Stander Symposium Projects

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  Study of the Interaction between the Wg and JNK Pathways in the RAS Scribble Tumors

  Michelle L Borchers

  Multiple signaling pathways function simultaneously in multicellular organisms. The Hippo pathway consists of a signaling cascade that maintains organ growth by suppressing the transcriptional co-activator Yorkie. The Wg and JNK pathways help control cell growth and can be manipulated to create tumors in organisms. Normal cells promote growth and repair damage. Unfortunately, 90% of human cancers have accumulation of mutations activating oncogenes and loss of tumor suppressor genes. When these changes occur together, cells cannot repair themselves. I want to understand these pathways more in order to gain insight to which genes are important for the pathway. Multiple nodes make up the Wg and the JNK pathways, so the discovery of their effect on tumor growth will help determine which nodes are essential for the pathways. Four experiments will be set up to test the importance of these nodes in Drosophila. This project aims gain a better understanding of the role of Wg pathway components in the growth and progression of cancer using epithelial tumor models in Drosophila. Given the conservation of genetics and biological processes our studies in flies can be extrapolated to human cancer as well.

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  Study of the Self-Assembly of Positively Charged Porphyrins as a Function of pH and Time

  Gabrielle Nicole Snyder

  This study focused mainly on the self-assembly of a cationic porphyrin, meso-trans-di(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)diphenyl porphine (trans-DmPyDPP), in various conditions of pH. We explored both the effect of the change of pH of the solution and the effect of time. We observed that the aggregate formed was dependent not only on the pH but also on the mode used to reach that pH: increasing or decreasing pH affected the stability of these aggregates and their formation. With the introduction of Poly-L-Glutamic Acid to a solution containing trans-DmPyDPP, we observed a bisignate circular dichroism signal (exciton couplet) centered at 443 nm that corresponds to the Soret band of the porphyrin. The highest signals were observed at pH around the pKa of the porphyrin, which was found to be around 3.5. The sign of the porphyrin exciton couplet was correlated to the pH dependent secondary structure of the polymer. As indicated in literature, we observed an alpha helix structure at acidic pH (below pH 3) and a random coil structure at neutral or basic pH. We performed a series of pH titrations, involving small additions of base or acid to raise or lower by small increments the pH of various solutions of the trans-DmPyDPP with and without the polymer. In addition, monitoring the various aggregates with time showed an instability of the aggregate formed at relatively acidic pH with or without the presence of the polymer, and even a strong aggregate with a strong signal did not maintain over time. In order to improve the stability of the aggregate, an anionic porphyrin, Copper meso-Tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine (CuTPPS), was prepared and used to create ternary complexes composed of poly-L-Glu, trans-DmPyDPP and CuTPPS. Initial results showed an improvement of the stability of the aggregate.

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  Support in the Aftermath of Suicide at the University of Dayton

  Ross A Bales, Andy J Deak, Kaitlin Judith Samuels, Rachel L Singer

  According to the American Psychological Association, “Suicide is the act of killing oneself, most often as a result of depression or other mental illness.” Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-24, making it a relevant health concern for college age students. Suicide is also seen on college campuses frequently due to unique risk factors such as increased stress, presence of alcohol and drugs, pressure for perfection, difficulty adjusting to a new environment, and the recent loss of a home safety net. Unfortunately, due to the difficult nature of the topic, suicide and the resulting aftermath is often overlooked as a health concern. This specific health concern is applicable to the Dayton community, because the University of Dayton has a higher average of student suicides compared to the national average on college campuses. Although, the cause of death is never stated, the University of Dayton’s administration will send out campus wide emails advising students to utilize on campus resources, such as the counseling center, campus ministry, and residence life staff. These services can be very beneficial for grieving students; unfortunately, these resources have limitations. These barriers limit the capabilities and population of students that they are able to reach and effectively help. This presentation will investigate the effectiveness of these resources, student perceptions of the resources through interviews, and give recommendations to improve existing programs for outreach and coping strategies for those who suffered a loss by suicide. The University of Dayton provides many resources for grieving students, although they could be improved and enhanced. After thoroughly reviewing the suggested resources available at the University of Dayton, we are presenting several proposals regarding community support in the aftermath of suicide.

