Symposium Program - Office of Undergraduate Research

THANK YOU
The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to thank the following people
for their support of the Fall 2015 Undergraduate Research Symposium:
Sarah Laaker
Rudolph Clay
Clara McLeod
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
All Olin Librarians and Staff
The Staff of the Writing Center
Yihan Li
Members of Alpha Omega Epsilon
Members of JCUBES
FALL 2015
OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
http://ur.wustl.edu
research@artsci.wustl.edu
Joy Kiefer, Director
Kristin Sobotka
Jennifer Kohl
Stacy Ross
Saturday, October 10, 2015
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Laboratory Sciences Building
Olin Library
THANK YOU
The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to recognize the following
mentors who were nominated by their student researchers for “Mentor of the
Year.” We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize and express our
extreme gratitude to all our faculty mentors represented here today. We, along
with their students, greatly appreciate their tireless support of the academic and
personal growth.
Meghan Campbell and Jon Rogowski
We are grateful for the generous support provided by the following organizations
that have sponsored many of the projects presented today:
Alabama Space Grant Consortium
AllPeopleBeHappy
American Heart Association
Amgen Scholars Program
Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship Program
Burroughs Wellcome Foundation
Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
Center for Disease Control
Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI)
Disney Conservation Fund
Douglas Jerome Bodner Fund
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Monsanto
Morris Family Foundation
National Center for Advanced Translational Sciences
National Institutes of Health
National Science Foundation
Penn State University
Rowe Summer Study Abroad Scholarship
Saint Louis Zoo
Sigma Aldrich
U. S. Department of Defense
U. S. Department of Energy
Yeats Society
Washington University in St. Louis:
Career Center
Department of Anesthesiology
Department of Biology
Department of Computer Science
Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Physics/Delos Award
Department of Psychology
Honorary Scholars Undergraduate Research Award
I-CARES
McDonnell Center for Space Sciences
McKelvey Undergraduate Research Fund
Merle Kling Undergraduate Honors Fellowship
Musculoskeletal Research Center
Office of Undergraduate Research, Catherine F. Hoopes Endowment
School of Medicine
Siteman Cancer Center
Stern Summer Undergraduate Research Award
Tyson Research Center
W. H. R. Rivers Honors Undergraduate Research Award
Participants also wish to acknowledge the support of their research mentors, many of whom have
contributed funding from their grants to support undergraduate research experiences.
FALL 2015 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, October 10, 2015
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
AGENDA
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
OPENING SESSION
Laboratory Sciences, Room 300
WELCOME REMARKS
Chancellor Mark Wrighton
Dean Joy Kiefer
RECOGNITION OF 2015 MENTORS OF THE YEAR
Professor E. A. Quinn
Professor Ralf Wessel
INTRODUCTION OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dean Joy Kiefer
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Unleashing Curiosity
Timothy Bono, Assistant Dean,
College of Arts & Sciences
STUDENT PRESENTATION:
Much Ado about Commas:
Fixing Transcriptions of Early Modern Plays
Katherine Needham and Lydia Zoells
STUDENT PRESENTATION:
Orthographic Distinctiveness Effects:
An Item-Order Account
Nicholas Fierro
1:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
POSTER SESSION
Olin Library
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Presenters are listed alphabetically by last name.
FALLS AND PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMER DISEASE
Kathryn Achuck
Mentor: Susan Stark
We aim to understand the role of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as an increased risk factor for injury-related falls. Furthermore,
we would like to determine if preclinical AD could predict the severity of falls among cognitively normal, community-dwelling older
adults.
Through a secondary analysis on a retrospective cohort study, our goal is to understand how the preclinical AD status of participants,
characterized by biomarker levels and the mean cortical binding potential of Pittsburg Compound B (PIB) using PET imaging to
determine beta amyloid plaque accumulation in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), relates to the number of injurious falls. Falls
and fall severity were determined according to a questionnaire in an annual clinical assessment. We used a multivariable linear regression
analysis to determine the relationship between biomarker and PIB levels and the severity of falls at baseline and over a three-year period,
while controlling for other fall covariates. Findings from this study could help to identify additional risk factors for injurious falls, leading
to more specific and efficient fall prevention treatment.
CONSTRUCTION OF A MINIMAL NITROGEN-FIXING GENE CLUSTER AND
COMPUTATIONAL MODELING TO OPTIMIZE NITROGEN FIXATION
Blake Actkinson, David Ayeke, Charlotte Bourg, and Michael Toomey
Mentors: Tae Seok Moon and Fuzhong Zhang
Fixed nitrogen is an essential component of artificial fertilizers. However, given the heavy environmental and economic costs of
fertilizers, interest in biological nitrogen fixation has recently increased. One possible alternative to artificial fertilizers is to transfer the
highly active Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 nitrogen-fixing (nif) cluster to plant chloroplasts. However, further characterization of the
cluster is needed before that can be done. We attempted to determine the set of genes from the large Cyanothece nif cluster necessary for
nitrogen fixation and inserted our selected genes into two plasmids. In order to further characterize our minimal cluster, we developed
CRISPR/dCas9 knockdown plasmids and overexpression plasmids. Additionally, we studied a genome-scale model of nitrogen-fixing
E. coli through flux balance analysis that will help us optimize cofactors necessary for nitrogen fixation. We identified potential genetic
interventions and media modifications that could improve cell energy levels, growth, and production of fixed nitrogen.
BEAUTY PAGEANTS IN THE EARLY TURKISH REPUBLIC
Oya Aktas
Mentor: Nancy Reynolds
Following the establishment of the Republic and the expulsion of foreign powers from Anatolia, Turkish political leaders and
intelligentsia worked to cultivate cultural institutions that would constitute cultural identity. The founder of the Republic, Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk, enacted dramatic reforms to westernize and modernize Turkish society. His reforms included giving women the right to
vote, allowing women to hold public office, and changing the alphabet from Arabic script to Latin letters. To cement these reforms,
Republican leaders relied on cultural institutions. One such institution was a semi-official state newspaper established by Yunus Nadi
Abalıoğlu. The newspaper, called Cumhuriyet, meaning Republic, was established in Istanbul in 1924 and functioned as a tool to
disseminate state reforms.
One of the ways that Cumhuriyet attempted to shift social norms was through images of women. In the Ottoman harem structure,
men and women were heavily segregated; men dominated the public sphere, whereas women were sequestered in the private sphere.
Mustafa Kemal’s clothing reforms invited women to become more visible, and his political reforms made space in the public arena for
female participation. Cumhuriyet reinforced these changes by organizing one of the greatest opportunities for female visibility: a beauty
pageant.
From 1929 to 1933, Cumhuriyet chose Miss Turkey and sent her on to an international competition held in the U.S., called the
International Pageant of Pulchritude. Turkey’s participation in this international pageant indicates the importance it placed on
westernizing standards for Turkish women in order to become a member of the western international community. This
seldom-remembered event in history is one of the Republican state’s first attempts to use media to create a Turkish national identity and
it demonstrates how central women were to this new identity.
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EFFECT OF HABITAT ON NEGATIVE DENSITY DEPENDENCE IN A TEMPERATE FOREST
Evan Alger-Meyer and Diana Jerome
Mentor: Jonathan Myers
Forest biodiversity is thought to be maintained by negative density dependence (NDD), or the tendency of seedling trees to suffer higher
mortality rates in close proximity to conspecific adults. Biodiversity shows large-scale patterns across continents where higher latitudes
yield lower biodiversity and lower latitudes yield higher biodiversity, as seen in the species of temperate and tropical forests. Generally,
this is attributed to increased resource availability in tropical forests, but how resource availability enhances biodiversity is a subject of
some discussion. NDD has been proposed to suppress seedling homogeneity in a region, providing more opportunities for rare species
to proliferate, and preventing a single common species from dominating. We thought that it might be possible for a similar effect to
appear in local regions within a forest, where biodiversity would increase in nutrient-rich regions because of a greater influence of NDD
on seedling mortality. We were able to study the effect of NDD on conspecific seedling recruitment by comparing seed to seedling density
within the 20-hectare Forest Plot at the Tyson Research Center. In particular, we looked at this effect across an environmental gradient
within the plot, determined in large part by resource availability. We found that NDD did vary across these environments, increasing in
effect as soil resources became more concentrated. While we expected to see this reflect an enhanced effect of NDD on more common
species relative to rare species in the forest, allowing maintenance of biodiversity, NDD showed a similar trend across all species studied.
This implies that while NDD does vary across habitat gradients, it does not necessarily increase diversity in resource-rich environments
EFFECTS OF EXOTIC PLANTS ON PHYLOGENETIC STRUCTURE
OF PLANT-POLLINATOR NETWORKS
Brenda Alvarado
Mentor: Tiffany Knight
Many exotic plant species establish populations in their introduced range despite being decoupled from their co-evolved pollinators.
The goal of my study was to examine how well exotic plant species integrate into plant-pollinator networks in their introduced range
and how the presence of exotic plant species changes the phylogenetic structure and plant pollinator interactions. We collected a
plant-pollinator network for 22 native and 22 exotic plant species that co-flower at the Tyson Research Center. This network was created
by collecting pollinators off of the native and invasive flowering plants and identifying them using insect keys. We determined the degree
to which plant-pollinator interactions were phylogenetically structured by creating a phylogenetic distance matrix for plants, creating an
ecological distance matrix for plants based on their shared assemblages of pollinators, and correlated these using a Mantel’s test. Our
results reveal the degree to which the presence of exotic plants influence the phylogenetic structure of plant-pollinator interactions, and
thus the degree to which exotic plants have integrated themselves into these networks.
MUTATED EPCAM DRIVING EPITHELIAL TO MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION
IN BASAL CANCER CELLS
Anusha Amaravathi
Mentor: Narendra Sankpal
Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women. As cancer progresses into the later stages, spreading to distant sites
(metastasis) is observed. Epithelial cells lose adhesion and transition to an invasive mesenchymal phenotype. EpCAM (Epithelial Cell
Adhesion Molecule) is a transmembrane protein that is necessary for cells to adhere to each other. In basal cancers, EpCAM is localized
to the cytosol of the cells. In previous studies about basal breast cancer cells, EpCAM in the cytosol was shown to have poor prognosis.
We hypothesized that the L-240A mutation which causes EpCAM to translocate to the cytosol will induce EMT (Epithelial Mesenchymal
Transition) in cells. We developed a gene signature of cells that had cytoplasmic localized EpCAM. We utilized RT-PCR (Real Time
Polymerase Chain Reaction) to investigate the expression of mesenchymal and epithelial markers in MCF-10 cancer cells that
overexpressed Ras. Ras is an oncogene that is overexpressed in many cancer cell types and is a precursor for many oncogenic pathways.
We observed that epithelial markers such as E-Cadherin to be downregulated and mesenchymal gene markers such as ZEB2 and ZEB1
to be upregulated significantly in cells with this L240A EpCAM mutation. In the Ras overexpressed cells with the EpCAM mutation, the
cells were proliferating rapidly and forming highly dense focal areas of cells. We concluded that Ras activation might be interacting with
the cytosolic localized EpCAM to drive epithelial cells to transition to mesenchymal cells. In the future, we will work on identifying the
mechanism of how EpCAM is driving breast cancer cells to transition to mesenchymal cells.
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COMMUNICATION AS A SOLUTION TO EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE:
A SENEGALESE EXAMPLE
China Anderson
Mentor: Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo
Identification and awareness of the differences among populations regarding health outcomes and health determinants are essential
steps towards reducing the disparities in communities at greatest risk. How can someone who does not live in a community or experience
the culture of the target population be capable of developing that community? In a Senegalese society where social dynamics play an
important role in everyday life, healthcare research is most effective when it implements one-on-one communication between
researchers and members of the target population. A simple internet search about health disparities in Senegal reveals lack of funding as
a major factor contributing to poor health outcomes. However, interviewing a variety of healthcare professionals revealed a more
nuanced picture of the population’s needs and Senegal’s holistic approach to healthcare. During this research in Senegal, I interviewed
many different healthcare professionals and in the process learned the importance of health provider–patient communication in
Senegal’s health advocacy campaigns and sensitization programs. Thus, healthcare research and solutions to healthcare disparities in
Senegal are complex due to the emphasis on unique communication and mobilization techniques, as well as the employment of
untrained health workers in the healthcare system. All of these factors have provided a unique approach to healthcare in Senegal while
the regionalization of the system continues to impact its effectiveness.
LAS MADRES DE PLAZA DE MAYO TODAY:
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ITS FRACTURED FACTIONS AND LASTING SYMBOLISM
Sondra Anton
Mentor: Ignacio Sánchez-Prado
Through interviews and archival research, I conducted research on three different factions of the original Madres de Plaza de Mayo cause
in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, and Abuelas de Plaza de
Mayo. I conclude that although their original cause of demanding the whereabouts of their disappeared children united them, they are
now deeply fragmented among one another due to their differing opinions of how to achieve justice in post-Dirty War Argentina.
Furthermore, it is interesting to note the commercialization and politicization of the Asociación Madres de Plaza de Mayo, compared to
the vocal anti-government, revolutionary stance that drove them to the far left of their peers. Despite a small empire of sorts being built
around the symbolism of their token white scarves and weekly protests, it is interesting to note that for the two Madres groups (excluding
the Abuelas), the future of their organizations after the eventual deaths of the original members is largely unclear. With this in mind, the
significance of this research is made greater and more pressing than ever before. Their advancing ages make it even more important to
record these women’s testimonies—in fact, after working to find her daughter and grandchild for nearly four decades, one woman
revealed that she had just turned 96 years old. It is clear that the symbolic presence of the original Madres de Plaza de Mayo cause, one
of demanding justice and preserving memory, is more pervasive than ever. In this manner, there is considerably less general public
attention paid to the specific differences and stances of each respective faction, as the way in which the Madres de Plaza de Mayo are
woven into the nation’s social fabric is utilized to promote perceptions of Argentine resilience to tourists and among citizens themselves.
ACTIVATION OF α1β3 GABAA RECEPTORS BY THE INTRAVENOUS ANESTHETIC PROPOFOL
Ruby Arora
Mentor: Gustav Akk
Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic that directly activates GABAA receptors and can potentiate responses to low concentrations of the
transmitter. A recent study on β3 homomeric GABAA receptors postulated a propofol binding site in the region separating the
extracellular and membrane-spanning regions, and involving the residues β3(Y143), β3(F221), and β3(Q224). Tryptophan substitutions
at these sites disrupted activation by propofol but had a modest effect on activation by another intravenous anesthetic, pentobarbital.
The goal of our study was to determine whether the same structure mediates activation of heteromeric α1β3 GABAA receptors by
propofol. To that end, we mutated selected residues in the β3 subunit and expressed the mutated β3v subunits with wild-type α1 subunits
in Xenopus oocytes. Receptor function was measured using two-electrode voltage clamp and analyzed in the Monod-Wyman-Changeux
allosteric protein framework. Our data show that tryptophan substitutions at β3(Y143), β3(F221), and β3(Q224) have modest effects on
propofol activation of α1β3 receptors. However, when combined with a tryptophan substitution at M286, a site previously shown to be
labeled by a photoreactive propofol analog, mutations to β3(Y143), β3(F221), or β3(Q224) exhibit drastically reduced propofol activation.
In the MWC framework, the effect manifests as a reduction in gating efficacy rather than altered affinity. Control experiments conducted
in the presence of GABA demonstrate that the mutations have relatively modest and additive effects on activation by the transmitter. We
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hypothesize that the α1β3 GABAA receptor contains two classes of binding sites for propofol. One class is located near the triplet of
residues β3(Y143), β3(F221), and β3(Q224), at the “-” side of the β3 subunit. The second class is located at the “+” side of the β3 subunit
near the M286 residue. Propofol interaction with either site can result in receptor activation; accordingly, side chain substitutions at both
locations are required to eliminate activation.
HEY! THAT’S CHEATING:
COOPERATION WITHIN PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS
Odion Asikhia
Mentors: Joan Strassmann and Dave Queller
Interactions between organisms play important roles in promoting diversity in nature. Consider altruistic cooperative interactions. In
these, forms of self-sacrifice by individuals occur for the well-being of the group. But periodically, cheaters, members that do not
participate in cooperative interactions, appear. Theoretical studies suggest that the presence of cheaters should result in a reduced
evolutionary fitness for the group, and the cooperative trait should disappear. Why then, do we find that both cooperating and cheating
forms of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) are able to coexist in the presence of Dictyostelium discoideum? In our experiment,
we will perform a competition between cheaters and cooperators. PF relies on iron for survival, but because iron is not easily accessible,
they produce siderophores, secreted molecules that bind and transport iron into a cell. Siderophore production is beneficial for the local
group but costly for the individual. Since cheaters do not expend energy in producing siderophores, but do import the siderophore iron
complex, they gain an evolutionary advantage. To test this model, we will knock out key genes within PF that allow for siderophore
production (PFX). Using PF and PFX, we will test three different conditions. Trial 1 where PF is grown by itself, trial 2 where PFX is
grown by itself, and trial 3 where both are grown together in a 1:1 ratio. All three conditions will be tested in an iron-deficient media, so
the bacteria’s growth are dependent on the use of siderophores. We predict the cheaters will out-compete the cooperative members in
trial 3. If our hypothesis is supported, then D. discoideum may play an important role in mediating the interaction between the cheaters
and cooperators in nature. Our research hopes to provide insight into how cooperation first evolved.
David Ayeke
See Blake Actkinson
ADENOVIRAL GENE PAINTING FOR USE IN CARDIOVASCULAR TISSUE ENGINEERING
Kailin Baechle
Mentor: Stacey Rentschler
In sick sinus syndrome, the heart’s pace-making ability does not function properly. A mechanical pacemaker is often implanted to restore
a normal heart rate. Current pacemakers have limited ability to change their rate based on physical needs and do not accommodate
growth. A biological pacemaker could theoretically address both of these issues. Recent studies have shown that Tbx18, a human
development transcription factor, induces a sinus nodal phenotype evidenced by increased heart rate and decreased dependence on a
backup mechanical pacemaker in a porcine model. Studies have also shown that β-catenin, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway,
induces certain nodal properties in mice. The goal of this work is to locally transduce mouse atrial cardiomyocytes with adenoviruses
expressing developmental transcription factors in order to reprogram them into sinus nodal cells. Gene painting is used to apply a
virus/polymer mixture to the left atrium of the mouse. NOD/SCID immunocompromised mice and wild-type mice were painted with
Ad5 adenovirus expressing GFP and luciferase and observed using bioluminescent imaging for long-term expression of virally delivered
genes and the role of the immune system in clearance of virally transduced cells. The photon flux from the NOD/SCID and wild-type
mice differed significantly after 3 days, with an 893–fold difference in photon flux at 23 days post gene painting. From this comparison,
the immune system was determined to be the cause of decreased expression of virally delivered genes in wild-type mice. At 23 days
post-gene painting, the hearts were evaluated for histology using frozen sectioning and antibody staining to characterize gene expression.
The NOD/SCID hearts showed localized GFP expression in left atrial myocytes, determined by co-staining with α-actinin. Future
experiments will use β-catenin/GFP and Tbx18/GFP adenoviruses for biological studies including RT-qPCR to analyze differences in
gene expression as well as functional studies to analyze effects on electrophysiological conduction.
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TOWARD THE QUANTIFICATION OF SITTING POSTURES THROUGH KINEMATIC DATA PROCESSING
Anna Bailes
Mentor: Linda Van Dillen
Low back pain (LBP) is a problematic musculoskeletal condition, with up to 80% of individuals experiencing LBP at some point in their
lives. LBP may be related to posture and movement during functional tasks. Sitting is one particular task that causes problems for many
patients, even after treatment. The purpose of this project was to develop quantitative measures for determining kinematic variables of
interest to assess sitting postures in patients with LBP.
Sixty-three participants (18-60 years) were subdivided into two LBP groups based on results from a clinical examination: rotation
and rotation with extension. Motion analysis markers on the S1, L3, and T12 vertebrae were captured using Vicon and analyzed using a
custom MATLAB code based on a previously published alignment model. Variables of interest were maximum flexion, extension, and
range of motion (ROM) in sitting for each participant. An independent samples t-test was performed to compare variables between LBP
subgroups. There was a significant difference in maximum flexion between LBP subgroups (p=.05, Cohen’s d=.521), but not in
maximum extension (p=.25, Cohen’s d=.298) or ROM (p=1.00, Cohen’s d=0).
Flexion angles for the rotation LBP sub-group were similar to previously published values; however, procedural differences make it
difficult to compare across studies. Results suggest that procedures developed in this project may effectively discriminate LBP subgroups
based on maximum flexion during sitting. In future studies, these calculated kinematic variables should be compared to pain and
disability under various treatment options.
CARBON FULLERENE RISK ASSESSMENT IN AQUEOUS MEDIA UNDER
NATURALLY OCCURRING CONDITIONS
Maria Baquerizo
Mentor: John Fortner
Although carbon fullerenes are widely used in the exponentially growing nanoparticle industry, there have not been enough studies
concerning the impact of carbon fullerene chemistry in natural systems, particularly in aqueous environments. In other words, the
studies of the different possible chemical reactions and molecular transformations of fullerenes when in natural systems are mostly based
on estimations and theoretical approaches. In the Fortner Lab, an appropriate risk assessment of C60 in aqueous media is being
performed. The goal is to obtain a molecular-level understanding of how fullerenes behave in aqueous systems in both dark and light
scenarios. The focus of this research was Phase 1 or Interfacial and stabilizing chemistry assessment. The purpose of Phase 1 is the
solvation of C60 in the aqueous media via photoexcitation and addition of oxidants (photochemistry). Research has shown that C60 can
be rendered ‘available’ in aqueous systems by forming a colloidal suspension of C60 aggregates (nC60). Prepared by the Solvation Method,
nC60 is rendered available by magnetic stirring of solid C60 in ultrapure water under both light and dark conditions. When nC60 becomes
available in the aqueous media, it is able to participate in any aqueous-based reactions. Another important goal to be achieved in Phase
1 is the detection of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) like hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, and superoxide in aqueous media where nC60
aggregates have formed. ROS play an important part in determining the formation and stability of the nC60 aggregates in the aqueous
media. Using electron acceptors like oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, it is the goal to find a direct relationship between the ROS formation
and the stability of nC60 in a water system, more specifically a relationship between ROS and the formation of the negative charge
attributed to the nC60 colloidal suspensions.
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF AUTOPHAGY IN AXON DEGENERATION AND CELL DEATH
Kelsey Barter
Mentor: Aaron DiAntonio
Neurodegenerative diseases including ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s are characterized by axon degeneration (AxD) as
well as death of neurons. Axons degenerate in response to injury through an active process that requires the toll-like adaptor protein
Sarm1. Activation of Sarm1 leads to AxD and cell death (sarmoptosis), however the other proteins involved in these pathways are
unknown. Past screens in the DiAntonio lab demonstrated that loss of autophagy-related protein 9 (Atg9) protects axons after injury.
Autophagy is the catabolic mechanism for degradation of unnecessary cellular components by lysosomes. It is unclear if AxD and
sarmoptosis occur through activation of autophagy or if Atg9, an essential autophagy protein, acts through an uncharacterized,
non-autophagic role to promote AxD. We tested several integral autophagy proteins but found that only knockdown of Atg9 causes mild
protection of axons following axotomy. However, knockdown of Atg2, Atg7 and Atg9 potently blocks Sarm1-mediated AxD and
sarmoptosis when using a chemically inducible system to mimic Sarm1 activation independent of axotomy. These results are surprising
because we would expect the same proteins to function downstream of Sarm1, regardless of the assay. It is possible autophagy is involved
with a distinct function of Sarm1 that leads to cell death and is not activated by axotomy. We will conduct epistasis experiments to place
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autophagy within other cellular events that follow Sarm1 activation. Our preliminary data suggest a previously undescribed link between
Sarm1 and the autophagy proteins, which if proven could lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
PREPARING THE SEARCH FOR HYDRODYNAMIC ELECTRONS IN GRAPHENE
Devon Berwick
Mentor: Erik Henriksen
The dynamics of electron transport within graphene are governed predominantly by the collisions that electrons make within graphene.
Within graphene, when most of the electron interactions occur with other electrons, it is predicted that the electrons will exhibit
hydrodynamic behavior. Measurement of such phenomena require very specific equipment. The development of a multi-channel
voltage-sweeping device as well as an accurate portable magnetometer are required for such experiments. We utilized low-cost
analog-to-digital converters to create an extremely low noise voltage source that has better noise characteristics than traditional voltage
sources like the Keithley 2400. We also developed a portable battery-powered magnetometer that functions over a large range of
magnetic fields and can be calibrated for a wide variety of measurements. This equipment allows for the development of experiments
to detect the hydrodynamic mode in graphene.
HOW COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS AFFECT MEAN DAILY CORTISOL DECLINE
Yash Bhatia
Mentor: Erin Linnenbringer
In this study, we looked at sense of community and neighborhood participation in relationship to diurnal cortisol patterns of a
186-person sample. We hypothesized that there will be an association between both neighborhood participation and sense of
community with mean daily cortisol decline as well as an association between an interaction of neighborhood participation and sense
of community with mean daily cortisol decline.
Sociodemographics and cortisol samples were collected as part of Healthy Environments Partnership (HEP) Wave 2 Community
Survey from Detroit, Michigan. By calculating average daily cortisol decline for 186 participants over the course of three days, we were
able to approximate HPA axis activity. Linear regression analysis was used in this study through the statistical software program STATA.
The covariates used included age, race, gender, poverty-to-income ratio, education, current smoking status, and BMI.
Mean daily cortisol decline and sense of community (p=.006, beta=-.264), neighborhood participation (p=.009, beta=-.585) and
their interaction term (p=.006, beta=.164) were all statistically significant. Further testing of the interaction term suggests that mean
daily cortisol decline was directly proportional to sense of community (p=.0014, beta=-.117) only when neighborhood participation
equaled one (i.e. no neighborhood participation).
We did not identify a direct relationship between mean daily cortisol decline and sense of community or neighborhood participation.
However, sense of community is associated with higher mean cortisol level decline among participants who reported that they were not
involved in any of the three activities that were used to assess neighborhood participation. The analysis is also statistically significant
when including the interaction term, pointing towards a more complex relationship between sense of community and neighborhood
participation than initially thought. A future study is recommended to more fully understand the relationship between these variables
and their impact on mean daily cortisol decline.
CONDUCTING NANOFIBRILLAR THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES FOR 3D PRINTING
Liana Bloom
Mentor: Julio D’Arcy
Polyaniline (PANi) is a conducting nanofibrillar polymer that is easily synthesized in bulk through solution-based oxidative radical
polymerization; this conjugated macromolecule is a semiconductor that is doped protonically. Interestingly, the pH of the environment
induces a color change in the polyaniline nanofibers, a dark blue color is characteristic of a de-doped, insulating state while, a dark green
color is representative of a doped, conducting state. Our goal is to apply the conducting properties of PANi to filaments utilized in fused
deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing for additive manufacturing applications. Commonly, materials for FDM are comprised of
thermoplastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and here we seek to develop advanced filaments from
conductive PANi/PLA composites.
PANi/PLA composites are fabricated via Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly resulting in a homogenous coating of polyaniline nanofibers
on PLA pellets. Typically, pellets are immersed in a positively charged aqueous dispersion of polyaniline nanofibers doped with
p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA), then transferred into an negatively charged aqueous dispersion of de-doped polyaniline nanofibers.
Each LbL cycle results in electrostatic adhesion between oppositely charged dispersions, thus forming a nanofibrillar bilayer; adding
more bilayers increases the conductivity of the composite. Variables such as nanofibrillar aspect ratio, pH of solution, and concentration
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of colloidal dispersion afford exquisite control at the molecular scale for reproducibly depositing thin, conformal coatings of nanofibers
of polyaniline on PLA pellets.
Charlotte Bourg
See Blake Actkinson
DISCOUNTING OF MONETARY REWARDS THAT ARE BOTH DELAYED AND PROBABILISTIC
Hyun Chul Cha
Mentor: Leonard Green
Delay discounting and probability discounting influence the value of the outcome through delayed amount of time and likelihood of
receiving the outcome. The hyperboloid function well describes both delay discounting and probability discounting; however, it is shown
that each discounting fundamentally differs as different amounts affect each discounting differently. Previous research looked at delay
discounting and probability discounting separately, not observing the combined version of two different types of discounting. Analyses
show that there is an inconsistent significant interaction from the additive model while there is a consistent significant interaction from
the multiplicative model. Results of the experiment show that hyperboloid is a great model to describe people’s everyday decision
making situations that involve both delayed and probabilistic.
INVESTIGATING THE CO-MORBIDITY BETWEEN TYPE II DIABETES AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Rishabh Chandak
Mentor: Jan Bieschke
Alzheimer’s disease and type II diabetes mellitus are two prevalent protein misfolding diseases. Their co-morbidity has raised questions
regarding potential interactions between the peptides that are implicated in each disease state. Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP)
aggregates in type II diabetes mellitus while amyloid beta 1-42 (AB42) aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease. It is our hypothesis that
interactions between these amyloidogenic peptides may result in coaggregation that could exacerbate the cellular toxicity associated with
each disease by increasing the amount of toxic oligomers over less toxic mature fibrils. These may occur via interactions that drive the
formation of hetero-fibrils and transient oligomers. Alternatively, IAPP and AB42 may be able to form stable hetero-oligomers, which
never reach the fibrillar form.
We performed cross-species aggregation assays between AB42 and IAPP to study the effects of seeding and co-aggregation between
the two proteins. The aggregation kinetics were monitored using fluorescent labels such as Thioflavin T and Alexa488 and the effects were
quantified using saturation concentration as the parameter. Saturation concentration is a measure of the protein’s driving force – it is
the lowest concentration at which monomers can be added to form aggregated fibrils. Results from the seeding assays indicate no major
effect of either protein on the other. From the coaggregation assays, it was seen that superstoichiometric amounts of AB42 lowered IAPP
saturation concentration, but not vice versa.
Ground state depletion (GSD) microscopy was used to image coaggregation of the proteins. Using stochastic optical reconstruction
microscopy (STORM), the images were reconstructed to analyze the aggregates. It was seen that pure aggregates of both AB42 and IAPP
have distinct fibrillar structures, however, coaggregates have non-fibrillar morphology. The next step in the study is to confirm using
microscopy if these coaggregates form by cross-seeding of monomers or coaggregation of preexisting oligomers.
A HIGH-PRECISION MASS SENSOR FOR ADATOM DEPOSITION ON GRAPHENE
Pengning Chao
Mentor: Erik Henriksen
The unique electronic transport properties of graphene have made it an ideal hunting ground for observing exciting new physics.
According to theoretical studies, depositing certain heavy metal atoms that adsorb to the graphene (adatoms) would alter its electronic
structure and set the stage for novel phenomena such as the anomalous quantum Hall effect and the creation of a topological insulator.
These results are promising; however, there has yet been a lack of experimental investigation. To fill in this gap, the Henriksen lab is
developing an adatom deposition system that can modify and measure graphene samples inside a dilution refrigerator. One important
piece of data would be the amount of adatoms deposited for any given sample; monitoring this requires an extremely sensitive device
that can detect a fraction of a single adatom layer, roughly on the order of 1ng/cm2. To achieve this, we are adapting a new
microelectromechanical mass sensor developed by the lab of David Bishop at Boston University. The sensor consists of a parallel plate
capacitor with its two plates mechanically coupled by springs. As mass is deposited onto the upper plate, its resonance frequency shifts,
allowing for highly accurate mass measurements. The device is currently being calibrated for actual adatom deposition.
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THE WEST COAST CIRCLE:
A STUDY OF INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY, AND PLACE
Lauren Chase and Sachi Nagase
Mentors: Heidi Kolk and Angela Malchionno
Physical environment impacts how an individual forms ideas and conducts daily life. Even while current technology makes information
easily available, and higher education disseminates it formally, these forms do not quell humans’ innate desire for exploration. We found
this summer that the aspect of journeying, of being outside of the ‘world’ in which one’s worldview was formed, of seeing and embracing
new physical spaces and geographies, and of connecting with a diversity of people this travel allows for are substantial for individual and
community personal growth, external learning, and creativity development. With in-depth interviews, connective travel, and
observation as our primary methods, we surveyed the American West for two months, looking at CouchSurfers, National Parks, and
those who interact with them. Lauren focused on how people learn from location and travel and what barriers to this exist and Sachi
focused on how people physically develop their personal and community spaces within the environments we studied, as well as
developing the inspiration and theoretical bases for her art practice. In this research we found both insights on the cross-sections of
place, community, and creative thinking as well as personal growth.
SINGLE SUPERCONDUCTING QUBIT AS MICROWAVE POWER DETECTOR
Fan Chen
Mentor: Kater Murch
In this research, we study a novel way of microwave power detection using superconducting qubits as detector. When a qubit is at its
ground state and driven by a sufficiently strong pulse at its resonance frequency, it would undergo Rabi oscillation on the Bloch sphere,
oscillating between its ground and excited states with a Rabi frequency that is proportional to the amplitude of the drive. However if the
drive is weak, no Rabi oscillations occur, and the competition between drive and decay results in a small equilibrium coherence, which
can be measured by quantum state tomography. Due to this process, weak microwave signals at the qubit transition frequency can be
detected. Our preliminary data indicates the lowest power we could detect is at the level of 10-24 W. Further work needs to be done to
understand what limits the detection.
DOES KNOWING ME HELP US? SPOUSE-SELF AGREEMENT AND PEER-SELF AGREEMENT
IN THE PREDICTION OF MARITAL SATISFACTION 20 YEARS LATER
Ruth Chen and Matt Wong
Mentor: Joshua Jackson
We like to believe that if our spouses know us as we view ourselves, we will have a better marriage. However, few have looked at
agreement in the prediction of marital outcomes. Newly wedded couples (N = 470, 235 couples) completed personality ratings of
themselves and their spouses. Multilevel modeling was used to assess agreement on the actor’s personality, with both the husband and
wife acting as actor and partner once. Overall agreement did not predict satisfaction at the 20-year follow-up. However, marital quality
was higher among those whose spouses agree with them at the 20-year follow-up. Having a spouse who knows you early does not matter,
so long as they agree with you later on. Future research should examine how agreement may be used to understand processes linking
personality with important outcomes such as marital satisfaction.
