Vedika Handa

Vedika Handa is a student at the Indian High school, Dubai. This paper was prepared by Vedika as a part of her course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

Depression and anxiety are illnesses of modernity and valuable adaptations of the past. Reviewing the evolutionary theories allows us to understand the adaptive advantages of the symptoms of depression and anxiety and how it benefits survival and evolutionary fitness. Thus, an evolutionary perspective proposes that psychiatry should consider disorders and disabilities in new ways. Natural selection has shaped the complexity of the human brain, including normal functioning and the possibility for dysfunctions, during evolutionary time. Reviewing the adaptive advantages of these disorders does not imply that they are necessary and useful in our modern environments. Depression still is one of the leading causes of deaths; 700,000 people die annually and it is estimated to affect 3.8% of the population worldwide (World Health Organization 2021). Finding a cure for these disorders may not be a prime focus for the future but minimizing negative interactions with our modern environment could be one of the future avenues of research. In conclusion, understanding the evolutionary origins of mental disorders is essential for a thorough understanding of the problem and its possible solutions.

Ria Raghu

Ria Raghu is a student at National Public School, Bangalore, India. This paper was prepared by Ria as a part of her course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

It is well established that emotions play a key role in human social and economic decision making. People evaluate objective features of alternatives such as expected return subjectively. Emotions are understood to influence these subjective evaluations. In this paper, I will explore how emotions and emotion regulation strategies affect an individual while trading in (high-risk) stocks.

Adithya Nair

Adithya.B.Nair is a student at Trivandrum International School (India). This paper was prepared by Adithya as a part of his coursework for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

My research question- How can Emotion Regulation help consumers avoid cognitive biases when exposed to personalized products (The IKEA Effect)? This question is answered by using the above-mentioned strategies to regulate our emotions in different situations. The "Fallacy of Uniform Efficacy" mentioned in Bonanno and Burton's article serves as another reason why we need a robust repertoire. A person's ability to control their emotions is more effective when they have a larger range of strategies to use. Often, individuals will use several strategies to regulate their emotions effectively, so knowing which strategies to use in what situation is very important. The IKEA effect has been a part of many customers' lives and it has cost them a lot. A simple issue like the IKEA effect should not be looked down upon and it should be avoided by customers to maintain a healthy experience when they shop for products. The emotion regulation strategies are effective and could potentially save customers their money.

Dhruv Sadani

Dhruv Sadani is a student at La Martiniere For Boys, Kolkata, India. This paper was prepared by Dhruv as a part of his course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

EPR is a “something for everyone” spectroscopy: practical and useful EPR applications on biomolecules and models can range from very simple to very involved experiments and analyses. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, also known as electron spin resonance spectroscopy, provides detailed information about the electronic structure of metal centers with unpaired electrons and interactions with neighboring nuclear or electron spins. Samples may be in fluid solution or solid state. The research paper focuses on examining and analyzing 5 different bio-chemical samples, thereby making observations about it and its electronic structure with the help of EPR signals and their respective g-values. The g-values help us predict the structure of the compound as well as the nature of the unpaired electron .In case of hyper- fine structures, nuclear spins are also calculated for the samples. In essence, EPR is a very important technique giving us a great deal of information about the spin state of ions, the nature of ligands that surround the chemical sample, the interaction of the ions with the lattice, among others.

Saanvi Singla

Saanvi Singla is a student at Vivek High School, Chandigarh, India. This research project was undertaken by Saanvi as part of her undergraduate coursework for Environmental Sciences and Sustainability under the guidance of Prof. Eric Pallant at Allegheny College.

The planet’s climate has gone rogue with intense heat waves in one zone to raging storms in another. The magnitude of the problem has compelled individuals to take immediate action for awareness. This study analyses the temperature trends in July 2021 in Chandigarh, India. It aims to determine if even Chandigarh, one of the greenest cities in India, is challenged by climate change. Our methodology consisted of a statistical evaluation of July temperature data for the past 13 years to test this hypothesis.

Krithi Raghavan

Krithi Raghavan is a student at Candor International school, India. This paper was prepared by Krithi Raghavan as a part of her course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

This paper evaluates the impact that the knowledge of nudge theory, digital nudging, and the study of behavioural economics, has had on understanding e-commerce consumer behaviour. Owing to the pandemic, and other conveniences of online shopping being made more aware of, the global increase in online shopping rose by 24.1% from $3.46 trillion to a stooping $4.29 trillion (young, 2021). This numerically provides evidence of the relevance that study in this area might provide. Humans are considered to have a few inherent biases/ hindrances that make them less rational. Against the assumptions of neoclassical economics which assumes complete consumer rationality, cognitive limitations constrain human judgement and choice, people occasionally make choices that are against their own interests and people are often altruistic. This study delves into the understanding of various biases or heuristics that producers/firms use to create nudges and influence consumer behaviour. Availability, representativeness, and anchoring and adjustment heuristics are the specific biases discussed in this paper.

Chahit Jain

Chahit Jain is a student at The Heritage School, Kolkata, India. This paper was prepared by Chahit as a part of his course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

Electron Paramagnetic resonance or electron spin resonance is a versatile and analytical technique that allows us to study different types of samples: inorganic, biological, free radicals, etc., in different states (solid, frozen solution,etc.), at different temperatures and gives us information about each sample such as the identification of the metal, the effect of solvents on biological samples and the presence of hyperfine structure to characterize paramagnetic centers in bioinorganic, organic, and inorganic materials and molecules. These measurements are enabled with the help of paramagnetic species, such as organic free radicals and ions, electronically excited states, and metal-ligand compounds, some of which with biological importance. The EPR spectral analysis of DPPH (at room temperature), dry myoglobin, myoglobin in H2O & glycerol (at 77K), and MnCl2 / H2O were recorded at Professor Doros Petasis’s Lab at Allegheny College. The effects of solvents on the EPR absorption spectrum have been discussed and analyzed by comparing the spectrum of myoglobin in varying solvent.