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  Surfactant-Based Self-Assembly Systems that Mimic Spider-Silk Producing Protein Sols

  Rachel R Kessler, Sean D Mahoney

  Self-assembly is a process in which molecules autonomously form ordered aggregates held together by non-covalent intermolecular forces. Understanding self-assembly is crucial to nanotechnology and is the missing link between the molecular make-up of biological organisms and the spark that perpetuates them, life. For example, self-assembly offers a powerful way to control the complexity and hierarchy of nanoscale materials. Synthetic efforts that allow a delicate structural design of building units play an important role. However, as can be learned from many cellular processes and functions, co-self-assembly using logically chosen additives should be equally effective in designing self-assembly. Here, by applying this concept, we have assembled cationic surfactant-based self-assembly systems that mimic spider-silk producing protein solutions. Our results reveal that these micelle systems stay as a stable clear solution as long as they are kept sealed and undisturbed. When they are exposed to the air or water, the reactivity of the systems is triggered, which assembles the micelles into liquid crystals having a waxy and flexible nature. The overall assembly very much resembles the assembly process that produces spider silk, where the spidroin-based solutions are kept intact inside a spider’s body, but instantly assemble into liquid crystals once they are extruded into the air. Furthermore, we have identified a clear sign of a meta-stable state and the formation of an aqueous two phase system (ATPS), whose reversible phase transitions are driven by the large changes in entropy of the systems. Though initial, these results demonstrate that it is possible to translate the key features of biological self-assembly into artificial self-assembling systems, and possibly create a new class of soft materials.

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  Sustainability of Dayton Groundwater Resources under Today’s Changing Climate

  Amber N Johnson, Colin J Mctighe

  Groundwater is an essential resource in the Dayton region, and is likely to experience changes with global warming. Assessing its sustainability under the changing climate regime is of great importance for the region’s social and economic development. We use stable isotope ratios of oxygen (δ18O) in precipitation to track large-scale atmospheric processes, local controlling factors and establish moisture sources for the Dayton region. Precipitation samples were collected at the University of Dayton precipitation collection station on a daily, weekly and monthly basis between March 2015 and March 2016 for a total of 120 samples. A total of 37 groundwater samples were also collected from monitoring and public supply wells across the Miami Valley Buried Aquifer. Our results indicate that warm season precipitation contributed approximately 34% to groundwater recharge, while cool season precipitation comprised the majority of recharge at 66%. Based on climate change predictions, winters in the Dayton region will become increasingly milder and will lead to more prevalent rain events in the cool season rather than snow events as witnessed this winter. As a result, cool seasonal groundwater recharge amount could be negatively impacted. The outcome of this study would help to inform local and state water resource management on the impact of climate change on the quantity and quality of the water resource in the region that supplies water to nearly 2 million people. Key words: groundwater, isotope, climate change, sustainability, recharge

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  Sustainable Portfolio to Maximize Alpha

  Douglas S Carey

  The purpose for every shareholder is to maximize alpha. This is done through a variety of investment vehicles like individual securities, ETFs, and mutual funds. Sustainable criteria can meet these ends to an extent. If a shareholder wishes to invest in sustainable companies they must be willing to take on greater risk to generate favorable returns. Many investors have already begun investing in sustainable companies and this trend will continue to grow due to United Nations and American Government policy. This project will hopefully show investors that they can generate the same or even greater returns by undergoing more risk selecting only sustainable companies in a portfolio. The criteria I will use for determining a sustainable company follows: Scopes 1, 2, and 3, hazardous waste, total waste, excluding sectors like coal, forestry and paper, and oil and gas. This criteria is used to screen the companies from the Russell 3000 through the Bloomberg terminal. Once the screening is done, a list of companies will display that matches the criteria’s parameters listed above. This information will provide us a list of companies that fit into the spectrum of what we see as a sustainable company. These companies will then be back tested 5 years and have monthly rolling periods. With 60 data points to see their performance we will then benchmark it against an index we see with similar attributes based on company size and value vs. growth. The 60 data points will help to show if our criteria can prove that given a certain amount of additional risk these sustainable companies can perform or outperform companies with unsustainable practices.

