The Spanish flu had a V-shaped economic trend despite having minimal government involvement. Because the flu and coronavirus are both pandemic-induced crises, we would expect COVID-19 to be V-shaped as well, which is seen through the graphs below. U.S. data from the Federal Reserve is analyzed graphically in this paper, and it shows that the COVID-19 crisis exhibits a distinct V-shape pattern. This suggests that economic recovery will be faster than the less severe Global Financial Crisis, and that countercyclical government policies may not be as necessary."
Mothers’ Behaviors and Children’s Social Confidence and Ability: Correlations from the NLSY,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2228,Kitty To; Ryan Lange,12-26-2021,"The understanding of shyness and social withdrawal has been built over the past half century with research looking into factors that cause this in children. However, not many mention the natural phenomenon of if children mimic social confidence from their adult figure. This study used correlation analyses to investigate the relations between parents’ behaviors and attitudes and their children’s social confidence and ability. Data were from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1986 Child and Young Adult Survey Mother Supplement. Results showed weak correlation between social confidence and outings frequency, either with family and friends or not. However, children who were spanked more frequently positively correlated with their mothers rating them to be more high strung. Furthermore, all hypotheses showed results that follow the direction of the prediction, so further investigation into the topic may show more significant correlation or a causation relationship of the variables."
Daily Cryptocurrency Returns Forecasting and Trading via Machine Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2217,Andrew Falcon; Tianshu Lyu,12-23-2021,"We execute a comparative analysis of machine learning models for the time-series forecasting of the sign of next-day cryptocurrency returns. We begin by compiling a proprietary dataset that encompasses a wide array of potential cryptocurrency valuation factors (price trends, liquidity, volatility, network, production, investor attention), subsequently identifying and evaluating the most significant factors. We apply eight machine learning models to the dataset, utilizing them as classifiers to predict the sign of next day price returns for the three largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization: bitcoin, ethereum, and ripple. We show that the most significant valuation factors for cryptocurrency returns are price trend variables, seven and thirty-day reversal, to be specific. We conclude that support vector machines result in the most accurate classifications for all three cryptocurrencies. Additionally, we find that boosted models like AdaBoost and XGBoost have the poorest classification accuracy. At length, we construct a probability-based trading strategy that secures either a daily long or short position on one of the three examined cryptocurrencies. Ultimately, the strategy yields a Sharpe of 2.8 and a cumulative log return of 3.72. On average, the strategy’s log returns outperformed standalone investments in all three cryptocurrencies by a factor of 5.64, and Sharpe ratios more than threefold."
Analysis of Pre-existing Investment Behavior and Influence of Trading Apps,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2212,Anish Guddati; Dhruva Bhat,12-22-2021,"The last few years have seen a rise in trading apps, and Robinhood is one trading app that has attracted millennials. This paper explores trading apps such as Robinhood and their role in providing financial inclusion and safe trading opportunities. This paper discusses investment behavior in the status quo, explaining overconfidence, sociability, and the disposition effect. Investment behavior can include the behavioral biases and common notions investors utilize for trading. Furthermore, this paper assesses the design and business model of Robinhood. Five expert investors were interviewed (such as a professor and other MBA graduates from Wharton School of Business, financial experts from private equity firms in the US and Mexico, and a JP Morgan investment banking professional), and five casual investors were interviewed to understand their opinions on investment behavior, certain trading apps, common criticisms of stock trading, and solutions to these concerns. The findings led to the conclusion that investment behavior is harmful in the status quo. Results did indicate that Robinhood does promote at least some dangerous behavior through excessive active trading and is one example of a problematic trading app through the 4th Industrial Revolution, but trading apps can only amplify behavioral biases most retail investors already display."
Do Blockchain Stocks Exhibit More Herding Behaviour than Traditional Stocks?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2172,Prakhar Goel; Abhishek Dev,12-21-2021,"While the volatile behaviour of cryptocurrency is extensively studied, the stock market’s blockchain sector, which has not been given much attention in the academic world, operates very differently from traditional stock industries. The paper hypothesizes that blockchain stocks exhibit more herding behaviour than traditional stocks and uses quantitative data analysis techniques to study it. The automotive industry is taken as a representative of traditional stocks. Cross-Sectional Absolute Deviation, the academic standard for herding behaviour, is used as the primary comparative measure between blockchain and automotive stocks. It reveals that blockchain industry has significant herding, while rational pricing mechanisms prevail in the automotive industry. Supporting this conclusion, a correlation matrix of stock prices of small market capitalisation firms in each industry is constructed, analysing how closely stock price movements in an industry are related. The correlation coefficient for blockchain stocks is 20% higher than the coefficient for automotive stocks. This indicates that blockchain stocks likely exhibit higher levels of herding. The impact of social media on stock price movements in the two industries is analysed by conducting a correlation study between Google Trends data for industry-related keywords and individual stock returns. The blockchain industry saw a significantly higher correlation, likely suggesting that social media has a stronger influence on blockchain stock price movements. Finally, the paper provides possible explanations for why herding behaviour is more prominent in the blockchain stocks compared to traditional stocks. These include absence of traditional stock valuation metrics, lack of financial knowledge and role of social media."
Dienogest Derivatives Show Increased Selectivity to the Progesterone Receptor,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1979,Jiya Bhatia; Jessica Jimenez,11-30-2021,"Progestin, the synthetic progesterone in the combination birth control pill, functions to prevent pregnancy. Unfortunately, it also results in a wide range of side effects associated with the pill, including nausea, headaches, abdominal cramping, breakthrough bleeding, and mood changes. These side effects are due to the interactions that take place when the progestin binds not only to its desired target, the progesterone receptor, but also to other steroid receptors, namely the androgen receptor, estrogen receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, and mineralocorticoid receptor. In hopes of diminishing these side effects, in this study, one progestin, dienogest, was computationally altered to improve binding to the progesterone receptor while minimizing the binding to other receptors. The most successful derivative created involved the addition of a methyl and a methylene group, which significantly decreased binding to the five other receptors while maintaining a similar affinity for the progesterone receptor. Importantly, in an assessment of the social aspect of the birth control pill via an online survey released in the San Francisco Bay Area (n=73), the side effects of the birth control pill, which could be improved by minimizing off target interactions, are a major concern among women who consider this form of contraception."
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Cross-Modal Transformers and Variational AutoEncoders to Generate Images from Text,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2106,Satyajit Kumar; Ehsan Adeli,11-30-2021,"Text-to-image generation is one of the most complex problems in deep learning, where the application of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) has seen significant success. However, GANs prioritize the sharpness of the image rather than covering all the nuances of the text. Given that Transformers have recently outperformed RNNs and other neural network models in both the text and image spaces, we explored whether Transformer models can perform better in multi-modal tasks such as text-to-image synthesis. Our conclusion based on evaluating five Transformer based models on the MS-COCO dataset showed that Transformers perform better but would need a significant amount of memory and compute resources."
The Effects of Social Media Attention and Sentiment on Initial Public Offering Returns,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2272,Aiwen Li; Cierra Beck,11-30-2021,"Going public is a monumental step for many companies. Not only does it increase a company's legitimacy in the business community, but it also gives opportunities for them to harness significant amounts of investment capital. However, entrepreneurs and investors often face uncertainty due to the unpredictable nature of initial public offerings (IPOs). This study evaluated the impact of the amount and sentiment of Twitter activity on stock returns using data from domestic companies who went public from June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2021. Overall market behavior, company size, and community population demographics and social economic status of the companies' headquarters locations were controlled. The analyses showed that Twitter activity is associated with higher returns during relatively long-term time frames. The results are relevant for companies and potential IPO investors to predict and maximize their profits in the market. They also open opportunities for future research to investigate more in-depth regarding social factors in relation to IPOs."
Understanding the Role of Leverage in the Outcome of A Nuclear Weapons Program,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1870,Pranav Marneni; Samuel Leiter,11-30-2021,"Why were some countries able to succeed in acquiring nuclear weapons while others didn’t when facing international pressure to stop the development of their nuclear program? I hypothesized that the level of leverage placed over the country trying to acquire nuclear weapons by its main ally and adversary is a key variable affecting the outcome of that country’s nuclear program. To test my hypothesis, I first described the different categories of leverage and I then compared the nuclear programs of North Korea and Taiwan using existing historical research and case studies. I compared the two countries to see if the categories of leverage were in fact different for the two countries. The two countries were chosen since they had different results (Taiwan failed, while the DPRK succeeded) and both had an ally and adversary that had some leverage over it. If leverage was different for the two countries it would be highly likely that leverage had a role in causing the different outcome, thus supporting my hypothesis.  If leverage was the same for the two countries, it would mean that leverage was not a factor causing the different outcome and my hypothesis would be incorrect. After comparing the nuclear programs of the two countries it was found that leverage was in fact different for the two countries, thus supporting my hypothesis."
GuideDogNet: A Deep Learning Model for Guiding the Blind in Walking Environments,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2064,"Yunseo Hwang; Taeseon Yoon, Kyuyong Park",11-30-2021,"A guide dog is a critical companion for the blind, which enables independent travel of the blind. However, due to the costly and time-consuming training process, only 1.7% of the blind who wish to adopt a guide dog can take it. In order to alleviate this social problem, previous studies have suggested several blind guiding systems heavily based on hardware devices, such as GPS(Global Positioning System), RFID(Radio-Frequency Identification), and ultrasonic devices. However, those techniques lack administrative feasibility to use in real-world environments. Moreover, those techniques are deficient in warning of obstacles, which makes the system non-user-friendly. To guide the blind universally and provide accurate information about the obstacles without cumbersome devices, we propose a novel deep learning-based blind guiding system, GuideDogNet. The proposed system consists of an object detection network, depth prediction network, and post-processing module. To provide user-friendly outputs for the blind, we propose a rule-based post-processing module that outputs the label, direction, and distance of the obstacles by combining the results of the object detection network and the depth prediction network. We achieved an mAP of 67.8 on the AI Hub Sidewalks dataset which is publicly available. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at a deep learning-based blind guiding system.     The code will be available on https://github.com/Yunseo-Hwang/AI-GuideDog"
"The Potala Palace in Tibet  Interweaving of Architecture, Spirituality, and Culture",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2340,Dorinda Xiao; Dr. Michael Shanks,11-30-2021,"The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet is seen as a symbolic center of Buddhism. The specific architecture of the palace, such as the color palette and the rooms, is designed around Tibet's culture and religion, Buddhism.  The architecture of the Potala Palace and the culture are interconnected as the color chosen for the palace relates with the history of Tibetan culture and the room designs relate closely to Buddhist practices. While culture has influenced the foundations of the Potala Palace’s architecture, the palace itself also affects Tibetan society since Tibetans center around the economy it created, which they can profit from while also celebrating their traditions. This paper researches the interweaving of the Potala Palace’s architecture, Buddhist spirituality, and Tibetan culture to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the history and religion rooted in a traditional Tibetan building and how that building acts as a microcosm for Tibetan society today. "
Is Science Effectively Conveyed to the Public? A Case Study of Genetically Modified Mosquito Release,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1972,"Kailash Vemuri; N. Murti Vemuri, Ph.D, Sita Munukutla",11-30-2021,"Science is the driving force behind the advancement of society making public engagement with science vital. With the rapid pace of scientific discoveries, the availability of well-balanced scientific information is possibly the most important it has ever been. This study aims to determine the effectiveness with which scientific information is disseminated to the public. This was done by conducting a survey in which people were given three articles to read about the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. These three articles were adapted from local news coverage, government authorities, and peer-reviewed scientific literature. Survey participants were queried on their relative preferences for these articles. Additionally, the top 100 hits on Google for the search item “Florida mosquito release” were analyzed to assess the availability of the scientific information preferred by survey respondents. The results of this study showed that the public seeks quality, balanced scientific literature but that these types of articles aren’t easily accessible. Articles that prioritize getting clicks are more prevalent than those that present balanced scientific research."
Religion as Mental Short-Circuit,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2086,Keyue Li; Nanjing Foreign Language School Faculty,11-30-2021,"By identifying religion as schema and attribution process, the first two following sections of the essay argues that religions and cults short-circuit normal cognitive process, bypassing the objective evidence and logical argument inconsistent with the belief system. In the last two sections, the essay demonstrates that recognizing religious thinking mode as a mental short-circuit can be extended to the broader application in human cognition. What’s more, the essay examines the perspective of believers who prioritize the fulfillment of their psychological needs over the righteousness of the logic and calls on building new healthy connections with previous victims in cults instead of spending major effort convincing them of the logic flaw in their previous belief."
A Behavioural Perspective on Vietnam's Corporate Safety Measures and Nudges in Covid-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2382,Bui Gia Han Pham; Philip Liang,11-30-2021,"Robust enforcement of safety procedures is of critical importance for businesses in Vietnam in their efforts to prepare employees for a return to physical workplaces, especially in a country with only 38.8% of its population fully vaccinated as of late November 2021 (Ritchie et al., 2020). In academic literature, nudges are traditionally believed to enhance compliance to protective measures (Debnath and Bardhan, 2020). The aim of this paper is to test the strength of such theoretical analysis of nudges’ effectiveness by applying it to the context of companies in Vietnam. We performed a survey of 41 companies in various sectors and used regression models to interpret our data. One study found a positive significant relationship between automatic registration, monetary rewards, and percentage of employees vaccinated. In the same study, we found an average increase in vaccine uptake of 27.7% to 45.6% due to vaccination nudges. In our second study, we found no evidence that sanitising nudges encourage employees’ usage of sanitary utensils provided to them. Although our small sample size was a major limitation of this study, our findings put the functionality of nudges into a developing country’s context and analysed socio-economic factors that might have caused our results to differ from prior research. With this study being the first to examine the use of nudges to promote pro-health behaviour in large corporations during COVID-19, future research could delve deeper into the effect of other non-mandatory safety measures on overall workplace health."
Simulated Study of SARS-CoV-2: Contact Tracing and Potential Transmission Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2479,Anjali Iyer; Anupama Shankar,11-30-2021,"During a disease outbreak, contact tracing and epidemiological analysis are of critical importance to analyze disease sources and transmission. To perform this epidemiological analysis, effective data visualization is necessary. In this study, the outbreak of COVID-19 was simulated within three metro Atlanta counties. Data was generated using contact tracing forms and used to create node and edge lists. Each node in the network contained a unique ID representing either a location or individual, as well as any contact tracing information related to each node. Data visualization was performed using MicrobeTrace, an online program developed by the CDC. Visualization of the contact tracing network enabled us to effectively analyze the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV2. In the simulated network, a singular person node appeared to be linked to the most positive COVID-19 cases in the network. Similarly, a restaurant was identified as the place node with the greatest number of direct connections to positive persons, highlighting it as a potentially major source of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. This study illustrates the benefits of data visualization and demographic analysis using MicrobeTrace, which helps to target mitigation and prevention efforts, while also emphasizing the importance of contact tracing to reduce the transmission of disease."
Solutions to Some Real-Life Problems Based on Mathematical Modeling and Functional Minimization,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2082,Oleksii Babaskin; Mr. Tadeo,11-30-2021,"Building mathematical models that can describe, predict, and explain real-life phenomena is useful. This paper features the functional dependency model and the square of this functional dependency which hold significant information. A mathematical model that relates these functional dependencies with the average value of the function was developed to show that for an arbitrary well-behaved function, the definite integral of the square of the function over a finite interval is minimal when the function is constant over the interval. Finally, the model’s validity and accuracy in representing real-world problems for different situations in physics like mechanics, quantum mechanics, and electricity in economics were evaluated."
Punctuation Restoration for Speech Transcripts using seq2seq Transformers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2249,Aviv Melamud; Alina Duran,11-30-2021,"When creating text transcripts from spoken audio, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems need to infer appropriate punctuation in order to make the transcription more readable. This task, known as punctuation restoration, is challenging since punctuation is not explicitly stated in speech. Most recent works framed punctuation restoration as a classification task and used pre-trained encoder-based transformers, such as BERT, to perform it. In this work, we present an alternative approach, framing punctuation restoration as a sequence-to-sequence task and using T5, a pretrained encoder-decoder transformer model, as the basis of our implementation. Training our model on IWSLT 2012, a common punctuation restoration benchmark, we find its performance is comparable to state of the art classification-based systems with an F1 score of 80.7 on the test set. Furthermore, we argue that our approach might be more flexible in its ability to adapt to more complex types of outputs, such as predicting more than one punctuation mark in a row."
A User Study of E-commerce during the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2359,Anika Krishnan; Kavana Ramesh,11-30-2021,"Covid-19 has forced most people around us with access to the internet to begin shopping online. For some, it is the efficiency, and for others, it is the fear of the virus. Items that were rarely bought online, are now becoming a commodity for viewing online. Groceries and thrifted items are some examples. Most websites have increased traffic because of how prevalent shopping at online sites has become in the past year and a half. For this experimental study, I interviewed multiple people and deduced some central ideas about online shopping during and following the pandemic. I interviewed each person about their day to day lives and how online shopping has played a role in it during the pandemic. I recorded these responses and found surprising similarities between each person. Everyone that I interviewed said that they would continue online shopping after the pandemic. Most people found that the pandemic had been an “eye-opener”, in that, online shopping saved an astounding amount of time. Overall, buying things online has become somewhat of a habit for people during the pandemic. "
Comparing Different Data Types for Predicting the Apple Stock,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1832,Amanda Guan; Dr. Ellsworth,11-30-2021,"Stock markets are at the heart of market economies, and stock market prediction is a hot topic in research. There are many methods of prediction, and they often use different types of data. The two main types are technical and fundamental data. This paper explores company-specific prediction through predicting the direction of the Apple stock. Three neural networks that use different input data are compared. The Tech model uses technical data, the Comp model uses numerical fundamental data with an emphasis on company data, and the Text model uses textual news data. Several metrics, including ones useful for preventing bias when dealing with imbalanced data, were used to compare the models. The Comp and Text models showed prediction bias, and two more models, W-Comp and W-Text, were trained to attempt to mitigate that bias. The Comp model performed the best out of the original models, and W-Comp also showed good performance. W-Text performed the best out of all the models. This suggests that numerical fundamental data is useful in predicting the market, and textual data also has potential. Future research could be used to improve the performance of all the models and more thoroughly compare the types of data used."
The Potential for Liberation Feminism in Hindu Practices and its Patriarchal Origins  Does original knowledge facilitate the perception of liberation feminism in Hindu practices?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2216,Naisha Didwania; Maya Novak-Herzog,11-30-2021,"Hinduism is accused of suppressing its women devotees, despite a history suggesting a matriarchal approach. Over the years, original knowledge surrounding religious practices have been lost due to misinterpretation, misinformation and autonomy over said knowledge by certain groups. The purpose of this essay is to explore the various practices that accuse Hinduism of being anti-feminist, and to identify their origins to understand the role that both culture and religious doctrine played in promoting women's inferiority, as well as which had greater influence. Previous research relies heavily on scriptural understanding and secondary data analysis, despite the fact that overreliance on scriptures is one of the major contributors to the spread of false information regarding the divorce between the intentions of the religious doctrine and subsequent traditions and customs. I interviewed practitioners of the religion coming from various backgrounds and used the primary data to theorise the origination of women's oppression and means to reduce its continuation. The understanding behind religious practices such as Sati, Pativrata and taboos surrounding female priesthood and menstruation yield results that attribute the patriarchy to factors that were not intrinsic to Hinduism. Hence, my findings conclude that women’s original knowledge of the fundamental tenets of Hinduism understood as anti-feminist facilitate their empowerment. Therefore, furthering original knowledge of ‘sexist ideals’ can increase the potential for liberation feminism for Hindu women by reducing the prevalence of conservative practices. "
Application of Artificial Intelligence for the Prediction of Solvation Free Energies for Covid-19 Drug Discovery,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1891,Sampreeth Immidisetty; Deepak Agrawal,11-30-2021,"Solvation free energy is a key indicator of the effectiveness of a drug molecule. There are several applications of predicting the solvation free energies of chemical compounds using quantum mechanical methods. However, these methods take a long time and are costly. For that reason, the application of recently developed artificial intelligence techniques for the prediction of solvation free energies is becoming increasingly valuable in drug discovery to address time and the high-cost issues with traditional quantum mechanical approaches. In this paper, we present application of two different artificial intelligence models for predicting solute-solvent free solvation energy for Covid-19 drug design. The research involves building, training, evaluating and comparing the performances of the two models on a large dataset, then predicting solvation free energies for 138 known APIs and 28 organic solvents that could potentially be used as a Covid-19 medicine. The potential repurposing of 138 drugs for Covid-19 from solubility perspective is novel. We demonstrate the application of the AI models and derive several conclusions regarding suitability of the APIs and their efficacy. We conclude our research by providing insights on how our work can be put to future use towards drug development."
Warburg Effect and Cancer Survival,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2348,"William Panosyan, Daniel Panosyan; Eduard Panosyan",11-30-2021,"Warburg effect is a major metabolic shift of glycolysis in cancer cells towards anaerobic fermentation. Key reaction here overproduces lactate from pyruvate catalyzed by lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA). Augmented Warburg effect and oncometabolism may contribute to cancer progression worsening patients’ survival. Expressions of various key enzymes were used as surrogates to validate the clinical influence of metabolic alterations in cancers. Expression and Kaplan-Meier survival data were extracted from the R2 Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform (R2) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA). Expression of LDHA gene was 2-4 times higher than normal tissues in certain cancers including breast, colon, genitourinary and B-cell lymphomas. No cancer specificity or strong associations were observed between RNA and protein expressions of LDHA. However, higher LDHA gene expression correlated with poorer survival in renal, liver, lung, pancreatic, cervical and breast cancers. These cancers moderately or strongly stained for LDHA protein. Per HPA, gliomas had low LDHA without survival correlation. Nevertheless, this correlation was observed in the largest glioblastoma database (R2). Furthermore, 3 of 4 medulloblastoma subtypes showed poor survival with higher LDHA. Contrarily, in B-cell lymphomas and colon cancer high LDHA was a favorable prognostic marker. Poor survival correlated with high expression of other enzymes for glycolysis and amino acid metabolism (PFK-isoenzymes, GFPT2 and BCAT1). Warburg effect may not be universally dominant for all cancers, but most cancers have high LDHA and/or associated poor survival, confirming importance of this metabolic derangement in cancers. Heterogeneity of metabolic alterations can serve to diversify anti-metabolic strategies for targeted anti-cancer therapies."
