Tag: Poster Presentation

Betsua Garcia-Trujillo¹
Faculty Mentor: Rochelle Hines, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology

ABSTRACT
The Axon Initial Segment (AIS) is a compartment within the neuron that plays a major role in the initiation of action potentials. Changes to AIS length and position can alter the probability of action potential firing. A majority of modeling studies consider the AIS to have linear morphology; however, we have observed different AIS shapes in different pathological conditions. The objective of this research is to classify AISs by shape (straight, curved, or kinked) and to determine the frequency of each shape across normal and pathological conditions. We stained AISs in cortical tissue using immunohistochemistry and imaged them with a confocal microscope. After imaging, we qualitatively categorized AISs in normal and pathological samples based on their shape and plotted them in ImageJ to obtain numerical data (Cartesian coordinates). We have compared AISs in cortical tissue from wild type mice to those from the Mecp2+/- model of Rett syndrome. We plan to use the Cartesian data to develop a model that describes the linear and non-linear morphologies of the AIS. Although previous research has demonstrated that position, composition, and length of AISs helps determine neuronal excitability, the relationship between AIS shape and pathology has not been examined. The current study helps establish AIS morphology as a possible pathological feature that may have functional consequences, and future experiments will investigate a relationship between AIS shape and neuronal excitability. Additional research may help to gain a deeper understanding of normal and pathological development and may lead to the development of new treatments.

This research was funded by UNLV’s Title III Part F Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) program, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under grant (P382B160008) from the U.S. Department of Education.

Lianelys Cabrera Martinez¹
Aldo Barrita, M.A.¹
Faculty Mentor: Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology

ABSTRACT
The present study is a systematic literature review on the psychology of resilience, or the ability to bounce back after a difficult situation. Although resilience is a timely and relevant variable in social psychology, little is known about its connection to the racism-related experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This review explores how resilience manifests in the BIPOC community and its influence on the identity of minority groups. Previous research has shown that BIPOC reports higher resilience; however, there is still uncertainty around its connection to discrimination. Through the analysis of nine final research articles, we examined four main questions: (a) What is the prominent definition of resilience?, (b) How is resilience experienced or manifested among BIPOC?, (c) How is resilience operationalized when experiencing oppression?, and (d) What are the limitations in the literature of resilience? Results shed light on the need to further investigate resilience as a protective factor against discrimination in the BIPOC community.

This research was funded by UNLV’s TRIO McNair Scholars Institute, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program by a grant (P217A170069) from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Sydney Pyatt¹
Emma Bertagnolli¹
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^1
1Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business

ABSTRACT
Music is a phenomenon that brings the world together. Listeners set their differences aside and connect through the world of music. The United Kingdom has played an immense role in the growth and development of music and live performances. The first concert was held in London in 1672, and the first festival was held in 1968. This was the beginning of the launch of live music in the United Kingdom and all around the world. It is hard to decipher if concerts or festivals are more popular by attendance because concerts are held by artists year-round, while festivals are more seasonal. However, the growth of attendance can provide information on which form of live music is growing at the fastest rate in the United Kingdom. The data studied shows that both concert and festival attendance increased greatly from 2012 to 2019. In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic put a halt on concerts and festivals, resulting in an 85% revenue loss for the live music industry. In June 2021, the first live music event after the pandemic was the Download Festival in England, allowing 10,000 attendees. This was a tenth of what was allowed prior to the pandemic. The live music industry is still recovering from the loss caused by the pandemic, however, now that more live music events are occurring again, people will have a desire to experience what life felt like before the pandemic. It will take time to reestablish the industry, but from the data gathered before the pandemic, concert and festival attendance is going to continue to grow.

Quentin Palazzo¹
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^2
1Lee Business School, Department of Finance
²Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business

ABSTRACT
Fourteen times per year roughly one million consumers flock to read the newest issue of Wine Mag (one of the most widely regarded wine magazines in the world) to discover the highest rated wines in the ever-growing $417.8 billion industry. What are the characteristics that could potentially predict the next highest rated bottle of wine?
Over 3.8 million Qualitative data points from Wine Mag were used to analyze what the typical qualities of excellent wine are. An analysis of the wine’s country, province, variety, price, and manufacturing winery were analyzed in this study.
Per the analysis, an excellent bottle of wine (95 – 100 points out of 100) is most likely to have the following characteristics: it’s from the United States, specifically California, its median cost is $110.50, it’s blend is a Pinot Noir, and Williams Selyem is the winery that produced it.
The implications of this research is multifaceted in that it could be used to educate investors in the wine industry on where to focus investments in geographically, or to simply help consumers choose a wine that is likely to be highly rated without having to do extensive research.