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  Synthesis and In Vitro Evaluation of a Ruthenium(II) Bipyridyl Complex as a Cancer Therapeutic

  Mary K Kilroy, Krista Lee Morford

  According to the Center for Disease Control, lung cancer is the leader form of cancer related deaths in the United States. While several treatment methods are in existence, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, there remains a high demand for an effective option that is localized and less invasive than current therapeutic options. One emerging option is photodynamic therapy (PDT) which selectively activates target, chemical compounds using light as specific wavelengths. PDT is a particularly attractive alternative for lung cancer as bronchial scopes would allow for delivery of the appropriate light directly to the tumor site. In this study a novel, ruthenium-based photosensitizer agent was synthesized, characterized, and underwent analysis as a potential PDT therapeutic against the human lung cancer model, A549. Following synthesis, the Ru-complex underwent characterization through high resolution mass spectrometry, UV-VIS, and cyclic voltammetry. Prior to cell exposure, the PDT potential of the Ru-complex was verified through light-induced cleavage to DNA. Upon irradiation the Ru-complex induced severe DNA damage through both single and double strand breaks. Next, the Ru-complex was introduced to the A549 culture, with the cytotoxicity measured in both dark and light-exposed conditions. As an effective PDT agent will demonstrate activity only following light exposure, the biocompatibility in the dark needed to be verified. Without light activation, the Ru-complex did not induce cellular death or substantial stress within the cellular model. Unfortunately, following a 15 minutes photo-stimulation using a 420 nm light source with a power density of 2.3 μW/cm2, no cytotoxicity was identified. Further investigations determined that the Ru-complex was not effectively associating with the A549 cells. Therefore, while Re-based complexes possess the potential to serve as PDT mediators, additional work is required to ensure that they are delivered to the target tumor site.

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  Synthesis and Studies of some new Hydrazophosphonates and Azophosphonates

  Jenna P Ladner

  This research project consisted focused on the synthesis and kinetic studies of phosphonyl hydrazines and azo compounds, all envisioned as potential flame retardants. The presentation focuses on the results of the kinetics studies and conclusions on the thermal stability and reactivity of the investigated structures. We also report the initial efforts in studying the reactivity of the target compounds in Diels-Alder reactions.

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  Synthesis of bis(quinoxalino) Ligand for the Removal of Transition Metal Contamination

  Alexander J Farmer

  Transition metal contamination is a constant concern both in the environment and in chemical reaction mixtures. One proposed solution, is the use of perazacrown macrocycles to selectively bind and remove transition metals. The aim of our project was to determine a novel synthesis of bis(quinoxalino) perazacrown macrocycles for use as ligands to bind to transition metals. Our synthesis makes use of protected diamines as opposed to other methods such as high dilution or the use of a metal template. In doing so, we made use of microwave irradiation in order to complete the reactions on a more efficient timescale. The primary challenge that our method encountered was the synthesis of the key intermediate molecule. This proved difficult given the changes in the electronics following the first substitution of protected amine. The synthesis of this molecule was the final product which we were able to produce. In future work, the diamines will be deprotected by catalytic hydrogenation and the resulting product reacted with a free quinoxalino unit. This will give us the synthesis of the final product. The synthesis would then be repeated with four different substituents on the quinoxalino rings and three different diamines on the perazacrown subunit, and the resulting molecules would be tested for transition metal binding properties.

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  Taxation as a Consumption Behavior Modifier: An Experimental Economics Study

  Nolan E Sroczynski

  Consumers are presented with various prices depending on where we shop, and what good we are purchasing. For example, buying clothing at a local store has a list price and then a sales tax is added at the register, whereas buying gas already has the tax applied to the sticker price. As organizations and governments attempt to reduce some consumption behaviors, there is reason to understand how various taxation can effect the buying behavior of the consumer. This research creates a behavioral economics study to analyze such effects in a laboratory setting which will allow future research to use such methods instead of using natural settings such as a store.

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  Teachers as Workers and Professionals: Merit Pay, Unions, and Student Achievement

  Thomas J Belsterling, John P Herzog

  Two factors that can affect teacher performance and student achievement are merit pay programs and teachers' representation by labor unions. The goal of this EDT 110H poster is to investigate the intersection of teachers' unions, merit pay, and student academic achievement.

