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  Using a Drosophila Glioma Model to Study Signaling Pathways

  Jibriel Saqibuddin

  Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal genetic model for studying early changes in tumor cells for diseases such as Glioblastoma (GBM) for which there are no current treatment options. A large percent of GBM patients show excess EGFR signaling due to amplification of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-VIII (EGFR-VIII), and activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Using mutations to activate the PI3K and EGFR receptors in Drosophila, we have modeled GBM in the fly brain using the GAL4-UAS system.My project involves genetic crosses that will produce larvae with GBM, the dissections of the larval brains, and performing immunohistochemistry to study changes in signaling pathways that promote GBM growth. To do so, I will be studying the early time points to decipher the roles of signaling pathways like MAPK, Hippo and WNT in promoting GBM growth and/or inhibiting cell death. A comparison between our GBM models and experimental controls will provide the initial data for designing further genetic experiments to narrow down specific signaling interactions that affect cell death and proliferation.

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  Using a New Conditional Knock-out Mouse Model to Investigate Novel Calcium Signaling Pathways in the Brain

  Aikaterini Britzolaki, Ben Klocke

  Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects over 8% of individuals in the US, according to the NIH. In addition to impaired attention and locomotor hyperactivity, symptoms often include enhanced impulsivity and memory deficits. The etiology of ADHD is elusive, but one proposed mechanism behind this and many other brain disorders is the dysregulation of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis. Ca2+ is a critical second messenger for a constellation of cellular processes, including cell proliferation and death, metabolism, and gene expression. Naturally, neuronal Ca2+ signaling is vital in processes such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic transmission, among others. Interestingly, our lab has identified a new calcium-handling regulator to be expressed in the mouse brain, and that global genetic ablation of this gene in mice results in the manifestation of an ADHD-like behavioral phenotype. Our lab has recently generated a novel conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model of this gene, that also exhibits locomotor hyperactivity, a cardinal ADHD-like behavior. Further, we have employed the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a state-of-the-art behavioral paradigm to assess attentional capacity and impulsivity, two other core symptoms of ADHD. Interestingly, preliminary data from our lab show that the cKO mice exhibit impaired attention in this paradigm. Altogether, these findings strongly support a novel role for this gene in the manifestation of ADHD-like behaviors.

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  Using in silico and in vivo approaches to reveal the gene regulatory network responsible for the development and evolution of a fruit fly trait

  Matthew Dennis Spangler, Michael Weinstein

  Animal traits develop through the expressions and actions of numerous genes that comprise a gene regulatory network (GRN). For each GRN, its underlying patterns of expression are controlled by combinations of transcription factor proteins interacting with binding site sequences within cis-regulatory elements (CREs). These interactions drive cell-type and developmental stage-specific transcriptional activation or repression. Function altering mutations in CREs are suspected to be a common source of phenotypic variation within a species, and for the origin, modifications, and losses of traits that differentiate species. Unfortunately, for any trait and its generative GRN, finding CREs remains a slow and resource intensive endeavor. In this study, we sought to better understand the GRN responsible for the male-specific (dimorphic) pattern of abdomen pigmentation of Drosophila (D.) melanogaster fruit flies. This pigmentation trait is a leading model for evolution and development (evo-devo) as variation exists within this species, and between related species. We used an in silico approach to identify predicted CREs (pCREs) that control novel genes within this GRN. Through in vivo assays we demonstrated that many pCREs activate expression in the fruit fly abdomen at the correct developmental stage. Through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, we aim to demonstratewhether some of these pCREs are necessary for the D. melanogaster trait, and which gene’s expression they regulate. By reporter transgene assays, we will compare the CRE activity of related sequences from fruit fly species with the derived (dimorphic) and ancestral (monomorphic) pigmentation. This will reveal whether the CRE activities are old and conserved, or modern and perhaps represent some of the GRN modifications responsible for the dimorphic trait. Ultimately, this work will expand the understanding of a leading evo-devo model trait, and perhaps demonstrate an experimental framework by which animal trait evolution can be routinely studied.

