UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA (UMET) PROFILE

Transcription

THE
ANA G. MÉNDEZ UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (AGMUS)
AND THE
STUDENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SRDC)
AGMUS INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS
CARIBBEAN COMPUTING CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE
ARE PROUD TO HOST THE
WINTER 2011 PRE-COLLEGE
RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
SHOWCASING MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ MENTORED RESEARCH
Leadership at SUAGM Vice Presidency for Planning and Academic Affairs
Dr. Jorge L. Crespo Armáiz
Vice President for Planning and Academic Affairs
Juan F. Arratia, Ph. D.
Student Research Development Center
Executive Director
SHERATON CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL & CASINO
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
DECEMBER 10, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….
Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS) Profile …………………………..
Conference at a Glance ……………………………………………………………
Message from the Vice President for Planning and Academic Affairs
Dr. Jorge Crespo……………………………………………………………
Message from the Chancellor of Universidad Metropolitana
Dr. Federico Matheu ……………………………………………………….
Message from the Chancellor of Universidad del Turabo
Dr. Dennis Alicea…………………………………………………………..
Message from the Chancellor of Universidad del Este
Alberto Maldonado, Esq.…………………………………………………….
Message from the Director and Principal Investigator
Dr. Juan F. Arratia …………………………………………………………
Prologue……………………………………………………………………………
Keynote Speakers…………………………………………………………………..
Workshop Speakers…………………………………………………………………
Research Mentors………………………………………………………………….
AGMUS Institute of Mathematics…………………………………………………
Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence (CCCE) Alliance……………………
Workshop “Web Programming Basics & Problem Solving”……………………….
Workshop “Waves in Shallow Waters and their Hidden Geometry”………………
Workshop “Pre-College Research for High School Students and Science Teachers:”
Workshop “Introduction to Bio-Mathematics Research for Science and
Math Teachers……………………………………………………………….
Schedule of Events ………………………………………………………………..
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
15
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Abstracts:
Biological Sciences………………………………………………………...
Computational Biology…………………………………………………….
Bio-Mathematics…………………………………………………………...
Bio-Statistics……………………………………………………………….
Chemistry…………………………………………………………………..
Computational Chemistry………………………………………………….
Computer Sciences…………………………………………………………
Applied Mathematics………………………………………………………
Engineering…………………………………………………………………
Environmental Sciences…………………………………………………….
Atmospheric Sciences………………………………………………………
53
64
66
84
89
91
94
110
113
121
122
Acknowledgments …………………………………………………………………
Index of Presenters ………………………………………………………………...
123
125
2
Ana G. Méndez University System
AGMUS Institute of Mathematics
Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence
MISSION
The Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) award granted by the National Science Foundation
(NSF) helped transform Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) into a nationally recognized
undergraduate research institution, and a model in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM). Mentoring of undergraduates and pre-college students by research
mentors was the cornerstone of the MIE Project. We believe that creative research is one of the
best ways to prepare students to become persistent and successful in graduate school and
professional careers. Today, the Student Research Development Center (SRDC), which is part of
the Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS), is the entity that continues the MIE strategy
by impacting students from the AGMUS and universities across the nation, as well as pre-college
students from the Puerto Rico Educational System. Two NSF grants, the AGMUS Institute of
Mathematics and the Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence are the funding tools to
implement the mission of the Student Research Development Center in Puerto Rico.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Model Institutions for Excellence ended in 2009. The primary goal of this cooperative
agreement with NSF was to increase the number of BS degrees granted to underrepresented
students in STEM fields at Universidad Metropolitana. In order to increase the number of BS
degrees transferred to graduate school, we will continue with the strategy of an early
undergraduate research program and partnership with key research institutions in the US
mainland, Puerto Rico and abroad. Research mentoring will be the central component of the
knowledge transfer and creative thinking activities at AGMUS. Cooperative and collaborative
learning strategies, presentations at scientific conferences, scientific writing and co-authorship,
technology literacy, and preparation for graduate school are activities that are transforming the
philosophy of the institution. Now, with the NSF grants, the AGMUS Institute of Mathematics
and the Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence, the goals are reaching institutions outside
the AGMUS campuses in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
GOALS
The main goal of the Pre-College Research Symposium is to encourage pre-college research with
research mentors, develop students’ written and oral communication skills, provide a forum in
the Caribbean for students to foster interest in undergraduate education, particularly in STEM
fields, and set national research standards for pre-college research presentations.
3
ANA G. MENDEZ UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
STUDENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
AGMUS INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS
WINTER 2011 PRE-COLLEGE
RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
Registration
Breakfast
Poster Session Set-Up
SHERATON PR CONVENTION CENTER
Paseo San Juan Foyer
San Felipe/San Cristobal Rooms
7 :30 – 8:00 a.m.
Judges Meeting
8:00 – 8:20 a.m.
Opening Ceremony
San Juan Salon Rooms 1-4
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Janet Best, Ohio State University
8:20 – 10:30 a.m.
Poster Session
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Pre-College Program Orientations (Saturday Academy,
Internship Program, Early Admission, and Bio-Mathematics
Scholarship)
11:00 – 12:40 p.m.
Oral Research Presentations
12:40 – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Luis A. Colón-Ramos, Yale University
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
“Waves in Shallow Waters and their Hidden Geometry”
Dr. Luis Casian, Ohio State University
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Pre-College Research for High School Students
& Science Teachers
Dr. Clark Gedney, Purdue University
3:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Awards Ceremony and Closing Remarks
3:45 p.m.
Symposium Adjourns
WORKSHOPS FOR SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHERS
“Introduction to Bio-Mathematics Research for Science and Math Teachers”
Dr. Luis de la Torre, Universidad Metropolitana
San Cristóbal
“Web Programming Basics and Problem Solving”
San Felipe
Solomon Russell and Marcel Van Baal, Teachers at Los Angeles School District
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Laguna 1
San Felipe/San Cristobal Rooms
Session I
Session II
Session III
Session IV
4
Laguna 2
Bahia 1
Bahia 2
Laguna 2
5
6
7
8
9
Developing Minds Through
Research Experiences
December 10, 2011
Dear Pre-College Students:
The Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium is the culmination of the activities and dissemination
process of the Saturday Academy Program of the Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS). For a
period of four months, since August 2011, all of you, more than two-hundred one pre-college students
from seventy-three private and public high schools in Puerto Rico worked long hours in the research
laboratories of the campuses of AGMUS, Polytechnic University, Inter-American University-San
Germán, Barranquitas and Metro, the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez-Humacao and Cayey with the
guidance and mentorship of forty-one professors and student research mentors in one-hundred fifty-three
research projects in the areas of biology, bio-mathematics, bio-statistics, computational biology,
chemistry, applied mathematics, computer sciences, engineering, atmospheric sciences and environmental
sciences.
One of the objectives of the Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium is to offer young motivated
high school researchers the opportunity to learn and to practice their communication skills in a formal
professional scientific meeting. A second objective is to give high school students of Puerto Rico a forum
for the presentation of the results and findings of their research projects to teachers, research mentors,
family members, and the university community at large.
The Ana G. Méndez University and the Student Research Development Center are proud of the results
obtained by the pre-college students and their mentors in the Winter 2011 Saturday Academy Program
and the Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium. I hope your experience inspires you and your
peers to select science, technology, engineering or mathematics as your field of study in the near future.
My sincere appreciation goes to the Student Research Development Center staff and student research
mentors for their effort and commitment to implement the Winter 2011 Saturday Academy Program and
the Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium. This event would not have been possible without the
ongoing support of the National Science Foundation and the NASA Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium.
Sincerely yours,
Juan F. Arratia, Ph. D.
Executive Director and Principal Investigator
PO Box 21150
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00928-1150
Tel: 787.766.1717 x.6000
Fax: 787.751.5386
Web: http://srdc.suagm.edu
10
ANA G. MÉNDEZ UNIVERSITY SYSTEM (AGMUS)
As an Educational Institution
The Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS) is home to approximately 43,500 undergraduate and graduate students who
are mainly underrepresented low-income minority students from the Metropolitan San Juan area in Puerto Rico. Three
institutions form the AGMUS University System: Universidad Metropolitana (UMET), Universidad del Este (UNE), and
Universidad del Turabo (UT). UMET has been a teaching institution since its foundation in 1948. Today, however, its
philosophy has been changing to address the students’ study needs and the requirements of society. Our President, Dr. José F.
Méndez, has set the agenda to have it become the best undergraduate research institution in Puerto Rico. Additionally, the
President has set the goal to implement the MIE best practices at UNE and UT and transform AGMUS into a leading
undergraduate research institution through the Student Development Center at the Vice Presidency for Planning and Academic
Affairs.
As an Undergraduate Research Institution
In 1995, UMET was selected by the National Science Foundation as a Model Institution for Excellence (MIE) school. At that
time, a five-year Cooperative Agreement for more than $11 million was signed between UMET and the NSF. A second
Cooperative Agreement was signed on October 1, 2000 for an additional three years and for $7.5 million. The third phase of the
MIE grant for $2.5 million for three additional years was awarded on October 1, 2003. The main objective of the relationship
with NSF has been to transform UMET into a model for Hispanic Serving Institutions in the nation. Our major goal has been to
increase the number of BS degrees granted by UMET, to transfer a significant number of science students to graduate school, and
to enroll them in Ph. D. programs to fulfill the goals and aspirations of a greater participation of minorities in the science,
mathematics, and engineering fields. After 13 years of funding, UMET has been transformed through the MIE activities by
producing an effective pipeline from pre-college to undergraduate, and from undergraduate to graduate school for hundreds of
underrepresented minorities from Puerto Rico. It has also been transformed with faculty research mentors who are helping
science students create knowledge and disseminate creative thinking among the members of the university and pre-college
community. Our undergraduate and pre-college research program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and NASA,
are paving the way for research-oriented activities for the benefit of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands students.
PROLOGUE
The sponsorship of the National Science Foundation has been fundamental for the implementation of the Pre-College Program at
the Ana G. Méndez University System at Universidad Metropolitana. For thirteen years, the Model Institutions for Excellence
(MIE) Project organized the Saturday Academy Program. In 2006, a new dimension was established with the dissemination of
the MIE best practices into Universidad del Turabo and Universidad del Este (UNE) under the Student Research Development
Center. The main goal of this program is to motivate high school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics at the BS and graduate levels. The Saturday Academy Program usually extends for sixteen weeks during the
months of August through December. Students from public and private schools, enrolled in grades 10, 11 and 12, conduct
research under the mentorship of faculty and student research mentors from AGMUS and institutions in the US mainland and
abroad. More than two thousand pre-college students have learned the fundamentals of scientific research through their
participation in the Saturday Academy Program at AGMUS. For the last six years, a symposium has been organized to present
the results of this activity to the university community and to motivate other Puerto Rican students to engage in scientific
research.
The Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium showcases the research experiences of two-hundred one (201) pre-college
students from public and private high schools from Puerto Rico. The mentorship of faculty and undergraduate research mentors
made possible the concretization of the research projects. Their results are documented in the pages of these proceedings.
The National Science Foundation, the Ana G. Méndez University System, the Student Research Development Center and
institutions of the Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence across Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are proud of the
research work conducted by the Saturday Academy Winter 2011 participants. We hope this Symposium will be a vehicle by
which the scientific productivity of high school students from Puerto Rico will be disseminated in future years.
11
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Janet Best
Janet Best is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Ohio State University and Long-term Visitor at the
Mathematical Biosciences Institute. She received an A.B. in Mathematics from Princeton and a Ph.D. in
Mathematics in 2004 from Cornell. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and is a
Sloan Foundation Research Fellow. Her research is in dynamical systems, probability theory and stochastic
processes on random graphs, and in applications of mathematics to neurobiology and the functioning of brain
systems. She is particularly interested in changes in neural function accompanying changes in the health or shape of
neurons and in their connections - such as occur normally in development or pathologically in disease progression.
She also studies the relationship between the metabolism of neurons and the electrophysiology of neuronal networks
in dopamine and serotonin neurons in an effort to understand, for instance, the dynamics of Parkinson's disease and
the actions of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Dr. Luis A. Colón Ramos
Dr. Luis A. Colón Ramos is Assistant Professor in Cell Biology and the Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration
and Repair Program, Traditional Track, at the Yale University School of Medicine (and the Graduate School) (2008
to present) and an Assistant Professor, Dept. of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
(2008 to present). He has an A.B. in Biology from Harvard College (1998), and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and
Cancer Biology; University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University Medical School (2003). He was a
Damon Runyon Fellow (2004-2006), and Life Science Research Associate (2006-2008) both at Stanford University
in CA. He has done undergraduate student mentoring for Biology and research, medical student mentoring,
undergraduate mentoring for Yale undergraduate students and for non-Yale summer interns, and has been in two
theses committees. He has been a reviewer for Development, Journal of Neuroscience, PLoS ONE, and a founding
member and still a member of both the Scientific Council for the Advancement of Puerto Rico Research and
Innovation, Inc and Ciencia Puerto Rico, LLC. He was editor and contributing author of the book “Ciencia boricua:
ensayos y anécdotas del científico puertorro,”Ediciones Callejón (2011). He has published numerous peer-reviewed
manuscripts, the most recent being A conserved PTEN/FOXO pathway regulates neuronal morphology during C.
elegans development(2011), A selective plane illumination microscope for high-speed C. elegans embryogenesis
studies (2011), and Nanoscopy in a living organism expressing GFP (2011). He has been co-organizer of two
important scientific meetings: “I want to be a scientist, now what?” Symposium at the Medical Sciences campus of
the University of Puerto Rico (2011) and “Paradise Lost: Contamination in Vieques, Puerto Rico” conference at
Yale University.
12
WORKSHOP SPEAKERS
Dr. Luis Casian
Dr. Luis Casian’s field of research is the representation theory of lie groups and lie algebras, integrable systems. He
studied mathematics at U.A.M. in Mexico City (1978), and was awarded the degree of Professor of Science at
Centro de Investigación del I.P.N. (1980) and a Ph.D. from MIT (1983). His professional experience includes
working at Ohio State University where he is the Chair of the Department of Mathematics (10/10-),at MIT, and at
the University of Utah. He has numerous publications including Cohomology of Real Grassman Manifold and KP
Flow (2011), Singular structure of Toda lattices and Cohomology of certain compact lie Groups (2007),
Compactication of the isospectral varieties of nilpotent Toda lattices (2006). He has also offered many seminars,
talks, and has participated in colloquia in Chicago, Salt Lake City, Maryland, UCLA, Stony Brook in New York,
MIT in Boston, University of Rochester in New York, Amherst, Massachusetts, Denton, Texas, University of
Quebec at Montreal, Guanajuato, Mexico among others.
Dr. Luis de la Torre
Dr. Luis de la Torre is a visiting professor of Universidad Metropolina. He works as mentor in the AGMUS Institute
of Mathematics, a National Science Foundation sponsored program based at Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. Dr. de la Torre was born in Cartagena, Colombia, earned a BS in Mathematics from Universidad of
Cartagena, a M.Sc. in Scientific Computing from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, and a Ph.D. in
Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. His researches are focused on High
Performance Computing and Bioinformatics Algorithms. His teaching interests are in math and computer science
courses. Dr. de la Torre spends most of his time as a coach and mentor for current and prospective bio-mathematics
students. He is also training students for the Math Olympiad competition and the Informatics Olympiad competition.
In his career he has conducted research in bioinformatics algorithms and mentored student research at the University
of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, University of Puerto Rico, and Cayey Campuses and at Universidad Metropolina.
13
Dr. Clark Gedney
As Director of the BioMedia Center for Instructional Design in the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue
University, Dr. Clark Gedney has directed the successful development of courseware. He currently directs research
programs for undergraduates and pre-college students and teachers. He is Graduate Faculty in the Department of
Biological Sciences, Purdue University and an Adjunct Professor of Physiology at the Indiana University Medical
School. He teaches renal physiology, LabVIEW™ programming, protein structure, and macromolecular structure.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Biology Experience for high school students and teachers was
developed nine years ago by Dr. Gedney to prepare high school students for research, to encourage the integration of
STEM disciplines into the life science classrooms, and to promote serious high school research. Dr. Gedney directs
the research of pre-college students and teachers in a special research facility designed for this purpose.
He is the Director of the USA BioOlympiad for high school students and a campus-wide summer research program
(SROP) for preparing undergraduates for graduate school. Students in these programs have been very successful at
international research competitions.
Dr. Gedney has a wide range of interests and experience in both business and academia, and he is equally at home
introducing elementary school students to marine invertebrates as he is discussing protein and virus structures with
graduate students, courseware design with his colleagues, or renal physiology with medical students. However,
instilling a love of learning and a curiosity for discovery in students of all ages remains his focus through
multidisciplinary research programs and instructional courseware.
Solomon L. Russell
Solomon Russell is currently a Computer Science Coach supporting other LAUSD teachers in their Exploring
Computer Science classes. He graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with Bachelors
degrees in Computer Science and Biochemistry and later received his Masters in Computer Science from UCLA. He
worked for a couple of years in the defense industry before finding his passion for teaching. He taught at USC MaST
High School in South Los Angeles. Having grown up in inner city Washington, DC, he has a real appreciation for
the not fully tapped potential of underrepresented minorities and women in engineering. Solomon is also a rabid
Georgetown basketball and Washington Redskins fan and always loves a good political debate. When not in the
classroom, you may find him teaching weekly salsa dance classes in West Los Angeles.
14
Dr. Marcel M. van Baal
Marcel van Baal has worked educationally in four countries (The Netherlands, Great Britain, Russia and the United
States) and has studied seven languages (Spanish, Dutch, English, German, French, Russian and Esperanto). He
holds a doctoral degree in linguistics. Having said that, he has embraced electronics since 1987 when he purchased
his first laptop and when he was one of the first educators to post his students' grades electronically.
Marcel van Baal has worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District since 1992. He started teaching ESL
(English as a Second Language) to students from other countries and coordinated the ESL program until 2007. He
then became Technology Coordinator and currently teaches 2 classes: A.P. Computer Science, which primarily
entails programming in Java, and ECS (Exploring Computer Science). The latter is a curriculum, developed by
UCLA, teaching students an initial introduction to computers, problem solving, web design (HTML coding and
Flash), Scratch (cartoon animation and games through coding), robotics (Lego NXT kits) and Python (programming
language derived from Java).
Marcel enjoys the cultural diversity of our world and travels extensively. He has visited around 80 countries so far
but he is a first time visitor to Puerto Rico!
15
RESEARCH MENTORS
Luis Ariel Alemán
Luis Ariel Alemán is an independent Software Developer and Database Administrator (DBA) that also lectures IT
related courses and coordinates the Computer Science Programs at Inter-American University, Metropolitan
Campus. He has a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) with minors in Finance and Marketing and
another Master’s degree in Open Information Computer Science (MS), both from Inter-American
University. During the last 12 years, he has worked in IT related roles such as: IT Manager, Database
Administrator, Software Developer and Teaching. His software developments include the development of a C/S
payment system for order delivery and warehouse efficiency statistics. As a DBA, he has been responsible for a
complex database for a chain of stores in PR. More recently, he has developed a dynamic website to capture and
manage the services provided by a multinational companies in the Caribbean, which at this moment is in the process
of implementation.
Dr. Juan F. Arratia
Dr. Juan F. Arratia was born in Pomaire, Chile. He graduated from Universidad Técnica del Estado with a BS in
Electrical Engineering in 1973. He was awarded an MSc in Engineering from Louisiana Tech University, Ruston,
Louisiana, in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri in 1985.
He has taught and conducted research at universities in Chile (Universidad Técnica del Estado and Universidad
Austral de Chile), Puerto Rico (Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and the University of Puerto RicoMayaguez), and in the US mainland at Washington University, St. Louis, and Louisiana Tech University, Ruston,
Louisiana. He has lectured and given conferences on advanced automation, robotics, vision systems, artificial
intelligence, total quality management and science and engineering education in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Perú, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Japan, Philippines,
Singapore, Australia, China, Puerto Rico and in the US mainland. He was the Advanced Manufacturing Manager for
Medtronic, Inc., a leading pacemaker company, and is a consultant in advanced automation for pharmaceutical and
medical devices companies in Puerto Rico. From 1998 to 2006, he was the Director and Principal Investigator of the
Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) Project, a National Science Foundation sponsored program based at
Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since 2007, he has been the Executive Director of the Ana G.
Méndez University System (AGMUS) Student Research Development Center, designed to disseminate MIE best
practices at Universidad del Turabo and Universidad del Este. In November 2007 he was awarded the Presidential
Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at a ceremony in the White House in
Washington DC.
16
Yvonne Avilés
Yvonne Avilés has a B.S in Computer Engineering and a M.S. in Computer Engineering, both from the University
of Puerto Rico at its Mayaguez Campus.
In 2000 she started her career as a Software Engineer in the Research and Development Group for Lucent
Technologies in North Andover, MA. Within Lucent she also worked in the hardware division as a Verification
Engineer. Later, fond of an academic environment, she pursued a teaching career at the Inter-American University
of Puerto Rico at San Germán, as a Computer Science Professor. Yvonne teaches computer programming, computer
graphics, and discrete mathematics at the undergraduate level.
Cesar Banderas, Ph.D.
Dr. César Banderas studied his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineer at the University of Buffalo
in New York and was certified in Executive Development at the Harvard School of Management in Boston,
Massachusetts. He is the President of BanDeMar Networks, a minority-owned small company specializing in
advanced video solutions for e-learning markets. Dr. Banderas’ technical background is in active perception, which
combines real-time computer vision and other sensor modalities with machine learning and behavioral control. He is
interested in all aspects of active vision, including algorithms for signal processing and control, sensor VLSI, and
multiprocessing architectures. His experience in active perception comes largely from his work in foveal vision,
which exploits in the machine setting the multiacuity properties prevalent in vertebrate vision. Dr. Banderas has
been active in the field of pervasive rich media, which endeavors to provide spatiotemporally coordinated
multimodal streams to an audience with diverse demographics, player platforms and channel access (e.g.,
broadband-connected PCs, wireless PDAs, set-top boxes). In 1990, Dr. Banderas formed a research department at
Amherst Systems dedicated to the development and application of active vision. This work yielded operational
platforms with algorithms for video understanding and automaton behavior control, matching multiprocessor
architectures, and smart VLSI imaging sensors (imagers with monolithic signal processing). He has had profit/loss
responsibility, and was able to secure external funding for all R&D (over twenty customer grants and contracts)
while exceeding growth and profit estimates. To date, this active vision research has yielded six Ph.Ds and four M.S.
degrees, several patents, the highest distinction in the Air Force Small Business Innovative Research
Accomplishments Report to the U.S. Congress, a Small Business of the Year nomination from Rome Lab, and the
1999 NASA Space Act award from the Johnson Space Center. In 2001, he formed a research department at
Manhattan-based Sorceron (now BanDeMar) dedicated to the synthesis and delivery of object-oriented rich media.
As CTO, Dr. Banderas is member of the Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, and the International Society for Optical Engineering.
17
Nellie M. Bonilla
Nellie M. Bonilla after graduating from José Gautier Benítez High School in 2006 starts mechanical engineering
studies at Universidad del Turabo. Since the beginning, she has been involved in numerous associations taking
leadership positions like: the Honor’s Program where she was president for two years, SHPE, AUPH, ASME to
which she was vicepresident and TAΩ, the engineering honor association from which she is the current president.
Furthermore she has had diverse internship opportunities in the 2008 and 2009 summers when she worked with
Marathon Oil in the Robinson, Illinois Refinery where she made maintenance work to pumps and compressors. In
2010 she participated in the Summer Robotics Boot Camp at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Finally, in 2011, she performed an energy harvesting research in her academic institution, Universidad del Turabo.
With that last internship opportunity she was able to present her work in The Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance for
Minority Participation (PR-LSAMP) 2011 and in the AGMUS 2011 Research Symposium. With all the
opportunities and involvement, Nellie has been the recipient of some scholarships like: Sistema Universitario Ana
G. Méndez Permanent Scholarship Fund, Robert C. Byrd Scholarship, General Motors Engineering Excellence
Award, ELA Employee Association Scholarship, and the Marathon Oil Corporation Scholarship. After five and a
half years, Nellie finally completes all graduation requirements this December. Her future goals are to continue
graduate studies to obtain a PhD in mechanical engineering.
Katherine Calderón Mojica
Katherine Calderón Mojica is an undergraduate student of industrial chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico
at Humacao. In July, 2011, completed her Associate Degree in Chemical Technology at the University of Puerto
Rico at Humacao and is part of the program as a Scholars in the Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence. She
has made several summer internships related to the area of computational chemistry at Jackson State University in
Mississippi, where she received recognition for the specialized organic chemistry research in the
area of computational chemistry. She currently works as a computational chemistry mentor in the Computing
Broadening Participation Alliance program (NSF-BPCA) in UPRH.
18
Joksan X. Flores Rivera
Joksan X. Flores Rivera was born in Aibonito Puerto Rico. Currently he is a senior Computer Engineering student at
Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo Campus. Joksan started his degree studies at Universidad del Turabo in August
2006 in the Department of Electrical Engineering. In 2006 he transferred to Computer Engineering which was his
target program since he graduated from high school. During his bachelor´s degree he has developed himself as a
successful engineering student and as a leader of the university community. In his fourth year of university; he
entered the Honor Roll at Universidad del Turabo and has maintained that position up to now. In 2009 he started as
a member of the Caribbean Computer Center for Excelence program of SUAGM (Sistema Universitario Ana G.
Méndez) in which he has developed himself as a successful student participating in symposiums, conferences and
research internships. His first internship was in 2009 at the University of South Florida working for the Center for
Urban and Transportation Research on the TRACIT project. Also in 2010 he worked at the University of Notre
Dame in Indiana working for the wireless networking department on the Cooperative Mapping and Assessment
Using Smartphones project. Also During his years at the Turabo Campus he has participated in diverse activities as
tutoring students on mathematics and computer skills, mentoring high schools students in computer science and
engineering projects as part of the Saturday Academy, and has participated in different projects development as part
his courses.
Dr. Ángel González Lizardo
Dr. Angel Gonzalez-Lizardo was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He obtained an Electrical Engineering degree at
Universidad del Zulia, at Maracaibo in 1984. After graduation he worked for about 6 years as Resident Engineer of a
local firm, moving to Puerto Rico in 1991 to pursue a Masters degree also in Electrical Engineering which he
obtained in 1994. After one year of teaching at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, he was appointed
as assistant professor at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. He moved to Dayton, OH in 1999, for his
doctoral studies at the University of Dayton. He obtained his doctoral degree in 2003, with a dissertation in
Nonlinear Controls. Dr. Gonzalez-Lizardo returned to Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico as Associate Professor
in 2004, assuming the direction of the Plasma Engineering Laboratory in 2007. He is currently full professor at the
Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department, also directing the Sponsored Research
Office at this University.
19
Maxine N. González Vega
Maxine N. González Vega is a freshmen student at Universidad Metropolitana (UMET). She is currently the mentor
for the biostatistics in the Pre-College Saturday Academy Academy of the Institute of Mathematics at UMET. In
2009, she participated in a 2-week summer internship in Vermont, with Natalia Santiago as her partner and Angel
Garcia as her mentor. She continued her research in Puerto Rico, verifying the diversity of insects in the water. Later
in 2010, Maxine was given a scholarship to be a bio-mathematics scholar at UMET, and went to Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory to do scientific research on artificial photosynthesis. In the summer of 2011 she was given the
opportunity of attending an internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to work in the Section of
Statistical Genetics. She was also given the opportunity to participate in a Richard Tapia conference for Computer
Science in April 2011 in San Francisco, California. She is very interested in becoming a medical scientist.
Prof. Isis S. Laham
Isis S. Laham has a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, and an M.S. in
Computer Engineering from Boston University inMassachusetts. Professor Laham worked in the industry as an
engineer from 1987 until 1991. She worked for the Navy Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility (AFWTF)
Software Contract in Roosevelt Roads from 1991 to 2003, where she worked as a programmer, then became an
analyst and finally a Software Manager. She has been working at Universidad Del Este since 2003 as a full time
professor. She began as a Business Administration Professor where she taught programming courses (Visual Basic,
JAVA, Databases, HTML, Systems Analysis and Design, among others). Currently she is part of the School of
Science and Technology where she teaches mathematics and engineering courses. Since August 2009, she was