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  Temperature Sensor Network for Mission of Mary Cooperative

  Surya Margaret Freeman

  The objective of this project is to continue the work of a previously established environmental sensor network at the Mission of Mary local urban farm. This sensor network records ambient air temperature at the Lincoln Hills site, one of two Mission of Mary farms. I am recording and processing temperature data coming from the five sensors implemented at this location. The locations of the sensors range from within three vegetable beds with varying frost coverings, a suspended sensor at the ceiling of the greenhouse, and a mounted sensor with a weather shield on the roof of the greenhouse. Temperature data is relayed from the sensor network, through an open-source single-board computer called a Raspberry Pi, to a cloud server. This data is then available through a RESTful web service as an online query tool where the data can be exported as a .csv file. The data is then imported into the Datazar platform, a research collaboration platform that is being used on a trial basis for this project. As data is being relayed I am able to view and study the changing temperature data, which is then analyzed and presented to the Mission of Mary team. By comparing temperature data at the Lincoln Hill site to weather data from the Dayton International Airport, variables such as daily cloud coverage and precipitation can be more thoroughly understood as they relate to urban agriculture. The two main points of interest for temperature data are at midday and midnight where the temperatures will be the highest and lowest respectfully. Once this project is completed Mission of Mary staff will be able to better determine if frost blankets are beneficial for vegetation growth during the late winter to early spring growing season, and identify any changes needed to better overall agricultural productivity.

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  Temporal Distribution of L-Dopa-Containing Proteins Involved in Oyster Shell Formation

  Benjamin N Schmeusser

  Marine bivalve organisms such as Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster) produce structural proteins that are critical in adhesive strategies and shell biomineralization. The unique properties of these proteins derive from the amino acid composition. L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa), which is a unique key amino acid in the cross-linking of these proteins, can be considered a biomarker for identification and localization of shell formation proteins. The focus of this research was to determine the distribution of L-dopa-containing proteins involved in the process of biomineralization in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Three organismal compartments were identified as sources of L-dopa protein pre-cursors: hemocytes, cell-free hemolymph, and mantle tissue. Hemolymph was harvested from the adductor muscle of notched oysters and hemocytes were subsequently collected via hemolymph centrifugation. Mantle tissue was collected from either side of the notch area, as well as the anterior portion. The product of repair, nascent shell deposited in the notch, was collected from the notch site at discrete time points post-notching. Amino acid composition was determined via anion exchange HPLC with pulsed amperometric detection. L-dopa concentration was related to the time since notching: we have preliminary information that indicated a higher level of L-dopa concentration in hemocytes 24-28 hours post notching and in hemolymph at 96 hours post notching, indicating an induction of resources for notch repair. L-dopa was found in higher levels in nascent repair shell and declined as the shell aged indicating protein cross-linking. These data support the premise that L-dopa-containing proteins are involved in oyster shell formation and that they are distributed among several components and products within the system.

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  The additional cost of streaming sites: binge watching and associated mental health outcomes

  Julia C Carroccio, Thomas R Lawler, Alexandra N Malsch, Chelsey N Parker, David A Rivetti

  Binge watching has rapidly become a norm for the general public, with more than 80% of subscribers reporting binge watching at least once (Netflix, 2014; TiVo, 2015). The present study tested whether binge watching frequency and duration are associated with poor mental health. A primary interest was an examination of the relationship between the number of binges per week and depression and anxiety. Participants were recruited online via Mechanical Turk (N = 338) and given a number of different measures of psychosocial functioning, including the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CES-D-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. Binge watching was measured as frequency per week and length of binge activity. Analyses comparing individuals who binged once or twice a week to those who binged 3 or more times per week revealed a nonlinear relationship between binge frequency and mental health. Qualitative data about how viewers define binge watching was also examined and revealed that the majority of participants did not define binge watching with a negative connotation. The results of this study suggest that for most people, binge watching is likely just another way of consuming media; however, for some, binge watching may be a marker of poor emotional health. High levels of binge watching for those with high depression and anxiety could reflect an adaptive coping response, or act as a form of avoidance coping.

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  The Case for ROE: A Fundamentals Based Portfolio Weighting Model for Healthcare Stocks

  Chase R Dollar

  Based on the studies of Eugene Fama, Cliff Asness, Robert Novy-Marx and others, profitability is considered a predictor of stock returns. In this study, using Return on Equity (ROE) as the measure of profitability, I develop a portfolio weighting model for stocks in the Healthcare sector (XLV). Assuming positive covariance between ROE and stock returns, I develop two concentrated portfolios of Healthcare stocks, one with 10 stocks and the other with 20 stocks. Portfolio weights are based on ROE i.e. with higher ROE stocks getting higher weights. Returns are calculated for each portfolio over the years 2011-2016 on both a buy and hold and rebalanced basis. The hypothesis to be tested is that the ROE weighted portfolios outperform the market cap weighted Healthcare sector portfolio (XLV) as well as the S&P500 index of stocks (SPY).