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  Using Phenomenology to Explore Trauma Identification within a Midwestern Juvenile Diversion Program

  Olivia A. Hervey, Alexia Catherine Montino

  Trauma among juveniles is a prevalent issue within the juvenile justice system. Juvenile diversion programs may play a role in addressing this trauma. However, juvenile diversion programs use different therapeutic approaches raising questions as to how they might identify trauma. The current study aimed to understand how professionals within a Midwestern juvenile diversion program believe they identify trauma amongst their clients. Using a phenomenological approach, four semi-structured interviews using purposive non-probability sampling were conducted. The analyses included transcribing the interviews verbatim, memoing, initial coding, categories, and thematic analyses. An inter-rater reliability check is performed through a comparison of categories between interviews and the two interviewers. Preliminary results indicate that staff within the diversion program relies heavily on assessment tools to assist with the trauma identification but have not established an internal check within the program. A discussion of these results, implications, limitations and future directions will be discussed.

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  Vartek School Technical Coach Tracker

  Jenna N. Patino, William Shattuck, Joncarlo Soto, Brendan J. Steffen

  The overall objective of this project is to document, collect, and analyze data of a teacher’s progress toward set goals from their coaches. A subset of that goal is to develop a technology integration plan that combines instructional and technology goals. When talking about how Vartek would like to go forward to complete these goals, we thought of challenges that might come to surface. Misty said that Vartek’s preference to complete this project is to not have a budget, however she is open to a possible budget if money is needed to supply the best solution. Another challenge will be migrating all of the data into one platform because 4 teams of coaches are tracking the teachers in different forms. Coaches have set subjective goals for their teachers which are customized to fulfill the teacher’s needs and this creates an issue because there is no standardization across a big data set. Finally, Misty said that they are open to having a cloud data server to hold all of their information and tracking but has concerns over information security and who will be able to access the notes.

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  Virtual Reality Technology Enhances Use of Facial and Body Cues to Detect Deception

  Connor Brooks Hagan, Nicholas James Patritti, Ian Rasaan Robinson

  This study examined whether Virtual Reality technology would have an impact on deception detection when using direct or indirect questions about honesty. Our goal was to identify if someone who feels like they are with a person in a virtual reality world can better perceive facial and body language cues that, when paired with indirect questions, will enhance deception detection. Research has shown that participants are more aware of their surroundings and recognize slight changes more readily in virtual reality. Additionally, much research (e.g., Hippel, 2015; ten Brinke, 2014; Manstead 1984) indicate that indirect questions (focused on a person's jobs, character, and what actions they would take in a given scenario) are more useful than direct questions (e.g., targeted specifically to the honesty of a person) in determining deception. Analyses of data in the present study identified a reliable enhancement effect of virtual reality on body language cues (e.g., facial emotions, fidgeting, posture) as compared with verbal language cues in indicating honesty and deception.

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  What Do Students at a PWI Know about Redlining?

  Gabrielle Nicole Bryson

  Redlining, the process of denying government backed housing loans from the 1930s until the 1970s, is still reflected in our society today. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether undergraduate students at a predominantly white institution were aware of the topic of redlining based on characteristics such as gender, race, and school year. The aim of this study was to collect the data from the UnDesign the Redline exhibit here at the University of Dayton and through secondary data I was able to find a conclusion to my research question.

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  Why Should Art Education Be Funded?

  Jacqueline Ann Patton

  The arts and art education are underfunded and undervalued in schools. Throughout all age groups, the sciences and math courses are often pushed as more important and more useful to the students than their art electives. This project highlights the benefits of valuing art in schools and provides insight as to why art should receive more funding, such as creating a well-rounded education where students can apply the arts to all fields of study.

