THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

2015

2015 Friday, March 6, 2015Participant Check-In 8:00 a.m.—9:00 a.m.Poster Session A 9:00 a.m.—10:30 a.m.Poster Session B 10:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m.Fine Arts Gallery 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. Main Stage 9:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.Award Ceremony 2:00 p.m.—Close

Marshall “Chip” MontroseVice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Dr. Margaret HansonAssociate Dean of the Graduate School

Megan TischnerCoordinator, Graduate Student Expo & Poster Forum

Graduate Student Expo & Poster Forum

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Syed AbbasCivil Engineering, PhD

Ayse ArslanarginPhysics, PhD

Srinivasa Prashanth BalasubramaniamMechanical Engineering, MS

Kathryn BallFine Arts, MFA

Jacob BellmanMathematical Sciences, MS

Vanessa BentleyPhilosophy, PhD

Anish BhalchandraComputer Engineering, MS

Surbhi BhatnagarComputer Science & Engineering, PhD

Lucinda BrownNursing Practice, DNP

Elizabeth BullardGeology, MSStella MosherGeology, MS

Debra BurgessHistory, PhDMegan UnderhillSociology, PhD

Arundhoti ChakrabortyChemistry, PhD

Dhawal ChhedaEnvironmental Engineering, MS

Jerusha ClarkHealth Services Management, MPH

Xinyu CongBiological Sciences, MS

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Jocelyn ConnollyAnthropology, MAVenicia SlottenAnthropology, MA

Michael CraigSystems Biology and Physiology, PhD

Aubrey CulpHealth Education, PhD

Kalasia DanielsSociology, PhDSarah HerrleNursing Research, PhD

Michelle DietzGermanic Languages & Literature, PhD

Amy DonnellanNursing Practice, DNP

Shivani Kishor DumpawarMaterials Science, MS

Pankaj Dwivedi Cancer and Cell Biology, PhD

Kaylin EarnestChemistry, PhD

Joshua EbyPhysics, PhD

Branden ElmoreCommunication, MA

Ahmed FahadLiteracy and Second Language Studies, EdD

Rebecca FehnBiological Sciences, MS

Kelsey FeserGeology, PhDCurtis WebbSociology, PhD

Bradley FevrierHealth Education, PhD

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Mark HaaseChemical Engineering, PhD

Rebecca HaleyChemistry, PhD

Allyson HamlinMolecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology, PhD

Traci HanleyChemistry, PhDRyan SaadawiChemistry, MS

Roseann HasseyBusiness Administration, PhD

Lauren HeitkampAnthropology, MA

Staci HermanChemistry, PhDMary HoffmanChemistry, PhD

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Sarah HerrleNursing Research, PhDKalasia DanielsSociology, PhD

Mary HoffmanChemistry, PhDStaci HermanChemistry, PhD

Heather HopgoodChemistry, PhD

Ian HorwitzFine Arts, MFA

Heidi HsiehEpidemiology (Environmental Health), PhD

Wenting HuangImmunobiology, PhD

Teminijesu IgeHealth Education, PhD

Mona JenkinsEducational Studies, MA

Mitchell JonesCounselor Education, EdD

Lindsey JusticeNursing Practice, DNP

Colleen KarkhangAdult-Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, MSN

Jessica KendziorskiMolecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology, PhD

Nadeesha KoralegedaraEnvironmental Engineering, PhD

Amanda KrutzlerBiological Sciences, PhD

Jacob LalleyEnvironmental Engineering, MS

Kristen FlemingHistory, PhDMegan LamkinBiological Sciences, PhD

Shawna FoxHealth Education, PhD

Lauren FreeseAnthropology, MA

Erika FreimuthGeology, PhDYeon Jee SuhGeology, PhD

Rukmini GorthyMechanical Engineering, MS

Jennifer GraboChemistry, PhD

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Kun-Po LiImmunobiology, PhD

Ke LiuImmunobiology, PhD

Xiaoming LuImmunology, PhD

Eva LutzDesign, MDES

Patrick MalsomPhysics, PhD

Amrita MandalMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhD

Samantha MaritaEducational Studies, PhD

Caravella McCuistianPsychology, PhDDanni LanawayPsychology, PhD

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Patrick McGrathMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhD

Victoria McKennaCommunication Sciences and Disorders, PhD

Pallavi MehariaComputer Science & Engineering, PhD

Dale MerzChemistry, PhD

Bineyam MezgebeEnvironmental Engineering, PhDKeerthisaranya PalanisamyEnvironmental Engineering, MS

Sergio MolinaMathematical Sciences, PhD

Stella MosherGeology, MSElizabeth BullardGeology, MS

Lina MotlaghzadehCommunication Sciences and Disorders, PhD

Madhura MujumdarElectrical Engineering, MS

Shameka NeelyHealth Education, PhD

Lauren NovelliHealth Services Management, MPH

Oladunni OluwoyeHealth Education, PhD

Toritseju OmaghomiEnvironmental Engineering, MS

Tevhide Ozkaya AhmadovChemistry, PhD

Keerthisaranya PalanisamyEnvironmental Engineering, MSBineyam MezgebeEnvironmental Engineering, PhD

Megan LamkinBiological Sciences, PhDKristen FlemingHistory, PhD

Danni LanawayPsychology, PhDCaravella McCuistianPsychology, PhD

Siri LangoneFine Arts, MFA

Kendra LeahyChemistry, PhD

Stephanie LefeldFine Arts, MFA

Allison LesterEducational Studies, MA

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Mary Clare RietzFine Arts, MFA

Jessica RingoChemistry, PhD

Robert RossChemistry, PhDMellie June PaulinesChemistry, PhD

Andrew RosselotSystems Biology and Physiology, PhD

Marilyn Rush-OssenbeckMental Health Counseling, MA

Carolyn RydyznskiImmunobiology, PhD

Ryan SaadawiChemistry, MSTraci HanleyChemistry, PhD

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Sujan SarkarChemistry, PhD

Sue SchlembachEducational Studies, PhD

Moen SenMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhD

Mohammed ShaheenAerospace Engineering, PhD

Zuchao ShenEducational Studies, PhD

Yu-Hsuan ShihChemistry, PhD

Katie SinagogaMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhD

Venicia SlottenAnthropology, MAJocelyn ConnollyAnthropology, MA

Stephanie SpiegelCriminal Justice, PhD

H. Dushanee SriyarathneChemistry, PhD

Yeon Jee SuhGeology, PhDErika FreimuthGeology, PhD

Toloo TaghianPhysics, PhD

Mahendra ThapaPhysics, PhD

Kosala Thenna HewaChemistry, PhD

Amy ThompsonEducational Studies, PhD

Fathima ThowfeikChemistry, PhD

Lakshmi Palaparambil DineshBusiness Administration, PhD

Raghav PandeyCancer and Cell Biology, PhD

Mellie June PaulinesChemistry, PhDRobert RossChemistry, PhD

Olivia Pavlov GarciaPsychology, PhD

Laura PineloChemistry, PhD

Teal PorriniFine Arts, MFA

August PowersChemistry, PhD

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Curtis WebbSociology, PhDKelsey FeserGeology, PhD

Nadeesha WellalaChemistry, PhD

Shana WhiteBiostatistics (Environmental Health), PhD

Richard WolhoyFine Arts, MFA

Roseline YunusaHealth Education, PhD

Yongkun ZouMaterials Science, PhD

Meredith ThreattCounselor Education, EdD

Elham TorabiBusiness Administration, PhD

Jared TraversImmunobiology, PhD

Qingshi TuEnvironmental Engineering, PhD

Megan UnderhillSociology, PhDDebra BurgessHistory, PhD

Sarah UnserChemistry, PhD

Annette VolkMechanical Engineering, PhD

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Acknowledgements

The Graduate School would like to thank all judges for your time and thoughtful evaluations. The students you judge will use your feedback to craft improved posters and research presentations in the future. We truly appreciate your service and hope that you take pride in the impact you’ve had on graduate student research here at UC.

We would also like to thank the faculty, librarians, departmental staff, fellow students and other persons who directly support the graduate students presenting today. Your continuing efforts make such wonderful graduate research possible.

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tourism in the latter half of the century. When Hugo hit in 1989, both of these sectors were devastated. Manufacturing declined precipitously from 1987 to 1992, relative to St. Thomas and St. John. The tourism industry was also battered, as 30% of hotels were destroyed following Hugo, most of which have never reopened. Since that time, little recovery has been seen in these sectors, suggesting that Hugo had both short- and long-term effects on the island.

Kristen FlemingHistory, PhDAdvisor: David S. Stradling, PhD

Megan LamkinBiological Sciences, PhDAdvisor: Stephen F. Matter, PhDProject Advisor: Arnold I. Miller, PhD

Rethinking the Role of a Field Station on a Tropical Island

In a recent report, the National Research Council noted that field stations and marine laboratories can provide critical platforms for research and education that are especially relevant to the resilience of natural and social ecosystems. Importantly, these roles can only be realized fully if stations are woven into the fabrics of surrounding communities, with extensive education and outreach opportunities that regularize exchanges between researchers and community stakeholders. In considering field stations and

Curtis WebbSociology, PhDAdvisor: Jeffrey M. Timberlake, PhD

Kelsey FeserGeology, PhDAdvisor: Arnold I. Miller, PhD

A Bomb or a Blessing? Impacts of Hurricane Hugo on the Economy of St. Croix

In 1989, the eye of Category 4 Hurricane Hugo passed directly over St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. During the 12 hours it hovered above the island, it wreaked damage so extensive that, many argue, 25 years later, the island has yet to fully recover. During the Fall 2014 semester, students in the EVST 6025 Natural Disasters course examined the multi-dimensional fallout of Hurricane Hugo on the island of St. Croix. Our interdisciplinary team was tasked with assessing the economic impacts of Hugo, with a focus on the tourism industry. To accomplish this, we first investigated the ways in which the economic and social history of St. Croix set the stage for the effects of Hurricane Hugo. Second, in an attempt to isolate the effects of Hugo from other factors, we employed a difference-in-differences design to understand changes in the economy of St. Croix, relative to the economies of the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. John. A review of the academic literature, personal accounts and historic records revealed a long history of economic turmoil on St. Croix. The island of St. Croix shifted from a major agricultural producer in the early 20th century to manufacturing and

Arts & HumanitiesLife Sciences & MedicinePhysical Sciences & EngineeringSocial & Behavioral Sciences

All students who present research posters at the Graduate Student Expo & Poster Forum are evaluated by two judges from the student’s field or a related field. The judges’ score sheets with comments and suggestions for improvement will be distributed to the participants following the event.

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Cultural Studies in St. Croix: More than a Hurricane Defines a People

The words Hurricane Hugo survivors on St. Croix use to describe the category-five storm sound like a well-rehearsed script, its echoes unchanged after 25 years. The hurricane razed 90 percent of the homes on the 83 square mile island, leaving none of its residents untouched. Everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or class, recalled the same apocalyptic aftermath. Homes and businesses demolished. Cars upended. Boats rested on steep hillsides, miles from their docks. Sustained winds of 160 mph stripped trees of their verdant, tropical leaves creating a brown, bombed out looking landscape.

In the early hours after the storm, the island was eerily still and quiet; the persistent buzzing of yellow jackets, homeless without leafy protection, punctuated the yawning silence of the disaster-ravaged landscape. But recovery depended, in large part, on variables that islanders didn’t control. Families left or stayed on island based on those variables, which positioned them to view the same hurricane in vastly different ways.

Long-standing ties bind many Cruzans to the compact yet varied landscape where every leaf tells a story and every sign of life carries echoes of a complicated past. Throughout its history, St. Croix has been deforested, by man and by nature, then replanted from ridge to shore; first with sugar cane and then by the intentional or volunteer plantings of both indigenous and non-native species. She has been verdant, fruitful, teeming with natural beauty, and she has been scorched and desolate, bearing the marks of Mother Nature as well as the anger of a people who had had enough deprivation, degradation and abuse. Today, she continues to build toward a successful, if slow, recovery from traumas, both natural and manmade.

Kalasia DanielsSociology, PhDAdvisor: Ervin R. Matthew, PhD

Sarah Herrle Nursing Research, PhD Advisor: Donna Z. Shambley-Ebron, PhD

Challenging the Media’s Frame

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo severely damaged St. Croix. National coverage immediately after the storm focused on looting and disorder, rather than human suffering and resilience. To assess the changing nature of the Hugo story, we analyzed the anniversary coverage in the St. Croix Avis and the Virgin Island Daily News. Just after the 25th anniversary, we also conducted face-to-face interviews with Hugo survivors. The data clearly shows that over time, a more complete picture of the events surrounding Hugo emerged. The local press reported more and more stories as people were physically and psychologically able to relay their experiences. Among those unable or unwilling to tell their complete stories was Cindy Mault, long-time St. Croix resident and teacher. After 25 years, she wrote out her story in preparation for an anniversary interview, during which she relayed her experiences for the first time. Mault and other Crucians acknowledge that looting occurred. Mault even called St. Croix “an island gone mad,” but hers and other Crucians’ stories included pro-social behavior. Indeed, over time, stories of heroism—neighbors offering help, sharing shelter during the storm and food and other resources after, all improvisational emergent

Syed AbbasCivil Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Gian A. Rassati, PhD

Advanced Hybrid Simulation Model Based on Phenomenology and Artificial Intelligence for Seismic Loading

Hybrid simulation technology combines real time experimental testing of complex parts of a structure with virtual models of those parts. These models can be simulated computationally with confidence, to obtain the response of an entire structure to an earthquake as a whole. However, at its current level of maturity, the application of hybrid simulation technology is greatly limited by the hybrid simulation performing capabilities of experimental testing facilities.