"Pretibial Lacerations in Young Athletes: Evaluating Who is at Risk, and Methods in Reducing Infection",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1871,Meghan Dougherty; Kim Bauer,11-30-2021,"This study begins research in identifying risks factors youth athletes face when it comes to their probability of getting a pretibial laceration; which is seen more often in elderly populations. The data of shin skin thickness in athletes and non-athletes were compared in this research, as well as methods to decrease rates of infection in pretibial lacerations. The hypothesis of this research is to test if youth athletes are the most susceptible to pretibial lacerations compared to youth non-athletes. Data showed that athletes have “thicker” skin than non-athletes, which meant that they had more muscle mass surrounding their tibia bone which meant they have less skin to protect their tibia which leads to an increased risk of pretibial lacerations compared to other youth populations. "
Artificially Intelligent Food Assistant for the Visually Impaired,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2341,Sarthak Jain; Evan Brociner,11-30-2021,"Vision disability is a prevalent condition that affects the lives of many adults and children. Previous research has established that it is harder for the visually impaired to evaluate the nutritional value of food. Therefore, by applying concepts used in agriculture and optical character recognition, we engineered a system that can make these perceptual evaluations on a variety of fresh and packaged foods and linguistically relay that info to a visually impaired user. We utilized some of the most memory-cheap and accurate object detection models to evaluate and then detect lesions in peaches, apples, tomatoes, and strawberries. Table 3 shows that our models performed with high accuracy as EffecientDet d0, SSD Lite Mobilenet, and Faster RCNN MobileNet all had higher than 40% mAP and 50% mAR. Figure 2 portrays how our interface was able to detect, determine, and relay surface spoilage percentage(s) to a user. Figure 3 shows that our OCR integration successfully was able to gather nutritional data on packaged goods and relay nutritional information to a user. Our system provides the brain for future applications that plan to deploy our code to devices like smart glasses or other hardware. We have made our source code available on GitHub through this link: https://github.com/SarthakJaingit/Artificially-Intelligent-Food-Assistant-for-the-Visually-Impaired. Our repository provides instructions about running our system through the command line and also a notebook demo that a less technical person can run to see how one of our models performs on a computer webcam with no video optimization.   "
The Gender Disparity of Refugee Earnings in the United States,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1977,Subhadra Vadlamannati; Holly Dykstra,11-30-2021,"The refugee crisis impacts both low and high-income countries alike, and the question of refugee assimilation receives much attention worldwide. While all refugees face various challenges in assimilating to their host countries, female refugees face additional challenges. This paper focuses on the earnings of refugees upon arrival to their host countries. The 2018 Annual Survey of Refugees was used to study the earnings trajectory of male and female refugees who arrive in the United States. Results reveal a significant earnings gap of approximately $1.70 an hour, which is equivalent in pay to male refugees receiving almost eight more years of schooling. To examine the underlying mechanism behind this result, this paper studies how the predicted earnings trajectory varies when including the UNDP Human Development Index and the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap variable, using refugees’ country of birth. Findings indicate robust results that female refugees do not benefit from increases in human development, while both male and female refugees benefit from increases in gender equality. These results have important implications for refugee policy in the form of cash assistance or vocational training."
High Throughput in Silico Identification of α-Syn Aggregation Inhibitors for Parkinson's Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2096,Amrutha Srivatsav; Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Faculty,11-30-2021,"Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is caused by the depletion of dopamine as a result of aggregates formed by a protein called alpha-synuclein (a-syn), which are toxic and kill dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta brain region. PD currently only has some symptomatic treatments that lose effectiveness over time. The purpose of this study was to identify drugs that bind to the fibril forming segment of the non-amyloid beta component (NAC) domain of neuronal membrane bound a-syn. These drugs will inhibit other a-syn monomers from binding and prevent further a-syn aggregation, slowing the progression of PD.  Molecular docking was used to run a high throughput screening of 646 FDA approved drugs. The interactions between each drug and a-syn were analyzed and compared to those of Baicalein and SynuClean-D, two drugs that can inhibit a-syn aggregation by binding with the NAC domain but are not FDA approved.   13 drugs were identified that can potentially be used to inhibit membrane bound a-syn aggregation and were almost 6 times more potent than Baicalein and 10 times more potent than SynuClean-D at binding with a-syn’s NAC domain. The Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) penetrability of these top 13 drugs was assessed, indicating the drugs with a higher likelihood of penetrating the BBB. The results of this study appoint Telmisartan and Ibrutinib as FDA approved, BBB penetrable drugs that could inhibit membrane bound a-syn aggregation, slowing the progression of PD. Verifying these results through in vitro experiments can result in identifying a promising treatment for PD."
"Applications of Feature Engineering and Logistic Regression to Analyze Microchip Performance  Using key features of machine learning to calculate, generate, and enhance a nonlinear decision boundary",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2331,Agranya Ketha; Dr. Guillermo Goldsztein,11-30-2021,"Machine learning is an adaptive concept that has applications in several other industries. Businesses can use it to create real-time and predictive analyses of corporate data to identify consumer trends, calculate product success rates, visualizing short- and long-term business models, and more. This paper takes machine learning algorithms to analyze microchip performance. Beginning with an introduction of fundamental concepts of machine learning — including feature, labels, and classification vs regression models — the paper’s example is introduced with a scatterplot visualization, a definition of the loss function binary cross entropy, and the parameters of the dataset. The third and fourth sections explain the critical function of feature engineering and its utility in refining the decision boundary to best separate the data classes with minimal error. The final section reiterates the main idea that machine learning is ubiquitously applicable and, like the example in this paper, has many cross-industrial functions."
The Response of 3D Printed Breast Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy Drugs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1957,Saanvi Garg; M. Hunt,11-30-2021,"3D culture of breast cancer cells gives researchers a better understanding of how cells behave in the  human body and a better representation of their response to cancer therapy compared to 2D. Breast  cancer cells also interact with other cell types in the body, including endothelial cells in the blood vessels.  While endothelial cells have been co-cultured with breast cells to study tissue growth/development,  cancer metastasis, and angiogenesis, 3D breast structures have not been used to study cancer  metabolism- accomplished with this project. The purpose is to determine how cell  metabolism changes in A) 2D vs. 3D culture; B) monoculture vs. co-culture; and C) no treatment vs. Paclitaxel treatment. I hypothesize that Paclitaxel will have a greater effect on cell  metabolism when breast cells are co-cultured with endothelial cells. Data was collected with three  varying techniques, 2D Monolayer Printing, Manual 3D Hydrogel, and 3D Printing. The 3D Printed data displayed increased efficiency between trials of the same cell type and could be used to develop new  drugs in a low-cost and efficient manner. The most important finding is with both 3D techniques, the absorbance had a further decrease for the Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) co-culture with cancerous cells than the 2D data. The metabolism of cancer cells is approximately eight times greater than normal cells, so decreasing the absorbance in cancer cells over noncancerous cells has a greater impact. 3D cell structures are essential to create co-cultures to study and develop drugs with cell interactions using endothelial cells."
Health Habits and Attitudes of Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2084,Eugene Reicher; Dr. Jessica Ricci,11-30-2021,"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted adolescent health and lifestyle. This study aims to evaluate adolescent physical and mental health, and behaviors and attitudes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 7-12th grade students in one Los Angeles independent suburban school (Sierra Canyon School) and statistically analyzed their anonymous responses. Two surveys were administered: Survey 1 in March 2021, when the school had been closed to in-person learning for approximately one year, and Survey 2 in May 2021, about six weeks after the school had opened for voluntary in-person learning. Survey 2 included additional demographic questions about gender, political affiliation, and race/ethnicity to evaluate the correlation between these factors and COVID-related issues. We used linear regression to analyze correlations between parameters characterizing various aspects of health habits, attitudes, and behaviors and evaluated the statistical significance of the differences using Student’s t-test. We were most interested in analyzing the impact of school reopening by comparing the data in Survey 1 to Survey 2. The main result is that the return to in-school learning had a pronounced positive effect not only on the education quality but also on a number of various aspects of adolescent health and behavior. In addition, the survey showed interesting, sometimes surprising, correlations between distinct parameters, for example, the effects of gender on physical and mental health; or political affiliation on COVID-related attitudes and behavior."
"Loving Wisely: Gender, Wisdom, and Ourania in Xenophon's Symposium",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2478,Elizabeth Casey; Namrata Narula,11-30-2021,"Xenophon’s Symposium details a dinner party including Socrates in a manner like Plato’s Symposium. Also similar to Plato’s Symposium, Xenophon’s Socrates speaks on the nature of love, and the different types of love; Ourania, heavenly, and Pandemos, common. How are gender and wisdom linked to the idea of Ourania, or heavenly love between souls, as depicted in Xenophon’s Symposium? This paper will discuss whether women are capable of Ourania, which is traditionally reserved for only men. To answer this question, this paper will first show how wisdom is inherently tied to Ourania. This is because the love of souls involves knowledge of the soul, which is wisdom, or sophia. Then, it goes on to argue that virtues, including wisdom, can be taught. Finally, women are reintroduced, and it is argued that women can be taught wisdom. Consequently, this paperconcludes that women are capable of Ourania, for their souls can be wise."
Solutions to Some Real-Life Problems Based on Mathematical Modeling and Functional Minimization,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2082,Oleksii Babaskin; Mr. Tadeo,11-30-2021,"Building mathematical models that can describe, predict, and explain real-life phenomena is useful. This paper features the functional dependency model and the square of this functional dependency which hold significant information. A mathematical model that relates these functional dependencies with the average value of the function was developed to show that for an arbitrary well-behaved function, the definite integral of the square of the function over a finite interval is minimal when the function is constant over the interval. Finally, the model’s validity and accuracy in representing real-world problems for different situations in physics like mechanics, quantum mechanics, and electricity in economics were evaluated."
Punctuation Restoration for Speech Transcripts using seq2seq Transformers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2249,Aviv Melamud; Alina Duran,11-30-2021,"When creating text transcripts from spoken audio, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems need to infer appropriate punctuation in order to make the transcription more readable. This task, known as punctuation restoration, is challenging since punctuation is not explicitly stated in speech. Most recent works framed punctuation restoration as a classification task and used pre-trained encoder-based transformers, such as BERT, to perform it. In this work, we present an alternative approach, framing punctuation restoration as a sequence-to-sequence task and using T5, a pretrained encoder-decoder transformer model, as the basis of our implementation. Training our model on IWSLT 2012, a common punctuation restoration benchmark, we find its performance is comparable to state of the art classification-based systems with an F1 score of 80.7 on the test set. Furthermore, we argue that our approach might be more flexible in its ability to adapt to more complex types of outputs, such as predicting more than one punctuation mark in a row."
A User Study of E-commerce during the Covid-19 Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2359,Anika Krishnan; Kavana Ramesh,11-30-2021,"Covid-19 has forced most people around us with access to the internet to begin shopping online. For some, it is the efficiency, and for others, it is the fear of the virus. Items that were rarely bought online, are now becoming a commodity for viewing online. Groceries and thrifted items are some examples. Most websites have increased traffic because of how prevalent shopping at online sites has become in the past year and a half. For this experimental study, I interviewed multiple people and deduced some central ideas about online shopping during and following the pandemic. I interviewed each person about their day to day lives and how online shopping has played a role in it during the pandemic. I recorded these responses and found surprising similarities between each person. Everyone that I interviewed said that they would continue online shopping after the pandemic. Most people found that the pandemic had been an “eye-opener”, in that, online shopping saved an astounding amount of time. Overall, buying things online has become somewhat of a habit for people during the pandemic. "
The Potential for Liberation Feminism in Hindu Practices and its Patriarchal Origins  Does original knowledge facilitate the perception of liberation feminism in Hindu practices?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2216,Naisha Didwania; Maya Novak-Herzog,11-30-2021,"Hinduism is accused of suppressing its women devotees, despite a history suggesting a matriarchal approach. Over the years, original knowledge surrounding religious practices have been lost due to misinterpretation, misinformation and autonomy over said knowledge by certain groups. The purpose of this essay is to explore the various practices that accuse Hinduism of being anti-feminist, and to identify their origins to understand the role that both culture and religious doctrine played in promoting women's inferiority, as well as which had greater influence. Previous research relies heavily on scriptural understanding and secondary data analysis, despite the fact that overreliance on scriptures is one of the major contributors to the spread of false information regarding the divorce between the intentions of the religious doctrine and subsequent traditions and customs. I interviewed practitioners of the religion coming from various backgrounds and used the primary data to theorise the origination of women's oppression and means to reduce its continuation. The understanding behind religious practices such as Sati, Pativrata and taboos surrounding female priesthood and menstruation yield results that attribute the patriarchy to factors that were not intrinsic to Hinduism. Hence, my findings conclude that women’s original knowledge of the fundamental tenets of Hinduism understood as anti-feminist facilitate their empowerment. Therefore, furthering original knowledge of ‘sexist ideals’ can increase the potential for liberation feminism for Hindu women by reducing the prevalence of conservative practices. "
Comparing Different Data Types for Predicting the Apple Stock,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1832,Amanda Guan; Dr. Ellsworth,11-30-2021,"Stock markets are at the heart of market economies, and stock market prediction is a hot topic in research. There are many methods of prediction, and they often use different types of data. The two main types are technical and fundamental data. This paper explores company-specific prediction through predicting the direction of the Apple stock. Three neural networks that use different input data are compared. The Tech model uses technical data, the Comp model uses numerical fundamental data with an emphasis on company data, and the Text model uses textual news data. Several metrics, including ones useful for preventing bias when dealing with imbalanced data, were used to compare the models. The Comp and Text models showed prediction bias, and two more models, W-Comp and W-Text, were trained to attempt to mitigate that bias. The Comp model performed the best out of the original models, and W-Comp also showed good performance. W-Text performed the best out of all the models. This suggests that numerical fundamental data is useful in predicting the market, and textual data also has potential. Future research could be used to improve the performance of all the models and more thoroughly compare the types of data used."
Application of Artificial Intelligence for the Prediction of Solvation Free Energies for Covid-19 Drug Discovery,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1891,Sampreeth Immidisetty; Deepak Agrawal,11-30-2021,"Solvation free energy is a key indicator of the effectiveness of a drug molecule. There are several applications of predicting the solvation free energies of chemical compounds using quantum mechanical methods. However, these methods take a long time and are costly. For that reason, the application of recently developed artificial intelligence techniques for the prediction of solvation free energies is becoming increasingly valuable in drug discovery to address time and the high-cost issues with traditional quantum mechanical approaches. In this paper, we present application of two different artificial intelligence models for predicting solute-solvent free solvation energy for Covid-19 drug design. The research involves building, training, evaluating and comparing the performances of the two models on a large dataset, then predicting solvation free energies for 138 known APIs and 28 organic solvents that could potentially be used as a Covid-19 medicine. The potential repurposing of 138 drugs for Covid-19 from solubility perspective is novel. We demonstrate the application of the AI models and derive several conclusions regarding suitability of the APIs and their efficacy. We conclude our research by providing insights on how our work can be put to future use towards drug development."
Warburg Effect and Cancer Survival,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2348,"William Panosyan, Daniel Panosyan; Eduard Panosyan",11-30-2021,"Warburg effect is a major metabolic shift of glycolysis in cancer cells towards anaerobic fermentation. Key reaction here overproduces lactate from pyruvate catalyzed by lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA). Augmented Warburg effect and oncometabolism may contribute to cancer progression worsening patients’ survival. Expressions of various key enzymes were used as surrogates to validate the clinical influence of metabolic alterations in cancers. Expression and Kaplan-Meier survival data were extracted from the R2 Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform (R2) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA). Expression of LDHA gene was 2-4 times higher than normal tissues in certain cancers including breast, colon, genitourinary and B-cell lymphomas. No cancer specificity or strong associations were observed between RNA and protein expressions of LDHA. However, higher LDHA gene expression correlated with poorer survival in renal, liver, lung, pancreatic, cervical and breast cancers. These cancers moderately or strongly stained for LDHA protein. Per HPA, gliomas had low LDHA without survival correlation. Nevertheless, this correlation was observed in the largest glioblastoma database (R2). Furthermore, 3 of 4 medulloblastoma subtypes showed poor survival with higher LDHA. Contrarily, in B-cell lymphomas and colon cancer high LDHA was a favorable prognostic marker. Poor survival correlated with high expression of other enzymes for glycolysis and amino acid metabolism (PFK-isoenzymes, GFPT2 and BCAT1). Warburg effect may not be universally dominant for all cancers, but most cancers have high LDHA and/or associated poor survival, confirming importance of this metabolic derangement in cancers. Heterogeneity of metabolic alterations can serve to diversify anti-metabolic strategies for targeted anti-cancer therapies."
Optimization of a Convolutional Neural Network for the Automated Diagnosis of Melanoma,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2130,Kemka Ihemelandu; Chukwuemeka Ihemelandu,11-27-2021,"The incidence of melanoma has been increasing rapidly over the past two decades, making melanoma a current public health crisis. Unfortunately, even as screening efforts continue to expand in an effort to ameliorate the death rate from melanoma, there is a need to improve diagnostic accuracy to decrease misdiagnosis. Artificial intelligence (AI) a new frontier in patient care has the ability to improve the accuracy of melanoma diagnosis. Convolutional neural network (CNN) a form of deep neural network, most commonly applied to analyze visual imagery, has been shown to outperform the human brain in pattern recognition. However, there are noted limitations with the accuracy of the CNN models. Our aim in this study was the optimization of convolutional neural network algorithms for the automated diagnosis of melanoma. We hypothesized that Optimal selection of the momentum and batch hyperparameter increases model accuracy. Our most successful model developed during this study, showed that optimal selection of momentum of 0.25, batch size of 2, led to a superior performance and a faster model training time, with an accuracy of ~ 83% after nine hours of training. We did notice a lack of diversity in the dataset used, with a noted class imbalance favoring lighter vs. darker skin tone. Training set image transformations did not result in a superior model performance in our study."
The Improvement of Total Rewards and Working Condition for Taekwondo Instructor in the COVID-19 Era  A Comparative Study between the U.S. and Korea,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2113,Hyunjun Ju; Eileen Lee,11-25-2021,"The purpose of this study is to identify the overall difficulties of the Taekwondo industry due to the COVID-19 situation and to find ways to improve the total rewards and working condition so that Taekwondo instructors can play their roles while maintaining their self-esteem. The method of this study was a comparative study of the U.S. and Korea, which is the home country of Taekwondo. For this study, 12 American and Korean instructors were interviewed and additional surveys were conducted. As a result, both American and Korean Taekwondo instructors were playing their roles with high self-esteem. However, there were differences in job classification, allowances pay, incentives, and self-development opportunities. In U.S., Taekwondo instructors are clearly defined their tasks based on the job classification system and are applied well-designed overtime pay, incentive system and vacation plans. On the other hand, Korean instructors were working overtime and overworking without additional compensation to maintain long-term vision and employment relations. Comparative studies show that both countries have improvements to learn from each other. Taekwondo instructors in the U.S. need to increase their self-esteem in taekwondo while providing instructors with a vision for long-term careers. Taekwondo instructors in Korea need to improve total rewards and develop new skills such as mental training, counseling, and online lessons. The study will contribute to the overall improvement of total rewards, working condition and career development of taekwondo instructors in the U.S. and Korea."
Identification and Analysis of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria in LEAF Community Garden Soil,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2151,"Pooja Ramadas, Dhruv Pathak; Prabhjeet Kaur",11-23-2021,"In today’s largely populated modern world, crop yield is becoming increasingly important. To increase crop yield, new modern technologies for farming are continuously being innovated. The aim of this study is the identification of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPBs) and their properties. In order to conduct the experiment, soil samples were collected from the community garden LEAF (Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont). These samples were grown in Luria Bertani agar plates, and the two bacterial strains that grew from them were analyzed to determine the species of the bacteria. Using a DNA extraction kit, DNA was extracted from the bacteria and then amplified versions were sent to RF Biotech for DNA sequencing. The DNA sequences were then used to determine that the two bacterial species in question are Bacillus cereus and Morganella morganii. Afterwards, multiple assays were used to measure the efficiency of each bacterial species to absorb various substances that would be helpful for plant growth. The aim of this research is to better understand which bacterial strains are beneficial for plants, and which are harmful. Through having greater zones of inhibition, the bacterial species M. morganii proved to be more efficient in the siderophore and phosphate solubilization assays. In contrast, the bacterial species B. cereus proved to be more efficient in the cellulase and amylase production assays. These results will assist LEAF in enriching their soil in order to increase their crop yields by creating an increase in concentration of advantageous bacteria and decrease that of detrimental bacteria."
Was there any widespread fraud in 2020 presidential election? What does Benford's Law say?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1848,Deeya Datta; Dr. David Banks,11-22-2021,"Fair elections free of any interference are integral tenets of any functioning democracy, and widespread election fraud is undoubtedly a serious threat to a free republic. While instances of electoral fraud are much more prevalent in countries with illiberal democracies, the U.S has recently faced such an accusation. Although he was unable to provide any concrete evidence, the former U.S. President Donald Trump accused his opponent, Joe Biden, now president, of electoral fraud after the presidential election. Fortunately, election forensics are often successful in investigating the validity of such fraud allegations. In this paper, I applied Benford’s law, a rule that should stand up to any large set of natural numbers, such as un-tampered electoral data. Using this law and basic statistical analysis of votes of U.S. counties for candidates of the two major parties, I completed a forensic analysis to investigate Mr. Trump’s allegation. My comprehensive investigation does not find any evidence supporting his allegation."
Predicting Flying Robot Dynamics with Deep Learning,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1839,Brian Li; Nathan Lambert,11-22-2021,"With the rapid increase in the power of computing and technological advances in robotics, research in the field of robotics has rapidly become very expansive. Being able to accurately predict movements of a robot is vital to many applications within this field, allowing for more precise simulation and prototyping as well as more accurate control of robotic systems. In this paper, we present an adaptable neural network that accurately predicts the movement of quadcopter robotic agents which can be expanded to encompass many more robots and applications given the requisite data, producing accurate results within a small margin for error."
To determine the effect of healthcare policy implementation on the COVID-19 pandemic.,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2156,Aaroosh Mishra; Dr. Ravi Mishra,11-21-2021,"As the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has spread across the USA, some states have been impacted in different ways than others. This is due to factors such as the implementation of public health guidelines, primarily mask usage, and vaccination rates. With the Delta variant already causing much damage and with newer variants mutating, it is imperative to understand the spread of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.  The study examined five states - Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana - and their respective COVID-19 cases. Data on these states were collected from the US Census Bureau and the CDC. The data was then compared between each state as well as to the USA. Finally, the data were analyzed and visualized using statistics software.  First, COVID-19 cases were normalized by dividing by population in millions to get a standard measure, Daily Cases Per Million (DPCM), to compare the five states. Next, we used the CDC data to create a timeline, which was used to compare case data between states. Additionally, the CDC data was used to compare states concerning non-communicable disorders.  Our analysis showed that the vaccination rate reduced while the masking mandates were interrupted for more than two months, with a rapid rise in delta variant of COVID-19 virus. Thus, from the study, it can be concluded that vaccines and mask usage are the most critical factors in preventing COVID-19 transmission."
Simulation of Excited Molecule Propagation to Determine Plasma Sterilization Effectiveness in Lumens,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1901,"Clair Koo; Andy Poggio, Tarn Wilson",11-20-2021,"Sterilizing or disinfecting medical narrow-lumen instruments such as endoscopes is a highly difficult process. Although plasma sterilization is effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, its effectiveness is dependent on the density of plasma-generated, excited particles that attack the microorganisms. The lifetime of the excited particles is not long, and their survival is a function of operating condition and geometry. The current study employs a numerical method to investigate the propagation and density of the excited nitrogen molecules in a narrow lumen and to identify the conditions where the plasma sterilization is effective. The plasma gas properties are calculated using the gas kinetic theory, and different lifetimes are assumed for excited molecules. The simulation results show that the survival of excited particles in a lumen increases more than 10 times when the pressure is reduced by a factor of 10. Thus, it is highly recommended that the plasma be operated at lower pressure to increase the sterilization efficiency of narrow lumen devices."
Heuristic Oncological Prognosis Evaluator (HOPE): Deep-Learning Framework to Detect Multiple Cancers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2070,"Anu Iyer; Lee Conrad, Fred Prior",11-20-2021,"Cancer is the common name used to categorize a collection of diseases. In the United States, there were an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases and 600,000 cancer deaths in 2020. Though it has been proven that an early diagnosis can significantly reduce cancer mortality, cancer screening is inaccessible to much of the world’s population. Machine learning approaches are increasingly successful in image-based diagnosis, disease prognosis, and risk assessment. A literature search with the Google Scholar and PubMed databases from January 2020 to June 2021 determined that currently, no machine learning model (n=0/417) has an accuracy of 90% or higher in diagnosing multiple cancers. We propose our model HOPE, the Heuristic Oncological Prognosis Evaluator, a transfer learning diagnostic tool for the screening of patients with common cancers. By applying this approach to magnetic resonance (MRI) and digital whole slide pathology images, HOPE 2.0 demonstrates an overall accuracy of 95.52% in classifying brain, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer. HOPE 2.0 is a unique state-of-the-art model, as it possesses the ability to analyze multiple types of image data (radiology and pathology) and has an accuracy higher than existing models. HOPE 2.0 may ultimately aid in accelerating the diagnosis of multiple cancer types, resulting in improved clinical outcomes compared to previous research that focused on singular cancer diagnosis."