hired to mentor high school students for the AGMUS Saturday Academy at Universidad Del Este.
Julio César León Téllez
Julio C. León Téllez is a professor in the Mathematics Department of Science and Technology School at
Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. He is also a professor in the Mathematics Department at the
University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, PR. He obtained his BS in Mathematics at Universidad de Cartagena in
Cartagena, Colombia, in 2000, and his MS in Computer Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR, in
2005. Julio C. León has been working in science and education workshops and projects for teachers as a lecturer and
as a mentor and judge.
20
Prof. Guillermo Mejía
Assistant Professor (full time) since 1976, with areas of expertise in C++, Visual Basic, ASP.NET, Intel Assembly
Language, Visual C++, and Object-oriented programming. His teaching interest was at first in Electronics,
although he later changed his attention to Networks and multiprogramming. He has been teaching computer
programming at Inter American University in Puerto Rico since 1985, and has been always working with students
interested in Computer Science careers.
Dr. Marlio Paredes
Dr. Paredes was born in Cali, Colombia. He has a B.S. and an M.S. in Mathematics, both from Universidad del
Valle in Cali, Colombia. In 2000 he obtained a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the State University of Campinas in
Brazil and his specialization area is Differential Geometry and its applications. He has published several scientific
papers in specialized journals; his research work is in a variety of areas such as Combinatorics, Differential
Geometry, Differential Equations, Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Education. In 2001 he published a paper
with Professor Brendan McKay from Australian National University and as a consequence he was included in the
famous Erdös Number List (http://www.oakland.edu/enp/) obtaining Erdös Number 2. He has taught and conducted
research at universities in Colombia (Universidad del Valle and Universidad Industrial de Santander), Brazil (State
University of Campinas) and Puerto Rico (Universidad del Turabo). He has lectured and given conferences in
Colombia, Brazil, México, Puerto Rico, Canada and the United States. Dr. Paredes has held academic positions such
as Director of the School of Mathematics and Research Director of the Faculty of Science at Universidad Industrial
de Santander, Colombia. At this moment he is Co-PI of the NSF project BPC-A: Caribbean Computing Center for
Excellence at Universidad del Turabo and he is also Mathematics curriculum specialist of the Turabo Math and
Science Alliance (AMCT, Spanish acronym).
Gerson Restrepo
In 2006 Mr. Restrepo started the Forum of Inventors and Entrepreneurs by his personal initiative, and gathered
collaboration with more than thirty agencies to provide free seminars on intellectual property, commercialization,
prototyping, evaluation of commercial merit, etc. In 2010 he also created the first patent contest in Puerto Rico. He
worked for Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (NSF founded), PR-State Wide Systemic InitiativeSSI, Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program-MSEIP, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority
Participation-PR-AMP, Regional Technology Centers for Sciences and Mathematics-NASA, and the Fund for
Improvement of Post Secondary Education-FIPSE; the MBRS-RISE project funded by the National Institute of
Mental Health, and the College Board of Puerto Rico. He holds an MS in Physics and 34 graduate credits in
Chemical Physics, and he obtained certificates on Educational TV and Distance Learning Educator from the Center
for Distance Learning Education from the Ana G. Méndez University System. Mr. Restrepo is also an inventor and
holds more than 600 ideas many of which of commercial potential. He is highly motivated, proactive, and with
excellent abilities for interpersonal relations with his partners.
21
Ramón Rivera Varona
Ramón Rivera Varona is a Mechanical Engineer with extensive experience, management skills and work at the
Plasma Laboratory at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. The Plasma Engineering Laboratory is currently
developing research on Basic physics of Electron Cyclotron Resonance, Ion implantation in a diversity of materials,
Basic research in the use of plasma for energy production, Plasma Diagnostic using electrostatic probes and
Magnetic field of Confinement. As a scientist he is responsible for the development of this machine that has the
advantage of to magnetically confine stable plasma. The main goal of this project will be to build and develop new
diagnostics probes for plasma research experiments and the discovery of new energy methods. Ramon Rivera
Varona won Second Place Award in the Annual Arizona Student Research Conference poster presentation in 2007,
Third Place Award in The Eastern Technical Career Conference in October 2006, Second Place Award in the
Annual Arizona Student Research Conference poster presentation in 2006, and received a certificate of achievement
from NASA Living with a Star/Solar Probe for demonstrated cooperation, initiative, and outstanding performance as
member of the Solar Probe Plasma Testing in August 2006.
Natalia C. Santiago
Natalia Cristal Santiago Merced was a pre-college student at Universidad Metropolitana. Her early research
experience was in the Spring 2009 Saturday Academy Pre-College Program at Universidad Metropolitana. She
conducted the research “Study of Differences and Consequences in Mutations of the SGSH Gene.” Santiago Merced
presented her research on May 23, 2009 at the Spring 2009 Pre-College Research Symposium sponsored by the Ana
G. Méndez University System in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was awarded the Best Poster Presentation. In the
summer of 2009, Natalia participated in a research internship at the University of Vermont. She was accepted in the
Early Admission Program and was a freshman in the Bio-Mathematics BS at Universidad Metropolitana in the Fall
of 2009. Natalia participated in another research in the Fall of 2009 at the Saturday Academy Pre-College Program
at Universidad Metropolitana. She conducted the research “Comparison of Phosphorus and Macro-invertebrates in
Two Streams Surrounded by Different Ecosystems” and presented it at the Fall 2009 Pre-College Research
Symposium. She was awarded the Best Poster Presentation. She participated in the Spring 2010 Saturday Academy
Pre-College Program at Universidad Metropolitana and conducted the research “Comparison of Phosphorus and
Macroinvertebrates in Two Streams Surrounded by Different Ecosystems” and presented it at the Spring 2010 PreCollege Research Symposium. She was awarded the Best Poster Presentation. In the summer of 2010, she
participated in a research internship at the University of Vermont. Natalia conducted the research “Relationship of
Lotic Macroinvertebrates Communities to Phosphorus and Suspended Solids” and presented it at some symposiums
including the XXI Research Symposium and SACNAS. In the summer 2011, she participated in a research
internship at Arizona State University and conducted the research “Evolutionary Analysis of Disease-Associated of
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 Gene (FGFR3 Gene),” which she presented at the 2011 Research Symposium
sponsored by AGMUS.
Claudia E. Talavera Babuena
Claudia Talavera obtained a degree in M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico. She has
studies in Computer Science and Mathematics with extensive experience in educational areas. She is full- time
professor at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. The courses that Claudia taught are Programming Languages,
Numerical Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Structures of Data, Probability, Statistics, and Mathematics courses. She
actually studies in the graduate program for Master in Computer Science at Polytechnic University.
22
Brenda C. Torres
Brenda C. Torres is a first-year student from the doctoral program of Environmental Sciences with a concentration
in Biology at Universidad del Turabo. She holds a bachelor degree on Computer Engineering, with Mathematics and
Statistics as a second concentration, from Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral obtained in Guayaquil, Ecuador,
the country were she comes from. Also, she completed a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics in 2009 in
Puerto Rico. Her research was about a statistics model to describe and classify senior people living in Spain
according to their habits for leisure time. The results of her investigation were presented at the SACNAS Conference
in San José, California in October 2011. Her interests about life science motivated her to begin the Ph.D program at
Universidad del Turabo in August 2011. She is currently studying stochastic differential equations to model
pollution issues. Her strong background and teaching experiences as TA while she was enrolled at the <aster
program, and as former mentor of AFAMAC program, encouraged her to participate since August 2011 as a mentor
in the Biostatistics and genomics division at Universidad of Turabo. She is also interested in genomics and modeling
as fields of research.
Pieter Van der Meer
After obtaining a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a major in Transportation using Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) as an analysis tool, Pieter Van der Meer joined the University of Puerto Rico at
Mayagüez as a GIS Specialist. He became a facilitator, coordinator and Lab Instructor of the Laboratory for Applied
Remote Sensing and Image Processing (LARSIP) from NASA, located within the facilities of the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. He was instrumental in
creating a “Research Culture” in LARSIP during the summer and between semesters by starting and continuing a
LARSIP Summer Research Program for high school and undergraduate students during the1990s. The high school
students were attending various high schools in the Mayagüez and San Germán areas. The emphasis of the research
program was on hands-on training in the use of computers and on research topics using the Internet. In addition, the
students were required to prepare abstracts and papers and give presentations to their colleagues at conferences
about their topic of interest. In 1998, he was instrumental in receiving the five-year (later extended to seven)
Partnership for Spatial and Computational Research (PaSCoR) award from NASA to provide undergraduate
students the opportunity to experience for the first time on the Mayagüez Campus an academic environment for
multidisciplinary training in several faculties: College of Agricultural Sciences, Arts and Sciences and Engineering
as desired by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, also called ABET 2000. Through PaSCoR,
the next generation of multidisciplinary Scientists and Engineers received a well balanced education of theory in
several disciplines together with a strong component of hands-on training and practice. The intention was and still is
to prepare the students adequately for the real world without extensive additional education and training at the
company’s or government’s expense.
23
Jonathan Vargas Rodríguez
Jonathan Vargas-Rodríguez is a senior student in the undergraduate computer engineering program in the José D.
Pérez School of Engineering at Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Jonathan has worked in different
research topics at different academic institutions: materials science chemical processing and description at the
Center for Materials Science & Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2009), radar communication
protocol design at the Engineering Research Center for the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, at
the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2009), teaching aid and technical assistant teaching MATLAB to interns
at the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute internship at Universidad Metropolitana (2010), gathering and
analyzing temperature data measured in the Earth’s ionosphere at the National Atmospheric and Ionosphere Center
(NAIC), popularly known as “Observatorio de Arecibo” (2010) and the development of an automation algorithm for
a program that analyses a series of photos from ligaments subject so stretching to measure stress and strain at
Universidad del Turabo (2011). Jonathan is also part of the Honor Scholarship program of the Ana G. Méndez
University System since his freshman year, and was sponsored by Medtronic this year in the Permanent Scholarship
Fund. Vargas also works as a supplementary instruction leader in the “Centro de Recursos de Instrucción
Suplementaria” at Universidad del Turabo, giving supplementary lectures to students as part of the calculus III
course (since 2010), computer engineer practitioner and capstone designer at De Aquí Creative Solutions, a
multidisciplinary student company under the Multidisciplinary Entrepreneurial Program of Innovation (since 2010),
and as a pre-college research project mentor for engineering research and design projects, teaching high school
students fundamental concepts on computer engineering and providing mentoring in assigned research projects.
Currently, Vargas is working alongside undergraduate electrical engineering student Jaime. L Lugo-Sepúlveda in
their capstone design graduation project, the design and prototype implementation of a residential power
consumption monitor and in the design of the circuitry of a robotic arm with undergraduate electrical engineering
students Miguel A. Iglesias and Schatzi Miranda. Jonathan Vargas-Rodríguez is due to receive his B.Sc. in
Computer Engineering in May 2012.
Edgardo Luis Vázquez Rodríguez
Edgardo Luis Vázquez Rodríguez studied at Saint Francis School in Carolina. His hobbies include playing the
trumpet in big bands, jazz orchestras, and popular music orchestras. From playing the trumpet, Edgardo has
participated in numerous international jazz festivals including the Heineken Jazz Festival (held in Puerto Rico) and
the International Jazz Festival from Carolina. He was a pre-college student who conducted research in the area of
genomics titled “A Computational Study of Amino Acid Substitution in the SMPD1 Gene in the Saturday Academy
Pre-College Program at Universidad Del Este. He then presented it in the Winter 2009 Pre-College Research
Symposium at Universidad Metropolitana. He also conducted another research in genomics under the same program
titled A Computational Study of Amino Acid Substitution in the RASAL 1 Gene.” He presented his second research at
the Spring 2010 Pre-College Symposium at the Condado Plaza Hotel. In the summer of 2010 he conducted his third
research under an internship sponsored by the AGMUS Institute of Mathematics Program at Universidad
Metropolitana. The research was Pandemic of AH1N1 Influenza Virus and Vaccination Effectiveness.” Edgardo is
currently a mentor in the Saturday Academy in the area of genomics and is studying Bio-Mathematics at
Universidad Metropolitana with a full scholarship from the National Science Foundation.
24
Universidad Metropolitana
The history of the AGMUS Institute of Mathematics began on September 1, 2008 when the National Science
Foundation awarded UMET a five-year grant for $2,100,000 to implement a program to enhance bio mathematics
at the Ana G. Méndez University System. The grant created a BS in Bio-Mathematics with scholarship
opportunities for students with a GPA of 3.00 or higher and a commitment to pursue graduate studies in partner
institutions in the US mainland. During the summer, math scholars will travel to research institutions in the US
mainland to work in research for a period of 8-10 weeks. A pre-college research agenda will be implemented on
Saturdays under the Saturday Academy of the Student Research Development Center (SRDC) of the VicePresidency for Planning and Academic Affairs. Scholars of the AGMUS Institute of Mathematics will present
research outcomes in symposia at the pre-college and undergraduate levels
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
· Scholarship for the cost of Registration*
· Stipend of $400*
*This stipend is computed according to the student GPA and is subject to renovation is accordance with
academic progress.
ELIGIBILITY
· Be admitted at the Department of Science and Technology at UMET in the Bachelor Degree in Bio-Mathematics.
New Students
· Have a general high school average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher
- Score of 600 or higher in the math section of the College Board Exam.
Transferred Students
· Have a general high school average (GPA) of 3.00
For more information contact :
Wanda I. Rodríguez Lugo
Coordinator of Institute of Mathematics
Tel: (787) 766-1717 x6009
Fax: (787)751-5386
Email. [email protected]
[email protected]
Web Page: http://www.suagm.edu/umet/im/
25
26
27
STUDENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Speakers:
Mr. Solomon Russell & Dr. Marcel Van Baal
Exploring Computer Science Faculty
Los Angeles, California
During this four hour workshop, the participants will learn:
•About the fundamentals of web development
•How to design web pages for educational purposes
•How to use more technology in their classroom
•What free Web 2.0 tools are useful for any classroom.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
1:00-5:00pm
Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel
San Juan
For registration, go to:
http://ccce.suagm.edu
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Participants who complete the workshop
will receive a $50.00 stipend.
Please confirm. Limited spaces.
Luis F. Font, CCCE Coordinator
Tel. (787)766-1717 ext. 6945
Email: [email protected]
28
VICE-PRESIDENCY FOR PLANNING AND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Laguna I Room
2:30 – 1:00pm
Sponsored by the National
Science Foundation
29
VICE-PRESIDENCY FOR PLANNING AND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
San Juan Salons Rooms 1-4
2:30 – 1:00pm
Sponsored by the National
Science Foundation
30
Vice Presidency for Planning and Academic Affairs
“Introduction to Bio-Mathematics Research for
Science and Math Teachers”
OUTLINE
Scientific Method
Research Areas:
•Population dynamics
•Modeling biological signal
transduction
•Modeling epidemics
•Competitive and cooperative
systems
•Bio-Informatics
Mentoring
Bahia I Room
1:00 – 4:00pm
31
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011
SHERATON CONVENTION
CENTER HOTEL & CASINO
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
POSTER SESSION SET-UP
Breakfast
REGISTRATION
8:00 – 8:20 a.m.
OPENING CEREMONY
Welcome
: Dr. Juan F. Arratia, Executive Director
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Janet Best, Ohio State University
8:20 – 10:40 a.m.
POSTER SESSION
SAN FELIPE/SAN CRISTÓBAL
ROOMS
BIOLOGY, COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, BIOMATHEMATICS, CHEMISTRY, COMPUTATIONAL
CHEMISTRY, COMPUTER SCIENCES, APPLIED
MATHEMATICS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ENGINEERING
Chairperson: Dr. Oscar González, Universidad Metropolitana
BIOLOGY
Nydiana Benítez Mangual, Diocesano Santiago Apóstol
School, Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
1
Analysis of the Mutations in the Dual Oxidase 2 Gene
Katerina Doble, University Gardens School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
2
Evolutionary Study and Species Comparison of AKT1
Protein in Proteus Syndrome Using Gene DOC and Mega 5
Natacha Doble, University Gardens School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Analysis and Comparison of Diabetes Type 1 and 2 Using
Bioinformatics Tools
32
3
Sergio A. Donato Ferrer, Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo
Socorro School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
4
SSPS: Bioinformatics Software for Secondary Structure
Prediction
Desireé Gómez, Margarita Janer Palacios High School,
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
5
Evolutionary Study of Lamb3 Epidermolysis bullosa
Kevin Marrero, San Benito School, Mayagüez, Puerto
Rico.
6
The Effects of Anthropogenic Contamination on Human
Health
Christian J. Otero García, Calasanz School, Trujillo Alto,
Puerto Rico.
7
Analysis of Clostridium Tetani Toxin in Tetanus Disease
Using Bioinformatics Methods
Lizzy Oviedo, Calasanz School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
8
Study of Disease Mediated by the Tyrosinase Precursor
Gene
Michelle C. Pérez Ayala, Notre Dame School, Caguas,
Puerto Rico.
The Study of MECP2
in
Rett
Syndrome
9
Using
Lolibel E. Reyes Rivera, Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia
School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
10
Evolutionary Analysis of 3-OXO-5-Alpha-Steroid 4Dehydrogenase 2 Protein Associated with Disease
Mutations
Amarilys Romero Reyes, University Gardens School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
Evolutionary Analysis of the Human Herpes Virus Simplex
Type 1 Gene Using Bioinformatics Tools
33
11
Katerina Ruíz Colón, Petra Zenón de Fabery Vocational
School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
12
Bionformatics Method Comparison of ACVR1 and BMP
Proteins in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva
Lydia B. Serrano Torres, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
13
Evolutionary Analysis of Genetic Variation Through Amino
Acid Changes in Hemoglobin and the Beta HBB Gene
Yimari A. Vargas Ramos, San Antonio Abad School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
14
Analysis of the HBB Gene in Beta-Thalassemia Using
Kiara Vega, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
15
Cell Adhesion Molecules’ (CAMS) Non-Synaptic Functions
in Drosophila melanogaster
Yo-Ann Vélez, San Benito School, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
16
The Unknown and Ignored Effects of Sweets on an Entire or
Even Partial Lifespan
Xandimar Villafañe Figueroa, San Jorge Academy,
Carolina, Puerto Rico.
17
Analysis of Amino Acid Changes Through Genetic
Variation Associated in Leukemia
COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
Pedro A. Burgos López, Pedro L. Burgos López, Petra
Mercado Bougart School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
18
PES: A Bioinformatics Software for Secondary Structure
Prediction
Alejandra Casanova Sepúlveda, Gabriel Velázquez
Carlo, Bellas Artes School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Analysis of the Relationship Between the Protein Sequence
and its Biosynthetic Cost
34
19
Kelvin Figueroa Ibrahim, Manuel Morales López, Juan
J. Maunez School, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
20
Dissimilarities in Proteins with 40% of Sequence Homology
Caused by Protein Structure Flexibility
Nelson O. Santana Ortiz, Petra Mercado Bougart School,
Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Keneth De Jesús Morales, Bellas Artes School, Humacao,
Puerto Rico.
21
APSS: A Bioinformatics Software for Secondary Structure
Prediction
BIO-MATHEMATICS
Maricela Alejandro Flores, Caguas Military Academy,
Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Daysha Liz Rodríguez Dávila, Bautista de Caguas
Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
22
Mutations into the Hbb Gene and their Relationship to
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sally Alkhatib, Dr. José N. Gándara, Aibonito, Puerto
Rico.
23
Exploring Calendar Algorithms
Brayan Noel Alvarado López, Antilles Military Academy,
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
24
Glaucoma: An Ophthalmologic Disease
Gabriel Alvarado, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo,
Puerto Rico.
25
Statistical Comparison of the Trend of AIDS in the United
States and Puerto Rico
Karla Alveiro Valle, Thomas Alva Edison School, Caguas,
Puerto Rico.
26
Analysis of ATINIC Keratosis and How it Affects the
Squamous Cell
Danairi Aponte, Derick N. Rosario, Dr. José N. Gándara
School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Polynomial Factorization in R with the Complex Plane
35
27
Alondra Báez and Paola Cintrón, Manuela Toro Morice
School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
28
HLA-DQB1 Genomics and its Influence on Susceptibility
of Diabetes Mellitus T1
Carolina I. Burgos, Eduardo J. Figueroa, Dr. José N.
Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
29
Wave Energy: Rising Tide
Nayrobi Cepeda Márquez, María Teresa Piñeiro School,
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
30
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Disease Without Cure
José S. Colón Miranda and Katherine Gómez Restrepo,
Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
31
A Comparison of OPSIN 1 Gene and Protanopia Disease in
Three Species
Ramón Colón, Dr. José N. Gándara, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
32
SIR Model for Yellow Fever
Michael Concepción Santana, Bayamón Military
Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
33
Evolutionary Study and Protein Sequence Analysis LMNA
Gene in Hutchinson - Gilford Syndrome
Amanda Crastz and Killian Crastz, Nuestra Señora de la
Providencia School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
34
Descriptive Basis to Describe the Carrying Capacity of the
Planet Nowadays
Christopher De Jesús López: María Teresa Piñeiro
School, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
35
Hydrocephalus (L1CAM) Abnormal Head Growth
John Joseph De Micheli Vega, Ernesto Ramos Antonini
Bipolar Degenerative Disease
36
36
Luis F. Díaz, San Antonio Abad School, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
37
Body Index Mass and Obesity in Brazil: A Descriptive
Statistical Approach
Neysha M. Díaz, Dr. José N. Gándara, Aibonito, Puerto
Rico.
38
Wave Energy: Rising Tide
Alejandra Figueroa and Nathalie González, Caguas
Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism
Associated to Anorexia Nervosa
of
BDNF
39
Gene
Kevin W. García Cruz, María Teresa Piñeiro School, Toa
Baja, Puerto Rico.
40
Evolutionary Analysis of ATP7B
Guadalupe Enrique Ibarra Tinoco, Adianez School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
41
Deforestation in Mexico
Glory López Clemente, Bautista de Carolina School,
42
Study of the Alterations in the Aspartoacylase Deficiency
(ASPA Deficiency)
Arnaldo A. Marcano Flores, Ernesto Ramos Antonini
43
How can a Cardiac Arrest take Your Life?
Kevin Matos, María Teresa Piñeiro, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
44
Scoliosis in the MATN 1
Karlitza M. Molina, Dr. José N. Gándara School,
Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
An Approach to Fractal Construction
37
45
Melanie N. Peña Rodríguez, Antilles Military Academy,
46
Will the Rhesus and Patas Affect the Future of our Island?
Emery G. Price Cancel, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo
Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
47
EMD and LMNA Gene Comparison in Emery Dreifuss
Muscular Dystrophy by Means of Gene Doc and MEGA5
Josué Quiñones Silva, San Pedro Mártir School,
48
Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children
Yelitza Rivera, Jonathan Collazo, Dr. José N. Gándara
49
Which Seat Can I Take?
Netsha Santiago, Caguas Private School, Caguas Puerto
Rico.
50
Comparison of Sarcoptes Scabiei and Cimex Lectularius
Karoline M. Serrano Soto, Margarita Janer Palacios
51
The Puerto Rican Parrot
BIO-STATISTICS
Deysharee López and Liz Paulette Mercado, Calazans
52
Alzheimer's Disease and How it Goes from Generation to
Generation
Fernando Rodríguez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy,
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Does Applying Nitrogen on Wheels Improve the Millage
Usage in Cars?
38
53
Javinnette Rodríguez, Margarita Janer Palacios School,
54
Behavior of the Rabbit with Different Foods and a Maze to
see if the Food can Affect the Ability to Complete the
Process
Vanessa Sánchez, Margarita Janer Palacios School,
55
Arts and ADHD
CHEMISTRY
Jeremy Echevarría, Segundo Ruíz Belvis School,
Hormigueros, Puerto Rico.
56
The Effect of Teflon on the Human Body
Alexandra Maldonado, San Benito School, Mayagüez,
Puerto Rico.
57
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and its Neurological Effects
COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
Leandra M. Correa, Petra Mercado Bougart High School,
58
Analysis of Bystropogon Origanifolius by Extraction
Technique for Determination of the Effect on the Human
Body
Lyannis M. García, Petra Mercado Bougart High School,
59
Conformational Analysis of the Properties of Fluoxetine
Mavis Maldonado, Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel High
School, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
60
Analysis of Lemon Peel Essential Oil and its Effect on
Humans
Lizyan E. Mendoza, Petra Mercado Bougart High School,
Analysis of the Extraction of Cinnamaldehyde and its Effect
on the Human System
39
61
Gina Liz Rivera Laó, Petra Mercado Bougart High School,
62
Determination of pH to Different Volumes in a Titration
Curve Acid-Base
Gina Liza Rivera, Petra Mercado Bougart High School,
63
Determination of Water Hardness and the Percentage of
MG++ and CA++ in a Sample by EDTA Titration
Sereyna Eliz Sostre Martinez, Petra Mercado Bougart
High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
64
Analysis of Annonacin to Determine its Benefits in Cancer
Prevention
COMPUTER SCIENCES
Fabiola Agramonte, María Reina Academy, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
65
Refrigeration Method for Residential Uses
Jose Alejandrino, Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
66
Fast Tabs Searches and Learning for Guitarists “Universal
Tabs”
Rafael Cabrera, Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja,
Puerto Rico.
67
Metasearch Engine
Lourdes M. Cruz, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagüez, Puerto
Rico.
68
Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV): Design
and Performance Factors
Tiffany Cruz; Melissa Calderón, Inter American School,
San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Simulation of Levy Flight Process in Shark Food Hunting
Behavior Using the Alice 2.2 Programming Environment
40
69
Xavier A. Cruz, Caguas Private School, Caguas, Puerto
Rico.
Erick O. Lugo, San Juan Apóstol School, Caguas, Puerto
Rico.
70
Probability Analysis of Pega 2/3/4 Games
Lina V. Daza Llanos, Inter American School, San Germán,
Puerto Rico.
71
Fast Exponentiation in the Gaussian Integers
Lashmy Paola de Jesús, Antilles Military Academy,
72
Temporary Crime Behavior as a Psychological Disorder
Alondra P. Figueroa, Homeschool, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
73
Robotic Liquid Medication Dispenser and Reminder for
Kids (RLMD4KIDZ)
Joffre E. Gómez Frontera, Kervin S. Morales Pérez, Inter
American University School, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
74
Computational Analysis of Musical Series and its Effect on
People
Kenneth Hicks, Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo, Puerto
Rico.
75
Software Program to Predict Human G-Level Tolerance
Luissa M. Kidd; Joanys López Miranda, Caguas Military
Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
76
Matrix Math Tutorial Webpage
Leonel O. López, Francisco J. Burgos, San Antonio Abad
School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
77
Communication Protocol Benchmark
Suheily López López, Luis Muñoz Marín School,
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
Watchbot: A Robotic Agent for Detecting Intruders in a
Storage Facility
41
78
José Maestre, Dan-L Martínez, CIEM Private School,
79
Chaotic Behavior of Puerto Rico 20th Century Hurricanes
Karla Meléndez Peña, Santa Mónica Academy, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
80
Model of the Growth of Ticks in Canines
Dorimar Morales Rivera, Luis Muñoz Marín School,
81
Studentnet: A Social Network for University Students
Juan C. Morales, Kiddany L. Pérez, Levittown Baptist
Academy, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
82
Behavioral Analysis of the United States Using a Logistic
Map
Davette Nazario, José Aponte de la Torre School, Carolina,
Puerto Rico.
Juan C. Pérez, Gilberto Concepción de Gracia, Carolina,
Puerto Rico.
83
Car Electric System Android App
Karielys Ortiz Rosario, Jonathan Ortiz Rosario, Antonio
Fernós Isern Vocational School, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.
84
Design of an Encryption Algorithm
Lizbeth Ortiz Burgos, Luis Muñoz Marín School,
85
A Robot for Document Classification Based on Document
Type
Kevin J. Otero, Calasanz School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Teenagers, Computers and Social Networks
42
86
Arantxa Quiñones, University Gardens School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
87
Chaotic Behavior of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from
Consumption of Fossil Fuels in China (1980-2008)
Jessica Ríos; Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo
Alto, Puerto Rico.
88
Who’s that Nerd?
Marian Ivette Ríos Morales, Luis Muñoz Marín School,
89
A Robot for Supporting the Learning Process of Colors in a
Kindergarden
Ademyr Rivera Ríos, Ernesto Ramos Antonini School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
90
Research: Music 3 in 1
Ebany Rivera, Jesucristo Rey de Reyes School, Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico.
91
How does Caffeine Affect Typing Speed and does it Make
You Commit More Errors?
Emanuel A. Rodríguez Rivera, Inter American School,
San Germán, Puerto Rico.
92
Random Gaussian Primes for a Public Key Cryptosystem
Raymond L. Rodríguez, Padre Rufo Bilingual School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
93
Effective Teaching Using Story Boards
Victor Rodríguez, San José School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
94
Mental Agility Improvement Through a Computer Game
Áxel A. Sánchez, Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
Chaotic Behavior of People Infected with the Ebola Virus
and their Death (1976-2005)
43
95
Jonathan Santana, Edwin J. Alvarado, Caguas Military
Angel W. Rosado, República de Costa Rica Vocational
School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
96
Theoretical Analysis of Materials Resistivity
Soleil Valentín, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagüez, Puerto
Rico.
97
Spider Silk: One of the Strongest Biomaterials in the World
Génesis Vázquez, Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas,
Puerto Rico.
98
A Robot Classifier Based on Color Objects
Juan Vázquez, Cristo Redentor School, San Lorenzo,
Puerto Rico.
Elizabeth Calderón, Caguas Military Academy, Caguas,
Puerto Rico.
99
Geometric Figures Properties Calculator
Gustavo Vélez, Southwestern Educational Society (SESO),
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
100
The Process of Denoising Hyperspectral Images
Fabiola M. Williams Díaz, República de México School,
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
101
Chaotic Behavior of Seismic Activity in Japan (1923-1983)
APPLIED MATHEMATICS
Miguel A. Barbosa, San Jorge School, San Juan, Puerto
Rico.
Louis Gil, Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
102
How HIV Spreads Across the Body
Katia Felberty, Yamyris Delgado, Barbara Ann Roessler
103
A Deterministic Approach of Zebra Stripes Patterns
Jean L. Pérez Colon, Lorenzo Vizcarrondo School,
Does Size and Weight Matter in Basketball Injuries?
44
104
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Michael Hicks Ventura, Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo,
Puerto Rico.
105
Visual Method to Create Awareness of Influence of CO2 on
Plant Growth in Different Regions
Natalie López, Immaculadate Academy, Mayagüez, Puerto
Rico.
106
Number of Particles in the Air and how it Affects Human
Health
ENGINEERING
Luis A. Arzón, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto
Rico.
107
Solar DVD Radio
Anthony R. Bonilla, José Gautier Benítez School, Caguas,
Puerto Rico.
Alejandro Aponte, Home Schooling, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
108
Energy Harvesting from Rain and the Flow of Water Using
Turbines
Julia Calderón, Karina Ortiz, Caguas Military Academy,
Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
109
Cooling Methods
Xavier Figueroa; Camille Price, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo
110
Measuring Plasma Parameters Using Inertial Electrostatic
Confinement to Corroborate the Boltzman Relation
Rubén Hernández Díaz, Santa María del Camino School,
Suriel Cruz, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón,
Puerto Rico.
111
Plasma Modeling with Inertial Electrostatic Confinement
Pedro LeFerve, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto
Rico.
Comparison Between the Performance of a Conventional
Battery and a Photovoltaic Cell
45
112
José A. Millán, University Gardens High School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Jorge L. Quiñones, Nuestra Señora del Carmen School,
113
Simulation of the Electrostatic Plasma Confinement in