TECHNOLOGY FOR ULTRASENSITIVE NMR AND TARGETED
HIV ERADICATION DRUGS
Eric Choi
Mentor: Alexander Barnes
Current treatment of HIV/AIDS entails a highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) which keeps the HIV replication process
suppressed to a point where the virus in the plasma is undetectable. However, HAART is not a complete cure due to remaining latent
reservoirs of HIV. Recent studies have shown that prostatin and the more potent bryostatin are activators of protein kinase C (PKC) and
have the ability to activate latent HIV. However, these PKC activators have potent side effects because they not only activate the latent
HIV, but they also activate many other pathways in the body. Thus, a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of PKC
activators, such as bryostatin, is needed. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is an excellent tool for enhancing the sensitivity of NMR
experiments to examine the atomic-level structures of medically relevant molecules such as proteins and drugs. This gain in sensitivity
is due to the polarization in the electron paramagnetic resonance spins (EPR) being transferred to nuclear spins. The transfer from
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electron spins to nuclear spins only happens efficiently in temperature conditions below 100 Kelvin (-173.2°C/ -279.7°F). However,
current NMR techniques have not fully taken advantage of these cryogenic temperatures to design new drugs. So, we are designing novel
instrumentation in-house to perform DNP-NMR experiments on proteins and relevant biomolecules. My research included
optimization of a four-channel NMR probe, a frequency agile gyrotron, a heat exchanger which allows us to reach cryogenic
temperatures efficiently, and implementation of a new cryogenic spinning apparatus which allows us to control the spinning frequency
of sample rotors. With our new instrumentation and technology, we hope to ultimately run DNP-NMR experiments where the distances
of the hydrogen bonds between the glycine residue contained in the binding pocket of PKC and activators like bryostatin and phorbol
are measured.
ACTIVITY OF GENE PROMOTERS AND SENSITIVITIES TO INDUCING AGENTS
IN PROBIOTIC GUT BACTERIA
Zevin Condiotte
Mentor: Guatam Dantas
This research focuses on the analysis of the activity of various gene promoters and their sensitivities to inducing agents in probiotic gut
bacteria, E. Coli Nissle, living in the mammalian gut. The goal of this study is to identify various promoters across a spectrum of different
expression levels, for use in engineering probiotics. The gene promoters selected for study consist of those from previous synthetic
biology experiments, native E. Coli Nissle promoters, and a few selected chemically inducible promoters. The activities and sensitivities
of these promoters have not previously been determined in gut-associated E. Coli Nissle. These promoters are used to drive GFP
expression and their activities are measured using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing. With knowledge of the precise strengths of these
promoters, we will be able to generate engineered probiotics which function predictably in the gut as effective therapeutics.
THE EFFECT OF CRYOPRESERVATION ON RED BLOOD CELL (RBC) VASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY
Asa Cook
Mentor: Allan Doctor
Sepsis is associated with unconstrained generation of reactive oxygen (ROS), in addition to excess reactive nitrogen species (RNS)
production. The over-production of ROS and RNS damages the RBC membrane and makes NO content in the cell abnormally high.
Both lead to “distributive shock,” blood flow that is uncoupled from oxygen demand. The Doctor Lab hypothesizes that Sepsis induced
Red cell Dysfunction (SiRD) explains this phenomenon. That is, high NO content and membrane damage cause an inappropriate release
of RBC-derived NO into the blood stream, dilating blood vessels, increasing blood flow to tissues that do not exhibit low oxygen levels.
Due to the highly labile nature of RBC NO, blood samples must undergo rapid processing/freezing to ensure no loss of vasoactive
species. Cryopreservation is the only method by which RBCs can be frozen and remain intact once thawed. The goal of this research is
to assess the effect of cryopreservation on RBC NO levels, NO processing, and NO release, to assess the effect of storage duration.
Cryopreservation describes the process of freezing RBCs in a glycerol-based solution. Cryopreservation is effective since glycerol acts
as antifreeze, lowering the freezing point of the RBC. However, it is not used commonly because of cost and time inefficiencies.
Consequently, in order for cryopreservation to be used more commonly in RBC research, its process needs to be optimized (Aim 1) and
the protocol validated to demonstrate minimal impact on RBC physiology (Aim 2).
This project involves cryopreserving RBC samples using a “traditional” glycerolization procedure. We measure NO bound to
hemoglobin using photolysis and NO trapping by deglycerolized RBCs. In the end, we expect to see the majority of the cryopreserved
cells intact and comparable to fresh RBCs, allowing us to infer changes are directly related to sepsis.
A PLASTIC THAT WORKS:
NEW USES OF POLYANILINE
Daniel Cotton
Mentor: J. M. D’Arcy
Conductive polymers (CPs) are simply plastic semiconductors that, when provided charge carriers like unpaired electrons or holes,
conduct electricity through alternating single and double bonds. Polyaniline (PANi) stands out within this class of plastics primarily
because of its unusual doping mechanism; while CPs are usually doped through a redox reaction, polyaniline is doped merely through
exposure to acids. This facile protonic doping method fueled the development of PANi sensors, electrochemical capacitors,
electrochromics, and actuators. Additionally, PANi possesses another useful property that facilitates unusual applications: adequately
nanofibrillar PANi cross-links when irradiated by light from a camera flash or computer laser. This “flash-welding” works because PANi
nanofibers absorb a broad spectrum of near-IR light, affording them enough energy to induce cross-linking. This optical phenomenon
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gives PANi potential usage in organic circuitry and biological research through its easily attained sub-micrometer patterning. In our
research we adapted the flash-welding mechanic to evaporation. When the fibers are sufficiently dilute, the absorbed IR energy can only
heat the surrounding solvent and thus hasten its removal; if formulated into paint, the paint might completely dry with a camera flash.
Because PANi tends to aggregate when dispersed in organic solvents, we first optimized our PANi dispersion by changing its
concentration, co-dispersant, and acid. Promising dispersions were cast into thin films and characterized by electrochemical tests, such
as 2-probe resistance measurements, and visual tests, like SEM and optical microscopy. Surprisingly, a solvent commonly used with PANi
due to its beneficial effect on PANi's conductivity, hexafluoroisopropanol, appeared to not flash-weld, while similar fluorinated alcohols
did. The reported findings prove PANi can flash-weld even after dispersion into organic solvents and also provide information into the
mechanism through which PANi flash-welds.
MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF LOCAL CLIMATIC ADAPTATION
IN WHITE CLOVER (TRIFOLIUM REPENS L.)
Daniel Cui Zhou
Mentor: Kenneth Olsen
White clover (Trifolium repens) is a widespread, perennial legume that is native to Europe and was introduced to North America within
the last 500 years. Populations of white clover are polymorphic for cyanogenesis (production of hydrogen cyanide, HCN, upon tissue
damage), which is a chemical defense against small herbivores. HCN is produced by the reaction of two biochemical compounds,
cyanogenic glucosides and the enzyme linamarase. These compounds are encoded by the Ac and Li genes, respectively. Recessive gene
deletion alleles at both loci have evolved, such that individuals can be classified into four cyanotypes based on the presence or absence
of the biochemical compounds. AcLi individuals are cyanogenic (produce HCN), while Acli, acLi, and acli individuals lack one or both
compounds and are acyanogenic. Additionally, for both Ac and Li, there is variation in the number of gene copies an individual can have
from none to seven. While gene copy number variation (CNV) is known to affect phenotypic variation, no studies have directly assessed
the potentially adaptive role of CNVs in natural populations. In this study, we established a common garden at Tyson Research Center
with 163 wild genotypes of white clover collected as seed from across its North American range. Fitness and herbivory were measured
for three replicates of each genotype throughout the growing season and Ac and Li CNV were assessed for each genotype. We found a
significant correlation between herbivory damage and cyanotype, as expected, where only AcLi individuals showed reduced herbivory.
However, we found no evidence for an adaptive role of CNV (i.e., no association between Ac or Li CNV with fitness or herbivory).
Additional analyses are in progress.
STAT3 PROMOTES ACTIN POLYMERIZATION DURING DEVELOPMENT
Eric Dai
Mentor: Diane Sepich
Signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (Stat3) is a highly conserved signal transducer. It has been implicated in cell
proliferation, cell death, stem cell maintenance, differentiation, and migration, with key roles in both embryonic development and
homeostatic maintenance of cell proliferation. Although mainly recognized for its transcriptional roles, Stat3 has also been shown in
mouse cell cultures to non-transcriptionally regulate microtubule and actin cytoskeletons through its interactions with Stathmin and
small Rho-GTPases, respectively. Here, we present our findings on the roles of Stat3 in regulating actin cytoskeleton during zebrafish
embryonic development. Previous results in mouse cell culture indicated that Stat3 antagonizes small Rho-GTPase Rac1 to downregulate
actin polymerization. Thus, we hypothesized that Stat3 knockout zebrafish embryos would have increased levels of actin polymerization,
as shown by the amount of filamentous actin (F-actin) bound by fluorescent phalloidin and imaged via confocal microscopy. We
conducted two experiments to test this hypothesis. First, we compared phalloidin labelling of F-actin in wild type (WT) embryos with
embryos lacking both maternal and zygotic Stat3 protein at 10 hours post fertilization (hpf), at late gastrulation. Next, to control for
potential variable staining with phalloidin between individual embryos, we transplanted cells from Stat3 mutants into WT embryos, then
compared F-actin in WT vs. mutant cells in such genetic chimeras. Contrary to our predictions and the existing model from mouse cell
culture, we found a decrease in the amount of F-actininStat3 mutant cells compared to wild-type cells in both experiments, suggesting
that Stat3 enhances actin polymerization. Future work is directed towards delineating the embryonic zebrafish Stat3-dependent
actin-regulating pathway and whether it entails transcriptional activity of Stat3, as well as the potential roles of Stat3 in microtubule
cytoskeleton regulation.
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CANADA’S STRATFORD:
DISENTANGLING AND REIMAGINING IMPERIAL INHERENCE
David Davison
Mentor: Jami Ake
What makes Canadian drama Canadian? This question, on the surface perhaps a simple one, proves most apparently vexed in the city
of Stratford, Ontario, where the Stratford Shakespeare Festival takes place each summer. Devoted to the writings of a foreign national
and bearing a convoluted history of privileging imported English talent—literary, dramatic, and administrative—over local Canadians,
by what means and through what merits can the Festival of the 21st century be said to invert, without merely ratifying, an imperial legacy
of Shakespearean drama? These concerns prove paramount at Stratford, somewhat due to the lack of any kind of national theater in
Canada, but decisively because they query what, in fact, constitutes a national identity anywhere in a hodgepodge country such as
Canada. In order to investigate these ambiguities, I traveled to Stratford, Ontario—engaging with the Festival and its forums, observing
each of its 13 shows, I ultimately came to weigh the extent to which Stratford, in its staging and standards, in its talent and aims, can be
seen to promote a local, Canadian ethos distinct from, and indeed unexpectedly opposing, an imported English heritage. At Stratford I
would argue, through its practiced irreverence, the Festival simultaneously communes with its historical imperial legacy, while still
imagining new texts and reimagining old ones—such that audiences and players create a living space where texts can be more than
sacrosanct, can be engaged with fully, afresh, and with a playful edge.
IDENTIFYING NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS
Elisa De Togni
Mentor: Stephen Oh
A Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN) is a type of hematological disorder in which red blood cells, platelets, or certain types of white
blood cells are produced in excess by the bone marrow. Some MPNs can progress towards Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in which the
patient's prognosis is extremely poor. Many MPNs have been linked with the presence of the JAK2V617F mutation or other lower
frequency mutations in JAK2, CALR, and MPL which cause increased activity of JAK2, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, leading to
constitutive hyper-activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Recently, the emergence of JAK2 inhibitor therapy has benefited many
patients with MPNs. However, not all of these patients respond to treatment with JAK2 inhibitors, indicating that other important
signaling pathways may play a key role in the development of MPNs. In this ongoing study, inhibitor drugs are used individually and in
designed combinations with cytokines and other inhibitors to strategically target specific components of hyper-activated signal
transduction pathways in order to promote apoptosis or suppress cellular proliferation. Cell viability assays are used to monitor the
effects of inhibitors in cell lines that model growth and mutational characteristics of MPNs, such as Human Erythroleukemia (HEL)
cells, a human mutant cell line of JAK2, and murine BaF3-MPL cells. Further testing will be performed on actual MPN patient samples
with the ultimate goal of developing synergistic inhibitor therapies that may help to prevent the onset of AML and improve the overall
survival of patients.
WICHÍ WORLD LITERATURE:
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON AN INDIGENOUS TRADITION
Caleb DeLorme
Mentors: Bret Gustafson and Emma Kafalenos
How does a literary scholar react when he or she learns about how Bat was tricked by his mother-in-law? About how she turned the lights
on and exposed his ugly wrinkled body, right when he was in bed with her daughter? Do they treat this story about Bat—as well as other
stories and songs of the Wichí, a Latin American indigenous people—as World Literature, valorizing their aesthetic qualities for foreign
audiences? In this research, I weigh the pros and cons of including certain Wichí traditions in the Western academic category of World
Literature. Here, I do not use World Literature to denote the mere sum of all the literature in the world. Rather, following David
Damrosch, “World Literature…encompasses all works that circulate beyond their culture of origin.” World Literature, consequently, is
always World Literature from a certain vantage point. World Literature as seen from New York will never be the same as World Literature
as seen from Jakarta. And it doesn't need to be. Damrosch’s definition circumvents many of the problems of World Literature as an idea:
significantly, the impossibility of treating equally the unfathomable volume of all the world’s literatures. Its strength, however, is also its
weakness. By itself, it doesn't compel us to change the Eurocentric status quo in World Literature as seen from North America. We could
easily continue to obsess over English, French, and German literature, ignoring the thousands of works by indigenous peoples of the
Americas. Thus, by addressing the issues of viewing Wichí tradition as World Literature, I aim to make a small contribution to a larger
discussion about including indigenous American tradition in how we think, write, and teach World Literature.
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EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES:
AN OUTDATED MODEL
Delaney Earley
Mentor: Victoria Thomas
Recent shifts within the workforce, most notably the increase in the demand for skilled labor, has catapulted the issues surrounding our
educational system into the forefront of the national agenda since the early 2000s. Nevertheless, the dialogue surrounding educational
reform has largely been centered on only two concepts: access and achievement. I argue that if our educational objective is to effectively
prepare and develop innovative students who are capable of meeting the demands of our 21st century society, the desire to secure greater
access and higher standardized test scores is wholly inadequate without first addressing the longstanding curricular and structural issues
inherent in our system of education that prevent this from happening.
I began my analysis of these issues by reading various publications concerning the birth of our modern school system during the early
1900s, an educational structure centered on multiple-choice tests and modeled after the efficiency of Henry Ford’s assembly line. I then
compared these findings to reports detailing the skills demanded by today’s workforce (including creativity, flexibility and the ability to
work well in groups), all of which revealed a clear discrepancy between the preparation methods of our nearly 100-year-old system of
education, and the skills necessary for success in the 21st century. Finally, I examined differing approaches to education across the world
and new methods of learning that are currently being studied within American universities in order to suggest the direction that current
educational policy should take.
I conclude that institutional reform of our outdated system of education is a necessity, as only by creating a comprehensive and
challenging curriculum, and encouraging a method of instruction that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and analysis, will we be able
to secure more promising professional futures for American students.
PUPIL DYNAMICS AND THE SUBJECTIVE VALUE OF COGNITIVE EFFORT
Noah Eby
Mentor: Todd Braver
Cognitive effort is a psychological construct relevant to a broad range of domains, from academic achievement to complex
decision-making; insufficient exertion of cognitive effort has been implicated in the symptomatology of mental illnesses such as
schizophrenia and major depression. However, quantifying cognitive effort is challenging. One approach is to use pupillometry, as
changes in pupil size have been shown to reflect cognitive processing load and degree of task engagement. A second method frames
cognitive effort in terms of an economic decision to quantify an individual’s subjective value of cognitive effort. The relationship
between pupil dynamics and subjective value of mental effort remains unclear. A pilot study was designed to address this gap in
understanding. During an exposure period, participants completed six levels of the N-back working memory task while pupil dilation
was monitored with a high-resolution eye tracker. Higher N corresponds to higher working memory load/cognitive effort. Participants
then made a series of decisions about which N-back level to repeat for varying amounts of additional pay, and the amounts offered were
titrated until the participant’s indifference point was reached. A common discounting procedure was utilized to provide a quantitative
measure of each participant’s subjective value of the effort associated with each N level. Data processing scripts were developed to analyze
the pupil size data by removing blinks, interpolating missing data, and filtering to remove high- and low-frequency noise. Preliminary
results support the feasibility of applying pupillometry to the N-back task and suggest that pupil dynamics varied by N level, trial type,
and accuracy. Additionally, preliminary examination of the relationship between economic subjective value of cognitive effort and pupil
dynamics will be reported. An important future direction for this line of research will be to more thoroughly investigate individual
differences in both measures.
IDENTIFYING DIRECT REGULATORS OF GLD-1 ACCUMULATION IN GERMLINE STEM CELL DIFFERENTIATION
Jessica Erlich
Mentor: Tim Schedl
Signaling pathways are used by stem cells to execute the decision to either maintain the proliferative fate or to differentiate into a
specialized cell type. In Caenorhabditis elegans germline stem cells, the glp-1 Notch signaling pathway is essential for maintaining the
germ cell proliferative fate. A major mechanism whereby glp-1 maintains the proliferative fate is through regulation of GLD-1
accumulation. When glp-1 signaling is high, GLD-1 levels are low and germ cells maintain the proliferative fate. However, when glp-1
signaling drops, GLD-1 levels rapidly increase and aid germ cell entry into meiosis. Both repressors and activators of gld-1 translation
that function downstream of glp-1 signaling are known, but genetic analyses support the existence of other direct regulators of GLD-1
accumulation. To identify new regulators of GLD-1 accumulation, we modified an existing system called MS2 biotin Tagged RNA
Affinity Purification (MS2-bioTRAP) to purify proteins that bind specifically to the gld-1 3’UTR. We generated three independent
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transgenes to employ MS2-bioTRAP in the C. elegans germline. Here we show that our germline-expressed MS2 protein transgene is
biotinylated with high efficiency in vivo and that we can utilize magnetic streptavidin beads to pull down MS2 from C. elegans
cytoplasmic extracts. Furthermore, we show that we can pull down proteins along with MS2 in a gld-1 3’UTR-specific fashion. Our
validation supports that MS2-bioTRAP works effectively in the germline of C. elegans. Future studies will focus on scaling up our gld-1
3’UTR-bioTRAP experiments to pull down sufficient amounts of co-purified proteins for analysis by mudPIT mass spectrometry. Our
analysis will identify new and known proteins that regulate GLD-1 translation in germ cells and aid in bridging understanding of glp-1
signaling activity and regulation of GLD-1.
OPTIMIZATION OF A 3D BIOPRINTED TRACHEAL IMPLANT
Savannah Est
Mentors: Anthony Atala and Sean Murphy, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
In a number of live births, a portion of the airway is underdeveloped, blocking air from reaching one or both lungs. Conditions such as
congenital malformation, trauma, cancer, infection, injury, and some autoimmune diseases cause damage to the tracheal region that
requires reconstruction to restore proper airway function. Current methods of tracheal reconstruction include transplantation,
autografts, decellularization, tracheal stents, 3D printed splints, and gelatin molds. While there are many approaches to treat tracheal
failure, none of these has provided the necessary functionality similar to biological tracheas. This study aims to design and construct a
tracheal implant using 3D bioprinting that has similar biological and mechanical properties as natural tracheal tissue. First, dimensions
of a sample tracheal region were measured using a medical image obtained by computerized axial tomography (CT). Second, tests were
performed for both the cartilage and smooth muscle regions of porcine trachea to determine mechanical properties. Based on the
dimensions of the human trachea as well as the mechanical specifications of porcine trachea, a tracheal implant scaffold was designed
using CAD software and 3D bioprinted with polycaprolactone (PCL). A functional hydrogel material was then included to provide
biological function. Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels were optimized for stiffness and cytokine composition, and for directed
differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes and smooth muscle cells, respectively. The trachea design was then
bioprinted with both the structural and functional components, with mesenchymal stem cells seeded within the hydrogel components.
The resulting implant was tested for cell viability. Three-D bioprinting allows an implant to be constructed based on a patient’s
individual reconstructive requirements. Utilizing a combination of polycaprolactone polymer scaffolding and mesenchymal
stem-cell-seeded hydrogels, it is possible to 3D bioprint a tracheal implant that is mechanically similar to porcine tracheal tissue.
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS IN A SHARING MARKET
Yuhao Fan
Mentor: Baojun Jiang
We model the current trend of collaborative consumption using microeconomics game-theoretical modeling. We examine a market with
a monopoly firm that has the choice to sell only one or more vertically differentiated products. We assume the firm has already developed
a high-quality product and a low-quality product. We examine in what conditions the firm will offer both products respectively in a
sharing and a non-sharing market. Given product quality as exogenous and the assumption of large difference between willingness to
pay for quality and low transaction fee, we arrive at the conclusions that a sharing market benefits the monopoly firm’s profitability in
various situations. However, the existence of a sharing market may discourage product heterogeneity. Specifically in many situations,
depending on the ratio of cost to quality, given a sharing market, the monopoly firm will only produce high or low-quality products
instead of selling both.
UNDERSTANDING CLARISSA
Sonia Feldman
Mentor: David Lawton
The progenitor and inspiration for this project is an in-depth comparison between Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and Samuel Richardson’s
novel Clarissa. Though the two stories are separated by nearly 150 years of literary history, they both fundamentally belong to the same
genre: tragedy. I address at length the similarities that tie these two disparate works together. Both Hamlet and Clarissa endure impossible
expectations from their overly involved families. The moral standards of each hero clash with the ambitions of those related to them.
The circumstances and behavior of Hamlet and Clarissa closely resemble one another during the preliminary phase of their stories.
However, at the critical moment when each protagonist ruptures from their family, the parallelism between the characters breaks as
well. As Hamlet begins to feign, and eventually truly exhibit, signs of madness, his behavior and environment follow a parallel trajectory
to those of Clarissa’s antagonist and kidnapper, Lovelace. In examining these three characters side-by-side, I plan to study the troubling
dissolution of individual agency in the face of overwhelming external forces.
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Using this line of thought as a launch pad, I intend to explore the following themes: agency and its loss, the experience of
claustrophobia, and a psychological investigation of the characters who endure these plights. While the extended comparison between
these works will likely structure my final analysis, the current research, rather than allowing me to neatly conclude my efforts with
Clarissa, led me further into Richardson’s captivating work. Research into secondary criticism has answered many of my questions, but
raised ever more—the most potent of which remains, why can’t I look away? What is it about this text that is so psychologically
disturbing? These are the primary questions that I intend to address.
GLUT8 REGULATION OF HEPATOCYTE AUTOPHAGY
Emily Feng
Mentor: Brian DeBosch
One billion individuals worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children
and adults. Patients with NAFLD are at excess risk not only for cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma, but also for
cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus. Although NAFLD pathogenesis is intensely studied, its molecular underpinnings are
not completely understood. Recently, autophagy, a lysosome-dependent mechanism that degrades intracellular organelles and
macromolecules in response to nutrient deprivation, has been shown to regulate hepatic metabolism. Previous findings from our lab
demonstrate Glucose Transporter 8 (GLUT8) to play a critical role in the hepatic metabolic response to starvation, as exhibited by
exacerbated fasting-induced hepatic steatosis in GLUT8-deficient mice. We hypothesized that an autophagic defect might underlie this
enhanced lipid accumulation. Here we show that autophagy is impaired in both GLUT8-deficient fasted mice and primary mouse
hepatocytes, using the autophagic protein LC3 as a readout. To investigate the mechanism of this autophagic defect, we measured the
activity of the autophagy regulator and nutrient sensor mTORC1. GLUT8-deficient mice and primary hepatocytes displayed increased
phosphorylation of the mTORC1 substrate p70-S6 Kinase, suggesting elevated mTORC1 activity and autophagy inhibition. These
findings suggest that GLUT8 may facilitate autophagy through an mTORC1-dependent mechanism. GLUT8 may thus be a tractable
target to modulate hepatic autophagy and metabolism in contexts of health and disease.
ORTHOGRAPHIC DISTINCTIVENESS EFFECTS:
AN ITEM-ORDER ACCOUNT
Nicholas Fierro
Mentor: Mark McDaniel
The orthographic distinctiveness effect is a memory phenomenon in which orthographically distinct (OD) words (e.g. zephyr, lynx) are
more likely to be recalled than orthographically common (OC) words (e.g. bison, arcade). However, this is only found when both types
of words are presented in the same list (i.e., mixed lists) and disappears when they are presented in different lists (i.e., pure lists). It has
been argued that these paradoxical findings can be explained by the item-order account, which states that OD words in mixed lists attract
more item-specific encoding; a difference in the retention of order information between pure and mixed lists may underlie this effect.
Similarly, it is thought that memory can be improved by breaking up order-based encoding to encourage a greater reliance on
item-specific encoding, even in pure lists. In the present study, we sought to extend previous findings by showing that the OD effect can
be obtained in pure lists under the right conditions. Specifically, we had two manipulations, both of which were intended to decrease
order information: a longer delay between study and test and a longer list. We predicted that the OD words in the longer pure condition
would be recalled more frequently than OC words. We also predicted that another measure, order memory, would be reduced for OD
words, indicating a greater reliance on item-specific encoding and a decreased reliance on order-specific encoding.
INVESTIGATING THE MECHANISM OF MICROTUBULE PLUS-END TRACKING BY SPR1 PROTEIN
Layla Foroughi
Mentor: Ram Dixit
Microtubules are tubulin-based polymers that are critical for numerous cellular activities such as division, morphogenesis, migration
and intracellular transport. The ability of the microtubule cytoskeleton to perform different functions depends on its organization.
However, little is known about the mechanisms by which a cell organizes its microtubules. The plus-ends of microtubules serve as the
center of array organization and influence the polymer behavior of microtubules. Plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) associate with the
plus-end in order to achieve these functions. Some +TIPs bind to microtubule plus-ends on their own, while others rely on the End
Binding 1 (EB1) protein to target them to the plus-ends. Plus-end tracking proteins are known to exist in animals and yeast, but few of
these have homologs in plants and the ones that do occur in plants remain poorly studied. I am interested in the Arabidopsis thaliana
Spiral1 (SPR1) protein because it is a +TIP unique to plants and may generate the unique architecture of the cortical microtubule array.
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Mutants lacking SPR1 contain skewed cortical microtubule arrays and show twisted growth, indicating that SPR1 is important for array
organization. However, the mechanism for plus-end tracking by SPR1 and its impact on microtubule plus-end dynamics has not been
determined. To address these questions, I successfully cloned EB1b and SPR1 from Arabidopsis thaliana and expressed them in E. coli.
Preliminary results showed that the N-terminal is essential for the function of SPR1. I will use the recombinant SPR1 and EB1 proteins
that I purified to determine if SPR1 requires EB1 for +TIP activity using in vitro microtubule polymerization assays and TIRF
microscopy. I will also measure the microtubule dynamics in these experiments to determine if SPR1 regulates microtubule plus-end
dynamics. The results of my work will provide much-needed information about the mechanism of SPR1 +TIP activity and function.
HOW INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND HYPOXIA TOLERANCE
RELATES TO BRAIN SIZE IN WEAKLY ELECTRIC FISH
Megan Freiler
Mentor: Bruce Carlson
Mormyrids are weakly electric African fish that evolved a complex brain for processing electric signals that are emitted from specialized
electric organs. This ability initiated a vast species diversification in the family Mormyridae (Carlson, 2011). Certain species evolved an
especially large brain relative to body mass. Gnathonemous petersii has a brain that is 3.1% of its total body mass, which is impressive
considering human brains only constitute 2% of total body mass (Nilsson, 1996). Brains are metabolically expensive, so determining
how costs are accounted for presents an interesting evolutionary challenge. Previous research revealed that mormyrid species with
relatively larger brains have higher metabolic rates and lower tolerance to hypoxia than species with smaller brains. However, it is unclear
whether this trend is driven by absolute brain mass, relative brain size, or through species-specific adaptations. Studying individual
variation in brain size within a species and how it relates to metabolism and hypoxia tolerance can solve this issue. To elucidate the
mechanism driving intraspecific variation in the energetics of brain evolution, oxygen consumption rates of Brevimyrus niger, a species
with a medium brain size, were tested using closed-chambered respirometry. Additionally, hypoxia tolerance of these individuals were
examined by adding sodium sulfite to water to create low oxygen conditions. Comparing individual body weight, brain size, and brain
residuals to oxygen consumption rate and point of metabolic failure during hypoxia made it possible to determine the extent to which
these determinants drive energetic variation within B. niger. Data indicate brain mass alone is likely the biggest driver of oxygen
consumption requirements, while hypoxia tolerance does not vary with brain mass. This suggests that brain size is highly correlated with
metabolic costs of brain evolution both between and within species, but these findings should be corroborated by investigating more
mormyrid species.
EFFECT OF SIRNA SUPPRESSION OF TYPE VI COLLAGEN
ON RAT POST-MI REMODELING
Connie Gan
Mentor: Gary Meszaros, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio
One of the leading causes of death in the US is myocardial infarction (MI), which induces cardiomyocyte apoptosis and dilated
cardiomyopathy. Additionally, MI also triggers differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, which secrete increased
extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, to aid in scar formation. Increased differentiation causes matrix deposition away from the
original MI region, leading to decreased compliance of the heart. Previous publications from the Meszaros lab demonstrated that
following MI, cardiac function and remodeling are preserved in mice lacking non-fibrillar collagen VI (Col6a). Furthermore, Col6a-/mice exhibited preserved ejection fraction and increased left ventricular volume after MI. The hypothesis was that downregulation of
Col6a expression by siRNA may act as a novel target to improve cardiac function and remodeling following myocardial ischemic injury.
Treatment of Col6a1-specific siRNA significantly decreased Col6a expression in rat cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. Further, we found that
Col6a1 siRNA suppressed Col6a expression when injected into the MI regions of Sprague-Dawley rat hearts compared to the vehicle
(JetPEI) in vivo. TTC staining revealed that the ligation of the left anterior descending artery successfully induced infarction, which
decreased in size in hearts injected with Col6a1 siRNA. Preliminary echocardiography data showed preserved ejection fraction and
fractional shortening in Col6a-/- hearts.
In conclusion, Col6 siRNA is successful in decreasing col6 expression in vitro and in vivo. Preliminary studies have shown that
knockdown of col6 after rat myocardial ischemic injury has a cardioprotective effect.
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CHARACTERIZATION OF THE UNIQUE PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE OF MALARIA
Aakash Y. Gandhi
Mentor: Audrey R. Odom
The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis is a promising drug target for Plasmodium falciparum, the
causative agent of severe malaria. Through a forward genetics approach, the Odom Lab identified that the locus PfHAD2 regulates
isoprenoid biosynthesis in malaria by limiting the availability of metabolites to the MEP pathway. Laboratory strains containing a
loss-of-function mutation at the PfHAD2 locus (PfHAD2R157X) demonstrate increased resistance to fosmidomycin, a specific inhibitor
of the MEP pathway, as well as increased steady-state levels of MEP pathway metabolites. Furthermore, fosmidomycin sensitivity and
MEP pathway metabolite levels are restored in PfHAD2R157X strains possessing hypomorphic alleles of the unique malarial
phosphofructokinase PfPFK9 (PfPFK9T1206I). PfPFK9 is a member of the poorly characterized family of plant-like pyrophosphatedependent phosphofructokinases (PPi-PFKs).
We hypothesized that PfHAD2 regulates substrate availability to the MEP pathway by controlling the availability of allosteric
regulators to phosphofructokinase, the rate-limiting step of glycolysis. In accordance, we identified that purified recombinant PfHAD2
dephosphorylates the purine nucleotides in vitro, with highest specificity towards the glycolytic effectors AMP and GMP. To begin
evaluating the allosteric regulation of PfPFK9, we used commercially available reagents to implement an assay that links
phosphofructokinase activity to the loss of NADH (ε340 = 6220 M-1 cm-1). We will use this assay to measure the specific PfPFK9 activity
from wild type, PfHAD2R157X, and PfHAD2R157X/PfPFK9T1206I strains in the presence and absence of AMP and GMP.
This approach will identify if a direct regulatory link exists between PfHAD2, glycolysis, and isoprenoid biosynthesis in malaria. Since
malaria glycolytic enzymes are distinct from the analogous host enzymes, such a relationship would suggest that the extensive libraries
of PPi-PFK inhibitors already validated in other parasitic protozoa (Trypanosoma and Leishmania) could be readily repurposed for
malaria chemotherapy.
TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF COCHLEAROL B
Jackson Gartman
Mentor: Vladimir Birman
A meroterpenoid with a novel pentacyclic structure, (-)-Cochlearol B has shown antifibrotic effects in the kidney in a dosage-dependent
manner via disruption of TGF-β phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. Discovered by Man Dou and colleagues, the molecule was
isolated in minute quantities from a fungus found in tropical regions, Ganoderma cochlear. Here I have explored two synthetic strategies
towards Cochlearol B that may produce higher yields compared to isolation from the natural source. The first approach revolving around
a Robinson annulation was put aside in favor of a route based on the Stork-Danheiser transposition. Currently the cyclization of the
critical intermediate is in progress.
EEG AND DELIRIUM STUDY
Kristin Geczi
Mentor: Ben Palanca
Delirium is an acute fluctuating neurologic disorder that shows a change from baseline cognition. It affects up to 70% of surgical patients
over the age of 60. Postoperative delirium can be hard to diagnose, and the current method is through the Confusion Assessment Method
(CAM). Although this method has proven to be effective for diagnosing delirium, it necessitates that the patient is able to communicate
with the interviewer. Based on evidence from previous studies, we believe that using electroencephalography (EEG) will be more efficient
and effective in detecting delirium. Patients already enrolled in the Systematic Assessment and Targeted Improvement of Services
Following Yearly Surgical Outcomes Surveys (SATISFY-SOS - NCT02032030) study have the option to also enroll in the
Electroencephalography Guidance of Anesthesia to Alleviate Geriatric Syndromes (ENGAGES - NCT02241655) study, of which this
project is a sub-study. Patients at least 60 years old who are competent and able to provide informed consent are included. Patients are
recruited at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, through the CPAP clinic and must provide written informed consent. To
determine if a patient is delirious, team members were trained to use the CAM. After the assessment, electrodes for an EEG monitor are
placed on the patient for unipolar analysis using the 10/20 system with a reference at Cz. Electrodes are also placed at F7, F8, Pz, P3, O1,
and O2. EOG and EMG electrodes are used as well. A ground is placed at Fpz. Patients are compared to each other as well as to themselves
after multiple recordings to look for EEG changes due to the presence or absence of delirium as determined by the CAM. Based on
preliminary data, EEG shows promise as a diagnostic tool; however, a higher enrollment is necessary to evaluate this method.