Yoga Pose Perfection using Deep Learning  An Algorithm to Estimate the Error in Yogic Poses,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2140,Satyam Goyal; Animesh Jain,11-20-2021,"Abstract  Even with lots of attention and work in the computer vision and artificial intelligence field, human body pose detection is still a daunting task. The application of human pose detection is wide-ranging from health monitoring to public security. This paper focuses on the application in yoga, an art that has been performed for over a millennium. In modern society yoga has become a common method of exercise and there-in arises a demand for instructions on how to do yoga properly. Doing certain yoga postures improperly may lead to injuries and fatigue and hence the presence of a trainer becomes important. As many people don’t have the resources to have a yoga instructor or guide, artificial intelligence can act as a substitute and advise people on their poses. Currently, the research surrounding pose estimation for yoga mainly discusses the classification of yogic poses. In this work, we propose a method, using the Tensorflow MoveNet Thunder model, that allows real-time pose estimation to detect the error in a person's pose, thereby allowing them to correct it."
Machine Learning Application on Prediction of Male Breast Cancer with PLCO Dataset,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2199,Juntao Li; Dr. Ganesh Mani,11-20-2021,"The objective of the paper is to explore and examine the applicability of machine learning models on Male Breast Cancer with PLCO dataset. People who are unaware of the potential danger of getting breast cancer like males would not have the medical awareness beforehand for predictions. Therefore, the PLCO trials dataset consisting of ages, prostate status, marriage status etc. from National Institute of Cancer is used in this research for detection. The main purpose of using PLCO test is to discover the potential risk of getting an Male Breast Cancer (MBC) as soon as possible with low cost and easy collection. It is the rarity of MBC that imposes the threat for males who are unaware of the danger. To explore the relatively most suitable models to use for detecting MBC using non-traditional PLCO test dataset, different existing models including decision tree, random forest, DBSCAN, One Class SVM and so on were used to fit the data. Due to its extremity of imbalance, evaluation comes from the combination of standard accuracy and Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics(AUROC) for the overall accuracy of those models mentioned above. K-means and Logistic Regression models performed best with the AUC score of 0.62 and 0.67. Results suggested that more efficient approaches for common male breast cancer diagnosis or more advanced models and algorithms are needed in further study."
Sports at Play in American Politics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1876,Jonathan Shen; Courtenay Shrimpton,11-18-2021,"Sports have been a vital element to American entertainment for decades, which are only gaining popularity. Various sport events allow Americans to temporarily escape the stress associated with their social lives and the divisiveness of partisan politics; however, a closer look at the numerous features of sport games reveal an intricate connection between American sports and politics. With the mandatory playing of the national anthem and the integration of sports and political terminology, sport games in America have become a platform to impose various political ideals. This paper will first introduce how the usage of sport terminologies in politics can simplify a complex process into a game of “winners and losers,” which can further political polarization and disincentivize bipartisan collaboration. It will then aim to demonstrate how the imposition of novel rituals that stem from nationalistic and militaristic values can silent dissenting opinions and enforce a homogenous yet unjustified “American Identity.” However, the final part of this paper aims to showcase the alternate impacts that sports can have on politics, especially in the realm of sports-driven activism. This paper does not aim to take a stance on the exact impact that sports can have on American politics, as it is mostly likely to be multi-dimensional, but to unveil to the reader how sports, an entity that is seemingly designed as a form of escape from political agendas, can in reality have substantial impacts on America’s political atmosphere. "
"A Comparative Analysis of Japanese, Mexican and English Marketing Practices: Examining the Influence of Culture on Marketing",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2109,Stephanie Nelson; Travis Smith,11-09-2021,"This research paper examines how the distinct cultures of Japan, Mexico and Great Britain influence companies’ respective marketing strategies. These three countries were chosen specifically because of their vast cultural differences and their location on three different continents. First, the paper will compare each country’s economic outlook in order to more thoroughly understand each country’s market and consumer behavior. Next, each country’s culture will be explored through several distinguishing aspects such as religion, family structure, gender roles, society, etc. A summary of each country’s consumer behavior and consumer ethics will be given. Next, specific examples of companies that have led successful marketing campaigns in each country will be analyzed in order to determine how they used cross-cultural marketing. The companies used were Coca-Cola for Mexico, Kit-Kat and Louis Vuitton for Japan and Five-Guys for Great Britain. These results can help companies which are trying to launch their products in international markets understand different consumer behavior and markets world-wide."
Trends of industry-leading biotechnology stocks during COVID-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2068,Navia Zhang; Meredith Haskins,11-09-2021,"The 2019-nCoV coronavirus has significantly impacted the macroeconomic outlook for countries across the world. The biotechnology sector experienced a relatively positive stock price outlook, which corroborates the trends exhibited by biotechnology stocks in previous pandemics such as SARS (2003) and AH1N1 (2009). During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine roll-out rates have been more efficient than in any other pandemic, as companies today are more experienced in combating the time constraint to create vaccines. Gilead Sciences Inc. saw its shares rise 18% after developing the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, 'remdesivir'. In contrast, AstraZeneca's shares fell 2.28% in 2021 after its vaccine underwent investigations into blood-clotting side effects and subsequent suspension from several countries. Companies developing mRNA vaccines like Moderna, BioNTech, and Pfizer witnessed surges in share prices ranging from 10% to 20%. Many newer biotech companies such as Genexie, Sanovi, OnoSec, and Vaxart have also developed vaccines for COVID-19. Share prices are more volatile for these less established companies. This paper observes how developing new technologies, staging clinical trials, obtaining FDA approvals, gaining publicity, and several other complex factors have profound impacts on the stock prices of these biotechnology companies. "
Trends in Clinical Trial Registration in Dentistry: An Analysis of Registered Clinical Trials in the Clinical Research Information Service from 2013 to 2021 in South Korea,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2121,Hye In Lee; Dr. Young-Ran Yoon,11-08-2021,"The Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) in South Korea provides a clinical trial registry platform in which all clinical trials should be mandatorily and prospectively registered. However, to date, the registration status of clinical trials in the field of dentistry has not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to provide an overview of the methodological design and trends of the registered clinical trials over a period of nine years. Information about registered clinical trials in the field of dentistry from the CRIS was comprehensively collected from 2013 to 2021. The details assessed from the collected trials include: type of sponsors, recruitment status, study design, randomization, allocation concealment, single or multi-centric, retrospective or prospective registration, and publication status. A total of 65 registered clinical trials were identified. The number of clinical trials in dentistry in South Korea was found to be less; however, an increasing trend was observed in the recent three years. A majority of the trials were interventional (81.5%), single-centered (86.2%), and conducted on patients (81.5%) and in private hospitals (55.4%). A considerable number of trials had an unclear phase, were retrospectively registered, and rarely published. Regarding the quality, most trials have inadequately reported the method of randomization and allocation concealment. The number of clinical trials in dentistry is still low in South Korea, and most of them were registered retrospectively. A poor-quality reporting of methods at several specific areas was observed. It is necessary for dental investigators to raise awareness of the need to register clinical trials."
Dataset-Agnostic Vessel Segmentation of Retinal Fundus Images by a Vector Quantized Variational Autoencoder,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2280,Tejas Prabhune; David Walz,11-07-2021,"The use of retinal fundus images plays a major role in the diagnosis of various diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Doctors frequently perform vessel segmentation as a key step for retinal image analysis. This is laborious and time-consuming; AI researchers are developing the U-Net model to automate this process. However, the U-Net model struggles to generalize its predictions across datasets due to variability in fundus images. To overcome these limitations, I propose a cross-domain Vector Quantized Variational Autoencoder (VQ-VAE) that is dataset-agnostic - regardless of the training dataset, the VQ-VAE can accurately classify vessel segmentations. The model does not have to be retrained for each different target dataset, eliminating the need for new data, resources, and time. The VQ-VAE consists of an encoder-decoder network with a custom discrete embedding space. The encoder's result is quantized through this embedding space then decoded to produce a segmentation mask. Both this VQ-VAE and a U-Net model were trained on the DRIVE dataset and tested on the DRIVE, IOSTAR, and CHASE_DB1 datasets. Both models were successful on the dataset they were trained on - DRIVE. However, the U-Net failed to generate vessel segmentation masks when tested with other datasets while the VQ-VAE performed with high accuracy. Quantitatively, the VQ-VAE performed well, having F1 scores from 0.758 to 0.767 across datasets. My model can produce convincing segmentation masks for new retinal image datasets without additional data, time, and resources. Applications include using the VQ-VAE after fundus image is taken to streamline the vessel segmentation process."
CRISPR as a Potential Technique to Reduce Suicide Risk,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2240,Hidemi Zamora; Javier Cornejo,11-07-2021,"As suicide is the nineteenth leading cause of death worldwide, it is important to focus on discovering ways to reduce the risk of suicide-related death as much as possible. With CRISPR starting to become increasingly popular over the past few years, this gene editing technique has been used to study how to edit, turn off, or knock out multiple parts of the genome. However, research on genes related to diseases as cystic fibrosis or Alzheimer’s disease has been mainly prioritized and, even though they are of high importance as well, important issues such as suicide have been left into oblivion.  Four genes have been proven to be key in influencing suicide risk, showing that not only environmental factors account for an increased possibility of death by this cause. Therefore, gene editing techniques such as CRISPR could be applied in order to knock out those genes and reduce this risk. This research used Synthego’s guide RNA design tool to predict how the use of CRISPR can be helpful in knocking out those four suicide-related genes and, consequently, in preventing suicide. The top-ranked guide RNAs for each gene were used, showing the best results possible and with the least number of off-targets, which, in turn, demonstrates the effectiveness of CRISPR as a potential technique to reduce the number of suicide-related deaths worldwide."
Predicting drought using Bayesian structural time series model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1907,"Sophia Wang, Connor Lee; Dr. XL Pang",11-06-2021,"The western U.S. has been experiencing a mega-scale drought since 2000. By killing trees and drying out forests, the drought triggers widespread wildfire activities. In the 2020 California fire season alone, more than 10.3 million acres of land were burned and over 10000 structures were damaged. The estimated cost is over $12 billion. Drought also devastates agriculture and drains the social and emotional well-being of impacted communities.   This work aims at predicting the occurrence and severity of drought, and thus helping mitigate drought related adversaries. A machine learning based framework was developed, including time series data collection, model training, forecast and visualization. The data source is from the National Drought Monitor center with FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) geographic identification codes. For model training and forecasting, a Bayesian structural time series (BSTS) based statistical model was employed for a time-series forecasting of drought spatially and temporally. In the model, a time-series component captures the general trend and seasonal patterns in the data; a regression component captures the impact of the drought in measurements such as severity of drought, temperature, etc. The statistical measure, Mean Absolute Percentage Error, was used as the model accuracy metric. The last 10 years of drought data up to 2020-09-01 was used for model training and validation. Back-testing was implemented to validate the model . Afterwards, the drought forecast was generated for the upcoming 3 weeks of the United States based on the unit of county level. 2-D heat maps were also integrated for visual reference.    "
Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Microcredit for Women Microentrepreneurs,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1791,Aine Lima; Sandro Cabral,11-05-2021,"Microcredit has a fundamental role as a tool for financial inclusion. It is estimated that there are almost 50 million microentrepreneurs in Brazil, of which two-thirds are women. This work aims to analyze the impact of microcredit for women microentrepreneurs in comparison with men, based on data collected in northeastern Brazil in partnership Avante, a fintech specialized in microcredit. Data were collected from microentrepreneurs who had access to credit (treatment group) and those who did not have their credit granted (control group) so that they could be compared. The analysis was divided into two parts. In Part I, a descriptive statistical analysis of the collected data was performed. In Part II, some simplified causal inference techniques were applied to validate whether the impact of microcredit existed for women microentrepreneurs. The results give strong indications that women, despite having a lower income, grow more than men after access to microcredit. The annualized growth in income of women was 19.87%, while that of men was 14.66%."
An Analysis of How Twitter Impacts Financial Markets,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2224,Zachary Ludwig; Patryk Perkowski,11-05-2021,
AI Democratization in Optometry: Developing a Prototype with Azure Cognitive Services Platform,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1985,"Shaun Baek; Ryan Johnson, Claire Saunders, Debora Lee Chen, Katherine Lai",11-05-2021,"As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology advances, it is used in almost every aspect of our lives. However, AI is still complicated to implement without help from computer engineers. In the health care field, knowledge of medical and computer knowledge is necessary to create AI-based medical systems. Close cooperation between medical experts and computer experts is essential. For this reason, even if there has been a continuous effort to apply AI into the medical field, it has yet to be universalized. In particular, in the field of optometry and ophthalmology, more complex technology is required than in other medical fields because it is necessary to analyze an eye image to diagnose a disease. Therefore, this study explores the possibility for medical professionals with little computer knowledge in the field of ophthalmology to develop an AI-based diagnostic system without the help of computer engineers. In addition, it explores not only the possibilities but also the diagnostic accuracy of the developed system. Our results show that the diagnostic system discriminates against five common eye diseases to some extent. This study explores whether AI democratization is possible even in the field of ophthalmology that requires advanced skills and knowledge."
Classification Using 3D Point Cloud and 2D Image on Abstract Objects,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2222,Mark Yang; Guillermo Goldsztein,11-04-2021,"While classification using machine learning is exceptionally successful with 2D images, it is more challenging to classify 3D objects. However, 3D objects classification is critical because of its application in autonomous vehicles and robotics. This paper compared neural networks with similar structures using 3D point clouds and 2D images on the same objects. We also generated objects with abstract design and input them into the neural networks we created. We find clear disadvantages with classifying abstract objects compared to ordinary objects for both neural networks. We believe having contextual information will help to address this problem. We also observed that the neural network based on images performs worse than that based on point clouds. However, image based classification takes less time to train compared to point cloud based classification."
A Novel Thermoplasmonic Paint with Titanium Nitride Nanoparticles,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2275,Rhiaan Jhaveri; Dr. Ravi Mariwala,11-04-2021,"Several studies have reported the photothermal heating of colloidal nanoparticles due to plasmon-enhanced light absorption, and Titanium Nitride has emerged as a promising nanomaterial for the practical application of this phenomenon. Here, we developed a novel paint that is infused with Titanium Nitride nanoparticles. Varying concentrations of this paint were applied to copper plates and tested under natural light. Substantial heating was observed under both high-grade and low-grade light for higher concentrations. The uses of this source of heat extend to long-term solutions for reducing the prevalence of waterborne diseases in remote, rural settings via pasteurization."
COVID-19 & Anti-Mask Movement: How Jingoism is Bringing the United States Down,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1751,Colin Kim; Brian Oh,11-02-2021,"The objective of this study was to provide insight into the anti-mask phenomenon that has been occurring throughout the world. Widely broadcasted through different forms of media, these anti-mask movements are a growing concern to the scientific community, as such exposure will only deter the progress towards ending the pandemic. In order to understand the psychological motivations behind the anti-mask sentiment, the present studies 29 videos, over 120 minutes of content covering anti-mask protests in Canada, Europe, and the United States. I also used East Asia as a control variable, as I reviewed 5 videos, around 35 minutes of footage to understand the psychology that makes East Asia more receptive towards mask use. By implementing a qualitative research design, I looked for key language themes (interviews, chants, signs) in order to apply thematic analysis to connect their negative sentiments that are associated with confirmation bias and motivated reasoning. Findings regarding confirmation bias and motivated reasoning have been linked to concerns regarding personal rights and distrust with the government, media, and science communities. In particular, the United States has an issue regarding national pride in connection to individuals’ personal rights. The goal is to give insight into ways the United States can improve mask adherence for future potential pandemics."
Investigation of Benford’s Law with YouTube Social Media Statistics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1677,"Chi-Wei Chen, Shao-Yu Yu; Hsin-Yi Chen",11-02-2021,"In this study, we used social media data to investigate Benford’s Law. In our experimental analysis, we used three control variables: Total Subscriptions, Total Views, and Video Uploads of Youtube channels to verify if the data is artificial and whether or not it fits Benford’s Law. We noticed how Total Subscriptions does not fit Benford’s Law for the top 5000 most-subscribed channels, and Total Views doesn’t fit for the top 5000 most-viewed channels. The reasons that cause this difference are further investigated in this paper. We also proposed a mathematical model to verify if other datasets fit Benford’s Law. After curve fitting the experimental data, results revealed that closer a and b values in our mathematical model indicate that a dataset fits Benford’s Law."
Calming the Waters of the South China Sea: Solving Territorial Disputes over Artificial Islands,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1797,Arjun Anand; Lisa Forbes,11-02-2021,"The South China Sea region has been a site of conflict for decades, with numerous states holding competing territorial claims due to its abundance of resources and strategic importance. Recently, China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea has escalated tensions in the region and has strained efforts to bring peace. This paper observes the role of intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolving the conflict in the South China Sea. First, this paper studies the ASEAN-China code of conduct, the dispute management approach currently being negotiated between ASEAN and China. This code of conduct will govern the conduct of the countries involved in the South China Sea disputes. Furthermore, this paper proposes key provisions that should be incorporated into this code of conduct to make it more effective. Second, this paper reviews the conflicting views of ASEAN member states that impede the creation and adoption of the code of conduct. To conclude, this paper recommends an alternative solution through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), proposing that the conciliation procedure provided in UNCLOS be adopted to resolve the long standing South China Sea disputes."
Western Feminism and Rescuing Non-Western Women,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1644,Manha Waheed; César Cabezas,11-02-2021,"Western feminism has become one of the most widespread feminist ideologies in our world today and it continues to gain popularity among those in the West who attempt to aid women in foreign nations. This particular feminism is rooted in “saving” non-Western women by attempting to mould their lives so that they may feel “empowered,” much like women in the West. What Western feminism fails to account for, however, is the lack of knowledge towards cultural contexts and the harm caused by Western feminists as they attempt to save these women who they deem oppressed due to their culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze Western feminism from a variety of perspectives and find the flaws that prevent it from actually having a positive impact on women in the Global South. This essay includes references to prominent philosophic literature as well as present and historical examples of Western feminism that prove that the White Ignorance prevents these types of feminists from actually “rescuing” oppressed women. Through analyzing Western feminism from different lenses of White Ignorance, this paper provides an answer for how feminism can have a genuinely positive impact on non-Western women through the abolition of Structural White ignorance found in Western institutions and corporations."
How is economic growth correlated to index growth?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1775,Aryan Chordia; Karan Gurbani,11-02-2021,"This study will mainly focus on the relation between GDP growth and stock market index growth through various methods like the Pearson product-moment coefficient correlation, comparing the theoretical world to the real-world situation, and finally by looking at consumer sentiments and confidence. This could help various analysts, economists, and even the general public. Through the course of our study, we find out various trends in this study, at some point, the results were contradicting themselves but then our last test made it all clear, which proves that there is no correlation between GDP growth and stock market index growth, but then both of them drives from consumer confidence and consumers future actions. "
"Conviction, Votes, or Nationalism?  How intrinsic and contextual factors drives cultural policymaking",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1760,Jinxin Xu; Simone Paci,11-02-2021,"Why do policymakers pursue cultural policies? The existing literature presents several potential answers but no study has surveyed them in a comprehensive way. In this essay, I examine a diverse array of factors behind cultural policymaking. Combining domestic and international perspectives, I identify three major motivations: intrinsic demand, constituency demands and nation-building objectives. I employ a mix of qualitative and quantitative evidence to explore the hypotheses stemming from these different decision-making dynamics."
An Unforgettable Ordeal: Chinese ‘Comfort Women’ in World War II,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1798,Yuting Xie; Emily Kraeck,10-28-2021,"Using methods including analyzing firsthand testimonies, images, and secondary sources, this paper explores the multiple factors that resulted in the silence of Chinese comfort women survivors in both wartime and the postwar period: shame culture, patrichy, and lack of political and cultural support for comfort women. Due to both patriarchy and related shame culture and a lack of political, cultural, and international support for survivors, few Chinese women spoke up about their experience within the comfort women system prior to the redress movement beginning in 1991; in the 1990s, societal and government support for comfort women increased, leading many comfort women to not only share their experiences but seek justice in the process. To begin, this paper provides an overview of essential historical context, including Japanese colonialism, the establishment of “comfort women” systems, Chinese comfort womens’ suffering, and the post-war struggles and ongoing plight of victims and survivors. Next, this paper argues that due to shame, culture and patriarchy; the lack of political, cultural, and international support for comfort women; and the mental and physical trauma that they experienced, comfort women survivors refused to speak up or seek justice for decades during and after World War II. Finally, this paper investigates key differences between the Cultural Revolution and redress movement, analyzing why comfort women spoke out during the latter period but largely remained silent during the postwar period from 1945 to 1990. "
Examining the Influence of Genes Linked to Comorbidities on the Development of Diabetic Retinopathy,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1645,Ishani Das; Larry DeMuth,10-28-2021,"Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication in diabetic patients that can cause vision loss and even blindness12 {Healthline}. The condition causes bleeding in the blood vessels of the retina and ultimately interferes with the capture of photons and the transmission of neural signals to the brain3 {National Eye Institute}. Unfortunately, there is no cure available for the approximately 200,000 US citizens currently affected by DR8 {Lucas Research}. Current treatments are merely palliative and rarely restore vision. The best approach to combating DR is prevention. Understanding the root genetic causal links of DR is crucial to developing effective prevention plans.   Unlike Huntington’s Disease, which has well defined genetic origins, no single gene has been pinpointed as a causative factor for DR, despite having been extensively researched. Since diabetes alone isn’t enough to predict the progression to DR4{NCBI}, one can hypothesize that a combination of diabetes and at least one other comorbidity, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc., may be essential to the development of DR. In this way, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with other comorbidities could increase the likelihood of retinal bleeding in diabetic populations. The identification of these SNPs would offer valuable insight into the development of a genetically-driven prevention plan for diabetic retinopathy. "
Analysis of Nanjing River Treatment Based on PPP,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2305,Wang Howard; Hongying Ji,10-27-2021,"The PPP model is an essential tool to understand how different stakeholders cooperate and their respective roles in river management in Nanjing. This article adopts a qualitative research approach to do research design and uses semi-structured interviews to collect data. After analyzing, we find that the government, enterprise, and NGOs work together collaboratively to achieve a win-win situation within the PPP model. Although NGOs are not included in the original PPP model, in our study, we found that in the practice of river management in Nanjing, NGOs served asa bridge, connecting the public and private sectors."
