Category: 2022

Decreasing Hunchback and Bicoid Levels in Pair1 Neurons Alters the Pair1 Circuit in Drosophila

Presenter: Amanda Linskens – Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Kristen Lee, Chris Doe

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Transcription factors (TFs) are essential for cell specification across multiple species, including humans. During Drosophila melanogaster development, neuroblasts produce neuronal progeny that acquires identity based on the temporal TF (tTF) present during birth. tTFs activate specific Homeodomain TFs (HDTFs), which are also important for determining neuronal identity. Thus, the cascade of tTFs in neuroblasts creates the diversity necessary for forming precise neural circuits. Although prior research shows that TFs generate variety, few studies have examined how these TFs influence circuit establishment. My study focuses on the Pair1 neurons, which initiate pausing in larvae through neural circuits. Prior research in our laboratory showed that the Pair1s derive from the tTF Hunchback (Hb), which activates the HDTF Bicoid (Bcd). Therefore, I hypothesized that manipulating Hb’s and Bcd’s expressions in Pair1 would alter the Pair1 circuit. To investigate this,

I expressed the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the Pair1s and knocked down Hb and Bcd levels individually to assay circuit morphology and behavior. I found that decreasing Hb resulted in more Pair1 axonal connections, affecting behavior. Interestingly, I saw similar results when Bcd was knocked down in Pair1, but the phenotypes are weaker than those experienced with decreased Hb levels. These results suggest that tTF activation of HDTFs is vital for circuit establishment in the central nervous system.

Development of a Nanohoop Rotaxane for Sensing Reactive Oxygen Species

Presenter: Phyllis Liao – Chemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Claire Otteson

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Observing biological processes such as disease progression and gene expression require elaborate probes and sensors. In biomedical research, there is interest in making a multifunctional and modular scaffold that can target specific analytes by having a system that is “triggered” by the analyte which then affords a turn-on fluorescent response. Carbon nanohoops, or [n]-cycloparaphenylenes ([n]-CPPs) are a new nanostructure that allows us to observe biological processes by incorporating it into a larger structure called a rotaxane. Inspired by this model, we developed a novel modular probe system using a benzil trigger to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS). We began by synthesizing the rotaxane via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions (AT-CuAAC), an active template method familiar to us and has demonstrated efficiency in previous publications. Once the structure was made, we characterized and analyzed it by subjecting it to simple non-biological environments and introduced ROS to see if the turn-on fluorescence is due to dethreading of the rotaxane. Success of the system is indicated by a turn-on fluorescence when reacted with these ROS and this shows that nanohoop-based [2] rotaxanes are tailorable for use in biomedical research.

The Effects of daf-2/IGFR on Healthspan in C. elegans Males

Presenter: Hannah Lewack – Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Rose Al-Saadi

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Neurodegenerative diseases affect 50 million Americans each year and Alzheimer’s alone affects about 5 million. Alzheimer’s places a substantial economic burden on our healthcare system, estimated to be 305 billion dollars in 2020. Despite this cost, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to healthy aging remains limited. We believe that a key to addressing this gap lies in Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes. Male C. elegans have 91 sex-specific neurons that are necessary for reproduction, allowing successful mating to be a good indicator of neuronal health. This system has been used to identify several pathways and genes that regulate aging, including the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor daf-2. Our findings show that mutations in daf-2 result in extended lifespan, and slow the decline of male mating ability at old age. Due to the ubiquitous expression of daf-2, its role in male mating is difficult to associate with specific tissues. The auxin-induced degron (AID) system allows for targeted degradation of proteins in a spatially and temporally-controlled manner. Using this system, we will test the effects of DAF-2 degradation in the intestinal, neuronal, and hypodermal cells on male mating success. Due to DAF-2 mutant’s extension on lifespan, we hypothesize that DAF-2 degradation in tissues will delay age-induced mating decline. This project will give additional insights to the importance of the metabolic pathway and its impact on neuronal functions.