Demar Corcino¹
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^2
1Lee Business School, Department of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology
²Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business

ABSTRACT
About 720 million people in China play video games. Of those people, 110 million are under the age of 18. With China’s new regulation on gaming limiting children under 18 to 3 hours a week of gaming, will this affect the longevity of video game sales? Data analyzed by passports country analysis in 2021 sales are expected to reach 306 million CNY and is expected to grow by 30million CNY in 2022. The leading factor to the growth is Covid-19. As China’s Society returns to normal after the pandemic and having these regulations on children under 18, it is expected that the revenue growth should be lower than the expected growth in 2022. Looking beyond 2022 if this limitation is still apparent then the new generation will most likely not be exposed to video games as much as they are now which would affect the video game markets in China. In the future, most Chinese video games will not be catered to children because the target market dwindles with the regulations. In conclusion, China is run through a strict government and may implement more limitations to further impact video game sales. The Chinese government owns the majority of all sales of the video game market in China and may further implement regulations that avoid targeting children with video games. The longevity of Video games and sales may be in fact on a steady decline in the upcoming years.

Michelle Breucop¹
Kevin Kenny¹
Teresa Huynh²
Kurt Greener³
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^1
1Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business
²Lee Business School, Department of Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology
³Lee Business School, Department of Accounting

ABSTRACT
Cultures apart from the American offer important and various perspectives on how other cultures value time and social events. In the year of 2019, there was a substantial rate of out-of-home consumption of food. The most frequented locations were establishments that offered a more social environment, such as restaurants and cafes. Our purpose is to break down the reasoning behind the outside food consumption in social places rather than the opposing scenario of hosting social events in the household, leading to at-home consumption of food. We want to ask the question of what are the cultural influences that lead Spaniards to opt for dining out for social occasions rather than in? In addition to this question, do the seasons affect this relationship? By reviewing Spanish articles and works, we are able to gain insight into their culture and their relationship with socialization and food consumption. In addition, our methodology of research will be through analyzing trends in a descriptive assessment with graphs, charts, etc. The significance of culture and its role in small decisions such as eating out or staying in, have yet to be explored. We offer a potential explanation for the phenomenon.

Teilor Appleyard¹
Kayla Chatwin¹
Dylan Orlando²
Jordan Brickman¹
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^3
1Lee Business School, Department of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology
²Lee Business School, Department of Finance
³Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business

ABSTRACT
It is said that alcohol is an important part of British culture and tradition. Britons seem to drink regardless of the time of day and/or the company they are with. We looked into the most popular beer categories in the United Kingdom to determine why some beers are far more popular than others. Our research suggests that there are various factors that play into WHY a particular beer is chosen for consumption.

We collected data from interviews conducted by The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) to distinguish what their favorite type of beer is, why they choose to consume that beer, where their favorite location to consume beer is, and the relationship between price and quality. We used various methods of data collection such as graphs and interviews that were taken through the British Beer Pub Association. The analytics provided us with an understanding as to why certain beers are favored and how that impacts the drinking culture in the United Kingdom.

We are continuing to collect data in order to come to a conclusion.

Our research contributes to the understanding of the beer industry and different markets in not only the United Kingdom, but also all over the world. The implications of this research suggests a growing trend in consumer individuality and consciousness and the role of established culture and tradition when choosing beer for consumption. We believe firms, supplied with this knowledge, can use this to predict trends and market their product more effectively and efficiently.

Zybrell Zayas¹
Alexis Parsha²
Mialene Liwanag²
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Nehls, Ph.D.^1
1Lee Business School, Department of Marketing and International Business
²Lee Business School, Department of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology

ABSTRACT
How do eating behaviors differ in Japan, in comparison to the United States? How is it deemed healthier? Eating behaviors and diet has become an important factor due to the increasing statistics of obesity in America. Japan, known for its unique style of eating, and has shown the cultural basis of its standpoint on food, which has diverted its culture away from the adverse health effects that the U.S is known for. With the focus on the comparison of the U.S larger portion size to traditional Japanese meal size, there is an overall large effect on health and wellness. The Japanese traditional diet of washoku emphasizes the use of seasonal ingredients. It characterizes the importance of the food dishes being in harmony with nature and the nutritional needs of the human body. The American diet is usually meat, eggs, and dairy with a high emphasis on sugar consumption. Washoku emphasizes the elements of Cultural differences, and how tradition is emphasized in Japanese meals. Our research will use the following datasets: Self-assessment of health of diet among U.S. shoppers in 2015, Distribution of diets followed by consumers in the United States in 2018 in 2019, Leading food-related habits in Japan as of 2020, Most popular food trends in Japan as of November 2020 and The Role of the Japanese Traditional Diet in Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Patterns around the World. These datasets will guide through examining primary differences on the basis of nutrition, portion size, and cultural differences.