ikatkov/journal-of-student-research-hs-articles huggingface dataset:
The Prevalance of Female Genital Mutilation in India
Authors: Anjani Nanda; Vandanee Ramani
Date: 05-31-2022

Female Genital Mutilation is a deep-rooted cultural practice in several cultures in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Although in the modern ages, through the impacts of migration and increasing social awareness, this practice is being abandoned by several, it is still a custom being practiced in secrecy by small groups of individuals across the world. This study aims to evaluate the Delhi NCR public’s understanding of the practice and whether increased awareness amongst them would encourage individuals to work towards eradicating the practice. In order to measure this, a survey was carried out on 103 participants from the Delhi NCR Region containing an informative video on the basics of Female genital mutilation and participants were asked mirroring questions before and after viewing the video on their emotions towards the topic, their level of awareness and their likelihood of intervention. The results were analyzed using a paired t-test and descriptive statistics. These results were then presented in the forms of tables and charts, and the alternative hypothesis was retained stating that participants felt better informed, viewed the issue with higher importance and felt more emotionally motivated by the practice after viewing the video. The study implies that an increased level of information and awareness of the topic can lead to increased participation in eradicating the practice and showed how useful even general and basic knowledge on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation created a large impact on the participants.  &nbsp;  Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation, Delhi NCR, Bohra, Khatna  &nbsp;
The Inequitable Distribution of Government Funds: The Case of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans
Authors: Jayden Ko; Jong Kim, Jane JaKyung Han
Date: 05-31-2022

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a wave of challenges to the U.S. economy, from skyrocketing unemployment to state-wide lockdowns which hampered many small businesses. GDP dropped by 8.9% in the second quarter of 2020, and susceptible industries such as Restaurants, Hotels, and Airlines faced the brute of these hardships. In response, the U.S. government initiated enormous Keynesian spending programs to inject liquidity into the economy and support businesses, establishing low interest rates and offering generous loan forgiveness. From March 2020 to June 2022, the government distributed nearly $4.5 trillion in total budgetary resources to mitigate the struggles faced by Americans. Specifically, the Small Business Administration (SBA) leveraged the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) Program to aid small businesses. This study sought to determine whether government funding was equitably distributed on the county level, and whether they resulted in higher employment. The findings reveal inequitable distribution of government funds based on the size of the county (funding per capita or funding per laborer) that may be explained by inequitable COVID-19 impacts (more targeted spending in more urban areas with greater concentration of businesses). Moreover, negative correlations exist between the number of direct payments and the unemployment rate, and the total funding amount and unemployment rate.
VR Workspace in the New Normal  Evaluation of Factors Influencing Indian Working Population’s Perception Towards use of VR Workspace in Work from Home Arrangements
Authors: Lakshya Goenka; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma
Date: 05-31-2022

For the past one year, we all have experienced life changing situations. Due to the lockdown because of Covid-19 virus, overnight, our lives shifted from the physical world to the online world. From offices, to schools, everything was operating virtually through a laptop screen. Instead of working with a group of people like in normal times, people were now isolated in their own bedrooms. To make the ‘new normal’ more productive, people started looking at the problem differently and came up with the idea of VR Workspace. It gave a more realistic feel to the whole WFH Arrangement. This research study is aimed to examine the viability of promoting VR Workspace and evaluate the factors that influenced the Indian Working Population perception towards the use of VR Workspace in online collaboration for improved Work From Home Arrangements. An online survey was conducted which included two short videos. The respondents had to rate the usage of VR before and after watching the video. The responses were divided into several social groups based on age, gender and job position. From the responses we can clearly see a difference before and after watching the video in the ratings for use of VR. From all the factors, the most influential factor was the headset being portable and wireless.
A Novel and Low-Cost Visual Aid for Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients to Improve Peripheral Vision Loss
Authors: Ganesh Venu; Susanne Stafford
Date: 05-31-2022

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic eye disorder that affects 1 in 3000-8000 people worldwide and causes the deterioration of the light-sensitive pigmented layer of the eye. Typical symptoms include night blindness and subsequently decreasing visual fields. Unfortunately, the specific cause of RP is not known and there is no cure. The disease is currently managed by expensive visual aids ranging from $3000 to $6000. This creates a need to develop affordable glasses for the common individual. In this study, 3D printed glasses were developed that enhanced the peripheral vision of the mocking RP patient (student researcher) utilizing external smartphone wide-angle lenses. To test different levels of tunnel vision, 3D printed circular discs with hole sizes of 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm were created representing the varying severity of vision loss in RP patients. These discs were inserted in the frames of 3D printed glasses with and without wide-angle lenses. The student researcher validated these glasses on a bullseye model and observed a doubling in the visual field. Three replication data was collected comparing normal vision and different levels of RP (using tunnel vision discs) with and without the wide-angle lens glasses. Regression analysis of data generated from a Monte Carlo Simulation and T-Test procedure further confirmed a statistically significant increase in the visual field utilizing wide-angle lens glasses.&nbsp; Thus, a cost-effective visual aid ($20) was developed by the student researcher to improve peripheral vision and break socio-economic barriers for RP patients.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Exploring What Determines Value For The Ocean
Authors: Sabhyata Joshi; Srishti Kapoor
Date: 05-31-2022

