We analyze the behavior of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation in two spatial dimensions (2DKS) for isotropic domain sizes that contain only one growing mode. We solve the 2DKS equation numerically using a pseudo-spectral method and derive the dynamical characteristics by domain size. We then used isospike diagrams related to the energy of the solution and analyzed the Fourier spectrum based on specific characteristics to investigate steady, quasi-periodic and potentially chaotic behavior observed for different domain sizes.

NYU Langone Health (NYULH) is the leading academic medical institution of excellence renowned for delivering excellence in patient care, research, and education. The Medical Center Information Technology (MCIT) department has an integral role to play in supporting these functions through providing and guaranteeing the technological foundation and digital solutions needed for efficient healthcare delivery. The MCIT department oversees a wide range of services, including monitoring electronic health records, developing and implementing new

clinical applications, ensuring cybersecurity, and providing technical assistance to personnel within the organization. Their commitment to innovation and teamwork-centric culture provide a stimulating environment to work and learn for rising 3SP members. As part of 3SP’s partnership with NYULH, the MCIT division hosted four interns from Bergen Community College with career paths in computer science and mathematics. Each intern was integrated into four cross-functional digital solutions teams and gained hands-on experience in web design, project management, data analysis, Salesforce skills, and product design. These interns gained valuable insights into the application of technology in a complex healthcare environment while contributing to NYULH’s ongoing efforts to innovate patient care. Their presentation will highlight their experiences, along with their contributions to the diverse projects they contributed to and the skills they developed in a corporate environment.

Heavy metal contamination in soil is harmful, but current cleanup solutions are complicated and costly. High concentrations of heavy metals in soil disturb microbial functioning and can prevent plant growth. Phytoextraction can be a cost effective cleanup solution, but it requires healthy soil microbes and is limited to removing the bioavailable fraction of metals in soil. Simulated root exudates (SREs) made of sugars, organic acids, and amino acids can revitalize microbial communities within barren soil. We asked how SRE treatments affect metals mobility in 31 days. We collected metal-contaminated, barren soil from the 25 R site at Liberty State Park, NJ and treated it with six different SREs in a greenhouse. We performed sequential extraction on soil from day 0 (pre-treatment) and day 31 (post-treatment). Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy was used to quantify the concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, iron, and zinc in each fraction. We observed a significant increase (p<0.001) in bioavailable zinc and copper in the day 31 soil treated with sugars (fructose and glucose), LDA (fructose, malic acid, and glutamic acid), LDB (glucose, succinic acid, and alanine), and HDM (fructose, glucose, malic acid, succinic acid, glutamic acid, and alanine). Our results suggested that SREs aid in phytoextraction of metals and can be used to prime barren soils for phytoremediation.

Conventional drug delivery faces various biological barriers, such as premature clearance by a patient's immune system, an inability to control a drug's release, and an inability to release multiple synergized drugs that can circulate within a patient's system long enough for targeting. Thus, there is a clinical need for drug carrier systems that are capable of multi-drug loading, independent compartmentalization, extended blood circulation, and targeted delivery. Needs that can be met through the use of biphasic Janus particles, fabricated through electrohydrodynamic co-jetting (EHD co-jetting). Other multifunctional particle carrier systems have typically resulted in isotropic particles whose functionalities target the same area. Multifunctional particles fabricated from EHD co-jetting can incorporate different functions into distinct areas of the particle, thus resulting in particles that can target different areas without having their functionalities compromised or weakened. In EHD co-jetting, two side-by-side syringe pumps feed two chemically distinct solutions to a grounded collector plate. When a high voltage is applied to the dual needles, the droplet at the tip of the needles elongates into a sharp Taylor cone that ejects a jet, which evaporates in flight. Upon reaching the collector, the droplets precipitate into biphasic particles that mirror the jets' co-flow. The particles were then characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The particles fabricated with this technique are expected to be able to carry multiple drug types, with the potential of being able to accomplish site-specific release, which is critical for combination therapies and drug administration.