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  Women's Experience in Law Enforcement

  Julia Grace Jenkner

  The issue of women having a different experience than men in law enforcement agencies deserves to be carefully looked at by others because it is a matter of equality. The purpose of this capstone assignment is to find out if women in law enforcement are held to a different standard than men in law enforcement. The goal is to see if there is a disparity and if so, see if there are similarities or differences between different women in different departments or ranks within a department. The study would accomplish the purpose of this research by gathering information from different women in law enforcement to see if there are similarities in their experiences in law enforcement. My study would accomplish this by gathering information (interviews), asking open-ended questions of participants, analyzing data (put into categories and themes), and looking for patterns in the data.

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  W.S. McIntosh: His Legacy at the University of Dayton

  Kevin Formato Brian O’Neill George Icart Mark Mahoney and Kieran Kilbride

  William Sumpter McIntosh was a veteran of the U.S. Navy before residing in Dayton for 33 years. He served as the local director of the Congress of Racial Equality and acted as an advisor to the Dayton chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. More than 600 people gathered for a public viewing to honor their civil rights leader, and the State Rep. C.J. McLin told the crowd, “He carried a torch. When Mac died, the torch never touched the ground. It is out there for all of us to grab.” That was what he was able to leave behind in his memory. The University of Dayton offers the W.S. McIntosh Memorial Leadership Award to incoming African American freshmen who reside in Montgomery County.

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  Yorkie dependent transcriptional network promotes tumor growth.

  Arushi Rai

  Studies in Drosophila and other tumor models have revealed cancer promoting signaling interactions and transcriptional addictions in tumors cells. The Hippo pathway effector, Yorkie (Yki) is a key mediator of such interactions and presents an attractive opportunity to study transcriptional dependencies in cancer cells. The RasV12 scrib-/- tumor mosaic model is well-established and shows activation of oncogenic Ras in the background of impaired apical-basal polarity. This model is widely used study molecular mechanisms and signaling events downstream of the oncogenic Ras and Ras-mediated Yorkie (Yki) activation in RasV12, scrib-/- tumor cells. Previously, we have shown that in RasV12, scrib-/- cells Wingless (Wg), Caspases (e.g., the initiator caspase Dronc) and JNK are activated to promote tumorigenesis through their non-apoptotic roles. Amongst these, Wg/Wnt pathway is known to act via canonical and non-canonical pathways during development and cancer, and interact with Yki to promote cancer growth. Genetic epistasis showed that Wg acts upstream of Caspases, JNK and Yki, and downregulation of Wg reduced tumor growth by downregulation of Caspases, JNK and Yki reporters. Our goal is to further understand how the two evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways i.e., Hippo and Wingless crosstalk and interact with each other to regulate tumor growth. To understand this intricate wiring of Wingless-Yorkie during tumor growth and invasion, we will use the RasV12, scrib-/- tumor model in Drosophila imaginal discs. Preliminary data showed that wg transcriptional reporters are upregulated in RasV12, scrib-/- cells, suggesting that increased accumulation of Wg may be due to increased transcription. In other contexts, wg is shown as a transcriptional target of Yki. Therefore, we will test for (a) the effects of Yorkie protein, the main effector molecule of Hippo pathway, on wg transcription and expression of other Wg pathway components by reporter assays, and qRT-PCR- based approaches, and (b) feedback interactions that promote tumorigenesis using genetic epistasis-, and immunohistochemistry-based approaches. Here, we present our progress on the organization of the molecular network involving Wingless and Yorkie.