Win At Any Cost: Examining Personality Correlates of Achievement in Adolescent Athletes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2052,Winston Park; Matthew Herman,10-23-2021,"Achievement in sports is often attributed to being highly competitive or doing “whatever it takes” to win as opposed to being agreeable. The current consensus is that these traits, manifested as hypercompetitiveness, Machiavellianism, and agreeableness, tend to be highly related within adult populations and athletes. Machiavellianism, the “whatever it takes' ' attribute and hypercompetitiveness have been found to be positively correlated with one another while both are negatively correlated with agreeableness. Previous studies have failed to examine the same phenomenon in individual-sport adolescent athlete populations, in addition to how these trends may influence athletic achievement. In this study, a random sampling of an adolescent athlete population was given a battery of personality scales: The Hypercompetitive Attitude Scale, the MACH-IV, and an IPIP Agreeableness Measure. The participants’ highest national rankings in their sport were also examined. Previous findings in adult populations were replicated in this study, as Machiavellianism and hypercompetitiveness were found to have a strong negative correlation with agreeableness(r= -0.678, p= 0.000039, and r= -0.690, p= 0.000025, respectively). Machiavellianism displayed a moderate, positive correlation with hypercompetitiveness(r= 0.496, p= 0.005312). However, the differences in Machiavellianism and hypercompetitiveness between those who had achieved a rank of at least top 15 in the country and other participants were not found to be statistically significant. These results show that athletic achievement in adolescents was not significantly affected by the personality traits of Machiavellianism and hypercompetitiveness. Additional research is needed to discover what personality traits constitute a champion.    "
Between Nationalism and Beaconism  How Do Chinese Students in the United States Think of the Social and Cultural Issues.,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/2218,Jun Wang; Henry L. Cheng,10-14-2021,"This study investigated how Chinese people in the U.S. view racism and racial issues from the perspective of Chinese university students in the U.S.. The research is based on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to define racism and found that the majority of Chinese college students regard the situation as a problematic one, and they are supportive of civil rights movements such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate. Additionally, though most of the interviewees have not heard of CRT, through their responses to other questions, they show acceptance of the concepts of CRT; for example, almost all of the interviewees responded that they would consider racism as a social problem instead of a personal one."
Identification of Novel Protein Targets for Fenugreek to Treat Diabetes: A Molecular Docking Study,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1739,"Haasini Nandyala, Ariel Pham , Anushka Wagle, Hansika Daggolu, Amrita Guha , Reya Sankar , Chloe Chan, Dipti Venkatesh ; Gayathri Renganathan",10-10-2021,"Abstract: Trigonella foenum-graecum has been shown to have anti-diabetic potential through a wide variety of in-vivo assays as well as by inhibiting enzymes such as alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase. Studies have indicated the therapeutic potential of different phytoconstituents found in Trigonella foenum-graceum including diosgenin trigonelline, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, leucine, and L-lysine. This study aims to find novel protein targets that these specific phytoconstituents from fenugreek can bind to, thereby helping to treat diabetes mellitus. Through multiple stages of molecular docking and analyzing the binding sites in comparison to previously reported inhibitors, a suitable and novel target protein for four of the compounds was found and the relevance to diabetes was discussed, setting up these compounds as novel inhibitors for the target proteins."
Meeting the Real “Gini” of India:  An Analysis of Indian Respondents’ Perceptions of Income Inequality in India,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1618,Aman Gulati; Ms. Kah Ying,10-10-2021,"Based on our fraught human history of widespread revolts, it is often presumed that income inequality can disrupt the status-quo. In recent years, researchers have come to question this connection between actual inequality and adverse political results. The findings show that most people around the world are unable to gauge societal inequality through relative comparisons, and are uncertain about both the magnitude and directionality of the gap. The aim of this study was twofold: 1) to assess the disparity between Indian respondents’ perceived and actual ratings of income inequality in India using a Gini Coefficient score; and 2) to identify factors that influenced these ratings. Almost 250 respondents from a wide cross-section of India participated in an online survey to give their perceived ratings of India’s Gini coefficient score along with the factors that influenced their responses.  Over 90.2% considered the degree of inequality in India to be far higher than the actuality, thus showing the great extent to which they consider their country to be an unequal one. The analysis identifies “Quality of Governance” as the only statistically significant predictor for improving income inequality, showing that the government is considered to be the primary bearer of responsibility for providing quality education and healthcare, which is sadly lacking. Nonetheless, the findings constitute a “call to action” for the Indian Government to implement more effective policies to tackle these issues. Future studies could delve deeper into the problem to determine the extent to which governance influences perceived income inequality in India."
"Theresienstadt Ghetto: Propaganda, Paintings, and Protest  A case study analysis",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1541,Navya Agarwal; Ms. Kah Ying Cho,10-10-2021,"Throughout history, art has been used to express, emote, and empathize. It has provided a lens to understand history beyond figures and statistics, through the eyes of the people. The aim of this research study was to conduct a case study analysis of an art movement that emerged from the Theresienstadt Ghetto as a protest movement against the endeavor by the Nazis to use the Jewish inmates and their work as a tool of propaganda during the Holocaust. This paper consists of two parts. First, a detailed discussion of the environment of Theresienstadt was presented to show its evolution from the Nazis’ deceptive intent to put forth the illusion that it was a haven for Jewish people to the deterioration of living conditions and the audacious birth of an artistic hub upon the initiative of the Jewish inmates. Second, an in-depth analysis of four key works of art created in Theresienstadt, namely Transport Arrival by Leo Haas, a sketch by Helga Weissova, The Song is Over by Pavel Fantl, and Film and Reality by Bedrich Fritta, showcased the extraordinary courageous spirit of the artists in optimizing the meager resources they had to fight against their oppressors."
Understanding the Significance & Complexity of the Brady Rule,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1595,Prisha Mehta; Ryne Sandel,10-10-2021,"My independent study final product is a means of demonstrating the importance and complexity of evidentiary disclosure in the American criminal justice system. To accomplish this, I designed an experiment to evaluate the impact of Brady violations on the outcome of a criminal trial or plea negotiation. The experiment involved presenting two different versions of a fictional criminal case to forty-four volunteer participants, who were randomly organized into two even groups: Group A and Group B. Version A of the case included the totality of the evidence collected during the discovery phase of the case while Version B of the case omitted a single piece of “exculpatory” evidence to produce the effect of a Brady violation. After reading the given facts, participants in both groups A and B were asked to answer questions regarding the defendant’s culpability and the wisest course of legal action. Participants were given a specified period between three weeks and three days to review the facts and submit their answers to the experimental questions. The results of this experiment and my supporting research on federal and state disclosure regimes show that the “materiality” clause in the Brady Rule subjects prosecutors to highly subjective and vague criteria that 1) can easily be exploited by prosecutors with malicious intents and 2) increase the risk of unintended Brady violations by good-meaning prosecutors."
Is the Copenhagen Interpretation Compatible with Philosophical Realism?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1642,Leshang Pang; Dylan Bianchi,10-10-2021,"How are quantum mechanics and realism related? This paper will discuss whether or not the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics and the doctrine of philosophical realism are compatible. To answer this question, this paper will first introduce quantum mechanics and the Copenhagen Interpretation in terms of the particle in the box experiment. Then, philosophical realism will be introduced and defined.  Finally, the relationship between the Copenhagen Interpretation and philosophical realism will be evaluated. Several points of the Copenhagen Interpretation appear to contradict philosophical realism; thus, it can be concluded that the Copenhagen Interpretation is not compatible with philosophical realism."
"Inhibitory effect of Garlic oil, Clove oil and Thyme oil on Micrococcus Luteus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1534,Fadi Al-Shoaibi; Surya Benedicts,10-10-2021,"This study is aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of Garlic, Thyme and Clove essential oils against Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Using natural oils to fight the bacteria will limit the usage of antibiotics, reducing the probability of antibiotic resistance which is a global increasing problem. Also, it will eliminate antibiotic side-effects such as vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, Which occurs around 1 in 10 people (NHS, 2019). Antibiotics also have an effect the biofilm layer, causing a decrease in immunity. Micrococcus luteus has shown no growth in the trail run when the extracts where undiluted, nor in the main investigation when dilutions took place. This reveals the susceptibility of the bacteria to the following essential oils. Staphylococcus epidermidis has shown to be more resistant than micrococcus luteus. The oils however have produced a diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ), which means the oils are effective. Clove essential oil has produced the smallest inhibition zones in all concentrations carried out, suggesting that it’s the least effective extract. Thyme oil and clove oil have produced similar results; however, Thyme has shown a stronger antimicrobial effect at the 30 and 40% concentrations, whereas garlic has shown a stronger effect using the 20% concentration which has the highest coefficient of variation at 32.00% suggesting that it’s the least precise result.  These results indicate that these essential oils have strong antimicrobial properties suggesting a potential clinical relevance in tackling bacteria."
"The Forgotten Third: A Comparison of China, US, and the European Union’s AI Development",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1762,Théo Abramo; Emma Campbell-Mohn,10-10-2021,"In the 21st century, great power competition dominates the field of international relations. Much has been written about the US and China rivalry for technological dominance, specifically in artificial intelligence. But these analyses are missing one essential player: Europe. I ask will China use its advancements in artificial intelligence to overtake the United States as a superpower, disrupting the US hegemon, just as the United States once did in a post-cold war era with the USSR.  Europe is developing its own strategy and capabilities to rival those of the US and China. I use a cross-country qualitative case study method to examine advancements in artificial intelligence across the US, China, and Europe, specifically France and Germany. To determine each states’ leadership and capabilities, I compare them across their AI dreams, hardware, research, and ecosystem. In this comparison I find that whilst China’s numbers outcompete the US and Europe in total output, there are multiple criterium, notably in top tier development, where there is still a significant gap China needs to close between its rivals. Thus, providing an opportunity for Europe, specifically France and Germany, to develop and lead certain criterium regarding core AI development. This paper contributes to existing scholarship on artificial intelligence and US-China relations by adding the European dimension."
Mathematical Modeling of the Origami Navel Shell,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1573,"Gurmeher Kaur, Crystal Soong; Professor Jasleen Kaur",10-10-2021,"The well-known Nautilus shell has been modeled extensively both by mathematicians and origamists. However, there is wide disagreement on the best-fitting mathematical model — partly because there is significant variability across different Nautilus Shells found in nature, and no single model can describe all of them well. Origami structures, however, have precise repeatable folding instructions, and do not exhibit such variability. Ironically, no known mathematical models exist for these structures. In this research, we mathematically model a prominent origami design, the Navel Shell by Tomoko Fuse, believed to be based on the Nautilus.  We use first-principles geometric and trigonometric constructs for developing a non-smooth Geometric Model of the ideal origami spiral. We then search for the best-fitting parametric smooth spiral approximation, by formulating the fitting problem as a minimization problem over four unknowns. We write a Python computer program for searching the space numerically. Our evaluations show that: (i) the Smooth spiral is an excellent fit for the Geometric Model; (ii) our models for Origami Navel Shell are different from prior mathematical models for the Nautilus shell, but they come close to a recent model for a rare species of Nautilus; (iii) the Geometric Model explains the outer edges of origami images quite well and helps identify construction errors in the inner edges; and (iv) the Smooth Model helps understand how well the ideal Navel Shell matches different variants of the Nautilus species. We hope our research lays the foundation for further mathematical modeling of origami structures. "
Predicting Parkinson’s: Using Neural Networks to Evaluate the Genetic Risk Factors Behind the Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1624,"Andrew Yuan, Isha Jagadish, Trisha Gongalore; Joseph Alzagatiti",10-10-2021,"To date, researchers do not know the exact reasons for the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta that leads to Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Thus, it is extremely difficult to predict whether or not a patient is likely to develop the disease later on, as their risk increases with age. However, once patients present with the common symptoms indicative of the illness, a substantial amount of dopaminergic neurons are already lost. Seeing as there are no current avenues of replacing those neurons, predictive diagnosis and preventive measures could be of extraordinary help in devising treatments. Our aim was to use the significant research into possible high-risk genetic factors from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to formulate a predictive neural network model for Parkinson’s. We analyzed patient genomes for mutations in the top 20 genes associated with PD, as well as 21 genes implicated in axon guidance pathways, to determine whether the patients were at high or low risk for Parkinson’s. Our model produced an accuracy and AUROC of 94%. We found this significant because it showed a strong correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) we analyzed and PD. We believe our model can be further improved upon by adding considerations for other investigated risk factors, such as patient age, familial history of disease, or gut microbiota inconsistencies among others."
Pathology of Gliomas and the Role Immunotherapy Plays in Combatting Glioma Proliferation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1561,Divya Kothakapa; Anush Swaminathan,10-10-2021,"Glioma, a type of tumor arising from the brain and/or spinal cord, is a relatively broad term, encompassing three main types of glial cell tumors: astrocytoma, ependymoma, and oligodendroglioma. A prognosis for a glioma can often be extremely poor, with an overall survival rate of 54.84%. With around 20,000 gliomas being diagnosed each year, it is imperative that effective treatments are developed for management of these tumors. A popular treatment pathway for the treatment of gliomas is surgery along with chemo-radiation therapy such as Temozolomide. This current treatment plan, though, has a moderate effect on lengthening glioma patients’ prognoses. The average survival of this plan is 3 to 6 months. New treatments in the field of immunotherapies may have promising effects for glioma patients’ prognoses. Arising developments in immunotherapy glioma treatment and management is an important field to investigate to further improve the effectivity of cancer treatment for glioma patients. Certain immunotherapies in trials have proven to make impactful improvements to glioma prognoses, one trial showing an increase of 2 months in median survival. This literature review will focus on the pathology and characteristics of the proliferation of malignant glioma cells and the role immunotherapy plays in combatting glioma proliferation"
The New Final Frontier: A Case Study Analysis of Private Sector’s Increasing Role in the Space Industry,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1622,Damini Rana; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma,10-10-2021,"Historically, any endeavors, involving the term ‘space’, were perceived as operations undertaken by large government organizations with an emphasis on the scientific aspect, rather than a business one. However, over the last two decades, the structure of the space industry is rapidly being transformed and privatized due to the growth in commercial applications and the catalyzing entry of billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. This paper offers a case study analysis of the private sector’s growing influence in the space industry through a combination of a quantitative analysis and an in-depth review of the surrounding literature. The results show that the commercial economy now accounts for almost 80% of the monetary size of the space industry and is expected to drive most of the growth in future. Further, a forecast of the future size of the space economy suggests it could touch almost US$1.5 trillion by 2040, dominated by the private sector. A regression analysis conducted to assess the quantum of private sector investment that will be required if the industry is to achieve its forecasted potential in the upcoming decades revealed that private investments must go up to US$48billion by 2025."
Inequality in India: Through the Lens of Differences in Water Quality,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1548,Aditi Gaur; Ms. Kah Ying Choo,10-10-2021,"India is ranked as the worst country in the world, in terms of number of people lacking access to safe water. This study examines  the socio-economic inequity of India through the lens of privileged Indian respondents’ perceptions of the water quality accessible to communities of different socio-economic status. To address this aim, a survey was conducted to measure the level of social awareness around this issue among privileged Indian respondents with regards to their ratings of the safety of the water in three different communities: their own, the underprivileged, and India as a whole.   Respondents rated their water quality to be the highest, followed by India as a whole, and then the underprivileged. The main reasons they offered for their ratings were: the government’s failure to set up an adequate infrastructure for piping water without polluting it and the inability of the underprivileged to afford water filters in India. Despite the gravity of the health problems that can ensue from the lack of access to safe water, the lack of accountability for the government, and apathy from the privileged residents, can be attributed to the deeply entrenched discrimination in India, which is founded upon its caste tradition and its pursuit  of the capitalist agenda in the ‘90s. Therefore, it is vital that the Indian government and people take responsibility for providing safe water to all by: increasing awareness amongst all communities;  provision of water filters for all, and the eventual changing of the piping system in the long term."
Tense of Psychological Distancing Self Talk and Test Performance Among GT High School Students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1605,Nikitha Kota; Amanda Venta,10-10-2021,"Test taking is ubiquitous in academic life. Often, a student’s desire to perform well in these evaluative situations leads them to experience test-anxiety. However, test-anxiety has been repeatedly correlated with reduced test performance. Research suggests that reappraisal interventions promote the reduction of test anxiety which may result in improved test performance. But can linguistic tense mediate the effect of these interventions? If so, are these interventions helpful for GT students for whom test anxiety is a significant concern? This intervention study tested whether reading a message containing a type of reappraisal technique, objective psychological distancing, in a certain linguistic tense could reduce test anxiety and improve test performance for high school GT algebra students. Two hours before taking an exam, students read one of three messages: a first-person distancing, a third-person distancing, or a control message. There existed a slight improvement in student test performance from the control condition to the distancing conditions, yet this trend was not statistically significant.  "
Kinematic analysis of Felix Baumgartner's stratospheric jump in 2012  Modeling the various forces involved in an unusual skydive,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1580,Josemaria Zavala; Magister,10-10-2021,"The present investigation shows a kinematic analysis of Baumgartner’s stratospheric jump, based on a scientific report by Red Bull. The modeling was carried out using the different forces that intervened in the event (velocity, acceleration, etc.), making it possible to generate a mathematical model capable of extrapolating data and allowing us a better appreciation of such scientific achievement. All the mathematical exploration has been carried out with ten decimal places; however, they will be rounded to four in writing. The action plan was based on obtaining the velocities by placing points on a velocity model belonging to an approximate graph of a Red Bull scientific report, which was put into the GeoGebra Classic 5 program to find the velocities. After this, we proceeded to find the accelerations and the formula of the function that models them. Finally, this formula was integrated to acquire the mathematical model of the velocities. "
Predicting the Severity of Coronavirus Cases Given Demographics and Pre-existing Conditions,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1635,"Mahi Ravi, Jackie Li, Vineet Burugu, Sarvagya Goyal, Sireesh Pedapenki, Aditya Goel, Nandana Nambiar, Aadhya Subhash; Larry McMahan",10-10-2021,"Beginning in early 2020, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly spread all over the world. As of now there have been over 102.52 million confirmed cases along with 2.21 million deaths worldwide. Our objective is to create an algorithm that will predict the severity of a COVID-19 case for an individual based on demographic data such as race, age, gender, and location. Using international, national and local datasets, we collected the demographic data and organized them into their respective categories, namely age, race, gender, and location of origin. We then inputted this data into an algorithm that works around the principle of probability. Our algorithm uses such trends to develop a risk assessment and create a model. While compiling that data we noted common trends within the three demographics. Specifically, around the age thirty, cases were higher compared to other age ranges. The data collected and trends noted can be used to prioritize and prepare for patients that may be in critical danger, providing a chance for hospitals and vaccine distribution centers to preemptively address higher risk cases early. "
Uniting the Nation- Rethinking Adversity of the Poor,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1533,Qiyang Yu; Joseph Vignolini,10-10-2021,"A root cause of today’s social tensions and divisions rest with poverty. Studies suggest that that individuals who grow up in poverty-stricken families are much more likely to be in poverty during their early adulthood, and the poverty rate in African American children is astoundingly high. This paper adopts data science approaches to identify drivers behind childhood poverty in the United States, and finds that these factors tend to reinforce each other and go hand in hand with poverty. Specifically, common factors are found to be driving childhood poverty, a weak healthcare system, inadequate education resources, lack of public safety infrastructure and insufficient job opportunities.  The current social safeguard framework, supported by both the government and private institutions, appears fragmented and lacks the necessary alignment across healthcare, education, public safety and job creation. The study shows that barring a systematic approach to address the drivers of childhood poverty, the poverty problem is unlikely to be fundamentally addressed. Building on these findings, the paper calls for a number of mutually coherent policies, including introducing a more effective financing scheme for the children in poverty, creating an enabling job market environment for the poor, reforming the funding pattern of schools, creating a safe environment for all children, and enhancing health services for those living in poverty."
Comparison of Neural Network and Machine Learning Approaches in Prediction of Chronic Kidney Disease,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1570,Shreya Nag; Nimitha Jammula,10-10-2021,"The diagnosis of a disease to determine a specific condition is crucial in caring for patients and furthering medical research. The timely and accurate diagnosis can have important implications for both patients and healthcare providers. An earlier diagnosis allows doctors to consider more methods of treatment, allowing them to have a greater flexibility of tailoring their decisions, and ultimately improving the patient’s health. Additionally, a timely detection allows patients to have a greater control over their health and their decisions, allowing them to plan ahead. As advancements in computer science and technology continue to improve, these two factors can play a major role in aiding healthcare providers with medical issues. The emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning can aid in addressing the challenge of completing timely and accurate diagnosis. The goal of this research work is to design a system that utilizes machine learning and neural network techniques to diagnose chronic kidney disease with more than 90% accuracy based on a clinical data set, and to do a comparative study of the performance of the neural network versus supervised machine learning approaches. Based on the results, all the algorithms performed well in prediction of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with more that 90% accuracy. The neural network system provided the best performance (accuracy = 100%) in prediction of chronic kidney disease in comparison with the supervised Random Forest algorithm (accuracy = 99%) and the supervised Decision Tree algorithm (accuracy = 97%)."
Understanding Neutrino Oscillations with Particle Accelerator Experiments,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1623,Jiwon Woo; Gyuhyeon Lee,10-10-2021,"Matter-dominant universe cannot be explained with the Standard Model. In order to understand why the current universe mainly consists of matter particles, scientists turned their attention to neutrino oscillations, and conducted research on the properties of the particle and its potential relationship with the matter-antimatter asymmetry observed in the universe. In this research, the probability function of a neutrino oscillation was studied for 2-neutrino case to understand neutrino oscillation in particle accelerator experiments. For a more practical study, the neutrino oscillation probability function was calculated for two neutrino experiments and was used to verify neutrino detector positions and calculated ∆m2 which is mass difference between oscillating two different neutrinos. From this work, it was understood that detectors are located at positions with the highest probability for detecting neutrino oscillations, and it was also confirmed that neutrino were oscillating from muon neutrinos to electron neutrinos in particle accelerator experiments."
"A survey to evaluate mental well being and coping strategies of adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangalore, India",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1835,"Arna Bhattacharya; DR Jigyansa Ipsita Pattnaik , DR Suhas Chandran",08-03-2021,"Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the lifestyle of adolescents. Adolescence is a development stage of high vulnerability that can impact well-being later in life. Mental health plays an important role in one’s quality of life. Understanding coping mechanisms helps make a person safe and resilient from psychological distress. The present study aims to evaluate the mental well-being and coping strategies used by adolescents in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a school in Bangalore, India via an online survey, circulated via the class teacher. Participants included 222 adolescents with ages ranging from 13 to 19. The DASS-21 and Brief COPE scales were used to assess mental well-being and coping mechanisms respectively. The questionnaire concluded with validated general lifestyle related questions. This included inquiring relationships between students and their families, friends, academic performance, social media consumption etc. The data was collected over a period of one month.   Results: In the DASS-21 scoring, 31.9% (n=69), 24.8% (n=55) and 5.4% (n=12) received scores indicating extremely severe depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Females were statistically found to be more depressed and anxious than males. Behavioural disengagement and self blame were commonly used coping mechanisms by those who were found to be psychologically distressed.   Conclusions: Psychological distress has been observed in adolescents in varying degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. This should be addressed in order to prevent further distress.  Keywords: adolescents, covid-19, mental well being, DASS-21, Brief COPE, depression, anxiety, stress"
"Restaurateur Lockdown Blues  Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Restaurant Industry in Lucknow, India",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1446,Sukriti Ojha; Kah Ying Choo,07-01-2021,"The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the Indian restaurant industry into its worst crisis. This research study is a case study analysis on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the restaurant industry in Lucknow, India. Data was gathered through an online survey of Indian respondents residing in Lucknow regarding the changes in their usage of restaurant services (actual and anticipated) before and after the lockdown. Variables compared included: frequency levels of dining out, food delivery, and monthly expenditure on outside food. In addition, the relative importance of three factors- the decline in coronavirus-related deaths, the easing of social distancing measures, and the lifting of mask requirements- on the dining out frequency was analysed. Based on the results, the three variables compared showed statistically significant declines. However, in the case of the three factors influencing dining out frequency, it was discovered that while the decline in deaths did have a statistically significant impact on dining out frequency, none of the factors were considerably important.  Taking the results into account, it becomes imperative that restaurants enforce safety guidelines strictly and promote their actions efficiently. Innovative ideas like incorporating bento box services and immunity-boosting dishes may enable restaurants to survive through the crisis."