The advanced hybrid simulation model greatly reduces the number of experimental tests required to run a hybrid test. The model feeds on results of an experimental test, and based on phenomenology and artificial intelligence, predicts the behavior of all other similar components that would have otherwise required experimental testing. These results, coupled

marine laboratories in the 21st century, one question seems paramount: Should a 21st-century station be based on a model that integrates a broad spectrum of scholarship focused directly and purposefully on the concept of local and regional resilience?

Here, we address this question by first reviewing the history of the West Indies Laboratory on St. Croix (1972-1989), considering what made it successful initially, and then ultimately unsustainable after it was severely damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. We then review ongoing development efforts—and resistance—to a proposed Marine Research and Education Center (MREC) at Salt River, St. Croix; the current proposed scope of its scientific efforts; and possible alternatives to this mission and associated design that might enhance its sustainability. Finally, we explore an alternative to MREC: the Caribbean Center for the Advancement of Island Resilience (C-CAIR) located in the heart of St. Croix’s largest population center, Christiansted.

This study was conducted under the auspices of a transdisciplinary course, Natural Disasters (Environmental Studies 6025), taught during Fall 2014 with funding from UC Forward and the Graduate School.

Debra BurgessHistory, PhDAdvisor: Mark Raider, PhD

Megan UnderhillSociology, PhDAdvisor: Jennifer Malat, PhD

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behaviors—gained a favored place in the island’s collective memory. Hugo’s anniversaries provided moments when individuals and the community as a whole could take stock of this watershed event. Increasingly, the local newspapers provided essential space for psychological healing and constructive remembrance. By the time the 25th anniversary arrived, the dominant stories of Hugo emphasize resiliency, community, courage and the creation of stronger social ties.

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primary research question was, “What are the identifiable success factors for anti-FGM/C programs in Africa?” The literature search identified 15 studies—two systematic reviews, one mixed methods study, three quasi-experimental studies, two cross-sectional studies, five qualitative studies and two program/policy reports.

Culture was identified as the most important influence behind FGM/C, followed by religion. In many areas where it is practiced, there is a complex intertwining of cultural and religious motives for perpetration of the act. Cultures that favored female subjugation were more likely to be in support of the practice. When each was utilized as a sole strategy, health education, legislation and female empowerment resulted in some attitudinal changes but were ineffective at bringing about significant changes in behavior.

This study showed that culturally sensitive anti-FGM/C programs that combine multiple approaches (Health education, legislation, female empowerment) and directly engage with the focus communities through dialogue and diplomacy with their traditional and religious leaders were the most effective at bringing about both attitudinal and behavioral change.

Mohammed ShaheenAerospace Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Shaaban A. Abdallah, PhD

Patterned Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Farms

A cluster of three co-rotating Savonius vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) arranged in a triangular shape in close proximity is developed. The cluster arrangement enhances the average output power of its three

turbines by 16% compared to three isolated turbines—the improved performance comes from a positive interaction between the three turbines. These findings are used to develop a novel patterned Savonius (VAWT) farm that consists of multiple turbine clusters with the same triangular topology. The patterned farm has an improved performance identical to that of the three turbine cluster. Numerical solutions for the patterned farm performance are confirmed for nine and twenty seven turbine farms. All the numerical results are obtained using Fluent code.

Ahmed FahadLiteracy and Second Language Studies, EdDAdvisor: Holly Johnson, PhD

Sociolinguistic Challenges Faced by Graduate Students at U.S. Universities: A Case Study for Iraqi Graduate Students at University of Cincinnati

This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive English Program and the regular academic degree programs at U.S. universities. Using a case study approach, the study focused on five Iraqi graduate students studying at University of Cincinnati to address those challenges and seek solutions that help the current and upcoming students adjust to an American college campus culture. Two questions guided the research: 1) How do Iraqi graduate students perceive their challenges in a new setting with English as the medium of instruction for the first time? and 2) What social, psychological, and linguistic factors are behind those challenges? Study results showed the linguistic, social and

psychological challenges as experienced by the participants. This study is significant in terms of providing an explanation of the type of challenges encountered by the students and to offer recommendations to improve the practices of the intensive English programs and better meet students’ needs.

Srinivasa Prashanth BalasubramaniamMechanical Engineering, MSAdvisor: Grant Schaffner, PhD

Design and Development of an Assistive Lower Body Exoskeleton for Independent Sit to Stand Transition among the Elderly

Being able to maintain independence in daily living is an important factor that contributes to a person’s wellbeing. The ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL) such as being able to walk, stand up from a seated position and being able to climb stairs are essential for maintaining an independent living. Ability to stand up from a seated position, also known as Sit to Stand transition (STS), is important for performing ADL like getting out of the bed, getting up after using the restroom and getting out of a chair. People lose the ability to perform STS due to loss of strength in the leg muscles. Often this is caused by old age or diseases affecting the nervous system such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, Epilepsy and strokes. The inability to perform STS may lead to fall related injuries, which might be fatal at times.

According to a 2014 CDC report, there were 2.5 million cases of nonfatal falls in older adults in the year 2013 and the direct medical cost of fall

(in real-time) with computational models of the rest of the structure, allow hybrid testing of large and complex real-life structures without any limitations posed by capabilities of an experimental testing facility. With the application of this model, the complexity of the structure no longer remains a deterring factor in conducting hybrid tests.

The model is based on phenomenology that requires experimental results as inputs to make the response predictions, and is independent of material or geometry of the components being tested experimentally. This unique feature makes the model an efficient tool to conduct hybrid testing of structures made of any material and configuration. In addition, the use of artificial intelligence enables performing hybrid simulations without any prior experimental test results for any structural component.

Teminijesu IgeHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Bradley R. Wilson, PhD

What Are The Identifiable Success Factors for Efforts Against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Africa?

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been a recurrent topic in international public health deliberations during the last decade due to its adverse health consequences. Despite efforts to eliminate the practice, it has persisted in societies where it has a long history. The purpose of this study was to assess the current evidence on the effectiveness of anti-FGM/C programs in Africa. A review of literature was carried out on international and local anti-FGM/C programs in 14 countries of where FGM/C is practiced. The

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related injuries (adjusted for inflation) were $30 billion. Nursing homes help address this problem, but the costs are high and it leads to injuries to both patient and the nurse involved—due to improper body posture of both patient and nurse during the patients STS. Implementation of technology can help address this problem. The aim of this project is to build an affordable assistive exoskeleton based on the biomechanics of STS for elderly individual with insufficient muscle strength. It will detect the user’s intent to perform STS, and then augment the user’s efforts in performing STS.

Rebecca HaleyChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Hairong Guan, PhD

A Mechanochemical Approach to Nickel Catalysis

Increased interest in developing more environmentally benign synthetic methodology has led researchers to more fully investigate the field of mechanochemistry. This work involves nickel catalyzed cycloaddition of terminal alkynes under the mechanochemical conditions of high-speed ball milling (HSBM). The nickel catalyst is in the form of metallic nickel from the reaction vessel itself. The products of this cycloaddition yield the unexpected substituted cyclooctatetraenes as opposed to substituted aromatic compounds.

Toritseju OmaghomiEnvironmental Engineering, MSAdvisor: Steven G. Buchberger, PhD

Probability Design for Need Based Water Demand in Tomorrow’s Buildings

In the US and around the globe, today’s peak water demands in buildings are estimated based on a curve from the classic works of Roy Hunter. Hunter’s curve is a theoretically rigorous and graphically convenient approach designed to estimate the 99th percentile of water demands in public facilities. However, experience has shown that Hunter’s curve overestimates peak water demand for contemporary buildings. Hunter’s underlying assumption is congested use (constant demand) of fixtures during periods of peak demand. Over estimation of water demand result in oversized pipes, which increases construction cost, poses health hazards from water stagnation in pipes and encourages excess water/energy consumption in hot water supply. There is a need to update the current design methods and replace the 1940 Hunter’s curve with a system that incorporate conditions reflecting tomorrow’s water usage pattern by end users (e.g., commercial, institutional, residential, etc.). The updated design should be flexible, benefit a broad range of end users and address the aforementioned issues from over estimating peak water demands. This research aims at improving the methods of estimating water demands in buildings. It involves a probability model that utilizes the Monte Carlo simulation to develop a cumulative distribution of water demand for possible water use scenarios in a building. The expected number of simultaneously busy fixtures and weighted demand

flow can be determined, and the peak water demand can be estimated from a dimensionless plot. This peak demand can be used to improve selection of water meters and many other water system features.

Jacob BellmanMathematical Sciences, MSAdvisor: Sookkyung Lim, PhD

Phase Response Analysis of the Circadian Clock in Neurospora crassa

Circadian rhythm is crucial in maintaining an organism’s daily routine. We present a model which accurately simulates the molecular components governing the circadian clock of the model organism, Neurospora crassa. Environmental cues, such as light, perturb the phase of the circadian oscillator—a phenomenon generally measured with a phase response curve (PRC). Our model advocates that Neurospora’s phase response to light is primarily regulated by the degradation of the clock protein White Collar 1 (WC-1).

Zuchao ShenEducational Studies, PhDAdvisor: Benjamin M. Kelcey

The Relative Trustworthiness of Different Inferential Tests in Detecting Multilevel Mediation Effects

In regards to statistical power when mediation effects exist and Type I error rates when mediation effects do not exist: Previous research has found that the performance of different inferential tests of mediation analysis are inconsistent with each other in simple level mediation. However, in education, multilevel mediation effects are more common than merely at a single level. Literature is incomplete about the performance (i.e., statistical power, Type I error rates) of different inferential tests of mediation analysis in multilevel settings.

To properly assist researchers in detecting multilevel mediation effects, we investigated the performance concerning statistical power and Type I error rates of several common inferential tests (e.g., first-order delta method, second-order delta method, distribution of the product, parametric bootstrap confidence interval, Monte Carlo confidence interval, and joint significance) in multilevel settings. Using simulation, we examined the performance of different inferential tests in 2-level mediation analysis along several primary design dimensions: 1) different 2-level mediation models, 2) different type of designs (i.e., balanced design and unbalanced design), 3) different sample sizes at different levels, 4) different magnitude of the mediation effect and direct effect, 5) the variation of ICCs. The most trustworthy inferential tests that can balance practical and performance considerations in multilevel mediation analysis were recommended.

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Mark HaaseChemical Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Vesselin N. Shanov, PhD

Determining the Structure of Carbon Nanotube Arrays by TEM Tomography

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted a great deal of interest due to their incredible electrical and mechanical properties. As research into applications of these properties progresses, it is becoming clear that the extent to which these properties manifest on the macroscale is dependent on the nano-scale structure of these tubes. This applies not only to the electrical and mechanical properties, but also to properties such as spinability, which allows CNTs to be conveniently processed into useful materials. For the materials based on CNTs to achieve their full potential, it is vital that this nanoscale structure be measured--and variations within it correlated with material property variations. This has proven challenging in the past, due to the small size of CNTs and large number of them in even the finest of threads. This work will present the preliminary result of efforts to overcome this challenge by applying Transmission Electron Microscopy Tomography to CNT materials.

Ryan SaadawiChemistry, MSAdvisor: Joseph A. Caruso, PhD

Traci HanleyChemistry, PhD Advisor: Joseph A. Caruso, PhD

Hookah Smoking: Which is Worse, the Tobacco or the Charcoal?

Hookah smoking has been popular in the Middle East and surrounding regions for ages, and its use is emerging rapidly in Western cultures. This makes it imperative to study various aspects that may result in harm to the smoker, such as toxic trace metals, PAHs, etc. Many studies have been performed on cigarette, cigar, and pipe tobaccos, while virtually no studies for these toxins have been performed on hookah tobacco. It is well documented that other tobaccos are known to contain toxic metals such as As, Cd, Cr, and Pb. However, little is known about the metal content in hookah tobacco formulations. Charcoal, the heat/combustion source in hookah smoking, is far different than burning cigarettes and cigars.

Microwave assisted digestion, in combination with ICP-MS, was utilized to elucidate the toxic metal content in both charcoal samples and in an array of different brands/flavors of hookah tobacco. While the Arsenic totals are thought to be unacceptably high, clearly we must investigate which forms of Arsenic are present. Hence, a speciation study was undertaken to assess which inorganic or organoarsenicals are present in the neat charcoal.

August PowersChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Thomas L. Beck, PhD

Modeling Ion Solvation in Nanopores for Energy Storage Applications

Future developments for energy storage systems, such as lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors, follow two main avenues: optimizing current materials, and finding new materials to boost performance. Using computer modeling, sub-par configurations can quickly be found and removed from the consideration for prototype formulations, conserving time and resources. In the interest of modeling and exploring the basic physics of these systems, previous classical simulations have calculated single-ion solvation thermodynamic quantities in ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC). The current work builds on these results by modeling a graphene slit-like nanopore—the basic structure of a supercapacitor—and looking at the solvation structures and thermodynamics of ions in the pore versus in bulk solvent. Preliminary results show interesting similarities and differences between the two scenarios, pointing towards possible trends for

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Vanessa BentleyPhilosophy, PhDAdvisor: Robert A. Skipper, PhD

A Century of Searching for Sex or Gender Differences in the Corpus Callosum

The corpus callosum (CC), the white matter tract connecting the hemispheres of the brain, has been studied for sex/gender differences for over a hundred years. The standard view is that women have a larger CC or a larger splenium (the posterior fifth of the CC). Two meta-analyses (Driesen and Raz 1995; Bishop and Wahlsten 1997) and a review (Fausto-Sterling 2000) contradict the standard view. However, these findings are ignored and research persists.

This is ethically problematic because finding sex/gender differences and assuming they are natural contributes to the harm experienced by women – and science is complicit in this harm. I update the story, finding that: 1) there is no consistent finding of sex/gender differences across studies; 2) researchers ignore the empirical evidence and keep searching for differences; 3) researchers confuse sex and gender terms; 4) researchers assume that results from limited, Western, industrialized samples generalize across cultures and across time; and 5) researchers do not consider the effect of social experience on CC size and shape, revealing a bias for natural, biological (meaning genetic- or hormonally-caused) explanations over social explanations.

Thus, current practice in the neuroimaging of sex/gender differences in the corpus callosum is methodologically and theoretically flawed, which

014contributes to the reduction of sex/gender differences to nature. Using feminist standpoint theory, I suggest modifications to current practice to overcome these problems. These modifications involve theorizing sex and gender; assessing the influence of experience on CC morphology; broadening diversity of participants; and being reflexive in reporting results.

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solvating larger ions (i.e., [TEA]+ [TFB]-) involved in a more realistic model of the supercapacitor cell.

Bradley FevrierHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Bradley R. Wilson, PhD

The Role of Diversity in Popularizing Hookah among College-Age Adults: The Risks Associated with Being Hooked

Hookah smoking is a growing public health concern among many college-age students throughout the United States. The popularity of hookah smoking has quickly grown among young college-age adults even though research is showing that its use and effects are significantly linked with nicotine reliance and other adverse smoking-related health concerns. As a result of the diverse cultural backgrounds of those frequenting hookah lounges, students are drawn to these settings as they find a sense of belonging. Because of the Middle Eastern and European influences that have popularized hookah, it is seen as fashionable and the dangers are often not realized. According to current literature and information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hookah smokers believe that there are lower risks for smoking-related health concerns associated with hookah smoking than for other types of tobacco use (e.g., smoking cigarettes). This presentation will review literature suggesting that the charcoal used to heat tobacco in the hookah increases health risks by producing smoke that contains high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals. For example, an hour long hookah smoking session involves

problem,” healthcare providers are turning to telemedicine technologies. Deploying telemedicine technology at all care sites in a region is expensive. We design a simulation-based optimization model to determine which hospitals in a region should receive costly “telestroke” telemedicine units in order to ensure the best possible responsiveness within a given budget.

Stephanie SpiegelCriminal Justice, PhDAdvisor: Christopher Sullivan, PhD

Considering Disproportionate Minority Contact in Context: Race, Juvenile Justice Processing and Family

Profiles of official delinquency cases have identified disparities in juvenile justice processing. The causes and mechanisms of these disparities are complex, however, and while there has been some research on the topic, studies infrequently answer questions about how, and to what extent, familial factors might account for differences in juvenile justice outcomes. This is a significant oversight in light of the parens patriae origins of the juvenile justice system and the clear importance of the family in youth development. Based on a multisite study of juvenile court processing, this analysis uses official case records in addition to individual and family factors to consider the degree to which familial risk/protection has a direct and/or moderated effect on juvenile justice decisions. Qualitative interviews and observations involving dozens of key decision-makers within those agencies will also be used to understand how familial characteristics influence processing

roughly 200 puffs, while smoking a cigarette involves 20 puffs. The volume of smoke inhaled during a typical hookah session is about 90,000 milliliters, compared with 500 to 600 milliliters inhaled when smoking a cigarette. Thus, future research in the area is needed, and studies to develop health communications to inform college students of the potential health risks involved with hookah use will be important.

Elham TorabiBusiness Administration, PhDAdvisor: Craig M. Froehle, PhD

Time is of the Essence: Simulation-based Optimization of Telemedicine and Stroke Team Deployment

Responsiveness is a key dimension in service quality both from managerial and customer perspectives. Internet and telecommunication technologies can help improve responsiveness by mediating between customers and service providers who are not co-located. In healthcare services, where responsiveness can be a life-and-death matter, how these technologies are deployed can be of crucial importance. In the case of ischemic stroke, to be most effective, recognition and treatment requires temporal urgency. However, many ischemic stroke patients do not get timely care because most hospitals do not have stroke physicians on site 24/7. To increase responsiveness to stroke victims, regional stroke teams are increasingly being organized with a stroke physician on call at all times. Once notified, the on-call physician typically travels to the patient’s bedside to provide care, resulting in a delay in care due to travel time. To solve this “distance

decisions for minority youth. The paper’s discussion will then consider how this triangulated view of the question might enhance our understanding of DMC issues and provide ideas for system response.

Dhawal ChhedaEnvironmental Engineering, MSAdvisor: George A. Sorial, PhD

Evaluation of Trichloroethylene Removal in a Biotrickling Filter under Acidic Conditions

This study evaluates the removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) using a biotrickling filter. TCE has been extensively used for various purposes including metal degreasing and in the dry cleaning industry. It is estimated that most of the groundwater in the USA may be contaminated with TCE. As TCE is toxic and carcinogenic to humans, its effective elimination is of great importance. Two identical cylindrical biotrickling filters—each with diatomaceous earth as the microbial attachment media—were operated at an operating temperature of 20°C and pH 4, for enhancing the growth of fungi. In order to further enhance the biodegradability of TCE, methanol was added as a co-metabolite. This study investigates different concentration ratios of TCE and methanol. This helps to select the optimum concentration ratio for obtaining the highest TCE elimination capacity, as well as avoiding inhibitory competition from methanol towards biodegradation of TCE. Each biofilter is assigned with a different feed ratio, the first one with 70% methanol and 30% TCE and the second with 80:20%. The empty bed residence time is set at 2 minutes, and a range of TCE loading rates from 1

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to 13 g/m3/hr is studied for each ratio. The systems are shut down for two days as a biomass control strategy. Currently, a removal efficiency of 74% was achieved for TCE in 70:30% biofilter with 3.2 g/m3/hr loading rate and elimination capacity of 2.5 g/m3/hr. Further enhancement in performance of the biofilter for elimination of TCE is under investigation.

Michelle DietzGermanic Languages & Literature, PhDAdvisor: Valerie Weinstein, PhD

„Lässt die Regierung den Überschuss verbrennen”: Excess, Exoticism, and Exclusion through Montage of Food in Dudow’s Kuhle Wampe

Slatan Dudow’s Kuhle Wampe (1932) is overtly political, encouraging reform of capitalist systems that desolated Weimar Germany’s proletariat. While there are multiple layers of ideology in the film, the most basic is the politics of food and its connections to the corporeal reality of the characters. Using the new technique of Soviet Montage, the director and writers combine contrasting scenes to equate excess of food with power and inclusion. Conversely, those who do not have access to food are portrayed as powerless and excluded from society. This analysis examines exclusionary politics of food through two scenes that center on the family Bönike to interpret how contrast, montage, sound, and camera depict abstract ideologies.

In the first scene, the family’s son is excluded from the table because he cannot find a job. The resulting fight and hopelessness, contrasted with

many harmful solvents is the isolation step, which is often carried out using chromatography. Perhaps a system could be designed that requires no solvent in the reaction phase and the greenest solvent possible in the isolation phase. Simple filtration is easier, less time-consuming and produces less waste than chromatography, and the solvent is easily recycled since there is no mixture of solvents (as in chromatography). Polymer-supported reagents could be the key to this method. Because they are insoluble in almost all solvents, these polymer-supported reagents can be separated from the reaction mixture by simple filtration. The functionalized polymer remains in the filter paper, and the desired product ends up in the flask. We have investigated this idea in several reaction schemes, including the oxidation of alcohols using a polymer-bound-TEMPO/Oxone system. Our system has successfully oxidized various alcohols to carboxylic acids, and the polymer-bound TEMPO can be recovered and reused at least 8 times.

Marilyn Rush-OssenbeckMental Health Counseling, MAAdvisor: Cirecie West Olatunji, PhD

Using a CBT-Based Therapeutic Community Program to Facilitate Healthy Relationships among Military Veterans and their Families

The authors propose a CBT-based Therapeutic Community (TC) program designed to facilitate healthy relationships between military veterans and their families. In many military veteran families, there is a struggle to maintain a healthy and balanced life both outside and inside the

flashbacks of the son riding the bike through the city to find a job, leads to exclusion from life itself when he commits suicide afterward. The second scene juxtaposes the worried face of the penniless Frau Bönike with images of groceries and prices, as her husband clumsily reads about exorbitant wages accrued by Mata Hari aloud. Here, food contrasts the poor’s exclusion from society through inability to provide for themselves with the rich’s ability to pay thousands of dollars for sex. These scenes help demonstrate how Kuhle Wampe uses food—literally and symbolically—to demarcate the line between the haves and have nots, the rich and poor, the full and empty belly.

Kendra LeahyChemistry, PhDAdvisor: James Mack, PhD

Together at Last: Functionalized Polymer Resins and the High Speed Ball Mill

Traditionally, organic chemists have used solutions to run their reactions. Solution chemistry has the advantage of allowing individual molecules to encounter each other and react. Unfortunately, many of the solvents necessary for this solution chemistry are carcinogens, teratogens or are highly toxic. Producing, using and discarding these solvents poses a major concern to the environment and global health. Ball milling allows reactions to occur with no solvent. Particles are broken down into small particles by physical impacts. In this way, individual molecules can encounter each other and react, just like in solution chemistry. Another aspect that includes

household. This struggle affects both spouses and children and is evidenced by the higher rates of suicide, unemployment, divorce and homelessness that are often found in this population. The Therapeutic Community Model was originally created in order to effectively treat clients suffering from substance-abuse and related issues and has been found to be successful in this, and other populations. The program follows a 12-week or 90-day design, each divided into three separate, smaller phases. In addition to outlining this model, we offer recommendations for ways that this approach could impact the counseling field in new and positive ways.

Heather HopgoodChemistry, PhDAdvisor: James Mack, PhD

Making Carbon-Carbon Bonds without Solvent

As environmental concerns have become more prominent in today’s society, green chemistry has evolved in an effort to reduce the harmful impacts of chemical waste. Ideally, green chemists would be able to eliminate all hazardous and wasteful components of their experiments. With that lofty goal, the Mack group has adapted a solventless method which uses high speed ball milling. In this system, dry reagents are crushed together—so that they are broken down and mixed—allowing them to react in a similar fashion to being dissolved in a solution. Because of this lack of solvent, the chemical environment is expected to be unfavorable to the dissociation and stabilization of ions, which leads to a question about limitations within the ball mill. One of the most important parts of organic

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chemistry is the ability to create carbon-carbon bonds. In this study, we attempt to understand one common organic method under these unique, solvent free, conditions and compare this to the reactivity in traditional synthesis. Particularly, we are interested to know how the ball mill effects the formation of the products and any selectivity within the reaction.

Lucinda BrownNursing Practice, DNPAdvisor: Catharina Henderson, DNP

Implementation of a Multimodal Support Strategy for Adolescents with Chronic Pain

Adolescents with chronic pain may be noncompliant with multimodal management strategies to maximize function and minimize pain. Management involves medications and therapies such as counseling, massage, exercise, dietary modifications and peer support. Chronic pain is a problem in the pediatric population (Huguel & Miro, 2008). Teens all reported a poor quality of life, missed numerous days of school and had disrupted peer relationships. Adolescents with chronic pain experience a change in their emotional, physical and social states. The impact of these changes on both the teen and family is challenging. The increasing prevalence of chronic pain, along with the tendency for chronic pain to persist into adulthood, highlights the importance of identifying strategies to manage pain (Hoftun, Romundstad & Rygg, 2012).

The utilization of multimodal management has shown to be effective within a treatment program (Tan, Craine, Bair, Garcia, Giordano, Jensen,

The adsorption of phosphate was investigated using iron oxide-based adsorbents. These adsorbents are highly effective at sorption due to their high surface area, surface functional groups, and electrostatic attractive properties. Iron oxides are also very widespread in nature, making them inexpensive, as well as being environmentally friendly.

In addition to testing for phosphate adsorption based on batch (kinetics and equilibrium) and column tests, the adsorbents were characterized to gain insights on their surface morphology (SEM), mineralogy (XRD), surface area (BET), zeta potential and crystal structure (HR-TEM). Also, the recovery of phosphate was investigated by desorption with a NaOH solution.