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  The Catholic Vision of Family Love: The Second Vatican Council to Pope Francis

  Joshua M Mueller

  What does it mean to love someone in the eyes of the Catholic Church? What is a parent’s role to their children? What are some of the different “tasks” that a family is supposed to complete in the eyes of the Catholic Church? This project strives to answer these and other questions as they relate to the Catholic Church’s view on Family Love. This will be done through the use of Gaudium et Spes (1965, specifically looking at Marriage and the Family) as well as Saint Pope John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio (1981) and Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia (2016). The project will not settle on one time period, but really three different ones as is evident by the texts listed. We will see what the council said at the outset as Vatican II closed. Then we move to Pope John Paul II’s time as pope and see how the roles and views may have changed. We will then conclude looking at modern day thoughts on Family Love with Pope Francis’ text.

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  The computational analysis of the radial distribution function in a many body, Lennard Jones system

  Gregg Legters

  This work presents the development of a computational approach to evaluate the radial distribution function for a large ensemble of particles with Lennard-Jones interactions. Whereas the equilibrium distance between two Lennard-Jones bodies can be analytically determined, the analysis of the average interaction distance in a non-crystalline many-body system must be performed numerically. Furthermore, a distribution function for the particle density surrounding a particle gives a more detailed description of the structure of the medium than just the average distance. For this moving, stochastic, and finite temperature system of particles, a velocity verlet algorithm was implemented to simulate an ensemble of particles whose interactions are sufficiently described by the Lennard-Jones potential. Periodic boundary conditions were used, and an algorithm to sample the radial distribution function, g(r), was written. Both the time average and the evolution of g(r) are presented.

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  The Culture of Equity: Globally & Nationally

  Lindsey M Bronder, Abbey O Fresco, Ethan T Trapani

  This presentation explores how factors such as single sex schooling, female menstruation cycles, and socioeconomic status are culturally dependent and can impact education nationally and globally.

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  The Educational Journeys of Chinese Undergraduate Students Studying in Mathematics Programs at the University of Dayton

  Yanhui Hou

  This research was designed to examine various aspects of Chinese undergraduate students’ learning experiences while they are enrolled in Mathematics programs at the University of Dayton and discern how their experiences influence their learning and development. The findings can help faculty and administrators better understand Chinese students’ unique learning experiences at the institution, their level of satisfaction with what the faculty and institution have to provide and how they have delivered, and assist practitioners in Mathematics education in designing meaningful programs and making informed policy decisions. The data in this study were drawn from interviews with seven currently enrolled Chinese undergraduates in their sophomore, junior, and senior years at the University of Dayton. The findings indicate that students’ learning-related feedback is closely linked with faculty’s teaching methods, outside class assistance, and co-curricular related activities. Furthermore, independent study plays the most important role in the study of mathematics in college.

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  The Effectiveness of a Personalized Peer Physical Education Program on the Health Related Physical Fitness, Diet, and Attitudes Toward Exercise/Diet of Selected College Students: Year VI

  Kayla N Ayers, Harmeet S Bhatti, Regina L Brandewie, Jenna L Burdette, Jillian J Clark, Kathryn I Clarke, Madeline Marie Connaughton, Grace A Corrigan, George M DeMarco, Christine M Diluia, Anne M Dixon, Anna Catherine Flahive, Claire E Herdina, Devyn Shea Hickman, Tara Rose Kennedy, Meghan Cassady Nolan, Megan Marie O'Hara, Kristen M Perri, Jessica K Piechota, Emilie L Pollauf, Kathryn G Pudoka, Celsey L Royer, Sean A Scanlon, Sarah M Schockling, Shelby E Searcy, Ryan Thomas Smerke, Sierra N Speck, Megan M Stasiak, Ellison N Wenzinger