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance has created an urgent need for alternative antimicrobial agents. This study assessed the antibacterial activity of herbal and spice extracts, including garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), and clove (Syzygium aromaticum), against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Using the agar well diffusion method, the zones of inhibition were measured to evaluate their efficacy. All extracts exhibited antibacterial activity, with garlic and cinnamon demonstrating the strongest inhibition, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria. Ginger and turmeric showed moderate effects, while clove was more effective against Gram-positive strains. These results highlight the potential of herbal and spice extracts as natural antimicrobial agents, especially for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria. Further research is needed to identify the active compounds and explore their clinical applications.

Most statistics courses at community colleges typically rely on textbook problems and calculators. This conventional teaching approach not only diverges from contemporary educational practices but also frequently discourages students by making statistics appear daunting and unengaging. In contrast, the teaching method proposed in this project is entirely centered on Microsoft Excel. Students mastered each statistical concept through Excel-based instruction, enabling them to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios via personalized projects. With these Excel-focused lessons, individual students selected their own research topics, collected pertinent data, and then utilized Excel for both data organization and comprehensive analysis. The student project we will showcase is titled "Exploring a Case Study for Hypothesis Testing in a Community College Setting." The student selected "blood pressure differences based on age and gender" as her research focus. She independently gathered the data, meticulously organized it using Excel, and conducted all data analyses within the software.

Specifically, the analysis involved employing t-tests to examine the relationship between gender and blood pressure, as well as the independent correlation between age and blood pressure. Furthermore, to investigate the intricate, multifaceted relationships among gender, age, and blood pressure, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied. All these analytical steps were executed using Excel, with the results being effectively recorded and visually presented through Excel's robust charting capabilities.

Our study is focused on testing the efficiency of a small-scale vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) model in simulated ‘natural conditions’ in the laboratory and also via computational modeling. A few different models of VAWTs are utilized in our studies such as the Savonius and SWIND models. The specific question that we wish to address is how power generation, torque and RPM of turbines change in on-shore environments or wind farms where the turbines are not fully exposed to the wind, but experience blockages. To this end, experiments conducted in the lab considered the dynamics of the turbines in the presence of blockages.

Since experimental conditions are restrictive, similar numerical experiments were performed using CFD software such as ANSYS and Autodesk. Experiments and numerical simulations both reveal that adding blockages in appropriate configurations can substantially enhance the torque – by as much as 200%. Similar results have been reported in previous work in hydrodynamic environments but are for the first time discussed in the context of wind turbines. This work has positive implications in the placement and design of wind farms containing multiple wind turbines. Optimally configuring the placement of the turbines can

serve as a cheap and effective way to maximize the energy rewards.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are prevalent in consumer and industrial

products, posing significant public health risks and contributing to the onset of endocrine and reproductive related diseases. EDCs mimic and or interfere with the body’s hormonal pathways, and can further affect vital reproductive organs such as the ovary. The ovary, the female reproductive organ is essential for the processes of steroidogenesis, the production of hormones, and folliculogenesis, the process of ovarian follicle maturation. Follicles are small, fluid-filled sacs that secrete hormones and contain immature eggs (oocytes). Matured antral follicles eventually burst to release the oocyte for fertilization. Among EDCs, parabens, a common class of preservatives and antimicrobial agents in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, have been the subject of increasing concern due to their potential endocrine-disrupting effects. Despite its widespread use, the extent to which a member of this class, benzyl paraben (BzP), affects the reproductive system remains insufficiently studied, particularly its effects on the ovary. The goal of this study was to determine whether BzP can disrupt gene expression and impair normal hormonal pathways, thus acting as an EDC. To conduct this research, cultured mouse antral follicles were exposed to BzP in vitro over a 96-hour period. At the end of the culture period, total RNA was extracted from treated follicles to perform quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to analyze expression of genes related to steroidogenesis, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis (cell death). From our collected results thus far, there was a reduction in cell growth at 0.1 μg/mL of BzP, which leads us to expect an increase in apoptosis markers, such as Bad. We also expect decreased expression of hormone-related genes, such as Hsd17b1 and Cyp19a. Using mammalian models to investigate the potential to disrupt gene expression will contribute to the urgently needed body of research on chemicals that can cause adverse health effects such as infertility, early menopause, and more. These findings will help provide important evidence that BzP functions as an endocrine disruptor and shed light on its toxic effects, supporting the need to re-evaluate its usage and safety in consumer products and strengthen regulatory guidelines.

Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals found in plastic and personal care

products we use every day. We are exposed to phthalates in their diester form, but they are converted into their monoester form after metabolism in the body. Exposure to phthalates can increase the risk of adverse health effects. Phthalate alternatives are emerging, but not well-studied. We aim to compare a phthalate alternative and its metabolites with those of commercial phthalates and their metabolites. This information can help us determine if exposure to phthalate alternatives and their metabolites can reduce the risk of endocrine disrupting effects. To synthesize our phthalate alternative, bis(2-ethylhexyl) cyclohexane-1,2 dicarboxylate (1,2-DEHCH), we combined hexahydroisobenzofuran-1,3-dione, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and p-toluenesulfonic acid (catalyst) in a flask equipped with a Dean-Stark trap and a condenser and heated to 140 °C for 18 hours. To form our metabolite, mono(2-ethylhexyl) cyclohexane-1,2 dicarboxylate (1,2-MEHCH), we combined hexahydroisobenzofuran-1,3-dione and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in a separate flask at 55 °C for 24 hours. To purify each crude sample, we performed silica gel chromatography using an eluent ratio of 80:20 dichloromethane/methanol. Bromocresol green staining was used on thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates to indicate the presence of our product. We used carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to analyze and identify our desired products. The yield of 1,2-DEHCH was 1.51 grams (65.7%). Purification of 1,2-MEHCH is still underway. In the future, we plan to use our synthesized phthalate alternative and its metabolite to assess their toxicity both in vivo and in vitro.

Object detection in dynamic, low-light, and occluded environments remains a significant challenge for autonomous aerial systems. Our research presents a multi-modal perception system mounted on a drone, utilizing synchronized RGB, thermal, and event cameras to enhance real-time object detection. We have conducted aerial data collection at approximately 500 feet above ground level, capturing diverse environmental conditions. Central to our approach is the exploration of different fusion architectures (early, middle, and late fusion) to determine the optimal stage for integrating these modalities. Key technical challenges such as multi-camera alignment, image warping, and satellite signal interference have been addressed

to improve sensor data quality and synchronization. A customized YOLOv11 model is being trained on an augmented dataset compiled from these sensor modalities. This investigation aims to maximize detection performance by effectively combining asynchronous event data with conventional vision streams. This poster summarizes our methodology, system design, current progress, and future plans toward real-time detection and autonomous drone navigation using multi-modal sensor fusion.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an abnormality of plasma cells in the bone marrow, caused by several chromosomal translocations in chromosomes 13, 14, or 15 (Alexander et al., 2007). The etiology and risk factors are still unknown, but Black race is one of the risk factors accepted by clinical practitioners. While AIDS is also generally accepted as a risk factor, it is not yet an accepted factor. The data for incidence rates, mortality rates, and trend over time of myeloma was collected on the United States Cancer Statistics and its Data Visualizer database (CDC, 2025), and data for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were collected from the Center for Disease Control National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention AtlasPlus (AtlasPlus - Tables, n.d.). Graphs were made with the collected data, which inferred similar trends of MM incidence and AIDS incidence in the five racial categories: White, Black, American Indian/Native, Asian, and Hispanic. Such racial disparities are assumed to be caused by structural, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects of the Black communities, discouraging Black individuals from early screenings, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV/AIDS and even those of cancers, and the instilled racism, cultural mistrust, social obstacles, and limited access to healthcare/pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are the contributing factors to such community behaviors. Further studies and research on biomedical and genetic aspects are necessary, but current statistics suggest that there is an association between AIDS and multiple myeloma, intensifying the racial disparities among the diagnoses of the two conditions.