Comparing the Durability and Strength of Simple Adhesive Recipes and PVA-Based Glues,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1556,Bethany Elliott; Dr. Sara Fox,07-01-2021,"Adhesives are essential components of factory production, for maintaining the stability of large structures, and even for pastimes such as paper-mâché crafts. Therefore, it is imperative that adhesives retain their durability and strength when under pressure. The purpose of this project was to test the tensile strength of several adhesive recipes in order to ultimately create a stronger adhesive. To test the tensile strength of each adhesive, one of the adherends had weights attached and was suspended and the amount of time that the adhesive stayed attached was recorded. After completing the experimental procedures, it was found that the flour/water adhesive, cornstarch adhesive, and the waterproof adhesives performed the best, Elmer’s glue and the Gum Arabic adhesive performed less well than the first three adhesives, and Elmer’s glue with beads did not stay attached. In conclusion, the simple adhesives recipes outperformed Elmer’s glue, most likely because they had better cohesive strength and were able to dry faster. The results of this experiment can aid in the creation of a stronger and more cost-efficient adhesive product. Based on these results, future work will be aimed towards determining the effects of environmental changes like humidity and temperature on the tensile strength."
A survey of Shanghainese dialect: its current situation and future,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1505,Tianao Gui; Yan Zhou,07-01-2021,"Borge Udell, the founder of Wikitongues, questioned ‘Would Cervantes have written the same stories had he been forced to write in a language other than Spanish? Would the music of Beyoncé be the same in a language other than English?’ What he means is that every language carries a unique culture and represents a group of people. All languages and dialects are worth appreciation and preservation. Shanghainese dialect is no exception. As a native Shanghainese citizen, I believe that it is high time that we should be aware of the importance of preserving and inheriting this dialect. To achieve this goal, research about the current situation is indispensable. Therefore, I researched the current situation of Shanghainese and implicated some possible methods to protect this dialect."
Investigating the Ethics of DNA Collection by CODIS,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1439,Tanay Subramanian; Alicia Kerr,07-01-2021,"America's criminal justice system has experienced controversy for decades and it seems as if the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), an FBI criminal justice database that stores the DNA profiles of millions of Americans, is a major contributor to it. Due to CODIS, an individual’s DNA is collected and permanently stored upon arrest, resulting in major red flags like privacy violations and marginalization. However, there are potential solutions - although each has its drawbacks - to this problem, in order of increasing efficacy: mandating the DNA collection of all Americans to alleviate biases, adopting a solely fingerprint-based system as forensic evidence, and terminating CODIS entirely. "
The Synergistic Effects of Rhamnolipids and Antibiotics Against Bacteria,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1495,"Ella Shusterman, Abigail Mottahedeh; Merideth McCarthy",07-01-2021,"Antibiotics are used to combat bacterial infections by slowing down and preventing the proliferation of bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health, attributed to its overuse and misuse. Altering the membrane permeability to induce antibiotic uptake may be an effective strategy used against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative infectious bacteria. Rhamnolipids (RLs) are biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. RLs surface-active properties operate by creating holes in bacterial cell membranes, increasing target cell permeability; allowing antibiotics to penetrate the cell.      Rhamnolipids enhance the effect of antibiotics by targeting the intracellular machinery of bacteria. This project tested the susceptibility of bacteria when exposed to antibiotics with and without the addition of RLs, to quantitatively determine if RLs increase antibiotic potency. By analyzing the zones of inhibition data, the results demonstrated that RLs potentiated the antibiotics. Notably, kanamycin coupled with RLs had the most effect inhibiting bacterial growth.   To further assess rhamnolipid biosynthesis, a BLAST search was performed exclusively on two genes, rhlA and rhlB. These genes code for the production of two proteins necessary for rhamnolipids. The search indicated a 48% correlation with putative proteins found in Burkholderia pseudomallei. Therefore, based on the experimental results and the BLAST analysis, further research should be conducted to explore the possible role of using rhamnolipids as antibiotic enhancers. Specifically, future experiments could focus on isolating the putative proteins of B.pseudomallei to genetically modify E.coli. Furthermore, isolated studies analyzing the genes of proteins to determine their role in the pathogenicity of Burkholderia species. "
New Meat on the Block: Factors Influencing India’s Gen Z’s Decision to Purchase Plant-based Meat,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1427,Nikita Dhawan; Kah Ying Choo,07-01-2021,"There have been increasing concerns regarding the meat industry due to its negative influence on the environment, such as freshwater pollution, biodiversity loss, and increased methane emissions. These concerns have sparked the public’s interest in plant-based meat, the demand for which is expected to reach USD 27.5 billion by 2025. This study evaluated the factors influencing the decision of India’s Gen Z (aged 15-25) to purchase plant-based meat by conducting an online survey using a mixed method research approach. Among the eight different factors examined, the study found environmental consciousness as one of the highest-rated factors in all the three categories of respondents—combined (vegetarians and non-vegetarians), vegetarians, and non-vegetarians—in influencing their decision to purchase plant-based meat. This finding mirrors the growing environmental awareness of Gen Z globally. Health/safety was another top-rated factor for all three groups, possibly due to the increasing concern of zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19. Conversely, price, convenience, and food curiosity were the least influential, highlighting the Indian market's unique characteristics. As a significant majority of young Indian adults live with their parents, plant-based companies targeting Gen Zs need to consider India’s family-oriented culture and the parents’ dominant role in determining meal choices at home. While companies could incorporate plant-based meat products into traditional food and well-known dishes to appeal to parents, companies can also target the more independent Gen Zs by emphasizing plant-based meat as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat. Additional nuanced marketing strategies for vegetarians and non-vegetarians have also been discussed in this paper."
The Effects of Image Augmentation on Efficiency of a Convolutional Neural Network of a Self-Driving Car,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1486,Kiaan Upamanyu; Indukala P.R.,07-01-2021,"The objective of this paper was to study the effectiveness of image augmentation techniques in training a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) of a self-driving car and identify the most suitable form of image augmentation technique, using the Udacity Car Simulator. Firstly, a dataset of augmented and non-augmented images from a training track, consisting of left-, right-, and front-facing views from the car cameras was created. Various image augmentation techniques were used: zoom, brightness, pan, flip, random (augments the image by arbitrarily choosing a technique from the previous four), and no augmentation. Secondly, training datasets consisting of the aforementioned images and a log of car turning angles, throttle, and brake were built. The final training datasets were then used with NVIDIA training method to train different CNN. The different trained networks generated steering commands from the front-facing camera of the simulation and test track had no effect on the generalization of the CNN. Lastly, different trained networks were used on the test track of Udacity Car Simulator to calculate the following variables: distance travelled, and number of crashes made by the car. After these values were acquired, an efficiency analysis was performed. The results suggested augmentation of training data is a crucial factor when it comes to the process of generalizing a model to perform tasks. Random augmentations performed the best, but a combination of flip and brightness augmentations performed equally efficiently."
Vaping and Adolescents’ Characteristics: Implications for Prevention and Intervention,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1421,Ava Chae; Janet Stark,07-01-2021,"Vaping in the United States has increased in the past decade especially among teens and young adults, causing a rise in public concern for their health. What is relatively scarce in the previous research and the current discussion is the question about what groups of adolescents may be more vulnerable to vaping. This research investigates this very issue by analyzing the associations between vaping use and adolescents’ individual characteristics using a national survey of drug use among U.S. adolescents (“Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (12th-Grade Survey), 2018”). The findings for logistic regression show that students who struggle with academics and skip school are more vulnerable to vaping than other students. In addition, there is a greater chance of vaping with those students going out more often than others. The amount of money students earn from a job and other work may also be increasing the chance for vaping. The findings can be valuable elements in designing a program of effective prevention and intervention of vaping in the U.S."
How does the pH of a solvent influence the solubility of turmeric in it?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1527,Miyu Bansal; Uma Sivakumar,07-01-2021,"Turmeric is a culinary spice used in many meals particularly in traditional Indian cuisine. Turmeric has a bright orange colour that is due to the presence of curcumin within it. Because of it’s bright colour, it is important to be able to easily remove turmeric stains from clothing. In my research I attempted to find the ideal conditions for removing turmeric stains and found that no investigation had been made into the impact the pH of the cleaning agent on its effectiveness.  In this investigation the solubility of turmeric in 5 different solutions was found using colorimetry. Colorimetry is a scientific technique that is used to determine the concentration of coloured solutions by the application of the Beer-Lambert law. This method allowed the solubility of turmeric to be determined, in a range of different solvents with good accuracy and precision. The experimental results showed that turmeric was more soluble in solutions with higher pH levels as the solubility in 0.2M sodium hydroxide was 17.6mg/mL and in pure ethanol was 10.1mg/mL, while the solubility in hydrochloric acid was only 0.034mg/mL.  Ultimately, this investigation shows that turmeric is more soluble in basic solutions and hence basic solvents are more effective removers of turmeric stains. A claim which was shown to be true by washing turmeric stained clothes with the solvents and comparing the cleaned clothes. This investigation also shows that turmeric could be used as a pH indicator as it has a different colour in different pH solutions."
The McGurk Effect In Relation to Musicians' Abilities,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1473,"Claire Luo, Olivia Yeroushalmi; Alan Schorn",07-01-2021,"The original study of the McGurk Effect, a perceptual phenomenon caused by contradictory audiovisual stimuli fusing together to create the illusion of a third sound, was carried out by psychologists McGurk and MacDonald in 1976. The results of early experiments displayed that observers used both auditory and visual signals while being spoken to, auditory signals being the sound waves entering their ears, and visual signals being how the speaker moved his face while pronouncing a word. When conflicting signals are given, a third sound is perceived, as the brain is disoriented from the different signals. The idea that musicians have superior audiovisual cortexes have led some to speculate if musicians are as susceptible to the McGurk Effect as non-musicians. To research the susceptibility of musicians to the McGurk Effect, the experiment conducted included a total of 40 subjects, 20 musicians and 20 non-musicians. The subjects were played a control video of a speaker saying “ga” and were then presented with four audiovisually incongruent videos, all containing a speaker mouthing the word “ga” with the audio recording of the speaker saying “ba” dubbed on. Two main 2x2 Chi Square tests and fifteen secondary 2x2 Chi Squares tests were run in total. The two main tests, which compared the amount of McGurk interpretations to either audio or visual interpretations, both produced a p-value of <.0005. Upon further research, 25.7% of musicians reported a McGurk interpretation, as opposed to 52.2% of non-musicians, which implied that musicians are less susceptible to the McGurk effect."
The Effects of Cosmic and Ultraviolet Rays on Yeast and Seeds,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1507,"Samara Steinfeld, Caroline Brustoloni, Dat Bui, Emma Chothani, Caitlin Harhai, Joseph Harrington, Amrit Kaluri, Anna Klein, Duncan LaDuke, Sein Lee, Adam Miller, Tyler Rose, William Serrano, Jason Stentz; Dr. Michael Gullo, Vince Scalzo",07-01-2021,"Cosmic and ultraviolet rays are pervasive and often difficult to avoid, for atmospheric pollution has caused an increase in harmful radiation reaching the Earth's surface due to the rapid depletion of the ozone layer. Because the deterioration of the ozone layer is a recent phenomenon, it is important to understand the rays’ effects on the DNA of organisms. It is also an area of interest in the field of astrobiology as humans begin to consider the possibility of long-term exposure of crops to these types of radiation in prolonged space travel. The Bioballoon project, described in this paper, was a payload for a weather balloon built to expose samples of yeast and seeds to cosmic and ultraviolet rays in the middle to upper stratosphere. After plating the yeast and planting the seeds, it was found that although cosmic and UV radiation appeared to induce mutations in yeast genes, they do not produce significant phenotypic differences in plants."
Evaluation of Improved and Current Vanillin Based Colorimetric Quantification Methods of Triterpenoids,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1442,"Rohit Suresh, Yash Kamdar, Vivek Garg, Angelina Kalathoti; Gayathri Renganathan",07-01-2021,"The most common colorimetric quantification method for triterpenoids utilizes vanillin in strongly acidic conditions to form a colored adduct with the analyte, and it has gained popularity because it is fast and easy to perform. Nevertheless, the detection range of this assay is limited and it is susceptible to side reactions, which cause an interference in the reading. Here, we quantify the rate of this interference in common solvents, and we present an alternative method to minimize the interference, which first incubates the analyte solution in perchloric acid at 60°C before the vanillin is added and finally quenched with acetic acid. We also successfully isolated the adduct that formed and confirmed that the color was due to vanillin polymerizing onto the analyte. The improved method had a correlation coefficient of 0.9959, as well as high accuracy and precision, which had a standard deviation of 0.072 mg/mL, and was not affected by minor changes in the conditions making it a robust method. Furthermore, our method had a limit of quantification of 2.37 mg/mL, which can analyze formulations with ease as well as a limit of detection of 0.782 mg/mL. Triterpenoids are quickly emerging as bioactive compounds, and as a result, our work improves upon current methods to quantify triterpenoids. "
The Carrot and the Stick  Using Game Theory to Minimize Corruption in Guatemala,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1501,Mira Echambadi; Dr. Pavan Rao Chennamaneni,07-01-2021,"   After I helped construct a school in Guatemala, I found their educational system might be corrupt. I used game theory, or the study of strategic interdependence, to analyze this issue. Each actor anticipates the other’s reactions and acts accordingly. Payoff matrices, 2-by-2 grids in which one actor’s options are listed across the top of the boxes and the second actor’s options are listed by the left side of the boxes, helped simplify this complex situation into a workable model that shows individual incentives and actions as well as the collective best action for societal welfare. If the first player makes “x” choice rather than “y” choice, is the second player incentivized to make “a” or “b” choice? Conversely, if the first player makes “y” choice, is the second player incentivized to make “a” or “b” choice? If, for a particular choice, no player can do better by unilaterally changing its decision, it is a Nash equilibrium.                  Ideally, the government won’t receive a bribe, and the parents will send their children to volunteer. The penalty if the local government gets caught accepting a bribe plays an important role; interestingly, increasing the government's goodwill amongst the local population through the school-building process would also lead to the ideal outcome. Further, simultaneously increasing both the penalty from accepting a bribe, as well as the goodwill to the government from school-building, produces the optimal outcome. I call this the “carrot and the stick” approach, and it may prove quite effective in ending corruption entirely.   "
A research proposal to study the life cycle of COV,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1434,Phelps Tin; Sam Kunes,07-01-2021,"SARS-CoV2 continues to affect the lives of the majority of the world, and although vaccines are beginning to become available, much of the world will still be unable to obtain them. Furthermore, some studies have suggested that there may have to be annual vaccines and as strains of the virus continue to increase, it is essential for us to move to the next stage of research and attempt to better understand the virus.  By utilizing a chemical genetics approach where numerous ligands of distinct chemical libraries are screened through high-throughput screening, we may be able to form an ordered viral cycle of metabolic events that could help identify drug targets more efficiently and coordinate drug use to improve efficacy. A modified version of the virus (to decrease its ability of infection) along with the URA3 protein is then inserted into yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and screened. A simple assay involving the addition of 5’- fluoroorotic acid helps to determine ligand interference and after identifying the compounds, we can order their action into specific steps in the lifecycle and order the events of the life cycle."
Impact of Congenital Heart Disease on School Adjustment in Elementary School Aged Children,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1537,Jingyi Yang; Dr. Modry Mandell,07-01-2021,"Congenital heart disease or congenital heart defect (CHD) is an abnormality of the heart that develops before birth (American Heart Association, 2018). While much is known about how children are physically affected, less is known about the psychological impacts of CHD. In particular, little is known about school adjustment or the process of adapting to the role of a student and to various aspects of the school environment, while failure to adjust can cause academic and social-emotional problems (Lakhani, Jain, & Chandel, 2017). This review aims to investigate how and to what extent having CHD affects school adjustment in elementary school aged children (grades 1-5) (a group oftentimes overlooked as insignificant) and if the severity of CHD in elementary-aged children impacts their ability to adjust in schools. By reviewing literal and studies published in the past 50 years, the review reaches the conclusion that CHD does have negative effects on school adjustment and the severity of CHD positively correlates with difficulty to adjust. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the current studies regarding children with CHD and their relationship to different aspects of school and the school environment as well as propose a study that is multi-site, multi-informant, and multi-method.  The result of this review has compelling clinical and theoretical significance, benefiting clinicians and practitioners, teachers and educators, and researchers by bridging the gap between existing and unknown knowledge of elementary-aged children with CHD and their school adjustment."
Examining Export-Led Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and China,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1491,Joe Zimmerman; Brian Wheaton,07-01-2021,"Export-led growth is an economic hypothesis that links the level of a nation’s exports to economic growth in that country. Seen primarily as a model for low-income, developing nations to accelerate convergence as China began to do in the 1980s, the hypothesis theoretically still stands for developed nations. However, there exists significant discussion and doubt as to the strength and causality of the relationship between exports and growth, especially after a nation has industrialized and established itself as a major exporter. This paper examines and compares the effect of exports, imports, and net exports on economic growth for a set of low-income nations (Sub-Saharan Africa) and a country that has already undergone a significant economic transformation (China, at the provincial level). I regress the share of exports, imports, and net exports against GDP growth for Sub-Saharan African nations and Chinese provinces, and use instrumental variables to check for robustness. I find that while in Sub-Saharan Africa the share of exports and net exports exhibit a positive relationship with economic growth, higher shares of exports and net exports in China are associated with lower economic growth. This suggests that export-led growth is valid in Sub-Saharan Africa, but no longer is in China. I pose two potential explanations for this outcome in China: inefficient trade with low-income nations or decreasing trade with high-income nations. Regressions of China’s exports to these two types of economies over time indicate that the latter is the primary cause of the distinction in the effect of exports."
The Aerodynamics of F1 Car Design  A Survey and Analysis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1475,Arnav Pandit; Mr. Day,07-01-2021,"Formula One (also known as F1) is the highest class of single-seater open-wheel and open-cockpit professional motor racing contest. Formula One racing is governed and sanctioned by a world body called the FIA − Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or the International Automobile Federation. The name ‘Formula’ comes from the set of rules that the participating cars and drivers must follow. The car is naturally the central component in F1.  There is not much room to differentiate in the design of the engine and wheels of F1 cars, there are only 4 engine manufacturers and Pirelli is the sole supplier for all team’s tyres. As there is not much scope for innovation in these aspects of an F1 car, most innovation is left to the aerodynamic design of the F1 car. The aerodynamics team considers many different principles when designing the car. In this paper, we will be first examining these aerodynamic principles and then discussing how they are applied to F1 cars.  A survey has also been conducted among over 200 professionals/academics involved in STEM to get an idea of people’s opinions on F1 Car Aerodynamics. The data collected has been analysed to see if it agrees with the reality. While there are many papers have already been written on F1 Aerodynamics, this is the first to provide one in relation to the specific parts. It is also the first to conduct a survey among people and provide analysis for the same."
Fitting the Portuguese population from 1850 to 2010 to a logistic growth model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1415,Carlos Francisco Barbosa; Michael Rothwell,07-01-2021,
Hesitant language use and self-esteem in adolescent girls across ethnicity,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1519,Lucy Sopher; Angelica Puzio,07-01-2021,"Language is dynamic and changes across the course of adolescence. Researchers have found that usage of some words and phrases, such as “um…” and “I don’t know,” increase during the teenage years, especially when youth are confronted with topics that they may not feel comfortable discussing. Hesitant language is defined as words or styles of speech that communicate 1. a distancing of the declarative content of one's speech and 2. interpersonal sensitivity towards the listener. These phrases are typically used because one is nervous or unsure about what to say and they can signify a variety of issues and may or may not be linked to self-esteem. In this study, we analyzed eighth-grade girls’ usage of hesitant language and how the use of this type of language may or may not be correlated with their scores on the Rosenberg self-esteem test. We also ran an ANOVA to determine if there was a significant difference in correlation across ethnicity. Our current study is focused on eighth grade and we plan on expanding to include the 6th and 11th-grade data. There have been very few studies done on how hesitant language and self-esteem correlate and change through girls’ adolescence. We hope our study will help add to the important conversation around girls' self-esteem and what can be used as indicators of a change in that self-esteem over time."
A Model to Determine Naked-Eye Limiting Magnitude,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1146,Dasha Crocker,03-31-2021,"The purpose of this study was to determine which variables would be needed to generate a model that predicted the naked eye limiting magnitude on a given night. After background research was conducted, it seemed most likely that wind speed, air quality, skyglow, and cloud cover would contribute to the proposed model. This hypothesis was tested by obtaining local weather data, then determining the naked eye limiting magnitude for the local conditions. This procedure was repeated for the moon cycle of October, then repeated an additional 11 times in November, December, and January. After the initial 30 trials, r values were calculated for each variable that was measured. These values revealed that wind was not at all correlated with the naked eye limiting magnitude, but pollen (a measure of air quality), skyglow, and cloud cover were. After the generation of several models using multiple regression tests, air quality also proved not to affect the naked eye limiting magnitude. It was concluded that skyglow and cloud cover would contribute to a model that predicts naked eye limiting magnitude, proving the original hypothesis to be partially correct.   "
Digital Addiction in Teenagers: Tackling it With an App Based on Behavioral Economics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1329,Samantha Kitchener; Zoe T,03-31-2021,"In recent years, smartphone usage has increased rapidly, especially in teenagers. The excessive screen time can lead to digital addiction which means people use technology to a point where they cannot stop, even though they recognize the negative consequences associated with it. In behavioral economics, there are two ways of classifying all decisions we make in life: rational and irrational. A rational decision would be one that gives us the most utility or satisfaction. Because humans are imperfect, we constantly make irrational decisions, such as using our phone too much even though we know that it is not the best use of our time. There is an explanation in behavioral economics behind this though. There are theories such as hyperbolic discounting and present bias that say humans value things more that are in the present time. I am recommending the use of an app in order to lower teens' screen time. This app would have numerous features such as goal setting, points/rewards, and a leaderboard that directly counteract this irrational behavior."
Greater Stress Level Fluctuation in Lower Income Earners since onset of Coronavirus Pandemic,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1291,Claire Padilla,03-31-2021,"Natural disasters, mental illnesses, injuries, and crime are all known factors that lead to stress (Casarella 2020). People were in various levels of confinement due to Coronavirus all over the world, leading to job loss and inability to finance basic living expenses. This study evaluated the relationship between stress and income by surveying different socioeconomic groups. All the participants took anonymous PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) and SRRS (Social Readjustment Rating Scale) test that included questions about race, age range, income range, and the number of times they think about Coronavirus each day. Dr.Cohen's 2009 PSS score samples of the American population were used as a baseline measurement for the pre-Coronavirus stress score levels. The stress level fluctuation was calculated by subtracting participants' survey scores from Cohen's scores to determine the overall stress level change. A p-value of 0.00000001196 for the lower-income group (<$30k/yr) and a p-value of 0.01214 for the higher income group (>$91k/yr) was obtained using the independent-t-test. These p-values supported the alternative hypothesis proposed in this study that there is a more significant change in the stress levels spanning the onset and duration of the Coronavirus pandemic in members of a lower socioeconomic bracket (<$30,000/yr) than of people in a higher income bracket (>$91,000/yr). The results revealed that the PSS score of the 65 years and older group had increased the most and no significant difference in stress scores between racial groups. Additionally, people who think about Coronavirus more frequently have higher PSS scores."