Usage of Taboo Words in Online Settings of Varying Anonymity

Presenter: Dylan Lew – Psychology

Co-Presenter(s): Olivia Ward, Josh Weinrobe, Evan Wong

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Baese-Berk

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Communication: How and Why

This is an observational study to see how the use of taboo language on social media platforms changes depending on the anonymity of its users. To accomplish this, we examined the contents of comments on posts from three different social media platforms: Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter. Each of these varies slightly in how much emphasis is put upon the user’s image, with Instagram emphasizing personal content production (selfies, snapshots, etc.) while Twitter and Reddit content being more impersonal (e.g. discussions, news, etc.). We hypothesized that users on platforms that promote personal content less would correlate with less frequent usage of taboo words, as usage of these words could be considered harmful to a user’s image. For several days, we collected 100 comments total across several posts and tallied the number of total swears present across all comments. We also categorized each swear into either definite swears, and non-definite swears whose taboo nature is debated in order to measure the intensity of swearing. Our preliminary results conform to our initial hypothesis, with Instagram comments having much lower amounts of swearing present than on Reddit or Twitter. This may indicate that anonymity plays a significant role in user behavior online regarding swearing, with more anonymity corresponding with more intense and/or frequent swearing.

A Rhetoric of Friendship in the Works of Aristotle and Quintilian

Presenter: Elijah Leutwyler – English, Philosophy

Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Comics, Classics and Analysis

The philosophy of friendship has recently returned to academic conversations with scholars such as Paul W. Ludwig or Alexander Nehamas engaging the subject from any number of historical lenses. But what does it mean to speak as a friend or persuade amicably? While it is a commonly held belief that one’s friends have your best interests in mind, this paper argues that a traditionally classical view of rhetoric inherently incorporates the virtue of friendship in any communication between people by close-reading moments of Aristotle’s On Rhetoric and Quintillian’s Institutes of Oratory. Indeed, Aristotle grounds rhetorical exposition in a distinctly moral register and Quintillian enacts that idea in his pedagogical style as a Roman educator. In essence, this paper sees Aristotle and Quintilian as champions to the idea that rhetoric is grounded in an appreciation for intrapersonal intimacy, interpersonal connection, and a pedagogical structure that allows for such values to flourish. Empathizing with one’s audience and entering speaking engagements with relationship development as a top priority not only guards a person’s speech from becoming manipulative as the two classical rhetor-philophers explain, it also fosters an environment where rhetorical speech can operate in the way it was always meant to: for the good of the people.

Cultural Considerations of the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development Intervention

Presenter: Alvin Lengkong – Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Andrea Imhof

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

The relationship between exposure to adverse childhood experiences and adult health risk has been well established (Felitti et al., 1998). Fortunately, research has shown that interventions can disrupt this cycle and even reverse these effects. A strong, established relationship between an infant and a caregiver can act as a “buffer” that regulates and dampens the infant’s physiological response to stress (Flannery et al., 2017; Hostinar et al., 2014). The Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) intervention is a strengths-based video coaching program designed to disrupt the consequences of early exposure to toxic stress and promote naturally occurring, developmentally supportive interactions between infants and their caregivers (Fisher et al., 2016). While the FIND intervention has been shown to be effective in improving certain child and parent outcomes, the literature has often overlooked the importance of cultural factors when implementing parenting interventions. The focus of this paper will be to explore the cultural differences between English- speaking and Spanish-speaking families, and to identify if these differences influenced the intervention’s effects on parent outcomes (e.g. parent sense of competence). Implications and limitations of the FIND intervention’s cultural considerations will be discussed.

Spectroscopic Study of Squaraine Molecule Aggregate Formation for use in Solar Cells

Presenter: Laura Leibfried – Chemistry, Physics

Faculty Mentor(s): Cathy Wong

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Using organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices to harvest solar energy is uniquely enticing as they allow for mass manufacture, greater accessibility, and extraordinary chemical tunability. This study aimed to investigate a class of organic dyes called squaraines (SQs) which are potential donor molecules in OPVs and form molecular aggregates, affecting their electronic structure and energy transfer dynamics. Spatially encoded transient absorption was used to study restructuring SQ films during thermal annealing to reveal how the extent of aggregation affects exciton dynamics. Rapid and verging on total energy transfer from the targeted excitation of monomer molecules to aggregates is observed and dynamics are replicated by a kinetic model that evolves as a function of annealing temperature and the consequent extent of aggregation. Results indicate potential exciton trapping as a consequence of rapid energy transfer to optically darker states, which could imply less effective exciton diffusion in OPVs with only partially aggregated SQ donor domains.