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DEVELOPING A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR ANALYZING THE
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE RETINA
Anu Goel
Mentor: Daniel Kerschensteiner
In studying visual pathways in the retina, multi-electrode array (MEA) technology has been used to obtain information about the output
of this circuit through detailed analysis of spike trains recorded from retinal ganglion cells. Another commonly used electrophysiological
technique, the electro retinogram (ERG), is a useful tool for measuring responses of neuronal populations within the retina. The ERG
represents all light-induced electrical activity of retinal neurons and Müller glial cells. Our goal is to merge the two techniques into a
method we call mERG, combining the merits of each, to characterize as much as we can about retinal activity in response to light stimuli.
The mERG is essentially recording ERGs locally, with high spatial resolution. It has the potential to provide more comprehensive data
on how pharmacology and gene modification can affect the electrical activity at each layer in the retina. Previous ERG experiments have
identified key players in signaling pathways by tracking loss of certain salient points in the compound ERG potential in response to
blocking synaptic transmission at specific levels of retinal circuitry. In a similar manner, we aim to target different synaptic pathways in
the retina and see how the mERG recording is affected. Beginning with the application of APB to the tissue, we sought to eliminate the
ON visual pathway, and observed loss of activity in a region of the mERG wave. We will proceed to target the OFF pathway using
antagonists for non-NMDA ionotropic glutamate receptors. By applying these drugs in combination with blocking retinal output at the
ganglion cell level with cocktail s of NMDA and non-NMDA blockers, we can use unique visual stimuli in our mERG recordings to
develop novel characterizations of genetic knockouts in a high throughput fashion.
OSTEOMYELITIS:
INTERACTIONS OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS WITH OSTEOBLASTS
Emily Goering
Mentor: Deborah Novack
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is the primary cause of osteomyelitis, or bone infection, which is difficult to treat and often recurrent.
Although S. aureus has historically been characterized as an extracellular pathogen, mounting evidence suggests that S. aureus can
survive within host bone cells, notably osteoblasts, the cells that build bone. The purpose of this study was to investigate not only whether
S. aureus can invade but also proliferate within osteoblasts. In initial experiments, we infected murine committed osteoblast precursors
with S. aureus and examined intracellular bacterial survival over several time points. Non-internalized bacteria were eliminated through
gentamicin treatment. Our preliminary data show that S. aureus can readily invade murine osteoblast precursors; however, once
internalized, the bacteria persist but are unable to proliferate over time. We then repeated this procedure with differentiated murine
osteoblasts. Likewise, we found that S. aureus are internalized and survive within differentiated osteoblasts but intracellular replication
is restricted. Collectively, these data demonstrate that S. aureus has the potential to internalize and persist within osteoblasts and their
precursors, but cannot exploit these cells for replication. Although S. aureus proliferation is constrained, invasion and intracellular
persistence in long-lived osteoblasts may provide an evasive strategy for S. aureus to escape professional phagocytes and extracellular
antibiotics. Thus, osteoblast infection may play a key role in promoting chronic osteomyelitis, a devastating affliction that currently has
no cure.
DEVELOPING OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE USING PAIRED UST AND KINECT SENSORS
Stephen Gower
Mentor: Arye Nehorai
In obstacle avoidance, it is critical to optimize the way in which the robot “sees” the world. In this case, we sought to pair two sensors,
the ultrasonic transducer and the Kinect camera, for use in basic obstacle avoidance. The pairing of the two sensors theoretically allows
for them to complement each other. The Kinect camera for instance, has a minimum depth of 0.5m, while the ultrasonic transducer has
a minimum range of 0.03m. On the other hand, the Kinect has much better resolution and allows for 3D mapping of the surroundings.
We sought to utilize existing algorithms such as AD* to accomplish the task of plotting paths that would balance avoidance with
efficiency. In order to accomplish this, we needed to build systems that interpreted our sensor readings and build a 2-dimensional
mapping of our surroundings. Using this “Occupancy Grid” and AD* we were able to create a functioning robot to accomplish basic
obstacle avoidance.
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AN ALGORITHM FOR CALCULATING RESIDUAL DOSES
Anthony Grebe
Mentor: Vitaly Pronskikh, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
During high-energy particle beam operation, materials in the structures enclosing the beam become radioactive due to exposure to the
beam. This radioactivity persists after shutdown, and this residual radioactivity can pose a hazard to personnel who may have to enter
the rooms enclosing the beam. In this research we seek to estimate the levels of residual radioactivity. We present an algorithm for
quantifying such radioactivity using MARS15, a Monte Carlo simulator that models particle interactions and transport. Our algorithm
accomplishes this by modeling radionuclide production, decay, and gamma ray emission in various regions in the beam enclosure and
then tracking the emitted gamma rays. We benchmark our algorithm against the DORIAN code designed by Robert Froeschl. We also
illustrate the use of our code for estimating residual doses in the Production Solenoid Hall and the Remote Handling Room of the
planned Mu2e experiment at Fermilab.
ELECTROCHEMICAL DEPOSITION ON PLASMONIC GOLD NANOPARTICLES
Avi Grinberg
Mentor: Bryce Sadtler
The objective of this research is to deposit metal nanoparticles in a well-ordered array on a conductive substrate so electrochemistry can
be performed while the plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles is excited by a light. First, we tried to accomplish this by nanosphere
lithography of polystyrene microspheres, attempting to create an array of close-packed microspheres on an indium tin oxide (ITO) slide.
The methods we used were drop-casting, spin-coating, shearing and picking the slide up through a layer of particles. This would allow
us to then coat the slide with silver, creating an array of ordered silver nanotriangles in the interstitials between the microspheres with
which to perform electrochemistry. Secondly, we synthesized colloidal gold nanoparticle syntheses as an alternative way to create a
pattern of metal particles on the surface of an ITO slide. We report our initial electrodeposition experiments, depositing silver metal on
gold nanoparticles dispersed on an ITO slide.
THE LINK BETWEEN RECOGNITION OUTCOMES AND MERE EXPOSURE EFFECTS
David Grybinas
Mentor: Ian Dobbins
Prior exposure to stimuli increases later ratings of positive affect as indexed by subjective ratings of pleasantness. This phenomenon, the
mere exposure effect (MEE), has been reliably and robustly demonstrated under many research settings and occurs even when the initial
exposure was forgotten or subliminal. However, the role recognition outcomes play in moderating the MEE remains unclear given the
paucity of studies directly measuring the explicit recognition status of each stimuli. Here, pleasantness ratings (at test) and standard
recognition procedures were used to investigate whether the correctness and type – studied or non-studied – of recognition decision
altered the rated pleasantness of items. The results demonstrated that stimuli judged as studied yielded reliably higher ratings of
pleasantness than those judged as non-studied, regardless of correctness in judgments. Thus, these data suggest that recognition
conclusions alter mere exposure effects and rule out models wherein only forgotten stimuli yield robust mere exposure effects. The
pattern was also incompatible with the idea that MEE is greater for confident than non-confident recognition conclusions.
AGE DIFFERENCES IN ACCURACY OF PERCEIVING EMOTION REGULATION STRATEGIES
AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION
Yue Guo
Mentor: Tammy English
Emotions play an important role in relationships. The proper regulation or management of emotion can facilitate interactions and help
maintain close relationships. The ability to accurately detect a partner’s emotion regulation patterns may also have important social
consequences. The present study will address 1. Whether there are age differences in emotion regulation strategies and accuracy of
detecting a partner’s emotion regulation strategies and 2. Whether emotion regulation strategy use and accuracy in judging partner’s
regulation predicts relationship satisfaction. One hundred heterosexual married couples of ages ranging from 20 to 89 were recruited
from the St. Louis community. Couples came into the lab to complete a series of surveys, including scales assessing their own and their
partner’s use of emotion regulation strategies, as well as their relationship satisfaction. Accuracy of perceiving emotion regulation was
determined by taking the difference between one person’s report of their partner’s emotion regulation strategies and their partner’s
report of their own emotion regulation strategies. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used to analyze the data and test for
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effects of gender. The results of this study can advance understanding of how use of different emotion regulation strategies and how well
one can perceive the use of strategies in others change across adulthood. Furthermore, results can shed light on how both partners’ use
of emotion regulation can affect relationships.
PHASE-CONTRAST X-RAY IMAGING FOR SMALL ANIMAL LUNGS
Runze Han
Mentor: Mark Anastasio
Small animal in vivo lung imaging is challenging due to respiratory motion and the small size of the lung. There is currently no modality
that can spatially resolve regional changes in airspace size and numbers with only one acquisition per breath state. This project proposes
a modality, propagation-based-X-ray phase-contrast (PB-XPC) imaging, that has potential for producing regional maps of lung
properties. PB-XPC lung radiographs present lung speckle, an intensity-based texture that is not seen in conventional lung imaging
techniques. We investigate the correlation between XPC lung speckle texture and airspace size and number with results from
computer-simulated numerical phantoms and experimental PB-XPC bench-top acquisitions of glass microsphere phantoms. Employing
support vector regression (SVR), a supervised learning algorithm, we estimate projected regional airspace characteristics from XPC
speckle texture properties. SVR training data employs “ground-truth” airspace characteristics calculated from reconstructed
computed-tomography images. Our project shows promising results demonstrating PB-XPC imaging’s potential for spatially resolved
functional lung imaging in small animals.
THE CULTURAL VALIDITY OF CHILE CRECE CONTIGO FOR THE MAPUCHE CULTURE
Amanda Harris
Mentor: Sandra Rojas, School for International Training
The objective of this study is to analyze the cultural validity for the Mapuche culture of the national system Chile Crece Contigo, which
aims to assist and support all new mothers and their children. The study aims to determine the strengths and weakness of the program
and develop suggestions to create more cultural pertinence within the system. While quantitative studies can measure the overall effect
of the network in promoting healthy pregnancies and childhood development, qualitative studies are necessary to describe the
perceptions and success of the program for the Mapuche pueblo. This study uses semi-structured interviews with 13 women, several
medical personal, and administrative representatives to assess the function of Chile Crece Contigo in the Makewe community, a Mapuche
territory in the rural area outside of Temuco, Chile. Analysis of the interviews revealed mixed perceptions about the system. While the
majority of Mapuche women were content with the current system, medical professionals and administration both urged for more
intercultural practices. In response to these findings, this study highlights the difference between culturally respectful and cultural
practices. The study supports the provision of cultural materials in response to the bio-medicalization of medicine in the Mapuche
pueblo. Choices concerning reproductive healthcare should be authentic decisions, not forced outcomes due to a lack of cultural
resources on the part of the Chilean government. Ultimately, this study acknowledges the good intentions for the inclusion of
intercultural practices within Chile Crece Contigo but emphasizes the need for greater cultural respect. This study suggests that this
cultural pertinence can be achieved through better education for professionals on Mapuche culture, more culturally appropriate
evaluations, and the continued need for not only cultural materials, such as the birthing guide “Creciendo juntos,” but also education to
providers to support its diffusion.
THE PLANT HORMONE AUXIN PROMOTES PSEUDOMONAS SYRINGAE
DC3000 PATHOGENESIS IN ARABIDOPSIS
Gregory Harrison
Mentor: Barbara Kunkel
Auxins are a class of important plant hormones involved in plant growth and development. It has recently been shown that auxin,
specifically indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), promotes susceptibility of Arabidopsis to infection by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae
DC3000 (PstDC3000). However, the role of IAA in PstDC3000 pathogenesis is unclear. Plants that are infected with PstDC3000 in the
presence of exogenous IAA exhibit enhanced disease symptom development. Additionally, plants overexpressing the IAA biosynthesis
gene YUCCA1 support higher levels of bacterial growth upon infection, suggesting that these plants, which accumulate elevated IAA,
have enhanced susceptibility to PstDC3000. IAA may function to promote pathogenesis through the plant’s own auxin signaling
machinery, or alternatively it may have a direct effect on the pathogen. To test if host auxin signaling is important during infection,
mutants lacking up to four of the six TIR1/ABF auxin receptors were infected with PstDC3000. These plants support normal levels of
pathogen growth and disease, suggesting that host auxin signaling may not be important for pathogenesis. To test if IAA has a direct
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effect on the pathogen, we tested the effect of IAA on bacterial gene expression. Our preliminary data suggests that both the glycolytic
enzyme gap-1 and the coronatine biosynthesis gene cmaA are down-regulated upon treatment with IAA. The expression of the type three
effector gene avrPto was monitored using an avrPto::uidA fusion. The type three secretion system is normally induced upon transfer to
nutrient-deficient conditions. However, induction of avrPto was inhibited by the addition of IAA as measured by GUS activity.
Interestingly, this effect was not seen in response to two additional auxins, PAA and NAA. Our results show that PstDC3000 is indeed
responding to IAA at the level of gene regulation. The role of this response is under investigation.
CSF BIOMARKERS AS RELATED TO COGNITIVE MEASURES IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Jessica Hayes
Mentor: Meghan Campbell
Several clinical and biological markers are associated with increased cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). In PD biomarker
investigation as compared to healthy controls (HC), lower CSF AB42 has been linked to plaques, lower CSF tau to neurofibrillary tangles
and Alzheimer’s, and lower a-synuclein levels to Lewy body pathology. While the mechanisms of cognitive impairment are not fully
understood in PD, these measurements have been associated with cognitive impairment in memory, executive function, verbal fluency,
attention, and visuospatial abilities in non-demented PD patients. In order to improve future treatment and prevention approaches, it
is necessary to measure AB sub-species, tau, and a-synuclein levels and to investigate their associations with cognitive functions in early,
non-demented PD patients. In this study, participants were divided between HC and non-demented PD patients with results from the
lumbar puncture and the neuropsychology battery at the initial visit. Cross-sectional correlations examined the three CSF biomarkers
and specific cognitive tests: Logical Memory, CVLT total, Digit Span and Symbol, Trail making B minus A, Stroop Inhibition, FrSBe
executive dysfunction, verbal fluency measures, and Spatial Relations. ANCOVA analyses confirmed that CSF values in the data set were
significantly lower for a-synuclein and AB42 in PD, but not total tau, as compared to HCs. At baseline, attention differed significantly
between the PD and HC groups. Within the PD cohort at baseline, attention and AB42 correlated negatively, inconsistent with the
prediction of a positive correlation. While longitudinal data indicated changes in cognition for memory, verbal fluency, and executive
dysfunction, CSF does not appear to be a predictor of this progression. Therefore, future studies will need to expand the sample size for
additional lumbar puncture data as well as include more sensitive cognitive tests and follow-up cognitive visits. This will clarify whether
CSF findings provide insight into PD's behavioral phenotypes.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS:
ANALYZING THE EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF E-READERS
Michael Henderson
Mentor: Eileen G’Sell
Digitization of reading mediums in the past few years has raised a contentious question: can e-readers replace printed books? In order
to answer this question, I analyzed the pedagogical implications of digitizing reading materials. Data was gathered from various
psychological studies conducted around the globe, as well as information from a survey I conducted at Washington University. One of
the main arguments in favor of e-readers is that they can help produce a more equitable learning environment. E-readers can save
financially strained students a significant amount of money in the long-term. A plurality of students from my survey listed affordability
as a major reason for using e-readers. Numerous psychological experiments have also shown that e-readers can help students with
learning disabilities read more efficiently. Being able to adjust textual features, such as spacing and line-length, can reduce many of the
factors that contribute to ADHD and dyslexia. There are many limitations to using e-readers, however. Studies have shown they cause
increased visual strain, making them a poor choice for reading long passages. Many students in my survey also indicated that they
preferred books over e-readers because of the “feel” books offer. Psychological studies affirm that physical interaction with texts, such as
writing annotations, help students mentally retain material. On top of that, the simple notion of being able to physically own a book can
foster attachment between students and their material. I concluded from this accumulation of data that e-readers can provide a helpful,
but nonetheless limited, role in educational settings. Though they can make the classroom accessible to more students, they are unable
to perform a number of important educational functions.
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COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION STRATEGIES:
A CASE STUDY IN HAWAI’I
Celia Hensey
Mentor: Bill Lowry
The unique biomes present in the Hawaiian Islands contain a diverse array of native species that have adapted to specialized niches in
the environment. However, the introduction of non-native species to the islands has put these endemic species at risk. Species such as
mangroves threaten wetland ecosystems, while ironwoods destroy the ecosystems of sand dune beaches. Ecological restoration projects
are critical for the continued survival of endemic Hawaiian flora and the unique ecosystems in which they thrive. Additionally, there are
a range of community and cultural factors that are specific to the islands. The rich historical and cultural heritage of the Hawaiian people
has major implications for conservation efforts. Ecological restoration sites may have religious or cultural significance to the local
community. A collaborative, community-based approach to conservation is one that accounts for community feedback while providing
successful implementation. Ongoing restoration efforts at Bellows Air Force Station on O’ahu at a coastal wetland site and at a coastal
sand dune site provide an ideal opportunity for a case study of these factors.
CAPPED OUT:
EXPLORING LIMITATIONS ON CHARTER SCHOOLS IN ST. LOUIS
Tobi Henzer
Mentor: Eileen G’Sell
In early 2015, Massachusetts lawyers announced their intention to file a lawsuit contesting that state’s cap on the number of students
allowed to attend charter schools. Charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run, have performed better in Boston than
their traditional public-school counterparts. That success suggests they might help alleviate educational inequality. Other urban school
districts, like the St. Louis Public School system, are particularly challenged by inequalities. Like Massachusetts, Missouri caps the
number of students who can attend charters. Because charters could help to close the academic achievement gap but not all students
may have access to charters due to the cap, Missouri’s charter limit could also attract judicial challenges. Charters, however, have
historically performed inconsistently in St. Louis. I compare the proficiency rates in English and math between traditional public schools
and charters in St. Louis from 2011 to 2014. During that time, proficiency rates in these subjects increased in charter schools but
decreased in conventional public schools. While the data are limited and may reflect selection bias, there is reason to believe that at least
some of the observed success, particularly at the KIPP schools, can be attributed to the charters themselves. The historical inconsistency
of charter schools in St. Louis, however, is a reminder that how these schools are implemented is crucial. Nonetheless, the gains observed
in St. Louis and elsewhere suggest that Missouri’s charter school cap should be reconsidered.
OPTIMIZATION OF AC SUSCEPTIBILITY MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES IN A HE-GAS PRESSURE SYSTEM
Claire Heuckeroth
Mentor: James S. Schilling
Magnetic susceptibility χ(T) is a temperature-dependent quantity that reveals a wealth of information about the magnetic properties of
a given material, including magnetic ordering temperature, size of local magnetic moments, strength of the interactions between local
moments, and superconducting transition temperature. Measuring χ(T) is particularly important in high-pressure physics, because it
allows for a better understanding of the manner in which materials become superconductive and because it allows for measurement of
very small samples without direct electrical contact. To gain full information about a sample, it is necessary to separate the sample’s signal
from the background effects of the measurement. The device used to measure susceptibility in a He-gas pressure system, which allows
measurements up to 1 GPa of pressure, contains two counter- wound secondary coils surrounded by a primary coil carrying a weak (~
1 Oe) oscillating magnetic field. The induced voltages in the empty secondary coils compensate each other, yielding zero output voltage
(V = 0) if perfectly balanced. The imbalance in voltage created when a sample is inserted into one of the secondary coils is proportional
to the susceptibility of that sample. Unfortunately, the existing coil system used for these experiments had a substantial
temperature-dependent background signal that primarily originates from an unequal coupling of the metallic parts of the pressure cell
to the two secondary coils. Several modifications to this measurement device were made in order to reduce the background signal. These
changes included decreasing the diameter of the secondary coil, moving the sample further from the metal components of the pressure
cell, and spot-welding the copper wires in the device directly together. This new coil system was tested using the magnetic ternary
compound Gd Rh6 B4 and can be shown to obey the Curie-Weiss law below 100K.
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THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF U.S. AGRICULTURE:
CHALLENGES, CONSEQUENCES, AND CRITICISMS
Max Hofmeister
Mentor: Venus Bivar
Industrial agriculture, the basis of the contemporary American food system, transformed farming in the 20th century. The
industrialization of agriculture refers to tangible components: machinery, chemical fertilizers and pesticides; hybrid or genetically
modified seeds; and an overarching idea that efficiency should guide all activity. Agricultural scientists, economists, and government
agencies claimed that industrialization was a superior, modern form of agriculture. These professionals believed that farms should be
focused on the production of a commodity and streamlined like a business or factory, an idea achieved through the simplification and
standardization of farming practices. Criticism of industrial agriculture has varied over time; it is accused of being costly, inefficient, and
complex, creating conflict between large-scale, wealthy farmers and smaller, “traditional” farmers, causing a decline in rural life and
society, facilitating capitalist penetration of the family farm, and recently, damaging the environment. A century of agricultural policy
and corporate support institutionalized the industrial system. I aim to examine the origins of this system to question its supposed
inevitability, allowing us to reconsider what alternatives are available to contemporary farmers. Modern society appears to depend on
the high yields and low food costs that industrialization allows, but rarely have we paused to consider the social and environmental costs
paid with each bite of food.
ANALYSIS OF HUMAN CYTOCHROME C BIOGENESIS:
RELEASE OF CYTOCHROME C VARIANTS FROM THE HCCS ENZYME
Jennifer Hsu
Mentor: Robert Kranz
Cytochrome c (cyt c), found in the intermembrane space of the mitochondria, is an indispensable component of cellular processes such
as energy production and apoptosis. It has an essential role as an electron carrier, thus cyt c defects can be fatal. This investigation
focuses on the biosynthesis, quantitation, and the characterization of various cytochrome c variants. For stability and function, cyt c
must be attached to the heme via two thioether linkages at conserved cysteine residues (Cys15XxxXxxCys18His19) by an enzyme known as
holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS). Seven cytochrome c variants with mutations in and around the conserved motif were chosen for
this investigation: C15A, C15S, C18A, C18S, M13 , C14A in an M13Δ background and C17A in an M13Δ background. Previous data
from the Kranz lab has demonstrated that some HCCS mutants are capable of releasing wild type and other variants of cyt c, such as
H19M, several fold more than the WT HCCS. In this study, we have successfully used the previously characterized E159A HCCS release
mutant to produce most of the cyt c variants listed above. Results from heme stains, western blots, and UV-visible spectrophotometry
show that the HCCS E159A release mutant produces higher yields of cyt c variants under investigation, further supporting the original
conclusion that the cyt c release mechanism of HCCS is governed by protein:heme interactions rather than protein:protein contacts.
Present data have also suggested a possible protein modification for the C18X variants, unlike the other cyt c variants. In addition, our
results support the notion that the M13Δ parent cyt c variant only has a single thioether linkage. Furthermore, our results have opened
up a potential innovative method to biosynthesize sufficient quantities of novel c-type cytochromes for biochemical further studies.
BIOSYNTHESIS OF L-PIZ AND INCORPORATION INTO BACTERIAL NATURAL PRODUCTS
Yifei Hu
Mentor: Joshua Blodgett
L-Piperazic acid (L-Piz) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid incorporated into certain bacterial natural products, many of which have
clinical relevance. The complete pathway for L-Piz biogenesis remains unknown. However, prior studies on the kutznerides, a family of
piperazic acid-containing natural products, revealed that the biosynthesis of L-Piz begins with the N-hydroxylation of L-ornithine
(L-Orn) into N5-OH-L-Orn via the hydroxylase, KtzI. Understanding the remaining enzymology for L-Piz production from
N5-OH-L-Orn would greatly increase our understanding of how nature builds nitrogen-nitrogen bonds, and directly inform
genome-mining efforts in bacteria for the discovery of novel piperazic acid-containing antitumor and antibacterial compounds.
Our research goals are to express, purify, and assay enzymes with likely roles in L-Piz biogenesis. Thus far, we have cloned a number
of relevant genes from known L-Piz-producing bacteria, in addition to those from other putative L-Piz producers identified in our
bioinformatics efforts. These PCR-amplified genes were cloned to protein expression plasmids for use in standard E. coli expression
hosts. In addition, we have also cloned our genes of interest into an expression shuttle plasmid for expression in Streptomyces lividans, a
more appropriate host based on phylogenetic inference. A panel of protein products resulting from these efforts has been purified for
enzymological studies. Initial experiments with the protein products have shown the production of N5-OH-L-Orn from pathways
beyond the kutznerides, based on cofactor utilization and LC/MS analysis. Further tests are underway to determine if these newly
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reconstituted enzymes can be used to produce stable isotopically labeled N5-OH-L-Orn for use in probing bacteria for new
L-Piz-dependent antibiotics, and to further understand the process by which this substrate is incorporated L-Piz.
THERMODENUDER PROJECT
Bo Huang
Mentor: Rajan Chakrabarty
A novel, portable thermodenuder was built to evaporate and absorb the undesired volatile compounds in the airflow as part of the
photoacoustic device. Energy model and ANSYS fluid dynamics models were developed to find ideal materials and optimize flow
properties for a functional thermodenuder that provide steady heat output. Using the computer models guidelines, the thermodenuder
was constructed and calibrated with novel activated carbon fibers to avoid charcoal dust and thus decrease background noise. The
temperature profile inside the thermodenuder was measured against distance, and comparison between the actual temperature profile
and the ideal temperature profile was generated to examine the quality of the thermodenuder. The final SMPS diagram indicates a shift
in the peak of particle size, which indicates decrease in overall aerosol particle size after passing through the thermodenuder.
AN OCCULT MARRIAGE:
THE YEATS’S SPIRITUAL AND LITERARY COLLABORATION
Keegan Hughes
Mentor: Guinn Batten
W. B. Yeats’s strangest and most esoteric work, A Vision, is often overlooked in favor of his poetry and plays. Part of the reason for its
difficulty and unreadability is that it condenses over 3,000 manuscript pages that Yeats and his wife, Georgie Hyde-Lees, collaborated on
for years. Shortly into their honeymoon she discovered the ability for automatic writing, an occult technique similar to the ouija board,
except that the spiritual communication is transcribed directly through the medium, George. The Automatic Script is a long dialogue
between Yeats and spirit communicators, exploring topics as diverse as Yeats’s love life, the cosmic order of the universe, and the
categorization of famous personalities. In the interest of investigating these occult manuscripts that are so formative for A Vision and
Yeats’s later poetry, I engaged in archival research at the National Library of Ireland and the British Library, looking at the Automatic
Script, drafts of A Vision, galley proofs, and Yeats’s personal notes. I discovered in my research that George’s role in the collaborative
process is far more complicated than merely parroting his own ideas back to him, as has sometimes been suggested. The most productive
places in the Script are the sites of resistance between Yeats and the spirits (or George); he struggles to assimilate the new ideas into his
own pre-existing structures of thought, and the spirits accordingly try to assert their new ideas over his. From the power struggle arises
a complicated, poly-authored view of history and literature.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MANGANESE OXIDE NANOPARTICLE SYNTHESIS
Yue Hui
Mentor: Young-Shin Jun
Apoferritin has been used as a macromolecular template to synthesize a range of metal oxide nanoparticles including manganese oxides.
However, the kinetics of the oxidation and nucleation process has not yet been firmly determined. In our study, to investigate the rate of
oxidation and nucleation, we utilized inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
The ICP-OES results indicated that homogeneous nucleation dominated for pH 9.5, and heterogeneous nucleation was negligible for
pH 8.5. Therefore, pH 9 was the most suitable reaction condition to be study heterogeneous nanoparticle formation. In this study,
UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to measure the extent of reaction with the help of Leucoberbelin Blue, which is a reducing agent that
reduces specifically from higher Mn oxidation state to Mn(II). The UV-Vis spectroscopy results suggested that heterogeneous nucleation
is the main reaction at early stage while homogeneous nucleation gradually sets in and dominates during the later part of Mn oxide
formation. The results also confirmed that rate of reaction for both heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation increases with
increasing Mn2+ and OH- concentrations. This study provides new, fundamental understanding of kinetics for apoferritin-mediated Mn
oxide heterogeneous nucleation.
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ANION STUDY OF CYANIDE AND ISOCYANATE AS A POTENTIAL REDUCTANT
FOR CO2 AND NO COMPOUNDS
X
Channing Hunter
Mentor: Richard Mabbs
Decreasing CO2 levels are vital to our environment. Over the past century, carbon emissions have skyrocketed, resulting in record
greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2). Although scientists continually predict changes caused by increased CO2 emissions, nobody
has predicted the breadth of issues stemming from greenhouse gases. This research focuses on carbon capture/sequestration techniques,
and reconverting greenhouse gases into renewable energy.
We look at vibronic spectroscopy; a molecule’s electronic and vibrational transitions, using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This
method allows us to determine numerous molecular properties including electron binding energy, molecular geometry, and different
molecular energy states.
We generated molecular anions from acetonitrile (CH3CN) with oxygen (O2) as the carrier gas. We were able to produce cyanide
(CN-) and isocyanate (NCO-) ions. Cyanide has a vertical detachment energy of 3.82 electron volts; isocyanate has vertical detachment
energies of 3.609 eV and 3.806 eV, indicated by “ring-like” features in the image. Isocyanate can help chemically reduce carbon dioxide
(CO2 ) and nitrate/nitrite (NOx) emissions, the ultimate goal of the project.
One of the major obstacles with this process is changing the conformation (geometry) of the carbon dioxide, which will result in an
unfavorable, higher energy. However, this has been done using a process called transition metal catalysis. This includes the transfer of
electrons from the metal to the CO2 group attached to it. We made molecules containing a CO2 group, CuOF(CO2). Additionally, SOx
and NOx compounds are abundant and have similar effects as CO2.
CHARACTERIZING IPSCS AND UTILIZING MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES TO EXPLORE
RELEVANT MODELS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Chimezie Ileje
Mentor: Celeste Karch
Thirty million individuals worldwide suffer from varying stages of dementia as a result of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is defined as a
physical shrinking of the brain accompanied by accumulation of amyloid plaques and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles within
the cell. Dysfunction of a neuronal protein Tau can cause neurofibrillary tangles; hence, these diseases are collectively referred to as
tauopathies.A central goal of our lab is to discover the molecular and cellular workings of tauopathies.
In order to study tauopathies, animal or cell-based models are needed. Obtaining neurons from human patients is both difficult and
risky to the patient. A possible solution to this problem came with the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells ()—stem cells created
from adult cells. iPSC technology allows for the in vitro derivation of human neurons from almost any cell of patients affected by AD.
This minimally invasive approach unfortunately has a limited throughput: not all cells coaxed by transcription factors into this “stem
cell-like” state are able to undergo a full transformation into iPSCs. Thus validation of the transformation of dermal fibroblasts into
iPSCs is a key first step in the use of iPSCs to study AD.
This research focuses on ensuring that patient-derived human dermal fibroblasts are faithfully reprogrammed into iPSCs. iPSCs can
be unambiguously identified based on their expression of Oct4, TRA, Sox 2, Nanog, and SSEA4. I will use immunocytochemical assays
first to validate conversion of patient cells into iPSCs. Once the iPS cells are validated, we will differentiate them into cortical neurons,
the main cell type affected by AD. After we convert the iPSCs into cortical neurons, I will follow the accumulation of tau and other
AD-associated proteins using western blotting and immunocytochemical assays to follow the time-course with which they form
neurofibrillary tangles.
FORMATION OF EPCAM OLIGOMERS AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECT IN REGULATING BREAST CANCER
Ryan Jacobs
Mentor: William Gillanders
Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a signaling molecule that is expressed at high levels in epithelial carcinoma cells. The
purpose of this study is to better understand EpCAM interactions with itself in human epithelial carcinoma cell lines in order to
determine how such interactions affect regulation of downstream cell-signaling pathways. A crystal structure has already been elucidated
that shows the formation of a mutated recombinant EpCAM dimer between its extracellular domains. Using this crystal structure model,
we hypothesized that EpCAM can form a dimer with itself in human cell lines. Chemical cross-linking experiments were performed
under various reaction conditions to form not only dimers, but also trimers and tetramers. Using recombinant EpCAM proteins and
293T cells transfected with an EpCAM expression vector, we observed EpCAM form trimers and tetramers in addition to the expected
dimers. However, in human epithelial cancer cell lines that have high expression of EpCAM, only EpCAM dimers were observed. Finally,
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we noticed that EpCAM oligomers formed more readily as the reaction environment became more basic. From these results, we can
conclude that EpCAM forms dimers in cells, and EpCAM also interacts with itself to form oligomers. These interactions are strengthened
in more basic conditions. These results provide evidence for investigating how such interactions affect regulation of downstream cell
signaling pathways and tumor growth in epithelial cancers, especially breast cancer.
THE ROLE OF THE POTASSIUM ION CHANNEL SEIZURE (SEI) IN REGULATING BEHAVIOR
IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
Poorva Jain
Mentor: Yehuda Ben-Shahar
Ion channels are essential for maintaining homeostasis and regulating behavior. Loss of function mutations in the potassium ion channel
seizure (sei) of Drosophila melanogaster cause high sensitivity to heat and lead to seizures and paralysis due to neuronal hyper
excitability. Here, we conducted multiple experiments to better understand the mechanism by which potassium ion channels like sei and
other genes regulate neuronal homeostasis. We found that flies must be homozygous for the mutation in the gene encoding the seizure
ion channel to show this hyper excitability in heat; heterozygotes act similarly to the wild type flies. Not all species of flies express the
seizure ion channel. Drosophila pseudoobscura, a seizure deficient species, was compared to the closely related Drosophila persimilis, which
does express the seizure ion channel. We found that D. pseudoobscura did have a higher resistance to seizures compared to D. persimilis,
therefore there are likely other mechanisms in place that decrease their sensitivity to heat. We also conducted experiments testing various
other ion channels for seizure response to heat, and found that a loss of function mutation in another potassium ion channel shaker
causes lower sensitivity to heat. Current experiments are in progress that will determine how mutations in seizure and shaker maintain
neuronal homeostasis when D. melanogaster are exposed to cold, or oxidative stress. Additionally, flies that over express seizure will be
tested through all the aforementioned behavioral assays and compared to seizure mutants and wild type flies.
ERADICATING FEAR IN YOUNG WOMEN IN INDIA
Pooja Jairam
Mentor: Gina Frey
As evidenced by the Dehli gang rape in 2012, in which a 23-year-old woman was raped and beaten to death, and the gang rape and
subsequent hanging of two teenage girls in Uttar Pradesh, rape has become a horrendous problem in India. The literature on education
methods to combat these problems is sparse. The purpose of this project is to determine which education methods are effective in
helping young women in India retain and pass on to other girls the information they learn about personal safety and self-defense. Three
methods were tested: one focused on developing confidence (C4 method), one focused on learning self-defense techniques, and the
third method was a combination of the C4 and self-defense methods. This pilot study found evidence that all three methods increased
the participants’ knowledge of self-defense and personal safety, and reduced their fear of walking alone on the streets. Based on the
qualitative data obtained in this pilot study, I propose, in a future study, to add scenarios of different difficult situations to the education
methods. I believe that these scenarios may give the participants a more realistic picture of what they may encounter.