Arundhoti ChakrabortyChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Hairong Guan, PhD

Bifunctional Copper Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Aldehydes and Ketones

Hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones has been achieved at room temperature using homogeneous copper catalysts supported by bis(phosphino)amine [(R)PN(H)P] ligands. Related [(R)PN(H)P]CuX (where R = iPr, Cy, tBu and X = Br, BH4) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR, and X-ray crystallography. PhCHO and PhC(O)CH3 are reduced to the corresponding alcohols with 80 psig hydrogen pressure, 2 mol% of [(iPr)PN(H)P]CuBr, and 2.4 mol% of KOtBu. More carbonyl group containing substrates are being investigated under

McDonald, Patterson, Sherman, Williams & Tsao, 2007). Hechler, Martin, Blankenburg, Schroeder, Kosfelder, Holscher, Denecke & Zernikow (2011), also found that multimodal outpatient treatment was effective in managing chronic pain in adolescents.

The purpose of this capstone project is to initiate a peer support group for adolescents aged 12-18 years with chronic pain defined as migraine, fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal pain and irritable bowel syndrome. This peer support serves as a strategy in a teen’s management plan. The evaluation of this strategy occurs via the implementation of a quality of life scale which focuses on functions including health, activities, feelings, peer relationships and school life (Varni, 1998).

Jacob LalleyEnvironmental Engineering, MSAdvisor: Dionysios D. Dionysiou, PhD

Phosphate Remediation and Recovery using Iron Oxide-based Adsorbents

As the limiting nutrient in most aquatic ecosystems, increased phosphate concentrations accelerate eutrophication—resulting in oxygen depletion, decreased recreational value, increased treatment costs and the formation of potentially toxic algal blooms. Yet while viewed as a pollutant in certain scenarios, phosphate is desired for several industrial purposes—namely fertilizer production. However, phosphate is a non-renewable resource and reserves are quickly being depleted. Therefore, the removal and recovery of phosphate from surface water is a growing environmental concern.

the optimized reaction conditions. A [(R)PN(H)P]CuH species has been postulated to be the active form of the catalyst in these reactions and isolation of this complex is currently being pursued.

Keerthisaranya PalanisamyEnvironmental Engineering, MSAdvisor: George A. Sorial, PhD

Bineyam MezgebeEnvironmental Engineering, PhDAdvisor: George A. Sorial, PhD

Biological Treatment of Chloroform in a Controlled Trickle Bed Air Biofilter

Chlorination disinfection inactivates pathogens and oxidizes certain naturally occurring material in water forming disinfection byproducts (DBPs) which pose possible health concerns. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, trihalomethanes (THMs) are the highest concentration of DBPs in drinking water and chloroform is the most abundant of all THM detected. The maximum contaminant level (MCL) for chloroform is of 0.070 mg/L. Potential health effects from long-term exposure above the MCL are in weak association with bladder, rectal and colon cancer. Chloroform is a highly reactive volatile organic compound (VOC) that evaporates from disinfected waters into the atmosphere through air stripping. Biofiltration is one of the most proven technologies for VOC

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control, as it is environmentally friendly, cost effective and it releases fewer byproducts.

In this study, chloroform was used as a model DBP in an integrated technology that consists of nitrogen/air stripping followed by aerobic or anaerobic biofiltration in biotrickling filters (BTFs). Two independent, parallel aerobic and anaerobic BTFs were supplied with 5 ppmv chloroform concentration. In the anaerobic BTF, a co-metabolite (Ethanol) and surfactant (Tomadol 25 -7) were utilized to enhance the biodegradation process. As a result, the removal efficiency of the reactor improved from an initial 49% to over 64%. To increase the bioavailability of chloroform, the aerobic BTF was investigated under acidic conditions with filamentous fungi as the biodegrading media. Operation at acidic environment enhanced the BTF performance significantly, achieving a removal efficiency of over 83%. Future studies will include analyzing the complete degradation potential of chloroform in the presence of ZVI.

Xiaoming LuImmunology, PhDAdvisor: John Harley, MD, PhD

Lupus Risk Variant Increases pSTAT1 Binding and Decreases ETS1 Expression

Genetic variants near gene ETS1 have been associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in independent cohorts of Asian ancestry. ETS1 is a critical driver of immune cell function and differentiation and mice deficient in ETS1 develop an SLE-like autoimmunity. We performed

cardiology care is approximately 2.5 to 3/1,000 live births (Hoffman & Kaplan, 2002). This patient population’s survival into adulthood has been significantly improved by the technical advances in cardiac surgery, pediatric anesthesiology and cardiac intensive care management. However, as the nation braces for the upcoming changes in healthcare, children’s hospitals face growing pressure to improve quality as well as decrease cost (Pasquali, et al., 2014). Additionally, there remains practice variation amongst cardiologists, cardiac intensivists, cardiac nurse practitioners and pediatric cardiac surgeons with regards to surgical approach, post-operative management and outpatient follow-up. Therefore, development of an evidence-informed clinical practice pathway to improve patient care, decrease practice variation, decrease morbidity, and reduce unnecessary resource utilization and cost is paramount. This directly impacts Children’s Hospitals as congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect and congenital heart disease treatment consumes considerable resources. Therefore, the purpose of this poster is to provide the essential steps in the advanced practice registered-nurse-led initiative. This initiative focuses on the process and development of implementing evidence-informed interprofessional clinical pathways in pediatric cardiology.

Jennifer GraboChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Michael J. Baldwin, PhD

Photochemistry of Transition Metal Complexes with a-hydroxy Acid Containing Chelates

a fine-mapping study of 14,551 subjects using multi-ancestral cohorts, starting with genotyped variants and imputing to all common variants spanning the ETS1 locus. By constructing genetic models using frequentist and Bayesian association methods, we identified a set of 16 variants that are most statistically likely to be causal. We functionally assessed each of these variants based on their biological function predictions. Of the four variants that we experimentally examined, only rs6590330 differentially binds lysate from B cells. Using mass spectrometry, we found increased binding of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) to DNA near the risk allele of rs6590330 compared to the non-risk allele. Western blot analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation of pSTAT1 in B cells heterozygous for rs6590330 confirmed that the risk allele increased binding to the active form of STAT1. eQTL analysis indicates that the risk allele of rs6590330 is only associated with decreased ETS1 expression in Han Chinese. We propose a model in which the risk allele of rs6590330 increases SLE risk by enhancing the binding of pSTAT1, resulting in repression of the ETS1 expression.

Amy DonnellanNursing Practice, DNPAdvisor: Kathleen Ballman, DNP

An APRN-Led Initiative on the Process and Development of Implementing Evidence Informed Interprofessional Clinical Pathways in Pediatric Cardiology

The incidence of severe congenital heart disease requiring specialized

Iron(III) complexes of siderophores use a-hydroxy acid(AHA) moieties to tightly bind Fe(III) and release it as Fe(II) when irradiated with light. The ability to tightly bind metals and release it on demand has several applications. Several chelates have been synthesized using ligands that contain an a-hydroxy acid moiety. Different metals, including Fe, Ga, U, and Cu have been used to complex with these a-hydroxy acid containing chelates. The photochemistry of these complexes has been studied to determine the effect of structural changes and different transition metals on the reactivity of the complexes. One series of chelates includes an a-hydroxy acid moiety and a salicylidene moiety. These complexes have been shown to form a trimer when complexed to Fe or Ga. The uranium complex forms a dimer. The photochemical reaction mechanism has been determined for the iron complexes, and the quantum yields of various chelates complexed with iron have been also been determined.

Qingshi TuEnvironmental Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Mingming Lu, PhD

Analysis of Life Cycle Energy Consumption and GHG Emission for Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease

Trap grease is a mixture of fats, oils, greases (FOGs), wastewater and solids that accumulate in the grease trap of restaurants and food processing facilities. The FOGs in the trap grease is the major cause of sewer pipe clogging. To prevent clogging, trap grease is regularly pumped by vacuum trucks and sent to a wastewater treatment plant for dewatering—after which,

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it finally ends up in a landfill. To minimize waste disposal, alternative ways to utilize trap grease as a resource have been explored. Among these alternatives, biodiesel production has gained extensive attention. This study investigates both energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the trap grease-to-biodiesel production process via a life cycle approach.

Pankaj DwivediCancer and Cell Biology, PhDAdvisor: Kenneth D. Greis, PhD

Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Severe Congenital Neutropenia

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is characterized by a promyelocytic maturation arrest in the bone marrow leading to defective neutrophil production. The current treatment for SCN is induction therapy with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-SCF) to enhance the activation of colony-stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) signaling to drive differentiation of progenitor cell to neutrophils. Unfortunately, a significant number of SCN patients progress to myeodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) even with induction therapy. The progression to these advanced disease states is associated with abnormal CSF3R signaling particularly after prolonged induction therapy with G-CSF. Thus, understanding the downstream signaling events of G-CSF therapy is essential to elucidating the underlying mechanism of SCN progression to MDS and AML.

Here, we present progress on the phosphoenrichment technology

Mitchell Jones Counselor Education, EdDAdvisor: Cirecie West Olatunji, PhD

Liberating Victims of Human Trafficking and Awakening Student’s Social Justice Awareness

Counseling and other related educational fields are beginning to return to professional roots seated in advocacy pedagogy. This study will follow a group of university students engaged in an international service learning project, and via action research [mixed] methods, it will investigate the impact of service learning programming on the students’ orientation towards engaging in future advocacy related efforts, both academically and professionally. Pre- and post-intervention quantitative measurements will be taken using the Activism Orientation Scale to assess changes in propensity towards sociopolitical activism. Pre- and post-intervention measurements using the Social Issues Advocacy Scale will be taken to determine changes in students’ awareness of social issues. All pre- and post-intervention comparisons will be made using dependent samples analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post-hoc analysis for significance. Post-hoc interventions were selected because of the exploratory nature of the inquiry, and because of the lack of previous literature into the assessment of advocacy effects. Qualitative data will be collected from 3 selected students who fell into different subscale regions of the Activism Orientation Scale (to allow for the greatest depth and breadth of detail) at baseline testing via narrative journaling. Utilizing Freirian methodology, data will be analyzed and coded using constant coding methods, reviewed by a third party

development and phosphoproteomics profiling of G-CSF signaling in SKM-1 cells. We have also performed a quantitative SILAC experiment to tease out the downstream phosphoproteomics signaling differences upon G-CSF treatment using SKM-1 cells. Our overall goal is to understand the global phosphorylation network of G-CSF signaling and how that network is altered in SCN.  Unraveling the intricate proteomic regulatory network of myeloid cell proliferation, differentiation and survival may shed further light on the complex pathogenesis of SCN progression to MDS/AML upon G-CSF treatment.

Pallavi MehariaComputer Science & Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Dharma P. Agrawal, DSc

The Able Amble: Towards providing secure communication in a Wireless Body-Area Network (WBAN)

With the advent of wearable devices and commonality of on-body monitoring devices, it is anticipated that a day will come in the future where body-area networks will become commonplace in our lives. It is envisioned that the whole process will be automated wherein a user wearing such a device automatically enables the security mechanism and establishes communication between that user and his/her surroundings. This research addresses a technique to identify the wearer of the device, allowing for identification and verification before establishing communication. It suggests using gait as a metric for identity association using wearable sensors.

referee, and then checked and coded by the participants during a follow-up interview.

Laura PineloChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Bruce S. Ault, PhD

Charge Transfer Complexes and Photochemistry of Ozone with n-Butylferrocene and Ferrocene: A UV-Vis Matrix Isolation Study

The ozonolsis of ferrocene (Fc) and of n-butylferrocene (nBuFc) was studied using matrix isolation, UV-Vis spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. The co-deposition of Fc with ozone (O3) and that of n-BuFc with O3 led to production of green charge transfer complexes (Fc-O3) and nBuFc-O3 (respectively). These charge transfer complexes underwent photochemical reactions upon irradiation with red light (λ ≥ 600). This work expands upon the results of matrix isolation studies that previously characterized the photochemical products by FT-IR spectroscopy. Theoretical UV-Vis spectra of proposed charge transfer complexes and photochemical products were calculated with DFT using a TD-B3LYP functional and the 6-311G++(d,2p) basis set. The experimental UV-Vis spectra each showed a long wavelength broad band, at 750 nm for Fc/O3 and at 760 nm for nBuFc/O3. These absorptions contribute to the green matrix color observed prior to irradiation. After red irradiation, these bands decreased significantly and new bands formed as a result of the photochemical reaction. The calculated UV-Vis spectra for both the

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proposed charged transfer species and the photochemical products are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, the UV-Vis spectra calculations for the proposed charge transfer complexes provided information about the molecular orbitals (MO) involved in the absorptions (corresponding to the green matrix color). The MO analysis of the long wavelength transitions indicated a shift in electron density from Fc or nBuFc to O3 as these transitions occur.

Yu-Hsuan ShihChemistry, PhDAdvisor: George Stan, PhD

Computational Studies of Interactions and Collaborations between E. coli ClpB and Cofactors DnaK/GrpE during Protein Disaggregation

The ClpB chaperone, which belongs to the first class of the ATPases Associated with diverse cellular Activities (AAA+) superfamily, plays an essential role for protein disaggregation. Co-factors, such as DnaK/GrpE, collaborate with ClpB to suppress aggregates under stress conditions. In order to understand the molecular mechanism for ClpB/DnaK/GrpE (BKE) collaboration, computational modeling and protein-protein docking approaches are utilized to inspect those strong binding contacts at the interfaces. We construct a hexameric model of ClpB by using constraints derived from an asymmetric cryoEM map and crystal structure of monomeric fragments. Our results indicate GrpE and ClpB bind mutually exclusive to DnaK, which are consistent with biochemical studies in vivo

and in vitro. Interestingly, we predict a multivalent binding of DnaK to ClpB assembly, suggesting potential functional regions and residues involved in protein disaggregation. Further studies are underway to validate our computational predictions. Altogether, these results provide a more complete picture of multi-chaperones collaboration during protein disaggregation.