Pakin Pongpaiboon

Pakin Pongpaiboon is a student at Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, India. This paper was prepared by Pakin as a part of his coursework for LS-190 Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021

Global warming is a phenomenon with worldwide impacts and consequences. IPCC and various other internationally reputable organisations have provided evidence in support of warming temperature trends(IPCC 5th assessment report;IPCC 2014:47;NOAA Global climate change indicators,NASA GISTEMPv4)). However, most research on temperature changes are based on large scale measurements of countries,continents and global variations. The present research investigates the trend in temperatures in a single city: Jaipur(26° 55' N 75° 52' E) by analysing temperature variation within a single month (July) as well as the variation in pattern of temperature in July over a period of eleven years using first hand measurements as well as database averages. The findings of this study would help contextualize the variations of temperature within a city to changes of global temperature trend to answer the question: Is July temperature in Jaipur warmer than the average? The results demonstrate a cooling trend in July temperature over the period of eleven years and a cooling pattern of July temperature in 2021. Our work suggests that variation in temperature over a short time period is not definite and without a predictable pattern and the cooling temperature trend calls for further research to assess the implications of anthropogenic aerosols on Indian monsoon and other possible explanations of the observed trends in temperature.

Samah Ayana Kabir

Samah Ayana Kabir is a student at Scholastica, Bangladesh. This paper was prepared by Samah as a part of her course work for LS190 -Introduction to College Level Research course (Economics and Finance) at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

In this paper, the ranging effects of fiscal policy and how it affects an economy shall be discussed in an empirical analysis. The discussion shall extend around the fiscal policy which is a policy on basis of tax and government spending adjustments, the types of fiscal policy and how much of a vital role it plays in an economy, and then further discuss the aggregate demand concept. There shall also be a brief analysis of the Helicopter money and then move on to an in-depth analysis of the fiscal policy implementation according to continents. There shall also be a discussion about the designation of fiscal stimulus in a world affected by the novel coronavirus. Overall, it shall talk about fiscal policy, its components and complements, and its evolution over the years.

Niketh Surapaneni

Niketh Surapaneni is a student at Candor International School, Bangalore, India. This paper was prepared as a part of his course work for LS - 190 Introduction to College Level Research at Allegheny College during summer 2021

Electron spin resonance otherwise known as ESR is a method is a spectroscopy technique that is used to derive certain properties in materials that specifically tend to have unpaired electrons. By using an apparatus found in the lab of Dr. Petasis we were able to investigate the different g-values of certain samples which were tested in various states and various different conditions. The paper below attempts to observe each of these changes and why they have occurred (on the ESR spectra graphs) and what their significance is. In addition, the paper concludes with some fading thoughts on the future of electron spin resonance and as well as a final analysis to each sample that was tested along with suitable calculations (formulas provided).

Prisha Poddar

Prisha Poddar is a student at Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, India. This paper was prepared by Prisha as a part of her course work for LS190 - Introduction to College Level Research course at Allegheny College during summer 2021.

This paper recognises that the Textile Industry is one of the most environmentally, socially and economically unsustainable industries in the world. Through the study of literature and industrial practises, it suggests sustainable practises to stakeholders that can be integrated in the design, dyeing, sourcing, production and consumption stages of the fashion supply chain. It also analyses the implementation of these policies and insights through the case studies of two leading fashion brandsH&M and Patagonia. It is discovered that profitability-driven fast fashion brands like H&M are less trusted by consumers and undertake the bare minimum CSR efforts mostly as a marketing gimmick, as compared to slow fashion brands like Patagonia, who are innovators in the field of developing sustainable business models. However, though these brands may have made strides to reduce their environmental impact, they are still a long way from achieving socio-economic sustainability because apparel manufacturing factories mistreat workers and often pay them salaries below the living wage.

Shrawani Pal

Shrawani Pal is a student at Oberoi International School, India. This paper was prepared by Shrawani as a part of her course work for PSYCH 164 course at Allegheny College during Fall 2020.

The media example that will be evaluated in this paper is a TED-Ed animated video on YouTube. The video explores the question, ‘Why do people get so anxious about Math?’ by describing the concepts of working memory, metacognition and providing solutions. It has been found that people suffering from math anxiety do not experience decrements in performance simply due to mathematical incompetence (Ashcraft and Kirk 225). The video tries to convince students that it’s not poor math skills resulting in anxiety but actually vice-versa.

Siddhant Arora

Siddhant Arora is a student at Manav Rachna International School , India. This paper was prepared by Siddhant as a part of his course work for PHYS 110 course at Allegheny College during Fall 2020.

The current global pandemic of the respiratory disease known as COVID-19 has certainly become a persistent fear and constant part of our lives. To understand the spread of the virus and subsequently ascertain effective practices to curb the spread of the disease, it is necessary to understand the way the virus can be transported through the air in the form of aerosols. The research article provides a concise discussion of this airborne transmission in indoor environments from a physicist’s perspective and provides recommendations based on the results obtained to curb the spread of the virus.