Diana Jerome
See Evan Alger-Meyer
IDENTIFICATION OF RNA HELICASES GENES THAT PROMOTE MEIOTIC ENTRY IN C. ELEGANS
August John
Mentor: John Brenner
In the C. elegans germline, the glp-1 Notch signaling pathway maintains a pool of germline stem cells that undergo self-renewing mitotic
divisions, which serve to maintain the pool of stem cells and provide a pool of germ cells that differentiate and enter a meiotic cell cycle.
The direct transcriptional targets of glp-1 signaling that promote the germline stem cell fate are incompletely known. Genetic analyses
indicate that glp-1 represses the redundant gld-1 and gld-2 pathways, which promote meiotic entry. These pathways redundantly act such
that meiotic entry still occurs upon loss or disruption of one pathway, but meiotic entry fails when both pathways are lost or disrupted
and a germline tumor is formed. The known control of the gld-1 and gld-2 pathways is post-transcriptional. We hypothesized that RNA
helicases, which can act to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression, may play important roles in promoting the gld-1 and gld-2
pathways and thus promote meiotic entry. To test this, we used RNAi to knockdown 78 known or putative RNA helicase genes in a
mutant strain of C. elegans with a weak glp-1 gain-of-function allele (glp-1gf) that is sensitive to loss of individual genes that promote
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meiotic entry. Meiotic entry occurs relatively normally in glp-1gf, however a germline tumor is formed when genes involved in
promoting meiotic entry are reduced. Knockdown of three RNA helicase genes, cgh-1, ddx-15, and mut-4, resulted in germline tumors
in a glp-1gf background, indicating these three genes act to promote meiotic entry. We also provide genetic evidence that ddx-15 acts in
the gld-1 pathway, consistent with previously published data. Future experiments will determine the mechanism whereby cgh-1 and
mut-4 promote meiotic entry.
VARIATION IN POLYGENIC RISK FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER PREDICTS
AMYGDALA REACTIVITY TO THREAT-RELATED STIMULI
Kimberly Johnson
Mentor: Ryan Bogdan
Variability in amygdala function, which is critical for behavioral vigilance, has been associated with a host of psychopathologies. The vast
majority of research on depression suggests that it is characterized by heightened threat-related amygdala reactivity; however, relatively
blunted reactivity has also been observed. One open question is whether variability in amygdala reactivity may represent a trait-like
genetic vulnerability to depression or represent a consequence of depressive symptomatology. Using data (n= 394) from the ongoing
Duke Neurogenetics Study (DNS), and leveraging polygenic risk scores for depression generated by the Psychiatric Genomics
Consortium mega-analysis, we examined whether polygenic risk for depression is correlated with threat-related amygdala reactivity
(fMRI acquired during an emotional face-matching task). Elevated polygenic risk for depression was associated with reduced
threat-related amygdala reactivity. While these results were consistently observed, they are at odds with the vast majority of research
findings linking heightened threat-related reactivity to depression. However, they are consistent with blunted amygdala reactivity
observed during depressive episodes of bipolar disorder. It is possible that prior to a depressive episode, those at risk are characterized
by blunted reactivity that transitions to increased reactivity in the context of the emergence of depression and/or anxiety.
HIPPOCAMPAL SUBDIVISIONS AND NAVIGATION PERFORMANCE
Christina Johnston
Mentor: Denise Head
Although spatial navigation is a complex process involving multiple cognitive skills (e.g., memory, attention, decision making, etc.),
individuals frequently employ a place learning strategy to navigate through space. Place learning, which is associated with the
hippocampus (HC), involves forming a mental representation of the environment in terms of landmark locations and the spatial
relationships among them (i.e., a cognitive map). The existing literature indicates that each subdivision of the HC along the longitudinal
axis (i.e., head, body, and tail) may have somewhat distinct functional roles in navigation, with some work suggesting that the posterior
hippocampus (body and tail) is particularly related to the use of a place learning strategy. The objective of this study was to further
investigate the relationship between HC subdivisions and performance on a wayfinding (i.e., place learning) task. Sixty participants from
the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center with existing MRI data completed a wayfinding task in a 3D virtual reality environment.
Boundaries between the head, body, and tail were manually delineated. Only the volume of the hippocampal body was significantly
associated with cognitive map learning and use of a cognitive map. Although these results are consistent with previous studies of
navigation with regard to the body, some prior research has implicated the tail as also being involved in place learning. Importantly,
boundary definitions for the HC subdivisions may vary across studies. Given the limited research in this area, additional studies,
including ones examining functional and/or connectivity differences of different subdivisions of the HC, are needed to substantiate
current findings.
THE EFFECT OF NEGATIVE ALLOSTERIC MODIFIERS ON MGLUR5 ACTIVITY
Sartajdeep Kahlon
Mentor: Karen O’Malley
The metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR5, is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) widely expressed in the brain where it is linked
to various developmental pathways involved in intellectual disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders. Most GPCRs are located on
the surface of the cell where they receive signals from the environment which they convert into signals inside the cell. What makes
mGluR5 unique is that most of it is inside the cell where it can also be activated and hence trigger signaling from its position inside the
cell. Because cell surface mGluR5 activates different responses than the intracellular receptor, we hypothesized that compounds that
inhibit mGluR5 might do so in a differential fashion. Specifically that some mGluR5 inhibitors might only block the cell surface receptor
whereas others might block intracellular mGluR5. To test this hypothesis we used primary cultures of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons
which we have previously shown to express high levels of this receptor. When activated mGluR5 leads to increased intracellular calcium
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which can be conveniently measured in dishes of cells using fluorescent calcium-sensitive dyes. By measuring a range of concentrations
of 5 different inhibitors, I was able to deduce that certain drugs were more effective at inhibiting the cell surface vs the intracellular receptor.
This information will be useful in developing new therapies for disorders linked to mGluR5 signaling such as autism spectrum disorder.
WHO’S HUNGRY:
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF CARBON STARVATION ON THE MODEL BACTERIUM ESCHERICHIA COLI
Jesse Kao
Mentor: Petra Levin
Infectious bacteria are frequently transmitted indirectly, by one host transferring bacteria to another host via a frequently touched object.
The intervening environment, such as surface water or doorknobs, tends to be nutrient poor, requiring bacteria to possess mechanisms
that increase survivability in carbon-depleted conditions. In low-carbon environments the model bacterium Escherichia coli enters a
stress-resistant state known as stationary phase, where growth-related genes are inhibited and survival-dependent genes are activated.
Under these conditions, E. coli cease growing and attain a durable, rounded morphology.
While previous work has focused on low-carbon environments, the response of E. coli to carbon-free conditions has not been studied.
To address this deficiency I have been examining the impact of shifting cells growing in exponential phase, (when replication is optimal
and nutrients are plenty) to a carbon-free media. In contrast to carbon-poor medium, shifting cells to carbon-free medium results in a
dramatically different phenotype than shifting to a low-carbon environment. Within fifteen minutes of the shift to carbon-free medium,
the inner membrane of the cell draws away from the outer membrane and cell wall, leaving a large, apparently empty space at the pole
of the cell. This phenotype persists for more than one week.
I am currently characterizing the factors contributing to this phenotype. There does not appear to be a significant change in cell
viability even in the absence of genes necessary for the response to low-carbon environments, rpoS or relA/spoT. Wild-type cells also
seem to be sensitive to heat shock at 55° C during the first two to four hours of growth in the absence of carbon, but ultimately regain
durability.
Bacteria can find themselves in carbon-free environments at any given time, sometimes immediately shifted from a carbon-rich
environment to a carbon-free environment. This research provides insight into this exact situation that has not been extensively explored
before.
CHILDREN’S EVALUATION OF PEERS’ GENDER EXPRESSION
Alexandra Katsarelis
Mentor: Lori Markson
Gender-atypical adolescents, those who do not fit with the prevailing stereotypes of their own gender, are often the victims of bullying
and experience poorer psychological well-being than gender-typical peers, but little research has been done with gender atypicality in
younger children. Studying the development of younger children’s attitudes towards social exclusion of gender-atypical peers is critical
to understanding later bullying behaviors. The current study investigates preschool children’s attitudes towards gender-atypical peers,
including the social exclusion of these peers. Five-year-old children are read a storybook in which gender-stereotypical and
gender-atypical children are excluded from peer play activities. They are also asked questions throughout the story concerning the
likelihood of exclusion before it occurs and the permissibility of exclusion after it occurs. After the stories are presented, the participants
are asked questions about their own similarity to the characters and the social acceptability of these characters’ preferences. Results are
forthcoming and will help us begin to determine how children view gender atypical behavior in peers.
FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF NS2 IN RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS MEDIATED HOST IMMUNE EVASION
Samir Kaveeshwar
Mentor: Gaya Amarasinghe
The genome for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) encodes for 11 proteins through 10 distinct genes. Two proteins of interest are called
Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and Nonstructural protein 2 (NS2). These proteins have been shown to evade the human immune system
through inhibition and suppression of the signal interferon pathway. In response to viruses, this pathway produces proteins that target
the expression of antiviral genes. Specifically, NS1 and NS2 have been linked to lower levels of STAT2, which is a key signaling protein
in the type 1 signal interferon pathway. The degradation of STAT2 occurs through cellular ubiquitination, a type of degradation
accomplished by E3 ligase complexes. Recently, laboratory collaborators have shown through mass spectrometry analysis that NS2 has
potential “hits” of interaction with components of a Skp1-Cullin1-Fbxo21 E3 ligase complex. Thus, this project investigates the
possibility of NS2 interaction with the Skp1, Rbx1, and Fbxo21 proteins of the SCF E3 ligase through in vivo (live) expression of these
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proteins. Proteins were cloned into the pCAGGS vector and then transformed; transfection into HEK-293T cells and cell lysis followed.
After transfections were checked for proper expression through western blot analysis, co-immunoprecipitations were performed to
check for interaction between proteins of interest through use of over-expressed cell lysates. This project found positive interactions
between NS2 and Fbxo21, Skp1, and Rbx1, indicating that these proteins do interact in vivo. Furthermore, similar tests for interaction
with NS1 produced negative results. However, because cells were used, this indicates that there could be other proteins that are
molecularly important for this interaction: this may be an interaction with a complex of proteins. Thus, future experiments will test
interaction through eliminations of part of the NS2 gene followed by similar co-IPs to analyze for direct interaction.
IDENTIFYING KINASE GENES INVOLVED IN REGULATION OF GLD-1 IN THE C. ELEGANS GERMLINE
Vahag Kechejian
Mentor: Tim Schedl
Stem cells undergo rounds of mitotic division to self-renew and provide a population of cells that can differentiate. In the nematode
worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the germ cells within the distal-most region of the adult germline maintain rounds of mitotic division
through the action of the glp-1 Notch signaling pathway. The direct transcriptional targets of glp-1 Notch signaling that mediate control
of the proliferative versus meiotic fate decision remain incompletely defined in C. elegans. Instead, genetic analyses have shown that glp-1
maintains the proliferative fate through repression of the gld-1 and gld-2 pathways, which function redundantly to promote meiotic
entry. The mechanism whereby glp-1 signaling represses the gld-1 and gld-2 pathways is not completely understood and the known
controls of gld-1 and gld-2 pathways are post-transcriptional. We postulated that individual kinase genes, which can act to
post-translationally regulate target genes, may act to promote meiotic entry in the C. elegans germline by promoting gld-1 and/or gld-2
pathway activity. To test this, we knocked down individual kinase genes by RNAi in mutant worms carrying a weak gain-of-function
allele of glp-1, glp-1(gf). Meiotic entry is mostly normal in glp-1(gf) mutants, but knockdown of individual genes that promote meiotic
entry in this background results in failure of germ cells to enter meiosis and formation of a germline tumor. We identified 27 kinase
genes that are required for meiotic entry in the glp-1(gf) background. Future experiments will test if any of these 27 kinases promote
meiotic entry specifically in the gld-1 pathway.
CATION EXCHANGE AT THE NANOSCALE
Daniel Khan
Mentor: Bryce Sadtler
My research looked at conditions to promote cation exchange in silver iodide nanocrystals (AgI) to replace silver ions with lead, tin, or
mercury ions. Because there are very few reports on the synthesis of compounds such as SnI2, PbI2, and HgI2 at the nanoscale, this
alternative method uses known recipes for synthesizing AgI nanoparticles followed by conversion to the tin, lead, or mercury iodide
compound via exchange of the cations in the crystal. This technique will enable greater control over the chemical composition and
nanoscale morphology of the final material. However, this is a difficult task because halide salts generally have a high ionic character,
which greatly reduces their stability during solid-state transformations like cation exchange. I first used a hot injection method to
generate AgI nanoparticles of controlled size and shape and then studied the reaction conditions necessary to alter the chemical
composition of the material via cation exchange. For example, I synthesized AgI nanoparticles with a hexagonal prism morphology.
Then, I attempted to swap the silver ions in the nanoparticles for another cation such as mercury, lead, or tin to generate SnI2, PbI2, and
HgI2, while preserving the hexagonal shape of the nanoparticles. These compounds are useful because they can be used as precursors to
synthesize methylammonium lead and tin halide perovskite semiconductor particles, a promising new material for solar cells.
INVESTIGATING RNA TRANSLATION IN PERISYNAPTIC ASTROCYTE PROCESSES
Rohan Khazanchi
Mentor: Joe Dougherty
The Dougherty Lab as a whole is interested in the neurogenetics and genomics of behavior in health and disease. Dougherty has
developed novel methods for transgenesis, gene manipulation, and RNA profiling of the brain, and the lab utilizes these methods to
study genes relevant to autism spectrum disorders. We will investigate translation in perisynaptic astrocyte processes. This project stems
from a broad study of neuronal local translation. It is well understood that neurons utilize ribosomes in pre-synaptic neuron
components to synthesize proteins required for neurotransmission. We that astrocytes locally synthesize proteins similarly to neurons.
Preliminary data supports this novel hypothesis by showing that ribosomes exist in astrocyte processes. Our project will focus on
collecting data to validate preliminary data of the existence of certain RNAs at perisynaptic astrocyte processes (PAPs), utilizing
techniques.
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A WORM MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF LYSOSOMES IN HEART ATTACKS
Rohan Khopkar
Mentor: Abhinav Diwan
Following an ischemic (hypoxic) insult, a prolonged impairment of autophagy occurs in cardiomyocytes, leading to cell death and
resulting in ischemia-reperfusion injury. The Diwan lab studies injury in a cardiovascular context, by exploring the regulation of
lysosomal machinery and signaling pathways that facilitate removal of damaged organelles. By degrading and recycling toxic cellular
components, lysosomes and autophagy play a critical role conferring protection against disease pathogenesis. By exploring the impacts
of lysosomal machinery during injury, therapeutic measures for post- myocardial infarction injury, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and
Atherosclerosis may be developed.
The Diwan lab is focusing on starvational injury in C. elegans as a model of hypoxia during ischemia. Using a novel
starvation-refeeding assay, consisting of a 33-hour starvation period and a 15-hour recovery time in nutrient-replete conditions, the
Diwan lab has shown the presence of reperfused injury following hypoxic conditions. There is an additional injury inflicted during
starvation (hypoxia) that prevents C. elegans from completely recovering. Wild-type worms were found to recover after reinstitution of
nutrients, however hlh-30 null mutants were found alive after the 33-hour starvation period yet unable to recover, dying out during the
15-hour recovery period. This highlights hlh-30 as a key autophagy regulator and essential in survival of the post-starvational injury.
Unexpectedly, CEMM, media containing essential macromolecules, recued the hlh-30 null mutants following 33 hours of starvation.
By adding and removing various macromolecules from CEMM we identified D-glucose and beta-systerol as two essential
macromolecules required to rescue hlh-30 null worms. As beta-systerol cannot be metabolized for energy in C. elegans, we speculate it
acts as a signaling molecule in this context. Further studies would be focused on finding the mechanisms by which glucose acts via energy
or signaling to confer cytoprotection and bypass the lysosome.
WHISPERING-GALLERY-MODE-ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
Eshan King
Mentor: Lan Yang
Raman spectroscopy is a widely used method in many areas of research to provide a unique “fingerprint” of a molecule to aid in
identification. The main principle behind Raman spectroscopy is Raman scattering, which is inelastic scattering of light through a
medium, meaning the scattered photons have a shifted frequency (usually lower) than that of the incident photons. This shift in
frequency is unique to different chemical bonds, allowing for the identification of molecular samples. However, Raman scattering is
typically very weak, which makes it especially challenging to use in the study of tiny objects with small cross sections, such as
nanoparticles. With the continued increase in interest in nanoparticles in academia and industry, there is a great need for a robust
platform for detecting and characterizing these particles.
Ultra-high quality factor (high-Q) whispering gallery mode (WGM) microtoroid resonators provide an on-chip, easy to manufacture
method for dramatically increasing light-matter interactions. Light is coupled into the microtoroid by the evanescent field of a tapered
optical waveguide. One can utilize the strong evanescent field on the resonator surface for detection and size measurement of
nanoparticles. The increased light-matter interaction in the WGM resonator also enhances the Raman signal of adsorbed nanoparticles
compared to traditional methods utilizing a free-space laser. This allows for much greater sensitivity compared to traditional methods
of Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, the high circulating power within the resonator alleviates the need for a high-power laser. Further
optimization of the system can improve the preliminary results. For example, the geometry of the resonator can be modified to increase
the evanescent field interacting with the nanoparticles. The magnitude of the enhancement of the Raman signal has yet to be quantified.
WGM microtoroids provide a powerful and reproducible platform for enhancing Raman spectroscopy, with great promise for
applications in a wide array of fields.
ADOPTION OF ROBOTIC-ASSISTED SURGERY TECHNOLOGY BY HOSPITALS:
A CASE OF DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEMS
Esther Koh and Arjun Kumar
Mentor: Bart Hamilton
In the midst of rising healthcare costs, the true value of technology adoption by hospitals is being questioned. The spread of
robot-assisted surgery technology, such as that from da Vinci Surgical Systems, represents the rising trend in the healthcare industry to
adopt high-tech medical equipment as a part of treatment procedures. However, the clinical benefit of these technologies is yet to be
proven.
Data was collected from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database for fiscal year 2008. Primarily pediatric hospitals
were dropped from the survey to focus on hospitals that serve the general population. Analysis was performed using robotic surgery
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technology adoption as the outcome variable, controlling for a number of variables including hospital characteristics and ownership
structure. We used a Pearson chi-square to analyze the data and conducted binary logistic analysis to examine the effect of various factors
on a hospital’s decision to adopt the robotic surgery.
All included variables except for physician ownership demonstrated a relationship with the technology adoption by the hospital. For
every 1000 increase in Hirsch-Herfindahl Index, which is a measure of hospital market competitiveness, the likelihood of adoption
decreased by 18.57%, holding all other variables constant (p<0.05).
Though it proved challenging to pinpoint correlations from hospital data due to a vast array of variables, a number of significant
relationships and conclusions resulted from the model reported here. Medical technology adoption was significantly correlated with the
strategic-institutional theory and largely dependent on a hospital’s motivations and capabilities for becoming and being a technology
leader and competitive leader. This line of analysis has widespread implications in policy discussions ranging from quality-of-care to cost
containments to hospital administration. The research presented here would prove valuable in providing for concrete evidence in such
debates.
INVESTIGATING THE PHOTODISSOCIATION DYNAMICS OF LACTIC ACID
Hilah Kohen
Mentor: Richard Loomis
Recent biological findings suggest that lactic acid (LA), long known to be a significant product of cancer metabolism, may also
exacerbate cancer growth. However, the mechanisms involved in these results are not understood. In order to predict the modifications
LA might spur and undergo in human cells, researchers require knowledge about how LA dissociates under much more controlled
conditions. These conditions can only be achieved using an interconnected system of vacuum chambers, dynamic sample sources, and
software. In this work, I constructed a chamber that was used to optimize the behavior of a piezoelectric pulsed valve capable of opening
and closing at 15 Hz with sub-nanometer resolution. I monitored the pulsed valve’s movement using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF)
with the help of a LabVIEW Virtual Instrument (VI) I designed. The VI is also capable of automatically conducting time-of-flight mass
spectrometry (TOF MS) experiments. These instruments will allow our laboratory to conduct LIF and TOF MS as well as time-of-flight
velocity map imaging (TOF VMI) in studies of LA and other organic systems more complex than those we have examined in the past.
Such techniques, when applied using varying ionization methods, ionization schemes, and excitation energies, will allow us to investigate
the many potential fragmentation pathways of LA and generate detailed knowledge of the electronic structures and internal dynamics
involved in its dissociation. This work has two primary implications for the wider scientific community. First, it will allow researchers
who apply MS techniques to cancer metabolism on a larger scale to identify detected fragments directly rather than fitting their results
to known fragmentation patterns. Second, it will enable accurate modeling of biochemical reactions involving LA, including those
embedded in human disease.
EFFECT OF CD38 KNOCKOUT FIBROBLASTS ON MELANOMA IN A MOUSE MODEL
Evan Kominsky
Mentor: Reuven Stein, Tel Aviv University
Loss of CD38, an ectoenzyme present on the surface in many immune cells, has recently been implicated in the attenuation of glioma
growth in a murine model. CD38 regulates microglia activation in the tumor microenvironment, so loss of this pathway proves to be a
promising treatment for glioma. A similar interaction occurs in melanoma, where fibroblasts provide the stroma upon which the
cancerous cells proliferate. While not involved in immune response, it is hypothesized that CD38 inhibition will lead to slower melanoma
growth.
In order to study the interaction between melanoma cells and fibroblasts, an in vitro model was chosen using B16F10 melanoma cells
and wildtype and Cd38-/- primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cultures. The cells were grown in culture and conditioned media were
produced based on various experimental treatments. These conditioned media were subsequently applied to B16F10 cells grown in fresh
medium with 2% fetal calf serum. After 24 hours of incubation, a scratch test was performed in order to observe the cell’s rate of
migration.
The resulting rates displayed an inverse order from what was hypothesized, with the conditioned medium theorized to inhibit
migration the most, yielding the fastest rate and vice-versa. Suspecting a confounding variable, an MTT colorimetric assay was
performed to determine if cell viability was consistent across the experimental treatments. The assay indicated a direct relationship
between the number of viable cells and the scratch test rates. From here it was concluded that the conditioned media were being
exhausted during the production phase. Future investigation will seek to calibrate the experimental conditions to achieve meaningful
results from this assay.
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COLOR VISION AND THE ECOLOGY OF NOCTURNAL MAMMALS:
INSIGHTS FROM LEAF-NOSED BATS (PHYLLOSTOMIDAE)
Kelly Kries
Mentor: Amanda D. Melin
Reconstructing the activity patterns of early primates has been an enduring quest towards understanding primate origins and adaptive
radiation. Color vision has been used as a line of evidence to inform this debate. For example, the emergence of trichromatic vision in
primates has been associated with diurnal, frugivorous habits. Similarly, nocturnal species appear to selectively retain or lose dichromatic
vision but the factors contributing to this variation are not fully elucidated. Comparisons drawn from other nocturnal taxa may help
resolve this uncertainty. Like primates, some bat species have lost the short-wave sensitive (SWS1) opsin gene, leaving the animal with
monochromatic vision. To investigate the possible impact that species-specific ecology has on the retention or loss of the SWS1 opsin,
we evaluated the opsin genes of 14 species of bats within the family Phyllostomidae (leaf-nosed bats). Phyllostomids display a diverse
array of ecological habits. Within the fourteen species sampled, cave, ground, and tree roosting species were represented, and diet range
included omnivorous, frugivorous, insectivorous, nectivorous, and exclusively hematophagous species. We sequenced both the SWS1
and long-wavelength sensitive (LWS) opsin genes. Despite the species’ diverse ecology, all opsin genes appeared to be intact. The lack of
opsin pseudogenization among these bats suggests either that dichromatic vision is uniformly useful and preserved by purifying
selection or that an insufficient amount of time has passed for losses in color vision to follow a divergence in ecology.
PROTEASOME INHIBITORS INDUCE A PRO-REGENERATIVE PROGRAM IN ADULT SENSORY NEURONS
Trevor Krolak
Mentor: Aaron DiAntonio
Axonal connections are crucial for nervous system function. However, their great length makes them vulnerable to various forms of
injury and disease, among them stroke, ALS, and peripheral neuropathies. After injury, axons degenerate and must be regrown to
reinnervate their targets in order to restore function. Neurons in the peripheral nervous system activate a pro-regenerative program
following injury that is capable of achieving some degree of regrowth, but is often insufficient to restore function in patients. Therefore,
it is important to identify novel means of activating pro-regenerative signaling to facilitate peripheral regeneration as well as induce
regeneration in the central nervous system, where regeneration fails completely.
Using an in vitro regeneration assay we have identified two proteasome inhibitors, Bortezomib and MG-132, capable of inducing a
pro-regenerative state in mammalian sensory neurons. As a consequence of inhibiting proteolysis, proteasome inhibition can induce the
unfolded protein response, a stress-signaling program. p38 MAPK is activated following proteasome inhibition and its signaling is an
important component of the unfolded protein response. Therefore we tested whether p38 MAPK was required for the regenerative
response. We found that SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, blocked regeneration induced by proteasome inhibition.
Future research will investigate the involvement of other components of the unfolded protein response. Additionally, we will
determine whether p38 MAPK is also required for regeneration after injury. Identifying signaling molecules that induce a
pro-regenerative state in neurons will provide new therapeutic targets to combat neurodegenerative disease and injury.
REGULATION OF CHORISMATE MUTASE, AN ENZYME FROM AROMATIC
AMINO ACID SYNTHESIS, IN EARLY PLANTS
Kourtney Kroll
Mentor: Joe Jez
Chorismate, the precursor for the three aromatic amino acids: phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan occurs at a branch point of its
biosynthetic pathway. It was previously found that in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana this branch point is regulated allosterically
through feedback inhibition of two plastid-localized chorismate mutases (CM); however, a third cytosolic CM was found to be
unregulated. To understand the origin of feedback regulation in this plant protein, we examined phylogenicaly different classes of CM
to pinpoint the origin of the evolution of the allosteric sites of regulation. Here we focus on representative CM from the earliest plants
- slime mold (Selaginella moellendorffii), moss (Physcomitrella patens) and the basal plant (Amborella trichopoda). Codon-optimized
sequences for the CM from these species (SmCM, PhpatCM1-2, AmtrCM1-2) were synthesized for expression in Escherichia coli. Each
protein was expressed in E. coli and purified using nickel-affinity chromatography because of the histidine tags placed on the proteins.
Once purified, we analyzed the enzyme activity in solution with substrate and each amino acid because they are possible regulatory
ligands. It was found that SmCM was most like the cytosolic CM from plants and was unregulated by amino acids, while the other four
CM were activated by tryptophan and some were repressed by phenylalanine, tyrosine, and or histidine. Now, we plan to obtain
structures of some of these proteins to compare to the known structures of CM from Arabidposis.
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BELOW GROUND ENEMIES HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON AN EXOTIC PLANT SPECIES
BUT NOT ON A CLOSELY RELATED NATIVE
Molly Kuhs
Mentors: Scott Mangnan and Claudia Stein
Natural enemies have a strong influence on plant communities as well as on species invasions. According to the enemy release hypothesis,
exotic plants become invasive by escaping their co-adapted enemies and by being unrecognized or unpalatable to enemies in the
introduced range. In contrast, the biotic resistance hypothesis predicts that native enemies will suppress exotic plants. We tested these
two alternate hypotheses on two closely related plant species of the family Rosaceae, commonly found at the Tyson Research Center in
central Missouri, Potentilla recta and Geum canadense, one exotic and one native respectively. We excluded below ground arthropods or
below ground fungi from experimental plots by application of insecticides or fungicides, respectively. We expected that the native species
would benefit more from exclusion of below ground enemies compared to the exotic species; yet we found the exact opposite. Due to
the removal of below ground fungi seedling recruitment as well as reproductive success of the exotic P. recta was drastically reduced,
while the native species showed no response to the removal of below ground enemies. Our results suggest that the exotic species is
strongly dependent on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a group of beneficial symbionts that is also reduced due to the application of
fungicides. Therefore, while below ground enemies cannot explain the establishment success of the exotic species, below ground
mutualists might.
Arjun Kumar
See Esther Koh
MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF OPTIC GLIOMA DEVELOPMENT
Melinda Lai
Mentor: Amit Pathak
Current treatments for optic gliomas reduce tumor size without improving vision or can damage surrounding healthy cells. Because of
this, it is critical to develop therapies which target the unique biology of the tumors. Little data currently exists on the physical properties
of optic gliomas. Through the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), this study aims to obtain mechanical measurements of the mouse
optic nerve during tumor formation and during stages of treatment. Others will then draw parallels between the mechanical data and
cellular conditions to identify potential factors responsible for tumorigenesis.
To measure the stiffness of both healthy and cancerous optic nerves, we performed AFM on mouse optic nerve samples. AFM
employs a flexible cantilever with an attached micro-sized tip. A laser is shone onto the cantilever, and the reflected laser beam is detected
by a position-sensitive photodetector. We applied force downward onto the sample with the tip, indenting the sample a small amount.
Then, we used the generated force curve to calculate the sample’s stiffness at many points throughout the Y-shaped nerve. For this study,
we studied the Nf1+/-GFAPCKO strain of mice, which has been genetically engineered to develop optic gliomas.
Current data indicate that the center regions of the cancerous optic nerves are approximately 40% softer than the ends of the
Y-shaped nerves. This indicates that on these nerves, the gliomas are located where the two legs meet the trunk, and the gliomas are less
stiff than the healthy regions. These results are still tentative, and further data are currently being gathered.
Our study suggests that the tumor regions of optic nerves may have lower stiffness compared to healthy regions. The differences in
mechanical properties can be targeted in future treatments of optic gliomas.
EFFECTS OF VARIOUS MATERNAL FACTORS ON INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS
IN PRETERM CHILDREN AT EARLY SCHOOL AGE
Angela Lee
Mentor: Cynthia Rogers
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal anxiety, depression, and coping skills, and internalizing symptoms in
preterm children at early school age. A secondary aim was to compare the outcomes of preterm children to the outcomes of a term-born
control cohort.
A preterm cohort of 136 infants was recruited from a level-III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Eighty-seven infants (84% of the
surviving cohort) returned and completed a developmental follow-up evaluation at age 2. Neurodevelopmental follow-up at age 5 is
currently underway; 71 preterm subjects have completed this phase of testing thus far. A group of demographically matched controls
was recruited for concurrent follow-up at age 5.
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Mothers completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Coping Skills Inventory
(CISS) at discharge, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and CISS at 2-year follow-up. The Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher
Report Form were completed at 5-year follow-up to measure the child’s internalizing, affective, and anxious tendencies.
Chi-square analyses and linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between maternal measures at birth and 2 year
follow-up with child outcomes at 5 year follow-up. Regressions corrected for gestational age, and mixed models were used to account
for the clustering of twins and triplets. Results showed that maternal depression, but not anxiety, was a predictor for internalizing
symptoms by parent report at age 5 in the preterm population. The preterm cohort had significantly higher affective problems per
teacher report, but we found no other differences between the control and preterm groups. Higher task-oriented maternal coping scores
were predictive of higher internalizing symptoms by teacher report at age 5.
Limitations stem from the subjective nature of the measures used and the fact that psychopathological mothers may be more likely
to report the same psychopathologies in their children.
REPEAT-INDUCED CHROMATIN SILENCING IN FRUIT FLIES
Michael Lee
Mentor: Sarah C.R. Elgin
Heterochromatin is a state of epigenetic DNA packaging associated with gene silencing generally observed in repeat-rich regions of the
genome. To further explore repeat-induced heterochromatin formation, 256 copies of a 36-bp lacO DNA sequence have been inserted
into Drosophila melanogaster euchromatic site upstream of the expression reporter hs p-70-white. (A functional white gene is required
for a red eye). In flies with just the hsp-70-white reporter at the 1198 landing pad site (in the middle of the nesd gene on the second
chromosome), full red eyes are observed; however, when lacO repeats are inserted upstream of the reporter, extreme silencing of the
adjacent reporter gene is observed. ChIP assays were used to look at the distribution of chromosomal proteins around the lacO repeats.
Surprisingly, the assays showed high levels of Heterochromatin Protein 1a (HP1a) but relatively low levels of modified histone
H3K9me2, a common chromatin mark in heterochromatin formation. This suggests an alternative method of heterochromatin silencing
induced by the lacO repeats. Using quantitative eye pigment assays, we examined the dominant impact of different mutational
backgrounds and environmental conditions on reporter gene expression. HP1a binding repressed reporter expression, while HP1a loss
induced it. Mutants for the siRNA and piRNA pathways had no dominant impact, but other crosses implicated the Sin3A complex, and
in turn histone deacetylation pathways, as possible participants. Further experiments utilizing targeted transgenic RNA interference also
suggest that HDAC6 and HDACX may play a part. Future experiments will examine acetylation levels and temperature sensitivity in the
1198-lacO flies.
ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF VEGF GRADIENTS ON ANGIOGENESIS IN A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE
Andrew Lezia
Mentor: Steven George
Angiogenesis refers to the sprouting of new vessels from preexisting blood vessels. This phenomenon is key to many healthy physiological
processes such as wound healing, but is also fundamental to pathologies such as cancer progression. Tumors are known to secrete
different pro-angiogenic factors. The most significant of these secreted factors is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In this study
we set out to quantitatively assess the effect of different concentration gradients of VEGF on a directional bias of angiogenesis. Using
microfluidic tissue-growth devices made of polydimethylsiloxane, we were able to create different gradients of VEGF across a
microvascular network and observe how these gradients affect angiogenesis. The microfluidic platform we used consists of three parallel
tissue chambers connected by small pores. We developed a microvascular network in the central tissue chamber and then analyzed the
amount of vascular sprouting into the side tissue chambers. Our preliminary data suggests that angiogenesis is directionally biased
toward positive gradients of VEGF, but only when the average concentration of VEGF is below a certain threshold.
SEQUENCE OPTIMIZATION FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LONGITUDINAL RELAXATION TIME
OF A TISSUE MODEL: CROSS-LINKED BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN
Tianzhe Li
Mentor: Joseph Ackerman
It is well recognized that hypoxia in cancer is closely linked to resistance to radiotherapy and impacts tumor growth, driving angiogenesis
and metastasis. Therefore, a noninvasive method to map the dissolved molecular-oxygen concentration, [O2], in tissue in vivo would have
significant value in characterizing tumors and planning treatment. Magnetic resonance holds promise for mapping [O2] in the clinic
because the measured spin-lattice 1H-magnetization relaxation rate constant of tissue water, R1 (the inverse of the relaxation time
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constant T1), has a linear relationship with [O2]. Cross-linked bovine serum albumin (x-BSA) closely mimics the MR relaxation
characteristics of water in mammalian tissue.Our research involves using x-BSA to accurately determine r1 and its dependence on
temperature and magnetic field strength. Nevertheless, the system of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is not designed
for performing experiments on water because of the high concentration of protons in water. Therefore, several special techniques and a
modified-Fast Inversion Recovery (m-FIR) pulse sequence needed to be implemented. We devised and optimized this m-FIR pulse
sequence for the subsequent measurement of the longitudinal relaxation time of water in the x-BSA sample. Based on our latest data,
we are confident our m-FIR has the ability to overcome the high intensity of the water signal in that the new sequence generates a
relatively neat relaxation envelope, although a defect in the measured relaxation curve is also observed. The next stage of the research
will be to find the origin of the defect and perform the T1 measurement of the x-BSA samples under different temperatures, field
strengths and concentrations of molecular oxygen.