Cells use liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to create biomolecular condensates, which are dynamic, “membraneless organelles” that facilitate processes such as signalling and vesicle trafficking. Condensates created from LLPS between proteins often form through multivalency, a common molecular interaction. Polyubiquitin, a protein tag involved in vesicle trafficking, is useful for studying multivalency-driven LLPS due to its repeating domains. A deeper understanding of protein condensates can provide insights into the biophysics of cellular transport, with potential implications for drug delivery, cancer, and age-related disease.

We modeled condensate formation by using two artificially-designed proteins: a GFP-tagged polyubiquitin construct (UB4-GFP), and a sixfold repeat of a ubiquitin binding domain connected by flexible linkers (FlexHexaUBD). We expressed these proteins in E. coli, purified using Ni-NTA affinity and size-exclusion chromatography, characterized via SDS-PAGE, estimated molarity using Nanodrop and BCA assays, and imaged using fluorescence microscopy. Upon mixing, distinct droplets consistent with successful multivalent interactions and LLPS were observed, influenced by protein concentration. These results form the basis for further experimentation to elucidate the effects of flexible linkers and ubiquitin repetitions on condensate formation, to use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure the properties of these condensates, and to observe our constructs’ impact on phase separation and clustering in membrane models.

In recent decades, the use of single-use plastics has significantly increased. Less than ten percent of plastics are recycled, and the remaining plastics slowly degrade into micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), which studies indicate may interfere with female reproductive processes. Additionally, plastics leach phthalates, chemical additives that improve plastic durability, which are known reproductive toxicants. Both phthalates and MNPs can translocate to organs throughout the body, including the placenta, which is a vital organ developed during gestation to support the embryo. While humans are exposed to both nanoplastics and phthalates on a daily basis, there are currently no studies that have analyzed the impacts of co-exposure on placental health. To test our hypothesis that co-exposure to phthalates and nanoplastics will have a significantly larger negative impact on fetal development as opposed to exposure to phthalates or nanoplastics individually, we will orally dose pregnant CD-1 mice with either vehicle control, 200 nm secondary lab-generated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics at 2 mg/kg/day, a phthalate mixture at 200 µg/kg/day, or a combination of nanoplastics and phthalates for 10 gestational days. The placentas and fetuses will be collected following the dosing period to identify exposure-related changes to the size and weight of the fetuses and placentas. This research will help determine if co-exposure to nanoplastics and phthalates has additional negative impacts on placental and fetal development. Future studies should analyze the impacts on the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway, a critical pathway in the development of the placental structure, immune response, and trophoblast invasion in order to understand the impact of nanoplastics and phthalates at the genetic level. This study provides insight into the potential negative health impacts as a result of co-exposure to both phthalates and nanoplastics.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory, cognition, and behavior. AD poses a growing public health crisis, particularly in aging populations. Although genetic predisposition influences susceptibility to developing AD, environmental factors such as lifestyle, diet and exercise have a significant effect on the progression of AD. This literature review examines the effectiveness of four different dietary approaches that may delay the onset and slow progression of AD, based on existing scientific literature. The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (polyphenols), reduced cognitive decline. The DASH diet is clinically effective in managing hypertension and indirectly benefits brain health, though its impact on AD prevention is less pronounced. The MIND diet, designed with brain health in mind, shows the strongest evidence of slowing cognitive aging even when adherence to the diet is moderate. Lastly, the Ketogenic diet shows promising data on the ability to bypass impaired glucose metabolism in the brain of patients with AD and reduce neuroinflammation. Together, these findings have shown promising potential for food as medicine and indicated protective effects on brain health and cognitive function.