Why People Stand By  A Comprehensive Study About the Bystander Effect,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1390,Nithya Ganti; Sori Baek,03-31-2021,"Bystander effect is the phenomenon that describes how, when more people are around, each individual is less likely to intervene. While the bystander effect is an integral part of studying social behaviors and group thinking, the many caveats it presents itself with must be considered. Every situation differs based on location, people, and circumstance, so the idea of the bystander effect is not valid in every scenario, as evidenced by the various counter-examples and contradictory findings researchers have discovered. However, the bystander effect is still very important to study because understanding what encourages/prevents people from helping is critical to decrease the effect of the bystander effect to promote helping behavior. In this paper, we discuss the various factors that affect the prevalence of the bystander effect: perceived physical and social harm to the helper, responsibility diffusion, and perceived helpfulness."
The Effects of Blame and Politicization on Responses to Pandemics,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1320,Jason Ding; Dr. Claude Kananack,03-31-2021,"COVID-19 has caused widespread discrimination and blame; however, analyzing history, it becomes apparent that racially motivated blame is common during pandemics. Placed for religious, ethnic, or socioeconomic reasons, blame has caused discrimination and stigma for the “other”. Blaming a specific race without scientific evidence causes discrimination and hate crimes, creating more problems that require attention and resources to resolve and diverting them from the pandemic response. A quick and direct response is vital for minimizing the impacts of pandemics, while blame only distracts and leads to politicizing the disease.   This paper finds that unfounded blame throughout history results in delays in the health response, inefficient resource allocation, and the undermining of cooperation. This blame is part of politicizing pandemics, which exacerbates the impacts of the disease by diverting attention away from the health response and disease’s containment. Racist accusations during pandemics against Asians in America since the turn of the 20th century also led to hate crimes and increased discrimination, resulting in discriminatory public perception reflected even through government actions.   COVID-19 is reflecting these historical trends. The latest disease to be politicized, the coronavirus has widened the scope of scapegoating beyond blaming Asians. Its politicization is creating further divisions in society and leading to tension on both a global scale with the WHO and domestically with the CDC and state legislatures. Consistent with former diseases, unfounded blame during the coronavirus is a practice that ultimately causes more deaths and needs to end immediately.  "
Flight Status— ‘Grounded Indefinitely’: An Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on Commercial Aviation,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1371,Satvik Narang; Kah Ying Choo,03-31-2021,"Since the unexpected eruption of COVID-19, travel has been heavily circumscribed by governments in an endeavour to curb the spread of the virus. This research study aimed at conducting a case-study analysis of the impact of the Coronavirus on the commercial aviation industry. It analysed changes in international passenger capacity from originally planned in a sampling of countries from different regions, from January to April 2020, to measure the impact of the pandemic on commercial aviation. The data for capacity change were regressed against days of lockdown and days of global travel ban to determine the extent of their impact. Qualitative data was also analysed to provide a multi-faceted picture. The study found that COVID-19 had a huge influence on commercial aviation during the period observed. Moreover, the restrictions implemented by governments were found to exert a statistically significant impact on the industry, accounting for 84% of the impact on the change in international passenger capacity. The equation generated provides a predictive tool for determining changes in passenger capacity in the foreseeable future if similar restrictive policies are imposed. A qualitative analysis of the context also reveals that airfares will fall in the short run as airlines compete to regain customers, but rise in the long run. The paper thus highlights the importance of government bailouts and the relaxation of specific rules to support airlines during these challenging times. Other necessary measures identified include fleet re-purposing, as well as the institution of additional safety measures to encourage air travel."
"South Korea’s Survival on a Tightrope: The Impacts of the Clash between the US and China on South Korea, in comparison to Japan",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1304,Edward Kim,03-31-2021,"Northeast Asia is a both a pivotal and a highly volatile region in the global political and economic landscape. The balance of power in the region rested upon the United States’ political and economic influence over its allies. However, China’s rapid economic growth following the diplomatic move away from its isolationist policies pose a direct challenge to the established power of the US. China has already assumed regional economic dominance, which is being echoed by China’s growing presence of high politics in Northeast Asia.  I investigate the effects of this China-US clash, which is developing into a power struggle, in the high and low politics of South Korea, comparing them to those of Japan when appropriate.  While South Korean low politics could benefit from increased competitiveness of industries in the global market as a result of the US-China trade war, there is also a risk of economic retaliations resulting from political decisions. Similarly, a thorough backing of the US may stabilise the South Korean high politics, but also increase the possibility of military conflict against a greater Chinese power. There will certainly be unavoidable trade-offs when prioritising high politics over low politics or vice versa.  South Korea is yet faced with an urgent necessity to embrace the American alliance at the expense of economic and political relations with China. Security provided by a military alliance with the US is certainly welcome, and it will provide time for South Korea to consolidate its low politics in its economy and global reputation."
Modeling School Reopening Options in Response to COVID-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1282,Nikhil Shanbhag; Anthony Grabowski,03-31-2021,"School administrators have the daunting challenge of rolling out school reopening policies and safety standards. While it is important to have children in school to maximize learning, it is critical to ensure that it is done in a manner which prioritizes the safety of staff and students on campus. This research explores models that can be used to examine the spread of COVID-19, and then applies them to evaluate school reopening policies within the United States. A variety of factors are accounted for, including the student population, the rate at which students are infected, the rate at which students are quarantined, and the proportion of students that are susceptible to COVID-19. We primarily utilize Euler’s method and nondimensionalization of the differential equations for each model. Our graphical results are displayed using Excel. We show that multiple variables such as rate of infection and recovery can be written solely as a function of one parameter: R0. We first analyze the SIR model and then introduce the new scenario of quarantining students to derive the SIQR model. Our findings show that reducing and maintaining R0 below 1 is the key to reopening schools and we outline practices to help achieve this outcome."
"Inhibiting STAT3 and Activating TLR Against Tumors With OPSS Liposomes, Curcumin, and TLR Agonists",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1362,"Shreya Sujith; Marisabel Ramirez, Keaton Rasic, Max Kullberg, Vani Pillai, Holly Martinson",03-31-2021,"In solid malignancies such as breast cancer, the tumor cells create an immunosuppressive environment through the aid of macrophages. The macrophages become tumor-associated and inhibit a T-cell response critical to removing the cancerous cells. The main signaling pathway responsible for the macrophages’ pro-tumoral behavior is the STAT3 signaling pathway, a subset of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway that prevents the toll-like receptor (TLR) expression. TLRs are essential to the immune system's anti-tumoral response. Therefore, to repolarize the macrophages in from a pro-tumoral to an anti-tumoral form, curcumin (STAT3 inhibitor), and TLR agonists (TLR stimulant) were delivered to a co-culture using complement C3 liposomes (OPSS liposomes). The OPSS liposomes cause macrophages to uptake the liposomes, allowing for targeted drug delivery to macrophages. 4T1 cancer cells and BMDMs were co-cultured and treated with control liposomes containing PBS, OPSS liposomes containing curcumin and TLR agonist, and OPSS liposomes containing TLR agonist. RT-qPCR measured gene expression, and flow cytometry measured protein expression. This study’s results point to the effectiveness of the OPSS liposome, curcumin, and TLR agonist treatment. The combination of curcumin and TLR agonist appear to effectively inhibit the STAT3 signaling pathway and activate the expression of TLR. Future studies should implement the OPSS liposome, curcumin, and TLR agonist treatment in a mouse model and observe for a potential T-cell response."
Systematic optimization of Long Short-Term Memory model for predicting NYSE Arca Airline Index (XAL) during COVID-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1297,Sarah Dong; Amber Wang,03-31-2021,"Predicting stock prices has been both challenging and controversial. Since it first spread through the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the stock market in a multitude of ways. Thus, stock price prediction has become even more challenging. Recurrent neural networks (RNN) have been widely used in many fields to predict financial time series. In this study, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a special form of RNN, is used to predict the stock market direction for the US airline industry by using NYSE Arca Airline Index (XAL). The LSTM model was optimized through changing different hyperparameters of the model architecture to find the best combination for increased accuracy and performance evaluated by several metrics, including raw RMSE (3.51) and MAPA (4.6%), and very high MAPA (95.4%) and R^2 (0.978). "
Harnessing Neutrino Energy for a Sustainable Future,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1350,"Priyanka Supraja Balaji; Ellen Torres Thompson, Lawrence Edmond IV, Ms.Della Santina",03-31-2021,"There is a growing need for sustainable forms of renewable energy sources that are efficient, and cost-beneficial. Finding such energy sources is one of the critical challenges of the 21st century. This paper focuses on the prospects of using high energy particles abundant in the universe as a solution to the energy crisis faced around the world. The high energy particle studied in this paper is the neutrino.  Neutrinos are subatomic particles that are one-millionth the size of an electron (“How much does a neutrino weigh”, n.d). They are of interest to physicists because they are present virtually everywhere, travel through regular forms of matter, and have exceptionally high energy levels (“What is a Neutrino”, 1999). Neutrinos have ten billion electron volts when traveling freely across space, which is enough energy to break up the nucleus of an atom (“Neutrino Energies”, n.d). Due to their high energy levels and eternal presence, neutrinos are a promising candidate for a renewable energy source. However, due to minimal reactions with other forms of matter, it is difficult to harness their intrinsic energies. A panel that is capable of absorbing neutrinos can potentially produce substantial amounts of heat energy, which can then be converted into electricity.   Energy from neutrinos is a great theoretical alternative and a clean source of energy for our planet and future generations to come. This paper takes another step forward in the mission to produce a primary source of energy that is green and sustainable for our planet."
Analyzing Timbres of Various Musical Instruments Using FFT and Spectral Analysis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1292,Ellen Jannereth; Lisa Esch,03-31-2021,"A sound’s unique timbre is based on the various harmonic frequencies present within its waveform. Through Fast Fourier Transform software, waveforms can be easily decomposed into their component frequencies and a spectral analysis of frequency can be conducted as a method of quantitatively describing timbral characteristics of a sound. In this investigation, the range of frequencies present in a spectrum as well as the average intensity of the first 10 overtones in a sound will be used to classify the timbres of various instruments relative to one another. This will be done by generating a Range-Intensity graph of harmonic frequencies present in sound samples of each instrument. The results of this investigation reveal that it is not only possible to quantitatively analyze instrumental timbre by generating and mapping out the harmonic frequency data of a specific sound, but that such a quantitative analysis is also incredibly useful. Unlike the traditional, qualitative method of describing timbre, a quantitative analysis would allow for timbral qualities to be transformed into information that can be understood by computers. Today, timbral classification and the decomposition of waveforms has many applications in science and sound engineering. By refining methods for quantitative timbral analysis, it becomes possible to further enhance timbre recognition software and apply such methods to a wider range of technological developments."
Impact of COVID-19 on Arts and Cultural Organizations and Customer Satisfaction with Measures Taken,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1407,Avantika Matele; Arun Gopalakrishnan,03-31-2021,"Due to the dramatic changes that have occurred during the COVID-19 era, there has been a shift of what the consumers of arts and cultural organizations want and what those organizations think their consumers want. The needs of organizations themselves and what the organizations are able to provide have also changed. This paper responds to this problem by examining both sides and analyzing the themes and common practices used by these organizations during COVID-19 and then analyzing feedback from the organization’s consumers on the effectiveness of these practices. This project’s principle aim was to understand the severity of the impact of changes brought on by COVID-19 on different types of arts and cultural organizations with a focus on determining the common struggles for art and cultural NGOs during the COVID-19 crisis and the effectiveness of the measures taken by these organizations to combat COVID-19 from a consumer viewpoint."
Predicting Loan Defaults Using Logistic Regression,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1326,Selena Zhao; Jiying Zou,03-31-2021,"We used anonymized data from a loan company to analyze correlations between loan defaults and other characteristics of loans or borrowers of loans. We performed an exploratory data analysis of the different factors and how they correlated with loan defaults. Using observations made in the EDA, we proceeded to use logistic regression to predict the odds of loan defaults with several loan characteristics as predictor variables. Different models were evaluated and cross-validated using AIC, AUC, and predicted accuracy. Weighted accuracy was also measured because the loan dataset was a stratified sample. We concluded that the interest rate most accurately predicted the odds of a loan default and that the most useful model was both simplistic and accurate. Research was limited by the variables that were not analyzed during EDA, the limited variables the loan dataset contained, and the modeling technique used."
"Differences Among Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Memorization Procedures when Children in Upper Elementary Schools are Memorizing a Text",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1372,Julie Beardslee,03-31-2021,"In education, a variety of methods for learning or memorizing content are often used, from reading a passage to listening to a lecture. This plethora of available strategies cause those involved in the educational field to wonder if there is a type of device that helps students best retain information. The study described in this paper determined whether children in the 4th and 5th grade memorize a visual text most effectively when given either a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic strategy. A total of 56 respondents were selected from a local elementary school and divided into three equal groups to memorize as much of a 151-word poem as possible. After students were given 15 minutes to utilize their given device, an assessment was given, during which they had to fill in 15 missing words from the poem they had been assigned. Based on scores from the assessment, this study was able to show that the visual device yielded a higher mean score of 8.5 than either the auditory score of 6.7 and a kinesthetic score of 6.5. A series of t-tests were conducted to conclude that the visual mean produced a p-value of 0.08 against audio and 0.09 against kinesthetic, which is significant at a level of 0.10. This evidence suggests that when young children are assigned the task of memorizing a short passage, visual devices may be the most optimal choice."
The Puerto Rican Economic Challenges and Alternatives: A Review of Recent Literature,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1311,Teddy Torres; Jose Caraballo,03-31-2021,"The decline of Puerto Rico’s economy has been inextricably linked to the federal government’s phasing out and ultimate elimination of tax incentives that made it attractive for U.S. companies to establish operations on the island. One unsurprising consequence of these tax incentives is that they made the economy heavily dependent on both U.S. policies and the actions of U.S. companies. Thus, when the federal government repealed the incentives, including the well-known section 936, a major economic decline on the island was virtually inevitable, particularly in the absence of any alternative program to fill the vacuum left by the departure of U.S. firms. The consequence has been the creation of crippling debt, sky-rocketing unemployment, and the reversal of economic growth. The historical problems with the island’s fragile and outdated energy sector and power grid -- which are heavily dependent on expensive, imported fossil fuels, has been exacerbated by the economic decline.  One viable solution in this critical sector is a transition to clean renewable energy, which would spur economic growth by increasing employment and enabling reduction of the debt.  Execution of such a strategic option, however, is compromised by Puerto Rico’s status as a commonwealth rather than a U.S. state or independent sovereign state.  Any long-term, meaningful reforms or programs for economic development are thus largely dependent on resolution of the status issue, which requires a decision by both the U.S. Congress and the people of Puerto Rico to determine on statehood or independence. "
Procrastination in Upper School Female Students at a New York City Private School Before and During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2019,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1284,Chloe Padilla; Elaine Pan,03-31-2021,"Procrastination can affect some people in negative ways (Tice 1997). Teenagers are vulnerable to the detrimental effects of procrastination as they learn to manage school-life balance (Reinecke 2018). The coronavirus pandemic led to virtual education and less extracurricular activities, inadvertently increasing teens’ unscheduled home time and possibly altering procrastination habits. There is little research about the pandemic’s effects on teenagers’ education habits and the extent to which teenagers’ procrastination habits have been affected. Teenagers’ procrastination levels would need to be determined before and during the pandemic. This study was conducted to help educators develop strategies to help teenagers manage school-life balance and decrease procrastination during the pandemic. This study reviewed the frequency of students’ procrastination levels before and during the COVID-19 outbreak based on the “percentage of time passed when assignments were submitted between time they were assigned at The Chapin School. 392 samples were collected and analyzed using the Chi-Square statistical test. The p-value of 0 was lower than the alpha of 0.01, with a confidence level of 99%. The alternative hypothesis that the level of procrastination in teenagers has decreased as a result of the coronavirus pandemic was accepted with 99% confidence. The collected data seemed to support the alternative hypothesis before analysis due to the differences in the frequency of the levels of procrastination before and during the pandemic. The results found in this study show educators that the new virtual platforms and schedules implemented during quarantine may have decreased the amount of procrastination in students."
Early Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease with a Multimodal Multitask Deep Learning Model,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1366,"Nitin Seshadri; Dr. Serena McCalla, Rishi Shah",03-31-2021,"Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the most common neurodegenerative disease in adults over 65. Early-stage AD is often misinterpreted as normal cognitive aging because it may not cause adverse symptoms or visible behavioral changes for up to 20 years. Machine learning has been used to avoid misinterpretation of data and more accurately predict the onset of AD. This study aims to use the data typically available in a clinical setting to predict the onset of AD while maintaining a high level of accuracy. This study proposes a deep learning model that uses multimodal input data and performs multitask classification to predict AD diagnosis and scores of two commonly used cognitive assessments: Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The model was validated using the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset of 1737 patients. The current model achieved a greater accuracy in predicting AD diagnosis and a lower error in predicting ADAS and MMSE scores than existing state-of-the-art models. This model can be applied to the clinical setting so that accurate diagnosis can be achieved, and appropriate action can be taken. Future investigations could include using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to process data from clinical images directly or training and validating the model with other clinical datasets to further improve its accuracy."
A Computational Analysis on Nicotine Withdrawal and Cardiac Arrhythmia and Their Effects on COVID-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1302,"Ayaan Haque, Aryaman Kukal, Yamuna Rao, David Cho; Keshav Rao",03-31-2021,"Certain chronic conditions are becoming increasingly ignored due to the magnitude of COVID-19. However, continued research on these conditions, such as nicotine addiction and heart disease, and how they relate to COVID-19 will help researchers assess case severity more adequately. It has been commonly asserted that smoking cessation will reduce COVID-19 mortality rates for smokers due to how it damages the lungs. However, smoking cessation results in nicotine withdrawal, which is proven to cause side effects that could conversely increase the severity of COVID-19. This study aims to determine how nicotine withdrawal increases the probability of developing cardiac arrhythmia, and how that relationship increases COVID-19 mortality rates. To conduct our study, we compiled datasets from various health organizations, including the CDC and WHO, to find correlations between these three conditions. We first investigated the complications that result from nicotine withdrawal and how they may develop into cardiac arrhythmia. Following initial inquiries, we then calculated how cardiac arrhythmia increases COVID-19 mortality rates. To validate our conclusions, we compared smoking cessation rates with COVID-19 mortality rates in different states to isolate direct correlation between the two conditions. We determined that nicotine withdrawal has a 32.7% probability of causing cardiac arrhythmia, and that cardiac arrhythmia increases the chance of death from COVID-19 by 14.7%. Ultimately, we found that nicotine withdrawal increases the COVID-19 mortality rate by 4.8% compared to the general population, a significant and concerning finding. "
Correlation Study: CEM Scores and Customer Perception Value in Chick-fil-A Teterboro from 2018-2019,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1424,Amanda Feliciano,03-31-2021,"The monitoring of customer service experiences for fast food restaurants has been on the rise for past three decades because of technological advances. Having access to the current features helps businesses determine what factors to consider for improving their company. There has been research done on research chains such as Chipotle, Subway, KFC, Dairy Queen, and Taco Bell. Each restaurant focuses on similar factors, but there has been little to no research done on the fast food restaurant, Chick-fil-A regarding CEM scores and customer perception. Chick-fil-A is an extremely well known fast food place known to have outstanding customer service because of their overall politeness and fast service. This study aims at looking into one specific Chick-fil-A location in Teterboro, New Jersey, which is known to be in the top 20% of Chick-fil-As in the United States. This research study used stratified sampling in order to conduct a Spearman Correlation Analysis that answered the research question, “Is there a correlation between 4 main components of customer service and an effect on the customer service environment in Chick-fil-A Teterboro, from the years 2018-2019?” Results concluded there were only two direct correlations between two components. The two factors that had the highest correlation with one another were Overall Customer Satisfaction levels and the Attentive/ Courteous component in connection to the overall value of the customer service environment. "
The Great Leap Backward: A Feminist Analysis of Chinese Famine Politics from 1958-1961,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1273,Elaine Cheng; Elizabeth Schmidt,03-31-2021,"This paper revisits the causes and impacts of the deadliest famine in human history––the Great Chinese Famine––through a feminist lens. Mao Zedong and a male-dominated Communist Party led China into famine after its failed Great Leap Forward industrialization campaign in 1956. During the famine, Chairman Mao’s feminist slogans and state programs to promote gender equality were ineffective at best, and counterproductive at worst. We built the foundation of our analysis on primary sources, including oral histories from a broad demographic of civilians and cadres living throughout mainland China. We also incorporated archival research of reports, speeches, and writings of Communist leaders. To bolster our understanding of gendered experiences during the Great Famine, we interviewed both surviving civilians and Communist party members. During the famine, we found that women bore new double burdens, had their political interests marginalized, and witnessed their labor systematically devalued. In retrospect, China's patriarchal government, built off Chairman Mao's cult of personality, gained unchecked power over women during the famine and abused it."
What is the correlation between men’s perceptions of traditional luxury factors and price for Air Jordan UL sneakers?,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1355,"Nikolaos Diamantopoulos; Daniel Olivo, Mathew Dalzell, Norina Sfeir",03-31-2021,"In the field of luxury goods, the factors of brand value and flashiness are seen to increase the value of traditional luxury goods. No research has been conducted to understand this relationship in unorthodox luxury sneakers. These sneakers command high resale prices in comparison to base models. This research analyzes the correlational relationship between perceptions of these factors in unorthodox luxury sneakers and their price. A survey conducted on US adult males was used to obtain perceptions, and prices were taken from multiple resale sites. The averaged values were then put through a Pearson Correlation test. For both factors, there was little to no relationship found and a statistically insignificant P-value. However, the results completely contradicted previous research regarding luxury goods and what factors derive their value. With this, the knowledge can be tested on a larger scale with a broader population to see if the trend continues. If so, this new knowledge could greatly affect the information available to firms and thus have a direct impact on future business strategy formulation, specifically in the UL sneaker market."
"COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges among rising high school seniors, Class of 2021 and effect on stress regarding college admissions",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1294,Sarab Anand; Dr. Triptish Bhatia,03-31-2021,"The high school Class of 2021, already facing challenges of their stressful junior year has had multiple changes to their academic routines, athletic & extracurricular opportunities and standardized testing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the lockdown, it is also facing unprecedented changes in the college admissions process.   This study was undertaken as a survey of rising seniors in US high schools to understand handling of academic challenges, students’ stress regarding college admissions, changing landscape of the application cycle and attitudes towards strength of applications due to the pandemic. Survey was designed on google forms and was circulated among rising seniors through social media and snowballing methods. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.   A total of 331 students responded, majority were females, white and from public schools. Significant stress regarding college admissions was reported by students (63.6%) before pandemic and increase in stress (72.3%) afterwards. About 75% had already taken ACT/SAT, the majority was not satisfied with their scores but 90% planned to re(take) despite colleges declaring a test optional process. 60% of participants with change in summer plans and 70% of students unable to visit colleges reported increase in stress. Level of access correlated with perceived support from college counselors (r=0.677) and uncertainty regarding financial aid and athletic scholarships contributed to stress.   Two broad themes emerged while studying COVID-19 related increase in stress levels and factors contributing to that change: uncertainty about one’s own application strength and stress due to changes in institutional policies.               "
CoronaNet: A Novel Deep Learning Model for COVID-19 Detection in CT Scans,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1246,"Rohan Bhansali, Rahul Kumar; Duke Writer",11-20-2020,"Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently the cause of a global pandemic that is affecting millions of people around the world. Inadequate testing resources have resulted in several people going undiagnosed and consequently untreated; however, using computerized tomography (CT) scans for diagnosis is an alternative to bypass this limitation. Unfortunately, CT scan analysis is time-consuming and labor intensive and rendering is generally infeasible in most diagnosis situations. In order to alleviate this problem, previous studies have utilized multiple deep learning techniques to analyze biomedical images such as CT scans. Specifically, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been shown to provide medical diagnosis with a high degree of accuracy. A common issue in the training of CNNs for biomedical applications is the requirement of large datasets. In this paper, we propose the use of affine transformations to artificially magnify the size of our dataset. Additionally, we propose the use of the Laplace filter to increase feature detection in CT scan analysis. We then feed the preprocessed images to a novel deep CNN structure: CoronaNet. We find that the use of the Laplace filter significantly increases the performance of CoronaNet across all metrics. Additionally, we find that affine transformations successfully magnify the dataset without resulting in high degrees of overfitting. Specifically, we achieved an accuracy of 92% and an F1 of 0.8735. Our novel research describes the potential of the Laplace filter to significantly increase deep CNN performance in biomedical applications such as COVID-19 diagnosis."