DELINEATING THE ROLES OF CONVENTIONAL AND TISSUE-RESIDENT NK CELLS IN MCMV INFECTION
Vicky Li
Mentor: Wayne Yokoyama
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes with important roles in the control of viral infection. Recently, our lab and others
identified a novel lineage of NK cells that are unique in their restriction to certain tissues, such as the liver and uterus. These
tissue-resident NK cells have been studied with regard to their development and anatomical distribution, but their function remains
unknown. Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection has a well characterized conventional NK cell response dependent on the
recognition of a viral peptide by the NK cell-specific Ly49H receptor which is essential for clearance of the virus; however, many reports
also note a Ly49H-independent mechanism of control in the liver. We purported to examine if there is a unique role for liver-resident
NK cells in MCMV infection.
DELINEATION OF ACTIVATION RECEPTOR SIGNALING IN NATURAL KILLER CELLS
Andrea Lin
Mentor: Wayne Yokoyama
Natural killer (NK) cells are vital to the innate immune system in controlling tumors and pathogen infections. Activation of NK cells
provides rapid responses for controlling viral infections. When NK cells recognize a target cell, they become activated, produce
inflammatory factors, and kill infected cells.
Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) has pathophysiological similarities to human cytomegalovirus, and so a mouse model serves as a
valuable tool for studying herpesvirus infections in vivo. Earlier research has shown that NK cells control murine cytomegalovirus
(MCMV) through recognizing the virally encoded m157 protein. The m157 protein expressed on MCMV-infected cells activates NK
cells through the Ly49H activation receptor.
In response, NK cells kill the target and produce IFN , but the exact mechanism for how IFN production occurs is still unknown.
Based on preliminary data, we had a list of potential candidates in the signal pathway downstream of Ly49H. Co-culture of NK cells
with cells expressing m157 was used to initiate NK cell IFN production. Then to identify activation, the phosphorylation of candidate
pathway components was analyzed by flow cytometry and western blot. After systematically experimenting with several variations in
methods and procedures, western blotting results consistently showed more robust evidence of phosphorylation compared to flow
cytometry results, and so western blotting became the primary method of experimentation. Through the phosphorylation status of the
candidates, the components involved in the signaling pathway were determined. Subsequently, inhibitors were used to establish the
sequence of the validated components. Through this approach, it was determined which components are upstream and which
components are downstream relative to the inhibited component to ultimately establish the sequence of the pathway downstream of the
Ly49H receptor.
CRX-TVRM65 MUTANT MOUSE IS A MODEL FOR DOMINANT RETINAL DISEASE
Courtney Linne
Mentor: Shiming Chen
The Cone Rod Homeobox (CRX) transcription factor is necessary for the differentiation and maintenance of both rod and cone
photoreceptor cells. Human CRX mutations have been implicated in dominant retinal degeneration and blindness. However, few
medical interventions currently exist as the disease mechanisms are poorly understood.
Our lab is investigating dominant CRX mutations that result in a premature termination codon (PTC). Previous lab research on PTC
animal models indicates a toxic overabundance of mutant mRNA, which we hypothesize results from mRNA hyper-stability due to the
extension of the 3’UTR [sequence between the PTC and wild-type (WT) stop codon]. Recently, a new PTC mutant mouse, Crx-TVRM65
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(Jackson Laboratory), was reported to model recessive blindness. However, we hypothesize that, like other PTC mutants, TVRM65 is
dominant, with a disease mechanism of mRNA hyper-stability.
We measured changes in CRX target gene expression by q-RTPCR and retinal morphometry (measuring retinal layer thickness). We
also tested Crx TVRM65 mutant transcript stability in vitro and determined the relative abundance of mutant and WT mRNA and
protein in vivo. q-RTPCR describes a complex phenotype of developmental delay for both heterozygotes and homozygotes at P10, and
slight expression reduction in heterozygotes at P60. However, morphometric changes were only detected in homozygotes at P28. Further
research, including additional q-RTPCR gene expression analysis, morphometry at later ages (P60), and visual function analyses must
confirm this dominant disease phenotype.
As expected, in P30 heterozygotes, the amounts of mutant CRX protein and mRNA were higher that of WT, laying the foundation
for a dominant phenotype. Consistent with the in vivo data, in vitro luciferase experiments support the model that the Crx TVRM65
3’UTR confers excess mRNA stability compared to WT Crx.
Together, these data support the hypothesis that the TVRM65 mutation confers dominant disease due to mutant mRNA
hyper-stability.
THE ETHICS OF STATISTICAL ILLITERACY
Ted Little
Mentor: Anya Plutynski
Collective statistical illiteracy (CSI) is an issue exposed by Gerd Gigerenzer in his 2008 article “Helping Doctors and Patients Make Sense
of Health Statistics.” CSI is defined as the “widespread inability to understand the meaning of numbers.” With regard to healthcare, CSI
manifests as an inability for patients, health journalists, and even doctors to understand the statistics relevant to making informed health
choices. Normative ethical frameworks are suggested to motivate the elimination of CSI. The main aim is to identify and make explicit
these ethical frameworks. This research aims to show that, based on two principles – respect for autonomy, and healthcare justice—the
recommendations made by Gigerenzer do indeed have normative ethical support. This research then tries to determine what ethical
duties patients might take on in a healthcare system in which CSI has been eliminated and concludes that in such an environment,
patients would have the responsibility to choose the most cost-effective treatment options for a given ailment.
LONGITUDINAL BIOLUMINESCENCE IMAGING REVEALS ADVANCED GLYCATION
END-PRODUCTS NFKB IN INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS
Jennifer W. Liu
Mentor: Simon Tang
Diabetics have an increased risk of developing lower back pain and intervertebral disc degeneration, even when factors such as increased
weight are controlled for. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) produced by spontaneous reactions between reducing sugars and
proteins, may be a mediator of the inflammatory cascade resulting in painful intervertebral discs (IVDs). AGEs form and accumulate at
an accelerated rate in diabetic patients due to their chronic hyperglycemic environments. Though AGEs are linked to diabetic
retinopathy and neuropathy, its role in disc degeneration remains unclear. We hypothesized that AGEs and HMGB1, an agonist for the
Receptor-for-AGEs (RAGE) will upregulate the expression of NFkB, a master integrator and regulator of inflammatory signals. Using a
previously described organ culture system and NFkB-luc mice, we examined the effects of exogenous AGEs and stimulation of RAGE
on NFkB expression in discs. 5-week old NFkB dependent luciferase reporter mice were sacrificed and 3 caudal IVDs were harvested and
cultured for 7 days in vitro. Luminescence readings were taken every 48 hours as a measurement of inflammation. Our results showed
that IVDs cultured in a high concentration of AGEs exhibited increased luminescence readings throughout the 7 day culture period,
corresponding to increased NFkB expression and inflammation. Additionally, treatment with HMGB1 agonist resulted in a very high
level of NFkB expression initially, but tapered off and plateaued by the end of culture. Thus, treatment with AGEs, or an agonist for the
AGEs receptor resulted in increased expression of the NFkB. These results give evidence that AGEs indeed promote an inflammatory
response mediated at least in part by the RAGE signaling pathway, and may elucidate the increased risk factor of diabetics for lower back
pain and IVD degeneration.
N170 MODULATION DUE TO AFFECTIVE INTERFERENCE AND WORKING MEMORY LOAD
Jenny Liu
Mentor: Linda J. Larson-Prior
Affective interference and high cognitive load have been shown to disrupt behavioral performance during working memory (WM)
maintenance involving facial recognition. However, the neural mechanisms mediating this behavior are not well-defined and continue
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to be explored through methods such as event-related potentials (ERPs), which measure brain response as the direct result of a
task-related event. ERPs are extracted in electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrocortical activity with high temporal
resolution, evaluating measures such as stimulus encoding and attentional processing. One component of particular interest in
understanding processes underlying facial recognition is the N170 ERP component, which displays maximal evoked potentials in
response to face stimuli over the PO8 electrode at the right hemisphere fusiform and inferior-temporal gyrus. The effects of top-down
influences and affective interference on N170 modulation have been studied separately, but few studies analyze the interaction effects
when both competing processes are present. The current study examines the effects of both affective interference and WM load on N170
modulation. High density (EGI 128-channel) EEG was used to assess neural responses in twenty participants who completed low and
high load conditions of the n-back working memory task. The task was modified to include intermittent negatively valenced and neutral
pictures, with behavioral results indicating significantly lower accuracy and reaction time to negatively valenced distracters. Participants
completed questionnaires assessing aspects of psychological state to account for individual variability towards the impact of emotional
distraction. Results from preliminary studies suggest greater N170 modulation across interference conditions during low task load.
Source space analysis of sLORETA reconstructions in no-interference condition presents higher activation in the fusiform cortex during
low task load. These findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that decreased top-down control and emotional
distraction allow for greater allocation of attentional resources towards facial encoding.
PARALLEL EVOLUTION OF A NEURAL CIRCUIT DEVOTED TO PROCESS COMMUNICATION SIGNALS
IN WEAKLY ELECTRIC FISH
Annie Lu
Mentor: Bruce Carlson
Mormyridae fish are weakly electric fish that communicate via electric signals. The shape of the signal is species-specific and provides
information about the identity of the sender. These signals are then processed in a part of the midbrain called the extrolateral nucleus
(EL). In its ancestral form, the EL is small and undifferentiated; however, in two lineages of mormyrids – clade A and Petrocephalus
microphthalmus, the EL evolved to become enlarged with an anterior (ELa) and posterior (ELp) subdivision, allowing these fish to detect
subtle variations in signal waveforms. Our current understanding of EL signal processing is limited to studies on clade A species. Small
cells in their ELa analyze the shape of the signal in a circuit that includes inhibition from large GABAergic cells, with only these small
cells projecting into multipolar cells in ELp. We hypothesize that clade A species and Petrocephalus microphthalmus underwent parallel
evolution in the circuitry of the EL. To test this, we used neuronal track tracing and immunohistochemistry to characterize the neurons
of clade A species, Petrocephalus microphthalmus, and fish with the ancestral EL. Results show that the ELa of both clade A species and
Petrocephalus microphthalmus contains GABAergic Large Cells and Small Cells that send their only outputs to ELp multipolar cells,
supporting our hypothesis that these two lineages of fish did indeed undergo parallel evolution. Small Cells and Large Cells were also
found in the anterior region of the ancestral EL, suggesting a similar neural circuitry to that of clade A and Petrocephalus microphthalmus.
These results show that the improved sensory perception in clade A species and Petrocephalus microphthalmus is a result of parallel
evolution of the neural circuitry in their ELa and ELp, which appear to have evolved from a very similar ancestral EL.
GENOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF OSTEOSARCOMA TUMORS
USING GENE EXPRESSION DATA
Catherine Ludwig
Mentor: Ching C. Lau, Baylor College of Medicine
Osteosarcomas are tumors affecting the bones, often originating from the osteoblast cells that will form new bone tissue. The tendency
to affect new bone growth translates to higher incidence in long bones of the arms and legs, and the propensity to affect children and
adolescents.
The purpose of this research is to use genomic analysis to identify possible subtypes of osteosarcoma that can be further differentiated
from other cases by clinical features such as patient survival status or tumor incident location.
We looked at gene expression levels and clinical data for 105 osteosarcoma patients. We used Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
(NMF) to test possible groupings of the samples based on their expression levels and consensus heat maps to visually confirm the
number of groups that would best represent any found differences. Survival analysis was used to examine trends in length of survival
after diagnosis among groups. Annotation of the consensus maps generated using NMF provided a visual source of information for
distribution among samples for variables: 1) Tumor location 2) Age at diagnosis and 3) Metastasis (present or not present).
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UNDERSTANDING RACE AND BEAUTY IN BOLIVIAN BEAUTY PAGEANTS
Annie Magovern
Mentor: Bret Gustafson
This research aims to understand the role of racial ideologies and racialization discourses in two types of Bolivian beauty pageants: those
that celebrate Aymara indigenous heritage and those that celebrate dominant Western beauty ideals.
Over the course of two months in Bolivia, my methodology for identifying said racial ideologies and racialization discourses included
interviewing people, analyzing local media sources, and attending and/or participating in beauty pageants, festivals, and modeling classes
in La Paz and Santa Cruz. I interviewed about 55 people in Spanish, targeting middle-upper class urban indigenous, mestizo, and/or
Spanish populations. I asked questions about the connection between ethnicity, class, and beauty in order to draw comparisons and
contrasts between the ideologies in each city.
I have found that standards of beauty differ significantly in La Paz and Santa Cruz. In La Paz, discourses on race do not explicitly
factor strongly into conceptions of external beauty because dialogues of “internal beauty” dominate the discussion. However, in Santa
Cruz, women with light skin and Western features are valorized in conceptions of external beauty while “internal beauty” is not often
mentioned.
This research is important to the study of anthropology and Latin American Studies serving as a way to understand political, social,
and economic patterns of race-based exclusion since Bolivia was colonized by the Europeans in 1538. Progress towards racial equality
can be seen in the election of an indigenous president, the incorporation of indigenous peoples in other positions of political power, and
a decline in institutional racism in western regions of the country. Nevertheless, racism and racialization discourses continue to be
determining factors for many Bolivians’ societal standing, especially peoples of indigenous descent in eastern regions of the country,
where dark-skinned people are associated with the lower class.
MENSTRUAL DIGNITY PROJECT
Marina Mai
Mentor: Lewis Wall
This research entailed a local ethnographic study of menstrual beliefs and hygiene in Uganda. The goal was to promote research on
menstruation and menstrual disorder, address false notions about menstruation that negatively impact prospects of girls and women,
and provide low-cost and much-needed products to these girls and women. This was a collaborative research project involving Uganda
Development and Health Associates (UDHA) staff and Peer Health Educators, local schoolgirls in Iganga and Naigobya and students
from Washington University. We transported 296 menstrual kits with us which were distributed as part of the project. The kits included
two sets of underwear and four sets of reusable pads (an 18-month supply). The ethnographic research explored cultural beliefs, social
attitudes and basic education surrounding menstruation and menstrual hygiene, and the impact of access to menstrual hygiene kits.
Information was drawn mainly from youth in the schools but also from other community members such as teachers, peer health
educators, UDHA staff and community health workers. The first stage of the project consisted of preliminary research questions to gauge
beliefs and attitudes as well as to determine potential educational opportunities drawn from questions generated by the students. The
interviews indicated a general theme of girls’ unpreparedness for menstruation in both knowledge and supplies. Next, the kits were
distributed in the schools along with a menstrual hygiene sensitization consisting of a discussion on hygiene, answering questions, and
a demonstration on how to use the kits. Questions here revolved around the subject of pain reduction during menstruation. The final
stage of the research is follow-up to determine the impact of the kits. While the desire from UDHA and the community for continued
menstrual outreach is strong, there is agreement that in order to be sustainable, the reusable pads will need to be sourced locally.
IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH:
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES IN EAST AFRICAN SOLDIERS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Lauren K. Maly
Mentor: Timothy Parsons
After the First World War, thousands of soldiers returned home and Europe was introduced on a large scale to another dark consequence
of war: shell-shock and other forms of combat trauma, including permanent physical disability, in veterans. When war came again in
1939, western societies were more aware of mental illness and physical disability in veterans. Barely considered at all, however, was the
welfare of non-white soldiers who served Britain. This research focuses on the East African askaris (soldiers) who fought in the King’s
African Rifles (KAR), an infantry regiment numbering over 320,000 in WWII, and the mental illnesses and physical disabilities resulting
from their war experience. British leaders saw African soldiers as cheap and replaceable labor in a war that needed all the manpower it
could find. These racial biases prevented askaris who suffered either physically or mentally from receiving the post-combat care they
needed. Centuries-old biases were purportedly confirmed by studies done in the 1930s on “native backwardness,” which claimed that
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East Africans’ brains were structurally inferior to those of Europeans. Africans were not thought to be mentally capable of suffering
mental illnesses, and because the British War Office did not want to lose white British, or even Indian, soldiers in large numbers in
Burma, fighting was left to the KAR. Firsthand accounts from askaris reflect the horrible fighting conditions that would have placed
extraordinary physical and mental stress on any soldiers. However, after the war askaris were not given the attention that white British
soldiers were. Those with physical disabilities were given small reparations and those suffering from combat trauma were largely ignored:
Britain simply wished its colonial African veterans would go quietly back to their rural, “tribal” lives.
SOLID-STATE NMR AND X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY OF ALUMINUM OXIDE FILMS
Michael Mazza
Mentor: Sophia Hayes
Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) was performed on aluminum oxide thin films created under different annealing
temperatures and in the presence of zinc oxide nanocluster impurities. The nanocluster impurities significantly changed the aluminum
coordination environment at both low and high temperature annealing conditions. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was also
performed on two different aluminum oxide films. Through XPS, the aluminum-oxide bond strengths were compared and the effect of
temperature on hydroxide concentration was elucidated.
RESTRICTED AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY
IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS AT RISK FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Claire McKinnon
Mentor: John R. Pruett
The goal of this project is to investigate whether particular brain organization, measured with functional connectivity magnetic
resonance imaging (fcMRI), relates to repetitive behaviors, as measured by the Repetitive Behavior Scale- Revised (RBS-R). All fcMRI
scans were processed using the latest motion and artifact reduction procedures. Regions of interest throughout the cerebrum and
cerebellum were defined through meta-analyses of task data and cortical functional areal parcellations obtained from typical subjects,
as well as autism studies. Time traces from the resulting 230 ROIs were correlated to yield fc values and sorted into one of 17 putative
functional networks using an Infomap sorting based on all subjects for whom there was longitudinal data.
As early as late infancy, repetitive behaviors may act as risk markers for a later diagnosis of ASD, thus this study utilized fcMRI and
RBS-R data collected from N=121 12- and N=95 24-month-old children across four sites within IBIS, an NIH-funded ACE Network.
The RBS-R assesses 43-items distributed across six categorical subscales of repetitive behavior. The present analysis focuses on the
restricted behavior subcategory at 24 months of age. First, fc values were correlated against restricted RBS-R scores. To quantitatively
asses the contribution of specific network-network interactions to the brain-behavior relationship, we performed an enrichment analysis
utilizing both a 2x1 chi-square test and a hypergeometric test to compare the number of robust correlations (uncorrected p<0.05) within
each network-network block to the number expected by chance. Significance was then assessed using permutation testing. This analysis
revealed multiple significant network-network pairs, suggesting that restricted behavior correlates with fcMRI and these relationships
are not diffuse across the brain, but rather cluster into interactions between specific functional networks. Further analyses will examine
other RBS-R factors at both 12 and 24 months of age and will also investigate how the brain-behavior relationships differ across age.
UNDERSTANDING THE COORDINATION BETWEEN NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND CELL SIZE IN E. COLI
Teran Mickens
Mentor: Petra Levin
Bacterial cells cultured under nutrient-rich conditions grow faster and are significantly larger than cells cultured under nutrient-poor
conditions. This is a longstanding observation in the field of bacterial cell biology, but the mechanisms by which cells modify their size
in response to changes in nutrient availability are not well understood. Recent studies suggest that the activity of the global regulatory
molecule guanosine tetraphosphate, or ppGpp, may coordinate bacterial size, growth rate and nutrient availability. Using genetic and
cell biological approaches, we assessed the impact of ppGpp levels on cell size. Cell size in E. coli was indirectly correlated with
intracellular levels of ppGpp. Increasing ppGpp levels, either by modifying the culture conditions or by overexpressing the ppGpp
synthase RelA, significantly decreased cell size. Conversely, the average cell size increased considerably in strains lacking one (relA) or
both (relA spoT; ppGpp null) ppGpp synthases. We hypothesized that ppGpp impacts cell size by regulating the assembly and/or
function of the cell division machinery. To begin to test this idea, we created strains of E.coli that lack relA or both relA and spoT, and
that express fluorescent FtsZ (GFP-FtsZ). FtsZ is a tubulin-like homologue that accumulates at midcell, forming a ring around the
circumference of the inner membrane that acts as scaffolding for assembly of the rest of the division machinery, making GFP-FtsZ an
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ideal marker for tracking the beginning of cell division. Using fluorescence microscopy, we found that ppGpp-deficient cells formed
FtsZ-rings less frequently than their parental wild-type strains. Additionally, these cells sometimes formed polar FtsZ-rings, suggesting
that ppGpp is involved in regulating not only the frequency of FtsZ-ring assembly, but also the positioning of the division machinery.
DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMOLOGY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA CORRELATED
WITH DEFICITS IN ANTICIPATORY PLEASURE
Jameson Mitchell
Mentor: Deanna Barch
High levels of depression are frequently reported in patients suffering from schizophrenia. When presented alongside other symptoms
of schizophrenia, depressive symptoms ultimately lead to lower quality of life, suicidality, and an overall unfavorable life course. The
source of depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia is currently unidentified. It has been found in previous research of
schizophrenia that there is a discrepancy between anticipatory pleasure (pleasure experienced from the anticipation of future reward)
and consummatory or in-the-moment pleasure. We hypothesized that impaired anticipatory pleasure in valuation of future reward is
related to the presentation of depressive symptomology in patients with schizophrenia. Using a modified gambling task, the Anticipation
Task, our findings reaffirmed those of previous research—there seems to be a discrepancy between anticipatory and consummatory
experience of reward in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between deficits in
anticipatory pleasure and depressive symptoms as measured by the BDI-II. According to the results of our study, it appears that
depressive symptoms are correlated to deficits in anticipatory pleasure. These findings have significant implications for future research
and treatment strategies. Specifically, when targeting depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, researchers and therapy
should look to closing the gap between anticipatory and consummatory pleasure.
IMPACTS OF A SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTER IN URBAN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
Hannah Moran
Mentor: Todd Moore, University of Kansas
School-based health centers (SBHCs) have grown to number almost 2,000 according to the 2010-11 Census Report of School-Based
Health Centers. Clinics are designed to serve at-risk youth in areas such as in Wyandotte, Kansas, where 23.9% of families live below the
poverty line. Many students are uninsured and do not speak English, thus creating a need for an SBHC. The BullDoc Clinic was
established in March of 2012 and is run by students and faculty from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. To evaluate the impact
of this clinic, this project examines BullDoc’s effect on health literacy and access to care by assessing students’ use of health center services
and its subsequent impacts on healthy behavior.
Students were invited to complete an anonymous “Healthy Kids” survey. The survey, which covered student demographics, SBHC
knowledge, usage, and health behaviors, received 405 and 582 responses, respectively. Data analysis was concentrated in four specific
areas: emergency room use and hospitalizations, sexual and reproductive health, physical wellbeing, and mental health. The objective
was to identify tangible improvements in health outcomes from 2012 to 2014, and highlight significant differences in the health of users
and nonusers.
The sexual health and nutrition categories saw the most drastic changes from 2012 to 2014—significantly more sexually active
students reported always wearing a condom in 2014, and significantly more BullDoc users reported eating breakfast in 2014. Further
measures should be taken to decrease ER visits and mental health programs should be evaluated in the future, after better establishment.
BullDoc’s eventual goal is to become the primary provider of medical care to all Wyandotte High School students, and these preliminary
findings support this SBHC as a promising avenue of healthcare delivery for the Wyandotte community.
REENTRANT CAVITIES AND THE STRONG COUPLING OF RUBIES
Christopher Munley
Mentor: Kater Murch
The manipulation of quantum information at cryogenic temperatures is, in many senses, a meeting ground of experimental physics. The
individual benefits of microwave pulses and resonators, superconducting quantum circuits, micromechanical resonators, paramagnetic
crystals, nuclear magnetic resonance, and many other fields have all been applied in the quest to build a functioning quantum computer.
Specifically, in order to store and retrieve quantum information accurately, one can utilize the benefits of solid-state crystals combined
with novel cavity designs. Double post reentrant cavities, which have previously been coupled to YIG spheres and other paramagnetic
crystals, can create strongly localized magnetic fields for efficient interchange of information between a cavity and a spin ensemble.
These cavities are highly sensitive but resonate in modes that spatially separate the strongest points of the electric and the magnetic field,
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leading to a very strong, uniform magnetic field in the center of the two cavity posts and a strong electric field just above the posts. By
designing, simulating, and manufacturing a double post reentrant cavity, it is clear that strong coupling is achievable between a ruby
crystal subject to an external bias magnetic field and this cavity. Moving forward, we hope to demonstrate this strong coupling and use
the ruby crystal to store and retrieve quantum information.
COLLAGEN IV MINI-PROTOMERS AS A TREATMENT FOR ALPORT SYNDROME
Bryan Naelitz
Mentor: Jeffery Miner
The Glomerular Basement Membrane (GBM) is the major component of the selectively permeable filtration barrier that sieves blood
carried by the glomerular capillaries. Water, sodium, potassium, chloride, and simple sugars pass freely through the GBM, while larger
proteins such as albumin have no permeability in healthy subjects. Individuals with Alport Syndrome, however, possess a compromised
GBM that is most commonly caused by inactivating mutations in the genes necessary for collagen IV synthesis. In the Alport phenotype,
the strong meshwork of α3α4α5 collagen IV, laminin, and heparin sulfate that characterizes the healthy GBM is replaced by a fragile
barrier of α1α1α2 collagen IV that is more susceptible to splitting and proteolysis. Alport syndrome has no cure and inevitably results
in renal failure.
The purpose of this project is to investigate the potential of collagen IV mini-protomers as a treatment for Alport Syndrome. We
hypothesize that mini-protomers delivered to Alport mice will reach the glomerulus, enter the GBM, and integrate with the native
collagen IV network. We suspect that such incorporation will improve the GBM’s function as a barrier to proteins and prevent or slow
the progression of kidney disease.
As an initial proof-of-principle study, we have synthesized and transfected human collagen IV α1 and α2 mini-genes into IMCD3
and PFHR9 cell lines. Antibiotics were used to select for cells successfully transfected with mini-genes that conferred resistance to zeocin
and G418. Surviving colonies were expanded and analyzed with immunofluorescence microscopy, ELISA, and western blotting to
confirm expression of mini-collagen IV protomers. Future directions include purifying mini-protomers using affinity chromatography,
determining whether human mini-collagen IV integrates into the murine GBM, and performing longevity studies in Alport mice that
undergo mini-collagen treatments.
Sachi Nagase
See Lauren Chase
MUCH ADO ABOUT COMMAS:
FIXING TRANSCRIPTIONS OF EARLY MODERN PLAYS
Kate Needham and Lydia Zoells
Mentor: Joseph Loewenstein
Besides the works of William Shakespeare, more than 500 plays survive from early modern England, yet most are unknown to all but
specialists. Thanks to the efforts of Professor Martin Mueller of Northwestern University and the Text Creation Partnership, copies of
these surviving plays have been transcribed and their transcriptions published in the open-source database Shakespeare His
Contemporaries (SHC). The transcriptions were produced using digitized microfilm images available in the database Early English Books
Online (EEBO), a subscription database realistically used only by those directly affiliated with universities. The transcriptions retain gaps
from both imperfections in the original printed books and poor image quality. We sought to correct most of these errors by visiting five
libraries in the U.S. and the U.K. to examine first-edition copies of the problematic texts. Working in tandem with researchers from
Northwestern University, we corrected about 12,000 of the 20,000 extant errors, supplying words, letters, punctuations marks, or entire
passages where the microfilm images were illegible. We also collected photographs of the pages we examined for eventual publication
beside the corrected transcriptions. Our work has been fully integrated into the texts in the SHC database, which makes under-read and
underappreciated plays available to a larger public than EEBO subscribers. The SHC also contributes to scholarship in the digital
humanities and early modern literature by providing machine-readable versions of the entire early modern dramatic corpus. That is, the
transcriptions, which are tagged according to conventions established by the Text Encoding Initiative, can be used in various kinds of
computer-assisted analysis.
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MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES TO DESIGN CATALYSTS FOR C1 CHEMISTRY
Darrell L. Nelson II
Mentor: Cynthia Lo
Increasing concern over the emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, has spurred both academic and industrial research
on reducing the net amount produced from industrial processes. Converting carbon dioxide emissions into useful fuels shows great
promise in mitigating the anthropogenic CO2 footprint. Ceria has already been found to be viable in CO2 hydrogenation. We are
searching to find new catalysts comprising inexpensive and/or earth-abundant elements that yield industrial performance of carbon
dioxide hydrogenation through data mining and supervised machine learning. This data is currently being analyzed to find novel
patterns between adsorption energy, selectivity, and yield of various metal-based catalysts with the goal of identifying materials with
strong redox behavior.
MECHANICS OF MORPHOGENESIS:
HEMISPHERE DIVISION IN THE EMBRYONIC BRAIN
Haley Nichols
Mentor: Larry Taber
Morphogenesis is the shaping of an organism by embryological processes such as cell differentiation, contraction, and inflation. Here we
consider morphogenesis of the early embryonic brain, which begins as a tubular structure filled with embryonic cerebrospinal fluid
(eCSF). This project focuses on understanding the biomechanical conditions that help shape the telencephalon, which divides into the
two hemispheres of the cerebrum. Defects in the division and morphogenesis of the telencephalon underlie approximately one in every
250 miscarriages.
We used chicken embryos as a model system to explore telencephalon development because they are morphologically similar to
human embryos, quick and easy to harvest, and inexpensive. This study focuses on the roles of apoptosis (programmed cell death) and
inflation in shaping the telencephalon. Previous studies have shown that apoptosis is necessary for complete hemisphere division, and
pressure due to eCSF has been linked to overall expansion and proliferation of the early brain. This study used optical coherence
tomography (OCT) to obtain three-dimensional images and quantify geometric changes in telencephalon division in the presence and
absence of pressure. To explore the effect of apoptosis, we pharmacologically inhibited apoptosis in the telencephalon. Future work will
quantify changes in geometry due to the presence or absence of apoptosis. Our results support the idea that cell death and inflation help
direct proper telencephalon morphogenesis.
CRITICAL ROLE OF TISSUE SPECIFIC HLH-30 PROMOTORS FOR SURVIVAL UNDER STRESS
Clara Oh
Mentor: Abhinav Diwan
With starvation, an evolutionarily ancient stress, activation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) drives biogenesis of the
autophagy-lysosome machinery in mammalian cells to ensure sufficient lysosome function when it is the most needed. HLH-30, an
ortholog of TFEB, is also critical for survival during andstarvation in Caenorhabditis elegans, an organism extremely resistant to
starvation stress. It was hypothesized that upon loss of the specific function in tissues, worms will be unable to survive during starvation,
which will reveal a critical step in tissue-specific regulation of HLH-30 under stress. Eight transgenic strains of C. elegans that have
extrachromosomal arrays of hlh-30 along different specific tissues were exposed to starvation stress, along with re-feeding after
starvation. Furthermore, each strain’s HLH-30 levels were quantified through qPCR analysis, and were imaged. Line 18 demonstrated
partial rescue from starvation stress, while the other seven transgenes did not demonstrate significant recovery. These findings imply that
tissue specific promotors of hlh-30 do not confer particular resistance to starvation stress. Therefore, HLH-30 activity in different
combinations of tissues, or in all tissues, may be necessary to indicate an increased resistance to starvation.
COOPERATION IN REPEATED PRISONER’S DILEMMA
Tianzan Pang
Mentor: Brian Rogers
Repeated games are a standard tool used by economists to model dynamic interactions. Over the decades, game theorists have proven
that almost any outcome can be sustained in equilibrium, provided that players are sufficiently patient. As such, making sharp
predictions about human behavior relying only on theoretical solution concepts can be challenging. Experimental evidence can be
helpful in this regard. This project considers the case of a repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma game and asks how uncertainty about the actions
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of others—a common difficulty in day-to-day life—affects gameplay. In particular, as the reliability of action signals decreases, what
happens to players’ ability to cooperate? Although one might expect that cooperation relies on players’ abilities to punish each other for
deviating, experimental evidence published in 2012 suggests otherwise. According to the data, subjects’ tendency to cooperate is actually
non-monotonic in noise; that is, they attempt to cooperate the most at an intermediate level of uncertainty. This project develops models
that explain how such behavior might reflect equilibrium-path outcomes and provides intuition for understanding the key forces at
work. We are in the midst of planning experiments to test our explanations against a new data set.
AXONAL INJURY IN WHITE MATTER AFTER SECONDARY HYPOXEMIA IN A TBI MODEL
Umang Parikh
Mentor: Stuart Friess
Previous studies have shown that hypoxemia immediately following traumatic brain injury (TBI) does exacerbate injury. However, the
effects of hypoxemia on axonal injury beyond the immediate post-injury period remain unclear.
Forty mice were randomized to either controlled cortical impact (CCI) or sham surgery. Approximately 24 hours after injury, animals
were randomized within groups to normoxemia or hypoxemia for 30 minutes. Mice were then survived for 48 hours or one week post
injury. Axonal injury was assessed in the white matter at both time points using stereological methods on beta amyloid precursor protein
(b-APP) and neurofilament-200 (NF-200) stained sections. The Hypoxyprobe kit was used to visualize tissue hypoxia and was quantified
by the Visiopharm Integrator System (VIS).
Increased axonal injury was seen in the pericontusional white matter in CCI + hypoxemia vs CCI alone for both b-APP at 48 hrs (37
± 6 vs. 21 ± 6 103 axons/mm3, P < 0.001) and 7 days (11 ± 3 vs. 5 ± 1 103 axons/mm3, P < 0.001) as well as NF-200 at 48 hrs (34 ± 4
vs. 24 ± 3 103 axons /mm3, P < 0.001) and 7 days (26 ± 4 vs. 13 ± 2 103 axons/mm3, P < 0.001). Hypoxyprobe staining showed increased
pericontusional white matter hypoxia in CCI + hypoxemia compared to CCI only (7.3% vs. 4.9% of the region of interest (ROI), P <
0.001) and minimal white matter hypoxia in sham and sham + hypoxemia (0.15% and 0.4% of the ROI respectively).
This clinically relevant model of delayed hypoxemia following TBI resulted in increased pericontusional axonal injury and white
matter hypoxia. Candidate therapeutics that have shown neuroprotective effects for white matter injury are currently under study.