Samantha MaritaEducational Studies, PhDAdvisor: Casey Hord, PhD

Mathematics Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities in Middle and High School: A Review of the Literature

Recent educational policy has increased the standards all students, including students with disabilities, need to achieve in mathematics. To examine the strategies currently being used to support students with learning disabilities, the author reviewed literature from 2006-2014 on academic mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities. The 12 articles reviewed contain several types of interventions, including instructional sequencing interventions, computation interventions, cognitive processing interventions, visual representation interventions and computer-based interventions. The review includes discussion of the interventions used, including the success of interventions used for both students with disabilities and their peers. Implications for practice and future research are also suggested.

Lauren NovelliHealth Services Management, MPHAdvisor: Jun Ying, PhD

Racism and Infant Mortality

This project examines the possible link between internalized racism and subsequent adverse birth outcomes for African American women. It is an American tragedy that African American women continue to suffer from higher rates of infant mortality despite increased education and socioeconomic statuses. Traditional public health discourse has failed to recognize the role that racism may have played in the widening gap of infant mortality rates between African American mothers and non-Hispanic white mothers and uses a neoliberal approach of prenatal care that does not recognize social constructionist theories of race. This project probes the possibility of identifying racism as a scientific exposure using both quantitative and qualitative analyses. I have analyzed birth outcome data from 2000-2012 as well as incorporated feminist theory to deconstruct how Black women are disadvantaged socially and in the health care industry in America.

Roseann HasseyBusiness Administration, PhDAdvisor: Joshua J. Clarkson, PhD

Conflicting Attitudinal Norms and Self-Persuasion: The Role of Social Identity in the Mere Thought Effect

Research demonstrates that reflection on one’s attitude heightens polarization—findings based on the argument that individuals’ reflect on attitude-consistent information. The present research posits that social identities bias the nature (or consistency) of the information reflected upon and thus bias the direction of attitude change as a function of that reflection. Across two experiments, individuals exhibited significant shifts toward attitudinal norms as a function of both sufficient opportunity for reflection (Experiment 1) and heightened salience of a relevant social identity (Experiment 2). These findings, then, highlight the importance of social identities and the attitudinal norms they elicit in altering self-persuasion.

Rukmini GorthyMechanical Engineering, MSAdvisor: Henry Spitz, PhD

Neutron and Photon Irradiation Effects on Nanomaterials

The main idea of exploring the capabilities of nanomaterials with the help of radiation was to harness their potential through interactions with like-sized particles such as protons, neutrons, photons etc. The structures of materials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene alter when they are bombarded with these particles. Neutrons and photons induce multiple ionization of the carbon system along with inelastic deformations in nanomaterials. In theory, if the nanograin size is compared to the

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diffusion path of defects to radiation sinks, then the radiation resistance of nanomaterials is higher than that of their coarse-crystalline analogs. High-energy interactions led to the observation that grain boundaries absorb the radiation-induced defects. It is possible that the process of treating nanomaterials with radiation from neutrons or photons will simulate the processes of diffusion and mass transfer, recovery and recrystallization, formation and interaction of defects.

The defects in irradiated CNTs are mostly restricted to the outer layers. Although they appear to be well separated at the beginning, the increase in dosage may cause them to melt and eventually thicken. When graphene is irradiated, there is a possibility that energy from the high-energy particles gets deposited into its electronic degrees of freedom. These particles also induce morphological changes. Increase in dosage of radiation is inversely proportional to the probability of production of complex defects. Graphene has a unique property of hosting lattice defects in reconstructed atom arrangements. These defects locally increase the reactivity of the structure and allow adsorption of other atoms on graphene.

Jerusha Clark Health Services Management, MPHAdvisor: Charles R. Doarn, MBA

The Importance of Academic-NGO Partnerships in Short Term Medical Trips: Results from a Health Resource Needs Assessment

An isolated rural community in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Hagley Gap receives minimal support from government, has limited access to health care services, has low literacy and has poor water quality. The Blue Mountain Project (BMP) has partnered with the community to address these challenges, and through short-term medical trips, has been able to provide primary health care services to persons who may otherwise go untreated. Utilizing a newly developed academic-NGO partnership, this health resource and needs assessment (HRNA) identified health needs in the community and suggested programs and resources to improve health service delivery. The HRNA was guided by the principles of the Community Oriented Primary Care model, first described and performed by Sidney and Emily Kark. The goals were to characterize the community and identify community health problems. Survey and interview questions were developed using health census data and an existing retrospective health study of Hagley Gap. Data provided information on the health status of the community and strengths and weaknesses of current health services. Of note, results indicated that health-care services rely heavily on volunteer groups. During gaps in medical visits, residents remain vulnerable to social and environmental circumstance, specifically limited or no access to health services. Partnering with academic institutions could provide regular short-term medical visits to maintain and increase health services and reduce the impact of gaps in care. Additional benefits include capacity building by providing clinic staff with training and skills, and providing the necessary resources to expand health services.

Olivia Pavlov GarciaPsychology, PhDAdvisor: John Holden, PhD

What Networks Can Teach Us about Human Cognition

Humans have a rich experience with reading over the course of our lives. But what facilitates our ability to better recognize frequently encountered words (i.e. house) as opposed to less frequent ones (i.e. aloof)? Could this “frequency effect” be understood by applying principles that come from complex networks? In my project, the shapes of the response time distributions, resulting from word recognition tasks, will be tested for consistency with predictions made from the dynamics of small-world networks (Ma, Holden, & Serota, 2013). The difficulty of a lexical decision task will be manipulated such that half of the words will be high-frequency words (very common), and half of them will be low-frequency words (very uncommon). This manipulation will allow for an analysis of the types of structural changes that may be occurring in the networks that support reading, for example in the connectivity of the networks.

My hypothesis is that the experimental manipulation of word frequency should yield empirical patterns that corresponded to changes observed when connectivity patterns of synthetic networks are altered. If these hypotheses are supported, this may offer a framework in which these kinds of cognitive manipulations may be construed as influences on the dynamic organization of flexible, functional neuro-physiological networks.

Michael CraigSystems Biology and Physiology, PhDAdvisor: Saulius Sumanas, PhD

Etv2 and Fli1b Function Together as Key Regulators of Vasculogenesis and Angiogenesis

Objective: The ETS domain transcription factor Etv2/Etsrp/ER71 is a master regulator of vascular endothelial differentiation during vasculogenesis, although its later role in sprouting angiogenesis remains unknown. Here we investigated in the zebrafish model a role for Etv2 and related ETS factors, Fli1a and Fli1b in developmental angiogenesis.

Approach and Results: Zebrafish Fli1a and Fli1b mutants were obtained using transposon mediated gene trap approach. Individual Fli1a and Fli1b homozygous mutant embryos display normal vascular patterning, yet the angiogenic recovery observed in older Etv2 mutant embryos does not occur in embryos lacking both Etv2 and Fli1b. Etv2 and Fli1b double deficient embryos fail to form any angiogenic sprouts and show greatly increased apoptosis throughout the axial vasculature. In contrast, Fli1a mutation did not affect the recovery of Etv2 mutant phenotype. Overexpression analyses indicate that both Etv2 and Fli1b, but not Fli1a, induce the expression of multiple vascular markers and of each other. Temporal inhibition of Etv2 function using photoactivatable morpholinos indicate that the Etv2 and Fli1b function during angiogenesis is independent from the early requirement of Etv2 during vasculogenesis. RNA-Seq analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation suggests that Etv2 and Fli1b share the same transcriptional targets and bind to the same ETS sites.

Conclusion: Our data argue that there are two phases of early vascular development with distinct requirements of ETS transcription factors. Etv2 alone is required for early vasculogenesis, while Etv2 and Fli1b function redundantly during late vasculogenesis and early embryonic angiogenesis.044

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Raghav PandeyCancer and Cell Biology, PhDAdvisor: Rafeeq Habeebahmed, PhD

Identification of MicroRNAs Inducing Adult Cardiomyocyte Proliferation

Even though neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCM) proliferate robustly, adult cardiomyocytes (ACM) have very little proliferative potential. By functional screening of 875 microRNAs (miRs) Eulalio et al (2012) identified 46 miRs which induce proliferation of NCMs by more than 35%. Additional studies by Mahmood et al (2013) have identified Meis1 as the major player that controls the ACM cell cycle. We hypothesize that the proliferation inducing potential of miRs may vary between NCMs and ACMs; some of these miRs may induce proliferation through Meis1 regulation.

Proliferating cardiomyocytes were identified by co-staining TnI and Edu; the percentage was calculated in each group. Eighteen of the 24 miRs induced significant proliferation of ACMs. The most significant of them—with more than 7% increase in ACM proliferation—were miR-302b-5p (7.8±0.6), miR-1910 (9.8±0.76), miR-548c-3p (11.9±2.7), miR-2053 (10.1±0.4), miR-936 (11.6±3.4), miR-1825 (54±5.2), miR-509 (7.1±0.62), miR-590 (11.5±1.1) and miR-23b-3p (12.7±0.35). Of these, we identified 3 miRs—miR-548c-3p, miR-509-3p and miR-23b—to have a binding site on the 3’UTR of Meis1 while simultaneously showing an increase in proliferation. Meis1 has been established as a critical transcriptional regulator of CM proliferation through activation of CDK inhibitors.

To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to identify a panel of

miRs inducing ACM proliferation. Delivering these miRs to the infarcted region is a promising approach and has the potential to regenerate the ischemic heart by inducing proliferation of CMs surrounding the infarct zone.

Mahendra ThapaPhysics, PhDAdvisor: Mark A. Rance, PhD

Analysis of Domain Movement and Dynamics of Norwalk Virus Capsid by Normal Mode Analysis and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Norwalk virus is the major cause of epidemic gastroenteritis in humans. The capsid of the virus consists of 180 copies of a single protein which has a protruding (P) domain and a shell (S) domain. In this work, the mechanism of domain movements of the protein is investigated by Gaussian network model (GNM), anisotropic elastic network model (ANM), coarse grained molecular dynamics and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations. The dynamics of various residues and C-terminus are also examined. Preliminary results are as follows: (i) Slow coordinated motions are identified in the hinge regions and (ii) the C-terminus residue interacts with specific residues within P domain only.

Kun-Po LiImmunology, PhDAdvisor: David Hildeman, PhD

Pro-Apoptotic Gene Bim Control Thymic and Peripheral T Cell Profiles During Selection

Regulation of apoptosis during thymocyte development is critical to eliminate self-reactive T cells whilst maintaining a repertoire of protective T cells. Although Bim promotes thymocyte apoptosis, its role is controversial due to the minor effect of Bim on restoring endogenous superantigen-reactive T cells. We further investigated the role of Bim on thymocyte selection. Bim-/- mice had a striking accumulation of DN4 thymocytes that expressed high levels of surface TCR. DN4 cells from Bim-/- mice failed to generate DP cells in OP9 culture. Furthermore, dLckCre-driven deletion of Bim resulted in a normal DN4 compartment, while CD4cre-driven deletion of Bim resulted in aberrant TCR+DN4 cells. Combined, these data suggest that the TCR+DN4 cells failed negative selection, and then down-regulated both CD4 and CD8. We found that DN4 cells may sequentially develop into peripheral CD8aa T cells as increased intestinal intraepithelial and splenic CD8aa T cells in Bim-/-, but not dLckCre+Bimf/f mice. In conclusion, these data further delineate the role of Bim on thymocyte fate, and they establish a new model in which the effects of Bim on thymocyte selection are uncoupled from the effects of Bim on peripheral T cell survival.

Shawna FoxHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Liliana Rojas-Guyler, PhD

Quality of Life, Coping, Support Systems and Chronic Pain in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

According to the Institute of Medicine, chronic pain affects 116 million Americans, more than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. Chronic pain has been identified as a common and disabling manifestation of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a rare inherited connective tissue disorder. Individuals with EDS have a defect in their connective tissue, which supports muscles, ligaments and skin (among others). Prolonged untreated chronic pain has been reported to have substantial negative physical, psychological and social effects. Health educators can improve quality of life (QOL) in EDS by addressing condition specific knowledge, increasing community awareness and support networks, improving skills and the self-efficacy of coping mechanisms in the management of chronic pain due to EDS. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between demographic characteristics, QOL, coping, support systems and chronic pain among EDS patients.

Using social media support groups and EDS National and International Organizations to recruit participants, a sample of 1245 respondents were obtained to complete an online survey. Data from 949 complete surveys were analyzed using SPSS v.21. Multiple linear regression modeling assessed predictors of QOL. Support and pain predicted 43% of the variance in the model, however, coping or demographics were not found to be statistically

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significant. According to our results, we have concluded that EDS patients would

benefit from programing that addresses strategies to develop support systems to improve QOL. Chronic pain is a significant predictor of QOL in the EDS patient, and a need exists for QOL health education programs for EDS patients.