MATLAB for an Approach to Experimental Plasma
Confinement
Giovanni Pacheco, San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Javier Vázquez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
114
Does the Boltzmann Relation Apply to the Inertial
Electrostatic Confinement when Retaining Plasma?
Nicole Z. Quiñones, Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
Onix Tarrats, Sagrada Familia School, Corozal, Puerto
Rico.
115
Experimental Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Plasma
Simulations
Kiara M. Rodríguez Núñez, Cristo de los Milagros
Brian X. Alicea, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto
Rico.
116
Automatic Solar Device Tracker to Haverst Energy
Giovanni Tobar, San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Erick M. Berríos, Instituto Cumbre Río Piedras, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
117
Can the Boltzmann Relation be Used to Create Plasma
Simulation in MATLAB?
Valerie Velázquez, Josis Rodríguez, Caguas Military
118
How does Viscosity Affect the Temperature Increase of
Different Liquids?
Nicole Vélez, Espíritu Santo School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ana Bourasseau, Bonneville School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Intertial Electrostatic Confinement Experiment for Plasma
46
119
Modeling Using the Boltzman Relation
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
COFFEE BREAK
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
PRE-COLLEGE
PROGRAM
ORIENTATIONS
(SATURDAY ACADEMY, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM,
EARLY ADMISSION AND BIO-MATHEMATICS
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 m.
ORAL RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
47
11:00 – 12:20 m.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
SAN JUAN SALON ROOM 1-4
SESSION I BIOLOGY AND BIO-MATHEMATICS
Chairperson: Dr. Ángel Arcelay, Universidad del Este
BIOLOGY
11:00 – 11:10 a.m.
Jessiliz Camacho, José M. Lázaro School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Genomic Sequence Variations in Iduranate 2 Sulfatase (IDS) Gene
Through Disease Associated Mutations
11:10 – 11:20 a.m.
Arnaldo Mercado-Pérez, Marista “El Salvador” School, Manatí,
Puerto Rico.
Comparative Analysis of ERBB-1 and ERBB-2 Proteins in NonSmall Cell Lung Cancer Through Bioinformatic Tools
11:20 – 11:30 a.m.
Osvaldo D. Rivera, Adianez School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Faulty Protein Ubiquilin2 Sequence Alignment by Means of Gene
Doc and MEGA 5
11:30 – 11:40 a.m.
Nicolle A. Rosa, Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja, Puerto
Rico.
Amino Acid Sequence Comparison Between FGL2 and Claudin-1
Proteins in Hepatitis
11:40 – 11:50 a.m.
Angélica Serrano Marrero, Lurgrea Central College, Toa Baja,
Puerto Rico.
Bioinformatics Study of the CSNK1A1 Protein Yellow Fever
BIO-MATHEMATICS
11:50 – 12:00 m..
Melanie Cruz Cruz, Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto,
Puerto Rico.
Does Obesity Affect Global Warming?
12:00 – 12:10 m.
Derek M. García, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto
Rico.
Model for Quetiapine Administration on Heavy Machinery
Workers
12:10 – 12:20 m.
José G. Lebrón Zapata, Ramón Vila Mayo School, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
How do the Weather Conditions Change Before, During, and After
48
11:00 – 12:30 m.
a Tropical Cyclone Passes Near Puerto Rico?
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
SESSION IIBIO-MATHEMATICS AND BIO-STATISTICS
LAGUNA 2
Chairperson: Dr. Alvaro Lecompte
Inter-American University-San Germán
BIO-MATHEMATICS
11:00 – 11:10 a.m.
Nicole M. Maldonado Millán, Home Schooling, San Juan, Puerto
Rico
Familial Dysautonomia (FD)
11:10 – 11:20 a.m.
Jennifer Patritti Cram, Manuela Toro Morice School, Caguas,
Puerto Rico.
Analysis of the Chromosome 15q11-Q13 Prader-Willi Syndrome
and the Golga8 Protein
11:20 – 11:30 a.m.
Jorge R. Rosado Albino, Antilles Military Academy, San Juan
Puerto Rico
Analysis of Disease-Associated Mutations of the Marfan
Syndrome
11:30 – 11:40 a.m.
Joshua R. Rosario, Luis M. Cintrón, Dr. José N. Gándara
Extreme Sports: Bungee Jumping, Sky Diving and Base Jumping
11:40 – 11:50 m.
Kiara Torres, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
PSNE1 Protein and its Relationship to Alzheimer’s Disease
BIO-STATISTICS
11:50 – 12:00 m.
Betzy Báez, Margarita Janer Palacios School, Guaynabo, Puerto
Rico.
Statistical Average of Aquatic Wild Life and Amusement Parks
Life Expectancy
49
12:00 – 12:10 m.
Astrid Martinez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Natasha Garcia, Juan F. Ozuna School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Spider’s Behavior in the Building of its Spider Web while being
Exposed to Different Tempos of Music
12:10 – 12:20 m.
Valeria Muñoz, Puertorriqueño de Niñas School, Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico.
Effects of Caffeine Used as a Cognitant Enhancer and Short-Term
Memory Improver
12:20 – 12:30 m.
Gabriela Talavera, Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo
Alto, Puerto Rico.
Michael Nieves, Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Statistically, How Does Diabetic Neuropathy Affect the Different
Types of Diabetes?
50
11:00 – 12:20 m.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
SESSION III
CHEMISTRY, COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY,
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
BAHIA 1
Chairperson: Dr. Osvaldo Cox, Universidad Metropolitana
CHEMISTRY
11:00 – 11:10 a.m.
Robert Pérez, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
The Effects of Lead in Cosmetic Products on Human Health
11:10 – 11:20 a.m.
Keishaly Cabrera Cruz, Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel School,
Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Analysis of the Chemical Properties of the Active Ingredient
Found in a Slimming Pill
11:20 – 11:30 a.m.
Gabriela Casanova, Bellas Artes de Humacao School, Humacao,
Puerto Rico.
The Reaction Studies of Horse Anesthesia with Bleach (Clorox)
and its Effects on the Human Body
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
11:30 – 11:40 a.m.
Edrick Alvarado, Rafael Pérez, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagüez,
Puerto Rico.
The Effect between the Incidence of Muons as Secondary Cosmic
Rays, Haze and Solar Flares
11:40 – 11:50 a.m.
Jenipher Danline González Aponte, Bautista de Caguas
The Effect of the Solar Cycle on the Ionosphere
ENGINEERING
11:50 – 12:00 m.
Ronald Herrera, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto
Rico.
Rose M. Cruz, De Lourdes School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Boltzmann Relation and Plasma Modeling Using Inertial
Electrostatic Confinement
51
12:00 – 12:10 m.
Linda Sara Morales Vázquez, Jean V. Marrero, Bayamón
Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement from a Boltzmann’s Relation
Point of View
12:10 – 12:20 m.
Ángel Pérez, San Jorge Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Brenda M. Rivera, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón,
Puerto Rico.
Proving the Boltzman Relation in a Plasma Model
52
11:00 – 12:30 m.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
SESSION IV
COMPUTER SCIENCES
BAHIA 2
Chairperson: Dr. Amirhossein Chinaei
University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez
COMPUTER SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS
11:00 – 11:10 a.m.
Frankie Cabrera; Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
Application for Developing Abilities in Geometry Geo Calculator
11:10 – 11:20 a.m.
Nishmar Cestero González, Episcopal Cathedral School, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
Using a Hénon Coupled Map Lattice to Analyze Future Behavior
of the Changing Value of the US Dollar as a Chaotic System
11:20 – 11:30 a.m.
Omar D. González, Bautista de Carolina School, Carolina, Puerto
Rico.
The Interaction Between Magnetic Forces and Plasma and their
Effects on Ion Propulsion Systems
11:30 – 11:40 a.m.
Osvaldo IV Massanet Ramírez, Bautista de Caguas Academy,
Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Kevin Arturo Centeno Rivera, Caguas Military Academy,
Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Web Service for Encrypted Message Storing and Decrypted
Message Retrieving
11:40 – 11:50 a.m.
Raúl Negrón; Luis Palés Matos School, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Ángel Andino; Santa Gema School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Kids Quiz
11:50 – 12:00 m.
Estefanía Ortíz; Homeschool, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Developing and Reinforcing Intellectual Skills Through a
Computerized Game
12:00 – 12:10 m.
Geraldo Pérez; Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
PicSearch
53
MATHEMATICS
12:10 – 12:20 m.
Andrés J. Arroyo, C.R.O.E.M, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Poliomyelitis
12:20 – 12:30 m.
Jonathan Fortis, Adianez School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Omar Rosado, Margarita Jarer Palacios School, Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico.
A Deterministic Study on the Eastern Spruce Budworm
54
ABSTRACTS
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANALYSIS OF THE MUTATIONS IN THE DUAL OXIDASE 2 GENE
Nydiana Benítez Mangual, Diocesano Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Research PI Mentor: Dr. Ángel Arcelay, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Edgardo L. Vázquez Rodríguez, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Liz Gracia, Universidad de Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The DUOX2 mutation is what causes hypothyroidism, a disease that causes growth problems. This gene
is located on the long arm of chromosome 15, providing instructions to make an enzyme. This enzyme
makes hydrogen peroxide, which plays an important part making the thyroid hormones. If the DUOX2
gene mutates, it cannot complete its function, thus causing disease mutations. The objective of this project
was to prove that every individual carries thousands of amino acids, which alter nucleotide mutations, and
a large number of these mutations are induced by changes in the normally coded amino acids. Disease
mutations will occur more frequently in areas that are highly conserved. In order of to prove the
hypothesis that disease mutations occur more frequently on highly conserved areas, a phylogenetic tree of
the species was used, excluding all point mutations that happened in non-coded areas. The frequency
distribution sites were arranged based on the mammalian rate. This project concluded that diseaseassociated amino acids are more abundant in highly conserved areas, illustrating that such areas are very
important for gene function.
GENOMIC SEQUENCE VARIATIONS IN IDURANATE 2 SULFATASE (IDS) GENE
THROUGH DISEASE ASSOCIATED MUTATIONS
Jessiliz Camacho, José M. Lázaro School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Iduronate 2 sulfatase (IDS) is a gene that has a molecular location on chromosome X. This gene codifies
for an enzyme that is in charge of degradation in sugar molecules recycling sugar molecules in the
lysosomes. If mutations occur in this gene, the sugar molecules accumulate inside the lysosomes causing
an increase in development of the organs and tissues, known as Mucopolysaccharidosis type II. The aim
for this research was to evaluate the IDS protein chain in terms of tolerance of the amino acids
substitution on the sequence. SIFT was used to predict whether an amino acid substitution affects protein
function. A phylogenetic tree of these species was used in data to compute estimating substitutions for a
given site over the tree divided by the total of time for the tree. Diseases associated with amino acid
changes are shown to be abundant. The results found by the SIFT study was that 19.5% of the amino acid
substitution was intolerant.
55
EVOLUTIONARY STUDY AND SPECIES COMPARISON OF AKT1 PROTEIN IN PROTEUS
SYNDROME USING GENE DOC AND MEGA 5
Katerina Doble, University Gardens School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Dorielys Valentín, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Assistant Research Mentor: Karoline Ríos, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Proteus Syndrome is causes cell growth including benign tumors under the skin, overgrowth of the
body, and overgrowth of fingers. The cause of this syndrome is a mosaic alteration, or mutation, in a gene
called “AKT1”. The AKT1 is one of the cells changes where in the DNA code it has an “A” instead of a
“G”. The main goal of this project was to evaluate the evolutionary changes in the protein AKT1 by
inferring phylogenetic trees and to determine the percentage of conservation between evaluated species
by the protein comparison and sequence alignment. The methodology used are: NCB1, CLUSTAL W2,
Gene-Doc and MEGA 5, the percentage of conservation of amino acids in GENEDOC, and the creation
of the phylogenetic trees in MEGA 5. The species sequences studied were Pongo Abelli, Mus musculus,
Xenopus (Silurana) tropicalis, Salmo salar, Gallus gallus, Canis lupus familiaris, Gecarcinus lateralis ,
Loxodonta africana and Homo sapiens. The percentage of conservancy was 27% of the proteins AKT1
through the species. With this percentage, the protein has significant changes through the years. The most
expressed amino acids are Glutamate, Leucine and Glycine. Leucine (L) was more conserved in the
Loxodonta africana, the amino acid glutamate (E) was most conserved in Xenopus tropicalis and the
Glycine (G) amino acid was most conserved in the Loxodonta africana.
ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF DIABETES TYPE 1 AND 2 USING BIOINFORMATICS
TOOLS
Natacha Doble, University Gardens School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Dorielys Valentin, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Diabetes Type I and II are chronic diseases that revolve around problems with blood sugar. Diabetes
Type I does not produce insulin while in Diabetes Type 2 the body produces insulin but the body does not
register it. Both of them have to use insulin (through needles Type I and pills Type 2) to stay healthy and
live longer. In this investigation, the protein IDDM1 was used for Diabetes Type 1 and the protein
IDDM2 was used for Diabetes Type 2. The purpose of this research was to determine the evolutionary
changes in the genes using bioinformatics tools. The first one used was NCBI Blast that allowed for the
finding of regions of sequence similarity. Then ClustalW2 was used, a multiple sequence alignment
inferring phylogenetic genes. After this, the program MEGA4 was used, which is a tool for conducting
automatic and manual sequence alignment. Gene Doc was used to find sequence alignments generated by
ClustalW2. The results were that in Diabetes Type I( IDDM1) there had been a great evolution and
change because its percent of conservation was 31%. In Diabetes Type II (IDDM2) there also has been a
great evolution and change because its percent of conservation was 22%. After comparing the results, it
was found that Diabetes Type 1 had a more significative change through time than Diabetes Type 2.
56
SSPS: BIOINFORMATICS SOFTWARE FOR SECONDARY STRUCTURE PREDICTION
Sergio A. Donato Ferrer, Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Glorimar Castro-Noriega, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Protein structure prediction is the calculation of the three-dimensional structure of a protein from its
amino acid sequence. The structure of an ordered protein is essential for the understanding of its function.
In this research, software that calculates the secondary structure of a protein by implementing knowledge
in software engineering, bioinformatics and computation algorithms is created. The software use ab initio
of protein structure prediction and allows the user to obtain a secondary structure in a cost-effective way
(e.g in less time and with less money).
EVOLUTIONARY STUDY OF LAMB3 EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA
Desireé Gómez, Margarita Janer Palacios High School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Dorielys M. Valentín, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Assistant Mentor: Karoline Rios, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a skin disease where blisters appear on the skin and in the mucosal area. It
affect women and men equally, and could appear at any age or the individual may even be born with this
condition that makes the skin fragile. It does not have a cure, but there are things that the person can do to
aggravate the situation. One of the most common types of EB is functional EB. 70% of EB is caused by a
mutation of LAMB3 on the lammin 5. This mutation causes the separation of tissue and blister formation.
The objectives of this research were to compare the protein and species, determine the evolutionary
changes, determine the amino acids that are most conserved to find the percentage of conservation. The
programs used were NCBI-BLAST to find the protein, GENEDOC to analyze the sequence alignment
and MEGA5 to build two phylogenetic trees. The two types of pylogetic trees were the minimum
phylogenetic tree and the maximum phylogenetic tree. The species which where compared were Homo
sapiens, Mus musculus, Gallus gallus, Macaca mulatta, Equus caballus, Rattus norvegicus and Callithrix
jacchus. The most expressed amino acids in the sequence alignment were Aanine, Argine and Leucine.
57
THE EFFECTS OF ANTHROPOGENIC CONTAMINATION ON HUMAN HEALTH
Kevin Marrero, San Benito School, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Pieter van der Meer, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Gilberto Jiménez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
In the last decades, the social, economic and urban growths have influenced an economy based on
industry promoting migration from cities to the suburbs (urbanization). But to reach such a goal,
urbanization is achieved by exploiting the sources of energy like coal or fossil fuels and deforestation,
defined as the elimination of the natural or green areas. The majority of cities possess a contaminated
atmosphere due to the constant urban growth and the increase of vehicular traffic. The world’s cities only
cover 2% of global land area, but they account for a staggering 70% of greenhouse-gas emissions. The air
contamination can be defined as the presence of particles in the atmosphere that can be prejudicial for
living organisms. The particles in the air are considered contaminants when their concentrations are
enough to cause adverse effects on these organisms or the environment. Anthropogenic contamination
refers to particles created from combustion or automobile emissions. Based on the observations made, it
was learned that increased levels of fine particles in the air were linked to health hazards such as heart
disease and lung cancer. This shows that air pollution affects more the human respiratory and
cardiovascular systems. The inhalation of air pollutants eventually leads to their absorption into the
bloodstream and transports them to the heart. Some pollutants may also directly cause functional
alterations that affect the rhythmicity and contractility of the heart. The health effects may range from
subtle biochemical and physiological changes to difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing and
aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions. These effects can result in increased
medication use, increased doctor or emergency room visits, more hospital admissions and even premature
death. During this project, solutions for better air quality and details will be proposed and their immediate
favorable effects on human health discussed.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ERBB-1 AND ERBB-2 PROTEINS IN NON-SMALL CELL
LUNG CANCER THROUGH BIOINFORMATIC TOOLS
Arnaldo Mercado-Pérez, Marista “El Salvador” School, Manatí, Puerto Rico.
Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer. It claims more lives annually than breast, colon and prostate
cancer combined. The most frequent variation of lung cancer is Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC),
and even though a patient cannot be diagnosed with it until a tumor is detected in this organ, some
important symptoms for said disease are the coughing of blood, chest pain, shortness of breath and
hoarseness of the voice. As with all other types of cancer, recuperation is determined by the extent of the
damage when the disease is diagnosed and the conventional treatment methods are surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy. The main objective of this comparative analysis was to contrast the evolution of proteins
ErbB-1 and ErbB-2, which are both involved in the excessive proliferation of cells. Four web-based
programs were used to comply with such purpose. The first of these was BLAST, or Basic Local
Alignment Search Tool, an algorithm that allowed for the exploration of similar amino acid sequences in
other animal species comparable to both proteins. After the sequences of all species were aligned via
Clustal W2, GeneDoc was used to locate the conserved amino acids between species. ErbB-1 showed a
conservation percentage of only 20%, while ErbB-2 showed 40%. Later, a composition report was
constructed in order to reflect the main conserved amino acids. The results were transferred to a bar
graph, and these showed that leucine, valine and glycine were present as important components in all
studied proteins.
58
ANALYSIS OF CLOSTRIDIUM
BIOINFORMATICS METHODS
TETANI
TOXIN
IN
TETANUS
DISEASE
USING
Christian J. Otero García, Calasanz School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Tetanus is a serious disease that is preventable and also affects the nervous muscles of the body. This
disease is caused by a bacterium called Clostridium tetani. Once the bacterium enters the body it produces
a poisonous neurotoxin known as tetanospamina that produces muscle spasms. The toxin travels through
the bloodstream and the lymphatic system making it reach the body's nerves and cause muscle spasms. In
addition, untreated tetanus can be fatal. Two of the programs used for this study were MEGA 5 and
GENEDOC. The Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA 5) is an integrated tool for
conducting automatic and manual sequence alignments and inferring phylogenetic trees, estimating rates
of molecular evolution, inferring ancestral sequences, and evolutionary hypotheses. MEGA 5 was used in
with the toxin protein to compare the different species inferring the maximum and minimum phylogenetic
trees. The maximum phylogenetic tree compares the evolutionary analysis between species and the
minimum phylogenetic tree compares the protein between species. GENEDOC is a full-featured multiple
sequence alignment editor and analyzer which was used to determine the percentage of conservation of
the amino acids in the sequence alignment.
STUDY OF DISEASE MEDIATED BY THE TYROSINASE PRECURSOR GENE
Lizzy Oviedo, Colegio Calasanz, Carolina, Puerto Rico
The TYR tyrosinase gene mediates a tyrosinase precursor in specialized cells that produce a pigment
called melanin. Melanin is the substance that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color. It transforms an amino
acid precursor called tyrosine to another compound called dopaquinone. More than 100 mutations in the
TYR gene have been identified in people with oculocutaneous albinism type 1. These mutations disrupt
the normal production of melanin. The TYR gene is located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 11,
between positions 14 and 21. Nucleotide mutations will alter amino acids codified. A null hypothesis for
this research was that there is no difference in the chemical properties between disease associated amino
acids changes and the nonspecific changes. A phylogenetic tree was made with the intention of
calculating data mutation specific changes. The phylogenetic tree shows that the branch length is going to
be proportional to the evolutionary time scale bar. Punctual mutations that were produced in regions not
coded including every site one time in our analysis will be excluded to assure that the data is not biased.
Some deviations observed at punctual mutations for the gene will be evaluated. Disease associated with
changes in the amino acids is more abundant at the conserved residues, which draws the crucial
importance of these sites for the proper function of the gene.
59
THE STUDY OF MECP2 IN RETT SYNDROME USING BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS
Michelle C. Pérez Ayala, Notre Dame School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Rett syndrome is unlike any other developmental disorder that is recognized mostly in girls and rarely in
boys during their childhood. It’s the result of mutations in the X chromosome on the gene called MECP2.
The child develops like it should, except that it has some abnormalities even in infancy involving muscle
movements. Then mental and physical symptoms begin to appear. A simple blood test is used for the
identification of the MECP2 mutation. The route or path can be determined by the location, type and level
of strength of the mutation and X-inactivation. There is no cure for Rett syndrome, but there are treatments.
The objectives of the investigation were to determine the percentage of conserved amino acids between
species and infer the evolutionary changes between the protein species and their amino acid sequences. The
programs that were used in the research were GeneDoc and MEGA4. GenDoc is a program used for the
comparison, visualization and alignments of species; the program edits the alignments of the sequence. The
Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) version 4.0 is software that compares DNA or protein
sequences of homolog species to estimate evolutionary rates using phylogenetic trees. There are two types
of phylogenetic trees, the maximum and the minimum. In the maximum there is a comparison between the
species; and the minimum is a protein comparison between the chosen species. The most expressed amino
acids in the protein sequence where Lysine, Proline and Serine. It was found that the percentage of
conservation in the sequence alignment was 1%.
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS OF 3-OXO-5-ALPHA-STEROID 4-DEHYDROGENASE 2
PROTEIN ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE MUTATIONS
Lolibel E. Reyes Rivera, Nuestra Señora De La Altagracia School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The pseudohermaphroditism in men is a disease characterized by incomplete differentiation of the male
genitalia in patients with genotype 46, XY. This is caused by the gene steroid 5 - alpha - reductase 2
(SRD5A2) which is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. The protein encoded by SRD5A2 converts
testosterone to the 5 - alpha - dihydrotestosterone and progesterone or corticosterone into their
corresponding 5 - alpha - 3 – oxosteroids which work on sexual differentiation and the physiology of the
androgens. The gene encodes a microsomal protein expressed at high levels of androgen sensitive tissues
such as the prostate tissue. Mutations can increase the activity of steroid 5 - alpha reductase 2,
consequently raising the DHT levels in the prostate tissue. The aim was to investigate the possibility that
a mutation occurs in the SRD5A2 gene, which affects the protein 3-oxo-5-alpha-steroid 4-dehydrogenase
2. The SIFT program was using them for qualifying the amino acid as tolerant or intolerant. The results
found by the SIFT were 24% of the amino acid substitutions was intolerant and76% was tolerant.
60
FAULTY PROTEIN UBIQUILIN2 SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT BY MEANS OF GENE DOC AND
MEGA 5
Osvaldo D. Rivera, Adianez School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurological genetic disorder that attacks the
neurons responsible of the body’s ability to control voluntary muscles. It belongs to a group of disorders
known as motor neuron diseases. The disorders in this group are characterized by the continuous
degeneration and, finally, death of motor neurons. A mutation in the ubiquilin2 protein, whose primary
function is to recycle damaged proteins in motor and cortical neurons, is a common cause of X-linkeddominant juvenile and adult-onset ALS. This mutation forms Coil-like accumulations of ubiquilin2 in the
spinal cord resulting in the development of ALS. About 10% of ALS cases are caused by inherited
mutations, and 90% are caused by sporadic mutations. The objectives of this project are to analyze the
evolutionary changes of the protein ubiquilin2 by the use of phylogenetic trees and to manually determine
the percentage of conservation between the selected species by sequence alignment and comparison.
Using the methods of NCBI BLAST, the protein sequences were searched by CLUSTAL W2. Sequences
were aligned, using GeneDoc. The percentage of the conservation of the amino acids was manually found
and and the MEGA 5 phylogenetic trees were inferred.
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS OF THE HUMAN HERPES VIRUS SIMPLEX TYPE 1 GENE
USING BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS
Amarilys Romero Reyes, University Gardens School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Herpes Simplex Type 1 (HSV-1) is a viral infection that affects the human cells, acquires the function of
the human cell, and multiplies. The nervous system is the most affected by this type of infection. HSV-1
affects mainly children because a child’s immune system is weaker than the adult’s. Adults develop
antibodies and the infection will not affect them. Herpes simplex type 1 appears mostly on the face, lips
and mouth. When this infection is visible and the skin makes contact with the blister or ulcer, it can be
transmitted. Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV -1) is active when the nervous system gets altered. Examples of
this could be stress, fatigue, hormonal changes, fever, ultraviolet light, and immune depression. The
objective of this study was to determine the evolutionary changes in the gene and the percentage of
conservation between HSV-1 gene with the selected species. The methods used were NCBI Blast,
Clustalw2, Mega 5 and Genedoc. First, the sequences of the species were compared and then the multiple
sequence alignment of the protein was calculated, after inferring the phylogenetic trees and finally editing
and analyzing the sequences. The maximum phylogenetic tree compared the evolutionary changes
analysis between species and the minimum phylogenetic tree compared the protein between species.
61
AMINO ACID SEQUENCE COMPARISON BETWEEN FGL2 AND CLAUDIN-1 PROTEINS IN
HEPATITIS
Nicolle A. Rosa, Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
Hepatitis is a disease which causes an inflammation of the liver and, in some cases, may lead to cirrhosis
or liver cancer. It is caused by toxins or different types of viruses such as hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis
C (HCV). It has been recently discovered that a protein called fibroleukin prothrombinase (FGL2) causes
blood to clot in the livers of patients of hepatitis B. This protein may be very perilous to the patient
because it blocks the blood vessels, which leads to the death of tissue. Claudin-1 is a protein which is
involved in the cell’s maintenance, specifically in tight junctions, and is widespread in the liver. It has
been observed that this protein is what allows the hepatitis C virus to enter the cell. The objective of this
research was to determine the percentage of conservation in the amino acid sequence of these two
proteins when comparing those of a Homo sapiens to nine other species. The analysis of the amino acid
sequence in these disorders was studied through MEGA5, which infers phylogenetic trees, and through
Genedoc, a multiple alignment visualization tool which was used to determine the percentage of
conserved amino acids. The results obtained from these studies demonstrate that, for FGL2, in the
maximum phylogenetic tree, which establishes a comparison between species, the most similar were
Equus caballus and Loxodonta africana, while the least similar was Salmo salar. The minimum
phylogenetic tree for FGL2 demonstrates that the species with the most similar amino acid sequences are
Homo sapiens and Nomascus leucogenys, while the least similar is Rattus norvegicus. The amino acid
sequence was only 9% conserved between species for this protein. For claudin-1, the maximum and
minimum phylogenetic trees show that the most similar are Bos taurus and Ovis aries and the least
similar is Sus scrofa. The amino acid sequence for this protein conserved between species is 26%.
BIONFORMATICS METHOD COMPARISON OF ACVR1 AND BMP PROTEINS IN
FIBRODYSPLASIA OSSIFICANS PROGRESSIVA
Katerina Ruíz Colón, Petra Zenón de Fabery Vocational School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP) means "soft connective tissue that progressively turns to
bone." FOP is a rare genetic disorder of progressive heterotopic ossification caused by a heterozygous
activating mutation of the gene in which muscle tissue such as tendons and ligaments are gradually
replaced by bone (ossified) forming bone outside the skeleton. People who have FOP experience different
rates of new bone formation. A child with FOP will typically develop bones starting at the neck, then on
the shoulders, arms, chest area and finally on the feet. Inability to fully open the mouth may cause
difficulty in speaking and eating. They may also have breathing difficulties as a result of extra bone
formation around the rib cage. The gene responsible for FOP has excessive activation of the bone
morphogenetic protein receptor (BMP) and the ACVR1 gene. The main goal of this research was to
compare these proteins ACVR1 and BMP present in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva using
bioinformatics methods. The methodology used in this research consisted in the use of Genedoc, which is
a powerful editor which allows to manually edit and add a wide range of attributes to multi-sequence
alignments generated, MEGA5 (Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis), a tool for conducting
automatic and manual sequence alignment and inferring phylogenetic trees, and ClustalW2 that aligns the
protein sequences.
62
BIOINFORMATICS STUDY OF THE CSNK1A1 PROTEIN YELLOW FEVER
Angélica Serrano Marrero, Lurgrea Central College, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
Yellow fever or jaundice virus is an acute viral rare hemorrhagic disease caused by the bite of a female
mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. This female mosquito is 40 -50 nanometers wide and can be found in
tropical and subtropical areas like South America and Africa. Anybody, regardless of age, may contract
yellow fever. The symptoms present in most cases are: high fever, muscle aches, headache, nausea, and
loss of appetite, among others. It subsides in a few days. However, there are some cases that may enter
into the toxic phase. The toxic phase makes a person suffer from liver damage and jaundice (a yellowish
pigmentation of the skin), and may sometimes leads to death. Yellow fever does not have a specific
treatment, but is can be attacked with acetaminophens (pain relievers and fever reducers). In some cases
that get to the toxic phase the only treatments are: dialysis for kidney failure, blood products for severe
bleeding and intravenous fluids. The objective of this research was to determine evolutionary changes in
the virus using bioinformatics tools to evaluate and establish a relationship between the evaluated species
using the bioinfomatics tools Clustal W2, GeneDoc and Mega 5. Clustal W2 was used to complete a
sequence alignment. Then, the Molecular Evolutionary Analysis 5(Mega 5) was used to compare the virus
in Homo sapiens with other species and inferred in two phylogenetic trees, a maximum phylogenetic tree
and a minimum phylogenetic tree. And, finally, GeneDoc was used to view the Clustal W2 alignment,
and to evaluate how conserved the alignment has been.
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS OF GENETIC VARIATION THROUGH AMINO ACID
CHANGES IN HEMOGLOBIN AND THE BETA HBB GENE
Lydia B. Serrano Torres, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Red blood cells pick up oxygen in the lungs and deliver it throughout the body. A lack of oxygen in the
blood produces Anemia. Anemia is caused by mutations in the Beta-globin (HBB) gene, which is in
charge of making a protein called hemoglobin located inside red blood cells. Without proper amounts of
beta-globin, sufficient hemoglobin cannot be formed producing an abnormal form of hemoglobin. The
objective of this project is to determine if there is a difference in the rate of disease-associated mutations
between highly conserved and less conserved sites, thus illustrating the critical importance for proper
gene function. A study was conducted to directly evaluate mutations throughout amino acid changes. The
frequency distribution sites based on mammalian rate were tabulated, dividing them into four rate