Housing 15% of the world's species, regulating climate, and providing half of human oxygen, the ocean is quite literally mankind’s lifeline. Unfortunately, this lifeline is dying. It is predicted that by 2050, over 1 million of the ocean’s species will be lost to plastic, which makes up a greater percent of the ocean than fish. Hong Kong’s flourishing marine trade and abundant use of plastic makes it especially susceptible to this threat. The problem, of course, is not limited to this. Brain biases prevent humans from assessing the dangers of the long term threat, and along with echo chambers they serve to spread these limiting views. To address the issue, this study aims to assess what factors generate value (internalized care) for the ocean and consequently lead to action in a largely young adult population. In the study, 81 participants were presented with a 15 question survey about their experience with the ocean and results were analyzed using qualitative analysis. It was found that the two major value generation factors were proximity to the ocean and experiencing life below water. The findings pose implications in supporting the increase of workplace and school efforts to augment proximity to the ocean as well as of advocacy missions which bring the ocean and its threats to the individual, allowing them to experience the underworld without restriction.
An Estimation of Hailstone Radii using the Collatz Conjecture
Authors: Rhea Gupta; Morena Porzio
Date: 05-31-2022

There is an alleged&nbsp;connection&nbsp;between a much researched, yet unsolved math problem, the Collatz conjecture, and a quite common, damaging meteorological phenomenon: hailstorm. The relationship would be that,&nbsp;in sequences generated by Collatz algorithm, the way in which numbers rise and fall resembles hailstones going up and down inside a cloud, whence the name&nbsp;“Hailstone sequences”. The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, to use JavaScript to research on the Collatz conjecture with the perspective of a high-school student. Our algorithm tested a generalized form of the conjecture for multiple primes (3, 5, 7) and signs (+,). The Pearson correlation coefficient found between the initial value and, respectively, the total stopping time or the maximum value reached excluded any linear correlation. The&nbsp;second (and main) goal was to assess the hypothesis whether hailstones could indeed follow a Collatz-like function trajectory, studying the implication on the radii of them. Introducing the concept of conversion formula, we estimated the final radii for different functions (straight line, square-root, square, logarithmic, exponential), unit of measures (from Km to mm), and starting heights ranging from 4000m to 10000m, should the motion of hailstones behave like a Collatz function. In all but one case, we did not get radii believable in size, and reasonably randomly distributed. For the linear formula (in cm), the -test values between our estimated values and Nelson’s model values are above the critical values. Hence, we should reject the initial hypothesis.
The Government's Role in U.S. Health Care
Authors: Grace Martin; Keenan Reader
Date: 05-31-2022

This paper will discuss the different aspects of the government’s role in the United States health care system. It will look into private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare which will point out how politics have become involved in the discussion of people’s health and their lives. It will also discuss the health care system of the Canadian government, to compare and contrast the differences between the two systems. The purpose of this study is to understand how the United States government is involved in the health care system and how it can be changed for betterment of Americans. It will become clear after reviewing the United States and Canada, that if the US were to switch to a universal coverage system Americans would be better off because everyone would be covered. The information in this paper is a reflection of how one change can make the health care system of America beneficial to everyone.
Impact of Globalization on the Manufacturing Sector of India and China
Authors: Mahek Gupta; Emma Campbell-Mohn
Date: 05-31-2022

This research paper explores the impact of globalization on the manufacturing sector of India and China. It compares the manufacturing sectors of India across four factors: demand and supply of labour, labour cost, literacy rate, and productivity. Through this comparison, the paper concludes that while the trends in both India and China’s economies remained similar before globalisation, China’s manufacturing sector eventually grew much faster due to its access to better technology and skilled labour. The impact of globalization in the manufacturing sector is seen through capital as the economies shifted into the secondary sector with the increase in technological advancement. But how do these shifts unfold in developing economies? This paper analyses the labour market of India before and after globalization and the findings are compared to the labour market of China during the same period.
Applicability to the Polak Model as a Factor Affecting the Outcome of Austerity Policies
Authors: Pranav Marneni, Aadarsh Battula; Joel Miller
Date: 05-31-2022