Toloo TaghianPhysics, PhDAdvisor: Andrei B. Kogan, PhD

Regulation of Cell Function via Extracellular Biophysical Environment: A Theoretical-Experimental Approach

Application of external electric field (EF) as a non-pharmacological, non-invasive tool to control cell function is of great therapeutic interest. We developed a theoretical-experimental approach to investigate the biophysical mechanisms of EF interaction with cells in an electrode-free physiologically-relevant configuration. Our numerical results demonstrated that EF frequency is the major parameter to control cell responses to EF. Non-oscillating or low-frequency EF leads to charge accumulation on the cell surface membrane that may mediate membrane initiated cell responses. In contrast, high-frequency EF penetrates the cell membrane and reaches cell cytoplasm, where it may directly activate intracellular responses. The theoretical predictions were confirmed in our experimental studies of the effects of applied EF on vascular cell function. Results show that non-oscillating EF increases vascular endothelial growth

factor (VEGF) expression while field polarity controls cell adhesion rate. High-frequency, but not low frequency, EF provides differential regulation of cytoplasmic focal adhesion kinase and VEGF expression (depending on the substrate)—with increased expression in cells cultured on RGD-rich synthetic hydrogels—and decreased expression for matrigel culture

Colleen KarkhangAdult-Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, MSNAdvisor: Jody Hessel, ACNP

Meditation as Medication Replacement

This poster address whether existing evidence supports the use of meditation as a replacement for traditional health interventions in certain instances. Meditating has been associated with alleviating many symptoms caused by a variety of illnesses. Here we focus on three ailments in which meditation has been shown to help sufferers: Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and chronic pain. We looked through an array of current research and examined the outcomes of mediation. We found that meditation’s ability to reduce stress plays a vital role in the majority of the positive effects seen throughout the body, such as improved cognition, improved sleep, increased pain acceptance and decreased blood pressure. We concluded that there is compelling evidence that mediation should be implemented as a compliment to current pharmacological treatments; however we cannot recommend its usage as a replacement for traditional medical routes. More research is needed to examine the relationship between meditation, stress and the body; in particular, more longitudinal

studies will be necessary to determine the lasting effects of meditation on the body.

Rebecca FehnBiological Sciences, MSAdvisor: Michal Polak, PhD

“Good Genes” and the Reliability of Secondary Sexual Traits with Oxidative Stress in D. bipectinata

Indicator models of sexual selection have been widely studied and are accepted as viable, but support for them remains inconsistent. One increasingly prominent area of interest is the extent to which environmental variation might affect the expression of “good genes” inherited from the most ornamented males. Studies have shown that females have the potential to improve their offsprings’ fitness by selecting mates that are more highly ornamented. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in low quantities are used as molecular messengers, but in large quantities, they are highly damaging to DNA and other molecules in the form of oxidative stress (OS), and have been suggested to be an important factor in reducing sexual ornamentation and sperm quality. OS may be an important factor in the reliability of ornamentation size, the traits that females use to discriminate between potential mates—with a larger size indicating better mitigation of OS. I studied the relationship between the size of the male sex comb in Drosophila bipectinata (a secondary sexual trait on adult male longevity), and reproductive fitness traits—comprising female fecundity, egg hatch success, and competitive fertilization success—under variable oxidative

stress. Males from genetic lines expressing higher comb counts did not induce females to have greater fecundity, produce more viable eggs, nor have a higher fertilization rate in a competitive setting under increasing levels of OS. However, males from these high lines expressed greater survivorship under increasing levels of OS. These results suggest that sex comb size in D. bipectinata reveals the ability to cope with OS in terms of male longevity.

Lindsey JusticeNursing Practice, DNPAdvisor: Catharina Henderson, DNP

Improving Communication during CICU Multidisciplinary Rounds through Implementation of a Daily Goal Write-Down and Read-Back Process

During multidisciplinary rounds in the CICU, coordination of care is complicated due to a large number of providers caring for highly complex patients. Ineffective rounds results in lack of understanding of patient care goals and plans to achieve those goals by team members.

The Improvement Science Model guided this quality improvement project. Baseline data regarding team members’ understanding of daily patient goals was evaluated using a Rounds Effectiveness Assessment and Communication Tool (REACT). The responses of the nurse, fellow or nurse practitioner and attending physician were compared to determine the percent of agreement. To increase agreement, a daily goal write-down and read-back process was implemented. After tests of change, REACT surveys were re-distributed to determine improvement. Families were also asked to

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complete a survey (1-6 Likert scale) about their satisfaction with rounds and understanding of daily goals before and after the intervention.

At baseline, the percent agreement for patient goals was 62%. After initial implementation of the daily goal write-down and read-back process (goals were written on paper by the nurse), the REACT survey revealed no improvement. The intervention was altered (goals were written on whiteboards and displayed during rounds for the team to review) and the REACT survey showed the percent of agreement was 85%. Family survey results were compared to those prior to intervention and were improved from a mean of 4.6 to 5.9. Parent selection of the best possible score was 18% at baseline and improved to 93%.

Meredith ThreattCounselor Education, EdDAdvisor: Mei Tang, PhD

Middle-class, Middle-aged, White Men’s Perceptions of Mental Health Needs Surrounding a Medical Event

Research regarding men’s experiences in counseling and understanding barriers to treatment has significantly increased in the past four years. Despite extensive research about men and help-seeking behaviors, there is no current research that examines the specific perceptions and behaviors of middle class, middle-aged, white men toward counseling.

Middle class, white males are currently the least likely population to engage in treatment for mental and emotional disorders. However, this population is no less vulnerable to mental illness than any other. This

poster will display a case study designed to help counselors and counselor educators better understand the perceptions that middle class, middle-aged, white men have about mental health. The study could potentially inform mental and medical health professionals when designing treatment plans and improving patient experiences.

Aubrey CulpHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Liliana Rojas-Guyler, PhD

Disability Awareness among Health Promotion Students: A Look at Invisible Disability, Knowledge and Behavior

The growing number of people living with disabilities highlights the importance of raising awareness of all types of disabilities. The literature indicates that, in general, society has inadequate knowledge and poor attitudes about disabilities, impacting discrimination and low acceptance of people living with disabilities. There is a paucity of research on disability in cultural competence training for health promotion professional development that specifically examines invisible disability. This study used a 90-item disability awareness pilot survey to examine knowledge, behavior, attitudes, self-efficacy and intention toward people with disabilities. The pilot survey was administered to students in health promotion professional preparation courses. Statistical descriptors and inferential results will be reported. Findings will be used as part of a needs assessment to develop a disability awareness program for health promotion professional development. The information presented is useful for improving cultural

competence of disability among health promotion professionals who are working to promote inclusive practices toward people with disabilities.

Tevhide Ozkaya AhmadovChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Peng Zhang, PhD

Paramagnetic Relaxation Biosensor for Selective Dopamine Sensing

Herein, we envision combining the utility of Fe3+ chelated nanoparticles as paramagnetic contrast agents, and also a target-selective probe, to design a paramagnetic Fe3+ based transverse relaxation (T2) biosensor. Target binding-induced modulation of water access to the Fe3+ metal center provides a sensing mechanism for dopamine—a significant neurotransmitter that is associated with several important diseases of the nervous system—by reading out changes in T2 relaxation times. Fe3+ chelated SiO2 nanoparticles feature good selectivity for dopamine in a complex matrix, an artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) and increase in T2 relaxation time upon dopamine binding. They are capable of detecting micro molar range of dopamine concentrations in acidic media.

Shameka NeelyHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Liliana Rojas-Guyler, PhD

Diverse Views of Self: Perceived Body Image, Body Satisfaction and Media Use Patterns among African American Women

This presentation addresses the connection between body satisfaction and how media messages influence black women‘s view of their bodies. Studies have shown a connection between greater body dissatisfaction and media messages announcing women to feel the need to have a flawless body; whether it is in magazines, on social media, on the internet, in photos, in videos or on television. European beauty definitions have become the norm in Western culture, however having such standards—for example, being slender, tall, and having blue eyes and blonde hair—shouldn’t be the beauty standards of all cultures, specifically among black women. This is not only unattainable, but begs a question as to what beauty is and how is it defined in other cultures. Furthermore, cultural and ethnic interpretations and the levels of influence of such messages in the current multimedia, instant messaging and social networking era are not well understood and warrant investigation.

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Joshua EbyPhysics, PhDAdvisor: L.C.R. Wijewardhana, PhD

Dark Matter as a Bose-Einstein Condensate

A mysterious form of matter, termed Dark Matter (DM), is believed to constitute over 80% of the mass content of the universe. However, because it interacts very weakly with ordinary matter, most of its properties remain unknown. In a certain class of theories, DM is composed of very light, spinless particles in an exotic state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein Condensate. We show that large collections of such particles can form stable structures with roughly the radius and mass of asteroids: R0 ̃ 100 km and M0 ˜ 1018 kg. We also show that if these particles also possess an attractive self-interaction, then structures with masses M > M0 are unstable to collapse.

Allyson HamlinMolecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology, PhDAdvisor: David Y. Hui, PhD

Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor Related Protein 1 (LRP1) and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

LRP1 is a ubiquitously expressed 600-kDa endocytic receptor known for interacting with numerous ligands. Abnormal LRP1 function has been implicated in the development of several pathological conditions. Previous studies have identified hepatic LRP1 as a regulator of HDL secretion—due to its role in transporting lysosomal enzymes—suggesting that LRP1 is necessary for lipid trafficking and lysosomal degradation. This study assessed the role of LRP1 in the development of steatosis, a causal factor in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatocyte-specific LRP1 knockout (hLrp1-/-) mice and their wild type counterparts (hLrp1+/+) were placed on a diet containing 40% kcal% fat and 1.25% cholesterol for 4 weeks. Liver sections demonstrated microsteatosis, early stage fibrosis and an increased number of balloon hepatocytes in the hLrp1-/- mice. The liver enzyme alanine transamine was increased in the plasma of hLrp1-/- mice, indicating cellular damage. The hLrp1-/- mice also displayed glucose intolerance in response to an injection of glucose. To determine mechanism, hepatocytes from hLrp1+/+ and hLrp1-/- mice were analyzed for lipid accumulation and lysosomal membrane integrity following palmitic acid treatment for 6 hours. Lrp1+/+ hepatocytes showed increased lipid accumulation due to impaired lipophagic lipid hydrolysis in the lysosome. Other studies showed that hLrp1-/- hepatocytes have increased sensitivity to palmitate-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial and lysosomal membrane permeability and increased cell death. These data suggest that LRP1 participates in hepatic lipid handling and trafficking, and it is necessary for lipophagic degradation in lysosomes.

Sarah UnserChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Laura B. Sagle, PhD

Enhancing the Sensitivity of Gold Nanoparticle Arrays

The use of noble metal nanoparticle arrays has been widely applied in areas such as electronics, catalysis, and optical sensing due to their diverse properties. Herein, we present the modification and enhancement of the sensitivity of gold nanodisk arrays fabricated through hole-mask colloidal lithography. The sensitivity was enhanced using three different strategies: growing silver shells around the gold nanodisks, binding small silver nanoparticles to the gold nanodisks and chemically etching the top surface of the gold nanodisks in the arrays. These modifications change the shape of the gold nanodisks and consequently produce a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) that is more sensitive to the surrounding media. In addition, increased surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signals were observed upon changing the surface properties of these gold nanodisks. Data is presented, revealing increased LSPR and SERS sensitivity using a UV-Vis spectrometer and micro-Raman setup respectively. Characterization of the modified nanoparticle arrays is carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Xinyu CongBiological Sciences, MSAdvisor: Dennis W. Grogan, PhD

Genetic Effects of Disrupting Sulfolobus acidocaldarius B-family Polymerase Pol 2 or 3

All Sulfolobus species have three B-family DNA polymerases and one

Y-family polymerase. It is widely accepted that DNA Polymerase B1—which has high fidelity and strong affinity to DNA—replicates the Sulfolobus genome, while the Y-family polymerase is reported to be an error-prone polymerase that bypasses a variety of DNA lesions. But it is unclear about the other two B family DNA polymerases’ natural roles. Since prokaryotic cells are highly streamlined, without unnecessary structures or enzymes, it is reasonable to think that each DNA polymerase plays significant roles. In order to uncover the natural roles of these two B family polymerases, we disrupted their corresponding genes and performed genetic assays, such as sensitivity to UV light and DNA damaging chemicals, of spontaneous mutation rates on these single polymerase mutants. This represents the first in vivo study to investigate the natural roles of the other two B-family polymerases of Sulfolobus species. Disruption of these polymerases changed the spectrum but not the overall rate of spontaneous mutation.