categories that excluded all point mutations that occurred in non-coding regions, including each site only
once in our analysis. If a site is highly conserved, then many variants are eliminated by natural selection.
The resu1ts obtained by SIFT show that there is 78.25% of the amino acid substitution was intolerant.
63
ANALYSIS OF THE HBB GENE IN BETA-THALASSEMIA USING BIOINFORMATICS
TOOLS
Yimari A. Vargas Ramos, San Antonio Abad School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Beta-Thalassemia is an inherited disease caused by a blood disorder that causes the production of
hemoglobin to be reduced. It is inherited by the mutation on the HBB gene. A mutation in the HBB gene
may prevent the production of any beta globin or some beta globin. The two types of beta thalassemia are:
Thalassemia major and Thalassemia minor. Thalassemia major may be seen in the first or second year of
life originating severe anemia and preventing individuals from attaining weight or growth. Thalassemia
major also has different symptoms such as fatigue, jaundice (yellow skin), and bone deformation.
Thalassemia minor is caused when one parent carries the disorder and passes it on to its child. It rarely
has symptoms since the individual is only a carrier of this disorder, but if it had any symptoms it would be
mild anemia. The objective of this study was to show species and protein comparison by sequence
alignment and determine evolutionary changes in the gene of interest in the selected species. The
programs used to perform these objectives were Clustal W2, Genedoc and MEGA5. The conservation
percentage of the protein sequence was 95% and the most expressed amino acids in the protein sequence
were Leucine, Valine and Alanine. Due to the percent of conservation, it shows that over the evolution of
time it has not changed much. In conclusion, in the majority of cases the gene may have a high percent of
intolerance to the changes.
CELL ADHESION MOLECULES’ (CAMS) NON-SYNAPTIC FUNCTIONS IN DROSOPHILA
MELANOGASTER
Kiara Vega, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Pieter van der Meer, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Gilberto Jiménez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Cellular adhesion is the binding of a cell to a surface, extracellular matrix or another cell using cell
adhesion molecules such as selectins, integrins, and cadherins. Cell adhesion molecules are best known
for their role as essential protein components in synaptic connections, but they may also have important
non-synaptic functions in neuronal cells and in tissues outside the nervous system, such as during
neuronal differentiation, axonal pathfinding, cell migration or epithelial stability. Comprehending and
confirming this statement would mean a furthering in the completion of understanding the organizational
principles underlying cellular communication and the ensuing molecular integrations that lead to a
functional nervous system. An ideal model for this type of research and experimentation is the Drosophila
melanogaster, a common fruitfly, where the advantages of invertebrate small systems, such as the nearperfect environment for observing the effect of these cell adhesion molecules with single-cell resolution,
are combined with the powerful techniques of patch-clamp analysis and molecular genetics. Nonetheless,
the extensive study directed towards the goal of confirming and recording these presumed functions is
divided into two phases: the research stage and the experimental stage. Currently, on the research stage of
the investigation, the focus is set on identifying and cataloguing the process of cell adhesion at the
Drosophila neuromuscular junction. After acquiring the needed information to propose a plausible and
almost conclusive presentation of data regarding the subject, the procedure (or experimental stage) of
observing and documenting the interpretations of cell adhesion is to be held inside a specifically designed
laboratory for neurobiological investigation located at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez.
64
THE UNKNOWN AND IGNORED EFFECTS OF SWEETS ON AN ENTIRE OR EVEN
PARTIAL LIFESPAN
Yo-Ann Vélez, San Benito School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Many have trusted entirely the sweet taste of sugary condiments without knowing their ups and downs.
Sucrose or table sugar is a common ingredient in many processed or so called “junk foods”. This
research examines the effects of sugar in a life span of people from approximately 16 to 62 years using a
survey and information gathered from the media. Popular carbonated soft drinks like Coca-Cola™ or
Pepsi™ have become almost addictive in the 21st century, with their sweet taste and empty calories they
have intruded in the diet of people all over the world, being most popular in the United States and almost
essential in Mexico. High in high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose, depending on the country, they could be
the first reason for child obesity; their alternate versions of zero calories are equally dangerous because of
their artificial sweeteners. In any case, they still represent a risk of overconsumption of any of these tasty
and could-be-deadly nutrients contained in the masked and most colorful boxes or cans in the market. It is
expected that the results of the survey will indicate a distinct pattern in the nutritional aspects of male and
female subjects. The known and unknown effects of sweets should be made available to audiences of all
ages.
ANALYSIS OF AMINO ACID CHANGES THROUGH GENETIC VARIATION ASSOCIATED
IN LEUKEMIA
Xandimar Villafañe Figueroa, San Jorge Academy, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Retinoic acid receptor gene isoform1 alpha (RARA) is a gene that encodes PML-RARa, a protein which
functions to control the activity of the transcription genes important for the maturation of white blood
cells. If a mutation occurs in the gene, nonfunctional immature white blood cells called blasts reproduce
quickly. These blasts move toward healthy cells in the bone marrow causing leukemia. A somatic
mutation involving the RARA gene causes acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the blood forming
tissue (bone marrow). Acute promyelocytic leukemia is characterized by an accumulation of
promyelocytes in the bone marrow. The aim of this research was to investigate the probability that if a
mutation occurs, the function of the protein PML-RARa is affected. The SIFT program was used to
classify sorts intolerant from tolerant amino acid substitutions and predict whether an amino acid
substitution in a protein will have a phenotypic effect. The results found by the SIFT study was that 43%
of the substitution of amino acids was intolerant.
65
COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
PES: A BIOINFORMATICS SOFTWARE FOR SECONDARY STRUCTURE PREDICTION
Pedro A. Burgos López, Pedro L. Burgos López , Petra Mercado Bougart School, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Research Mentor: Glorimar Castro-Noriega, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Psycrobacter bacteria are widely studied for their capacity to live in extreme environments and for the
theory that if there is any bacterium in another planet, it would have the same mechanism as the
Psycrobacter. For more than 10 years, research has been unsuccessful in trying to find the difference
within the proteins in Psycrobacter that give it the capacity to live in so many extreme environments.
This study will try to find if there is a relationship between lengths of the proteins of the bacteria; that is,
if the bacteria will be the same length of the protein in any place around the world. Software engineering,
bioinformatics and secondary structure prediction knowledge and computational algorithms will be
applied to the Psycrobacter proteome. The main objective of this investigation is to create a software
(“Secondary structure prediction”) in which the sequence of the protein is introduced and the software
predicts its secondary structure. Having in mind an idea of the secondary structure of the protein (alpha,
helix and coil), helps to analyze the differences between the Psychrobacter protein. With these results, it
is expected to explain how the Psycrobacter can live in so many extreme environments. This is a huge
advantage because it provides the tools to see deeper into the bacteria of the proteins and see the length of
the proteins and compare them.
ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROTEIN SEQUENCE AND ITS
BIOSYNTHETIC COST
Alejandra Casanova Sepulveda, Gabriel Velázquez Carlo, Bellas Artes School, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Research Mentor: Glorimar Castro-Noriega, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Every protein has its own sequence length and its own biosynthetic cost. With this observation in mind,
this study tried to find if there is a relationship between the length of the protein sequence and its
biosynthetic cost. Specifically if: the bigger the sequence of the protein is, the bigger the biosynthetic
cost will be. To answer this question, a program that follows the next algorithm will be created. It will
connect to the Protein data Bank (PDB), obtain all protein sequences in PDB, calculate the sequence
length of every protein, calculate the biosynthetic cost of every protein, organize the data in a matrix (3 x
n, n would be the amount of protein in the PDB), and analyze the information in the matrix (sequence
length vs. biosynthetic cost). It is expected that the biosynthetic cost would be related to the protein
sequence. If it is not related, the type of amino acid in the protein can also be compared and find if it is
related to its biosynthetic cost. This would help to facilitate the use of proteins in different fields, such as
in drug design.
66
DISSIMILARITIES IN PROTEINS WITH 40% OF SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY CAUSED BY
PROTEIN STRUCTURE FLEXIBILITY
Kelvin Figueroa Ibrahim, Manuel Morales López, Juan J. Maunez School, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Glorimar Castro Noriega, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
It is often assumed that two proteins with similar sequences will also have a similar structure. This
assumption has been used to predict protein structure using homology modeling, for trace evolutionary
relationships and for structure-based drug discovery. But this assumption has been put to test, for
example, with the discovery of proteins pairs with high sequence similarity but structural dissimilarities in
the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The possibility that those differences in protein structures with high
sequence similarity may be related to flexibility in protein structures was studied. To solve this problem,
an open-source library (BioJava) was used to create a program that connects to the PDB and obtains all
the protein pairs with more than 40% of sequence homology. The structural alignment of proteins pairs
were simulated with different alignment algorithms. These alignment algorithms included FatCatRigid,
FatCatFlexible, CE and CECP. Using this method, it was expected to find vast amounts of high sequence
similar- structure dissimilar protein pairs in the PDB caused by protein structure flexibility. The results
can be integrated as part of the PDB web, facilitating the protein structure flexibility analysis for other
scientists. At the same time, the program could be made available in the PDB facilitating personal studies
in protein flexibility.
APSS: A BIOINFORMATICS SOFTWARE FOR SECONDARY STRUCTURE PREDICTION
Nelson O. Santana Ortiz, Petra Mercado Bougart School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Keneth De Jesús Morales, Bellas Artes School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Glorimar Castro Noriega, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Protein function depends directly in its amino acid sequence; at the same time, amino acid sequence
codifies for protein structure. Protein function and protein structure are very related. Since proteins are
required for the function and regulation of the body's cells, tissues, and organs, it is important to know
and understand their structure. Creating software that will analyze the amino acid sequence of a protein
and predict the secondary structure of the protein (with GOR method) can help the individual understand
this structure. Using Java and Eclipse, a program would be created that would predict the secondary
structure of the protein. In general, the program would give a GUI to the user so they could introduce an
amino acid sequence of a specific protein and the program as a result would give the secondary structure
of the introduced protein. These kinds of programs, compared to experimental techniques, are costeffective both in time and money. So increasing the number of this type of open source program is very
important to produce more research results in less time and with less money.
67
BIO-MATHEMATICS
MUTATIONS INTO THE HBB GENE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO SICKLE CELL
ANEMIA
Maricela Alejandro Flores, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Daysha Liz Rodríguez Dávila, Bautista de Caguas Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Brenda Torres, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The present paper makes a fast description of the sickle cell disease. Sickle cell is a hereditary group of
hemolytic anemias. It is a group of broad-spectrum disease. These range from simple blood count
abnormalities asymptomatic to severe and fatal anemia. Adult hemoglobin is composed of the union of
four polypeptide chains: two alpha chains (α) and two beta chains (β). There are two copies of the gene
for hemoglobin α (HBA1 and HBA2), each encoding an α-chain, and both genes are located on
chromosome 16. The gene encoding β chain (HBB) is located on chromosome 11. The HBB is divided
into 4 transcripts. HBB-001, which was investigated, is affected by glutamic acid at position 7. It used
GENECARDS to obtain the sequence of HBB, as well as its map. Also, it used the SIFT program to
analyze the mutations in the position of glutamic acid and their incidence on human beings. Using the
SIFT program, it was found that glutamic acid may have up to 20 mutations where de18-20 of them are
harmless and only 2 are tolerant in a very low tolerance index. About each other is also the mutation to
valine in the provision 7 with very high: harmful index which are finally.
EXPLORING CALENDAR ALGORITHMS
Sally Alkhatib, Dr. José N. Gándara Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Gabriel J. Porrata Vallejo, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Student Assistant Research Mentor: Jorge T. León Cruz, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Calendars are a system that organize human activity around a given time period. Historically, observing
important astronomical events and organizing the year around such events created calendars. The Muslim
calendar, which is based on the moon, and Julian and later the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the
sun, are examples of such calendars. These calendars are essentially perfect and never prone to error;
however, working out when a particular date occurs is difficult. Advancements in mathematics introduced
algorithm based calendars. This method is based on a series of finite organized steps followed to solve a
specific problem. The advantages are that it is possible to calculate dates in the past and even in the
future. An example of a historically important calendar algorithm is Computus, which calculates the date
of Easter Sunday, given the year. This research project explored how algorithm-based calendars are
generated using the MATLAB programming language.
68
GLAUCOMA: AN OPHTHALMOLOGIC DISEASE
Brayan Noel Alvarado López, Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Natalia C. Santiago Merced, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Assistant Mentor: Melinda Vargas, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This research was to understand the genetics of the Glaucoma disease and also how it affects humans.
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve. The cause of this disease is the mutation of MYOC in
which is locate in chromosome 1 at the position 1q23-q24. Also there are two more types of glaucoma:
the open angle glaucoma and the closure angle. The symptoms are blurred vision, severe eye pain, and
headache, rainbow haloes around light, nausea and vomiting. This disease has treatments which are eye
drops, pills, laser or surgery. PUB MED was used to find the basic information of the disease. Later
NCBI was used to understand the molecular, genetic and make the analysis. Then MEGA5 was used to
find the similarities and differences of any species in which the phylogenetic tree is represented. Program
R was used to work the statistics which is going to show the results and the graphics. Finally, the
Grantham Distance Table was used to represent the chemical properties and the disease-associated with
the amino acid change. An observation was made the amino acid variation on species and humans that
carry the gene.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON OF THE TREND OF AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES AND
PUERTO RICO
Gabriel Alvarado, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of
the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The illness interferes
with the immune system making people with AIDS much more likely to get infections, including
opportunistic infections and tumors that do not affect people with working immune systems. HIV is
transmitted in many ways, such as through anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusions, contaminated
hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
It can be transmitted by any contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid that
has the virus in it, such as the blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, or breast milk from an
infected person. The T-cells and CD4 are the cells that send signals to activate the body’s immune
response when it detects intruders such as viruses or bacteria. AIDS can be diagnosed when the number of
immune system cells (CD4 cells) in the blood of an HIV positive person drops below a certain level. Ne
of the objectives of this study was to compare the trend of AIDS in United States and Puerto Rico. For the
analysis, a database from Census Bureau was used to obtain the estimated number of persons living with
an AIDS diagnosis. The Puerto Rico data was obtained through a Surveillance Program of the Health
Department. An Independent analysis was developed to determine the association between characteristics
of the population. Finally, minitab software for descriptive analysis was used.
69
ANALYSIS OF ATINIC KERATOSIS AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE SQUAMOUS CELL
Karla Alveiro Valle, Thomas Alva Edison School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Actinic keratosis is an erythematous scaly papule or plaque that forms on sun-damaged skin as a result of
chronic and excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It occurs mostly on individuals with fair skin.
Actinic keratoses are the most common epithelial precancerous lesions that can develop into Squamous
Cell Carcinomas of the skin. The genes involved in the repair process are also potential UV targets.
Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53 are a common feature of Actinic keratosis and Squamous
Cell Carcinoma. This gene encodes tumor protein p53, which responds to varied cellular stresses that
make abnormal changes to the cells; regulate target genes that induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis,
senescence, DNA repair, or changes in metabolism. The protein p53 is articulated at low level in regular
cells and at a high level in a diversity of altered cell lines, where it is thought that it contributes to
malignant cells, otherwise known as Skin Cancer. Results have shown that alterations of this gene occur
not only as somatic mutations in human malignancies, but also as germ-line mutations in some cancerprone families with the Li-Fraumeni syndrome. The purpose of this study was to conduct a research on
the global database for the sequence of Actinic keratosis; the study included multiple sequence alignment
and Blast were done.
POLYNOMIAL FACTORIZATION IN ℝ WITH THE COMPLEX PLANE
Danairi Aponte and Derick N. Rosario, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Factorization is the process of expressing an object or number as the product of other smaller objects and,
after multiplying them, they result in the original object. If a polynomial can be expressed as the product
of two other smaller polynomials, these are called factors of that polynomial. These factors can always be
found
in
the
complex
numbers
and
with
de
Moivre’s
formula:
. This method will be used to find generalizations
concerning roots of polynomials in the real numbers.
70
HLA-DQB1 GENOMICS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON SUSCEPTIBILITY OF DIABETES
MELLITUS T1
Alondra Báez and Paola Cintrón, Manuela Toro Morice School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Have you ever asked yourself, what is the flaw that causes diabetes mellitus? It makes us curious, where
did that come from? The term T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) describes a metabolic disorder of multiple etiology,
characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrates, fat and protein metabolism
resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. In other words Diabetes mellitus or
T1D, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body
does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.
Something caused this, but they are genetically prone to failure that support the development of T1D.
Based on genetic studies, the best evidence for a genetic component in the susceptibility to T1D comes
from studies of the HLA genes. The HLA region is a cluster of genes located within the major
histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p21. The genes of the MHC region are classiﬁed
into four families, classes I, II, III and IV. The statistically strongest genetics associated with T1D are the
HLA class II gene alleles. It has been found strong evidence that particular alleles of the HLA-DQA1,
DQB1 and DRB1 loci, all are primarily involved in the genetic predisposition to T1D. This research
focused on the HLA gene, but with the alleles of DQB1. To obtain the sequence, NCBI Blast was used.
Also, the SIFT website was used to analyze the possible mutations on aminoacids, particulary in the 57
position. The results were very accurate. In that position 20 changes can occur, 19 of them ended with
damaging probabilities of developing T1D.
WAVE ENERGY: RISING TIDE
Carolina I. Burgos and Eduardo J. Figueroa, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto
Rico.
The purpose of this project was for people to see that wave energy is a great renewable resource to get
energy from. Energy is power derived from physical or chemical resources to provide light and heat and
this is essential worldwide. But the problem relies on the use of non-renewable energy. Wave energy
depends on the tide of the ocean so it is an option to explore. Taking into consideration its cost, initially
and throughout the years, and how much machinery is needed to harness this type of energy, a
comparison is done with the energy source in Puerto Rico. This comparison takes into consideration the
amount of energy produced throughout time between the different energy sources.
71
DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: A DISEASE WITHOUT CURE
Nayrobi Cepeda Márquez, María Teresa Piñeiro School, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
The central focus of this research was to analyze the progress of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and see
how it affects people with this disease. Gene DMD makes a protein called Dystrophic that is located in
skeletal and heart muscles, and it combines with others to protect the muscles from injuries. DMD is
located in the X chromosome in the 21.2 position. This disease is more common in males than females
and is associated to a heart condition name Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Symptoms can be fatigue, mental
retardation, muscles weakness and difficulty walking. The illness has four stages (early phase, transitional
phase, loss of ambulation and adult stage). NCBI was used to find biomedical and genomic information.
PubMed was used to find science journals, online books and about 21 million of biomedical citations.
MEGA5 was used to conduct manual and automatic sequence alignment, make phylogenetic trees, and
test hypotheses. In addition, R was used to calculate the Mann Whitney to determine if different variables
correlated. The chi-squared test showed that the deviation was significant. Grantham Distance was used to
test the null hypothesis and the properties between amino acid changes.
A COMPARISON OF OPSIN 1 GENE AND PROTANOPIA DISEASE IN THREE SPECIES
José S. Colón Miranda and Katherine Gómez Restrepo, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto
Rico.
Color blindness is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under
lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired. The gene that causes color blindness is
carried on the X chromosome, making the handicap far more common among men, than among women.
Protanopia, and its Dichromacy, characterized by lowered sensitivity to long wavelengths of light
resulting in an inability to distinguish red and purplish blue, called “opsin 1 (cone pigments), long-wavesensitive” (OPN1LW), were studied. This gene was compared in a cow, a dog and a human, three
mammals, in order to identify percent of alignments between genes. The final result was that they are
100% similar. To obtain sequences of the gene in the three species, the NCBI database was used. Also,
the ENSEMBLE website was run with the sequences to obtain the gene map in the species involved in
this research. Finally, Rasmol was used to create the gene and the comparison of the genes was performed
through the bioinformatics tool T-Coffee.
SIR MODEL FOR YELLOW FEVER
Ramón Colón, Dr. José N. Gándara, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that has no cure but is treatable. Some
symptoms are fever, headaches, flu symptoms and possible complications are shock, coma and even
death. One method to control the total of infected humans is to vaccinate them. Another method is to
reduce the population of the mosquitoes. This project aimed to model how the application of both
methods affects the total infected human population using differential equations. It included the testing of
how different parameters change the infection rate and how these parameters reflect real world
conditions.
72
EVOLUTIONARY STUDY AND PROTEIN SEQUENCE ANALYSIS LMNA GENE IN
HUTCHINSON - GILFORD SYNDROME
Michael Concepción Santana, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Student Reserch Mentor: Dorielys M. Valentín, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hutchinson - Gilford Progeria syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by premature
aging. Progeria is caused by a point mutation in the LMNA gene. The objectives for this project were to
evaluate the evolutionary changes in the protein by inferring phylogenetic trees and to determine the
percentage of conservation between the evaluated species by sequence alignment and protein comparison.
NCBI (Pubmed) is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references. CLUSTAL
W2 is a general purpose multiple-sequence alignment program for DNA or proteins. It calculated the best
match for the selected sequence. GENEDOC is a Full Featured Multiple Sequence Alignment Editor,
Analyzer and Shading Utility. In It was expected to find a moderate percentage of conservation in
Genedoc where the proteins have changed throughout the evolution of different species. MEGA 5 is an
integrated tool for conducting automatic and manual sequence alignment, inferring phylogenetic trees.
There are two types of phylogenetic trees, the maximum and the minimum, which compare the
evolutionary analysis between species.
DESCRIPTIVE BASIS TO DESCRIBE THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE PLANET
NOWADAYS
Amanda Crastz and Killian Crastz, Nuestra Señora de la Providencia School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This research is to achieve population carrying capacity of the planet on which we live. So we can take
control of the population and prevent a catastrophe, which in other species die approximately 90% of the
population. This project would help to know whether we are or as we exceed the carrying capacity and
population of the planet to get a better perspective of `` this is the limit'’ on Earth. The possible
consequences are that governments put a limit on the stocks which could reduce spending on families,
lack of food in the world, scholarship competitions and may increase the economy, education, health,
quality of life, etc. There were some papers or reports that were used as means of knowing whether the
carrying capacity is exceeded or if exceeded and by how much. We know that from before 2008 are
exceeding the carrying capacity of more than twice. We also know that many species suffer ''the big drop''
when they exceed 3 times higher load capacity. This project is expected to identify more precisely
because they exceeded the capacity to raise awareness of the problems that exist. This project will help
everyone, in general, because it would avoid that humanity to the point where the planet will not support
us more (where it says'' here ends the mess''). However, if we discover what is the limit load capacity of
the planet would avoid him and would get the opportunity to follow the daily life on our planet. Estimates
range from a minimum population of 2 billion to 7.7 and 14.4 million and up to a maximum of 50-60
billion. Using the information that we found are summarized exceeded by 3.5 above the carrying capacity
of what it is supposed that the planet we bear.
73
DOES OBESITY AFFECT GLOBAL WARMING?
Melanie Cruz Cruz, Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
This research was to study how obesity and global warming are related. The terms, obesity and global
warming, are officially considered the issues of the twenty-first century, predicting an increase in sanitary
costs and uses, a decrease in social relations, and the hope of life worldwide. As a result of obese,
overweight, sedentary units, and an unhealthy life style, children from the next generation are being
exposed to an inferior quality of life and life span including climate change. Recent studies reveal that an
obese person generates about a ton of carbon dioxide annually, more than a stable weighted person would
normally generate. Calculations state that the supposed amount of carbon dioxide generated by
populations is 27.000 tons worldwide, by which 1.000 million are related to obesity. The research was
modeled using the program VENSIM, which showed an analysis of population growth related to the
effects of the climate.
HYDROCEPHALUS (L1CAM) ABNORMAL HEAD GROWTH
Christopher De Jesús López, María Teresa Piñeiro School, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
Hydrocephalus is a fatal disease that can be hereditary or can be congenitally acquired through birth. Both
types of this disease are mortal, but if it is discovered in its primary phases, it can be treated immediately
to stop the progress of this mortal disease. Hydrocephalus affects chromosome X in the long arm location
Xq27.3. The PubMed database was used to find information about this illness. NCBI (National Center for
Biotechnology Information) was used to understand the genetic and molecular process. MEGA5 was used
to analyze multiple genes or families of different species by DNA. The R program was used to calculate
the Mann Whitney to determine if different variables are correlated. The chi-squared test showed that the
deviation was significant.
BIPOLAR DEGENERATIVE DISEASE
John Joseph De Micheli Vega, Ernesto Ramos Antonini School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this research was to understand the bipolar disease, to understand the genetic problem and
recommend a way to prevent it. The bipolar disease is hereditary; it is a disorder that has two main
phases: the very depressive one, and the happy one. This disease is caused because of the lack of stability
in the impulses sent to the brain. Some studies say that is because of the lack of lithium. Lithium is what
the brain uses to stabilize the mood. The bipolar disease is associated with chromosome 6 and it is located
in the short (p) arm 6p21.31. The MEGA5 program was used to perform automatic sequence alignment
implying phylogenetic trees. NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) was used to
understand the genetic and molecular processes and understand the molecular biology involved. This
disease is treatable, but in the first stages is necessary the medical supervision in a mental home. The
PubMed website was used to find the summaries about the disease. Graham Distance was used to find
how often were the mutations. The R program was used to calculate the Mann Whitney to determine if
different variables were correlated. The chi-squared test showed that the deviation was significant.
74
BODY INDEX MASS AND OBESITY IN BRAZIL: A DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICAL
APPROACH
Luis F. Díaz, San Antonio Abad School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Nowadays obesity is considered a pandemic due the percent of population that actually shows a poor
nutrition behavior, and all the consequences related to this condition. According literature, obesity is a
condition that shows excessive weight, disproportional body due bad eating habits and also a high body
mass index (BMI). BMI is an index that measures the relationship between weight and height of a person.
It can be use as a partial tool to diagnose obesity but it is wrong to use it by itself to determine if a person
is suffering of obesity. The importance of BMI lies into the subjective opinion about who is actually over
weighted, and who does not: a BMI greater than 30% could mean the presence of this disease in a person.
Literature review showed that Caribbean and Latin American region has strong issues of obesity,
especially among women. Brazil is a country with characteristics that differs from other South-American
countries, and as their habits and food preferences are different is important to describe the impact of this
condition in this country. The data came from WHO database and the tool used to perform this descriptive
analysis is Minitab version 15. Among the most important results we found that since 2007 in Brazilian
females are being subject to BMI research but not men. Furthermore, women between 20-24 years tends
to have a BMI less than 18.5 meanwhile women between 35-39, 40-44 and 45-49 years old tends to have
a BMI greater than 25, showing no significant differences on BMI between these three age groups
WAVE ENERGY: RISING TIDE
Neysha M. Díaz, Dr. José N. Gándara, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Leatherback sea turtles are found in all oceans in tropical and temperate waters. They are endangered by
over-hunting or capture. The extraction of eggs on nesting beaches and adult mortality caused by fisheries
are the main causes. A model of predator / prey was used to model the interaction of leatherbacks with the
causes of extinction. It was used to find ways to increase the population of this species and prevent its
extinction if there is still time.
75
SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM OF BDNF GENE ASSOCIATED TO ANOREXIA
NERVOSA
Alejandra Figueroa and Nathalie González, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The present information makes a fast description of Anorexia nervosa (AN), an eating disorder
characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. The
literature review revealed several factors that are related to this disease. Nevertheless, one field of
research that has been proposed for many years is genetic vulnerability of people to develop AN. One
approach is the analysis of the protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), encoded in humans by
the BDNF gene. This gene is member of the neurotrophin family, related to the canonical Nerve Growth
Factor (NGF). Neurotrophic factors are found in the brain and the periphery. The BDNF protein is coded
for BDNF gene, that in located in chromosome 11 in humans. According to the literature review, single
nucleotide polymorphism (snp) Rs6265 ( Vall66Met or G196A) in the BDFN gene had been studied in
order to determine a relationship with AN disease. The NCBI online database was used to find the