Many of the IMF’s loans to struggling countries require the borrowing country to implement austerity. A set of policies meant to restore a country’s economy and ensure that the IMF’s loans are effective. Though the policies work in some countries, in others they lead to economic decline. As the IMF continues to place austerity it is important to understand factors that could be affecting the outcome of these policies to prevent economic disaster. We theorize that the Polak Model, an economic model underlying the justification behind austerity, doesn’t apply to all countries, leading to poor economic policy due to an incorrect understanding of a country’s economy. To test if applicability to the relations outlined by the Polak Model is a key variable leading to the mixed outcomes of austerity we examined countries where austerity was detrimental (Greece and Argentina) and countries that were better off after austerity (Estonia and Croatia) by reviewing existing research on the countries’ economies’ application to the Polak Model and outcomes of austerity measures in those countries. We hypothesize that if austerity measures were detrimental to a country’s economy, then it would fail to fit the Polak model while a country that improved following austerity would fit the model. We find that our hypothesis is supported, indicating that the IMF must evaluate to which countries the Polak Model applies before pushing austerity instead of assuming that the model holds true for all countries and implementing ineffective policy based on flawed economic reasoning.
Challenges Faced by Patients while Undertaking Treatment for Tuberculosis
Authors: Suveera Batra; Dr. Pallavi Parwar
Date: 05-31-2022

Despite the immunisation of 92% of the Indian population against tuberculosis with the bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine (Statistica, 2019), India recorded 79,000 deaths due to this bacterial infection (The Times of India, 2020). Professionals in the field have tried to find the reason behind&nbsp; the high mortality and high infection rate in the country with the aim of eliminating tuberculosis in India by 2025 as part of the TB National Strategic Plan. A significant reason identified for this phenomenon is non-adherence to treatment due to challenges faced by the patients while undertaking treatment. The aim of the present research study is to identify the challenges faced by&nbsp; Indian tuberculosis patients visiting a dispensary in South Delhi undertaking treatment for tuberculosis and evaluating their relative importance in influencing their treatment experience through a mixed-method approach. The study was carried out by conducting a survey via phone with 35 Tuberculosis patients. Financial difficulties/loss of job/ school was found to have the highest mean rating which mirrors the trend in other developing countries such as Bangladesh. The study has implications for the government at different levels and private hospitals can be convinced that providing free-of-cost treatment is not enough and more budget should be allocated to tuberculosis treatment to ensure that patients receive a wholesome diet during and post-treatment. These changes combined would be a great step to improving public health crises such as the transmission of infectious diseases in developing countries like India.
The Molecular Mechanism of Vitamin D3 in Mitigating Pathological Formation of Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Brianna Kwan; Dr. Wei Zhu
Date: 05-31-2022

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has been in the spotlight of research for decades, but despite efforts aiming to discover treatments, there is still no effective therapy that targets PD pathology. Vitamin D3, however, has been identified as a promising chemical in mitigating the effects of alpha synuclein (⍺-syn), a hallmark protein in diagnosing PD. Mitochondrial complex I is a protein complex that produces oxidative stress, an effect that can lead to symptoms of PD. Rotenone, a chemical which induces PD-like effects was used to set a PD model. This study focused on the anti-PD effects of vitamin D3 in attenuating rotenone through mitochondrial complex I. Treatments were tested by measuring cell proliferation, rotenone induced necrosis, and rotenone induced apoptosis. Varying concentrations of vitamin D3 proved to reduce cytotoxicity substantially. Caspase activity in apoptosis decreased with vitamin D3 presence, suggesting that cell death was mitigated. In addition to using in vitro rotenone PD models, molecular docking was used to depict vitamin D3, rotenone, and mitochondrial complex I interactions. To our knowledge, this was the first study to use vitamin D3 and mitochondrial complex I in a molecular docking analysis in addition to utilizing rotenone to study PD. Docking established a connection between mitochondrial complex I, rotenone, and vitamin D3 by displaying a strong bond between molecules. This ultimately suggested that vitamin D3 can indirectly mitigate oxidative stress by attenuating rotenone and ⍺-syn through mitochondrial complex I, thus limiting the presence of ⍺-syn, which is seen in elevated amounts in PD.&nbsp;
Securing a Safe City  Labor Conditions of the Residential Security Guards in Hong Kong
Authors: Janice Shen; Fernando Montero
Date: 05-31-2022

While contemporary ethnographies on “security” focus on abstract notions of safety or the active implementation of security measures, this paper dives into the passive, subconscious structures shaping the labor conditions of residential security guards in Hong Kong. Private security forces have been around since ancient civilization and are so familiar that they have become vastly overlooked in modern society, camouflaging within the social landscape. However, private security forces are everywhere in Hong Kong, crucial to the high levels of safety and convenience of the city’s residents. Security companies display consistent employment practices showing the intrinsic nature of how companies manage their labor in a capitalist economy. This paper depicts how divides between socio-economic groups and security perceptions channel middle-aged or elderly sectors towards residential security guard employment. Additionally, labor management strategies and relationships between residents and security guards further reinforce the structure of dominance, maintaining the status quo while preventing the security guards from unionizing and creating change.
Epigenetics and Genetics of Schizophrenia
Authors: Dyuti Ganesh
Date: 05-31-2022