Stella MosherGeology, MSAdvisor: Brooke Crowley, PhD

Elizabeth BullardGeology, MSAdvisor: Arnold I. Miller, PhD

Stable Carbon Isotope Values (d13C) in Local Cincinnati Beers: An Evaluation of How They Compare with Larger Breweries

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Stable carbon isotope values (d13C) reflect plant photosynthetic pathways (C3, C4, CAM) and can be used to determine the authenticity of ingredients. Plants like barley follow the C3 photosynthetic pathway, resulting in more negative d13C values ranging from about -22‰ to -34‰. In contrast, corn follows a C4 pathway, yielding d13C values of -10‰ to -20‰. The traditional method of brewing beer uses barley, yet many larger breweries use corn in order save money, speed up production and increase alcohol content. We used d13C values to test the purity of the ingredients from 11 Cincinnati microbreweries, and four larger distributors. We also investigated the relationship between d13C values and different types of beer, ABV and IBUs. We hypothesized that local microbreweries and beers with higher ABV and IBUs would show a more C3 d

13C signature than beers brewed from larger, more widely distributed breweries. We also speculated that lighter beers, such as lagers, would show a more C4 d

13C signal. We found that the beer with the d13C signal closest to corn was the Yuengling lager (-22.1‰), from a larger distributor. The beer with the d13C signal most similar to barley was Mt. Caramel Imperial IPA (-28.0‰), from a Cincinnati microbrewery. There was no statistically significant relationship between d13C values and ABV or IBUs. We concluded that most beers sampled showed a more C3 signal, but that some may contain some contribution of corn.

Lakshmi Palaparambil DineshBusiness Administration, PhDAdvisor: Jeffrey D. Camm, PhD

The Unit Commitment Model for Power Interruption Contracts

The term unit commitment implies which generating units within an electric power plant should be operational during a particular time period. One of the costs involved in power generation and distribution is the cost the supplier incurs by signing up for an interruption contract with the customers. The model aims to understand when the power interruption contacts should be executed by the supplier, and how they could lead to overall cost minimization. When the demand is high, the choices for the supplier are whether to buy power from the spot market or to interrupt the customers’ service. Since spot market prices are usually very high, it might be more profitable for the supplier to execute the interruption contracts during peak demand times. The power interruption contract the customer has to sign up for has several attributes, each of which has levels associated with it. In order to assess the utility that each customer derives from these attributes, a statistical technique called conjoint analysis is conducted. In such a study, only the respondents whose overall utility exceeds a hurdle (their current plan) are chosen to sign up for the power interruption contract. The model in this paper adds the conjoint analysis constraints to the unit commitment model.

Oladunni OluwoyeHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Laura Nabors, PhD

Risky Business: The Impact on 17-Year Old African-American Males Exposed to Substance Use in the Household.

Adolescent exposure to substance use in the household is a significant

risk factor impacting adolescents’ behaviors and we need to identify factors related to their functioning in these risk situations. Study participants were caregivers of adolescents 17 years of age who were African American males. They completed telephone surveys for the 2011/2012 National Survey of Children’s Health. Adolescents who resided in households where substance use was present had elevated levels of risk behaviors (e.g., bullying). Adolescents residing in homes where adults engaged in substance use had lower levels of positive expectations about doing well in school, and were less likely to complete homework. Promoting resilience and assessing risk factors are important tools for assessing the well-being of adolescents residing in homes where substance use is a problem.

Surbhi BhatnagarComputer Science & Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Jaroslaw Meller, PhD

Towards Efficient Clustering of Genomic Data

This research seeks to investigate an efficient framework for clustering analysis of gene expression profiles by discretizing continuous genomic data and adopting the 1D-jury approach for fast clustering (previously used for protein model quality assessment). We use several cancer datasets to analyze the effect of discretization and 1D-Jury score projection. We also analyze how efficiently it can reduce the dimensionality of feature space while also enhancing the discovery of cluster structure and patterns in the data. We concluded that the proposed discretization-projection method can be a valuable tool for the analysis of gene expression data.

Jessica RingoChemistry, PhDAdvisor: William B. Connick, PhD

Harnessing the Properties of Platinum Complexes

Research in our group focuses on developing strategies for exploiting the unique properties of platinum in chemical-sensing applications and fundamental studies of cooperative electron transfer. Materials belonging to one class of platinum complexes undergo a reversible color change upon exposure to certain volatile organic compounds. Our research objective is to develop a detailed mechanistic understanding of this vapochromic response in order to tailor these compounds for chemical sensing applications. In this presentation, we will delineate the relationships between structural changes, thermodynamics, speed of response, speed of desorption, sensitivity and selectivity for a series of materials.

Another characteristic of platinum metal complexes is their tendency to undergo two-electron changes in oxidation state, coupled with bond-making and bond-breaking steps. This electron-transfer cooperativity is critical to the function of many 2nd and 3rd row transition metal catalysts for multi-redox reactions. In principle, fine control of these redox properties is an essential tool for designing and optimizing catalysts. However, little is known about the two-electron redox potentials because these outer-sphere electron-transfer reactions are typically irreversible—due to the accompanying large change in coordination geometry. To address this problem—and to begin to identify the parameters governing this redox chemistry—we are synthesizing complexes with ligand architectures that

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are capable of stabilizing both geometries favored by the d8- and d6-electron configurations. These complexes undergo outer-sphere, reversible and cooperative two-electron transfer.

Sergio MolinaMathematical Sciences, PhDAdvisor: Timothy Hodges, PhD

On the Existence of Semi-Regular Sequences

One of the mathematical problems with a major importance is the one of finding solutions to systems of polynomial equations. This problem has been a central question in mathematics since earlier times, and has become a central topic in cryptography. The security of many new cryptosystems relies on the difficulty of solving a system of polynomial equations. The concept of “semi-regular” sequences arises in the understanding of the complexity of solving systems of quadratic equations. Semi-regular sequences are sequences of homogeneous polynomials, which have as few relations between them as possible. Semi-regular sequences are important because experimental evidence suggests that most sequences are semi-regular, and we know the complexity of solving semi-regular sequences of polynomial equations. Despite the experimental evidence that semi-regular sequences are common, it was unknown whether semi-regular sequences existed, except in extremely trivial situations. We present some results on the existence and non-existence of semi-regular sequences.

Dale MerzChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Ruxandra I. Dima, PhD

Uncovering Unfolding Pathways for Actin-like Hsp70

The molecular nature of a protein and its domains can be probed using single molecule pulling experiments on the nanoscale. Using optical tweezers, the nucleotide binding domain (NBD) in heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) was unraveled to a completely unfolded state. This was done by pulling on the C-Terminus while holding the N-Terminus fixed—in both an apo form and with nucleotide bound. Understanding these pathways of unfolding, particularly with respect to the order of domain unraveling, may offer insight into the mechanical structure of Hsp70’s NBD. By comparison of experimental results with simulation—using the self-organized polymer model (SOP)—it was found that the predicted pathway of unfolding begins with the release of the final helix in Subdomain IIA from the nucleotide binding cleft. This is followed by separation across that cleft by stretching of the linker. In the apo form, unraveling in Subdomain II follows while in the nucleotide bound structure, unraveling in Subdomain I follows the linker stretch. Agreement between experiment and simulation in this investigation suggests an enhancement in rigidity in Subdomain II upon nucleotide binding.

Anish BhalchandraComputer Engineering, MSAdvisor: Fred R. Beyette, PhD

Mobile Interface to Plot and Analyze Wireless EEG System Data

Electroencephalography (EEG), a technology used to measure electrical activity in the brain through measurement of voltage fluctuations on the scalp, has been studied since the late 19th century. In the clinical setting, EEG is used to diagnose a host of psychophysiological ailments and brain injuries. Until a few years ago, EEG measurement required subjects to sit idle with a huge number of wires tethered to their scalps. With the advent of wireless EEG, many portable systems have been developed that can measure EEG with varying degrees of fidelity and accuracy.

However, most of these wireless EEG systems still require a desktop or laptop computer to analyze the wirelessly received EEG data. To make the system truly mobile, it is essential to develop a mobile phone/tablet-based application that plots and does basic analysis of this data. This application demonstrates a way to greatly improve the portability of wireless EEG systems without compromising their accuracy.

Carolyn RydyznskiImmunology, PhDAdvisor: Stephen Waggoner, PhD

Natural Killer Cells Suppress B Cell Immunity Through Perforin-Dependent Mechanisms

Accumulating evidence suggests that natural killer (NK) cells are critical regulators of antiviral T cells during chronic infection. We find that NK cells are also potent inhibitors of germinal center (GC) responses and the generation of long-lived B cell immunity after acute infection. A similar suppressive function was noted for NK cells after immunization with the non-replicating T cell-dependent antigen NP-KLH. This suggests that strategies to subvert NK cell-mediated inhibition may be able to improve vaccine responses. To determine whether cytotoxic function is important for this regulatory activity, we examined the contributions of perforin-containing granules and the death receptor Fas. NK cell inhibition of GCs was intact in Fas-deficient lpr mice but absent in perforin-deficient mice, thereby implicating granule-mediated cytotoxicity in this process. Moreover, we found that NK cells acted in a perforin-dependent manner during the first three days post-immunization to suppress generation of follicular helper CD4 T cell (Tfh) responses. The suppression of Tfh by NK cells was independent of the presence or absence of B cells, while CD4 T cells were required for development of virus-specific B cells. Thus, NK cells determine the quality and magnitude of B cell responses following immunization, predominately via perforin-dependent repression of Tfh responses. This immunoregulatory process represents an innovative target for interventions aimed at enhancing vaccine efficacy.

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Eva LutzDesign, MDESAdvisor: Mike Zender, MFA

The Draw-it Technique: a Participatory Methodology for the Design of Icons and Pictograms

Humans have been “speaking” with pictures since the beginning of civilization. Developing pictures that speak is a primary task for today’s designers. Research methodologies that reveal how users “see” visual concepts should help designers create more effective visual communication designs. This study investigates whether a user-generated drawing methodology, the Draw-it Technique, is an appropriate design research methodology for the design of icons and pictograms.

This thesis will document the supporting research to establish the basis for a user-generated drawing methodology, the Draw-it Technique; it will create the design, development and testing of The Draw-it Technique’s implementation protocols; and it will present potential areas of implementation for this design research methodology. The Draw-it Technique is a design research methodology that utilizes subjects from the user population(s) to create the visual language for a specific set of icons or pictograms.

This paper will define Draw-it protocols for administration of the technique with adult and juvenile subjects, the analysis of the collected data and the incorporation of the analyzed key insights into the design process. These guidelines are based on two research studies. A proven user-generated visual design research methodology could enable designers to bring users

into the design process earlier. This could help to establish a contextually relevant visual language, which could result in shorter development cycles and higher comprehension rates.

Lina MotlaghzadehCommunication Sciences and Disorders, PhDAdvisor: Noah Silbert, PhD

The Comparison of Auditory Capacity between Bilinguals and Monolinguals by Consonant-Vowel Dichotic Test

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the differences in auditory capacity between bilinguals and monolinguals using the consonant-vowel (CV) dichotic perception test. Bilingualism is well-studied in psychology and linguistics, with a number of studies revealing that exposure to two languages can lead to changes in the central system. Auditory capacity refers to the ability to relay information in sound patterns to higher brain centers. It involves observed measures of auditory capacity, reflecting the maximum amount of information that can be processed by the auditory system. The present study probed auditory capacity in 80 normal individual (40 bilinguals and 40 monolinguals). Members of the bilingual groups spoke either Turkish or Kurdish from birth and began learning Persian as a second language at or before 6 years of age. Listeners identified distinct consonants presented to each ear in a CV dichotic perception test. Consonant identification accuracy served as a measure of auditory capacity of individual listeners. Results indicated that auditory capacity was greater in the bilingual group. In general, higher scores were gained by bilinguals

relative to monolinguals. Due to the large number of bilinguals in the world, knowledge of the similarities and differences between bilinguals and monolinguals—as well as investigation of the effects of second language on central auditory processing—are important.

Andrew RosselotSystems Biology and Physiology, PhDAdvisor: Joshua Benoit, PhD

Dehydration of the Mosquito Culex pipiens Increases Metabolic Output and Propensity of Blood Feeding

Culex pipiens is a disease vector for multiple diseases, most notably the West Nile Virus, and it has a nearly global distribution. Understanding the mechanisms this mosquito utilizes to survive in diverse habitats can serve in population and disease management programs. Our project worked to understand adaptations relating to how C. pipiens can survive periodic bouts of dehydration in arid/dry environments. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that desiccated mosquitoes up-regulated expression of metabolic genes and pathways. This contrasts most arthropods that display a lower expression of metabolic associated genes when put in dehydrating conditions. This data suggests that dehydration in female C. pipiens will prompt increased activity, leading to more mosquitos ingesting blood. Female mosquitoes were placed under dehydrating (0% humidity) or control (100% humidity) for ten hours, which is when dehydrated mosquitoes lost 20% of their water content. After this 10 hour period, mosquitoes were transferred to an enclosure with access to an artificial host. Following a two-hour period,

the number of fed mosquitoes was nearly 4-fold higher in the dehydrated groups. These results confirm the hypothesis from the RNA-sequencing data, and they suggest that dehydration in C. pipiens prompts a last attempt to obtain a bloodmeal or another water resource before succumbing to dehydration. This information highlights the potential need for extra precaution in areas with high instance of C. pipiens disease transmission at the onset of drought or dry seasons. Further, studies examining blood feeding in mosquitoes need to carefully monitor hydration levels as this will substantially impact C. pipiens behavior.