sequence and to learn about the gene, and similar sequences in other species. Also, the ENSEMBLE!
database was used. The results showed eight variations dbSNP related to the gene in humans. Among
these variations, the rs6265 that is related to body mass index, memory impairment, susceptibility to
weight, smoking behavior we found. These results are according to the bibliography that was used to
develop this research. Finally, there were several variations associated to body mass index and weight that
should be analyzed in future work, such as rs925946 and rs7481311.
MODEL FOR QUETIAPINE ADMINISTRATION ON HEAVY MACHINERY WORKERS
Derek M. García, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Quetiapine (Branded Seroquel or Ketipinor) is a prescription drug, an antipsychotic, used for the
treatment of bipolar disorders and/or schizophrenia. The most common side-effect of Quetiapine
is somnolence. Approximately 2.6% of adults in the U.S. are afflicted with bipolar disorder, a mental
illness. That means 5.7 million people have bipolar disorder. These persons are prescribed the drug
Seroquel because they need to function properly in their workplace, in their personal lives, and in society.
But it is still not possible, because the most common side effect of Quetiapine is somnolence. So the
question is, how can a person consume a drug to treat his condition and yet be able to do his job perfectly,
with no side effects of the drug? How can the dosage be modified so that the patient is not sleepy at
work? Varying the consumption of drug concentration during the day would make the concentration of
medicine in his body different. This research focused into the nature of the drug that is Quetiapine, its
half-life, recommended dosages and other relevant information in order to find out how to lower the
concentration of medicine in the person's body. The information is obtained from graphs plotted from the
mathematical model using differential equations.
76
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS OF ATP7B
Kevin W. García Cruz, María Teresa Piñeiro School, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
The central objective of this research was to achieve better understanding of the genetic changes caused
by the mutations on Wilson’s disease gene. Database online information was obtained about mutations
and changes in amino acids in the ATP7B gene. This is a rare disease caused by mutations on ATP7B
gene. This gene is located on chromosome 13 at position 13q14.3. This disease consists on an excessive
amount of copper that builds up in the liver. Over time, the damage causes the liver to release all the
copper into the bloodstream. The blood carries all the copper into the nervous system, eyes and brain.
PubMed was used to obtain biomedical literature, as well as journals, technical papers and online books
were used. NCBI was used to understand and analyze the genetic and molecular processes. MEGA5 was
used to design a comparative analysis of homologous gene sequences either from multigene families of
from different species with special relationships and patterns of DNA and protein evolution. Grantham
Chemical Distance Table was used to test the hypothesis of difference or no difference in chemical
properties in amino acid changes among species with the disease gene. Finally, R was used to calculate
the Mann Whitney to determine if different variables were correlated. The chi-squared test showed that
the deviation was significant.
DEFORESTATION IN MEXICO
Guadalupe Enrique Ibarra Tinoco, Adianez School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Recent observations in Mexico showed that the level of deforestation is caused by agricultural clearing,
illegal practices, and fires, among others. The situation has been critical over the last ten years in Mexico,
for it is has the second place on deforestation in America. Some precautionary actions are being taken to
reforest the areas that were affected. Some of the actions that have been taken are plating more trees,
planting in empty areas and lowering the yearly deforestation rate. Therefore, in order to predict how the
state of Mexico will be in the future, calculations on the deforestation progress were performed. R was
used to resolve all the statistical data and VENSIM was used to model the problem as a dynamic system
which analyzed deforestation in several scenarios. As a result, a time limit was obtained before all
vegetation in the country disappears, making Mexico unable to sustain any type of life form. Some
calculations on the different causes of deforestation in Mexico will identify the biggest contributor and
help in the reforestation of the country.
77
HOW DO THE WEATHER CONDITIONS CHANGE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A
TROPICAL CYCLONE PASSES NEAR PUERTO RICO?
José G. Lebrón Zapata, Ramón Vila Mayo School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This research studied the water temperature, atmospheric temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and
atmospheric pressure data obtained from some buoys around PR. In order to see the differences, the
researcher compared tree different tropical storms which were TS Chris, TS Fay, and TS Gaston in
different years which were 2006, 2008, 2010 respectively. The information was taken from NOAA’s
National Data Buoy Center from Buoy # 9755371 located in San Juan and Buoy # 9759110 located in
Magüeyes Island and Lajas, Puerto Rico. The information was analyzed through graphs and later
compared in order to see their similarities and differences. This led to the understanding of how weather
conditions change as a tropical cyclone passes and causes changes on the island.
STUDY OF THE ALTERATIONS IN THE ASPARTOACYLASE DEFICIENCY (ASPA
DEFICIENCY)
Glory López Clemente, Bautista de Carolina School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
ASPA Deficiency or Asparoacylase is a disorder that causes degeneration of white brain matter, a
degeneration that causes advanced brain atrophy. It also has many other symptoms and problems like
mental retardation, megalocephaly (abnormally large head), poor head control, flexion of arms and
hypertension of legs. It was found that the gene mutation to this disease is associated with chromosome
17 area 13.2. About 1/40 people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors are carriers of this disease. The
PubMed database was used to find information. NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
was used to analyze and understand the genetic and molecular process. MEGA5 was used to compare the
analysis of homologous gene sequences. These gene sequences are taken from multigene families and
from different species with a special look into their evolutionary relationships, patterns of DNA and
protein changes and to find the maximum and minimum phylogenetic trees. In addition, Grantham
Distance was used to verify the non-difference in chemical properties among disorder related amino-acid
changes. Finally, the R program was used to calculate the Mann Whitney to determine if different
variables are correlated. The chi-squared test showed that the deviation was significant.
78
FAMILIAL DYSAUTONOMIA (FD)
Nicole M. Maldonado Millán, Home Schooling, San Juan, Puerto Rico
The central focus of this research was to identify why and how the Familial Dysautonomia (FD) genes
are mutated. Familial Dysautonomia is the result of the mutation of the IKAP gene on chromosome 9
which encodes the IKAP protein. There have been three mutations in IKBKAP identified in individuals
with FD. The most common FD causing mutation occurs in intron 20 of the donor gene. The decreased
amount of functional IKAP protein in cells causes Familial Dysautonomia. Both parents must be carriers
in order for a child to be affected. Using Grantham’s chemical difference matrix, the differences between
disease-associated human and species amino acids for the disease gene were tested. Using the Molecular
Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA5) software which is an application for comparative analysis of
homologous gene sequences in multigene families or in different species with a special emphasis on
inferring evolutionary relationships and patterns of DNA, the phylogenetic trees were created to see the
evolutionary process. PubMed was used to find biomedical literature, journals, technical papers and
online books for the disease information. NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) was
used for understanding the genetic and molecular processes. Finally, R was used to calculate the Mann
Whitney to determine if different variables were correlated. The chi-squared test showed that the
deviation was significant.
HOW CAN A CARDIAC ARRES TAKE YOUR LIFE?
Arnaldo A. Marcano Flores, Ernesto Ramos Antonini School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this research was to learn how a cardiac arrest can affect a population. The average of
people that get affected by this common disease is 0.01%. The cardiac arrest is a heart disease and can
cause death. This disease happens unexpectedly caused by the obstruction of the blood clot artery. Also
this disease can be prevented by medicines, exercise and a daily diet. People of advanced age have more
risk of suffering a cardiac arrest, but that does not mean that young people do not have the risk of having
one. The cause of this disease is the mutation of BAZ2B in which chromosome 2 is located at the long (q)
arm 2.q24.2. In this research several programs were used such as: MEGA5 was used to compare genes
and DNA sequences; PubMed for science literature and references; NCBI was used as a source of
information in advances in science and health; and R was used for the techniques while doing graphics
and solving statistical data. The chi-squared test showed that the deviation was significant.
79
SCOLIOSIS IN THE MATN 1
Kevin Matos, María Teresa Piñeiro, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
The central focus of this research was to gather information of the scoliosis disease and to have a better
understanding of the genetics of the disease to provide specific locations of the gene that, in some cases,
causes this disease. Scoliosis affects the spinal column and causes it to curve forming an “s” or sometimes
a “c.” Scoliosis affects chromosome MATN1 in the location p35.2. MATN1 is a cartilage matrix protein
that is thought to be involved in the formation of filamentous networks in the extracellular matrices of
various tissues. PubMed was used to access Medline’s library, life science journals and documented
experiments. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) was used to provide access to
biomedical and genomic information. In addition, NCBI provides tools to analyze data using its
databases. Using Grantham’s Chemical difference matrix, the difference in chemical properties between
amino acids with protein residue substitution frequencies were explored. MEGA5 was used to compare
analysis of genes related to a second gene by an ancestral descent in a DNA family. Finally, R was used
to calculate the Mann Whitney to determine if different variables were correlated. The chi-squared test
showed that the deviation was significant.
AN APPROACH TO FRACTAL CONSTRUCTION
Karlitza M. Molina, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Fractals of all types are observed in various natural phenomena such as cloud formation, fern leaves,
crystals, and in abstract paintings. Fractals are the art of life and math. They have an undefined shape
because of the self-similarity method used to construct them but they also have dimensions that are used
to classify them. There are many types of fractals and one way to generate them is by iteration. The
Mandelbrot set is one example of fractals made by iterative methods by the formula x 2 + c, in which the
value of c is changed. To show how nature creates fractals, they are modeled in programs combined with
math behind each piece of art. This project explores which fractals are generated by the iterative method
with algorithms in mathematics.
80
ANALYSIS OF THE CHROMOSOME 15Q11-Q13 PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME AND THE
GOLGA8 PROTEIN
Jennifer Patritti Cram, Manuela Toro Morice School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Dr. Marlio Paredes and Brenda Torres, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Prader Willi is a complex genetic condition that affects the entire body. This condition is characterized by
weak muscle tone, feeding difficulties, mental retardation, and behavioral problems, and delayed
development. The Prader-Willi Syndrome is caused by the deletion of active genes in specific part of
chromosome 15 in each cell, the region of the chromosome in which the syndrome occurs is the 15q11q13. The Prader Willi Synmdrome ocurrs when the paternal chromosome 15 is partly or entirely missing.
In this project emphasis will be given to the OCA2 gene (oculocutaneous albinism II) in chromosome 15,
A loss of this gene does not cause intellectual disability ; however, people with this condition who are
missing one copy of the OCA2 gene tend to have unusually light-colored hair and fair skin. Cells missing
a copy of theOCA2 gene make less P protein than cells with two functional copies of the gene, which
affects the coloring of the hair and skin. In order to start the mutations the Blast Program and the SIFT
Human Protein Program will be used. SIFT predicts whether an amino acid substitution affects protein
function. SIFT prediction is based on the degree of conservation of amino acid residues in sequence
alignments derived from closely related sequences, collected through PSI-BLAST. The first program is
used to model the protein in tridimensional and the second program is used to make the mutation in the
protein. Mutations will be made to see how it affects the OCA2 gene and consequently, chromosome 15
related to the Prader-Willi Syndrome.
WILL THE RHESUS AND PATAS AFFECT THE FUTURE OF OUR ISLAND?
Melanie N. Peña Rodríguez, Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
The Rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Patas (Erythrocebus patas) monkeys are found in the
southwestern area of Puerto Rico. These monkeys are primate species that share over 97% of genetic
similarity with humans. The rhesus and patas are not native species. Their purpose was for scientific
research held by the National Institute of Health to perform a research specifically on the islets of La
Cueva and Guayacán in La Parguera, Lajas. However, according to The Introduced Free-ranging Rhesus
and Patas Monkey Populations of Southwestern Puerto Rico research paper publication by Janis
González-Martínez, Ph.D., the monkeys escaped to the mainland of southwestern Puerto Rico (SWPR)
from research colonies on small offshore islands during the 1960s and through 1982. During the period of
1990-1993, there was a research conducted on the island pertaining to the collection of data on population
size, the composition of social groups, their daily movements, and their home ranges. Therefore to
corroborate and be able to predict the current population growth of these monkeys, calculations on
exponential growth were made. As a result, approximate values could be determined to know how their
expansion and carriage of certain diseases could possibly affect humans that are exposed to these
conditions. This could lead to the creation of a method that could be a possible control of these animals
and prevent humans from getting affected by diseases that they carry.
81
EMD AND LMNA GENE COMPARISON IN EMERY DREIFUSS MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
BY MEANS OF GENEDOC AND MEGA5
Emery G. Price Cancel, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Dorielys Valentin, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, EDMD, is a genetic disorder that affects the skeletal and cardiac
muscles. It i caused by a genetic mutation affecting the production of the EMD and LMNA proteins. It is
characterized by the joint contractures that begin in early childhood, slowly progressive muscle weakness
and wasting initially in a humero-peroneal distribution that later extends to the scapular and pelvic
muscles, and cardiac involvement may manifest as palpitations, presyncope (a state consisting of
lightheadedness) and syncope (medical term for fainting), poor exercise tolerance, and congestive heart
failure. The objective for this project was to determine the amount of gene conservation throughout the
evolutionary process using data represented in tables, sequences and in phylogenetic trees. This was
achieved by using NCBI, GeneDoc, CLUSTAL W2 and MEGA5. NCBI is used to find the similarities
between the genes, GeneDoc is a multiple alignment editor, analyzer and shading utility for windows,
Clustal W2 is a multiple sequence alignment program for the DNA or Proteins, MEGA5 is an integrated
tool used to conduct automatic and manual sequence alignment and inferring phylogenetic trees.
GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY IN CHILDREN
Josué Quiñones Silva, San Pedro Mártir School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
The central focus of this research was to understand the GH1 deficiency in children. Most of the time
there is no clear cause for the deficiency, but it can be both congenital and present after birth, as the result
of an injury, tumor or radiation to the brain. The treatment is a medicine received once a day. It is located
in chromosome 17 at position 24.2. Its deficiency causes children to have a slow development and
growth. PubMed was used to demonstrate that the deficiency is not hereditary. NCBI was used to
understand and analyze the genetic and molecular processes. MEGA5 was used to develop a comparative
analysis of homologous gene sequences either from multigene families or from different species to find
the mutations. Grantham’s was used to find the chemical difference matrix. The null hypothesis of no
difference in chemical properties among disease-associated amino acid changes, human polymorphic
amino acid variation and amino acid variation observed among species for the disease gene was tested.
Finally, R was used to calculate the Mann Whitney to determine if different variables were correlated.
The chi-squared test showed that the deviation was significant.
82
WHICH SEAT CAN I TAKE?
Yelitza Rivera, Jonathan Collazo, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
The best seat of a movie theater is determined to be the one with the biggest angle from the screen to the
eyes of the viewer. A trigonometric equation that depends on the dimensions of the screen and the
position of the person in the movie theater is used to calculate such angle. The purpose of this project was
to help the viewer to have a better experience and to enjoy the movie to the highest level possible. People
have been asked their opinion on best seating in different movie theaters and using statistics the results of
the research were compared with what they have answered. A statistical analysis of the data was done to
determine preferred seating according to age, height and gender.
ANALYSIS OF DISEASE-ASSOCIATED MUTATIONS OF THE MARFAN SYNDROME
Jorge R. Rosado Albino, Antilles Military Academy, San Juan Puerto Rico
Marfan syndrome is a disorder disease that affects the skin, lungs, cartilage, and vascular tissue, among
other major tissues. This syndrome is located at gene FBN1, located in chromosome 15. This study
researched the frequency of the syndrome to see if propagation of this syndrome is global. PubMed was
used to identify the gene of the syndrome and see how it reacts in humans and other species. NCBI
(National Center for Biotechnology Information) was used to understand the genetic and molecular
processes; and to analyze and understand the molecular biology, genetic, and biochemistry area. MEGA5
was used to conduct automatic and manual sequence alignment, inferring phylogenetic trees, and testing
evolutionary hypotheses. Grantham distance was used to create a chemical difference matrix. R was used
to calculate the Mann Whitney to determinate if different variables were correlated. The chi-squared test
showed that the deviation was significant.
EXTREME SPORTS: BUNGEE JUMPING, SKY DIVING AND BASE JUMPING
Joshua R. Rosario and Luis M. Cintrón, Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito, Puerto Rico.
Extreme sports have a variety of activities that are associated with experiencing an adrenaline rush, and
thus these activities have increased in popularity in recent years. Those types of sports can be
mathematically modeled to describe characteristics in them. The extreme sports for this project are
bungee jumping, skydiving, and wing suit base jumping. In general, these sports are similar to each other:
these models use basically the same parameters which are weight, height, velocity, mass and gravity. In
this research, the focus is on how the parameters affect the movement of the person doing the extreme
sport and with that one can determine when these activities do become dangerous and how dangerous
conditions may be avoided. For bungee jumping the spring model equation was used to evaluate the
elasticity of the bungee cord. For skydiving and wing suit base jumping cross section area was used. The
cross section area shows the increase in speed accompanied by an increase of air resistance and how this
force of air resistance encounters gravity.
83
COMPARISON OF SARCOPTES SCABIEI AND CIMEX LECTULARIUS
Netsha Santiago, Caguas Private School, Caguas Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Brenda Torres, Universidad de Turabo, Escuela de Ciencias y Tecnología.
For centuries, scientists have been confused. For years, scientists have been trying to understand two
parasites that are so different, yet alike. This investigation is about the parasites Sarcoptes scabiei and
Cimex lectularius. Sarcoptes scabiei is better known to the world as scabies, that comes from the Latin
word scabere that means “to scratch”. Cimex lectularius is commonly known as bed bugs. Scabies can
be contracted by skin-to-skin contact and sexual physical contact, which has been considered a Sexually
Transmitted Disease (STD). According to Progressive Pest Management, “The nightmare begins when a
bed bug finds its way into your clothing; it usually happens at a hotel but can start anywhere (hospitals,
businesses, homes, buses, apartments, motels, etc.). Infestations of bed bugs are up to 5000 percent as are
the number of reported attacks. Both affect people of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. This study
compared the sequence analysis of the parasites using T-COFFEE and InterProScan.
THE PUERTO RICAN PARROT
Karoline M. Serrano Soto, Margarita Janer Palacios School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican parrot is native animal toPuerto Rico. This parrot has been an endangered species since
1994. The initial and current localization of the Puerto Rican parrot is in the Sierra of Luquillo. The
normal process of reproduction of the parrot is a big factor that does not make a balance between
extinction and reproduction. They can reproduce at the age range from three to five years and can only lay
from two to four eggs, and they can spend twenty-six to twenty-eight days incubating their eggs. The
extinction of the parrot has been caused by hurricanes, illegal hunting to use them as pets, and predators
such as: The red tail “guaraguao,” the “zorzal pardo,” “mangostas” and rats. But the main cause of
extinction of the parrot is deforestation. Using all this information as input variables, an exponential
growth model was developed to predict the current population growth of parrots. The data was obtained
from the Natural Resource Department Library. VENSIM was also used to model dynamic systems and
also to analyze the obtained data from the population growth equation. As a result, approximate values
can be determined to know how their expansion is increasing or decreasing; therefore new measures
could be established to save this endemic national animal, the Puerto Rican parrot.
84
PSNE1 PROTEIN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Kiara Torres, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
We can define Alzheimer's disease as a progressive neurologic disease of the brain leading to the
irreversible loss of neurons and the loss of intellectual abilities, including memory and reasoning, which
become severe enough to impede social or occupational functioning. Alzheimer's disease is caused by
different single-gene mutations on chromosomes 21, 14, and 1. These are the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2
genes. The PSEN1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called presenilin 1. This protein is
involved in the development of the brain, the central nervous system, and the survival of nerve cells.
Research, suggests that presenilin 1 works together with other enzymes to cut amyloid precursor protein
into smaller segments, called peptides. More than 150 PSEN1 mutations have been identified in patients
with early-onset Alzheimer disease; this is due to the fact that these mutations result in the production of
an abnormal presenilin 1 protein. Defective presenilin 1 disrupts the processing of amyloid precursor
protein, leading to the overproduction of amyloid beta peptide. This protein fragment can build up in the
brain and form clumps called amyloid plaques that are characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. Amino
acids, naturally, are the building blocks of proteins. A significant amino acid that contributes to the
disease is an amino acid with sulfur-containing R-Groups, named methionine. This essential amino acid,
while in the body, creates homocysteine, an intermediary amino acid that also causes Alzheimer, because
if not treated right this amino acid turns into poison that could attack arteries, the heart, and find a way to
develop Alzheimer’s disease. To find, and evaluate the sequence of this protein, NCBI and ENSEMBLE
were utilized. To create mutations in the protein, and see how damaging it would be mutate methionine
inside the proteins sequence, SIFT was applied, and results were that 19 out of 20 mutations in this amino
acid were damaging, with only one, that with a low index of toleration, could be tolerated. Finally,
RasMol was used to graph our protein, to analyze methionine’s location, and how many sections of the
protein did it cover.
85
BIO-STATISTICS
STATISTICAL AVERAGE OF AQUATIC WILD LIFE AND AMUSEMENT PARKS LIFE
EXPECTANCY
Betzy Báez, Margarita Janer Palacios School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Student Research Mentor: Maxine González, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Assistant Research Mentor: Kamil Suliveres, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The information available suggests that survival of captive marine mammals outside North America and
Europe is very poor (Naomi A. Rose, et al. 2009). The captivity of aquatic animals is a problem that few
people are aware of, although 14% of the world population sees it as an educational purpose; the rest
views it as an entertainment purpose (Naomi A. Rose, et al. 2009). This is why the public industry insists
that aquatic animals living in captivity teach humans about their ways of living (socializing, feeding,
mating, etc.) and industries insist that these animals live a good life; but ARO (Animal Rescue
Organization) says otherwise; their statistics says that these animals held captive are maintained in poor
conditions, also the ways, in which the animals are captured, most of them are taken in small boats with
homemade equipment (Naomi A. Rose, et al. 2009). Edward Wilson and other biologists estimated that
25,000 species are extinct every year because of this they believe that by 2,020 there would be an
estimated 53,000 extinct species from every category. However, in a most recent published list called
“The Red List” (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2008), it shows that 38% of the species are in
danger of extinction; that is, around 17,675 species. Comparing these two results since 1992 until 2008,
there has been a decrease of 7,325 species estimated for extinction. Because of this, there is a large
campaign in the maintenance of species, even if there are some large controversial issues, such as cultural
and regional dilemmas.
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND HOW IT GOES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
Deysharee López and Liz Paulette Mercado, Calazans School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with the memory, behavior and thinking
capacities. Currently Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss.
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, even though it is very common and the greatest known risk
factor is the increase in age. The majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease are 65 years of age, and
older. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50% to 80% of dementia cases, 5% of these cases are early-onset
Alzheimer's; this is, when it appears in people in their 40’s or 50’s. Another known big risk factor is
family history, those who have relatives that include a mother, a father, and grandparents with
Alzheimer’s are more likely to develop the disease. Heredity is very common in this disease; more than
55% of people have inherited this disease. In the 60’s through the 70’s, aluminum became a primary
suspect in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This suspicion led from the everyday exposures to
aluminum through sources such as cooking pots, foil, beverage cans and antiperspirants. Some
experiments revealed that aluminum was not the cause. Alzheimer’s symptoms worsened over time, being
a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms worsened over a number of years. Those with
Alzheimer live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival
can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.
86
SPIDER’S BEHAVIOR IN THE BUILDING OF ITS SPIDER WEB WHILE BEING EXPOSED
TO DIFFERENT TEMPOS OF MUSIC
Astrid Martinez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Natasha Garcia, Juan F. Ozuna School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The hypothesis for this research is to see if the spider webs can vary according to the music that they hear.
Spiders are animals that feed off from insects, they are not harmful creature to humans, and they are very
complex animals and quite fragile. Their bodies are composed of two segments, with eight legs also with
segments; they can grow out a leg if one was missing. There are many types of spiders: some have fur,
some not, they can be big (30 centimeters), little (third of a millimeter) and they can also make different
webs (size, form, and silk). They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species
diversity among all other groups of organism. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for
Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exception of air and sea
colonization. Spider webs can be used for the making music, in dental operation and in anti-bullets vests.
The way the spiders eat is really different from the ways other animals consume because they catch and
digest their food. First they bite the insect and deposit their venom, they wrap the prey with the silks for
easy transport, and do not eat the prey whole; they deposit digestive enzymes to liquefy the prey so then
they can feed off them. The main purpose of this research was to see if the spider changed the form of the
web according to the music it heard. First, classic sounds were played and the observation was based on
the behavior, time lapse and formation of their web. The music chosen for the investigation was: country,
“reggae” and natural sounds. The results were that the webs changed due to the fact that the nervous
system and hearing sense are located on the legs of the spider. Because of this, by being exposed to
different tempos, the web experienced some change.
87
EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE USED AS A COGNITANT ENHANCER AND SHORT-TERM
MEMORY IMPROVER
Valeria Muñoz, Puertorriqueño de Niñas School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Caffeine, C8H10N4O2, is an alkaloid present in coffee, tea, sodas and energy drinks. It creates
dependency and can even become an addiction if consumed in large quantities over a long period of time.
It is a nervous stimulant that in high levels can cause irritability, anxiety and restlessness. Different
researches have shown that caffeine could have beneficial effects on the cognitive properties, especially
short-term memory, of the brain by improving calcium concentration in brain cells which accelerate
communication between them. (Mcnamara, Melissa et al. 2009) More than 50% of Americans consume
about 4 cups of coffee daily (Neal, Rome. 2009) and most high school and college students rely on coffee
to stay awake in order to study. In the experiment, a double-blind test was done to verify if caffeine does
improve brain activity in high school students. The tests measured the cognitive levels of a group of 20
people around the ages of 14 to 18. Half of the group of the experiment was habitual coffee consumers
(drink coffee at least 4 times a week) and the others did not consume caffeine regularly. After a process of
caffeine detoxification was done, for the testing period, the experiment started by administering the
different cognitive measuring tests such as, simple memory math, image memory and alphabetical order,
before consuming caffeine. The initial results were recorded and graphed: 15 onz of extra strength coffee
were given to 10 people, the experimental group, and 15 onz of decaffeinated coffee to the other half, the
control group. The same tests were repeated and the results graphed. The hypothesized results are that
caffeine does improve cognitive properties of the human brain by accelerating brain activity. The
investigation titled Effects of caffeine and glucose, alone and combined, on cognitive performance
supports this with the conclusion that the synergistic effects of caffeine and glucose (in the beverage) can
benefit sustained attention and verbal memory, even with adequate levels of activation of the subjects
(Adan, A. et al. 2010).
88
DOES APPLYING NITROGEN ON WHEELS IMPROVE THE MILLAGE USAGE IN CARS?
Fernando Rodríguez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Nitrogen is a dry inert gas used to inflate airplane tires, military vehicles, off-road truck tires and race car
tires for improved performance. Nitrogen has less inflation pressure loss, reduces wheel corrosion,
prevents inner-liner rubber deterioration by oxidation, helps tires run cooler, increases tread life and fuel
mileage, and helps with uneven wear. Tire costs include procurement and mantainence, and the costs of
blowouts; two rethreads in a typical truck cost $480.00 and last approximately 270,000 miles. Inflating
tires with nitrogen to eliminate oxidative aging can extend tire life up to 25%. Increasing tire life to
337,500 miles would save $120.00 per tire. A fleet with 50 trucks and 900 wheel positions would save
over $100,000 in tire cost by inflating with nitrogen. Oxygen in compressed air permeates through the
wall of the tire, thus reducing the tires inflation pressure. During its journey through the tire wall, oxygen
oxidizes the rubber compounds in the tire, causing under inflation and deterioration of the rubber. Dry
nitrogen will maintain proper inflation pressure and will prevent auto-ignition, will not corrode rims,
extends valve core life, and will help the tire run cooler. Experts in the tire industry indicate that oxidative
aging is one of the primary causes of decreased tire life. Oxidative aging is caused by the diffusion of the
oxygen from the pressurized air cavity of the tire to the outside atmosphere. Tests have shown that if tires
are inflated with nitrogen, there is a significant reduction in tire failure. Air is about 1/5 oxygen, and
oxygen especially at high pressures and temperatures, is a very reactive element. The process, in which
electrons are lost from a substance, is called oxidation. When the oxidation is extremely rapid, it is called
“burning”. That is one reason nitrogen is used in off- highway and aircraft tires. Nitrogen does not
support combustion, so nitrogen filled tires do not add fuel to flames, also nitrogen helps to prevents
slower forms of oxidation. Oxygen and moisture corrode aluminum and steel wheels. Oxygen also reacts
with rubber, another type of “corrosion”. When this corrosion starts, the small particles break off and
form rusted dust which can clog valve cores, causing them to leak. The rough surfaces created from the
corrosive action on the wheels leads to tire beads that do not seal properly, causing additional leaks.
BEHAVIOR OF THE RABBIT WITH DIFFERENT FOODS AND A MAZE TO SEE IF THE
FOOD CAN AFFECT THE ABILITY TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS
Javinnette Rodríguez, Margarita Janer Palacios School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Rabbits have been used in studies on gustatory neuroanatomy and electrophysiology. Generally, the
behavior of rabbits suggests that they may use gustatory cues to assess palatability and nutritional value
of a potential food item. The rabbit’s dietary plan usually consists of plants (Laska, et al. 2002). The
hypothesis was experimentally tested using a maze (3 feet per 3 feet) constructed with specific
measurements including different foods such as: food for rabbits, potatoes, carrots and cereals. Factors
that needed to be taken into consideration were the proportional quantities of food for one rabbit, the
rabbit’s reaction inside the maze, and the behavior of this animal with different foods. The hypothesis was
that the animal ate all foods except the one for this animal in particular. For the collection of data, the
time was measured in a series of logs for every time the rabbit reached for food and the time when the
animal started and completed the process.
89
ARTS AND ADHD
Vanessa Sánchez, Margarita Janer Palacios School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
This research was about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the Arts. The arts can help
an individual be more sociable and helps people acquire in-depth knowledge about the person through
their art. The research tried to ascertain whether art can help a person be more sociable and yet have more
communication with people who suffer ADHD, also known as ADD and AD/HD. Art is a way of
expressing emotions, feelings and sensations; it is a global activity that encompasses a host of disciplines.
ADHD includes attention problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone.
The symptoms start before seven years of age and sometimes later. The symptoms can be difficult to
differentiate from other disorders. Three (3) to five (5) percent of children all over the world may have
ADHD and it is diagnosed in about 2 to 16 percent of school-aged children. Based on research on the
Internet, people with ADHD avoid tasks that involve effort, are distracted or forgetful, lose things that are
needed to complete tasks, ad exhibit hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms that include fidgeting,
squirming, getting up often when seated, running or climbing at inappropriate times, having trouble
playing quietly, talking excessively or out of turn, and interrupting. Based on these symptoms, and the use
of brain scans to highlight activity in the parts of the brain related to short attention, ADHD is diagnosed.
STATISTICALLY, HOW DOES DIABETIC NEUROPATHY AFFECT THE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF DIABETES?
Gabriela Talavera, Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Michael Nieves, Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Diabetic neuropathy is a disease that damages the nerves in the body and occurs due to high blood sugar
levels from diabetes. Nerve injuries caused by this illness could affect nerves in the skull (cranial nerves),
nerves from the spinal column and their branches and nerves that help the body manage vital organs, such
as the heart, bladder, stomach, and intestines. Most of the time symptoms do not begin until 10 to 20
years after diabetes has been diagnosed. The investigation was based on information obtained from the
ADA (American Diabetes Association), the Library for the Blind in San Juan Puerto Rico, the Puerto
Rico Association for Diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and the National
Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The information in the graphs (that will be placed) show statistics
about the number of people with different types of diabetes and the growth of diabetic population in the
last decade (2001 to 2011).
90
CHEMISTRY
THE EFFECT OF TEFLON ON THE HUMAN BODY
Jeremy Echevarría, Segundo Ruíz Belvis School, Hormigueros, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Pieter van der Meer, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico
Research Mentor Assistant: Gilberto Jiménez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico
Since 1938, a material known as Teflon has been used in cooking items for daily use. Scientists have been
studying this material to find out if it is harmful for the human body. The purpose of this investigation
was to prove or disprove the harmful effects of Teflon conducting research through the Internet. It is
expected that this material, Teflon, can produce an abnormal reaction in the human body, such as an
overproduction of cancerous cells. The objective was to find out if it can cause cancer or other
abnormalities in the human body and if so to find ways to prevent and minimize its harmful effects. The
research revealed that Teflon gases are released at high temperatures and if inhaled could be fatal for birds
and might lead to severe respiratory problems in human beings. Teflon’s complete effect on humans is
still under investigation. Exposure to Teflon may result in organ failure and disturbed body metabolism.
Prolonged exposure may produce cancer. Teflon may also contribute to global warming thanks to the
released gases, such as PFB and CF4, when heated. Fatal gases such as MFA and carcinogenic gases
PFOA and TFE are also some of the major components of Teflon fumes released during use and
production. Apart from respiratory problems, Teflon residues may cause an enlarged liver, headaches,
fume fever, chest pain, wheezing, excess urination, CNS damage (neurodegeneration), sore throat, chills,
and cold. This investigation showed and concluded that the use of Teflon is harmful not only to the human
body or birds, but also to the environment.
LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE AND ITS NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS
Alexandra Maldonado, San Benito School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) is recognized for its neurological effects. LSD is a hallucinogenic
psychoactive drug whose active ingredient is psilocybin. It has been proven that psilocybin decreases
blood flow in different areas of the brain and the areas responsible for cognition and perception. Another
important fact is that this type of substance is also known for inhibiting serotonin activity, which is a
neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for sorting sensory information. This particular substance affects
certain parts of the brain, but it affects the whole psychological system. The trip briefly consists of
positive and negative, in the negative response the subject experiences anxiety, desperation, physical
attempts, death desire, and others. When having the positive response the subjects feel awake but have
distortion of color and pseudo hallucinations, which include misinterpretation of experience such as
“feeling sounds” or “hearing colors.” Its effects have been studied, but there are still no neural pathways
affected precisely attributed to LSD effects. Because the chemical structure is so similar to our
neurotransmitter serotonin, it is hard to identify the exact affected area. It is suspected that these effects
are attributed to the stimulation of serotonin. One of the things that make LSD most distinguished is that
scientists cannot seem to identify the substance’s method of action, and that is what will be the focus of
this research. The process of this research was mostly Internet based, the facts, studies, graphs etc., were
from online information sources, medical information based data and online articles. Different websites
provided important facts and the basics of the investigation. This investigation will draw conclusions
about the method of action and target the effects of this particular drug.
91
THE EFFECTS OF LEAD IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Robert Pérez, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Cosmetics such as lipstick have become a major necessity to humans in today’s society. Lipstick contains
a specific quantity of lead and it is a chemical element that is a carcinogen and in the case of exposure to
the chemical, causes major health problems. The problem was what quantities of lead are present among
the examined lipsticks brands and how different quantities of lead affect human health. The hypothesis
was that lipsticks have a considerable amount of lead, sufficient enough to affect human health. There
were two tests to perform, the thin-layer chromatography test and the gold ring test. For the thin-layer
chromatography test, 8 strips of filter paper were dipped into a solution with the lipstick samples for two
days and then analyzed. For the gold ring test 8 strips of filter paper were set on a flat surface with the
samples applied. A 14 karat gold ring was rubbed on top of the samples until there were visible traces of
lead. Then these lipstick samples were observed under a microscope, using ultraviolet light. The presence
of brilliant spots indicated that the samples contained lead. The tests confirmed the established hypothesis
by showing that all of the lipstick samples on both tests contained lead. The scientific literature proved
that the quantities of lead that are present in lipstick are significantly high and can effectively harm
human health.
92
ANALYSIS OF THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT FOUND IN A
SLIMMING PILL
Keishaly Cabrera Cruz, Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel School, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor:Katherine Calderón Mojica, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Assistant Research Mentor:Laysa M. Claudio González, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Sibutramine acts as an appetite suppressant and stimulator of thermogenesis regulation in a specific brain
center. It also works as an antidepressant which favors the control of anxiety and the inhibition of the
pulse along with a hypocaloric diet, exercise and healthy habits. The method used to calculate the
interactions and the movements of the functional group of the active ingredient Sibutramine was the
Density Functional Calculation Theory (DFT). computer infrared spectra and electrostatics were also used
to analyze the interactions and vibrations movements.
THE REACTION STUDIES OF HORSE ANESTHESIA WITH BLEACH (CLOROX) AND ITS
EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY
Gabriela Casanova Sepúlveda, Bellas Artes de Humacao School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Katherine Calderón Mojica, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Assistant Research Mentor: Laysa M. Claudio González, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Given the difficulty of obtaining traditionally illicit drugs, consumption is turning towards less restricted
products. The inhalation of Xylazine (a non-narcotic sedative used in veterinary medicine for analgesia,
hypnosis and muscle relaxation) presents in humans episodes of chills and dizziness followed by
sweating, gait instability, palpitations and two episodes of syncope with bradycardia and hypotension.
Ten cases of toxicity caused by Xylazine consumption by oral and parenteral administration
(intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intravenous) have been documented in humans. The addition of
detergents to the anesthesia has been reported as a way of making a larger amount of drug for sale. The
mixture of Xylazine and bleach has been analyzed by IR-Spectra of the functional groups. Also, the
program GaussView was used to compare the experimental IR to optimize results obtained in the
program.
ANALYSIS OF BYSTROPOGON ORIGANIFOLIUS BY EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR
DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECT ON THE HUMAN BODY
Leandra Marie Correa Rodríguez, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Assitant Research Mentor: Laysa M. Claudio González, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
In the Poleo plant (Bystropogon origanifolius), the pulegone is the primary responsible for its digestive
properties, antiseptic and carminative. It was analyzed to determine its effect on humans. The Gaussview
program using the DFT method was used to examine this compound. The method of density functional
(DFT) for calculations was used to study the vibration interactions and movements of the active
93
ingredients of the functional group. The nature of these interactions and vibrations analyzed was done
through infrared spectra and electrostatics.
CONFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROPERTIES OF FLUOXETINE
Lyannis M. García Santos, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Rico.
Fluoxetine is an antidepressant, a selective inhibitor of serotonin that recaptures inhibitors (SSRI), and
that acts on the intersinaptic space, helping the serotonin neurotransmitter applied for depression have an
appropriate level, so that symptoms begin to decline. This antidepressant unlike other antidepressants, has
a great effect, because it acts specifically on the inhibition of serotonin without producing any side
effects, so it is a "clean" drug for the body. The GaussView program was used to analyze its effect. The
Density Functional Calculation (DFT) and MP2 calculations were used to obtain the IR Spectrum of the
functional groups of the compound Fluoxetine. They were used to compare the vibrational movements of
the functional group of the optimized structure with the theoretical results.
ANALYSIS OF LEMON PEEL ESSENTIAL OIL AND ITS EFFECT ON HUMANS
Mavis Maldonado Quirós, Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel High School, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
Rico.
The interactions of the C.limon (Lemon) peel, Lisbon variety, were calculated by means of Density
Functional Calculation Theory (DFT). Using steam distillation, its extract was obtained for studies. Its
essential oil contains two active ingredients: Limonene (
), shown to be anticarcinogenic; and Citral
(
O), said to be antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic. The study of these interactions and
vibrational movements were made through the computer calculation. The Infrared Spectra (IR) and
electrostatistics studies were used to compare the Infrared spectrums and the potential energy surface of
the compound.
ANALYSIS OF THE EXTRACTION OF CINNAMALDEHYDE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE
HUMAN SYSTEM
Lizyan E. Mendoza Aponte, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Rico.
The essential cinnamon oil, Cinnamaldehyde, has positive effects on the human system. It significantly
lowers sugar blood levels, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL), known as bad cholesterol, as well
as total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The essential technique used for the distillation
of cinnamon oil (Cinnamaldehyde) is steam distillation. The method used is DFT (Density Functional
Calculations Theory), which calculates the functional groups movements of the molecule. Additionally,
this study compared the experimental and theoretical IR-spectrum. The Gauss View program was used to
create and optimize the molecule.
94
DETERMINATION OF PH TO DIFFERENT VOLUMES IN A TITRATION CURVE ACIDBASE
Gina Liz Rivera Laó, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor:Katherine Calderón Mojica, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Rico.
Vinegar (acetic- acid 5%) combined with hot water is used to clean kitchen coffeemakers. It relieves
insect bites, cough, sore mouth, throat irritation, headache, dizziness and combat stomach pains. Besides,
it also relieves itching after severe sunburn. Lestoil (base reactant) is a very good disinfectant and
remover of greasy stains. The combination of these two products can be a dog urine odor remover. The
combination of vinegar and Lestoil has been analyzed using the tritation curve acidbase. It has also been
used to see the interaction and movements of the molecule in this particular reaction.
DETERMINATION OF WATER HARDNESS AND THE PERCENTAGE OF MG++ AND CA++
IN A SAMPLE BY EDTA TITRATION
Gina Liza Rivera Laó, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Assistant Research Mentor:Laysa M. Claudio González, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto
Rico.
Density functional (DFT) Calculations have been carried out to study the vibration interactions and
movements of water hardness. The hardness of the water is determined by the calculation of the
percentage of Mg + + and Ca + + in one sample of drinking water. This calculation was determined using
different types of the water cluster. For this analysis, the GaussView program was used for the different
optimized structures and to see the interaction with metal ions (Mg + +, Ca + +). For these samples,
drinking water and contaminated were analyzed to see the percentages of water hardness in different
places and how they affect the environment.
ANALYSIS OF ANNONACIN TO DETERMINE ITS BENEFITS IN CANCER PREVENTION
Sereyna Eliz Sostre Martinez, Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Katherine Calderón Mojica, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao.
Assistant Research Mentor: Laysa M. Claudio González, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao.
There have been several studies, proven results that show the effectiveness of Annonacin to kill cancer
cells and tumors. Caribbean studies suggest a connection between consumption of this fruit and atypical
Parkinson's disease due to the very high concentration of annonacina. The Density Functional
Calculations and MP2 Calculation were used for this study to determinate the IR –Spectrum and obtain
the fuctional groups movements of the active ingredient of soursop. The GaussView program was used to
compare the theoretical IR functional with the IR spectrums using the functional groups found in
Annonacin.
95
COMPUTER SCIENCES
REFRIGERATION METHOD FOR RESIDENTIAL USES
Fabiola Agramonte, María Reina Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Gerson Restrepo, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico exhibits high sun radiation exposure due to its geographical position. Solar radiation during
the day heats houses and buildings’ roofs, influencing the use of air conditioning systems dramatically.
This in turn has an impact on electricity consumption. In Puerto Rico, electricity is produced mainly from
fossil fuels. As a consequence, the quality of the environment and the personal finances of residents are
affected. Exploration of practical methods to reduce insolation and heat conduction towards the interior of
buildings is important to counteract the above inconveniences. A method is proposed to compare the
changes in temperatures in roofs when masked with different surfaces. Three rectangular sections of a
typical floor with the same area were used. One section was masked with a barrier of aluminum, while the
second one was masked with wood. The third section was unmasked and was used as a control. Each
section had its own thermometer and the collected temperatures were graphed as a function of time. The
surface masked with aluminum showed a decrease in temperature as compared with the surface covered
with wood, but an oscillatory pattern in the temperatures induced deviations from this behavior due
possibly to the presence of clouds.
FAST TABS SEARCHES AND LEARNING FOR GUITARISTS “UNIVERSAL TABS”
Jose Alejandrino, Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Juan Marti, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Assistant Research Mentor: Gilberto Robles, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Universal Tabs is an application that helps music amateurs and professionals search guitar tabs in a
centralized fast and easy way. This application is developed in Windows Phone 7. The application has the
option to search tabs from songs in English or Spanish, the application lets favorite tabs be saved on the
application itself.
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPING ABILITIES IN GEOMETRY GEO CALCULATOR
Frankie Cabrera; Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
GeoCalculator helps the user to understand and study for geometry using different formulas and figures.
The user is able to input the length, width, radius or base of the figure he is working with. Giving the
formula and the result of the problem the user acquires more knowledge in the area of geometry and
learns how the formulas work. The Windows Phone 7 app was developed in Visual Studio 2011 and uses
Expression Blend for the design. The source code is made in C#.
96
METASEARCH ENGINE
Rafael Cabrera, Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
A Metasearch engine was developed to help any user search and research accurately in a faster way by
web searching different sites simultaneously (i.e. Google, Bing, and Yahoo). After the search is done, the
user selects what result will be used. This application was developed using C# as the programming
language with the environment being Visual Studio 2011 for Windows Phone7 with Expression Blend to
make the design of the application.
USING A HÉNON COUPLED MAP LATTICE TO ANALYZE FUTURE BEHAVIOR OF THE
CHANGING VALUE OF THE US DOLLAR AS A CHAOTIC SYSTEM
Nishmar Cestero González, Episcopal Cathedral School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Julio León, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Assistant Research Mentor: Cristina Morales, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Chaotic behavior can be observed in both nature and laboratory settings. Popular examples include
population growth, changes in weather, and tectonic plate movements. This project focused on the
changing value of the US Dollar as a chaotic system that features interacting dynamical elements. The
main goals of this project were to simulate the chaotic system through the use of a Hénon Coupled Map
Lattice and determine the autocorrelation of each map. For this purpose, the Matlab programming
language was used to generate the graphs. These models can be interpreted to analyze future behavior of
the value of the US Dollar in comparison to the value of the Euro.
REMOTELY OPERATED UNDERWATER VEHICLE (ROV): DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
FACTORS
Lourdes M. Cruz, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Oil spills are a dangerous problem nowadays: they damage the ecosystem, deplete the supply of food, put
hundreds of people out of work, and cause serious economic problems that last for years after the spill is
deemed clean. One of the biggest issues is how to clean up the spills quickly and efficiently before the
spills can cause much harm. Because of this, there are various methods for cleaning oils spills, according
to discovery news, pumps, booms, chemical dispersants, chemical herders. However, it is not easy to
clean up oils spills in the middle of the ocean where any minor disturbance can cause the spill to spread
and harm ecosystems miles away. Between all of the technologies in use, utilizing maneuverable ROVs to
clean up the spills has been one of the least used technologies; another article by Discovery news
highlights the benefits of utilizing this technology. The goal of this investigation was to design and
construct a fully working ROV that can effectively clean up an oil spill. The first phase of this project
involves researching the factors that can affect its performance, such as density, pressure, weight, among
others, and to design a virtual model of the robot.
97
SIMULATION OF LEVY FLIGHT PROCESS IN SHARK FOOD HUNTING BEHAVIOR
USING THE ALICE 2.2 PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT
Tiffany Cruz; Melissa Calderón, Inter American School, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Yvonne Avilés, Inter American University, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Sharks are interesting sea creatures that have always fascinated people. Sharks, like many other sea
creatures, are the “mathematicians” of the seas. They hunt using Levy Flights, also known as Levy Walks,
when food is scarce; that is a method that has been mathematically proven to make a more successful
search. Levy Flights are a mix of long and short movements that can be completely random, and are often
associated with fractal geometry. In this research, a computer simulation of the shark’s hunting behavior
represented with Levy Flights was created using the Alice 2.2 programming environment.
PROBABILITY ANALYSIS OF PEGA 2/3/4 GAMES
Xavier A. Cruz, Caguas Private School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Erick O. Lugo, San Juan Apóstol School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Jonathan Vargas Rodríguez, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Joksan X. Flores Rodríguez, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
This research was to analyze the probability of winning in the different electronics lottery games of PR
such as: PEGA 2, PEGA 3, PEGA 4 and LOTO. Day by day, these games are very risky because people
are getting addicted to this kind of games and are losing money in large quantities. Another problem is, if
two people have the same winning number, they have to divide the money. The purpose of this research
was study the strategies used to design such games. Minimizing the possibility to win and increasing the
owner’s profit are principal strategies used to design these games. In this research, was developed a
simple simulation to predict the people’s behavior and the probability to win. The comparison between
these probabilities and the amount of money that the person would spend was made. The result reveals
that the best probability to win is PEGA 2 (the probability) because it only uses two numbers. Therefore,
it is more effective to save the money used to play the lottery by creating a bank account.
FAST EXPONENTIATION IN THE GAUSSIAN INTEGERS
Lina V. Daza Llanos, Inter American School, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Guillermo Mejía, Inter American University, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
In public key cryptosystems the encrypting key is public, and everyone can encrypt messages to be sent to
a given receiver. However, only the owner of the private key, the intended receiver, can decipher them.
The most famous method for public key cryptography is the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman), based in
choosing a number that is just the multiple of two very large primes. The owner of the key is then the
only person who knows the prime factorization of the number n. A message is encrypted by doing the e
power of the message: c = me modulus n, where is e the public key. The deciphering is done by doing the
power: m = cd modulus n. Only the owner of the key knows the number d. Based in previous studies of
the Gaussian integers, which are complex numbers with integer parts, we are constructing a similar
cryptographic method based in the Gaussian integers, instead of the common integers. A central part of
the process is to have a fast exponentiation method of a given Gaussian number, modulus some Gaussian
integer. We programmed this method following a variant of the Fast Exponentiation Algorithm for
integers, in the programming environment Mathematica, as part of the public key cryptosysem with
Gaussian integers. Several examples are then provided.
98
TEMPORARY CRIME BEHAVIOR AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
Lashmy Paola de Jesús, Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Isis Laham, Universidad del Este, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The “Temporary Crime Behavior as a Psychological Disorder” (TCBAPD) theory states that there are
some crimes in which a person kills another, but the individual is not necessarily crazy or does not suffer
from insanity. This theory simply states that it is a temporary behavior due to the pressure of the moment.
The moment in this case being the pressure a person has due to an argument or unacceptable behavior
from someone else, transforming the activity into something major such as a fight. There are many cases
in which this theory has been established but never proven completely, because one never knows what is
really going on in someone else’s mind. The goal of this project was to prove that people without a mental
disorder background who committed a crime may be simply exhibiting a temporary crime behavior due to
the pressure of the moment and they are not necessarily insane. Since the psychological disorder term
states that a mental disorder is a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple
areas and/or create distress in the person experiencing these symptoms, the research will try to prove that
the person who is not suffering from these symptoms and has committed a crime does not suffer from a
psychological disorder.
ROBOTIC LIQUID MEDICATION DISPENSER AND REMINDER FOR KIDS (RLMD4KIDZ)
Alondra P. Figueroa, Homeschool, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The major difficulty faced by parents/guardians when their children get sick is the complexity of
treatments, when more than two medications are required. Medications have different schedules and some
treatments require medications during the night. The different medication times can confuse the guardian
who can forget to give the correct dosage of medicines at the correct time. This research proposes that a
liquid medication disperser and reminder (RLMD) will help provide medications on the proper time and
the correct dose. The RLMD will help to give medicines at the exact time and the exact dose required,
twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.. This robot will also warn the parent or guardian when the
child needs to take any respiratory therapy, inhalers, nasal sprays, eye drops, ear drops, a skin cream, or
insulin. With all these qualities, the RLMD will become the parents’ and children’s best friend. The robot
will have the appearance of a toy so that the kids get motivated to drink their medicines and for them to
associate the robot with feeling better. This robot can also help the elderly who cannot take pills and have
to take liquid medicine; it can also be used in pediatric hospitals. It is proposed that the use of the RLMD
will reduce the risks of people getting an overdose or not taking their medicines at all. The approach in
this study is to build a physical model of the robot and the logic of how the RLMD will work.
99
COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF MUSICAL SERIES AND ITS EFFECT ON PEOPLE
Joffre E. Gómez Frontera, Kervin S. Morales Pérez, Inter American University School, San Germán,
Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Yvonne Avilés, Inter American University, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
This project is about the relationship between music and mathematics. The goal of this project is to find
the relationship between certain types of music, which have a great effect on teenagers and young adults,
with the series involved in its rhythms and composition. In this way, science and mathematics are applied
to music. In modern electronic instruments every musical composition is just reduced to a series of tones,
tempos and relative intensities, usually partially or totally computer programmed. This project searched
for characteristics that have made a specific music genre especially attractive to young people.
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN MAGNETIC FORCES AND PLASMA AND THEIR EFFECTS
ON ION PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Omar D. González, Bautista de Carolina School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The future of the human species evolves every day. A wise man once said: “The future is now”; but…
how can this be possible? Plasma technology is the evolution of space transportation. The objective of
this investigation was to determine how neodymium magnets in a plasma engine and the design of the
engine itself can enhance the magnetic field of the plasma to produce a better, stronger, and more efficient
thrust. At present, plasma engines are being used to power small spaceships such as satellites. This
research will open a gateway to discover how these efficient engines will power larger ships for extensive
missions to the edge of our galaxy and beyond. The hypothesis of this investigation states that the
magnetic forces produced by ferromagnetic materials and the design of the thruster will affect the
magnetic field created by plasma to produce a better thrust in ion propulsion systems.
SOFTWARE PROGRAM TO PREDICT HUMAN G-LEVEL TOLERANCE
Kenneth Hicks, Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
G-force is a force on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity, informally described in units of
acceleration equal to one g. The value of G force can change depending on acceleration. People
experience G force daily, for example, in a car. The highest G-force that can be on a car is 5G. Other
people who experience g-force are fighter pilots and astronauts, who are trained by a centrifuge. Fighter
pilots are trained to sustain over 9G’s and astronauts to sustain almost 20G’s. This force can cause
permanent damage to the cardiovascular system and cause distortions to the body or even death. Blood
circulation is affected because of g force, forcing the blood to the feet, causing the brain to receive less
blood or cause death. People may not have the training they need or have certain conditions that do not
allow them to sustain that much G-force. The purpose of this software is to calculate the G-level tolerance
of a human being by means of physical and health factors like age, height, weight, blood pressure, vision
health, cardiovascular problems and breathing problems.
100
MATRIX MATH TUTORIAL WEBPAGE
Luissa M. Kidd; Joanys López Miranda, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Joksan X. Flores Rivera, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
There are times when a mathematical problem seems too complex or too hard to solve. However, when
shown the tools, it can become easier and manageable. This research worked with matrix equations that
bind various mathematical basics. The objective was to design a tool that could aid in the understanding
of matrixes by making a guide webpage of the steps needed to solve them.
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL BENCHMARK
Leonel O. López, Francisco J. Burgos, San Antonio Abad School, Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Jonathan Vargas Rodriguez, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Joksan X. Flores Rodriguez, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
TCP and UDP data transfer are greatly used today as communication with emails and chats. That is why a
benchmark defining which of the two are most effective in a variety of situations are being created.
Although both methods are considered to be greatly used, observations revealed that UDP is a much
faster data transfer method suffering data loss while the data is being transferred; meanwhile, TCP is a
much slower method that has no data transfer loss during the process. Conclusions were made on which
method would be better for different types of data one would want to transfer from computer to computer.
WATCHBOT: A ROBOTIC AGENT FOR DETECTING INTRUDERS IN A STORAGE
FACILITY
Suheily López López; Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Prof. Carmen L. Carvajal, Inter-American University, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
Nowadays one of the major concerns of the Puerto Rican society is the increasing number of property
crimes. Therefore, companies are continually trying to strengthen their security systems. WATCHBOT
is a prototype designed as a patrolling robot for detecting intruders in a storage facility. WATCHBOT is
built with a set of sensors, such as ultrasonic and touch, which enable it to detect environmental changes.
When an intruder is detected, WATCHBOT issues an alarm to alert people about this situation. This
project is divided into two stages: the design and assembly of the robot and then the programming
process. This system is designed for companies that wish to increase the security level of their storage
facilities.
101
CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR OF PUERTO RICO 20TH CENTURY HURRICANES
José Maestre, Dan-L Martínez, CIEM Private School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Hurricanes are a major part of disasters in this world. They tend to leave materials from one place to
another plus they come one after the other in a blink of an eye. Nowadays, these natural disasters are
becoming more and more dangerous because of their development in the sea, starting from oceanic
tropical areas. The main point of this research was to find a solution that could create awareness of these
situations before they happen or to try to decrease global warming made by the intensity of hurricanes.
The more intense the hurricane, the more destruction and consequences have to be dealt with. By using