Millions of people around the world suffer from schizophrenia and the resulting delusions, social withdrawal and other symptoms. All of these symptoms have treatments available such as anti-psychotics and therapy. However, these treatments are merely symptomatic and do not address the root of the disorder. The treatments can dull the impact of the symptoms of schizophrenia but cannot treat the disorder itself, therefore more effective treatments must be offered. Schizophrenia is an extremely heritable disorder, so genetics, as well as epigenetics, plays a crucial role in the prevalence and severity of the disorder. Studying the epigenetics and genetics of schizophrenia can help to gain a more thorough understanding of the disorder to help develop and test treatments that aren’t just symptomatic. There have been various studies searching for parts of the genome that could play a role in an individual’s likelihood to develop schizophrenia and gene therapy could be used to edit these parts of the genome. Epigenetics refers to the alteration in how one’s body reads the genome using histone modification. Although there is minimal research in the area and as a result, there are also no treatments currently being researched or tested, epigenetic treatments have the potential to become a revolutionary treatment for schizophrenia. However, considering the lack of knowledge and research surrounding epigenetics, currently, genetic treatment has more likelihood of being a useful treatment in the near future. Nonetheless, increased research about epigenetics and genetics can help create more treatments to help those suffering from this disorder.
Putting the Jury System on Trial
Authors: Nathan Chan; John Yates
Date: 05-31-2022

The Sixth Amendment guarantees all United States citizens the “right to an impartial jury.” Yet, this is not the case. In this paper, I will focus on examining the racial bias and the prejudice against under-resourced defendants that plague the criminal justice system. However, I will argue that these flaws stem from the execution, not the theoretical basis, of jury trials. Rather, trials by jury are uniquely suited to encourage civic participation while preventing tyranny, which are key pillars of American democracy. Nonetheless, without action, the prejudice that has rendered jury trials unconstitutional will stop real justice from ever being reached. Thus, should a response be prompted against trials by jury, it should be one that reforms its bias and prejudice, instead of abolishment. In this paper, I will first discuss the failings of jury trials, before justifying why they should not be abolished and thereafter providing suggestions for their improvement.
The Ways of preservation of Indian music for Generation X and Generation Z
Authors: Simra Faisal; Dr. Mritunjay Sharma
Date: 05-31-2022

Overtime, there has been a loss of appreciation for music, as many people choose to listen to different types of songs and stay in their comfort zones. Due to this, many important pieces of art are being lost and remain unexplored. The present study focuses on identifying ways to preserve Indian music in order to conserve the feeling of home and familiarity which they instill. Thus, it also aims to bring people closer, explore uncharted genres, find ways to bridge their differences and form bonds. The research consisted of six Hindi songs out of which three were from generation X (40-50) and the rest from generation Z (15-20) living in Delhi NCR (Gurgaon). The main focus was to gather participants’ views on each song&nbsp; and use their opinions to identify methods of preservation. It was observed that many of the participants of both generations had similar viewpoints on each song. Through this, the study was able to shed light on the main factors which can affect a person’s thought process on how music stirs different emotions for everybody. The findings were different from the assumption that there was a large gap between generations' music tastes. Music for people is about comfort, happiness and emotional support, over just being a means of superficial entertainment. It is a very subjective and immersive experience for people from both the generations and it shouldn't be simply confined to any one era or relatability factor, as it transcends thresholds.
Exploring Gender Inequality in Shonen Manga: A Cross-Sectional Study of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto
Authors: David Mun
Date: 05-31-2022

The Naruto series is one of the most popular manga series in history, continuing with creator Masashi Kishimoto’s sequel story Boruto. Because it is a product of both the Shonen genre and Japanese patriarchy, the series funnels problematic sexist components in its female characterizations, all targeting a young male audience. As one of the most-read manga of all time, this issue poses a great threat of cementing obsolete sexist values in the younger generation and inspiring other literature to follow suit. Thus far, significant research on the connection between Japanese culture and gender themes in the manga is lacking. Therefore, this paper aims to address this gap in research and provide for future research in identifying and quantifying sexism through character strength and roles in stories. The paper synthesizes previous literature on Japanese culture, the Shonen genre, and Kishimoto’s influences, in addition to qualitative research comparing power rankings of female and male characters in Naruto and the identification of gender roles assigned to its female characters. The paper concludes by establishing the presence of sexism in the series and calling for a more dignified characterization of its female characters in the series Boruto.