Filial Piety in a Modern Age  An Exploration of Familial Caregiving for Alzheimer’s Patients & Caregiver Burden in Singapore,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1052,"Kayla Entwistle; Douglas Mabie, David Bond",11-20-2020,"With an increasing number of Alzheimer’s disease patients in Singapore, complications related to the degenerative disease have become highly relevant. Standing out among these complications are inflated caregiver burden resulting from the cultural expectations associated with filial piety. Filial piety, a value ingrained in Chinese culture, requires adult-children to display love, obedience, and respect towards their parents as well as provide physical care when required (Bedford, 2019). Expectations associated with filial piety, however, have been associated with severe caregiver burdens that persist even after patient institutionalisation (Whitlatch, 2001). Expectations to provide care presents numerous challenges for adult-children of patients: economic instability, psychological exhaustion, and social isolation (Lai, 2009; Langda, 2011; Win, 2017). These implications associated with caregiving are heightened when the patient being cared for is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as the disease has a unique cognitive-degeneration component that inhibits an individual from conducting independent actions after a certain point (Pratt, 1985). This article aims to shed light on the relationship between the level of involvement and the severity of caregiver burden among familial caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients in an effort to identify how to better support familial caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. Through the use of a quantitative correlational analysis, a relationship between the two data points of involvement level and burden level was established. This research serves to identify a potential problem, not propose methods of reconciliation. While the data collection process for this study was inhibited by the COVID-19 pandemic, theoretical data is provided in an effort to develop new understandings and draw hypothetical conclusions.  Keywords: Alzheimer’s, Filial Piety, Familial Caregiver, Institutionalisation, Caregiving Burden, Correlation, Adult-Child Caregiver"
Using CRISPRi to Repress Cell’s Ability to Metabolize Glycerol and to Express LacZ,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1205,Guyin Chen; Shaun Spisak,11-20-2020,"CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) method is an effective way in disturbing a specific gene in the DNA by blocking transcription and therefore silencing a gene from expressing.  When the catalytically dead Cas9 is coexpressed with a guide RNA, it generates a DNA recognition complex that can target a specific gene. The project focuses on manipulating the genes of DNA to repress certain gene expressions.  The first assay involves repressing the genes that allow cells to grow in glycerol, and the second assay targets the cell's ability to break down lacZ.          "
Impact of ‘Self-Portrait’ Creation and Discussion Workshop on Body Image of Indian Female Teenagers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1135,Muskaan Mittal; Kah Ying Choo,11-20-2020,"It is widely believed that body image issues affect the emotional and psychological well-being of adolescents to a great extent. In the face of deeply entrenched normative beauty standards, teenagers’ struggles with body image issues can be extremely damaging. This study assessed the impact of an interactive online workshop involving the creation and sharing of ‘self-portraits’ on the body image of urban Indian female teenagers, aged 13 to 16. Data were gathered in the form of photographs of the participants’ artworks, their comments about each other’s artworks, as well as responses to a short open-ended questionnaire. This study revealed that the workshop was helpful in encouraging the participants to acknowledge their sense of isolation in dealing with body image issues. Furthermore, they greatly benefitted from a platform that gave them the opportunity to express their feelings and understand that they were not alone in their struggles. This empowered them to move towards self-acceptance and a desire to redefine unrealistic beauty standards. Ultimately, this study validated the value of the workshop in helping teenagers deal with their body image issues through creative means. In the future, regular sessions should be held to address teenagers’ body image issues through creative means and provide them with support in facing the pressures of prevalent beauty standards. As parents could inadvertently be contributing to their children’s body image issues, this study also proposed efforts to educate parents on the promotion of body positivity in their children."
Improving Signature Forgery Analysis through Deep Learning Classification Algorithms,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1229,Kashvi Gupta; Shashank Gupta,11-20-2020,"This project seeks to develop a machine learning algorithm to identify a forgery from a legitimate signature, for use in signature verification in low profile financial crimes. This model will be trained on data collected on specific handwriting characteristics used by professional document analysis experts. Signature forgery in financial institutions was recently brought to light in the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal, where employees opened 3.5 million unauthorized accounts, for which 190,000 customers were unwittingly charged fees. This product will help protect individuals from exploitation by providing a verification tool for company managers and executives. The hypothesis predicted if characteristics such as length-to-height ratio and relative slant were taken into account, then the accuracy of the model would be greater than 90%. Each data point consisted of 6 signatures, of which 5 were ‘true’ (produced by the same person) and the final was forged. The data was fed to a processing program that used mathematical formulae (standard deviation from the mean) to account for, and negate human error. Finally, using the python Scikit machine learning library, multiple models were trained on the data sample, using k-fold analysis. The most successful model, XGBoost Classifier, had an accuracy rate of 94.55%."
Examining Correlation Between the Genre of Music Present & Increased Academic Performance Through Beta Wave Measurement,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1187,"Daksha , Daniel",11-20-2020,"In a world saturated with media at every turn – especially music, and many different genres of music for everyone to enjoy, the critical question is often asked: does music positively impact the work produced whilst listening to it? This experiment seeks to answer that question using a 3D printed EEG to measure beta waves in the brain, thus providing more concrete results. It was hypothesized that listening to a genre of music such as classical would boost performance on a math exam. This experiment explores the correlation between the presence of music whilst taking a math exam and the score on said exam. In the experiment, each participant was first given a math exam to complete with no music whilst undergoing an EEG examination to establish a baseline, then were given a different form of the exam to complete whilst listening to a specific genre of music that was randomly assigned prior. Afterwards, we determined that slight improvement was observed with an average increase in score of 0.45 points, however with an r-squared value of only 0.091. The EEG analysis did provide an r-squared value of 0.370 when experimental error was removed, giving a moderately strong relationship that music does not have an impact on beta wave amplitude. We concluded that although music increased math scores slightly, it was not statistically significant using an alpha level of 0.05. However, since almost 20% of the trials had error resulting in unreliable data, further refinement/re-testing of the methodology must be conducted. "
Sports Fandom: Reflection of a Cultural Mosaic  An analysis of the Nets versus Knicks rivalry in New York City,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1101,Siddharth Sundararajan,11-20-2020,"This paper explores the origins of sports fandom and the various factors that impact it. It reports results from an experiment which measures support of two NBA teams based in New York City.  Interviews of random samples were collected, totalling 234 entries, with key demographic features collected from each interviewee. The analysis reveals that there are differences in fandom with respect to certain demographic features, especially race, age, and location. It shows that Black people are more than 3.5 times as likely to support the Nets over the Knicks, and that young people are 2 times as likely to support the Nets. The further way from New York a person was born, the less likely they are to support the Nets. People living in Manhattan are less likely to support the Nets. Overall, the data highlights how personal choices can be influenced by factors you can’t control, and the results expose a divide within the melting pot in the City of Dreams."
An assessment of the impact of COVID-19 related social distancing measures on the stress levels of students,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1226,Luke Edward Harding Bradley; Mr. Luke Reaper,11-20-2020,"Since the novel coronavirus was first reported in China in early 2020, governments have aimed to cull its spread and raise awareness of the symptoms of the infection.  These measures are collectively known as social distancing and self-isolation.   Prior to COVID-19, 85% of students in university reported feeling overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some point within the prior year (AADA, 2015).  Organizations treating teen anxiety and depression are highlighting the impact of isolation on teenagers and young adults and claim an association with a decline in self-care and a greater risk of suicide (Newport Academy, 2020).  Given the pre-existing high levels of stress and mental strain experienced by students, the consequences of social isolation may more significantly impact students in comparison with non-students.   This study uses the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) index to understand the impact that social distancing and self-isolation has on the mental health of students and non-students globally.  502 responses were gathered globally with most respondents residing in the United States of America, Italy and Ireland.   The results of this study suggest that the COVID-19 related Social Distancing and Self-isolation lead to a greater increase in stress among students than among adults as measured by STAI.  The reported stress was highest among high school age students and among female students generally.  The reported causes of this stress are primary related to the impact on education of the measures rather than directly related to the health consequences pandemic. "
An Overview of the Evolution of Modern Macroeconomic Theories,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1178,Zijian Liang; Michael Silber,11-20-2020,"This paper examines the evolution of macroeconomic theories from the 18th century to present. The manuscript starts off on giving a short analysis on the Great Depression and how it sparked numerous changes in macroeconomic policies. Then, the Classical Economic Theory is introduced and its shortcomings are examined through the Panic of 1873. Next, the paper's focus will shift to a deeper analysis on the causes, impacts, and the recovery of the Great Depression and the effects it had on the United States economy. Keynesianism and the benefits of fiscal policy are introduced and reasons for the rejection of the Classical Economic theory are explained. William Phillips' Phillips Curve is then introduced and connections between Phillips' theory and Keynes' theory are made. Lastly, the paper will examine the effects of monetary policy in the 1970s and the recent Great Recession of 2008. Most importantly, the reasons modern economists like Friedman oppose fiscal policy and Keynesianism are interpreted. From the works of these economists, the central argument of the paper advocates for the fact that we can no longer rely on the Classical Economic theory during times of economic crisis. The modern economy should be observing both Keynesianism and Monetarism; we should be pursuing expansionary fiscal policy during times of downturns and contractionary monetary policy during times of economic boom."
Relationship between the Altaic Languages and the Korean Language,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1083,Mirae Kim; Andrew MacNeill,11-20-2020,"Over the years, many Asian and Altaic linguists have argued about whether the Korean language belong to the Altaic family. This research give an evidence that Korean, Japanese, and the Altaic languages including Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic share unique characteristics in vocabularies, sentence structure, and sound. It not only proposes the concept of such languages, but also explains how linguists have attempted to define the idea, and what more needs to be clarified for the Altaic Theory to be factual."
Predictors of Willingness to Reduce Carbon Footprint and Effects of Survey Question Phrasing,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1219,"Nikol Miojevic, Simone Robson; Renata Ivanek Miojevic",11-20-2020,"To minimize and prevent the many negative effects associated with climate change people must reduce their carbon footprints. Our objectives were to determine whether a person’s likelihood to take political action against climate change, perceptions about fracking, and education level affect their willingness to reduce carbon footprint, and whether phrasing of a survey question affects how people respond. To this end, participants’ responses were used from the publicly available nationally representative 2015 Cornell National Social Survey (CNSS) of 1,000 United States adults. Statistical analysis involved estimation and comparison of odds ratios (ORs) and the associated 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Findings indicated that willingness to reduce carbon footprint was positively associated with being likely to take political action against climate change (OR=6.53, 95% CI: 4.63-9.20) and with having gone to college (OR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.06-1.94). Conversely, support for fracking had a negative association with willingness to reduce carbon footprint (OR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.31-0.56). In CNSS, the question about carbon footprint was phrased in five different ways that either mentioned the danger from climate change or the benefit from reducing climate change, and linked the benefit or danger to humans or birds. It was discovered that how the question is asked matters. Participants appeared more affected by mention of humans than animals, though reactions to benefit and danger were not consistent. These findings will aid education efforts about climate change and carbon footprint and also help in the design of future surveys on the topic."
Coronavirus & the Heart - Acute Heart Attack and Coronary Artery Disease - Pathophysiology,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1167,Tanay Subramanian; Dr. James Patel,11-20-2020,"Research supports a direct correlation between the coronavirus and acute myocardial injuries from the inflammation of the myocardium and its surrounding blood vessels. The pathophysiology of the coronavirus causes cardiac injuries through viral Vasculitis, which releases troponins I and T into the bloodstream to cause a plethora of cardiac problems including acute heart attack, heart failure, hypertension, and arrhythmia. Due to multi-organ failure from the body’s inflammatory response following exposure to the virus, the lungs, kidneys, and brain can become adversely impacted as well. While hydroxychloroquine should only be used to treat hospitalized patients, compassionate use of Remdesivir and Methotrexate can be used for non-hospitalized patients as well, if it is deemed effective and safe for public use through further testing and research."
A Mathematical Approach to Modeling Physics for the Vertical Position in Synchronized Swimming,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1249,Devin Johnson; Benjamin Simonds,11-20-2020,"In Synchronized Swimming, arguably the most demanding sport known to man, one of the most basic positions is called a vertical. In this position a swimmer’s upper body is submerged in water and their legs are held above the surface while their body is kept in a straight line. Along with the buoyancy forces of the surrounding water and the air in the lungs, swimmers must also support themselves by making movements called sculls with their arms that propel them upwards. This additional force is the applied force. The goal of this research is to use physics principles to create a mathematical model that will help assist synchronized swimmers in maximizing their scores for the vertical position. The math done in this model confirmed that the amount of applied force inversely correlates with the buoyancy force needed to lift the synchronized swimmer out of the water. Additionally, the total force pushing the synchronized swimmer upwards is the same at each level. When the collected data is fitted to a second-order polynomial comparing applied sculling force to desired score, the graph shows that the data had an R2 fit of 0.984. This knowledge could ultimately inform athletes about how to use buoyancy and other forces to their advantage which could increase their performance levels."
Economic Forces and their Effect on Civic Participation Throughout United States History,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1075,Anant Gupta; Mr. Coe,11-20-2020," Throughout U.S. history, Economic events and legislation have led to civic activism in the form of protesting and political disruption and have had long term social effects that are seen in the present.         The economic history of the United States has been one of unprecedented success and unparalleled growth. At the founding of our country, Alexander Hamilton envisioned a financial structure that would prioritize the well-being of the populace and ensure the stability of the United States economy. However, he could have never envisioned the effect that economic events and fiscal legislation would have on the common people in terms of civic activism. The economy is so interwoven into the fabric of society that any change in it has the potential to create a social revolution, and it has. The nature of economics and its pervasiveness throughout society makes it a potent catalyzer for change.        In this paper, two major events were explored. First, the causes of The Panic of 1873, the United States' transition to the Gold Standard, and their implications.  Additionally, The social effect which manifested itself through the Free Silver Movement and William Jennings Bryan is dissected. Second, the 2008 Financial Crisis is explained, including the systematic failures that allowed it to occur, and the creation of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.      Lastly, an intriguing take on 21st-century civic activism is explored, with Social media and digital presence illustrated as champions for modern social cum political change"
A Comparative Study on the Center-based Iterative Hough Transform,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1206,Joshua Park; Young-Woo Lee,11-20-2020,"Circle detection is one of the most critical aspects of computer vision and has been widely studied and developed in a variety of ways. The Center-based Iterative Hough Transform (CBIHT) is a method for unassisted multiple circle detection, based upon iterative uses of a center-based voting process to determine the circle’s center coordinate. This paper gives a thorough analysis of the CBIHT as well as a comparison with the Standard Hough Transform (SHT) and its well-known variants including the Generalized Hough Transform (GHT) and the Adaptive Hough Transform (AHT). When applied to synthetic and real-life circular images, our accuracy and performance comparison studies show that (i) the CBIHT is more computationally efficient than the SHT’s brute-force algorithm; (ii) the CBIHT’s center-based voting method has greater resilience to noise than the GHT and AHT’s gradient information method; and (iii) the CBIHT’s iterative process provides an adaptability and speed in unassisted multiple circle detection similar to that of the AHT; (iv) yet, the CBIHT requires no parameters for circle detection unlike the GHT and the AHT. All in all, a comparison with other methods highlights the aforementioned merit of the CBIHT, proving the CBIHT to be an excellent choice in detecting the circles with noise in real-life images. "
"I Want It, Too: A Correlational Study on the Link Between Youth Celebrity Idolization and Materialism",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1139,Alanna Zhang; Jamie Kennedy,11-20-2020,"Online social media usage among youth has been on the rise, and concerns about its impact have accompanied it (O'Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011; Rideout, 2018). Upon reviewing the existing literature, it appears that a multitude of studies detail the negative internal and interpersonal effects of materialism, and others assert that advertising viewing is positively correlated with materialism. However, few studies directly focus on advertisements with celebrity product endorsement in particular. This study attempted to bridge these various gaps through the following research question: In 2020, how does the viewing of Instagram celebrity product endorsement correspond with levels of materialism (with a focus on its relationship to well-being and generosity) in middle schoolers in Southern California? Quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey led to the conclusion that the level of celebrity idolization was the most conclusive factor in determining the middle schooler’s final level of materialism. And the more time spent on Instagram–and likely, the more exposure to this type of advertising–the more materialistic and less generous students were. Thus, students feeling particularly detached from their values may consider scrutinizing their list of followed celebrities on social media. The discouragement of celebrity idolization is expected to decrease materialism."
Impact of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles on Bacterial Growth,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1234,Jishnu Basu; Tiffany Grimes,11-20-2020,"Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease which causes the production of viscous mucus in airways which limits airflow and creates the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. Unfortunately, deaths due to bacterial infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients have increased as bacterial strains have developed antibiotic resistance.  Researchers have found that silver nanoparticles offer a solution to growing antibiotic resistance due to how no resistance has been developed to them in clinical trials. Current research is focusing on the bio-synthesis of silver nanoparticles which does not produce the harmful waste products seen with the industrial production of silver nanoparticles. However, there is a lack of comparative research concerning the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles produced by different microorganisms, which is what the researcher’s work addressed. The researcher’s work primarily focused on determining how effective silver nanoparticles produced by different bacterial species were at inhibiting bacterial growth. Through the collection of nanoparticles via extracellular synthesis, antimicrobial assays were conducted to determine the efficacy of silver nanoparticles produced by different microorganisms. The results indicated that silver nanoparticles produced by B. subtilis were the most effective in inhibiting bacterial growth. This provides a crucial as research in the field should increasingly focus on bacteria which utilize assimilatory nitrate reduction like B. subtilis because of the increased efficacy of silver nanoparticles produced by this method in inhibiting bacterial growth in aerobic conditions. Advances in this area could increase the efficiency of nanoparticle production and make it viable for industrial production."
Plants are More Effective in Absorbing Volatile Organic Compounds from the Atmosphere than Air Purifiers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1047,Aryaman Sokhal; Uttamesh Narayan,11-20-2020,"Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have proved hazardous towards human health, especially Benzene and Formaldehyde. The research focussed on comparing the effectiveness of plants and air purifiers in absorbing VOCs from the atmosphere. The latter solution contains HEPA filters and activated carbon filters, both of which are known to absorb VOCs. Two variables were tested, which included the level of Formaldehyde (HCHO) and the level of Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC). The test was carried out by spraying equal amounts of deodorant in each room, one with the plant and one with the air purifier, to increase the amount of VOCs in the rooms in order to check how much was absorbed by the two levels of solutions. A pollution monitor was used to measure the VOC concentrations. After carrying out statistical analysis (paired sample t-tests) at the 95% confidence level on a software called JASP, it was shown that the plant used, Sansevieria Trifasciata, absorbed VOCs, especially Formaldehyde, more effectively than the air purifier."
Torsional Strength in Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1204,Nathan Ng; Kate Flowers,11-20-2020,"Among robotics enthusiasts, fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing has exploded in popularity. The ability to manufacture custom parts allows for a greater degree of freedom during the design phase. For example, mechanisms like the drivetrain, a hotbed of torsion forces, can be easily compressed to make room for additional functionality. However, such specific components are often unavailable for purchase. Therefore, the ability to manufacture custom torsionally resistant parts in an inexpensive manner is essential.  The objective of this study is to determine the FFF 3D printer settings that contribute significantly to a part’s torsional strength. This will be accomplished by altering either infill percentage or wall line count during printing while keeping all other settings constant among 30 individual test parts. Each part will be tested in a custom testing machine that applies a 9:1 gear reduction to simulate the maximum output torque of most hobbyist drivetrains. By measuring the amount of time each test part lasts before snapping, the setting granting the greatest increase in torsional strength can be determined."
"A Violation of “One Country, Two Systems:” Chinese Encroachment on Hong Kong’s Democratic Autonomy",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1103,"Ryan Selig, Bridget Gagne, Nick MacDonald",11-20-2020,"Since 1997 Hong Kong has operated as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China under a policy known as “One Country, Two Systems.” An analysis of the critical period of 1997-2020 (which came to a close with the 2020 National Security Law) demonstrates the ways in which the People’s Republic of China has used its influence to limit the democratic autonomy and ideological independence of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. By breaking down China’s actions into three distinct sections of politics, media, and education this review addresses the many layers and facets of Chinese encroachment on the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. In the political sector, China has worked to limit democratic representation in Hong Kong via interference in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Hong Kong’s government. In the field of media, China has used direct and indirect editorial action as well as economic influence to limit negative perceptions of Beijing. In the education system, China has taken a top-down approach to instill Chinese patriotism in Hong Kong’s curriculum to expand the support for China in Hong Kong’s youth. Tracking these violations of Hong Kong’s autonomy and also the people’s response demonstrates that although China continues to push the “One Country” aspect of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy, the people of Hong Kong will continue to fight for their freedoms as long as they have a voice."
A Novel Music Therapy Intervention Utilizing Pop Music to Reduce Adolescent Anxiety and Depression,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1227,Zhixing Huang; Natasha Duell,11-20-2020,"The prevalence of adolescents' mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression, has become a critical social issue that needs to be addressed. Conventional music therapy could be a useful tool to help teens manage their symptoms. However, few kinds of research have explored the potential function of listening to pop music to improve adolescents’ mental state. This paper explored a pivotal approach to whether scientifically proven pop music can help prevent anxiety and depression. The paper developed a criterion that is used for selecting pop music with mentally beneficial elements and created a playlist with songs selected under the criterion. Two survey-based studies, containing a professional diagnosis scale and various questions, qualitatively and quantitatively examined the playlist’s emotional impact. In Study 1, results indicated that the playlist could relieve anxiety symptoms, with less influence in depression. In Study 2, regular control measures and qualitative questions proved that the selected music exerted its intended positive emotional effects onto the listener and indicated that listening to the music on a daily basis may be useful in improving and maintaining one’s healthy mental state. The results were promising and suggested great potential in future research. The scientific use of pop music as a self-help method beneficial in tackling anxiety and depression among teenagers could be a prospective field of study."
COVID-19: An Emotional Analysis,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1185,Udit Khattar; Mukesh Kumar,11-20-2020,"In 2019, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread throughout the world. It was soon declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Following the declaration, many countries imposed lockdowns and various other restrictions on their citizens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the differences in the emotional responses of the people, living in different countries, towards the lockdown. This was done by conducting an emotional analysis of the tweets of the citizens of Singapore, Italy, and USA after their respective governments’ announcement of the lockdown by using an emotion-analyzing software. The results showed that there were significant differences between the three selected countries in terms of several emotional responses measured. The study revealed that the differences were influenced by sociocultural differences of the respective societies, the citizens’ experience of the pandemic, and the efficacy of the government’s response."
