2018 Fall Research Symposium 19th Annual Fall Student Research Symposium ABSTRACT BOOK September 22, 2018 St. Thomas Campus ACC Building 1 2018 Fall Research Symposium The Nineteenth Annual Fall Student Research Symposium September 22, 2018 University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas Campus, U.S. Virgin Islands Event Organized by Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs College of Science and Mathematics University of the Virgin Islands 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 Phone: 340-693-1249 Fax: 340-693-1245 Email: [email protected] Website: http://ecs.uvi.edu The Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs increase research training and promote excellence for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), psychology, and nursing students at the University of the Virgin Islands. 2 Table of Contents2018 Fall Research Symposium Fall 2018 Research Symposium Presenters Shabree Anthony .................................................................................................. 6 PTEN Phosphatase Activities in Large Unilamellar Vesicles Antonae Anthony, Makeda Mills, D'Shaunique Walters, .................................. 7 The Blood Traveller: Apicomplexan Blood Parasite of Dusky Damselfish Jonisha Aubain ..................................................................................................... 8 Quick, Catch!…Preparing For LVC O3 with the VIRT and Zadko Hairol Elias Breton ............................................................................................... 9 The Search for Metabolite Structure formed in Atropa belladonna Plants that make Scopolamine and Hyoscyamine Jahnyah Brooks ................................................................................................... 10 The Effects of Anthrophony on the Red-Eyed Coqui Angel Cedeno ....................................................................................................... 11 Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity in Virgin Islands Plants Nikkoiya Cromwell ............................................................................................... 12 Random Sampling of Nodes in Polynomial Interpolation Darryle Cyrille ....................................................................................................... 13 The Effects of Rounding Errors on Polynomial Interpolants I'Zhaneeh Deterville, Megan Grant ...................................................................... 14 Creating Everyday Energy Solutions Gerlinder Difo Cheri ............................................................................................. 15 The Search for a Disintegrating Planet Orbiting a White Dwarf. Michael Doliotis and Selena Parrilla ………………………………………………..16 Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity in Virgin Islands Plants Torhera Durand .................................................................................................... 17 Characterization of Metastatic Progression Angie Estien, Rhonda Forbes, Thalia Guadalupe, ............................................. 18 Dynamically Influenced Visual Authentication System Jasiem Everington ............................................................................................... 19 Smart Meters in CPS Anayah I Ferris ..................................................................................................... 20 Tight Junction Dysfunction: Altered ZO-1 and Occludin in the Diabetic Cornea Kwame Forbes ...................................................................................................... 21 Multiple Genotypes of Halophilia stipulacea Found Around St. Thomas, US Virgin Is- lands Yarilynn Guadalupe .............................................................................................. 22 Mathematical Learning and Language of Instruction in the U.S Virgin Is- lands 3 Table of Contents2018 Fall Research Symposium Fall 2018 Research Symposium Presenters Harmonie Hanley .................................................................................................. 23 Space Debris Azhar Hussein ...................................................................................................... 24 Blurring Images to Train Neural Networks for Object Recognition Fatimah Hussein ................................................................................................... 25 Gamma-Ray Bursts Light Curve Fitting with Swift XRT Kyle Jerris ............................................................................................................. 26 Impacts of light and food availability on metamorphic cycle of upside- down jellyfish Cassiopea xamancha Josette John ......................................................................................................... 27 Population Dynamics and Differences Between Deep (Mesophotic) and Mid-Shallow Orbicella spp corals in the U.S.V.I Lorenzo LaPlace ................................................................................................... 28 Local Cyberspace Should be Safe! Deidre Lee ............................................................................................................. 29 Bile duct-on-a-chip Device to study Cholangiocyte and Fibroblast Interac- tions in the Peribiliary Extracellular Matrix Shantae Lewis ...................................................................................................... 30 Stimulation of Inflammasomes in Isolated Human B-Cells Kaleb Liburd and Kenique Liburd ……………………………………………….. 31 Experimenting with Object Classification Samuel Liburd ...................................................................................................... 32 Development and Delivery of CRISPR Ribonucleic Protein Complexes in Macrostomum lignano Brandon J Manners .............................................................................................. 33 Tracking Spawns By Use Of A Brownian Bridge Random Walk Program Christopher McDonald ......................................................................................... 34 Using NASA Earth Observations to Monitor Land-use Change of Saint Croix (United States Virgin Islands) Matthew Mullins .................................................................................................... 35 Large amounts of detached algae increase juvenile fish abundance Christopher Murphy ............................................................................................. 36 Characterization and Mitigation of Satellite Radio Frequency Interference Danielle Olive ........................................................................................................ 37 Hematological Impacts of Hypoxia on the Clearnose Skate (Raja eglan- teria) Arl Polydore .......................................................................................................... 38 Mobile Forensics 4 Table of Contents2018 Fall Research Symposium Fall 2018 Research Symposium Presenters Silene Prentice ...................................................................................................... 39 Characterizing Exoplanets Carlan V Romney .................................................................................................. 40 Using CRISPR-mediated Mutagenesis to Analyze Protein Phosphatase Regulatory Subunit Functions in Arabidopsis thaliana Nina Scott ............................................................................................................. 41 Characteristics of Mantis Shrimp Telson Armor Deon St. Jules ....................................................................................................... 42 Micro plastics on Orian Stapleton ..................................................................................................... 43 Assembly of Van Der Waals Heterostructures with Strong Electronic Cor- relations Joseph Townsend, Owen Clower ....................................................................... 44 Examining diversity of coral symbionts across depth for Orbicella franksi and Agaricia lamarcki Azriel A. Williams ................................................................................................. 45 Body Self-Perception, Depression, and Obesity in a sample of USVI Youth Otensia Allamby,Cleopatra. J. Skerrit, and Tameca White ............................... 46 From trash to treasure to save the tides Project based learning in the mathematics classroom Neelam S Buxani .................................................................................................. 47 Antioxidant Capacity, Total Phenolic Content, and Phosphomolybdate activity of Vervine (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) Methanolic Extract Neelam S Buxani .................................................................................................. 48 In vitro Bovine Serum Albumin and egg albumin assay to determine Anti-inflammatory activity of Vervine (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) leaves Emely Henriquez .................................................................................................. 49 Amino Complex Binding 5 2018 Fall Research Symposium PTEN Phosphatase Activities in Large Unilamellar Vesicles Shabree Anthony, Dr. Alonzo H. Ross Mentor(s): Dr. Arne Gericke Worcester Polytechnic Institute The peripheral interactions between lipids and proteins have been shown to be vital in a number of biochemical pathways. Phosphoinositides (PIPs) are very minor components of the plasma membrane (2 mol%), but they are essential molecules in a large array of biological processes such as cell signaling, protein transport, and cell migration. It is well established