CONSTRUCTING AND EXPLORING RECALL NETWORKS:
WHAT GRAPH THEORY CAN TELL US ABOUT NARRATIVE RECALL
Hunter Patterson
Mentor: Jonathan Peelle
Historically, researchers have studied how well people remember narrative speech through the use of quizzes and similar tools. Metrics
like these typically generate small collections of percentages that only broadly capture subjects’ recall, leaving investigators unable to
easily draw conclusions about the finer structural features of the memory store. Here, we present a technique that can be used to study
these features through the use of analytical techniques from graph theory. We demonstrate this technique by directly applying it to recall
data collected from older and younger adults who were presented with modernized versions of Aesop’s fables. We produce network
representations for subjects’ recall of fables presented with varying levels of ambiguity and spectral detail, and we use graph theory to
identify structural differences in these networks between conditions.
EFFECT OF GROWTH FACTOR ON MOTOR NEURON POPULATIONS
Imani Paul
Mentor: Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert
Growth-factor delivery contributes to spinal cord regeneration after injury, but a better understanding of how individual cell
populations are affected is needed to provide more targeted drug delivery. The purpose of this study was to use a polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) micro-device to identify growth factors that increase axonal growth in motor neurons specifically because damage to motor
pathways can cause paralysis after injury. The specific structure of this device was designed to identify and measure single axons in
real time as well as co-culture different neuronal populations without mixing cell bodies. In this study high-purity
embryonic-stem-cell-derived motor neurons were successfully cultured within the micro-devices, treated with varying concentrations
of growth factors, and evaluated for neurite outgrowth. Preliminary data suggests that neutrophin 3 (NT-3) improves motor neuron
growth. The information gained from this experiment will improve our knowledge on how these factors affect motor-neuron cell
populations and can then be applied to in vivo models using transgenic reporter mice.
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SEMANTIC AUDITORY SEARCH AS A SPEECH-IN-NOISE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
Tommy Peng
Mentor: Dennis Barbour
Hearing loss is the most common neurological disorder in America. One of the common results of hearing loss is the inability to
understand speech corrupted by noise. Standardized tests for diagnosing speech-in-noise hearing loss often use non-contextual
sentences, which deviate significantly from more familiar everyday conversations. This leads to a less engaging task for subjects. To create
a more compelling speech-in-noise test, we have developed Semantic Auditory Search (SAS), an adaptive mobile application that uses
two semantically rich conversations to measure speech-in-noise hearing deficits.
In this SAS experiment, subjects were prompted to attend and respond to target words from one conversation while ignoring the
other conversation. Their ability to extract real-time lexical content of the conversations was evaluated during each task level by their
responses to regular word prompts. Their ability to extract previous lexical content was assessed by presenting them with 20 words after
each task level and asking if the words originated from the attended conversation. Finally, for comparison, the subjects were asked to
complete QuickSIN, a standardized speech-in-noise hearing test. This experiment was intended to validate the semantic auditory search
task for use in probing speech-in-noise ability.
The current results of this study suggest that normal hearing users behave similarly to one another in SAS and have the ability to
retain some contextual information from the attended conversation while processing very little of the ignored conversation.
Furthermore, the data from one slight-hearing-loss subject suggests that there is a difference in SAS behavior between normal hearing
and hearing-loss populations. In the future, we hope to correlate quantitative results from SAS with the results from a standardized
speech-in-noise test, such as QuickSIN. If true, then SAS would allow speech-in-noise testing to be not only more realistic, but also more
scalable and accessible to the public.
GENETIC MANIPULATION OF NATURAL KILLER CELLS VIA A LENTIVIRUS DELIVERY MECHANISM
Vinay Penna
Mentor: Wayne Yokoyama
The immune system is divided into two different arms: the adaptive and innate immune systems. While adaptive immunity requires time
to respond to infections, the innate immune system responds rapidly. Natural killer (NK) cells serve as a major component of the innate
immune system. Unlike cytotoxic T-cells, NK cells can recognize infected cells without the need for antigen receptor rearrangement. NK
cells recognize infected cells via the absence of Major histocompatibility complex I (MHC class I), a self-cell marker, and a number of
activating receptors such as Ly49s, NK 1.1, NKG2D, and NKp46. In order to study the uncharacterized genes of such an important cell
type, we have developed an in vitro gene manipulation system. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) are
DNA loci that along with the Cas9 protein family serve as important factors in bacterial immunity against viruses by recognizing and
cutting critical viral DNA sequences. Recently, however, they have been used by scientists as a method to alter the genome of an organism
by disrupting target DNA sequences in desired genes, and represent the cutting edge in gene-editing technology. In order to deliver this
gene-editing technology into NK cells in vitro, an effective mechanism of insertion is required. To this end, we have designed a lentiviral
delivery system. We have created two lentiviruses containing both the CRISPR/Cas9 machinery as well as selection marker via flow
cytometry (green fluorescent protein (GFP) in one virus and Cluster of Differentiation 90 (CD90) in the other). We have also used these
viruses to successfully infect target cells. The development of this lentiviral delivery system is an important first step in in vitro genetic
manipulation of NK cells.
SCINTILLATING FIBERS AND DARK MATTER DETECTION
Annie Pitkin
Mentor: James Buckley
Our research focused on the development of a new gamma-ray experiment aimed at detecting dark matter annihilation in galaxies. The
nature of dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in physics. We propose a new large space-based gamma-ray satellite that would have
10 times the sensitivity of the existing Fermi satellite. This sensitivity requires the physical size of the detector to scale by a similar factor,
necessitating a new particle detector technology to achieve these very large areas at a cost that fits into the budget envelope for a
“probe-class’’ mission. This summer we tested and analyzed scintillating fibers, a hopeful new technology for meeting the requirements
of this future instrument, and ultimately uncovering the unknown dark matter.
Scintillating fibers are used to measure the trajectories of the electron and positron pair created when a high-energy gamma ray
interacts in layers of converter material (e.g., Tungsten sheets). By measuring the trajectory of these particles one can reconstruct the
incident gamma-ray direction. While these fibers are being designed to detect high-energy particles in space and give us more
information about their origins and properties, we tested them here on Earth using a small radioactive source to simulate the
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high-energy electrons created by gamma rays in space. At the end of the fibers we situated a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), built from
an avalanche photodiode array. The fluorescence photons generated by the incident beta-decay electron were piped down the fiber, and
then crossed a small gap to the front surface of the SiPM generating an electric pulse. With digital conversions we generated photon
counts and analyzed the pulse height through Python.
COMPUTATIONAL IMAGING FOR MARTIAN HYPERSPECTRAL DATA FROM CRISM
Daniel Politte
Mentor: Joseph A. O’Sullivan
CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) is a hyperspectral imaging instrument aboard the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter that has orbited Mars since 2006. It obtains images of the surface at 545 wavelengths in the range of 0.36-3.94
um, including visible light and infrared. This data is reconstructed into a spatial map of the surface in which there are spectra at each
spatial location determined by the mineral composition at that location. This spectrum-derived mineral composition information is
useful in the ongoing mission of gathering evidence about the former presence of water on the surface of Mars, understanding Mars’
geologic past, and choosing future rover landing sites.
A maximum-likelihood method algorithm previously developed by our lab provides a more quantitatively accurate reconstruction
of the surface than standard methods. This algorithm uses reconstruction techniques developed for medical imaging to provide data
about Mars that allows us to be more confident of the geology on the surface. It is especially useful for obtaining results with higher
spatial resolution from data gathered using an along-track oversampled data collection mode, which recently came into use. This
ongoing project consists of enhancing and extending this method in a variety of ways, including improving the physical model used to
process spectra, making the software more usable for researchers, and increasing the speed of processing. These enhancements are
implemented by integrating increasingly refined ideas about the science, mathematics, and computation involved in this algorithm into
a codebase. We present reconstructed images and spectra from the surface that demonstrate the performance of this approach.
INVESTIGATING THE EVOLUTION OF GENE STRUCTURE IN D. BIARMIPES
Thomas J. Pranzatelli
Mentor: Sarah C. R. Elgin
In eukaryotes, DNA is packaged into two major forms: “heterochromatin” (which is relatively condensed and exhibits lower levels of
expression) and “euchromatin” (which is more transcriptionally active). Most Drosophila species have a small ~4Mb chromosome, called
the dot chromosome (Muller F element), which is predominantly packaged as heterochromatin. In spite of this, the distal portion of the
F element has a gene density comparable to the other autosomes. Many of these genes are essential and some are ubiquitously expressed.
The genomes of multiple Drosophila species (including D. biarmipes) were sequenced as part of the modENCODE project. Students
involved in the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) constructed manually curated gene models for the D. biarmipes F and D
elements. Creation of gene models was done based on evidence provided by gene predictors, sequence similarity to D. melanogaster
protein-coding genes, RNA-Seq data for D. biarmipes, and synteny with D. melanogaster. Reconciliation showed that 74% of the
annotations submitted were in agreement with the final gene models. GEP students also annotated transcription start sites (TSS) using
sequence similarity to the first transcribed exon in D. melanogaster, RNA-Seq data for D. biarmipes, sequence similarity with multiple
Drosophila species, and the placement of characterized core promoter motifs. Using the reconciled D. biarmipes gene models, statistical
analyses have been done comparing the D element genes to the F element genes in order to identify distinct characteristics of F element
genes. Statistics examined include codon bias, gene size, and melting temperature. By characterizing the genes in this unusual region, we
can attain a more nuanced understanding of how genes can be expressed in a heterochromatic environment.
BIOSYNTHESIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF OBAFLUORIN
Neha Prasad
Mentor: Timothy Wencewicz
Obafluorin is a secondary metabolite produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens that contains a strained β-lactone ring—a close relative of
the beta-lactam ring found in Penicillin. While its specific function and target is unknown, obafluorin shows weak antimicrobial
properties when screened against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The biosynthesis of obafluorin was studied using
genome mining, homology studies, and traditional bio-assay techniques. Some of the mechanistic steps were unclear, including the
function of a protein (ObiH) that was homologous to Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) according to the NCBI BLAST
algorithm. This protein was expressed and purified from P. fluorescens for further testing. It was determined that while the protein was
homologous to SHMT, it functions as an aldolase in the biosynthetic cluster. In addition, Obafluorin’s mechanism of action and cellular
target was investigated. Agar diffusion assays were performed under variable conditions to gain further insight into the antimicrobial
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potential of obafluorin. The species of bacteria was varied to assess the spectrum of cytotoxicity; agar infused with iron chelator was used
to simulate an iron-deficient environment to test the speculated siderophore properties of the catechol moiety in obafluorin; the
standard ring-closed obafluorin was compared to its hydrolyzed structure to understand the significance of the strained beta-lactone
ring in antimicrobial action; bacterial cells containing ObiH plasmid were induced to scrutinize the hypothesized self-protection
function of ObiH in the presence of obafluorin. Furthermore, microscopic analysis was undertaken to determine which major cellular
pathway was disrupted by obafluorin on the basis of cell morphology profiling. With further experimentation, the therapeutic potential
of obafluorin could be improved for use as an antibiotic.
PIF1A IS REQUIRED FOR ACTIN CONE MOVEMENT DURING SPERMATID
INDIVIDUALIZATION IN DROSOPHILA
Harrison Pravder
Mentor: Kathryn Miller
The actin cytoskeleton is pivotal for cell-type specialization. Our lab uses the actin-mediated process of spermatid individualization (SI),
a late stage of spermatogenesis in Drosophila, as a model for studying actin’s role in specialization. During SI, 64 spermatids are
segregated into individual cells; actin cones remodel the cells by moving from the spermatid nuclei to the tail ends. We screened a
collection of male-sterile mutants for defects at this stage and identified several mutants with interesting phenotypes. In one mutant,
Z3-5009, actin cones form but do not move. Cytoplasmic microtubule degradation, a step that normally precedes cone movement, is
incomplete, suggesting that progression to movement is blocked. The mutant actin cones appear normal in structure and other accessory
proteins are localized correctly. Using next-gen DNA sequencing, we sequenced the mutant genome and identified a SNP in a
non-coding region of the Pif1A gene. We inserted a GFP-fusion Pif1A transgene into the mutant resulting in a rescue of fertility, normal
cone movement, and proper microtubule degradation, confirming loss of Pif1A function as causative of the phenotype. Pif1A is not
associated with actin cones. We propose that cone movement requires Pif1A, possibly as a signal to transition to the stage in which
movement occurs.
GENETIC ENGINEERING OF ESCHERICHIA COLI TO PRODUCE BRANCH-CHAIN FATTY ALCOHOLS
James Qiao
Mentor: Fuzhong Zhang
This research is primarily focused on engineering and optimization of the E. coli fatty acid biosynthetic pathway to produce
branch-chain fatty alcohols, which are ideal biofuel candidates. Fatty acid biosynthesis is a vital component of healthy bacterial function
and thus is heavily regulated, making the pathway difficult to engineer. We are primarily focused on two portions of the pathway: the
downstream and upstream. The upstream portion entails the conversion of glucose into precursors (branch-chain acyl-CoAs) for
branch-chain fatty acid biosynthesis via the expression of a heterologous branch-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase (BKD). This project
aimed to determine how much BKD the cell needs to produce sufficient precursor. BKD is naturally toxic to the cell, and high
concentrations will limit cell reproductively, thus we had to figure out what type of plasmid to place it on so it will not harm the cell and
also function appropriately. Second, we attempted to genetically integrate the entire upstream portion into genomic DNA, due to the
lack of plasmids on which to place these genes. The downstream portion involves the conversion of the fatty acids into fatty alcohols.
We experimented with many enzyme combinations to efficiently convert fatty acids into fatty alcohols. We found that a codon-optimized
gene called maqu2220 is optimal for our needs regarding the conversion. Overall, significant progress was made on creating a completely
in vivo method to produce branch-chain fatty alcohols in E. coli. After future optimization, we predict that titers of fatty alcohols will be
high enough to offer a green alternative to current methods to generate fatty alcohols.
INVESTIGATION OF SMC5-SMC6 RECRUITMENT TO DNA DAMAGE SITES IN STEM CELLS
Suyash Raj
Mentors: Dennis Hallahan and Girdhar G. Sharma
Radiation therapy is a very effective method of treating cancer, but the Ionizing radiation (IR) also damages surrounding normal tissue
as well as cancerous tissue. IR causes double strand breaks (DSBs), which is one of the most lethal types of DNA damage. Cells can repair
this damage through two pathways, homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end join repair (NHEJ). Stem cells have
been found to be more radiosensitive than normal cells, and are more likely to go into apoptotic pathways upon receiving radiation
damage. This can cause severe regenerative and developmental problems for cancer patients receiving radiotherapy due to loss of stem cells.
The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes 5-6 (SMC5-SMC6) complex is involved in many different DNA repair pathways. SMC
5-SMC6 is known to promote HR in cells, and the non-SMC elements (NSE) are important SUMO ligases or ubiquitin ligases. In this
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study we examine the recruitment of SMC5-SMC6 and NSE2 to DNA damage sites in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells versus mouse
embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and examine if these complexes have a role in NHEJ. While our results are preliminary, understanding the
differences in DNA repair between ES cells and MEF cells could explain why ES cells are sensitive to DNA damage.
WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES ON BIRTH METHODS IN ST. LOUIS
Apoorva Ram
Mentor: L. Lewis Wall
The way we give birth—who is present, what we say, where we do it, how we deal with the pain, what happens after—is heavily influenced
by culture and circumstance. In this work, I aim to shed light on these influences in a major urban center of the United States by looking
at women’s own perspectives on birth. The main research objectives are: Why do women choose, or proceed with, one birth method over
the other? What factors influence this decision? What factors influence their perceptions of different birth methods? How do they view
their own birth processes? Through semi-structured interviews resulting in focused narratives, I examine women’s comparisons and
opinions of cesarean sections and vaginal births, their perspectives on their individual delivery, the effect their birth method has on work
productivity, and the influence of family and friends regarding opinions about birth. In the future, I will combine direct research, using
data from women at Barnes Jewish Hospital, with a literature review that examines the different cultural attitudes across the United
States and the biological processes behind birth. The work will begin to advance our understanding of the modern birth process through
specific women’s perspectives, focusing on the changes that occur during each pregnancy that alter and shape perspectives about birth
methods more generally.
THE UNTOLD STORY OF MEACHAM PARK
Clark Randall
Mentor: Lerone Martin
In 2008 Charles Thornton, an African American construction worker, entered Kirkwood City Hall and shot seven people; killing five,
including two police officers, two city council members, and a reporter. “Cookie,” as locals knew him, was a lifelong resident of Meacham
Park, a historically black subsection of the predominantly white Kirkwood community. A year after the shooting, Kirkwood Mayor Art
McDonell claimed there was nothing to be fixed in Kirkwood, insisting that, “We really don’t have a racial problem.”
In the latter half of the 20th century, St. Louis has consistently been one of the top 10 most racially segregated cities in the United
States. The St. Louis metropolitan area has been classified by scholars as “hypersegregated” since 1980. Areas such as the “Delmar Divide”
and East St. Louis have become emblematic of such racial segregation, drawing much scholarly and media attention, including a short
documentary by the BBC. Far less attention, however, has been paid to the racial segregation in the suburban areas on the outskirts of
the city. These small municipalities have long been thought of as the exclusive enclaves of white flight. However, Kirkwood, the first
designated suburb of St. Louis, tells a different story.
Kirkwood is a microcosm of a much larger but understudied post-war phenomenon: the suburban ghetto. Kirkwood’s relationship
to Meacham Park is comparable to the divide we have seen in Ferguson, Missouri, which scholars and casual observers alike have
struggled to understand. However, understanding such suburban inequality is pivotal for not only reconciliation but also for the region
to flourish. Perhaps The Washington Post said it best. In August 2014, the newspaper noted Ferguson is representative of America’s
growing “suburban ghetto(s).” Moreover, the paper concluded, these understudied suburban racial and economic inequalities are
“ticking time bombs.”
HELP OTHERS, HELP YOURSELF:
THOSE WHO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TEND TO BE HAPPIER
Jeremy Reisman
Mentor: Tim Bono
In this study, first-semester undergraduates (N=80) were given a weekly survey with questions examining the relationship between
serving as a confidant to their peers by listening to others’ problems and encouraging them to do their best. The results showed a positive
correlation between encouraging others to do their best and how often the students felt happy, proud, and enthusiastic throughout each
week of the semester. These students also felt more satisfied with themselves and engaged in other behaviors that have been shown to
increase one’s happiness such as being in flow and expressing gratitude toward others. The correlations of specific characteristics of being
a confidant are discussed along with its implications for increasing subjective well-being.
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GENDER AND NATIONALISM IN BRITISH PALESTINE AND EARLY ISRAEL
Rebecca Ritchin
Mentor: Anika Walke
The years 1918-1948 were marked by British rule in Mandate Palestine. During the mandate, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased.
Many Zionists – Jews who desired a Jewish homeland in Palestine - envisioned creating a new society in which they were not discriminated
against, and a society that was not defined by social hierarchies or economic classes.
Some of these Jews were influenced by socialist ideologies that were being discussed in the countries they left. The stirrings of the
1917 Russian revolution, which led to the rise of the socialist Soviet Union, was influential for the approximately 40,000 Jews who
immigrated to Palestine mostly from Russia during the “Second Aliyah,” or immigration wave, from 1904-1914. Many of these
immigrants were Labor Zionists, those who coupled socialism with the belief that to settle the land, Zionists had to physically cultivate it.
Many female Zionists envisioned their freedom from oppression both as Jews and as women. They immigrated eager to participate
in political work and the workforce of a new society. Theoretically, women were equally welcome in all aspects of the Labor Zionist
movement. In fact, the reality was far more varied and complex. This research examines these complexities through the lens of the lives
of two women: Golda Meir and Ada Fishman Maimon. An examination of primary source documents in Israel and London illuminate
their lives and their work. They were socially and politically active within Labor Zionism at around the same time (1915-1970s). Maimon
devoted her political life to advancing the status of women, while Meir distanced herself from feminism and her gender in her own
political work. The tensions and contradictions between them serve as a way to understand a larger theme: gaps between nationalist
ideologies and reality, especially as it relates to gender.
ASSESSMENT OF SCREEN TIME IN URBAN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA
Alexandra Rota
Mentor: Gordon Bloomberg
Children in poor urban environments have a higher prevalence of and mortality rate from asthma: lifestyle has been considered as being
relevant to this higher prevalence. The objective of this study is to determine the degree of screen engagement as one index of choice for
after school lifestyle activity among a cohort of children enrolled in the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study.
Caregivers of children from the URECA cohort were surveyed by questionnaire to assess their child’s engagement in screen time. URECA
clinical data was then analyzed in relation to screen time as well as those environmental barriers that might prevent outdoor activities.
131 surveys were completed out of 143 URECA participants for a response rate of 92%. We found that children with asthma choose to
engage in screen time for significantly more hours than children without asthma within the same study cohort (35 hours versus 26 hours,
p = 0.004), even after controlling for the presence of socioeconomic and environmental barriers to other activities. Furthermore, parents
of children with asthma do not seem to be aware that symptoms during exercise might contribute to their child’s choice of screen time
activity. Since both children with and without asthma have the same socioeconomic and environmental opportunities to exercise, this
may suggest that asthma is a significant factor in children choosing to spend increased time engaging in screen time and sedentary
behavior. The next stage is spreading awareness about this association, encouraging better asthma control, and questioning adherence to
medication.
OXALIPLATIN REDUCES CAP-DEPENDENT TRANSLATION THROUGH A
NEUTRAL SPHINGOMYELINASE 2-MEDIATED, ROS-DEPENDENT PATHWAY
Joshua Rusheen
Mentor: James P. Madigan, National Institutes of Health
Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based, DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agent which demonstrates selective therapeutic efficacy in colorectal
cancer. However, we and others have previously shown that oxaliplatin treatment of colorectal cancer cells decreases the expression of
the pro-survival protein, survivin, which can result in mitotic catastrophe, an aberrant form of mitosis, leading to cell death. The down
regulation of survivin protein expression suggests the presence of a non-DNA damaged-based mode of action. We have previously
demonstrated, using isogenic colon cancer cell lines, that relative to oxaliplatin-sensitive cells, oxaliplatin-resistant cells have greatly
attenuated oxaliplatin-mediated loss of survivin protein expression, along with diminished levels of oxaliplatin treatment-induced
ceramide, an anti-proliferative sphingolipid. Thus, to possibly connect oxaliplatin-induced ceramide formation and reduced expression
of survivin, we pharmacologically inhibited several enzymes known to be involved in ceramide formation. Only inhibition of neutral
sphingomyelniase 2 (nSMase2) prevented oxaliplatin-induced loss of survivin protein expression. nSMase2 enzyme activity is known to
be enhanced through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that oxaliplatin treatment increases cellular levels of ROS. The next logical step
in this course of studies was to demonstrate direct activation of nSMase2 via oxaliplatin-treatment. Survivin protein levels are regulated
via cap-dependent translation and we examined a possible role of oxaliplatin treatment on inhibition of cap-dependent translation to
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explain the loss of survivin protein expression. The current and future findings of this research will offer additional information on
the mechanism of action for oxaliplatin and may provide valuable clues to both improve treatment regimens and help combat
chemotherapeutic resistance in colorectal cancer.
EFFECTS OF ELECTRORECEPTOR DISTRIBUTION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
ON SIGNAL LOCALIZATION OF WEAKLY ELECTRIC FISHES
Da Yeon Danielle Ryoo
Mentor: Bruce Carlson
African weakly electric fishes of the family Mormiridae communicate using discrete electric signals that are received by electroreceptors
on the skin surface. Different patterns of electroreceptor distribution are found within the family Mormiridae. Species of subfamily
Mormyrinae have their electroreceptors distributed broadly throughout their body, while species of subfamily Petrocephalinae have
three clusters of receptors located on their head. The two subfamilies also differ in social behavior; subfamily Mormyrinae tend to be
highly territorial, while subfamily Petrocephalinae tend to form shoals. Interestingly, Petrocephalus microphthalmus belongs to subfamily
Petrocephalinae and forms shoals, but has distributed electroreceptors like subfamily Mormyrinae. The purpose of this study was to
determine the extent to which receptor distribution and social behavior affect the ability to localize electric signals. We predicted that if
the distribution of electroreceptors affects signal localization pattern, then signal localization pattern of P. microphthalmus will resemble
that of subfamily Mormyrinae. In contrast, if social behavior affects such ability, then the signal localization pattern of P. microphthalmus
will concur with that of subfamily Petrocephalinae. We conducted playback experiments in a circular tank to track the approach
pathways in response to synthetic electric signals of individual fish of each of five species, including species in subfamily Mormyrinae
and subfamily Petrocephalinae, and the special case of P. microphthalmus. I measured the length, velocity, duration, and turn angles of
the approach responses. P. microphthalmus had linear and angular movement patterns that corresponded more to those of subfamily
Mormyrinae. Subfamily Mormyrinae and P. microphthalmus showed slower velocity and longer path and duration than those of
subfamily Petrocephalinae. The movement patterns of P. microphthalmus suggest that broadly distributed electroreceptors allow for
more precise tracking of electric fields generated by other fish, which could allow territorial species to obtain more information about
potential intruders approaching them.
EMOTIONS IN CONFLICTS OF SEXISM
Jiyeon Ryoo
Mentor: Tammy English
Sexism continues to be a daily issue and conflict in American society. When sexism (discrimination against women on the basis of sex)
manifests in direct conversations between two people, emotions and emotion regulation (how we manage our emotions) can play a large
role in how the conflict is managed and resolved. Allies (men who support women’s fight against sexism) and intragroup conflicts,
“traitors,” (women who do not support the fight against sexism) also complicate interactions surrounding sexism. In a hypothetical
discussion about sexism, I will examine how interaction partner group-status (in-group, i.e., women, and out-group, i.e., men) and
presence of conflict (whether the person agrees or disagrees with a sexist statement) affect emotional experience and emotion regulation
in female college students. The results of this study could reveal how women feel after discussions of sexism, which emotion regulation
strategies are preferred in this context, and how those preferred strategies affect outcomes of discussions about sexism.
COLLECTION STRATEGIES FOR BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES AND BEHAVIORAL DATA OF TWO TAMARIN SPECIES
Alexandra Schaening
Mentor: Mrinalini Watsa
Tamarins, along with marmosets, are small-bodied New World Primates that make up the family Callitrichidae. Of central importance
to this research is their system of reproduction; characterized by habitual twinning, cooperative care of offspring, and reproductive
suppression of subordinating females within a group by the reproductively active, dominant female. Relatedness of individuals is further
complicated by the fact that in utero twins may exchange stem cells with one another, such that they are born genetic mosaics of each other.
Through the Primates Peru research program, we collected biological samples over a period of five weeks to supplement behavioral
and genetic data collected since 2009, when the research first began as part of one of the longest ongoing behavioral studies of tamarins
in the wild.
We collected hair, nail, buccal, and vaginal samples from at least 21 animals across 14 separate groups of two callitrichid species
Saguinus imperator and Saguinus Fusicollis found at the Los Amigos Biological Field Station of Peru. Morphometric data was also
measured and recorded for each individual for later assessment.
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All data collected since 2009 is currently under analysis. This collection of data will help us better understand the little understood
ways in which reproductive suppression occurs in these animals by assessing sexual development and parentage in the individuals
captured and marked for study. Genetic information gathered over the course of this field season, and field seasons prior will also serve
to assess relatedness not only between an individual and their parents but to their siblings as well.
THE EVOLUTION OF SPITALFIELDS SILK WEAVERS’ PERCEPTION OF GLOBALIZATION:
18TH CENTURY EMPIRE, ECONOMY, AND DISCONTENT
Charles Schlaepfer
Mentor: Derek Hirst
Following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the ascension of William and Mary to the throne in the Glorious Revolution in the
1680s, a flood of French Huguenots fled France to form a migrant community in a hamlet outside of London called Spitalfields. Many
of the refugees were silk weavers who sought safety from religious and economic persecution—the production of domestic silk had just
been made illegal in France. Weavers in England called for increased domestic production and protection from cheaper imports as early
as the 1680s, but became more focused with protests and pamphlets in the late 1690s. They eventually succeeded in convincing
Parliament to pass legislation banning foreign silks. This research set out to investigate many of the remaining, but not yet digitized
records of the Huguenot Society and the Corporation of London to uncover the voices of the Spitalfields silk weavers.
MANIPULATION AND EXAMINATION OF CELL MOVEMENT IN THE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX
Nathan W. Schmetter
Mentor: Amit Pathak
At the basis of all living things are cells. Cells both support our everyday life and have the power to end it. However, our cells all interact
with each other in a three-dimensional anatomic environment which we call the extracellular matrix. Here, we study how various
qualities of the extracellular matrix affect tumor cell movement.
We start by focusing purely on the microstructure of the extracellular matrix and studying how something like membrane porosity
impacts cell movement and migration. We then manipulate the extracellular matrixes to replicate the experiment with different pore
sizes and fiber structures. Each of these different qualities have measurable impacts on the migration of tumor cells through the
extracellular matrix. This movement is tracked over a two-day period and the results yield velocity vectors and position points.
Through the analysis of these results, we hope to be able to better the understanding of tumor invasion – growth throughout the body
– and metastasis – new occurrence of the same tumor cells in a completely different anatomic location. Knowing how these qualities
impact carcinogenic cell motility in different environments will enable us to overlay our knowledge of the extracellular matrixes in the
human body and posit possible ways to slow the growth of tumors or even stop it entirely.
EXPRESSION AND PURIFICATION OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MAEBL,
A MALARIA PARASITE PROTEIN CRITICAL FOR ERYTHROCYTE INVASION
Abhishek Sethi
Mentor: Niraj Tolia
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by the Plasmodium falciparum MAEBL parasite that impacts two million to three million individuals
annually. Erythrocyte-binding-like (EBL) proteins play a critical role during parasite invasion of red blood cells (RBC) and contain
Duffy-Binding-like (DBL) domains, which are the minimum region of EBL proteins that mediate binding to the RBC receptors. Unlike
other EBL proteins, MAEBL does not have DBL domains; rather, it has two cysteine-rich regions in M1 and M2 that are homologous to
corresponding regions in AMA-1 (Apical Membrane Antigen 1). The goal of this study was to express, purify, and crystallize the M2
region of MAEBL. Full length MAEBL M2 was expressed in the bacterial expression system using BL21 Escherichia coli cells and was
found in inclusion bodies. We optimized a procedure for purifying M2 from the inclusion bodies which involved denaturing the
inclusion bodies followed by obtaining properly folded protein using oxidative refolding. The refolded MAEBL M2 was further purified
by cation-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. To our knowledge, this is the first time that MAEBL has been recombinantly
produced. Our goal of characterizing MAEBL includes determining the structure to atomic resolution using X-ray crystallography.
Buffers were screened for conditions that promote the formation of M2 crystals using the hanging-drop vapor diffusion method, and
faint crystals were observed. The future directions of this study include improving the purity of MAEBL produced in our system.
His-tags will be added to the N and C termini of the current construct, which will enable an additional purification step by Ni-NTA
affinity chromatography. Obtaining highly pure protein will also aid in our crystallization efforts as we optimize conditions for crystal
growth.
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TISSUE ENGINEERING IPS-DERIVED VASCULAR NETWORKS
Michael Shang
Mentor: Steven George
The advent of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has enabled the development of fully iPSC-derived organ models. While
many iPs-derived organ-on-a-chip models exist, vascularization using iPS-derived cell types remains a challenge. Perfusion of
tissue-engineered constructs by integrated vasculature is essential for recapitulating the physiological environment, as most tissues in
vivo depend on vasculature for transport of nutrients and waste. It has been shown that vasculogenesis can be achieved through the
co-culture of human endothelial cells and normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLF) in a 3D fibrin matrix. However, a perfusable
vasculature has not yet been achieved using purely iPS-derived cell types. The aim of this study was to engineer a vasculature derived
from iPS-endothelial cells (iPS-EC) and iPS-stromal cells (iPS-SC) in a fibrin matrix using PDMS rings. Moreover, the ability of VEGF
supplementation to support and maintain vascular networks was explored. Network formation was tracked by transducing the iPS-ECs
with fluorescent lentivirus and quantified by relative fluorescence levels. The results demonstrate that the additional supplementation of
VEGF is required during initial vessel formation in iPS-ECs with iPS-SCs but that VEGF can be removed following stabilization of the
vasculature. Regardless of conditions, the vasculature could be maintained in the fibrin rings for up to 14 days. Additionally, ELISA was
used to quantify the expression levels of VEGF in iPS-SCs relative to NHLFs. This study reveals that a fully iPS-derived perfusable organ
construct can be achieved for organ-on-a-chip technologies.
BRAIN MORPHOMETRY AND THE ‘G’ OF PERSONALITY PATHOLOGY
Daniel Sheinbein
Mentor: Ryan Bogdan
Recent evidence supports a bi-factor model of personality pathology, wherein Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) criteria account
for a general ‘g’ factor. Various trait models have been used to capture BPD; most recently, a 24-item measure was developed using the
NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (FFI-BPD; Few et al., 2015), which correlates strongly and exhibits high genetic overlap with explicit
measures of BPD. This enables examination of personality pathology ‘g’ in large datasets with rich genetic and neuroimaging data. Using
data from the Human Connectome Project (N=523) and Duke Neurogenetics Study (N=1,136), we find evidence that increasing
FFI-BPD scores are significantly associated with decreased volume in the left cuneus in both independent datasets even after controlling
for gender, age, ethnicity, and whole brain volume (p<0.05, whole brain corrected, in both datasets). Post-hoc analyses examining higher
order five-factor model (FFM) traits found significant associations between the left cuneus and Neuroticism, Extraversion, and
Conscientiousness. Prior evidence has shown decreased volume in the cuneus in a small sample of patients with BPD. However, we show
that these findings are driven by higher order FFM traits that capture personality pathology more broadly. Additional analyses will
examine environmental and genetic correlates of precuneus volume.
DEPRESSION IN PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN:
OVERVIEW OF PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION THERAPY
Yoga Shentu
Mentor: Joan Luby
Preschool depression has been scientifically shown to occur as early as three years old. Due to the greater risk compared to adults, young
children are not prescribed antidepressants as a first-line treatment for depression. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) was
developed as a potential approach to treat disruptive behavior problems in preschoolers. It took into account several psychology theories,
such as attachment theory, operant conditioning, and was recognized as an effective and evidence-based therapy for behavior and
emotion regulation issues. At the Early Emotion Develop Program (EEDP) at Washington University School of Medicine psychiatry
department, another module was added to existing PCIT, and yielded PCIT-ED. The added module, emotion development, focuses on
establishing children’s ability to recognize emotions and be able to react to it. A preliminary experiment was conducted by EEDP to test
the effectiveness of PCIT-ED. The result (N=72) showed that children treated with PCIT-ED showed improvement in more domains
compared to control group, including emotional control and depression severity. A full scale PCIT-ED experiment was built on the
preliminary one, and EEDP is currently collecting data from subjects. The result will be published when all follow-up assessments are
collected.