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  ZFP36 Ring Finger Protein Like 1 (ZFP36L1) knockdown significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression

  Tooba Shafeeque Ahmed Momin, Andrew Villasenor

  CCCH-Type Zinc finger proteins(CCCH-ZFP) are small protein domains that are structurally maintained by zinc ions. Zinc ions coordinate the protein structure in a tetrahedral geometry by biding cysteines or cysteines and histidine amino acids. The unique structure of CCCH-ZFP enables it to interact with a wide variety of molecules such as DNA, RNA, or cellular proteins and thus modulate several cellular processes including host immune response and virus replication. For the current study, we screened 68 CCCH type zinc finger proteins using a literature search for their antiviral as well as immunomodulatory properties along with their expression in human cells and their potential to interact with SARS-CoV-2 RNA using RNA-Protein Interaction Prediction (RPISeq) software. Using this strategy, we selected ZFP36 Ring Finger Protein Like 1 (ZFP36L1) which scored a higher point to interact with SARS-CoV-2 RNA and modulate host immune response as compared to other CCCH type zinc finger proteins. Before measuring the effect of ZFP36L1 expression on SARS-CoV-2 replication, we aimed to determine the effect of ZFP36L1 expression on host innate immune response. We overexpressed or knockdown ZFP36L1 in HEK 293T cells as well as in Raw 264.7 macrophage. Our preliminary results showed that knocking down ZFP36L1 significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediated tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF alpha) expression (p<0.05). However, we still need to measure the effect of ZFP36L1 overexpression or knockdown on LPS induced TNF alpha at earlier timepoints.

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  Stander Symposium Logo, 2022

  Grace Reilly

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  Bidirectional associations between adjustment and academic achievement: Testing the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses

  Abigail Stover

  Abigail Lou Stover

  An association between academic incompetence and behavior problems exists. There are two frameworks to explain this association: the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses (Van der Ende et al., 2016). These hypotheses relate to the directionality of the association between academic incompetence and behavior problems. The adjustment erosion hypothesis predicts that internalizing or externalizing problems lead to academic problems, whereas the academic incompetence hypothesis predicts that academic problems lead to internalizing or externalizing problems (Van der Ende et al., 2016). This study examines links between externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and academic performance, looking at bidirectional pathways between these variables, while controlling for confounding family background variables. This study uses previously collected longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample. Analyses included between 1,117 and 1,258 participating families. Reading and math achievement from children ages 5 to 14 were measured using the Peabody Individual Achievement Tests. Externalizing and internalizing behaviors were measured using the Behavior Problem Index completed by mothers during the same age range. Multiple regression analyses were used to test whether externalizing and internalizing problems at ages 5/6 predicted math and reading abilities at ages 13/14, and whether math and reading abilities at ages 5/6 predicted internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 13/14. Analyses controlled for maternal IQ, delinquency, highest grade, age at childbirth, family income, biological sex of the child, and the age 5/6 value of the age 13/14 dependent variable. Externalizing and internalizing problems in early childhood were found to significantly predict math and reading achievement at age 13/14. Math and reading achievement at age 5/6 were found to significantly predict externalizing and internalizing problems at age 13/14. Support was found for the adjustment erosion and academic incompetence hypotheses. These findings suggest that addressing academic deficits could aid later adjustment and addressing adjustment problems could improve academic performance.

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  Identity, Persistence and Exit in STEM: Understanding the Student Experience

  Abigail Stover and Sierra Johnson

  Sierra Johnson, Abigail Stover

  The experience of historically underserved and excluded identities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) undergraduate majors lacks research despite an increased effort to diversify the workforce. A lack of women-identifying individuals, people of color, and intersecting identities impacts the sense of belonging and trajectory of individuals in STEM fields. The current case study seeks to understand the experience of historically excluded and historically underserved students who are currently majoring in or who previously majored in STEM fields at a private Midwestern university. An anonymous Qualtrics survey of 371 participants of both current and former STEM students found patterns in desires for additional academic and community based support, mental health challenges, and the impact of one’s identities on their STEM experience. Similarly, 62 focus group participants reaffirmed barriers both in the classroom and outside of the classroom to student success, difficulties caring for one’s well-being, and a tense racial climate. The study addresses policy implications for the University as well as recommendations for supporting both current STEM students and former STEM students. These policy implications and recommendations come from both the students and the researchers, after analyzing the data.