Causal Inference with Mendelian Randomization to Explore Risk Factors of Diabetes,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1087,Amulya Agrawal,11-20-2020,"Abstract—Since the dawn of time, health conditions have dictated life around the world. Gradually, through the advancement of medicine and technology, more and more treatments have been discovered to combat these conditions. One of these conditions is a disease known as diabetes. Even with a plethora of treatments being utilized by individuals internationally, diabetes continues to be the one of the leading causes of death worldwide [1]. Caused by a deficiency of insulin, a hormone created and released by the pancreas, diabetes renders individuals unable to effectively utilize glucose. With low amounts of insulin, cells cannot allow glucose to enter them and be used as energy for the body, leaving high amounts of glucose to build up in the bloodstream. Several factors have been suggested as a link to causing this insulin deficiency, resulting in diabetes. However, it is important to remember that there are two types of diabetes present, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This report uses Mendelian Randomization to analyze contributing factors of Type 1 and 2 diabetes and explain the roles of confounds and genetics in the pathogenesis of the disease."
An Uncanny Partnership: Impact of Increased Awareness on Receptivity of Indian High Schoolers to Robot Teachers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1222,Divyam Arora,11-20-2020,"Robots have become an increasingly important part of our lives. They have been introduced in the education sector in the form of social robots with humanoid features that allow them to deliver lessons and interact with students. Despite the fact that research has shown that students aged 12 and below improve their learning when taught by robots and enjoy interacting with them, there are lingering concerns about their widespread use. The concerns include the lack of accountability, the impact of robots on normal socio-emotional development, and the dependence of robots on outside support. This research study aimed to assess the impact of increased awareness of the role of an assistant robot teacher in the classroom on the receptivity of high school students towards the inclusion of assistant robot teachers in the classroom. Specifically, the respondents were asked to rate their perceptions of the potential benefits of having an assistant robot teacher in the classroom before and after watching an informational video clip about an assistant robot teacher. The video clip features an Indian international school’s advocacy for the deployment of an assistant robot teacher. The results showed that the video clearly had a statistically positive impact on increasing the respondents’ receptivity towards having an assistant robot teacher. Based on the respondents’ responses, it is evident that they were clear about the strengths (vast knowledge repository, animation, graphics) and limitations (contextual response) of the robots. "
The Effect of Temperature on the Spread of COVID-19,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1172,Shubh Goyal; Melanie Malinas,11-20-2020,"This study analyzes the findings about the spread of COVID-19 in regions of varying temperatures. This paper will use the analysis of public data to conclude how impactful temperature is in determining the spread of COVID-19. In addition, this paper will shed light on some trends and some historical relevance to other pandemics similar in genetic makeup and growth. There have been numerous claims that higher temperatures will cause COVID-19 to diminish quickly and die out during the summer months. Other viruses like the flu and influenza are more common, and they display signs of seasonality. For example, the flu occurs in the Fall and Winter months which is why people get vaccines or flu shots in the preceding months. The conclusion about temperature’s significance could also highlight the stage of severity of the virus. If the cases, start to drop for example, one could conclude that the virus is past its peak and will die out soon. Several states from the United States were monitored for their daily cases and temperature before being averaged into three-day intervals to depict a smoother trend. Both variables are public and accessible to all. The states were divided into colder states(New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois) and hotter states(Texas, California, and Georgia). The results varied and displayed different trends. The colder states seemed to have gone past their peak and displayed a downward parabolic form. The temperature and cases displayed an inversely proportional relationship. The hotter states showed a constantly increasing case count with the graph showing a spike around the same time. The hotter states displayed an exponential trend and it is hard to predict when and how much they will peak. These two differing trends suggest that the effect temperature can have is not obvious across numerous areas. Therefore, temperature does not appear as a significantly impactful determinant in the growth of COVID-19."
Reactivity-guided de novo molecular design and high throughput virtual screening of a targeted library of peptidomimetic compounds reveals charge-based structure-activity relationship of potential covalent inhibitors of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1082,"Stephanie Sun, Kavya Anand , Ishani Ashok, Bhavesh Ashok, Ayush Bajaj, Varsha Beldona , Kushal Chattopadhyay, Audrey Kwan, Karankumar Mageswaran, Anvi Surapaneni, Atri Surapaneni, Pranjal Verma, Allen Chen, Ria Kolala, Andrew Liang, Ayeeshi Poosarla, Krithikaa Premnath, Karthikha Sri Indran, Jeslyn Wu, Aishwarya Yuvaraj, Harsha Raj, Tanish Sathish, Aashi Shah, Sarah Su, Kara Tran, Edward Njoo",11-20-2020,"In December of 2019, a novel coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China, and has since spread around the world, leaving a largely unsolved biomedical problem in its wake. Upon entry into host cells, the main protease is essential for the replication of viral RNA, which is what allows the virus to replicate inside humans. Inhibition of the main protease has been investigated as a potential strategy for inhibition of the viral replication cycle. Here, we designed a combinatorial library of small molecules and performed high-throughput virtual screening to identify a series of hit compounds that may serve as potential inhibitors of the main protease. In our design of covalent inhibitors of the coronavirus protease, we modeled a library of 361 peptidomimetic Michael acceptor small molecules, which are designed to engage the nucleophilic cysteine residue in the active site of the protease in an irreversible 1,4-conjugate addition. We then employed a variety of computational tools to determine the binding affinity of our designed compounds when bound to the protease active site, where we determined that cationic side chains are potentially beneficial for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2.   "
Approaching Stock Market Trading with Echo State Networks,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1211,"Dev Patel, Krish Patel; Charles Dela Cuesta",11-20-2020,"The US stock market is an integral part of modern society. Nearly 55% of Americans  own corporate shares in the US stock market (What Percentage of Americans Own Stock?, 2019), and as of June 30th, 2020, the total value of the US stock market was over 35 trillion USD (Total Market Value of U.S. Stock Market, 2020). The stock market is also extremely volatile, and many people have gone bankrupt from poor investments. To minimize the risk and capitalize off the massive amounts of data on corporations and share prices present in the world, algorithmic trading began to rise. Trading algorithms have the potential for huge returns, and while many algorithms employ strategies like Long-Short Equity, very few attempt to use machine learning due to the unpredictable nature of the stock market. Many time series prediction models like autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), and even neural networks like long short term memory (LSTMs) often fail when predicting stock market data, because unlike other time series data, the stock market is almost never univariate, or follows seasonal trends. However, where other models come short, echo state networks (ESNs) excel, due to their reservoir like computing model, which allows them to perform better on messy, non traditional time series data. Using a combination of ESNs to predict prices, and clustering we created an algorithm model that can predict trends with over 95% confidence, but had mixed results accurately predicting returns."
The Role of Public Defenders Within the American Justice System,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1286,Brianna Fisher; Patti Thompson,05-18-2020,"This paper examines the inner workings of the legal system in connection with public defenders and their duties. The factors of total caseload, plea deals, waivers, and bench verdicts were implemented to create a comprehensive means of measuring work ethic, due to their significant presence in the everyday workings of public defenders. Through a meta-analysis of the five most densely populated African American cities within the state of Michigan, the combined and individual weighted mean effect sizes were calculated to determine if there was a strong positive or negative effect of the four factors mentioned above on work ethic. Additionally, both the upper and lower credibility levels were calculated to analyze their proximity to the weighted means. For all four factors tested, the weighted mean effect sizes relate a positive effect of the factors on work ethic, with all means falling closer to their upper credibility levels. These results confirm that the factors of total caseload, plea deals, waivers, and bench verdicts affect how cases are being handled and how clients are being treated."
A Colorful Impact: The Psychological Impact of Colors,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1287,Barbie West; Joshua Silberman,05-18-2020,"This paper offers an analysis of research done by professionals and studies of said professionals recreated by an undergraduate student. The goal of this research was to identify a connection between colors and emotions. Through tests and surveys, there was a connection indication; however, it is still unknown the exact connection."
The Relationship Between Acidity and Short-Term Student Performance on Exams,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/739,"Justin Raymond Croyle, Patricia Talarczyk",02-04-2020,"All students have to take exams at some point in their schooling careers and often in overwhelming amounts. With tests carrying great importance, students try to optimize their performance on these tests in a variety of ways. A widely-practiced strategy is eating peppermint or candy during the test in hopes of boosting brain performance. Peppermint has been known to stimulate olfactory receptors in humans. Similarly, acidity is an alternative powerful taste stimulant. Although acidity stimulates taste receptors and not olfactory receptors, taste and smell are very closely related which makes peppermint and acidity have similar overall effects. Since peppermint has shown improved memory and cognition in students, this study will now examine how acidity effects brain performance. This inquiry was investigated by giving 84 local high school students beverages of ranging acidity levels and soon after having them complete a timed, four-function math exam to test their brain performance. With average test scores of 38.62, 36.05, and 40.02 for the highest acidity, medium acidity, and lowest acidity beverage respectively with a control (no drink) average of 39.33, acidity does not appear to have an effect on student brain stimulation (p=.53). In conclusion, there was no statistically significant correlation between acidity and student brain function, but this was only a preliminary study and similar concepts should be further explored in the future."
The Effect of Antibiotics on the Respiration of Microorganism in Northern Ohio Rivers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/740,"David Patrick Gonia, Patricia Talarczyk",02-04-2020,"This experiment was conducted for the purpose of inquiring how the concentration of antibiotics, specifically Amoxicillin and Cephalexin, would affect the productivity of aquatic microorganisms within Northeastern Ohio rivers. In acknowledgment of the growing concerns over agricultural pollution, the study was devised to increase current knowledge of how the presence of antibiotics could affect aquatic microorganisms other the well-documented creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In order to achieve the research goal, water was collected from a Northeastern Ohio river and then tested with various amounts of antibiotics. Over the following five days, the concentration of dissolved oxygen was measured which was used to calculate the overall rate of respiration of the sample. The overall respiration rates of the samples with Amoxicillin were 0.0369 mg/L·hr (milligram per liter per hour) with no antibiotics, 0.835 mg/L·hr with 250 mg, 1.16 mg/L·hr with 500 mg, and  0.951 mg/L·hr with 750 mg. The samples with Cephalexin yielded rates of 0.963 mg/L·hr with 250 mg, 0. mg/L·hr with 500 mg,  mg/L·hr with 750 mg. These yielded R-values of 0.694 and 0.788 respectively.. This means that the null hypothesis was rejected, thus showing a statistically significant correlation. However, the alternate hypothesis was not supported as a positive correlation between the respiration rate and antibiotic concentration was shown."
The Relationship between Hamstring Flexibility and Level of Competitive Irish Dancers,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/751,"Rosalia Motta, Patricia Talarczyk",01-07-2020,"The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between hamstring flexibility and competitive level of Irish dancers. Since the premier of Riverdance in 1994, Irish dance has grown in population and has geologically spread to locations previously unassociated with Irish culture. Resulting from these changes has been the establishment of more and larger competitions, as well as increased athleticism in the dance form. This study followed a quasi-experimental approach, and dancers volunteered to participate. Participants were first asked verbal questions for secondary data collection and data on performance level. Hamstring flexibility was then measured using the Straight Leg Raise (SLR) test for analysis. The data support the conclusion that higher level Irish dancers have higher hamstring flexibility than lower level dancers. Irish dancers seeking to advance into higher competition levels may use this information to incorporate more flexibility building into their training. Likewise, Irish dance instructors may devote more instruction time to assisting their students in building their hamstring flexibility efficiently and properly. Future researchers may investigate similar studies with other physical aspects, such as flexibility in the quadriceps. Alternatively, researchers may investigate the extent to which Irish dance adjudicators seek out high hamstring flexibility in the dancers they judge in comparison to more traditional aspects of Irish dance."
Relationship Between Primary Guardians Marital Status and MBTI Results,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/744,"Mercedes Lyn Stanek, Patricia Talarczyk",01-07-2020,"The goal of this research was to explore the potential relationship between a primary guardian’s marital status and the child resulting from that relationship’s MBTI personality type. Given that personality types are often linked to environmental factors, these two factor appeared to be linked psychologically. The relationship between the five main marital statuses, married, divorced, separated, widowed, and single mother/father, and the results of MBTI tests was explored in this study. To explore the possible relationship, a mixed method approach was employed to high school students ranging from grades nine to twelve. The participants were asked to participate in an MBTI personality test which was followed by a survey asking questions about the participant’s primary guardians. The marital status was found to have no impact on the personality types of the participants; all groups were found to tend to be more introverted than extroverted. "
The Effects of Different Musical Auditory Backgrounds on a High School Student’s Comprehension Performance,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/731,"Kaitlyn M Chrosniak, Patricia Talarczyk",12-30-2019,"The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon where it is believed that students benefit from listening to classical music while studying or completing a class task. Studies released about the Mozart Effect have proven to not be the most reliable or replicable of studies. Similarly, very few studies have been released using music other than classical to see how all genres of music impact a students performance in the classroom. This research study began with a pre-assessment survey to determine characteristics of the population sample, 79 students varying from grades 10-12 in both Advanced Placement and College Prep English courses. The next part of the study included an experiment where students were to complete a portion of a released ACT reading excerpt. Students were to perform the task in silence, listening to a Mozart Sonata, or while listening to one of five pieces deemed to be the most popular of the year 2018. Upon completion, students were to complete a post-assessment survey in which they reviewed how they felt about the experience. Through an ANOVA, the scores from all students in the silent group, the classical group, and the popular group were compared in order to determine if any one treatment group performed significantly better or worse than others in terms of accuracy, as well as to see if different auditory factors were to blame. The results proved to be insignificant, showing how students do not perform better or worse on comprehension tasks when different auditory backgrounds are applied. "
The Effects of Heat Wave Temperature Patterns on Arabidopsis Thaliana,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/742,"Sara Ramaiah, Patricia Talarczyk",12-30-2019,"Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Col-0, a model organism in plant physiology, was studied in conjunction with heat wave temperature patterns, here defined as a multi-day pattern of oscillating high maximum daily temperatures and normal temperatures. The study was run with an experimental design, involving the construction of two plant growth chambers, of which one was set to maintain a constant temperature around 23º Celsius. The other was set to vary in maximum temperature according to a heat wave definition based upon climate data from Columbia, Missouri, the native region of the studied ecotype of A. thaliana. Seeds were placed on fertilized soil and watered daily throughout the process of their growth, and they were moved into the growth chambers after sprouting under sunlight. Data was collected regarding each plant's developmental stage throughout plant growth, and biomass data was collected at the end of each individual's growth. Overall, an effect on the plants was found when the control and experimental groups were compared. The experimental group showed increased plant mortality and slowed plant development. This study has implications for the field of environmental science, climate research, and biology in that it may impact both the study of plant growth and planting seasons in agriculture. These results suggest potential for future studies into the genetic differences between plants that thrive under each set of conditions. These results are in agreement with other evidence of the negative effects of climate change on ecosystems."
Benefits of Music Intervention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/511,"Finn Keith Hafting, Birdie Bezanson",02-15-2019,"Current literature, (Gold, Wigram, & Elefant, 2006), (Wimpory & Chadwick, 1995), (NRC, 2001), suggests that there is insufficient evidence to predict long-term (P to Grade 12) benefits of music intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To understand how music intervention can be employed in Nova Scotian schools, music teachers, music therapists, and staff of the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development were interviewed. The primary needs of students with ASD were identified as, Expression of thoughts, Language, Motor skills, and Social skills. Music intervention was found to have substantial long-term and short-term benefits for students in all grade levels depending on their individual needs. However, to treat these needs, elements of music and music intervention must be considered during program planning meetings."
Civic Engagement and Opinion of Politics at a High School Level,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/457,"Diana Isabel Cruz, Brian Everson",01-31-2019,"""At one point or another, young people will become the majority that can vote compared to baby boomers and other demographics. Therefore it is important to address the political efficacy and engagement of youth, because they will be-or already are- making change. However, this is by no means a new idea. There have been studies in the past, however, this in particular will be addressing the question of, “To what extent do ethnicity, participation in political organization, party affiliations, and civic engagement level factor into students opinions of politics and their civic engagement?”""  After collecting 220 responses, students ethnicity, political affiliation, their level of civic engagement, and whether they were involved in a political organization was taken into account to determine the effect on their opinions of politics and how they interacted with government. It was found that involvement in a political organization was the greatest factor when looking at the data quantitatively and qualitatively."
The Neuroscience Between Musical Stimulation and Enhancing Short Term Memory with Age,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/497,"Maria Alexandra Fiorta, Patricia Talarczyk",01-29-2019,"In the field of neuroscience, cognitive memory is at the center of biomedical research. Prior works in cognitive memory all suggest and show that as people age their short term memory slows down and becomes less effective from an accuracy standpoint. This especially becomes apparent in age related memory impairments such as Alzheimer’s. Using musical stimulation this study was focused on finding out if music has an effect on a musician’s short term memory speed and overall accuracy in both auditory and visual memory. Visual and auditory memory are the primary ways in which music is memorized. Along with visual memory motor memory is also tested in musicians as they use muscles when playing an instrument (Chua,  2014). Thus, these two were combined with the aim of finding out if music has an effect on the entire short term memory system. The study focused on all ages ranging from fourteen to the age bracket of sixty and over. Each participant was given the same conditions under which the study was conducted. Using a T-chart analysis the data showed that overall the speed of memory is enhanced with musical stimulation; however, accuracy was statistically insignificant. To avoid the distraction of future participants they should be evaluated one at a time.Key Words: cognitive memory, auditory, visual, musicians, motor memory"
The Integration of Color and the Retention of Text,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/473,"Michelle Emily Lucic, Patricia R Talarczyk",01-29-2019,"The following essay will present research that studies the interweaving of color and memory. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of different formats of color within a prose fiction text, and to show how color affects the retention of the information read. To perform the study, one passage made in three different formats – black and white throughout the text, colored font on random words, or highlighted text on random words – will be randomly assigned to Advanced Placement (AP) and College Prep (Regular) English class juniors, followed by a test based on accuracy. The results show that color has a more positive influence than normal black and white text in regards to retaining information. Moreover, women overall were seen to perform significantly better on the text with highlighted text compared to colored font, whereas men overall were seen to be more successful using colored font than highlight. One can conclude from this research that using color to study and remember information for a test or a job-related interview can improve one’s performance. Due to the positive influence of color, students should ask their teachers to promote a more color-coded study plan, present key parts in a slideshow using highlighting or colored font, or more, which could lead to higher student scores and steer attention towards the information being given."
Isolating Exosomes Derived From Human Natural Killer Cells For Characterization,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/471,"Wesley Huang, Jo Carmona",12-31-2018,"Exosomes have been an area of great interest in the field of research, as they seem to participate in many essential cellular processes. However, current methods in isolating exosomes have many limitations. The aim of this study is to present a more effective, efficient, and simple method to isolate large quantities of natural killer (NK) cell-derived exosomes using the ÄKTA start system, centered around size-exclusion chromatography, and to characterize these exosomes. Using the ÄKTA system, we obtained a chromatogram of high resolution depicting the UV absorbance of exosomes. We confirmed the identity of the exosomes by probing for markers such as CD56 and CD81 and cytotoxic proteins such as granzyme B in the exosomes, whose cytotoxic properties against cancer cells were confirmed using luciferase assays. By incubating exosomes, cancer cells, and an array of inhibitors, we also found that NK exosomes may engage in cytotoxicity via different methods such as ligand-receptor interactions. "
"A Golf Ball and A Bouncy Ball, Which Bounces Higher and Why",https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/422,"Kate Elizabeth Boydston, Cecil Ossa-Jaen, Anying Wang, Mengyao Zhao, Jim Centorino",10-17-2018,The AP Physics I class at Louisville High School takes a detailed look at the difference in elasticity between a golf ball and a dense bouncy rubber ball.
Strategies for Grassroots Activism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/407,"Riti Pathak, Alesia Williams",06-17-2018,"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing crisis originating from the ethno-religious struggle between the Palestinian Arabs and Zionist Jews over the land of Palestine. There have been several attempts to create peace in this conflict, including foreign intervention and aid. However, one of the most overlooked methods is grassroots activism: civilian movements that work for social and political change on a local, regional, or international level. While there have been sociological analyses and other studies conducted on grassroots activism in the conflict, there has been a lack of comprehensive approaches analyzing these qualitative studies and the effectiveness of this activism. Thus, the purpose for this project was to find which strategies were most effective for grassroots movements that focus on creating peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. It was hypothesized that nonviolent activism would emerge as most effective. A mixed methods approach incorporating both a qualitative meta synthesis and a quantitative frequency analysis was conducted through a thematic synthesis. Line-by-line coding was completed on six journal articles obtained from JSTOR, Academic Search Complete, and Sociological Collection; descriptive and analytical themes based on strategies for grassroots activism were created based on this coding. A statistical analysis was completed displaying the frequency of each strategy coded as low, medium, or high success. Joint activism emerged as the most effective strategy based on the coding completed with 57% coding under high success: this suggests that joint activism should be utilized most often for conflict resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Relationship between vertical depth of the kickoff point of a fracking operation and methane concentrations in groundwater resources,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/385,"Haley Dillon Acosta, J. Mike Courage, Serge Danielson-Francois",12-31-2017,"There is a problem with hydraulic fracturing and water contamination. Despite Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, risk to water resources remains in areas of water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, produced water handling, and wastewater disposal and reuse. This problem has negatively impacted some relying on groundwater resources surrounding hydraulic fracturing operations because of inadequate information (e.g. unmapped faults, abandoned/unfilled wells, unknown mechanisms of risk, etc.). Perhaps a study which investigates the correlation between the vertical depth of the kickoff point (point at which fracking fluids are dispersed underground in vertical wells) and thermogenic methane concentrations in groundwater resources could remedy this situation by filling a gap in the research and identifying a potential risk to groundwater resources. The question: to what extent does the vertical depth of the kickoff point in a fracking operation correlate to thermogenic methane concentrations in groundwater resources?"
Divergent Co-mordibidites of Zika Virus and Microcephaly in Latin America,https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/398,"Victoria Ann Smerdon, J. Mike Courage, Serge Danielson-Francios",12-31-2017,"Since 2015, a major problem in our society has been the spread of the Zika virus, formally known as ZIKV. ZIKV, originally of African origins, in recent years has spread its way across the Pacific with minor outbreaks before landing in Latin America. The most significant change in ZIKV from discovery is its increasing neurological effects, unique to this disease family. Data has suggested that a pregnant mother having been diagnosed with ZIKV that the child will be subject to congenital disorders as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Most notably has been the diagnosis of microcephaly, where a baby is born with an abnormally small head. Some data has suggested a significant increase of rates of microcephaly, but the limitation of small sample sizes and not all populations having been studied prevents a definite conclusion on the effect size of this diagnosis. Therefore, I decided to preform a meta-analysis on existing data sets to determine the likelihood that a child would develop microcephaly, hypothesizing a positive association. My odds ratio did result in a value confirming this confirmation, but because they were statistically insignificant, I had to reject the hypothesis that a pregnant mother’s child would develop microcephaly. I presented alternative hypotheses that there is no association because of genomic changes in the virus or not all of Latin American is feeling the effects of microcephaly at the same extent, with Brazil feeling the effects of the virus the strongest, skewing the data and making researchers overestimate the effects of microcephaly. I hypothesized that Brazil has been assumed to be hardest hit because of possible lack of evaluation on past rates of microcephaly, addition of a pesticide to the water, and the Brazilian population being more genetically susceptible to microcephaly. Further research should study genomic changes in the virus strain and testing the Brazilian population original risk of genetic microcephaly."