  The purpose of this major course research project is to determine the effectiveness of a Personalized Peer Physical Education Program (PPPEP) on the cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength/endurance, flexibility, body composition (i.e., components of health related physical fitness, HRPF) diet, and attitudes toward exercise/diet of selected college age students (N=26). In the spirit of pioneering exercise physiologist and researcher T.K. Cureton, who believed that the “true laboratories in physical education [were] the pools, playfields, and gymnasiums . . . “, this study will be field based and conducted primarily at the University of Dayton RecPlex. During the 2017 spring semester, students in one section of an undergraduate research methods course offered in the university’s Department of Health and Sport science will exercise w/peers during ten (10) separate sessions. Team members will participate in five (5) sessions conducted during class time and five (5) sessions conducted outside of class. Two (2) additional sessions will be allocated for pre- and post-testing. All in exercise and testing sessions will be conducted at the University’s recreation fitness center RecPlex. Students will be divided into 5 separate research-fitness teams assigned to one of two (2) conferences utilizing different types of specialized exercises focusing on (a) muscular strength-endurance, (b) cardiovascular endurance, and (c) flexibility. Each team will design exercise programs according to protocol assigned to their conference inclusive of free weight, body-weight training, Dynaband Resistance Training, plyometrics, free play, medicine ball-martial arts training exercises, running/walking, aerobic dance, slow sustained static stretching, and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF). A quasi-experimental mixed-method research design (Ridenour & Newman, 2008) will be utilized. Quantitative measures will include estimates of percent body fat, the President's Challenge Adult Physical Fitness Test (PCPFN, 2016) and Borg Critical Rating (CR10, Borg, 1998). SuperTracker at ChooseMyPlate.gov (USDA, 2017) will be utilized to monitor students' caloric intake throughout the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be calculated via the use of SPSS v23. Directional and non-directional hypotheses will be tested at the .05 level of significance. Sources of qualitative data will include (a)interviews/questionnaires focusing on students' personal-family exercise-medical history and (b) fitness journals-nutritional logs. Qualitative data will be subject to content analysis via the theoretical/analytical framework of Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer, 1969). As/if revealed, emergent common perspectives, themes, and categories will be developed into Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) describing students' health/exercise histories vis-a’-vis attitudes toward exercise and diet. Case histories will be constructed and all measures of pre- and posttest data will be compared to determine the effectiveness of the PPPEP on students' HRPF, diet, and attitudes toward exercise. It is (a) hypothesized that all quantitative measures of students’ HRPF and diet will improve as a result of participation in the PPPEP and, (b) theorized that students’ health/exercise histories/journal entries will reveal positive attitudes toward exercise in general and the PPPEP in specific.

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  The Effect of Acetate on Listeria monocytogenes Pathogenesis

  Nicole L Steinbicker

  Affecting 1 in 6 Americans annually, foodborne illnesses range from mild gastroenteritis, to life- threatening conditions in high risk individuals with weakened immune systems. Those with chronic alcohol dependency fall in to the last category. Research on elucidating the mechanism of alcohol toxicity has focused on the intermediate of alcohol metabolism: acetaldehyde. However, it is not clear if acetate, the final product of alcohol metabolism, plays any role in individual susceptibility to foodborne infections. Therefore, my research project aims to determine the role of acetate in foodborne infections by using the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes as the model foodborne pathogen and establishing the effects of acetate on Listeria pathogenesis. Listeria pathogenesis was assayed by two different methods. First, the production of the toxin listeriolysin O (LLO) was determined in Listeria culture supernatant by hemolytic assays. Second, the ability of Listeria to cause infections was determined using a cell culture-based infection model. My results showed that the presence of acetate (50mM) significantly increased the anaerobic LLO production but not aerobic LLO production, suggesting that oxygen is critical in modulating the effect of acetate on Listeria. My preliminary results on cell culture infections showed that Listeria grown with acetate had an equal or slightly less infection rate in macrophages. I plan to expand the cell culture infection work in the following year to address the effect of acetate on cell susceptibility to Listeria infections using a human colonic epithelial cell line as another relevant cell types. Together, we will obtain a more comprehensive understanding on how acetate influence Listeria-host interactions. In the long run, we hope to contribute to the development of treatments for chronic alcohol dependency to lessen the financial and medical burden of alcoholism on individuals and on the society.