Ethnic Variations in Asian and Asian American Men’s Disordered Eating Symptoms

Presenter: Kevin Le – Human Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Claire Guidinger, Nichole Kelly

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Asian and Asian American men report high rates of disordered eating symptoms, such as body dissatisfaction. Some have hypothesized that these behaviors are a consequence of being stereotyped as petite, more feminine, and less attractive that their non-Asian peers. However, this theoretical and empirical research fails to recognize that there are substantial ethnic variations in both body sizes and cultural ideals among diverse Asian/Asian American populations. This study aimed to identify and clarify potential ethnic variations in Asian/Asian American men’s disordered eating symptoms. 179 Asian/Asian American men (18-30y; Mage=24.03±3.6) completed an online study that included measures of ethnic identity; height and weight; LOC eating (0 = absent, 1 = present); dieting; excessive exercise; body image concerns; and drive for muscularity. Ethnic subgroups included men who self-identified as Chinese (n = 59), Filipino (n = 33), Korean (n = 21), Vietnamese (n = 25), and Indian (n = 41). One-way ANOVAS indicated Asian ethnic subgroups only significantly differed in concerns with muscularity [F(4, 174) = 2.65, p<.05]. Post Hoc findings indicated that Filipino men endorsed significantly higher muscularity concerns compared to Vietnamese men, p<.05. Future research should seek to identify cultural factors that function as both risk and protective factors for disordered eating cognitions and behaviors in Filipino men, as well as other groups of Asian/Asian American men.

Lagomorph Paleoecology of the Middle Cenozoic in Eastern Asia

Presenter: Amelia Lawson – Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Amanda Peng, Samantha Hopkins

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Lagomorphs are small plant eating mammals that are split into two extant families: the Ochotonidae which is comprised of pikas, and Leporidae which is made of rabbits and hares. The earliest lagomorph occurrence is 55 million years ago in Asia, which is widely recognized as the origin of lagomorphs. Through the Cenozoic, lagomorphs diversified and migrated to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. During the Cenozoic, Asia transitioned from a humid and warm environment to an arid and cool climate. These changes as well as geographic alterations in Asia dramatically effected lagomorphs at the time which can be viewed by analyzing the fossil record. Along with changes in climate, inferences can be made about lagomorph niche and habitat by comparing extinct and extant species data. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of geography, particularly the Mongolian Plateau, on lagomorphs in Asia. In this study, I analyzed fossils from 8 localities in East Asia from the Eocene to the Miocene using the Paleobiology Database and past publications to access the environmental effects on lagomorph diversity and size in East Asia through time. This study provided further incite into the formation of the Mongolian Plateau, which is relatively sparce in information on the time of its uprise. As a result, this study suggests that the rise of the Mongolian Plateau and Hangay Mountains had dramatic impacts on Lagomorphs throughout the Cenozoic.

Excluding numeric side-effect information produces lower vaccine intentions

Presenter: Eliza Lawrence – Earth Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Ellen Peters, Brittany Shoots-Reinhard

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Encouraging vaccine uptake is important to reducing the impact of infectious disease. However, negative attitudes and vaccine hesitancy, due in part to worry about side effects, are obstacles to achieving high vaccination rates. Provided vaccine information sheets typically include a list of side effects without numeric information about their likelihoods, but providing such numbers may yield benefits. We investigated the effect of providing numeric information about side-effect likelihood (“1%”) and verbal labels (“uncommon”) on intentions to get a hypothetical vaccine, reasons for the vaccination decision, and risk overestimation. In a diverse, online, convenience sample (N=595), providing numeric information increased vaccine intentions—70% of those who received numeric information were predicted to be moderately or extremely likely to vaccinate compared to only 54% of those who did not receive numeric information (p<.001), controlling for age, gender, race, education, and political ideology. Participants receiving numeric information were less likely to overestimate side-effect likelihood. Among the vaccine-hesitant, 43% of those provided numeric information and verbal labels were predicted to be moderately or extremely likely to get vaccinated vs. only 24% of those given a list of side effects (p<.001). We conclude that the standard practice of not providing numeric information about side-effect likelihood leads to a less-informed public who is less likely to vacci.