the coupled map lattice graph and equation, probably something that cannot be seen normally in this
research, or a reliable source, can be found. An autocorrelation analysis of the logistic map was run in the
research, as an example, to see the chaotic behavior of any natural disaster.
WEB SERVICE FOR ENCRYPTED MESSAGE STORING AND DECRYPTED MESSAGE
RETRIEVING
Osvaldo IV Massanet Ramírez, Bautista de Caguas Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Kevin Arturo Centeno Rivera, Caguas Military Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this project was to design a web service that would allow messages to be stored in a
database in an encrypted format, that could be decrypted during retrieval. In this example, an Internet
Web page was implemented which gave individuals the ability to store a secret message in an encrypted
format and store it in a database. The first phase of the project involved the implementation of HTML
and the design of the Internet Web page. Java programming language was used to develop classes that
allow interaction between pages (via servlets), and classes to handle database connections and text
encryption. The intention was to connect the Web page to a host or server on the Internet. By doing this,
the Web page would be public and people would be able to use it. This would allow people to
communicate secretly with anyone, any time.
MODEL OF THE GROWTH OF TICKS IN CANINES
Karla Meléndez Peña, Santa Mónica Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ticks are bloodsucking external parasites. They are, after the mosquito, the second insect that cause most
of the worldly diseases to mammals, mainly dogs. Since the adult tick could live up to 11 ½ years without
eating, this parasite is considered a dangerous threat. Today, treatments are not completely efficient to
treat ticks. That is why a variety of models of tick propagation have being developed to try to control this
parasite. The purpose of this research was to study the growth of ticks by combining logarithmic growth
of populations along with exponential decrease to compare this approach with typical models from
current literature. The method included variation of parameters until concordance with current models
was reached. Adjustment of parameters from the combined model with those from the current models was
sought.
102
STUDENTNET: A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Dorimar Morales Rivera; Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
Given the fact that the student community of Puerto Rico is in continuous growth, this is a project aimed
at providing reliable service to the university community. The purpose of this project is to develop a
website that allows students to access information relevant to college life. It includes: information about
academic programs offered, scholarships and financial aid available for different university centers in the
area, accommodation, summer internships, university life guidance and expert advice to be successful as
a university student. Therefore, this system enables students to send questions to universities, and a place
to exchange views and advice to students who register on the site. This project is implemented with
Joomla! a content management system (CMS) that helps build websites and other powerful online
applications. Joomla! is an open source solution is freely available to anyone wishing to use it. As a
result of this project, it is expected to make the website attractive, easy to navigate and that it will allow
students of this region to find information to help students define and follow their career path.
BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS OF THE UNITED STATES USING A LOGISTIC MAP
Juan C. Morales, Kiddany L. Pérez, Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
The main goal of this project was to make a program using MATLAB with a logistic map that shows the
growth/deterioration rate of the United States population. The program mapped the chaotic behavior using
real data on the United States’ current status. The programs were run and the relation between the
simulations and the actual statistics made by the US Census were seen. This project gave an estimate of
the population of the Unites States.
CAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM ANDROID APP
Davette Nazario, José Aponte de la Torre School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Juan C. Pérez, Gilberto Concepción de Gracia, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
An android application will be developed implementing an automotive diagnostic scan to verify car
performance. It will recommend if any change in programming or any part of a car as oil filter, oil and
others should be changed. This android device will notify the person by phone or immediately of the
changes that should take place inside the vehicle. It will also use a wireless antenna connected to the car’s
computer to monitor and provide information to the Android’s application. This application notifies if a
component of the vehicle is faulty or damaged, to make the person aware of the situation. This also could
be useful to people who are careless with their cars in the sense that it will advise them of any change
required or repair of the car. We propose that this application for Androids will help with maintenance
and care of a car.
103
KIDS QUIZ
Raúl Negrón; Luis Palés Matos School, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Ángel Andino; Santa Gema School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
This application is aimed at children around the age of 4 years old. It is a quiz-like program that presents
simple questions and allows for multiple-choices, with only 1 correct answer. It is a graphical app, which
means it consists of buttons, images, menus, etc. The idea came from a study on children’s media use in
America, which states that 40% of children aged 0 to 8 have access to a mobile device in their homes. It
was developed for the Windows Phone 7 platform. Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2010 Express, the C#
programming language and the XAML design language was used to develop this project.
DEVELOPING AND REINFORCING
COMPUTERIZED GAME
INTELLECTUAL
SKILLS
THROUGH
A
Estefanía Ortíz; Homeschool, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Luis A. Alemán, Inter-American University – Metro Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
An entertaining game can be programmed such that it develops and reinforces its user’s intellectual skills.
For this project, a computerized logic game was developed for that purpose using Java v7.0 software
language. People of different ages and academic level were contacted to access a webpage were the
game, examinations and instructions are available. On this site they should follow instructions to take the
test, play the game, and retake the test. The data collected from the results of both tests was analyzed.
The value of this project strives in that in order to think critically, make wise decisions, and solve
problems people need to develop their intellectual skills. A game like this one, as opposed to solving
mathematical problems, might motivate people to develop such skills by encouraging them to beat their
highest score or simply enjoy playing the game.
DESIGN OF AN ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM
Karielys Ortiz Rosario, Jonathan Ortiz Rosario, Antonio Fernós Isern Vocational School, San
Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.
The object of this project was to design a way to hide and protect information in a way that cannot be
easily deciphered. This will be possible by using an encryption algorithm and a key that will be able to
decrypt the information every time that it is used. To make the algorithm stronger, we have implemented
many layers of cryptography consisting of many different cryptography methods were implemented. The
encryption code was tested, to confirm that it was secure. Different layers of cryptography ensured that
the efficiency of brute-force methods for decryption were minimized since the algorithms implemented
and the order of implementation were being sought.
104
A ROBOT FOR DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION BASED ON DOCUMENT TYPE
Lizbeth Ortiz Burgos; Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
Currently, companies are trying to minimize their expenses while still maintaining quality work.
Therefore, the integration of a robot as a tool for classifying office documents would be very useful for
them. This robot is programmed to classify documents using a color sensor, each document identified
with a special tag. Once the robot identifies the document type, the document is located in the appropriate
tray that should hold it and move it where appropriate. This project is divided into two stages, the
physical design and construction, followed by the robot programming. The main objective of this project
is to help administrative assistants both inside and outside of work hours to increase their productivity,
efficiency and quality of work.
TEENAGERS, COMPUTERS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS
Kevin J. Otero, Calasanz School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The current technological era is one in which people spend a lot of time in front of a computer doing
business, studying, or simply socializing. People of all ages have a similar behavior and are becoming
very dependent on computers and the Internet. Most parents are against the excessive use of computers
by their teenagers. The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of social networks and the use
of computer on teenagers. A survey was conducted to find out the feelings of teenagers on this subject,
how much time they spend socializing through computers and how their parents feel about excessive
computer usage. Microsoft Excel was used to produce graphics and analyze the results.
PIC SEARCH
Geraldo Pérez; Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
PicSearch lets the user take any desired picture, and the application searches information and other
pictures related to the one submitted by the user. Using search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo
makes the search of other pictures and information. PicSearch is an excellent source of information for
others. The app itself recognizes the picture and makes an automatic search. C# was used as the
programming language and Visual Studio 2011 as the environment. Expression Blend was used for the
design of PicSearch.
105
CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR OF CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM CONSUMPTION OF
FOSSIL FUELS IN CHINA (1980-2008)
Arantxa Quiñones, University Gardens School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that is produced in various ways throughout Earth’s
atmosphere. It is produced naturally in the carbon cycle, varying the concentrations of this gas with the
seasons, and by the burning of fossil fuels. Over the years, carbon dioxide has increased as a result of
industrial development and has been an acting member of the changes that have been occurring in the
Earth’s climate. The most populous country and the largest energy consumer in the world, ranking it
number 1 in CO2 emissions, is China. The lightning speed development of this country and its
consumption of fossil fuels has affected carbon dioxide emissions estimated by the Kyoto Protocol. The
purpose of this investigation was to study the possible relationships that can exist with the autocorrelation
analysis of the exponential map made by the carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of fossil fuels
in China (1980 – 2008).
WHO’S THAT NERD?
Jessica Ríos; Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Using Who’s that nerd the user can acquire more knowledge in the area of algebra. The application
creates an environment where the user interacts with the mathematical problems and acquires more
knowledge in algebra and pre-algebra. It was developed for the Windows Phone7 using Visual Studio for
Windows Phone and C# was used as the language for the source code. Expression Blend was used for the
design of the application.
A ROBOT FOR SUPPORTING THE LEARNING PROCESS OF
KINDERGARDEN
COLORS IN A
Marian Ivette Ríos Morales; Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
The current children generation is avid for new experiences and challenges involving electronic devices.
Therefore, a robot is an interesting tool to support the learning process about colors in a kindergarden.
The robot will select balls of a specific color as the child select the color dispersed in a specific area. The
teacher selects the color using an interactive menu and the robot explores the area looking for a ball of the
selected color. This project is divided into two stages, the physical design and construction, followed by
its programming. In order to support the learning process, this system is design to interact with 4+ year
old children with the intervention of a teacher. In this way, the students will be more receptive to the
learning of colors.
106
RESEARCH: MUSIC 3 IN 1
Ademyr Rivera Ríos; Ernesto Ramos Antonini School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
3 in 1 will help musicians that use it. Music 3 in1 contains a chromatic tuner that allows the user to tune
musical instruments, a metronome that helps the user mark time when the user runs a musical scale and a
converter that facilitates the study of scales. The main idea of music 3 in 1 is to help the user tune its
instrument at any time. This app helps people in saving money and in perfecting their instruments on the
go. Music 3 in 1 was developed in C# as the language with the environment Visual Studio 2011 with
Expression Blend.
HOW DOES CAFFEINE AFFECT TYPING SPEED AND DOES IT MAKE YOU COMMIT
MORE ERRORS?
Ebany Rivera, Jesucristo Rey de Reyes School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Luis A. Alemán, Inter-American University – Metro Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The project researched the effect of caffeine on typing skills such as accuracy and speed. A group of
people were given a paragraph to be typed in order to record their performance in terms of speed and
accuracy. This same group drank coffee before their typing performance was re-evaluated. The
experiment measured the effect of caffeine in regards to their typing skills. Data was collected to
compare the number of errors and the speed of each subject, with and without the influence of caffeine.
The results are reported based on the analysis of the data.
RANDOM GAUSSIAN PRIMES FOR A PUBLIC KEY CRYPTOSYSTEM
Emanuel A. Rodríguez Rivera, Inter American School, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Guillermo Mejía, Inter American University, San Germán, Puerto Rico.
In public key cryptosystems the encrypting key is public, and everyone can encrypt messages to be sent to
a given receiver. However, only the owner of the private key, the intended receiver, can decipher them.
The most famous method for public key cryptography is the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman), which is
based on choosing a number that is just the multiple of two very large primes. The owner of the key is
then the only person who knows the prime factorization of number n. The encryption is easily done by
everyone, but the decryption needs the prime factorization of n. A similar method was constructed based
on the Gaussian integers, which are complex numbers with integer parts, instead of the common integers.
Previous research information about Gaussian numbers was used. A Gaussian prime is either a common
prime integer with are equal to 3 mod 4, or a complex integer with modulus that is a prime integer equal
to 1 modulus 4. As part of the encrypting system, the random generation of large Gaussian primes was
needed. This is achieved by a variant of random prime generation in the integers. Large primes are
generated from a random even number by checking with the Miller Rabin test if this random number is
almost certainly a prime, with some very low probability of failure. The density of large primes is very
low, so a lot of trials are necessary. This method was programmed in the programming environment
Mathematica, to study how it is actually done, and it generated some large Gaussian primes.
107
EFFECTIVE TEACHING USING STORY BOARDS
Raymond L. Rodríguez, Padre Rufo Bilingual School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Luis A. Alemán, Inter-American University – Metro, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In this computer science project the process of creating a story and testing its effective use to teach any
subject is shown. The first stage of this project was to create a draft or a sketch of a story. During the
second stage, the software Storytelling Alice was used to create and present to end-users a story. By
presenting the story to a varied sample of subjects, the researcher’s assumption using the storytelling
method was evaluated. Finally, a questionnaire was administered to inquire if the participants preferred a
book, a video or both, in the presentation of a specific topic.
MENTAL AGILITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH A COMPUTER GAME
Victor Rodríguez, San José School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research mentor: Luis A. Alemán, Inter-American University – Metro Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This project researches the possibility of improving mental agility in the area of visual memory through
the use of a software game. The selected game exercises the mind through moving and flashing images
and letters. The purpose of the game is to exercise the visual and the logical sectors of memory to
improve mental agility. Several players were observed as they played different sessions. The results
were analyzed to determine if there was a significant change in the subject’s development of visual
memory abilities.
CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE INFECTED WITH THE EBOLA VIRUS AND THEIR
DEATH (1976-2005)
Áxel A. Sánchez, Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Cristina Morales, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Understanding the catastrophic phenomena of nature like hurricanes and earthquakes is extremely
important because they cause human and material losses. This work focused on making simulations with
coupled maps using the tent map, which represent a chaotic event and their purpose is to analyze how
these events are correlated depending on the influence in relation to each other. After the simulation, an
analysis was made of the chaotic behavior of the way in which the Ebola virus was transmitted, the
percentage of deaths that occurred, and the study to find if there was any relationship between this event
and the results obtain in the simulations.
108
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS RESISTIVITY
Jonathan Santana, Edwin J. Alvarado, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Angel W. Rosado, República de Costa Rica Vocational School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Most countries lack the economical resources to implement a desalination facility in order to purify sea
water for domestic purposes. For that very reason, they create artificial water supplies. An efficient and
low-cost water measurement circuit is indispensable because the aforementioned water supplies need
constant look out. The objective in mind was to design and implement a fully functional water
measurement circuit that is precise and economical. Through the variation of resistance caused by the
presence of water through a rod of a given material, the amount of water in such volume was calculated.
The intended result was to obtain an approximate amount of water inside the given volume. Each rod
provided different perspectives as to exactitude, speed of performance, and cost of implementation.
SPIDER SILK: ONE OF THE STRONGEST BIOMATERIALS IN THE WORLD
Soleil Valentin, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez
Spider silk is a filamentous natural fiber made, in part, of complex protein micro-structures, fragile in
appearance, but these webs can stop insects in mid-flight and are robust enough to trap their prey. Their
silk possesses specific qualities and a unique combination of mechanical engineering properties
depending on the species. Spider silk, despite its light and delicate appearance, is a high performance biomaterial, with high rates of stress, tensile strength, yield strength and toughness. Its tensile strength could
surpass the tensile strength of most materials; made out of steel and other metals, used for construction.
According to “Engineering Properties of Silk,” an earlier study indicated spider silk had strength as high
as one point seventy-five(1.75) GPA or even more, at a breaking elongation of over twenty-six percent
(26%)( K o , 2 0 0 1 ) . With toughness more than six (6) to ten (10) times the toughness of steel, spider silk
continues to attract the attention of fiber scientists and hobbyists alike. Based on this information, could
spider silk replace some construction materials actually used? In order to prove its strength, it has to be as
resistant and flexible as steel or other metals to be used as replacement. By using information available on
the Internet or biology books as references, some answers can be inferred to these questions. Comparison
charts and graphs are used to display this information. The tensile strength, maximum and minimum
stress and strain, and also yield strength will be presented.
A ROBOT CLASSIFIER BASED ON COLOR OBJECTS
Génesis Vázquez Padilla; Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas, Puerto Rico.
The classification of objects by color is a necessary activity in some industries such as the toy industry.
Therefore, a robot is a useful tool to perform this task. Although there are robots to do this commercially,
this would be an economic version, built using the Mind kit Lego storm, for small businesses. The robot
searches a specific area for objects then places it in the right place based on the color. This project
consists of two stages: The first stage includes physical robot assembly which involves the analysis of the
sensors required for robot tasks and the way the motors manipulate the pieces to make the objects. The
109
second phase is for programming phase to define its behavior. This robot will be useful as a tool to help
people streamline their organizational tasks.
GEOMETRIC FIGURES PROPERTIES CALCULATOR
Juan Vázquez, Cristo Redentor School, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.
Elizabeth Calderón, Caguas Military Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this project was to design a program that calculated measures of geometric figures. The
three key measurements used were perimeter, area, and volume for 2D and 3D figures. The programs
used to create this application were NetBeans and JApplet. As a result, it is expected that the application
finds the measurements of figures at a faster pace than using a calculator or any other way of finding
perimeter, area, or volume.
THE PROCESS OF DENOISING HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES
Gustavo Vélez, Southwestern Educational Society, (SESO), Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Imaging spectroscopy or hyperspectral imaging is a remote sensing technology used by NASA to collect
information about objects on the surface of the earth (Short, 2010). Hyperspectral imagers are flown on
airplanes and satellites to take a special type of color picture which collect the reflectance spectra of
natural and manmade objects on the surface of the earth. The spectral information allows the
identification of the materials seen by the sensor by means of their reflectance signature which is like the
electromagnetic fingerprint of the material. Typical hyperspectral sensors collect hundreds of images in
different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum of the same scene (Microimages, 2011). The sensor used
to collect the image and other natural factors introduce noise in the image. Noise is an unwanted signal
that affects the measurement and hides the information to be measured (Techtarget, 2008). The noise
makes more difficult the identification of the materials by their spectral signature in imaging
spectrometry. An important task in signal processing for hyperspectral images is to filter out the noise
from the measured spectra leaving only that part of the signal that contains information (Schowengerdt,
2007). This process is called denoising. Singular value decomposition is a technique used by signal
processing experts for reducing the noise in measured signals or denoising (Holland, 2008). Non-negative
matrix factorization is another technique that has been used for denoising of data made of positive
numbers (Scikits-learn, 2010). Because spectral data is made of positive numbers, the positive matrix
factorization can be used to perform denoising in hyperspectral images. The main objective of this project
was to compare the positive matrix factorization and singular value decomposition for denoising of
hyperspectral images as part of a classification system.
110
CHAOTIC BEHAVIOR OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN JAPAN (1923-1983)
Fabiola M. Williams Díaz, República de México School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Cristina Morales, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
The phenomenon of the study of nature is the theme of several investigations through the scientific
community because of its environmental and economic impact. Many studies that have been conducted
assume that the catastrophic events of the same type are not correlated with each other so future disasters
cannot be predicted based on previous ones. The purpose of this project was to study the chaotic behavior
of the earthquake intensity that has occurred in Japan in relation to time and the establishment of a
possible pattern. First, a simulation was made with a coupled map to study the correlation between the
chaotic events doing variations in the way that an event influences the others. A logistic map was used to
obtain the data because is it is more reliable for the simulations. Finally, a comparative analysis was made
between the earthquakes and the results obtained from the simulations to determine if there is a pattern or
if the earthquake simply occurs in a chaotic and unpredictable way.
111
APPLIED MATHEMATICS
POLIOMYELITIS
Andrés J. Arroyo, C.R.O.E.M, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Reynaldo Castro, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Student Assistant Research Mentor: Sara R. Ávila, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Poliomyelitis is a disease that can cause paralysis and began appearing in epidemic proportions around
the end of the 19th century. Yet, even in the presence of a vaccine, Poliomyelitis still affects countries in
Africa and Asia. In this investigation, we used new data to study the spread of Poliomyelitis in the
absence of a vaccine. Because Polio is a disease of development (a disease that is more likely to occur in
epidemic proportions when a country’s hygienic conditions start changing for the better) we use a
variation of the SIR epidemic model, introducing an age division (Svetlana Bunimovich-Mendrazitsky,
2005). Then, its behavior is studied for different values of the parameters.
HOW HIV SPREADS ACROSS THE BODY
Miguel A. Barbosa, San Jorge School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Louis Gil, Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The investigation intends to determine how t-cells are being infected by the HIV virus. The research
focuses on 4 different cell populations, uninfected T cells, lately infected T-cells, actively infected Tcells, and a free virus. The investigation will emphasize on infected T cells and uninfected T cells. Using
a differential equation system and past studies on HIV spread dynamics an updated recent study of HIV
spread can be created as reference with recent and updated numerical valves. HIV is a deadly virus that
causes Aids and is spreading around the world at a fast rate. The knowledge obtained by the investigation
will help us to determine the rate of spread, the evolution of the virus possible mutilating strands shown in
variations in the differential equation.
112
A DETERMINISTIC APPROACH OF ZEBRA STRIPES PATTERNS
Katia Felberty, Yamyris Delgado, Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This research is on the zebra stripes biochemistry behavior. This work was followed by regenerating the
results of the work of Lewis et. al. (1977) which focuses on the zebra stripes and butterfly wing patterns.
Moreover, the dynamics of the cells growth and the morphogenesis were studied. For example, when
neural crest cells begin migration in two weeks of gestation, the zebra striping patterns are generated. If
the gestation in the zebra interacts with the mother's genes and other chemical substances, then this will
determine the unique stripes of the zebra. A model by Lewis et. al. was examined to simulate the reactiondiffusion kinetics on some genes. It consist on one ingredient of pattern formation. For instance, a
biochemical switch can occur if one gene G is activated by the presence of substance S. The gene may
normally be inactive but can be “switched on” to produce pigments or other gene products when the
concentrations exceed a certain threshold. This biochemical behavior is represented by a single
differential equation that helps to control and understand this biochemical switch.
A DETERMINISTIC STUDY ON THE EASTERN SPRUCE BUDWORM
Jonathan Fortis, Adianez School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Omar Rosado, Margarita Jarer Palacios School, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this research was to study the spruce budworm, a destructive insect that feeds on fir trees
in the eastern United States and Canada, and the eastern spruce, a large tree distinguished by its conical
form and height from 20-60 meters. A key factor in determining the spruce budworm population is the
leaf surface area per tree. Larger trees have larger leaf surface areas, resulting in larger spruce budworm
populations. Outbreaks of the spruce budworm are part of a natural cycle of events associated with the
maturing of the balsam fir. Their destruction on trees is deadly, since the population grows intensively;
the budworms are capable of wiping out a whole forest in just a few months. Their predators, most likely
birds, mainly affect the spruce budworm’s population. Evidence of a spruce budworm infestation includes
the destruction of buds, abnormal spreading of new twigs and defoliation of current-year shoots. An
investigation of the eastern spruce budworm examined its interaction with the balsam fir in eastern
Canada. This research is based on regenerating the results of D. Ludwigd, et. al. (1976) whose works
focused on how the spruce budworm's population is affected and the factors that affect it. The forest birds
restrict most of the spruce budworm's expansion in low-density populations. Since the spruce budworm is
not the only species of the bird's food chain, immersive spruce budworm outbreaks may occur, preventing
their population to be easily affected by predation. In this manner they are capable of wiping out forests.
113
DOES SIZE AND WEIGHT MATTER IN BASKETBALL INJURIES?
Jean L. Pérez Colón, Lorenzo Vizcarrondo School, Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The size of the body of a basketball player matters on whether he is predisposed to injuries. This research
proves the theory that, taller, or bigger players are more prone to injury than smaller players. This is
caused by the bone structure that the player has. People that are very tall are not prepared to run side to
side in a basketball court, their body structure can’t support that. The pressure on their bones is too
strong; when that player falls from grabbing a rebound, and the pressure from running injures their bones
with time and use. Through this research demonstrated that smaller players also have injuries, but with
less frequency and in other parts of the body, not on the legs, like big and tall players do.
114
ENGINEERING
SOLAR DvD RADIO
Luis A. Arzón, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor: Nellie M. Bonilla, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentor Assistant: Christian Alemán, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this project was to design a solar radio which can be used in different places using the
energy delivered by the sun. Some of the benefits of this radio are its portability, since it is wireless, and
that it may imply a small long-term economical relief to the owner. This is because it may help to reduce
the “light bill” and the expenses in batteries. The Solar DvD Radio has multiple functions like an MP3
player connectivity, reproduction of video from external sources and music player. The cost of this
device is approximately $200.00.
ENERGY HARVESTING FROM RAIN AND THE FLOW OF WATER USING TURBINES
Anthony R. Bonilla, José Gautier Benítez School, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Alejandro Aponte, Home Schooling, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this project was to gather potential energy that is lost in the form of falling rain. This is a
concern because a lot of energy is lost when this energy is not gathered. This energy may very well be
used to give power to millions; yet it is wasted. This was done through a system of house gutters with a
micro system of mini hydraulics generators. It was expected that this system would power a house for a
few hours.
COOLING METHODS
Julia Calderón, Karina Ortiz, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The project consists of studying the physical reaction of copper, brass, and aluminum. The problem to be
solved is to know which of these metals is heated or cooled more easily. The time that it took to perform
the project was about 7 minutes and 58 seconds. After performing all the experiments, and cooling each
of the metals with both water and cooking oil, it was proven that copper is heated and cooled faster than
the rest of the metals. This is because copper is a better heat conductor. In regards to the cooling method,
it was proven that water is faster to cool than cooking oil because the viscosity is lower and allows a
quicker heat transfer.
115
MEASURING
PLASMA
PARAMETERS
USING
INERTIAL
CONFINEMENT TO CORROBORATE THE BOLTZMAN RELATION
ELECTROSTATIC
Xavier Figueroa; Camille Price, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentors: Prof. Claudia Talavera, Dr.Ángel González, and Ramón Rivera, Polytechnic
University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Research Assistants: Joaquín Pockels, Emanuel Rivera, and Álex Sánchez, Polytechnic University of
Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
One main problem about the study and understanding of plasma is that it is still a young topic with many
things to be learned about it. By using well-constructed probes and methods, such as the Boltzmann
Relation, scientists have been able to obtain some understanding or details about plasma, such as
measuring temperature and density. But are these results processed and obtained correctly? Are these
methods working? Are they actually useful? The main purpose of this investigation was to corroborate or
to prove if the Boltzmann Relation is actually correct. To accomplish this main objective, plasma was
made at a voltage of -600 volts at a pressure of 150 mTorr obtaining the measurements of temperature and
density, the two main properties of plasma. To make these calculations, a Single Langmuir Probe was
utilized to measure different areas of the cathode (shaped strong wired artifact used to confine plasma in a
uniform manner). The measurements taken by the probe were applied to create an enhanced simulation to
prove if the creation of plasma under the same circumstances as the PUPR plasma lab was possible using
the Boltzmann relation. The reason for confining and simulating Plasma is to obtain both the quantitative
detail and the visual. In the simulation, the density and temperature are processed applying the
Boltzmann Relation. After calculating and analyzing the results, these were not similar to the ones that
were expected. An extremely large percent error of 198.3272 was obtained. The results also portrayed a
rare case, a double Maxwellian Distribution (two electron populations). The latter, could be held
responsible for the differential results since both electron populations are held at two different
temperatures.
PLASMA MODELING WITH INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CONFINEMENT
Rubén Hernández Díaz, Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
Suriel Cruz, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