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  The Effect of Depersonalization and Derealization Symptoms on Olfaction and Olfactory Hedonics

  Rhiannon A Gibbs

  Depersonalization and derealization symptoms affect sensation, perception, and emotion, and typically result in subjective experiences of unreality and affective numbing (Simeon, 2004). Abnormalities in the amygdala, which is known to be associated with emotional reactions such as anxiety and fear (LeDoux, 1993) have been observed in depersonalization and derealization and other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression (Sierra & Berrios, 1998). Olfactory deficits have been posited as a potential marker for psychiatric disorders, including depression (Atanasova, 2008). This may be due to the fact that within the brain, the olfactory system projects directly to the primary olfactory cortex, which includes the amygdala (Stockhorst & Pietrowsky, 2004). The relationship between depersonalization and derealization and olfactory function has yet to be examined. This study will investigate whether the presence of depersonalization and derealization symptoms is correlated with olfactory identification ability, odor threshold detection, and hedonic ratings of odors. It is hypothesized that: 1) odor identification ability will be negatively correlated with reported depersonalization and derealization symptoms; 2) odor detection threshold will be positively correlated with depersonalization and derealization symptoms; and 3) hedonic ratings of both pleasantness and unpleasantness of odors will be negatively correlated with depersonalization and derealization symptoms. Participants (N = 80) will be administered the Sniffin’ Sticks odor identification and threshold tests, rating scales of odor pleasantness and unpleasantness, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised, and the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale. Hypotheses will be analyzed using multiple regression analyses.

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  The Effect of Motivation Factors on Group Performance

  Kacie M Kinkade, Gabriella L Silone

  Research suggests that people exert less effort when working in a group compared to working individually, and groups often have trouble coordinating their efforts (Emich, 2014). These effects are partially explained by transpersonal efficacy, an individual's confidence in another's ability to produce a specific outcome and which can motivate performance on a task (Emich, 2012). However, extant research has been limited to physical performance tasks, such as basketball. The present research investigates the effects of over-confidence and motivational factors on group performance within an academic sphere. In this study, groups of three to four participants will work together to complete logic puzzles. Prior to working on the puzzles, we will assess participants’ baseline motivation to perform well. The expectations about the difficulty of a performance task will be manipulated by telling some groups that the task will be easy and others that the task will difficult. The participants will then estimate how well they will perform on the puzzles, work on the puzzles as a group, and complete follow-up questions assessing motivation, effort, and individual and group performance. We hypothesize that groups led to believe that the puzzles are difficult will put in more effort, not perform as well, and be less confident in their correct answers than groups who are led to believe that the puzzles are easy (Merkle, 2009; Pelham, DeHart, & Carvallo, 2001), thus demonstrating under-confidence. However, we hypothesize that groups who are led to believe that the puzzles are easy will put in less effort, perform better, and be more confident in their correct answers than the groups led to believe that the puzzles are difficult, thus demonstrating over-confidence. We predict that both groups will complete the same amount of puzzles regardless of the informed difficulty of the questions, even though motivation and effort will vary.

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  The Effects of Adolescent Housing Condition and Voluntary Exercise on Alcohol Intake and Stress Response in Male Long-Evans Rats

  Caroline A Lynch

  Can regular exercise during adolescence, combined with living in a social environment, lead to lower stress levels and alcohol intake later in life? The aim of this research is to combine the variables of adolescent housing condition and voluntary exercise in the form of wheel running to discover the impact on rats’ subsequent response to a stressor and alcohol intake/preferences. Since chronic stress has been discovered to be linked to the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in humans, this study attempts to model this phenomenon in rats while incorporating a behavioral intervention with the intention of reducing the effects of chronic stress on anxiety-like behavior and alcohol intake/preference. Gaining an understanding of how housing condition and exercise can play a role in subsequent alcohol intake and stress hormone levels will be beneficial to understanding the physiological effects of chronic stress, and may be useful for the advent of new pharmacotherapies for individuals with an alcohol use disorder.

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  The Effects of Structural Modi cation of the Wing Helix Domain of PriA on Bacterial DNA

  Erich N Auer

  During a cell’s life it must copy itself or face death. For the cell to form a new copy it must replicate its DNA, this DNA is the blueprint for the essential components of the cell. The replication process does not always go to completion, which is necessary for the cell to survive, so there are mechanisms to keep the replication process running smoothly. In bacteria, PriA is used to restart replication after damage to the DNA. By looking at the structure of PriA we can start to determine how exactly it works with the damaged DNA to fix it and restart the replication process. Specifically looking at the portion of PriA that attaches to DNA we are attempting to determine why this method of attachment is beneficial to the entire replication process. This is done by modifying the structure of PriA and observing the changes in DNA repair.