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MODEL LIGNIN POLYMER SYNTHESIS
Jeffrey Sheptin
Mentor: Marcus Foston
Lignin is a complex biopolymer found within the cell wall. However, because of its complexity, it is useful to create artificial model
polymers to study. Multiple G and H unit ß-O-4 linked polymers were synthesized. The steps used for creation of the polymers were (1)
bromination, (2) polymerization, and (3) reduction of the polymer. Polymers were formed under varied conditions with varying
temperatures, reaction times, catalysts, and starting material and solvent concentrations. The polymers were analyzed using gel
permeation chromatography to determine the molecular weights of the polymers and the degree of polymerization. H-NMR
spectroscopy was utilized to ensure quality of the product at each step of the polymer synthesis.
A CASE FOR KEITH APE:
THE KOREAN STAKE IN AMERICAN HIP-HOP
Kate Shin
Mentor: Ignacio Infante
Korean hip-hop has existed since the 1990s, finding success across eastern Asia and within the Korean diaspora of the United States.
Korean hip-hop has finally attracted the attention of an American audience only in the past year, largely due to the popularity of the
song, “It G Ma,” by Keith Ape. The music track features two other Korean artists, JayAllday and Okasian, and two Japanese artists, Loota
and Kohh. The song gained much of its success through controversy as Keith Ape was accused of copying another song, “U Guessed It”
by African American rapper OG Maco.
The objective of this work is to investigate how Keith Ape appropriates black rap culture in “It G Ma” and why this particular song
found success now. The bulk of the investigation took the form of interviews with important contemporary hip-hop figures, such as
Anderson Paak, Sophia Chang, Kero One, OG Chino, and Rekstizzy. Their interviews complemented the study of scholarly texts on
hip-hop and literary essays regarding translation, notions of the spectacle, and representations of the “Orient.”
Through this research, I hope to expose the ways in which Keith Ape wrongfully appropriates culture, but I would like to ultimately
argue for Keith Ape’s legitimacy and standing in hip-hop. I believe he does indeed contribute to the dynamic tradition of hip-hop in two
particular ways: his unique display of language and his imitation of Atlantic trap. Now that Korean rap has left its origins as a marginal
form of hip-hop to enter the American mainstream, I believe the hybrid, transnational phenomenon of “It G Ma” has potential to
influence thought within the comparative arts, Asian American identity studies, and hip-hop culture.
IMPACTS OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION ON VOLTAGE STABILITY:
A SURVEY
Phongkiet Sisaikeo
Mentor: Sven Bohn, Fraunhofer IOSB
The use of renewable energy has increased each year. This has resulted in a rapid increase of small-scale power-generating units which
are both directly connected to the networks and close to the loads. One of the main concerns regarding this rapid increase of small-scale
generation units is their reliability and stability. Voltage stability is important in power system planning and operation. The intermittent
nature of the energy sources and the load demands must be considered. Various factors in the planning process such as the sizing of
distributed generation units and determining the types, locations, and level of penetration must be carefully considered. This research
starts from a general discussion of distributed generation, follows with a survey of existing small-scale generation technologies, and ends
with analysis of voltage stability. Different technological innovations are discussed; recommendations regarding their connection to the
grid are presented as well.
ANYTHING BUT SETTLED:
THE 1907 JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION, THE 1904 LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION, AND
THE ROLE OF THE WORLD’S FAIR IN SHAPING AND UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND
NATIONAL IDENTITY IN 20TH CENTURY AMERICA
Evan Stark
Mentor: Margaret Garb
American World’s Fairs in the early 20th Century were fantastic feats of engineering and urban planning that showcased national
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pavilions, new technologies and amusements. There has been much research on the roles of World’s Fairs in reinforcing ideas of
nationalism and consumerism; this project explores the impact of the World’s Fair on a local and regional level.
This research on the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, and the 1907 World’s Fair in Norfolk, Virginia, seeks to understand why
the St. Louis Fair was remarkably more successful than its counterpart in Norfolk. This work highlights the similarities and differences
between the two fairs.
The project focuses on the fairs as corporate entities, the role of history at the fairs, and the legacies of the fairs. The two fairs had
fundamentally similar organizational structure and both relied on American history as a key thematic foundation; in both “national
progress” was a central organizing concept. However, in St. Louis, the fair had lasting impact on the design of the city and became an
essential part of the city’s identity. That fair’s legacy - due in part to fair executive David Francis’ intentional design and in part due to
the fair’s success - continues into the 21st century. In Norfolk, the fair plays a much more subtle role in the city’s design and identity.
The role of these fairs in shaping the identity of their host cities underscores the impact of World’s Fairs on 20th century American cities
as constructed spaces where the public and city engaged with their past and fashioned a new vision for the future.
THE ROLE OF THE P62 UB-BINDING REGION IN RESPONSE TO ATHEROGENIC ENVIRONMENTS
Carl Stokes
Mentor: Babak Razani
Autophagy is an important cellular mechanism that involves the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins and organelles through the
lysosomal machinery. Chaperone protein p62 binds polyubiquitinated proteins and facilitates their turnover via autophagy. Disruptions
in this process might be pathogenic in atherosclerosis. Atherogenic lipid incubation of macrophages dramatically increases p62 protein
levels and induces accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins co-localizing with p62 as cytoplasmic inclusions. In the absence of p62
(p62-null), macrophages do not generate large aggregates but accumulate insoluble polyubiquitinated proteins in a diffuse and disrupted
cytoplasmic pattern. The disruption of these aggregates has functional consequences manifested as increased secretion of inflammatory
cytokine IL1-β and enhanced macrophage cell death (apoptosis). Herein, we investigate the mechanistic details of how p62 modulates
IL1-β secretion and show that the ubiquitin-binding region of p62 protein is necessary to reduce IL1- β secretion. Expressing p62 in
p62-null macrophages decreased IL1-β secretion but the expression of a mutant form of p62 lacking the ubiquitin binding did not affect
secretion. Because sequestration and clearance of ubiquitinated proteins is not modulated only by p62, we also tested the influence of
other p62-regulated pathways on the IL1-β secretion phenotype. We suppressed those pathways either pharmacologically or with SiRNA
(namely NRF2, ERK, p38, and NFκB) but suppressions did not decrease elevated IL1-β secretion in p62-null macrophages. Taken
together, this data suggests that the ubiquitin-binding region of p62 is instrumental in the macrophages’ response to an atherogenic
environment and that the removal of this region has decreased the capacity of sequestering and clearing the cellular aggregates which
eventually induce inflammatory signals.
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF PHENYLACETALDEHYDE IN THE AUXIN RESPONSE
Adam Streicher
Mentor: Lucia Strader
Auxins are a class of plant hormones involved in plant cell division, cell elongation, and other processes important to plant growth and
development. While plants synthesize multiple chemicals which act as auxins, the relative differences between these naturally occurring
active auxins is not well understood. Phenylacetic acid (PAA) is a naturally occurring auxin that has received very little attention. The
genes involved in the synthesis of PAA from its precursor, phenylacetaldehyde (PAAld), have yet to be elucidated. A greater
understanding of the in vivo synthesis of PAA will help us gain a well-rounded understanding of the auxin response. We determined that
a mutation in the gene At3g51560 is sufficient for PAAld resistance. These plants are not resistant to the active auxin, PAA, or any other
active auxins, which may indicate some problem in converting PAAld to PAA. Here, we describe the isolation of this mutant and our
ongoing efforts to elucidate its role in auxin signalling in Arabidopsis.
P-TYPE TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING OXIDES
Michael Sullivan
Mentor: Cynthia Lo
This research involved density functional theory and other electronic calculations for p-type transparent conducting oxides. The
electronic and phonon band structures of B6O, K2Sn2O3, Na2Sn2O3, ZrSO, PbTiO3, and K2Pb2O3 were computed using density functional
theory as implemented by VASP. Electronic properties of these materials such as mobility were calculated using aMoBT. Some formation
energy calculations were conducted. Future work for these materials is recommended.
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SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NCBRS2-STABILIZED NICKEL AND PALLADIUM COMPLEXES
Ryan Sun
Mentor: Liviu Mirica
A series of mononuclear nickel and palladium complexes were synthesized, stabilized by the tetradentate ligand NCBrS2, a modified
variation derived from previously studied pyridinophane ligands. Said modifications involve substitution of a prior pyridine ring with
a phenyl ring as well as prior bridging amines with bridging thioesters. Various stable nickel and palladium complexes were isolated and
characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, cyclic
voltammetry (CV), and X-ray crystallography. Interestingly, the oxidized palladium(III) complexes exhibited EPR signals unlike those
of most previous ligand systems, implying a different orientation of the ligand bound to the metal center compared to previous systems.
Further characterization could unambiguously assign the structure of these higher valent metal complexes and elucidate intermediates
and mechanistic pathways of important organometallic catalytic cycles.
ST. LOUIS WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES ON FAMILY PLANNING AND CONTRACEPTION
Priya Suri
Mentor: Lewis Wall
This study focused on how women in St. Louis women navigate their options for contraception. It includes their perceptions regarding
cultural, religious, and economic barriers. Fifty-one women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style of about 38
questions in the South Grand St. Louis Planned Parenthood. Women described their partners’ preferences as well as their social support
regarding family. Women consistently brought up the words “safe” and “secure” when asked about how contraception made them feel.
Most participants chose contraception based on convenience and efficacy and often received information from their social circles.
Women’s responses varied from believing their environments were crucial to their contraceptive decisions, to believing they had little to
no influence. Overall women have a broad range of experiences regarding contraception and family planning.
A DANGEROUS POLYMER: ORGANIC SYNTHESIS OF POLY GLUTAMINE
Corban Swain
Mentor: Carmem Scholz, University of Alabama, Huntsville
Huntington’s disease is an inherited genetic disorder in which nerve cells in the brain are progressively degenerated, leading to a loss of
function and death. Currently 30,000 Americans are symptomatic and more than 200,000 are at risk. The neurodegeneration is caused
by a mutation that leads to an increased number of repeating glutamine residues at one end of the Huntingtin protein. Interestingly,
disease occurrence and penetrance is dependent on the number of glutamine repeats; unaffected individuals have <35 repeats while
individuals who are affected have 36 or more. Understanding poly(glutamine) will be central to better understanding Huntington’s
disease; however, there is no reported method for synthesizing poly(glutamine) at the relevant lengths. In this project, we pursue the
synthesis of poly(glutamine) by ring-opening polymerization at varying chain lengths in an effort to eventually uncover how small
changes in the number of repeats can cause drastic changes in macromolecular behavior.
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT’S STRATEGIC USE OF MEETINGS
Ryan Thier
Mentor: Jon Rogowski
I investigated the way in which President Franklin Roosevelt strategically used meetings with members of Congress to help achieve his
legislative agenda. Using the interactive calendar of President Roosevelt’s daily schedules, made available by the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Presidential Library, I logged President Roosevelt’s meetings with members of Congress in the 10 days immediately preceding
the House vote on what I judged to be his 10 most significant pieces of domestic legislation. I found that during those 100 observed days
the number of members of Congress he met with was more than three and a half times greater than the number of members he met
with during a random selection of 100 days during his presidency. In addition I found that the distribution of ideologies of the members
of Congress President Roosevelt met with in the 100 days preceding the House vote on his 10 most significant pieces of domestic
legislation largely resembled the distribution of ideologies of the corresponding House of Representatives and Senate, with the exception
of the more conservative end of the ideological spectrum, where he met with almost none of those politicians. This work is important
because it offers new insight into the relationship between President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress, specifically by shedding light on
a strategic tool that has previously has been largely overlooked: meetings. Additionally, focusing on meetings between the President
Roosevelt and members of Congress increases our understanding of the various ways the Executive and Legislative branches, in general,
strategically interact and negotiate with one another.
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THERMOREGULATION OF THREE-TOED BOX TURTLES IN
URBAN AND RURAL ENVIRONMENTS
Briana Tiffany
Mentor: Stephen Blake
Thermoregulation, defined as the ability to maintain body temperature within tolerable limits, is a key regulatory strategy for
ectothermic box turtles. Turtles thermoregulate by seeking microhabitats, e.g. basking in sunshine to warm or burrowing under damp
leaves to cool. For efficient physiological function, it is crucial that box turtles stabilize their internal temperature by locating habitat that
allows them to escape intense heat in the summer and freezing temperature s in the winter. We evaluated the temperature regimes of
turtles in urban (Forest Park) and rural (Tyson Research Center) landscapes by fitting iButton thermochrons to the carapaces of six
turtles at each site and recording four hourly shell temperatures per day over the span of one year (2014). In addition, we deployed
iButtons in small plastic tubes on the ground immediately above each turtle’s hibernation site to compare surface and turtle temperature
regimes during hibernation. We found that turtles at Tyson were significantly cooler than Forest Park turtles during the hottest summer
months, but were warmer than Forest Park turtles during hibernation, yet surface temperatures during hibernation were ca. 0.5 C cooler
at Tyson. These findings suggest that urban turtles are less able to effectively thermoregulate than rural turtles, most likely due to habitat
differences between the two sites. The open canopy of Forest Park may inhibit cooling during the hottest months, while a lack of deep
dry leaf litter may preclude finding suitable hibernation sites during winter. The effects of these differences on turtle health at the two
sites are not known, however poor thermoregulation can cause considerable physiological stress.
Michael Toomey
See Blake Actkinson
AUTOMATED RECONSTRUCTION OF STANDING POSTURE PANORAMAS
FROM MULTI-SECTOR LONG LIMB X-RAY IMAGES
Caroline Trier
Mentor: Cristian Linte, Rochester Institute of Technology
Due to the digital X-ray imaging system’s limited field of view, several individual sector images are required to capture the posture of an
individual in standing position. These images are then “stitched together” to reconstruct the standing posture. We have created an imageprocessing application that automates the stitching, therefore minimizing user input, optimizing workflow, and reducing human error.
The application begins by pre-processing the input images through artifact removal, filtering out isolated noisy regions, and amplifying
a seamless bone edge. The resulting binary images are then registered together using a rigid-body intensity-based registration algorithm.
The identified registration transformations are then used to map the original sector images into a panorama image. Our method focuses
primarily on the use of the anatomical content of the images to generate the panoramas as opposed to using external markers employed
by healthcare specialists to aid with the alignment process. Currently, results show robust edge detection prior to registration. We have
tested our approach by comparing the resulting automatically stitched panoramas to the manually stitched panoramas in terms of
registration parameters, target registration error of homologous markers, and the homogeneity of the digitally subtracted automatically
and manually stitched images using 26 patient datasets.
OPTIMIZATION OF DESIGN OF MICROWAVE RESONATORS
Rohit Unni
Mentor: Kater Murch
Superconducting qubits are a promising avenue to realizing large scale application of a quantum computer as well as studying the bizarre
measurement properties of the quantum world. We are able to construct a system for measuring the state of a qubit without destroying
it through non-demolition measurements predicated on coupling the qubit to an external cavity which we can then read out through
other methods. The signal is sent through a coplanar waveguide cavity before being amplified, and one challenge we encountered was
how to effectively design a new one. The cavity also requires a microwave resonator in order to couple with the modes of the qubit. Our
resonators are currently patterned on silicon with aluminum. The resonators must be able to hold a signal and the quality factor
measures dissipation in the resonator. To estimate the quality factor, we also investigated detailing and analyzed for improvements in the
methods we use to interpret data coming from the resonators. Complex voltage and impedance signals were measured and plotted on a
Smith chart, and we used an algorithm to fit the complex data to a Lorentzian to determine the quality factor. Our own estimation
methods on real data were compared to the same methods used on simulation data where we could compare to an expected QF based
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on given parameters. We also worked on the fabrication process, creating new resonators in a clean room, varying certain parameters to
see if we could optimize the resulting resonators. However we were unable to achieve any higher quality factors than the resonators we
already had due to problems with lifting the aluminum off the sample cleanly.
ILLUMINATING RNA RESPONSE TO OSMOTIC STRESS
Anya Venezia
Mentor: Zhongsheng You
In eukaryotic cells, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a mechanism that works to degrade mRNAs containing premature stop
codons. Previous studies have shown that cancer cells, due to their inherent genomic instability, may be disproportionately dependent
on NMD for survival. Fluctuations in osmolarity of the cellular environment cause dramatic changes in the cell, including gene
expression reprogramming. Using a bioluminescence-based reporter system recently developed by the You Lab we found that osmotic
stress inhibits NMD. Driven by this result, we sought to uncover the signals that regulate NMD after exposure to osmotic stress. We
initially focused on p38, a MAP kinase, and calcium, as they work in parallel to orchestrate the cellular response to osmotic shock.
Additionally, previous studies have shown that NMD can be regulated by both calcium and p38 in other contexts. To test whether these
were essential components of reprogramming, we inhibited the two systems to see if the NMD response differed. Only the p38i showed
a rescue of NMD function. But because drugs can have off-target effects, we set out to test whether knockdown of p38 in human cells
using siRNAs also restores NMD activity in the presence of osmotic stress. So far the results have been inconclusive, but once the
conditions have been optimized, these experiments could lead to valuable mechanistic information about how osmotic stress leads to
changes in gene expression.
POST TRAUMATIC JOINT STIFFNESS:
RAT ELBOW PROJECT
Taylor Vitunic
Mentor: Spencer Lake
Injury to the elbow joint can be one of the most problematic for patients. Following trauma, the elbow injury can cause elbow
contracture, a stiffness and loss of range of motion in the elbow joint. Capable use of the hands and arm is important for day-to-day
human activities. Disability in loss of range of motion and functionality is a debilitating condition. Patients with post traumatic joint
stiffness may struggle with even simple tasks such as tying their shoes. Despite this the elbow is one of the least studied joints in the body.
An animal model was established using rat elbows to study elbow contracture. This study focuses on the mechanical and physical
changes in the elbow over time after injury. To develop a more complete understanding of elbow contracture, the soft tissues connected
to the elbow joint must be examined. The biceps brachii is an important tissue as a large muscle attached to the elbow joint controlling
flexion of the elbow and arm. To analyze the biceps brachii, a testing protocol was developed to simulate in vitro muscle properties. Using
a solution mimicking fluids around a muscle in the body and electrical stimulus, the muscle is tested as if it were still living. More data
on the mechanical changes of the elbow, post contracture may enhance understanding and ultimately improve difficult clinical treatment.
THE BIGGEST EXCEPTION:
EXAMINING THE INTERSECTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND WELFARE-TO-WORK PROGRAMS
Hannah Waldman
Mentor: Jami Ake
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) codified two core American values: marriage and work. Although
some observers heralded the act for implementing strict work requirements and marriage incentives, these policies contradict the lived
experiences of women who face domestic violence. The Family Violence Option (FVO) allows states to temporarily exempt women living
in violence from the work imperative of welfare. Although the FVO was tailor-made to help victims of domestic violence, and rates of
domestic violence are higher amongst welfare recipients than in the general population, the waiver’s uptake is low. This project shares
the stories of 15 women who meet the waiver’s eligibility criteria. On the whole, the waiver was irrelevant to their experience. By situating
their stories in the historical context of welfare, and the values of marriage and work in the United States, this research aims to
demonstrate how the FVO represents a Band-Aid fix to a much larger problem.
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CARBENE EXTRUSION FROM A TRICYCLIC COMPOUND
James Wang
Mentor: Peter Gaspar
While the mechanisms and the characteristics of reactions of the covalent-bond-forming elements in the first row of the periodic table
are fairly well known, those of the first row’s heavier analogues are much less clear. We would like to extend our knowledge of the
mechanistic ideas of organic chemistry to the heavier elements that participate in covalent bonding. There are also some aspects of these
mechanisms of carbon that are not fully understood, and we would like to better understand the unknown aspects of these reactions. To
do so, we would like to use reactive intermediates as probes for mechanistic similarities and differences between the chemistry of the first
row (which could generally be considered organic chemistry) and that of heavier elements.
Carbenes and their heavier analogs have distinctive reactions that include an addition to π-bonds. It is known that Carbenes,
Silylenes, and Germylenes are all capable of doing this; however, one noticeable difference is the reversibility of their addition. While it
is known that the addition of a Silylene across a double bond is reversible, it appears that in general, the addition of a Carbene across a
double bond tends not to be reversible.
Currently, we wish to test this notion that the addition of a Carbene across a double bond is not reversible. We are interested in which
of these two factors plays the bigger role in the extrusion, and whether they are both important contributors to the possibility of this reaction.
IDENTIFYING VULNERABLE REGIONS IN THE BRAIN CONNECTOME
Maxwell Wang
Mentor: Pratik Mukherjee, University of California, San Francisco
The structural connectome has emerged as a powerful tool towards understanding the functional connectivity of the human brain and
shows great potential for elucidating the progression of various neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Previous work has identified a
methodology for mapping the paths of white matter that interconnect cortical and subcortical nodes to discover the network
architecture of the brain. In this work, we re-introduce the concept of an ‘importance map,’ which indicates regions of white matter tracts
that are vital to the ability of the brain connectome to transmit information across nodes quickly. More specifically, we explore the
concepts of communicability, a metric indicating the number of paths connecting two nodes weighted by the path length, and the
eigendecomposition of the graph Laplacian with the intent of understanding how these metrics are influenced by artificial lesions. Our
results indicate spatial variations in the vulnerability of the white matter, notably including biases towards anterior-posterior tracts of
cerebral white matter and the genu of the corpus callosum. Using the eigendecomposition of the graph Laplacian, we are able to identify
individual processes of the brain, such as information flow through the structural core, and categorize susceptible regions with regards
to these processes. Overall, these findings indicate a complex relationship between white matter anatomy and the performance of
functional connectivity, motivating further exploration of these lesion studies for biomarkers of cognition and behavior.
SPARSE SCN VIP PROJECTIONS TO THE PVN CONSISTENT WITH PARACRINE SIGNALING
John Webb
Mentor: Erik Herzog
The mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the body’s master circadian pacemaker, consists of approximately 20,000 neurons in
the ventral hypothalamus. Neurons within the SCN have been categorized into more than 20 cell types based on their neuropeptide
expression. Among these, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) neurons have been identified as critical for coordinating circadian
rhythms within the SCN and body. VIP receptor 2 (VPAC2R) is known to be widely expressed in the paraventricular nucleus of the
hypothalamus (PVN), an upstream regulator of circadian glucocorticoid release. However, little is known about the anatomy or
physiology of VIP projections outside of the SCN. We hypothesized, based on the broad distribution and low expression of VPAC2R in
the PVN, that VIP neurons would have large, divergent projections in the PVN. We injected Cre-dependent Brainbow viruses into the
right SCN of VIP-Cre knockin mice. After two weeks, the brains were harvested, sectioned at 100μm and processed for 3-color
immunohistochemistry. Sections were imaged on a confocal microscope with 0.5μm optical sections, and traced using a novel ImageJ
plugin. Preliminary results from ~600 reconstructed neuronal processes indicated that nearly 100% of VIP axons could be discriminated
in the PVN and subPVN. We found that, of all the VIP neurons entering the PVN, about 20% have terminals within the PVN. Of these
VIP neurons that synapse in the PVN, the majority typically have a single terminal within the PVN with a maximum of 10 terminals
within the PVN per SCN VIP neuron. These synapses are evenly distributed across the PVN. In addition, SCN VIP neurons appear to
make similar numbers and distributions of terminals in the ipsilateral and contralateral PVN. Our findings support the conclusion that
VIP neurons form sparse terminals in the PVN and likely communicate through a paracrine signal.
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SEEKING ASYLUM, SEEKING HEALTH:
MIGRATION CHALLENGES IN CANTON OF VAUD, SWITZERLAND
Rebecca Weiss
Mentor: John Bowen
Although a small country, Switzerland accepts a disproportionally high number of asylum seekers compared to other European
countries. This study addresses asylum seekers’ experiences and challenges after arriving in Switzerland. In particular, this study focuses
on health challenges and barriers to quality care. Although federal laws and systems are in place to respond to the influx of migrants,
each canton’s local authorities have a somewhat free range of how to apply these laws in establishing and maintaining local institutions.
Semi-structured interviews with several healthcare professionals were conducted to discuss systems and strategies that address the
particular challenges of treating patients who are victims of forced migration. Switzerland has a special hospital network to provide
special care to migrants, and asylum seekers have access to free health insurance. However, the network is incomplete and misses many
potential target populations. In addition, interviews were conducted with numerous asylum seekers to learn about their experiences
firsthand. Interviewees came from various countries including Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Senegal. Some main challenges related to
integration included language barrier and perceived racism. Both of these issues, as well as others, contributed to barriers to quality
healthcare access. Housing provided for many asylum seekers failed to suit their needs and sometimes exacerbated health problems.
Many asylum seekers faced mental health challenges but had no prior experience seeking mental health care. People’s overall experiences
seeking asylum in Switzerland followed trends based on certain aspects of their background and the duration for which they had been
in Switzerland. The discussion in this study is relevant to Europe’s current migrant crisis discourse. Although parts of Switzerland have
relatively well-established systems of care and supportive infrastructure for asylum seekers, this study sheds light on some discontinuities
between institutional expectations and reality.
PROSPECTIVE MEMORY MEASURES IN HEALTHY AGING AND EARLY-STAGE
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE INDIVIDUALS
Jenny Weissman
Mentor: Julie Bugg
Prospective memory (PM) refers to remembering to perform an intended action at some point in the future without any explicit
reminder. PM tasks encompass a range of future actions such as remembering to take a medication or stopping by the grocery store for
milk after work. Certain PM tasks appear to be impaired in individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Expanding on this
research, we investigated two novel prospective memory (PM) outcomes: commission errors and controlled monitoring in healthy older
adults (CDR=0) and older adults with very mild dementia (CDR=.5). Commission errors refer to an individual still performing a task,
even after they are instructed not to do it anymore. Controlled monitoring refers to the ability to strategically control how much
attention is devoted to different contexts, specifically those where PM cues are expected and those where they are not expected. We aimed
to see if these cognitive outcomes could help distinguish normal aging from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It was predicted that
individuals with very mild dementia would do more poorly on both the commission error and controlled monitoring tasks than healthy
older adults. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings will be discussed.
SELECTIVE KNOCKOUT OF FIBRILLIN 1 GENE AND SARCOMERIC MYOSIN
HEAVY CHAIN GENE IN ZEBRAFISH
John Wieser
Mentor: Christina Gurnett
The purpose of knocking out the Fibrillin 1 gene (Fbn1) and Sarcomeric myosin heavy chain gene (Smyhc1) in zebrafish is to produce
models of Marfan syndrome and distal arthrogryposis, two common pediatric musculoskeletal disorders. Zebrafish embryos were
injected at the 4 to 8 cell stage with TALENs to create knockouts of either the fbn1 or smyhc1 gene. Zebrafish fbn1 is a homologue of
human FBN1, which is the gene responsible for Marfan syndrome, and smyhc1 is a homologue of human MYH3, which is the main gene
responsible for distal arthrogryposis type 2, also called Freeman-Sheldon syndrome. The result was several mosaic fish that grew to
adulthood. Our objective was to genotype zebrafish to identify mosaic fish via PCR and restriction enzyme digests. These mosaic fish
were then crossed with wild-type fish, creating heterozygous embryos for the knockout mutations. We looked for any observable
characteristics in the embryos to determine if certain phenotypes (i.e. curved spines, edema, death) occurred more frequently in the
heterozygous fish than the wild-type siblings. Another objective from the cross was to determine if the mosaic fish contained germline
mutations that would be transmitted to their offspring. For Fbn1, two lines that contained frame-shift mutations were found to be
germline: a five base pair deletion fish and seven base pair deletion. There were no obvious phenotypes (death, curved spines, poor
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development, edema) in the heterozygous embryos compared to wild-type embryos. For smyhc1, we identified five mosaic fish with the
smyhc1 deletion. These fish produced offspring, which proved the deletion was also germline. In conclusion, TALEN targeted
mutagenesis is an efficient means of creating zebrafish mutants that will be important tools for mechanistic and treatment studies of
pediatric musculoskeletal disease.
LIGHT-INDUCED OLFACTORY DETECTION
Kellie Wilson
Mentor: Florin Albeanu, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) send projections to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they synapse onto mitral and tufted (M/T) cells
in anatomically precise structures known as glomeruli. These M/T cells then project to higher brain regions throughout the cortex.
Previous studies have investigated the nature of information carried by these neurons by training mice to discriminate between odors in
a Go/No-Go paradigm while concurrently monitoring their electrical activity. Different odors are known to trigger unique
spatial-temporal glomerular activity maps, and these maps are consistent across individuals of the same species. Yet, little is known about
the specificity and robustness of these maps, because odors do not allow for manipulation of timing or amplitude of neuronal activity
in the bulb at the level of single glomeruli. Our research focused on eliminating this obstacle by utilizing an optogenetic strategy to
directly activate glomeruli using light patterns. We used mice expressing light-activated channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in all OSNs, and
tested if these mice can detect a light stimulus projected onto their olfactory bulb, and differentiate this from having no olfactory
stimulation. Mice were trained to report the detection of an “odor” (simulated by light) through the Go/No-Go paradigm. In this task,
water-deprived mice were trained to lick a water port in response to a “go” stimulus (a spot of light projected onto the OB), and refrain
from licking in response to a “no-go” stimulus (light spot projected onto the surrounding bone outside the bulb). After optimization of
the training protocol, we successfully trained three mice to report detection of the Go stimulus with greater than 90% accuracy. This
indicates that light can replace the use of odors in future studies of olfaction, overall allowing researchers to combine optogenetics with
behavioral readout to explore the limits of olfactory perception.
Matt Wong
See Ruth Chen
REDUCING ENERGY BARRIERS FOR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE NUCLEATION THROUGH
SEED NUCLEI IN ORGANIC SUBSTRATES
Tong (Vanessa) Wu
Mentor: Young-Shin Jun
High phosphorus concentration in wastewater can lead to eutrophication and disturb the ecological balances of many aqueous
environments. Therefore, it is crucial to remove phosphorous from municipal and agricultural wastewaters before it returns to the
environment. This research studies a new remediation strategy that utilizes calcium alginates as organic substrates to enhance calcium
phosphate mineralization in phosphorus-rich aqueous environments. Additionally, different seed nuclei (calcium phosphate, calcium
carbonate, or both) were embedded within calcium alginate beads and their impact on overcoming energy barriers was evaluated.
Raman spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were used to identify the calcium
phosphate mineral phases and to quantify the concentration of calcium and phosphate, respectively. The results suggested that calcium
alginate beads with calcium phosphate seed minerals can effectively induce the formation of apatite and enhance the removal of
phosphorus in solution. Compared to current phosphorus removal treatment methods, this proposed mechanism minimizes pH
changes and maintains similar aqueous chemistry. In the future, heterogeneous calcium phosphate mineralization could potentially be
widely applied. to water treatment plants to purify industrial wastewater and to recycle and reuse the captured excess phosphorous from
waste streams.
AUTOMATED SEARCHING OF CRATERS ON STARDUST INTERSTELLAR FOILS
Zuohan Xiahou
Mentor: Thomas Bernatowicz
The NASA Stardust mission collected samples of particles in the tail of the Jupiter-family comet Wild 2, which have been returned to
Earth and provide a glimpse into the nature of the early Solar system. Samples of Wild 2 were collected during a flyby encounter between
the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The Al foils lining the aerogel tiles of the Stardust interstellar tray represent approximately 13% of the
59
total collecting area. The focus of this project is to develop a method to find a large number of these small craters (on the scale of
hundreds of nanometers) on Stardust Al foils for the ultimate goal of studying the chemistry and structure of cometary material
(elements such as Mg, Si, Fe, S, Ca, Al) with Auger spectroscopy and SEM-EDX. After we find a number of craters from the Stardust
samples, an interesting subset of grains for FIB-TEM can be selected, with which we can determine the crystal structure and other
important information. We implemented a MATLAB program, previously developed for the identification of crater-like features on
other Stardust samples, to search for the grains on the Wild 2 samples and record the positions of the craters for future automated
scanning of the samples. We are able to adjust the cross-correlation threshold (fitting score), library size of templates used to search the
craters, and options to rescale the image to look for larger craters. Rough trials of the program show that it can search through hundreds
of high-magnification SEM images within hours and detect more than 50% of the true craters.
IMPROVING ACCURACY OF OXFORD NANOPORE SEQUENCER FOR CLINICAL APPLICATIONS
Fangzhou Xiao
Mentor: Rob Mitra
Oxford Nanopore is a novel portable long-read-length DNA sequencing technology that is in its trial phase. Despite its advantages over
classical next-generation sequencing methods, the current reads are error-prone. In improving the accuracy of Nanopore, we consider
the variant detection for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, which is widely used for matching bone marrow or cord blood donors
and patients, as a potential application. We used computational tools to analyze the types of errors that Nanopore makes and built
models for these errors to suggest the most likely consensus sequences given a bundle of reads. This is then used to suggest typing of
HLA loci. Initial results suggest the typing accuracy has clinical utility.
CHARACTERIZATION OF SOLANUM TOMATO AND ALPINE STRAWBERRY PHENOTYPES
Hang Xue
Mentor: Lucia Strader
Because of continued population increases, improving crop yields is an urgent need. Arabidopsis thaliana has been used as a genetic
model plant for gene discovery in plant biology. As sequencing gets cheaper and promising research directions are identified in
Arabidopsis, we are interested in translating this research into agriculturally important plants. As the most common plant hormone,
auxin, regulates normal plant growth. Unraveling the auxin response pathway will allow agricultural scientists to develop new ways to
enhance plant production. Another significant approach to plant agriculture is genetically improving the salt tolerance of crop plants.
This research focuses on characterizing auxin responses and salt tolerance in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Fragaria vesca (alpine
strawberry) and identifying genes required for these responses.
Initially, wild-type tomato and alpine strawberry phenotypes were characterized in response to different concentrations of auxin and
salt (NaCl). The effect of auxin on plant development was gauged by planting seeds or seedlings in different auxin levels. In addition,
plant growth was measured under different concentrations of NaCl to see how sensitive each species is to salt stress.
After characterizing the wild-type responses, future research will screen mutated strawberry and tomato plants for auxin resistance
in root elongation. Characterization of mutants with altered auxin responses will help identify the molecular pathway that controls the
auxin and NaCl response in these two crop plants and allow us to compare the response pathways to those in Arabidopsis. With a better
understanding of how crop plants respond to changing levels of auxin and salt, we should be able to improve crop yields in both normal
and high-salt environments.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TERNARY METAL OXIDES FOR PHOTOCATALYSIS
Alicia Yang
Mentor: Bryce Sadtler
One major obstacle in developing more cost-effective solar energy conversion devices is the search for new materials that can efficiently
absorb sunlight and store the converted energy (i.e. electricity or fuel). Semiconductor photocatalysts absorb sunlight and can use the
energy to drive fuel-forming chemical reactions.