In this research experiment, a 1.2 inch sphere mode of wire was inserted into a plasma machine. This
plasma machine was at 100mTorr and a specific charge of -650 Volts was applied to the sphere that
created a reaction which produced plasma. Plasma is the fourth state of matter through our eyes, but the
first state through science. The physical composition of plasma is ionized gas, consisting with equal
positive and negative charges, with a huge amount of neutral charges or species. The programs used in
this experiment, were MATLAB and Lab View. Once the experiment was fulfilled, the results were taken
and analyzed; in the 0.0in. Radius, a voltage float of -5.42, a plasma potential of 87.05, a plasma density
(1/cm3) of 8.58982e+9, an electron temperature (eV) of 51.7255, and an electron current (A) of
0.0515413; and in the 0.17in. radius, a voltage float of -21.285, a plasma potential of 83.13, a plasma
density (1/cm3) of 8.95193e+9, an electron temperature (eV) of 31.7168, and an electron current of
0.0420611 were obtained; with all of this data the process had an error percentage of 78.0866%. A
comparison of this percentage with the simulation results of an error percentage of 5.1540e+007%,
reveals that there is a lot of difference. One thing that can be changed would be using only one program
for all data given, a change that could be reasonable.
116
BOLTZMANN RELATION AND PLASMA MODELING USING INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC
CONFINEMENT
Ronald Herrera, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Rose M. Cruz, De Lourdes School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The creation of plasma through the ionization of particles in a vacuum chamber is part of what is
experimented in the Plasma Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. This plasma was
retained by using an electrostatic field which accelerates charged particles radially inward in a spherical
geometry. This is called Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC). The use of this plasma for different
applications, including development of higher levels of energy, could be used for cancer treatment. The
Boltzmann equation can be used to model the plasma field. To demonstrate the Boltzmann equation, the
initial plasma density inside the sphere or No is compared. For this project the plasma produced was at 650V and 50.5mTorr of vacuum. Inside the chamber the Single Langmuir Probe was used to collect all
the data needed to prove the equation, such as, the Plasma Temperature and Density. Two radiuses (0.0 in
and 0.17 in) were the points to collect the data that was obtained from Lab-view; this data was: from 0.0
in: 7.0733 Ev, 3.3101x10015 density, 50.5 mTorr; from 0.17 in: 52.29Ev, 7.97627x109 density, 100 mTorr.
Also, a simulation was created in MATLAB to compare the Boltzmann relation of what has been done in
the laboratory with the simulation. To prove the viability of the measurements, an error margin was used
to verify it, the result of this margin was a 99.87% for the simulated MATLAB procedure and a 99.40%
for the experimental procedure. It was concluded that the plasma modeling viability of the Boltzmann
relation could not be determined because of the high error percentage obtained in both procedures.
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PERFORMANCE OF A CONVENTIONAL BATTERY AND A
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL
Pedro LeFerve, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentors: Nellie M. Bonilla, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Assistant Mentor: Christian Alemán, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The investigation was based on a comparison of the performance of a conventional battery with a
photovoltaic cell. The propused hypothesis was that the photovoltaic cell will perform longer than a
conventional battery. The materials used were recycled from remote control cars, such as the body of the
car, tires and motor. Then a hybrid type of car was created that has an integrated fan, radio, and part of
the lights which functions with the photovoltaic cell. While the motor, the rest of the lights, and tires
work with the conventional battery. When the photovoltaic cell gets solar energy charge, it is stored
inside the batteries and this way they don’t need to be recharged by other means. After all the assembling
process of the robot model car, it was concluded that the photovoltaic cell has superior performance than
the conventional battery. It is also beneficial for our planet.
117
SIMULATION OF THE ELECTROSTATIC PLASMA CONFINEMENT IN MATLAB FOR AN
APPROACH TO EXPERIMENTAL PLASMA CONFINEMENT
José A. Millán, University Gardens High School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jorge L. Quiñones, Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
The main goal of this research was to acknowledge if the matrix program MATLAB using the Boltzmann
equation is effective simulating the electrostatic plasma confinement, to gather an approach to the
experimental confinement. In this research, data was taken from plasma at -750 Volts with the single
langmuir probe from a distance ranging from 0.17' and 0' from the center of the sphere. The data was
gathered with the Labview program, which outputted the electron temperature, density, and a text with the
function values of voltage and current of the electrons. A code with the data collected was created in
order to run the simulation in the computer. A 49% of error between the distances 0.17' and 0' was
computed, leading to the conclusion that many factors, including MATLAB could have caused this large
percentage of error. In addition to that, it was concluded that MATLAB is not the best suited simulation
program for simulation inertial electrostatic confinement. A major change in the program used and the
tools could lead to a more realistic simulation of plasma confinement in terms of percentage error.
INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CONFINEMENT FROM A BOLTZMANN’S RELATION
POINT OF VIEW
Linda Sara Morales Vázquez, Jean V. Marrero, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Inertial electrostatic confinement is a concept used for the retaining of plasma using an electrostatic field.
In the project the particles inside the field were accelerated by applying a voltage of 450V to a metallic
sphere. The measurements collected by the single Langmuir probe in two radii of the sphere (0.17in. and
0.0in.) came from a sweep with a keithley multimeter from -100V to +100V. The measures taken by the
probe were: Kte=36.4374eV and N=3.57278E+9(1/cm3), for 0.17in. and kte=45.1169 eV and
N=3.49418E+9(1/cm3), for 0.0in., The Boltzmann’s relation is an equation that tries to describe the
properties of N0 (the density before applying the electrode). This equation revealed that η₀ is a constant.
This project proved that Boltzmann’s relation does not apply to the inertial electrostatic confinement. This
is because the results given by the calculus of both η₀ were not the ones expected. The error percentage
was of 99.7760, which means that the difference between the densities of the plasma in different points is
not the same. By using a more precise system in the regulation of the pressures, it would be possible to
improve this project in order to prove that Boltzmann’s equation can be applied to this experiment.
118
DOES THE BOLTZMANN RELATION APPLY TO THE INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC
CONFINEMENT WHEN RETAINING PLASMA?
Giovanni Pacheco, San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Javier Vázquez, Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Does the Boltzmann relation apply to the investigation of plasma confinement? The Boltzmann relation
explains the number density of an isothermal charged particle fluid when the thermal and the electrostatic
forces acting on the fluid have reached equilibrium. The experiments at Polytechnic University in the
plasma laboratory and the computer laboratory were made using the MATLAB R2010b program. This
program was used to discover the results of the experiment, and to visualize plasma confinement. The
inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) was the method used to confine the plasma. IEC is a concept for
retaining plasma using an electrostatic field. In the plasma laboratory, people in groups of two prepared a
sphere made out of wires that were put in a small machine. This machine generated plasma, and gave
important information that later on would be used in the experiment after making some notes on the
voltage (550V) and pressure (200mTorr). That data collected was inserted into the MATLAB program,
and this program showed some simulations and graphics. MATLAB calculated the density and the
temperature collected with two different data, one using a measurement 0.17 and another using
measurement 0. With these measurements, MATLAB calculated a resulting density of 3.3101e+015 and
22.3145e+015 and temperatures of 7.0733 and 26.6850. When comparing the two obtained data, the
percentage of error was 0.60706.
PROVING THE BOLTZMAN RELATION IN A PLASMA MODEL
Ángel Pérez, San Jorge Academy, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Brenda M. Rivera, Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
The universe is composed ninety-nine percent of plasma. Plasma is an ionized gas called the fourth state
of matter. The experiment is based on plasma. Plasma was produced using the concept of Inertial
Electrostatic Confinement (IEC). Measurements of electron temperature KTe and electron density Ne
were taken in two points, point 0, with KTe of 30.8894 and Ne of 5.73944E+9, and point .17, with KTe of
51.1125 and Ne of 8.58605E+9. This data was represented in the MATLAB simulation program with the
Boltzman relation. The objective of this experiment is to prove if the Boltzman relation can represent the
plasma in a computer model. Two procedures were done to find margin of error. The first one was to
search the temperature and density of plasma in MATLAB, and with it based the model. The margin of
error of the first one was 169.9304. In the second, the model is represented with the temperature and
density given in the lab, with a margin of error of 59.4463. The conclusion is that using the lab
measurements, the margin of error is more correct. For a next experiment, the sphere shape will be
changed.
119
EXPERIMENTAL INERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CONFINEMENT PLASMA SIMULATIONS
Nicole Z. Quiñones, Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Onix Tarrats, Sagrada Familia School, Corozal, Puerto Rico.
During this research the procedure was to build a wire sphere 1.2 inches of diameter. The sphere was
placed in a vacuum chamber subjected to a fixed voltage and was exposed to a constant pressure of 100
millitorr to form a cloud of plasma. Data on the conditions within the two different points inside the
sphere were collected. In the center of the sphere the data showed a temperature (KTe) of 45.3996 eV
and a density of 5.1829x109 1/cm3. At .17in from the center of the sphere the temperature was 31.6518
eV and the density was 7.14527x109 /cm3. With the gathered information a computerized representation
of the experiment was made in the laboratory. With the data obtained, the computer performed a
simulation that should be consistent with the laboratory procedure. In this simulation, the temperature
(KTe) in the center of the sphere was 3.4716 eV and the density 5.1576e+007 1/cm3, while at .17in from
the center of the sphere the temperature (KTe) collected was 6.5525 and the density was 3.7943e+007
1/cm3. The error rate obtained in the laboratory was 20.568%, while the one obtained on the computer
showed a 99.5848% error rate. In conclusion, after running all the data on the computer, the error rate
obtained was disappointingly high which means that the program had some sort of malfunction or it was a
total failure because it did not fill the expectations, implying it might not be reliable. If the temperature
and density in the computer had been lower, maybe the computer could have given an acceptable error
rate. Moreover, if instead of using MATLAB and LabVIEW for separate things, only one program could
have been used to do both the simulation and experimentation and it may have had more satisfactory
results.
AUTOMATIC SOLAR DEVICE TRACKER TO HAVERST ENERGY
Kiara M. Rodríguez Núñez, Cristo de los Milagros Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Brian X. Alicea, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentors: Nellie M. Bonilla, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
Renewable energy is a science that has taken a long boom following the global warming problem.
Therefore, a device was designed for collecting solar energy lost during the day to later store it in a
battery. The machine will move in two axes and will be controlled by a computer. The mechanism is of
a simple gear system and an air actuator. For ease of use, it is controlled by a microcontroller.
120
CAN THE BOLTZMANN RELATION BE USED TO CREATE PLASMA SIMULATION IN
MATLAB?
Giovanni Tobar, San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Erick M. Berríos, Instituto Cumbre Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The purpose of this investigation was to see if the Boltzmann relation can be used to create plasma
simulations in MATLAB. A wire sphere was created and introduced in a vacuum chamber at 60 mtorr of
pressure, then -700v of electricity were applied to the sphere so that the gas particles would become
plasma. Then, using a Single Langmuir Probe, the temperature and density were measured at two
different spots of the plasma cloud, first at the center of it (0) and at 0.17 inches above the center. Data
were collected from both measurements which was: at the center of the cloud (0) the temperature was of
3.2431 ev and the density was of 9.7350e+015 1/cm3; at 0.17 inches above the center the temperature was
of 26.8985 ev and the density was of 3.9144e+015 1/cm3. The data were entered in MATLAB to create
simulations of the plasma cloud. In the simulations, a 99.9999 percentage of error was found. The reasons
why the percentage of error was so high could be: errors when collecting the data, errors in the program
used by the Single Langmuir Probe to analyze the data and/or errors in the MATLAB simulation. There
are some things that would be done differently the next time the experiment is done. Some of these things
are: the same program would be used for both measuring and simulating the plasma cloud, for each spot
of the plasma cloud, the temperature and density would be measured twice and a different program
would be uses, like LabVIEW, for creating the simulation.
HOW DOES VISCOSITY AFFECT THE TEMPERATURE INCREASE OF DIFFERENT
LIQUIDS?
Valerie Velázquez, Josis Rodríguez, Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
This project investigates the resistance that a liquid fluid has to changes in temperature. The liquids used
were: water, cooking oil, motor oil, and milk, all at ambient temperature. Each of the liquids has a
different viscosity. To normalize the experiments the temperature was raised to 100°C in all cases. The
one that took less time to heat was water which is the one with the lowest viscosity; it took around 2
minutes to do so, while the motor oil took the most time with around 26 minutes to reach the selected
temperature. With this experiment it was proven that the higher the viscosity in a liquid, the more time is
needed to heat it.
121
INTERTIAL ELECTROSTATIC CONFINEMENT EXPERIMENT FOR PLASMA MODELING
USING THE BOLTZMAN RELATION
Nicole Vélez, Espíritu Santo School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ana Bourasseau, Bonneville School, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The experiment that is presented here is based on Inertial Electrostatic Confinement. Its purpose was to
establish a percentage of similarity between the same experiment being performed in the Plasma
laboratory at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and in the Computer Lab in the same university,
while using the MATLAB program in order to calculate the results. The voltage used was -800V and it
was applied to a stainless steel sphere and a pressure 200mTorr. The temperature for the radius of 0 was
5.8628e015KTe and its plasma density 20.1007Ne. Then for the radius of 0.17, the temperature was
5.9291e015KTe and its plasma density 22.3051Ne. Then, in the Computer Lab, the students would work
according to the data received and would devise their own version of the experiment. The percentage of
error taken within from both radii was 9.8829, rounded up to 10. Something that should be different in the
experimentation overall would be to have both the computer programs in the Plasma Laboratory and in
the computer lab to be exactly the same, since the one that is being used in the Plasma lab is called
Labview and the one in the computer laboratory was MATLAB.
122
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
VISUAL METHOD TO CREATE AWARENESS OF INFLUENCEOF CO2 ON PLANT
GROWTH IN DIFFERENT REGIONS
Michael Hicks Ventura, Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Elevated CO2 concentrations stimulate the rate of photosynthesis of most plant species. This phenomenon
causes growth to plants exposed; therefore, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations will enhance their
biomass. This factor would have an impact on the density of forests and crop fields. Productivity of arid
land plants is also predicted to increase substantially with rising atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations. The purpose of this study was to create graphical representations of land fields or deserts
or crop production that demonstrates the effects of exposure to high CO2 concentrations over time. Data
gathered included the amount of forest biomass or crop productions, or covered areas from available
databases.
NUMBER OF PARTICLES IN THE AIR AND HOW IT AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH
Natalie López, Immaculate Academy, Mayagűez, Puerto Rico.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the resulting Urban Development of the 18 th and 19th
centuries, pollution has been a major problem. Particles originating from daily human activities, such as
automobiles and factories, mixed with natural particles such as pollen and dust, produce changes in the
quality of air, damaging it and affecting people’s health at the same time. By that we can infer that
humans are inhaling the particles while breathing. But, how many particles are in the air? Those particles
are little parts of solids floating in the air. In this research, the numbers of particles in the air in
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, were measured in different types of environments: country, city and beach. In
those places, a board was used to measure the quantity of particles in the air. The board created to
measure the particles was designed as three molds prepared with tables with the same dimensions and
filled with petroleum jelly for particles to stick to, at five and a half (5.5) feet above the floor. After six
(6) days, the data was collected using a magnifying glass to calculate the number of particles by
percentage and analyze it to see how it is related with the environment in which it was located. Statistics
for asthma, allergies, and respiratory diseases were collected to compare and relate them to the results of
the particle measurements in the environment to see how the particles in the air affect human health.
123
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
THE EFFECT BETWEEN THE INCIDENCE OF MUONS AS SECONDARY COSMIC RAYS,
HAZE AND SOLAR FLARES.
Edrick Alvarado Rodriguez; Rafael Pérez Berríos, C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez
Cosmic rays can interact with nuclei in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Showers occur when these particles
are extremely energetic, and produce large numbers of other particles most of which are pions. These
particles also known as secondary particles that quickly decay into the particles that strike the Earth's
surface (Lochner, 2011). During a shower, thousands of these particles can strike nearly simultaneously
an area as large as several square kilometers. Cosmic rays are energetic particles originated from the
cosmos that then impinge on the Earth's atmosphere and cause a cosmic ray shower (NASA, 2010). This
research consists of taking the number of muons entering the atmosphere as secondary cosmic rays and
comparing these to the amount of haze in the atmosphere, and relating the muon count with solar flares.
The data will be collected by a muon detector and a photometer both located within the facilities of
CROEM. This data will be processed by Quarknet at their e-lab project that can be found at
www18.i2u2.org/elab/cosmic. Once the system processes the data, a graph will be plotted. The graph is
based on the number of muons collected by the detector in terms of Flux: (events/
/60-seconds), and
will then be compared to the amount of haze represented in Volts. The purpose of this research was to
determine the relationship, if any, between the amount of haze and the incidence of muons as cosmic ray
air showers, as well as to reinforce the relationship that exists between these particles and solar flares. To
prove this, first, the muon count, then the haze amount, and every solar flare are counted during the time
that the muon detector is on.
THE EFFECT OF THE SOLAR CYCLE ON THE IONOSPHERE
Jenipher Danline González Aponte, Bautista de Caguas Academy, Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Research Mentors: Dr. Sixto González, Cristino Brum, Edvier Cabassa, Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo,
Puerto Rico.
The atmosphere is divided into layers: the Troposphere, the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere, the
Thermosphere the Exosphere; and the Ionosphere. Each layer is affected by the sun and other
components. In a region extending from a height of about 50 km to over 500 km, most of the molecules
of the atmosphere are ionized by radiation from the Sun. This region is called the ionosphere. The
ionosphere has its layers as well: D region, E region, and, F1 and F2 regions. The purpose of the research
was to compare the active solar cycle, from September 2001, with the lower solar cycle, from September
2010, and how it affects the ionosphere. The solar cycle, or the solar magnetic activity cycle, is a periodic
change in the amount of irritation from the Sun that is experienced on Earth. It has a period of about 11
years. A way to analyze this data is the through the process of calibration. Arecibo has made different
folders in MATLAB, in order to calibrate two graphic: radars and ionosondes. With this data calibration it
is easier to analyze the natural process of the ionosphere.
124
\
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Faculty research mentoring is the main driving force behind the scientific products (posters and oral
presentations) presented in this symposium. Our greatest appreciation and gratitude to all the mentors
who took part in the Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium by working and training the next
generation of scientists whose efforts are presented in this booklet, as well as to the many other faculty
members who support the Student Research Development Center and its goals and objectives. Our most
sincere thanks are also extended to the following individuals who helped to make this Winter 2011 PreCollege Research Symposium possible.
Keynote and Workshop Speakers:
Dr. Janet Best
Ohio State University
Dr. Luis A. Colón-Ramos
Yale University
Judges and Session Chairmen:
Ms. Elizabeth Barbosa, Inter-American University-Bayamón
Ms. Ana P. Becerra, Polytechnic University
Ms. Keren Canales, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Zahira Caraballo, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Ramón Cardona, Inter-American University-Metro
Mr. Leonardo Chéverez, Inter-American University-Bayamón
Ms. Carlimar Collazo, Inter-American University-San Germán
Mr. Kevin Colón, Inter-American University-Guayama
Dr. Osvaldo Cox, Universidad Metropolitana
Dr. Brenda Cuello, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Milbeth Cumba, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr José de la Cruz, Polytechnic University
Ms. Nitza García, Universidad del Turabo
Dr. Domingo Guinea, CSIC
Ms. Wilnerys Hernández, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Tatiyanna Hughes, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Alvaro Laham, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Dayanara Lebrón, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Walter Literowich
Mr. Emmanuel López, Polytechnic University
Mr. Roberto Luna, Inter-American University-San Germán
Mr. Eduan Martínez, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Adriana Mejía, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Andrea Mejía, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Elvin Méndez, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Giancarlo Mendoza, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Richard Morales, Inter-American University-San Germán
Ms. Ivia Moreno, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Luis M. Ortiz, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Ismael Parrilla, Universidad Metropolitana
Mr. Alvin Peralta, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Dr. Antonio Pérez Casanova, Universidad del Este
125
Mr. Francisco Pérez, University of Puerto Rico-Bayamón
Mr. Oscar Pérez, Polytechnic University
Mr. Miguel Rivera, University of Puerto Rico-Bayamón
Mr. Timothy Rivera, Universidad Metropolitana
Ms. Vanessa Rivera
Mr. Rafael Rodríguez III, Inter-American University-Bayamón
Mr. Víctor Santos, University of Puerto Rico-Bayamón
Mr. Edwin J. Suárez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez
Dr. Ivette Torres, Universidad del Este
Mr. Ángel Vázquez, Inter-American University-Metro
Mr. Eliezer Vázquez, Inter-American University-San Germán
Ms. Waleska Vázquez, Universidad del Turabo
Mr. Raúl Viera, University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
Research Mentors and Assistants:
Mr. Cristian Alemán
Mr. Luis Alemán
Ms. Sara Ávila
Ms. Yvonne Avilés
Ms. Nellie Bonilla
Ms. Katherine Calderón
Ms. Carmen Carvajal
Ms. Laysa M. Claudio
Mr. Cristino Brum
Mr. Edvier Cabassa
Ms. Glorimar Castro
Mr. Reynaldo Castro
Mr. Joksan Flores
Ms. Liz García
Ms. Maxine González
Dr. Sixto González
Mr. Gilberto Jiménez
Mr. Julio León
Mr. Juan Marti
Mr. Guillermo Mejía
Ms. Cristina Morales
Dr. Marlio Paredes
Mr. Joaquín Pockels
Mr. Gabriel Porrata
Mr. Gerson Restrepo
Ms. Karoline Ríos
Mr. Emanuel Rivera
Mr. Ramón Rivera
Mr. Gilberto Robles
Mr. Ález Sánchez
Ms. Natalia Santiago
Ms. Kamil Suliveres
Ms. Claudia Talavera
Ms. Brenda Torres
Ms. Dorielys Valentín
Mr. Jonathan Vargas
Ms. Melinda Vargas
Mr. Edgardo Vázquez
Symposium Staff:
Dr. Gladys Bonilla, SRDC Consultant
Dr. Luis de la Torre, Bio-Mathematics Faculty
Ms. Thelma Graniela, SRDC
Ms. Zulma Irizarry, SRDC
Ms. Ivette Miranda, SRDC
Mr. Nicholas Natalizio, SRDC
Symposium Coordinators:
Dr. Juan F. Arratia, Executive Director, Student Research Development Center
Mr. Luis F. Font, Coordinator Caribbean Computing Center for Excellence (CCCE)
Mrs. Wanda Rodríguez, Coordinator AGMUS Institute of Mathematics
126
INDEX OF PRESENTERS
NAME
Fabiola Agramonte
José Alejandrino
Maricela Alejandro
Brian X. Alicea
Sally Alkhatib
Brayan N. Alvarado
Edrick Alvarado
Edwin J. Alvarado
Gabriel Alvarado
Karla Alveiro
Ángel Andino
Alejandro Aponte
Danairi Aponte
Andrés J. Arroyo
Luis A. Arzón
Alondra Báez
Betzy Báez
Miguel A. Barbosa
Nydiana Benítez
Erick M. Berríos
Anthony R. Bonilla
Ana Bourasseau
Carolina I. Burgos
Francisco J. Burgos
Pedro A. Burgos
Pedro L. Burgos
Frankie Cabrera
Keishaly Cabrera
Rafael Cabrera
Elizabeth Calderón
Julia Calderón
Melissa Calderón
Jessiliz Camacho
Alejandra Casanova
Gabriela Casanova
Kevin A. Centeno
Nayrobi Cepeda
Nishmar Cestero
Luis M. Cintrón
Paola Cintrón
Jonathan Collazo
José S. Colón
Ramón Colón
Michael Concepción
Leandra M. Correa
Amanda Crastz
Killian Crastz
Lourdes M. Cruz
SCHOOL
María Reina Academy, San Juan
Barbara Ann Roessler Academy, San Juan
Caguas Military Academy, Gurabo
Dr. José N. Gándara School, Aibonito
Antilles Military Academy, Trujillo Alto
C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagüez
Thomas Alva Edison School, Caguas
Santa Gema School, Carolina
Home Schooling, Caguas
C.R.O.E.M., Mayagüez
Caguas Military Academy, Caguas
Manuela Toro Morice School, Caguas
Margarita Janer Palacios School, Guaynabo
San Jorge School, San Juan
Diocesano Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo
Instituto Cumbre Río Piedras, San Juan
José Gautier Benítez School, Caguas
Bonneville School, San Juan
San Antonio Abad School, Humacao
Petra Mercado Bougart School, Humacao
Bautista de Puerto Nuevo Academy, San Juan
Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel School, Naguabo
Levittown Baptist Academy, Toa Baja
Inter-American School, San Germán
José M. Lázaro School, Carolina
Bellas Artes School, Humacao
María Teresa Piñeiro School, Toa Baja
Episcopal Cathedral School, San Juan
Bayamón Military Academy, Bayamón
Petra Mercado Bougart High School, Humacao
Nuestra Señora de la Providencia School, San Juan
Nuestra Señora de la Providencia School, San Juan
127
PAGES
38, 94
38, 94
33, 66
44, 118
33, 66
33, 67
49, 122
42, 107
33, 67
33, 68
51, 102
43, 113
33, 68
52, 110
43, 113
34, 69
47, 84
42, 110
30, 53
44, 119
43, 113
44, 120
34, 69
39, 99
32, 64
32, 64
51, 94
49, 91
38, 95
42, 108
43, 113
38, 96
46, 53
32, 64
49, 91
51, 100
34, 70
51, 95
47, 81
34, 69
36, 81
34, 70
34, 70
34, 71
37, 91
34, 71
34, 71
38, 95
Melanie Cruz Cruz
Rose M. Cruz
Suriel Cruz
Tiffany Cruz
Xavier Cruz
Lina V. Daza
Christopher De Jesús
Keneth De Jesús
Lashmy P. De Jesús
John J. De Micheli
Yamyris Delgado
Luis F. Díaz
Neysha M. Díaz
Katerina Doble
Natacha Doble
Sergio A. Donato
Jeremy Echevarría
Katia Felberty
Alejandra Figueroa
Alondra P. Figueroa
Eduardo J. Figueroa
Kelvin Figueroa
Xavier Figueroa
Jonathan Fortis
Derek M. García
Kevin W. García
Lyannis M. García
Natasha García
Louis Gil
Desireé Gómez
Joffre E. Gómez
Katherine Gómez
Jenipher D. González
Nathalie González
Omar D. González
Rubén Hernández
Ronald Herrera
Kenneth Hicks
Michael Hicks
Guadalupe E. Ibarra
Luissa M. Kidd
José G. Lebrón
Pedro LeFerve
Deysharee López
Glory López
Joanys López
Leonel O. López
Natalie López
Suheily López
Erick Lugo
José Maestre
Alexandra Maldonado
De Lourdes School, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Caguas Private School, Caguas
Ernesto Ramos Antonini School, San Juan
University Gardens School, San Juan
Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro School, Humacao
Segundo Ruíz Belvis School, Hormigueros
Homeschool, Carolina
Juan J. Maunez School, Naguabo
Adianez School, Guaynabo
Juan F. Ozuna School, San Juan
Santa Teresita Academy, San Juan
Inter-American University School, San Germán
Bautista de Caguas Academy, Caguas
Bautista de Carolina School, Carolina
Santa María del Camino School, Trujillo Alto
Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo
Santiago Apóstol School, Fajardo
Adianez School, San Juan
Ramón Vila Mayo School, San Juan
Calazans School, San Juan
Bautista de Carolina School, Carolina
Immaculada Academy, Mayagüez
Luis Muños Marín School, Barranquitas
San Juan Apóstol School, Caguas
CIEM Private School, Carolina
San Benito School, Mayagűez
128
46, 72
49, 115
43, 114
38, 96
39, 96
39, 96
34, 72
33, 65
39, 97
34, 72
42, 111
35, 73
35, 73
30, 54
30, 54
31, 55
37, 89
42, 111
35, 74
39, 97
34, 69
33, 65
43, 114
52, 111
46, 74
35, 75
37, 92
48, 85
42, 110
31, 55
39, 98
34, 70
49, 122
35, 74
51, 98
43, 114
49, 115
39, 98
43, 121
35, 75
39, 99
46, 76
43, 115
36, 84
35, 76
39, 99
39, 99
43, 121
39, 99
39, 96
40, 100
37, 89
Mavis Maldonado
Nicole M. Maldonado
Arnaldo A. Marcano
Jean V. Marrero
Kevin Marrero
Astrid Martínez
Dan L. Martínez
Osvaldo IV Massanet
Kevin Matos
Karla Meléndez
Lizyan E. Mendoza
Arnaldo Mercado
Liz Paulette Mercado
José A. Millán
Karlitza M. Molina
Dorimar Morales
Juan C. Morales
Kervin S. Morales
Linda S. Morales
Manuel Morales
Valeria Muñoz
Davette Nazario
Raúl Negrón
Michael Nieves
Estefanía Ortiz
Jonathan Ortiz
Karielys Ortiz
Karina Ortiz
Lizbeth Ortiz
Christian J. Otero
Kevin J. Otero
Lizzy Oviedo
Giovanni Pacheco
Jennifer Patritti
Melanie N. Peña
Ángel Pérez
Geraldo Pérez
Jean L. Pérez
Juan C. Pérez
Kiddany L. Pérez
Michelle C. Pérez
Rafael Pérez
Robert Pérez
Camille Price
Emery G. Price
Arantxa Quiñones
Jorge L. Quiñones
Josué Quiñones
Nicole Z. Quiñones
Lolibel E. Reyes
Jessica Ríos
Marian I. Ríos
Dr. Juan J. Maunez Pimentel High School, Naguabo
Home Schooling, San Juan
San Benito School, Mayagűez
CIEM Private School, Carolina
Santa Mónica Academy, San Juan
Marista “El Salvador” School, Manatí
Calazans School, San Juan
University Gardens High School, San Juan
Luis Muñoz Marín School, Barranquitas
Inter-American University School, San Germán
Juan J. Maunez School, Naguabo
Puertorriqueño de Niñas School, Guaynabo
José Aponte de la Torre School, Carolina
Luis Palés Matos School, Bayamón
Homeschool, Carolina
Antonio Fernós Isern Vocational School, San Lorenzo
Antonio Fernós Isern Vocational School, San Lorenzo
Calasanz School, Trujillo Alto
Calasanz School, San Juan
Calasanz School, Carolina
San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan
San Jorge Academy, San Juan
Lorenzo Vizcarrondo School, Carolina
Dr. Gilberto Concepción de Gracia School, Carolina
Notre Dame School, Caguas
C.R.O.E.M. School, Mayagűez
Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, Trujillo Alto
San Pedro Mártir School, Guaynabo
Nuestra Señora del Carmen School, San Juan
Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia School, Carolina
129
37, 92
47, 77
35, 77
50, 116
31, 56
48, 85
40, 100
51, 100
35, 78
40, 100
37, 92
46, 56
36, 84
44, 116
35, 78
40, 101
40, 101
39, 98
50, 116
33, 65
48, 86
40, 101
51, 102
48, 88
51, 102
40, 102
40, 102
43, 113
40, 103
31, 57
40, 103
31, 57
44, 117
47, 79
36, 79
50, 117
51, 103
42, 112
40, 101
40, 101
31, 58
49, 122
49, 90
43, 114
36, 80
41, 104
44, 116
36, 80
44, 118
31, 58
41, 104
41, 104
Ademyr Rivera
Brenda M. Rivera
Ebany Rivera
Gina Liz. Rivera
Gina Liza Rivera
Osvaldo D. Rivera
Yelitza Rivera
Daysha L. Rodríguez
Emanuel A. Rodríguez
Fernando Rodríguez
Javinnette Rodríguez
Josis Rodríguez
Kiara M. Rodríguez
Raymond L. Rodríguez
Víctor Rodríguez
Amarilys Romero
Nicolle A. Rosa
Ángel W. Rosado
Jorge R. Rosado
Omar Rosado
Derick N. Rosario
Joshua R. Rosario
Katerina Ruíz
Áxel A. Sánchez
Vanessa Sánchez
Jonathan Santana
Nelson O. Santana
Netsha Santiago
Angélica Serrano
Karoline M. Serrano
Lydia B. Serrano
Sereyna E. Sostre
Gabriela Talavera
Onix Tarrats
Giovanni Tobar
Kiara Torres
Soleil Valentín
Yimari A. Vargas
Génesis Vázquez
Javier Vázquez
Juan Vázquez
Kiara Véga
Gabriel Velázquez
Valerie Velázquez
Gustavo Vélez
Nicole Vélez
Yo-ann Vélez
Xandimar Villafañe
Fabiola M. Williams
Jesucristo Rey de Reyes School, Guaynabo
Adianez School, Guaynabo
Cristo de los Milagros Academy, Caguas
Padre Rufo Bilingual School, San Juan
San José School, San Juan
República de Costa Rica Vocational School, Caguas
Antilles Military Academy, San Juan
Dr. José N. Gándara School, Cayey
Dr. José N. Gándara School, Cayey
Petra Zenón de Fabery Vocational School, Trujillo Alto
Caguas Private School, Caguas
Lurgrea Central College, Toa Baja
Margarita Janer Palacios School, San Juan
Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia School, Carolina
Sagrada Familia School, Corozal
San Ignacio de Loyola School, San Juan
San Antonio Abad School, San Juan
Cristo Redentor School, San Lorenzo
Southwestern Educational Society (SESO) Mayagüez
Espíritu Santo School, San Juan
San Benito School, Mayagüez
San Jorge Academy, Carolina
República de México School, San Juan
130
41, 105
50, 117
41, 105
38, 93
38, 93
46, 59
36, 81
33, 66
41, 105
36, 87
37, 87
44, 119
44, 118
41, 106
41, 106
31, 59
46, 60
42, 107
47, 81
52, 111
33, 68
47, 81
31, 60
41, 106
37, 88
42, 107
33, 65
36, 82
46, 61
36, 82
32, 61
38, 93
48, 88
44, 118
44, 119
47, 83
42, 107
32, 62
42, 107
44, 117
42, 107
32, 62
32, 64
44, 119
42, 108
44, 120
32, 63
32, 63
42, 109
We gratefully acknowledge the support and sponsorship of the
Winter 2011 Pre-College Research Symposium from:
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant #DMS-0822404
Grant #CNS-0940522
National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA)

UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA (UMET) PROFILE

Transcription

Similar documents

tenure track faculty position announcement librarian ii

Cervecera de Puerto Rico

At UROSTAR, patients are the stars of advanced procedures

Download: Full Company Introduction Presentation

2014 annual report - Para la Naturaleza

Computer Engineering and FemProf

sohlatinnewreleasebo..

YOUR AD FITS HERE A Cultural Publication for Puerto

Free Puerto Rico - Freedom Archives

July 2015 - El Boricua