We report the synthesis of photocatalytic semiconductor nanocrystals, specifically silver phosphate, silver vanadate, and yttrium
vanadate. Accordingly, we varied reaction conditions such as temperature, reaction time, solvent, pressure, and methodology in order to
regulate the growth and structure of their surface crystalline facets. We used electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and absorption
spectroscopy to characterize the structure and properties of the reaction products.
The preliminary results included yttrium vanadate nanocrystals of sheet-like morphology. We will continue to alter and refine the
procedures to better control their morphology and learn more about the corresponding photocatalytic properties.
60
5-CHOICE SERIAL REACTION TIME TASK IN WILD-TYPE, HETEROZYGOUS DRD1-EGFP,
AND DRD2-EGFP BAC TRANSGENIC MICE
Rebecca Yang
Mentor: Gordon Arbuthnott, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
The striatum is an essential component of proper motor function in humans. It receives input from the motor cortex and relays this
information to other areas of the basal ganglia system. The use of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice has been a
useful tool for furthering our understanding of the physiological and pathological functions of the striatum. However, an inherent
limitation to using such mice is that these mice were not fully characterized before being released for scientific use. The question thus
remains of whether Drd1-EGFP and Drd2-EGFP mice display normal behavior as compared to wild-type mice. The scientific literature
has been split over the possibility of an altered behavioral phenotype in Drd2-EGFP mice. Two studies alleged that Drd2-EGFP
mice displayed abnormal behavior, while a third study countered these findings, maintaining that these BAC transgenic mice are
phenotypically indistinguishable from wild-type.
The purpose of this study, therefore, is to provide a more comprehensive critique of the usage of Drd1-EGFP and Drd2-EGFP BAC
transgenic mice in behavioral studies. Five test groups of the C57BL/6J mouse strain encompassing male and female wild-type,
Drd1-EGFP and Drd2-EGFP mice underwent the 5-choice serial reaction time task, a relatively difficult behavioral measure that assesses
reaction time, memory, and motor function. Within the mice that had eventually learned the task, genetic modification did not seem to
play a role in their ability to learn; however, there was a general trend of females being faster learners than males. These findings may
have important implications for the future usage of male versus female transgenic mice in future studies of the striatum.
FLUORESCENT STAINING OF NEURONS IN TURTLE CORTEX VIA ELECTROPORATION
Tansel Baran Yasar
Mentor: Ralf Wessel
Calcium imaging is a widely used technique to evaluate the activity in a neuronal network, which utilizes fluorescent calcium indicator
molecules to determine the changes of calcium concentrations in neurons via optical methods. A method to insert calcium indicator
molecules into neurons is electroporation—formation of permeable pores in the cell membrane under electric field.
In this study, two electroporation procedures found in the literature for staining neurons with calcium indicating fluorescent dyes,
pipette electroporation and parallel plate electroporation, were adapted to the anatomical conditions particular to the turtle cortex while
using propidium iodide as a less expensive substitute for the calcium indicating dyes. These procedures were evaluated and compared in
terms of efficacy by observing the stained cells under confocal microscope. The health of the cells after electroporation was assessed for
the pipette electroporation.
The pipette electroporation was shown to be preserving the health of the neuronal network and intensely staining a fewer number
of cells in a smaller region. The parallel plate electroporation yielded a homogeneous, but less intense staining of a massive number of
cells in a larger region. However, stronger parameters than those provided in the literature for the latter method had to be used in the
case of the turtle cortex. It is unknown whether this method would be as benign as the pipette electroporation for the health of the tissue.
DIVERGENT VIRULENCE IN EBOLA VIRUSES AND INTER-SPECIES VARIATION
OF THE VP24-HOST KARYOPHERIN-α INTERFACE
Richard Yu
Mentor: Gaya Amarasinghe
Ebola virus (EBOV) is a single-stranded negative sense RNA virus that causes a severe and lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans, with case
fatality rates often greater than 80%. The EBOV protein VP24 is critical for viral suppression of the host immune response. VP24 blocks
the interferon signaling pathway by binding to the nuclear importer protein karyopherin-α5 (KPNA5), or importin-α6. VP24
competitively inhibits homodimerized STAT1 binding to KPNA5, preventing upstream immune signals from reaching the host DNA.
This action contributes to EBOV’s lethality. Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), a member of the Ebola virus family with lower case fatality rates
of roughly 40%, has tenfold lower VP24 binding affinity to KPNA5 than EBOV, based on isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assay.
We hypothesized that BDBV’s lower case fatality rate is linked to its lower VP24-KPNA5 binding affinity compared to EBOV. To
investigate this, we first attempted to determine which residues of BDBV VP24 gave rise to the weakly binding phenotype. Single and
multiple residues of BDBV VP24 were introduced into EBOV VP24 by site-directed mutagenesis, and the binding of these mutants to
KPNA1 and KPNA6, members of the NPI-1 subfamily that also includes KPNA5, was assayed using bio-layer interferometry (BLI). BLI
indicated that a cluster of four mutations in and near the VP24-KPNA binding interface resulted in significant binding attenuation.
These findings encourage further biochemical study to identify the contributions of specific residues, as well as study in live infection models.
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ACUTE DRUG EFFECT ON DOPAMINERGIC ACTIVITIES IN CORTICAL REGIONS AND APATHY
Tianzhou Yu
Mentor: Joel Perlmutter
Positron emission tomography (PET) is commonly used to assess dopaminergic activities in Parkinson Disease (PD) patients and
determine their disease severity. However, PD drugs that are prescribed to patients to alleviate parkinsonian symptoms may affect the
result of PET and lead to false representation of disease severity. We previously found that cortical dopaminergic dysfunction correlated
with development of apathetic behaviors. We now examine whether acute treatment with drug A (blinded for research purpose) affects
PET measures of cortical dopaminergic activity and apathetic behavior. Nine Macaque fasicularis monkeys were unilaterally infused with
0.25 mg/kg 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to serve as models of PD. Their specific uptakes and apathetic
behaviors were measured before and one hour after the drug. Three radiotracers, namely 6-[18F]fluorodopa (FD),
[11C]dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ), and 2β-[11C]carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (CFT), were used to reflect
dopaminergic activities. We found that drug A increased DTBZ binding potential (BP) in uninjected ventromedial prefrontal cortex
(VMPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in both hemispheres, and the injected posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Levodopa also
increased CFT BP in uninjected VMPFC and injected ACC, and FD influx constant (Ki) in injected PCC. No change in apathetic
behaviors was observed before and after acute administration of levodopa. Our results on both PET measures and apathetic behavior
contradict the few acute treatment studies in the literature that focused on this topic. However, our results follow the logic of negative
feedback mechanism. Regional difference in whether a significant result was found is attributed to the regional difference of ventral
tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic projection density.
A NOVEL METHOD TO STUDY HEME TRAFFICKING IN THE PROKARYOTIC
HOLOCYTOCHROME C SYNTHETASE CCSBA
Jason Yuan
Mentor: Robert Kranz
Cytochromes c (cyt c) are ubiquitous proteins found in a wide spectrum of organisms, from animals to plants to unicellular organisms.
There exist three different pathways for cytochrome c biogenesis, termed System I, System II, and System III. This study focused on
System II, found in Gram-positive bacteria, cyanobacteria, some Gram-negative bacteria, and chloroplasts. The cyt c synthetase of
System II, CcsBA, is a protein composed of 10 transmembrane domains and contains a conserved motif called the WWD domain. The
WWD domain is a tryptophan-rich region found in cyt c assembly proteins that is hypothesized to properly position the heme vinyl
groups for attachment to apocyt c, thus playing a critical role in cyt c maturation. To test this hypothesis we first determined which
residues in the WWD domain are required for CcsBA function by mutating conserved residues to alanine and compared the levels of
cyt c produced by the CcsBA variants compared to wild type CcsBA. We identified four conserved residues that are important for the
CcsBA cyt c synthetase to properly mature cyt c. Next, we tested whether the WWD domain directly interacts with heme using a novel
technique called cysteine/heme crosslinking. Cysteine will spontaneously form a covalent link to the heme vinyl when they are in close
proximity. By substituting amino acids with cysteine, heme vinyl group proximity to the substituted amino acid can be evaluated (if
heme is attached). CcsBA variants were affinity purified and the level of heme bound to CcsBA was compared against wild type.
Preliminary data suggests that several mutants are promising, giving a stronger heme signal when compared with wild type on a heme
stain. By further investigating the promising mutants, we can conclusively show that the WWD domain directly interacts with heme
prior to attachment to apocyt c.
N-HETEROCYCLIC CARBENE TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES FOR LIGNIN DEPOLYMERIZATION
Ben Zeno
Mentor: John Bleeke
Lignin is incredibly abundant in plant cells, but it is currently under-utilized as a fuel and a source of value-added chemicals due to the
difficulty in selectively depolymerizing it via hydrogenolysis of its aryl and phenyl ether bonds. In collaboration with the Fosten Lab, the
Bleeke Lab has attempted to design a more effective homogeneous organometallic catalyst based on preliminary research showing the
potential of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nickel catalysts. Preliminary research confirmed that nickel works better than rhodium and
palladium as the metal center of the catalyst. High yields and success with simple subtrates benzyl phenyl ether and diphenyl ether was
established, laying the groundwork for testing more complex substrates which more closely resemble lignin. A high-pressure reactor was
designed to begin running reactions under 100-200 psi of hydrogen gas. Remaining research questions include the effect of various
hydrogen pressures on yield and selectivity, how to utilize a solvent that will dissolve lignin, what effect varying NHC ligands will have
on reactivity and selectivity, and how the system will work on more complex substrates more closely resembling lignin.
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INVESTIGATING METHYLERYTHRITOL CYCLODIPHOSPHATE AS AN INTERSPECIES SIGNAL
IN MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES
Alvin Zhang
Mentor: Audrey Odom
Drug resistance for infectious diseases such as malaria is an increasingly alarming issue that calls for novel drug therapies. The
non-mevalonate isporenoid biosynthetic pathway (MEP pathway) serves as an intriguing site for new drug targets as it is critical to the
growth of Plasmodium, and most gram-negative bacteria, but is not present in humans. Understanding mechanisms of MEP pathway
regulation may unveil new drug targets. Methylerythritol cyclodiphosphate (MEcPP) is an intermediate of the MEP pathway that
accumulates in response to oxidative stress in Escherichia coli. Although energetically unfavorable, MEcPP is effluxed from the cell into
its environment at high levels. We propose that MEcPP levels act as an interspecies signal in a microbial community that produces
responses in microbial health and diversity. Fecal microbial communities were treated with high levels of MEcPP from the supernatant
of E. coli grown under oxidative conditions and regular levels of MEcPP from the supernatent E.coli grown under normal conditions.
Greater microbial growth was observed in communities treated with higher levels of MEcPP. Fecal microbial communities were also
grown on various agar growth mediums and treated with high and low levels of MEcPP. Minimal differences in growth and diversity of
microbial communities were observed. We conclude that high MEcPP levels is not a growth limiting condition, and further investigation
into specific MEcPP uptake may provide insight into potential growth inducing mechanisms in microbial communities.
SYNTHESIS OF PORTION OF WU-07047, AN ANALOG OF YM-254890
Gracie Zhang
Mentor: Kevin D. Moeller
A previously synthesized analog of the Gα inhibitor YM-254890, WU-07047 demonstrated some biological activity in inhibiting Gq,
though less potent than the natural inhibitor. In this project, the right-hand piece of the molecule was synthesized through various
routes to produce different diastereomers in order to test the biological effect of changing the stereocenters.
SPECTRAL GAP OF A SPECIFIC LINEAR OPERATOR
Jiefu Zhang
Mentor: Xiang Tang
Motivated by a spectral gap problem from quantum many-body system in condensed matter physics, we consider two linear operators
Ô2 and Ô3 on a closed subspace of L2(⺢3). We begin with theorems about linear operators in Hilbert space and deduce that Ô3(g) behaves
like inner product of Tg and g, where T is a linear operator. Using change of variable, we obtain an integration form of linear operator
T. The ultimate goal is to find the spectral gap of linear operator T and to construct a relation between Ô2 and Ô3.
PLAYFULNESS AND HUMOR IN THE 16TH CENTURY MEDICI COURT
Yusi Zhou
Mentor: William Wallace
Despite the severity of the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s political reign, Cosimo I de’ Medici “was a man who could laugh and be amused”.
Satire, comedy, and wit pervade the works of art and literature done for and around him, through which the Duke’s unique sense of
humor is strongly evident.
By examining the artistic creations of Cosimo de’ Medici’s notable court artist, Agnolo Bronzino, who served as one of the principal
painters of the Medici court from 1539 onwards, I explored the theme of “playfulness” in 16th century Florentine Renaissance art. In
addition, by investigating a selection of Bronzino’s work that was commissioned by the Duke or produced for him, I investigated the
lighter sides of Cosimo’s court and the unique tastes of the 16th century court culture.
Traditionally, art historians have overlooked certain interpretations of Bronzino’s more unconventional works that seem to argue that
Bronzino deliberately attempted to include playfulness and crude humor in his work. This is so because some believe that these
interpretations deviate too greatly from orthodox scholarship that aims to relate Bronzino’s casual humor and purpose to the refined
vision that scholars have of the Renaissance court. Following a less conventional approach, I take a step back from attributing all of the
artistic aspects of the Renaissance court to serious and learned sophistication in order to explore the simple pleasures of viewing the
work. I aim to produce novel ways of looking at art of the Renaissance court through maintaining an open mind towards a greater variety
of resources and alternative perspectives.
63
Lydia Zoells
See Kate Needham
THE ROLE OF DESIGN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRACTICES
Aiden Zucker
Mentor: Enrique Von Rohr
As the number of startups grows on a global level, so does the competition between them. Design, from branding to user interface design
to user experience design, is one way that young companies differentiate themselves in this competitive and increasingly global
landscape. This research study focuses on a group of 19 startups from nine different countries working at Start-Up Chile, a
government-funded startup incubator based in Santiago. There were three different methodologies used in conducting this research.
First, an ethnographic understanding of the incubator itself was established through a literature review and both formal and informal
interviews with staff and participants. Second, entrepreneurs were invited to attend a design thinking workshop, where they learned the
basics of the human-centered problem-solving framework. Finally, the same entrepreneurs were asked to complete a short survey with
questions about how design functions within their startup. The synthesized results of the survey suggest that although many founders
perceived aspects of their companies to have objectively weak design, this was not a function of poor judgment, but rather the result of
a strategic decision to invest the (generally limited) resources that the startups have in other areas of the company. Additionally,
qualitative data from the design workshop shows entrepreneurs’ aptitude for learning design thinking and the perceived value it brings
to their companies. Overall, the research points to the potential of more formal and longer-term design thinking pedagogies for
catalyzing innovation in young companies.
PRETERM BIRTH IN AN AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION
Tina Zudock
Mentor: Justin Fay
Preterm birth—defined for humans as birth before the 37th week of pregnancy—is the leading cause of death in human infants, yet very
little is known about how parturition signaling, much less early parturition, is initiated in Homo sapiens. It is estimated that heritability
accounts for 27% of premature deliveries, however, few genes associated with preterm birth have been identified. Even if the child
survives premature birth, he may face lifelong health issues associated with an incomplete gestation, such as neurodevelopmental delay,
cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, and even chronic lung disease. The incidence of preterm birth is influenced by both environmental,
as well as genetic triggers.
The Fay Lab is analyzing the DNA of an African American population in St. Louis affected by preterm birth, in hopes of finding a
genetic trigger for premature labor in African Americans. Hapmix, an admixture mapping tool, was used to test ancestry nearby variants
in the population’s genomes with the goal of identifying genes associated with preterm birth. Prior to admixture mapping, the African
American genome was merged with Yoruban African and European reference populations—among others—in a principal component
analysis to isolate the individuals who were solely a mix of European and African ancestry and removed non-admixed individuals. This
was necessary because Hapmix can only analyze an admixed population with no more than two ancestral sources.
Hapmix was run on the refined population and identified significant regions in the genome. Admixture mapping indicates
productive means of identifying genes involved with preterm birth.
64
TYSON ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH FELLOWS (TERF) PRESENTATIONS
PRESENTERS
PRESENTATIONS
MENTORS
Jolena Pang
Clayton High School ’16
Interactive Effects of Resource Level and Invasion
on Mosquito Abundance
Katie Westby
Kim A. Medley
Jenita Larry
Hazelwood West High School ’16
The Importance of Soil Microbes on Functional Traits
of Ratibida pinnata and Echinacea purpurea
Claudia Stein
Elizabeth Rand
Parkway North High School ’17
Ambient Temperature Differences During the Hottest
Month Do Not Affect Daily Linear Displacement
in Box Turtles
Jamie Palmer
Stephen Blake
Katie Buatois
Eureka High School ’17
Comparison of Urban and Rural Box Turtles
Shows No Difference in Body Condition Index
Jamie Palmer
Stephen Blake
Sharon Deem
Bailee Warsing
Granite City High School ’16
Comparison of Body Trauma Incidents in
Urban and Rural Box Turtles
Jamie Palmer
Stephen Blake
Sharon Deem
Claire Kosola
Lafayette High School ’16
Forest Park and Tyson Research Center Show No
Differences in Earthworm and Vegetation Availability
for Box Turles
Jamie Palmer
Stephen Blake
Elizabeth Poor
Clayton High School ’17
Novel Functional Traits Aid the Success of the
Invasive Biennial Carduus nutans
Amibeth Thompson
Sam Levin
Tiffany Knight
Matilda Workman
Kirkwood High School ’17
Competitive Release May Increase the Fitness of
Exotic Plants in Their Novel Range
Amibeth Thompson
Sam Levin
Tiffany Knight
Lexie Beckermann
Eureka High School ’17
65
PRESENTERS’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Kathryn Achuck — I’d like to thank my mentor,
Dr. Susan Stark, Yi-Ling Hu, as well as the ASPIRE
program for supporting my research this summer.
Yuhao Fan — The Office of Undergraduate
Research and Professor Jiang
Christina Johnston — Dr. Denise Head and
Emily Feng — Brian DeBosch, Allyson Meyer, and
Sartajdeep Kahlon — Dr. Karen O’Malley,
Samantha Allison
Brenda Alvarado — Dr. Tiffany Knight, Amibeth
Cassie Higgins
Ivy Jong, Steve Harmon
Thompson, and Susan Flowers
Layla Foroughi — Ram Dixit
Anusha Amaravathi — Dr. Narendra Sankpal,
Dr. Timothy Fleming, and Dr. William Gillanders
Jesse Kao — Corey Westfall
Megan Freiler — The Carlson Lab
Alexandra Katsarelis — Wash U Cognition and
China Anderson — I would like to thank the
Office of Overseas Programs and Dean Wilmetta
Toliver-Diallo, director of the French and African
Studies Summer Program in Senegal, for making this
study abroad and research opportunity such a great
experience.
Sondra Anton — María Luisa Ortíz of the Museum
Aakash Gandhi — Ann Guggisberg and Audrey
Development Lab and Grace Hwang
Odom
Samir Kaveeshwar — I would like to thank
Jackson Gartman — Dr. Vladimir Birman,
Dr. Gaya Amarasinghe and Dr. Daisy Leung for their
support and guidance of my work and for the opportunity to represent their laboratory. I would also like
to thank Dr. Srirupa Chaterjee for her patience,
teachings, and help.
Nicholas Ahlemeyer, and Krishna Sharma Gautam
Kristin Geczi — Dr. Ben Palanca, Dr. Michael
Avidan, Lucas Thomas, and the Avidan Research
Team
of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile,
Professor Grinor Rojo of the University of Chile,
Evelyn Vitagiano, Professor Ignacio Sánchez Prado,
and Members of the Madres and Abuelas de Plaza
de Mayo
Anu Goel — Daniel Kerschensteiner, Jim Pearson,
Vahag Kechejian — August John, John Brenner,
the entire Kerschensteiner Lab, and the Office of
Undergraduate Research
Jessica Erlich, Youchun Zeng, Nan Pazdernik,
Ariz Mohammad, Jian Chen, and Aiping Feng
Emily Goering — Jim Skeath and Jennifer Kohl
Daniel Khan — Dr. Bryce Sadtler and Mr. Bo Yin
Anna Bailes — Sara Bohall, Sara Francois,
Anthony Grebe — Dr. Vitaly Pronskikh,
Rohan Khazanchi — I would like to thank the
CT Hwang, Andrej Marich, Chris Sorenson, and
Linda Van Dillen
Tianyuan Lu, the Mu2e collaboration at Fermilab,
and the U.S. Department of Energy
Maria Baquerizo — Jiewei Wu
Avi Grinberg — The Sadtler Group
Kelsey Barter — My graduate student mentor,
Lauren Walker and the rest of the DiAntonio lab
David Grybinas — Dr. Ian Dobbins and Dr. Justin
Office of Undergraduate Research and Dr. Michael
Devous for funding this summer project through the
SURA program. I also want to thank Kristina Sakers,
Dr. Doughery, and the rest of the lab for their mentorship and guidance.
Kantner
Eshan King — Army AEOP
Yash Bhatia — Dr. Erin Linnenbringer
Jessica Hayes — Dr. Meghan Campbell, Dr. Joel
Molly Kuhs — Dr. Tiffany Knight and Tyson
Hyun Chul Cha — Ariana Vandercveldt
Perlmutter, Anja Pogarcic, Thomas Belchier, and the
SURF Biology Department
Rishabh Chandak — The Bieschke Lab members
Michael Henderson — Professor Eileen G’Sell
Pengning Chao — Dr. Henriksen and everyone else
Tobi Henzer — Eileen G’Sell and Each One Teach
in the Henriksen Lab, the Bishop lab at Boston
University, and the Office of Undergraduate Research
Ruth Chen — Sara Weston, Joshua Jackson, and the
One
Claire Heuckeroth — Neda Forouzani, Jing Song,
Research Center
Melinda Lai — The laboratory of Amit Pathak and
Alafi Neuroimaging Laboratory
Angela Lee — Dr. Cynthia Rogers, Rachel Paul, the
rest of the WUNDER lab, and my family!
Andrew Lezia — My bench mentor, Venktesh
Washington University Department of Psychology
Yuhang Deng, and The Physics Department Machine
Shop
Shirure
Asa Cook — Dr. Allan Doctor and Dr. Stephen
Max Hofmeister — Professor Venus Bivar, Dr.
Tianzhe Li — Brian Marsden and Scott Beeman
Wendy Anderson, and the Center for the Humanities
Andrea Lin — Special thanks to Sytse Piersma for
Jennifer Hsu — Shalon Ledbetter and Robert Kranz
mentoring me through the project and the Yokoyama
Lab for their support
Rogers
Daniel Cotton — The D’Arcy Research Group and
the Office of Undergraduate Research
Daniel Cui Zhou — Sara Wright
Eric Dai — My mentor, Dr. Diane Sepich and the
Solnica-Krezel Lab, for unending enthusiasm,
patience, and support
David Davison — Carolyn Guay, Dean Jami Ake,
Professor J. Dillon Brown, the Office of
Undergraduate Research, the Honorary Scholars
Program, and Margaret Atwood
Caleb DeLorme — I would like to offer my
sincerest thanks to my Wichí collaborators: Chent’ay,
Huknaya, and Betina, to Luis Daniel Touceda,
Fido Aban, Emma Kafalenos, Bret Gustafson,
Ignacio Infante, John Palmer, and to the Kling and
Honorary Scholars Programs.
Delaney Earley — I would like to thank my
Writing 1 professor, Dr. Victoria Thomas, for not
only her continued support and advice throughout
my research and writing process, but also for her
guidance over my preparation for this presentation.
Noah Eby — Andrew Westbrook and the Cognitive
Control and Psychopathology Lab
Jessica Erlich — Tim Schedl, John L Brenner,
Jian Chen, Youchen Zeng, Ariz Mohammed,
Vahag Kechejian, and August John
Bo Huang — Aerosol Impact and Research Lab,
PI Rajan Chakrabarty, Project Partner Zhihong Guo
and Lab Manager Ian J. Arnold
Courtney Linne — Philip Ruzycki, Anne Henning,
Keegan Hughes — The Office of Undergraduate
Annie Lu — Bruce Carlson and Alejandro Velez
Research, Professor Guinn Batten, the Yeats Society,
Meg Harper, the National Library of Ireland, and the
British Library
Marina Mai — Dr. Stoner, Dr. Parikh, Dr. Wall,
Yue Hui — Dr. Young-Shin Jun, members of the
and Shiming Chen
Dr. Freweini, UDHA, and the GlobeMed 2015
GROW interns
Environmental Nanochemistry Laboratory, and the
Office of Undergraduate Research
Michael Mazza — Dr. Sophia Hayes and Dr. Zayd
Chimezie Ileje — Dr. Celeste Karch, Ezerskiy,
Rita Martinez, and Simon Hsu
Teran Mickens — Stephen Vadia and the Levin Lab
Ma
Jameson Mitchell — Erin Moran, Adam Culbreth,
Ryan Jacobs - Narendra Sankpal, Ph.D., Piyush
Deanna Barch and the CCP Lab
Sharma, M.D., Lincoln Muhoro, Timothy Fleming,
Ph.D., and William Gillanders, M.D.
Hannah Moran — Todd Moore, Heraclio Perez, Dr.
Poorva Jain — I would like to thank Dr. BenShahar for giving me a chance to work in his lab and
Alexis help for guiding me through my project. I
would also like to thank the coordinators of the
SURF program.
Allen Greiner, and the Department of Family
Medicine at The University of Kansas Hospital
Christopher Munley — Rohit, Fan, Arian,
Maneesh, Dian, Mahdi, and Neda
Bryan Naelitz — Gloriosa Go and Steven Funk,
Pooja Jairam — My family for supporting me and
PhD
Dr. Frey for mentoring me!
Darrell Nelson — I want to thank Professor Lo for
Diana Jerome — The Tyson Research Center
being a patient, knowledgeable, and understanding
mentor.
August John — John Brenner, Tim Schedl,
Savannah Est — The Wake Forest Institute for
Vahag Kechejian, Jessica Erlich, and the Schedl Lab
Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Sean Murphy, and
Dr. Anthony Atala
Kimberly Johnson — All members of the
BRAINLab for their time and support!
66
Clara Oh — Dr. Abhinav Diwan, Dr. John Murphy,
Dr. Haiyan Liu, and Dr. Xiucui Ma
Tianzan Pang — Brian Rogers
PRESENTERS’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hunter Patterson — I would like to thank Dr.
Michael Shang — Rose Yin
John Webb — Cristina Mazuski, Claire
Jonathan Peelle, Ms. Caitlin Ward, and all of the
other members of the Peelle Lab for the invaluable
contributions they have made to this project over the
years.
Daniel Sheinbein — BRAINLab
Weichselbaum, Douglas Roossien, Dawen Cai, and
Erik D. Herzog
Imani Paul — Dr. Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert,
Nisha Iyer, and the Sakiyama-Elbert Lab
Yoga Shentu — The Early Emotion Development
Program
Jeffrey Sheptin — The Foston Lab Group
Rebecca Weiss — Dr. John Bowen, Dr. Heikki
Mattila, Dr. Alexandre Lambert, Dr. Patrick
Bodenmann, Yann L’Hostis, and Danielle Mamin
Phongkiet Sisaikeo — Mr. Sven Bohn, Fraunhofer
IOSB, and the German Academic Exchange Service
(DAAD)
John Wieser — Dr. Christina Gurnett and Kevin
Kreisch
Xiaochang Song — I would like to thank Professor
Kellie Wilson — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Neha Prasad — The Wencewicz Lab
Rino Ragno, Professor Garland Marshall, and
Dr. Adele Pirolli for their helpful discussions and
constant encouragement.
Tong (Vanessa) Wu — Environmental
Evan Stark — Prof. Margaret Garb (Washington
Nanochemistry Laboratory (ENCL)
University in St. Louis), Joseph Judge (Hampton
Roads Naval Museum), and the staff of the Misouri
History Museum’s Library and Research Center
Hang Xue — Lucia Strader, Elizabeth Frick, Jim
Skeath, and Jennifer Kohl
Suyash Raj — Dr. Sharma, Barbara Meyer, Cheri
Zobel, and Dr. Hallahan
Carl Stokes — Ismail Sergin and the Razani Lab
Alicia Yang — Dr. Sadtler, the Sadtler Group, and
Apoorva Ram — Barnes Jewish Hospital
Faghaninia, and Deko Ricketts
Rebecca Yang — Dr. Gordon Arbuthnott,
Priya Suri — Dr. Wall, Dr. Eisenberg, Ms. Lindsay
Dr. Marianela Garcia-Munoz, and the Brain
Mechanism for Behavior Unit at the Okinawa
Institute of Science and Technology
Annie Pitkin — Bob Binns and Slava Bugaev
Daniel Politte — Ray Arvidson and Christina
Harrison Pravder — I would like to thank Kathy
Miller for allowing me to work in her laboratory and
for her help and guidance. I would also like to thank
Dorota Grabowska and the rest of the Miller Lab for
help in many areas.
Clark Randall — Professor Martin, my sisters, my
parents, and my friends who have challenged me
along the way
Jeremy Reisman — I want to thank my Research
Advisor, Tim Bono, for his extremely generous donation of time and patience. I also want to thank
Kristin Sobotka and the other individuals at the
Office of Undergraduate Research who gave me this
opportunity.
Alexandra Rota — I would like to thank Gordon
Bloomberg, M.D. and the URECA team for their
guidance and unwavering support.
Joshua Rusheen — Michael M. Gottesman, M.D.,
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer
Research, National Cancer Institute, and National
Institutes of Health
Michael Sullivan — Dr Cyntia Lo, Alireza
Ruhr, Ms. Kristin Sobotka, and the Office of
Undergraduate Research
Corban Swain — David Ulkoski
Ryan Thier — Professor Jon Rogowski, Professor
Andrew Reeves, The Franklin Roosevelt Presidential
Library, and most of all my Mother and Father
Briana Tiffany — I would like to thank Dr. Blake,
Dr. Deem, and Jamie Palmer for guiding my research
project. I would also like to thank my fellow intern
Leyna Stemle and Tyson Environmental Research
Center for making this research possible.
Mike Toomey — Andrea Balassy, Carlos Barba,
Ray Henson, Cheryl Immethun, Young Je Lee,
Thomas Mueller, and Yi Xiao
Alexandra Schaening — Primates Peru, Field
Caroline Trier — We would like to thank the
Carlson Center for Imaging Sciences and National
Science Foundation for their funding and support.
Projects International, Dr. Mrinalini Watsa, and
Gideon Erkenswick
Anya Venezia — Dr. Zhongsheng You, Andrew
Da Yeon Ryoo — Dr. Alejandro Velez
McCall
Undergraduate Research Program, Arkarup Banerjee
(MS), and Priyanka Gupta (MS)
Edward Lim
Tansel Baran Yasar — Ralf Wessel, Michael Ariel,
Nathaniel Wright, Dianne Duncan, and the
Neurophysics Group
Tianzhou Yu — Linlin Tian
Jiefu Zhang — Xiang Tang and the ARTU program
Joyce Zhou — William Wallace
Lydia Zoells — Prof. Martin Mueller (Northwestern
U.), Prof. Joseph Loewenstein (WUSTL), Hannah
Bredar, Catherine Mardikes (U. of Chicago), Folger
Shakespeare Library, Newberry Library, University of
Chicago SCRC, Bodleian Library, and Houghton
Library
Aiden Zucker — Karen Ladenheim, Richard Heap,
Abhishek Sethi — I would like to thank Dr. Niraj
Research, Kristin Sobotka, and Dr. Lake, Ryan Castile
Jen Meyer, Enrique Von Rohr, Heather Corcoran,
Michael Leatherbee, Carlos Zamora, Jonathan
Hanahan, Aljosha Novakovic, Diego Morales,
Sebastian Vidal, Marta Eliana Sepulveda Fuentealba,
Cesar Garcia, and Katherine Brown
Tolia for the opportunity to work in his laboratory
and for his guidance. I would also like to thank
Nicole Salinas, John Jimah, Edwin Chen, and
Jooyoung Park for their help with my research.
James Wang — Dr. Qu and Dr. Gaspar
Tina Zudock — The Fay Lab, Professor Jim Skeath,
Nathan Schmetter — Dr. Pathak
Nickless, and the rest of the You Lab
Taylor Vitunic — The Office of Undergraduate
Maxwell Wang — Julia Owen, Ashish Raj, and
Pratik Mukherjee
67
and Mrs. Jennifer Kohl
THANK YOU
The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to recognize the following
mentors who were nominated by their student researchers for “Mentor of the
Year.” We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize and express our
extreme gratitude to all our faculty mentors represented here today. We, along
with their students, greatly appreciate their tireless support of the academic and
personal growth.
Meghan Campbell and Jon Rogowski
We are grateful for the generous support provided by the following organizations
that have sponsored many of the projects presented today:
Alabama Space Grant Consortium
AllPeopleBeHappy
American Heart Association
Amgen Scholars Program
Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship Program
Burroughs Wellcome Foundation
Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas
Center for Disease Control
Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI)
Disney Conservation Fund
Douglas Jerome Bodner Fund
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Monsanto
Morris Family Foundation
National Center for Advanced Translational Sciences
National Institutes of Health
National Science Foundation
Penn State University
Rowe Summer Study Abroad Scholarship
Saint Louis Zoo
Sigma Aldrich
U. S. Department of Defense
U. S. Department of Energy
Yeats Society
Washington University in St. Louis:
Career Center
Department of Anesthesiology
Department of Biology
Department of Computer Science
Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Physics/Delos Award
Department of Psychology
Honorary Scholars Undergraduate Research Award
I-CARES
McDonnell Center for Space Sciences
McKelvey Undergraduate Research Fund
Merle Kling Undergraduate Honors Fellowship
Musculoskeletal Research Center
Office of Undergraduate Research, Catherine F. Hoopes Endowment
School of Medicine
Siteman Cancer Center
Stern Summer Undergraduate Research Award
Tyson Research Center
W. H. R. Rivers Honors Undergraduate Research Award
Participants also wish to acknowledge the support of their research mentors, many of whom have
contributed funding from their grants to support undergraduate research experiences.
THANK YOU
The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to thank the following people
for their support of the Fall 2015 Undergraduate Research Symposium:
Sarah Laaker
Rudolph Clay
Clara McLeod
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
All Olin Librarians and Staff
The Staff of the Writing Center
Yihan Li
Members of Alpha Omega Epsilon
Members of JCUBES
FALL 2015
OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
http://ur.wustl.edu
research@artsci.wustl.edu
Joy Kiefer, Director
Kristin Sobotka
Jennifer Kohl
Stacy Ross
Saturday, October 10, 2015
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Laboratory Sciences Building
Olin Library