Patrick Malsom Physics, PhDAdvisor: Frank Pinski, PhD

Understanding a Singular Limit of Path Sampling

In this work, I consider a particle moving in the presence of thermal fluctuations via a conservative force. Historically, Onsager and Machlup described this situation within the picture of Brownian dynamics. I present an alternative approach based on the hybrid (or Hamiltonian) Monte-Carlo (HMC) method.

The physically interesting situation is when the particle moves from one potential basin to another, across an energy barrier that is large compared to the thermal energy. I concentrate on “double-ended” transition paths; paths that begin in one basin and end in a different basin.

The novel HMC approach presented here relies on using a discrete representation of the path. For long paths, the method is consistent with the

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Boltzmann distribution, and the errors due to this representation are clear. In addition, I compare this novel approach to the continuous time limit of Brownian dynamics and uncover a singular behavior.

Moen SenMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhDAdvisor: Kathryn A. Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD

p16 Has Rb Independent Functions Critical for Suppressing Lung Cancer

Loss of Rb or p16 is detected in 70-100% of lung cancers. Rb and p16 are considered to function in a linear pathway. However, Rb or p16 are inactivated in phenotypically distinct lung cancers, suggesting that they have distinct functions in the lung epithelium. Our laboratory generated murine models with conditional Rb ablation targeted to the lung epithelium. Rb ablation during development resulted in epithelial hyperplasia and apoptosis at birth which resolved postnatally, demonstrating that lung epithelial cells compensate for Rb loss. Interestingly, p16 was upregulated in Rb-ablated lungs after birth. To determine the functional significance, mice with Rb-ablated lungs were crossed into a p16-/- background. p16 loss in Rb-deficient lungs resulted in an increased incidence of tumors, demonstrating that p16 has critical Rb independent tumor suppressive functions. Prior to tumorigenesis, p16 loss resulted in increased non-quiescent Rb-ablated lung epithelial cells. Activated p53 protein and gamma-H2AX levels were elevated in primary isolates of Rb/p16 deficient pulmonary epithelial cells, suggesting that p16 protects Rb-deficient cells from DNA damage. Since

DNA damage is a causative factor in lung carcinogenesis, we hypothesized that p16 has Rb independent functions in regulating DNA damage response. We optimized the bleomycin lung injury model to test our hypothesis. These data demonstrate that p16 has Rb independent functions critical for suppressing lung epithelial cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis, thus challenging the linear Rb/p16 model. Our established injury model will be utilized to determine molecular mechanisms underlying Rb independent p16 control of the DNA damage response.

Madhura MujumdarElectrical Engineering, MSAdvisor: Fred R. Beyette, PhD

A Head-Mounted Accelerometer Based System for Motion Classification of Personnel Working in Hazardous Work Conditions

Human motion classification is the process of systematic categorization of human activities on the basis of recorded data. Motion classification is useful in several application areas in clinical as well as non-clinical settings. These include, but are not limited to, activity monitoring, fall detection and remote observation of patients and professionals (such as firefighters, pilots, construction workers, miners, etc.) at risk in their respective work environments. Classification of activities for the purpose of monitoring is important for such professionals since they work in harsh environments and conditions of intense physical and mental fatigue. As a result, they are more prone to injuries and/ or fatalities due to system failures, catastrophes

due to natural causes, dangers and hazards at workplaces, psychological breakdowns, etc. The work presented here focuses on developing a real-time motion classification method for these personnel with simplicity, modularity and portability as its primary objectives. This classification is performed by using the data acquired from a single, head-mounted triaxial accelerometer unit interfaced with a microcontroller. This device distinguishes between periods of activity and inactivity in addition to performing motion classification of the five most common ambulatory movements. A trial involving 12 test subjects performing these five activities indicated feasibility of the use of the motion classification system in the near future, for real-time motion classification of a range of activities for professionals working in dangerous work conditions.

Jocelyn ConnollyAnthropology, MAAdvisor: Kenneth Tankersley, PhD

Venicia SlottenAnthropology, MAAdvisor: Vernon L. Scarborough, PhD

Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes in Cereal Grains as an indicator of Bronze Age-Early Iron Age Agricultural Practice at Sovjan, Albania.

Sovjan (so-vyon) is an exciting archaeological site in the Korçë Basin

in southeast Albania that has excellent archaeobotanical remains (due to its waterlogged nature). Numerous archaeobotanical samples have been recovered from Sovjan that illuminate what its ancient inhabitants consumed. We used stable carbon (d13C) and nitrogen (d15N) isotopes to reconstruct changes in agricultural practices for growing cereal crops from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. This was a significant period in European history that marked the transition from hunting, gathering and pastoral lifestyles into agriculture. The cereal crops used in this study, common millet (Panicum miliaceum), einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum) and hulled barley (Hordeum vulgare), were recovered from various contexts including storage deposits, ovens, hearths, floors, exterior of house walls and fill deposits. Results reveal a general enrichment in 13C over time, which signifies drier growing conditions. Nitrogen isotope values are quite variable for all the specimens considered, which could signify variability in growing conditions or varying importance of manuring. Learning about ancient farming practices helps us gain a better understanding of the rise of agriculture, as well as human adaptation to environmental change.

Annette VolkMechanical Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Urmila Ghia, PhD

Grid Refinement Study for a Coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method (CFDEM) Simulation of a Fluidized Bed

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Water forced through the gravel bed of a fish tank by a siphon vacuum removes waste particles buried in the bed by a technique known as fluidization. Other examples of bed fluidization range from the natural popcorn springs of Florida to industrial powder drying and coal gasification. The behavior of fluidization varies greatly between these examples and constitutes a major factor in the control and efficiency for industrial applications of this technique. The macro-scale behavior of fluidization depends heavily on micro-scale interactions, which are difficult to capture in experiments. In this study, we investigate the increasingly popular simulation technique for particle-fluid interactions (known as CFDEM) by coupling OpenFOAM, an open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, with LIGGGHTS, an open-source Discrete Element Method (DEM) code. We present a grid refinement study of a fluidized bed simulation to illustrate the additional simulation design constraints necessary for successful verification of CFDEM. Our simulation results compare well with theoretical correlations. The results of this work will be compared with experimental results to quantify sources of error in the simulation and experimental techniques.

Jessica KendziorskiMolecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology, PhDAdvisor: Scott M. Belcher, PhD

Exposure to Bisphenol A Increases Gland Nest Formation and Fibrosis in the Murine Uterus

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogen-like endocrine disrupting chemical

(EDC) that leaches from polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins, dental sealants and thermal receipts. Humans are ubiquitously exposed to BPA. However, little is known about the effect of an exposure to BPA on collagen accumulation in the uterus. 17ß-estradiol is known to control both collagen synthesis and degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the uterus. Increased collagen accumulation leads to fibrosis, a component of several uterine diseases that afflict humans including endometriosis, adenocarcinoma, and leiomyomas. This study assessed an exposure in C57Bl/6N and CD1 dams to a defined diet containing BPA (0, 0.03, 0.3, 3, 30, or 300 ppm) or 17a-ethinyl estradiol (EE; 0.0001, 0.001, or 0.01 ppm) on gland nest formation and fibrosis in the uterus. An exposure to BPA increased the number of gland nests and collagen in CD1 dams compared to CD1 control dams. C57Bl/6N dams exhibited a higher baseline of gland nests and collagen compared to CD1 dams. In CD1 dams exposed to BPA, Col1a1, Col3a1, and Mmp2 mRNA levels were altered compared to control. Activity of MMP2 and protein expression levels of pro- and active MMP2 and MMP14 were decreased in CD1 dams exposed to BPA and C57Bl/6N control dams compared to CD1 control dams. Exposure to BPA alters collagen accumulation in the uterus by increasing collagen synthesis and decreasing collagen degradation, which leads to a fibrotic phenotype. This data is the first report of gland nest formation in the murine uterus and highlights strain-specific responses to an exposure to BPA. This study suggests that exposure to EDCs may play a role in the development of uterine diseases with fibrotic components.

Katie SinagogaMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhDAdvisor: James Wells, PhD

Understanding the Biology and Maturation of Enteroendocrine Cell Types in the Mouse and Human Intestine

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are only 1% of the total number of cells in the intestinal epithelium, yet they regulate a wide variety of important physiological processes—including appetite control, digestion, absorption, insulin secretion and gut motility. There are 15 different EEC hormones localized in discrete regions of the small and large intestines, all of which require a transiently expressed transcription factor called Neurogenin 3 (NEUROG3). However, the mechanisms by which regional subtypes are specified from a common endocrine progenitor remains largely unknown. Therefore, we have generated an inducible NEUROG3 human pluripotent stem cell line to investigate downstream mechanisms that control EEC subtype differentiation. We have generated human intestinal organoids (HIOs) from this line, and we find that a transient burst of NEUROG3 expression is sufficient to induce formation of EECs. Moreover, we find that the regional identity of the HIO is a significant factor in EEC specification. In addition, different EEC subtypes arise at different times following NEUROG3 expression, suggesting a role for temporal maturation in the regulation of EEC diversity. Lastly, we observe that nutrients and the mTOR pathway play a role in the differentiation of these subtypes. Collectively, our data indicate that human EEC development requires multiple factors for proper cell differentiation. Ultimately, these studies aim to understand differentiation of EECs. They do this in order to uncover the mechanisms of endocrine metabolism/digestion in healthy and disease states, as well as the identification of potential endocrine modulators for future treatment of metabolic diseases.

Roseline YunusaHealth Education, PhDAdvisor: Liliana Rojas-Guyler, PhD

Stress, Social-Support, Socio-Cultural Adjustment and Emotional Health among International Students: Wellness Programming Through Purposeful Collaborative Development of Resiliency Coping Strategies

Enrollment increases of international students across US universities emphasize a need for wellness, stress-management, support and coping in health education. Given the cultural diversity, insufficient professional literature exists on effective wellness programing.

A mix methods 3-phase study was designed to explore students’ stress, social support, socio-cultural adjustment and emotional health. This presentation will address Phase 1 of the study. Phase-1 consisted of a needs assessment survey: A 5-section online survey was conducted utilizing Qualtrix software. Students were reached through recruitment emails, snowball sampling and word of mouth. Phase-2 includes confirmatory focus groups based on the community-based participatory research approach to design a wellness program. International students and stakeholders will join to gather data and identify resiliency coping strategies. In Phase-3, these findings will inform development of an intervention program focused on purposeful and collaborative. The study is based on the underlying premise of the phenomenological assumption that human experiences and action follow from their self-interpretation of their lived experience.

Data analysis results will be presented on demographical characteristics,

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scale scores on stress, social support, socio-cultural adjustment and emotional health items. Additionally, inferential statistical testing results will be presented and discussed.

Implications and Recommendations: Within the context of health education competencies for professional development, specific considerations for program development will be discussed.

Allison LesterEducational Studies, MAAdvisor: Mary L. Brydon-Miller, PhD

The Social Experiences of Early Childhood for Children with IEPs in an Inclusive Preschool: Supporting Inclusivity

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which children ages three to five years old with identified IEPs engage in play with their peers in different social learning environments (within an inclusive preschool at different times during the school year). This ongoing case study is using a modified behavior mapping method, interviewing methodologies and an adapted photovoice method. The researchers of this study anticipate that gaining a better understanding of the peer relationships of preschoolers with identified IEPs—and the effects of social learning environments—has the potential to provide relevant and useful information to important contemporary clinical and practice issues. In this poster presentation, the key features of this case study will be examined, and there will be discussions of how the digital tools used in behavior mapping and photovoice methodologies impact the use of different interpretive frameworks.

Shana WhiteBiostatistics (Environmental Health), PhDAdvisor: Mario Medvedovic, PhD

The Use of 3-Way ROC Methods for Evaluating Multi-Category Flare Models in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by periodic worsening of symptoms, or ‘flares’ which, if not properly treated, may lead to irreversible organ damage. When patients are diagnosed before age 16 as having childhood-onset SLE (cSLE), it is imperative that their flare episodes are appropriately monitored in order to avoid permanent damage to their developing organ systems. The severity of a flare will determine a patient’s course of treatment, with different courses of treatment typically assigned for patients experiencing no flares, mild to moderate flares, or severe flares.

When disease activity is a dichotomous outcome (i.e. diseased vs. non-diseased, or in this case, flare vs. no flare), traditional ROC methodology can be used to judge the discriminatory ability of a classification model. If disease activity is measured on more than two levels, traditional ROC methodology can still be used, but it imposes the restriction that only two levels can be compared at a time (or, prior to analysis, levels are collapsed into two categories). This not only ignores the clinical utility of a non-dichotomous diagnosis, but also reduces the power to achieve statistically significant results. Recently, multi-category ROC methods (in particular 3-category or ‘3-Way ROC’ methods) have gained popularity, as they

allow for the judgment of classification models without imposing a strictly dichotomous outcome.

The objectives of this study are to build classification models for global flare in cSLE based on a three level disease status outcome (no flare, mild to moderate flare, or severe flare), and to then judge those models using innovative 3-Way ROC methods.

Lauren HeitkampAnthropology, MAAdvisor: Katherine Whitcome, PhD

Gluteus Maximus Effect on Trunk Stability in Human Endurance Running

Two million year old fossils of the genus Homo show morphological evidence of adaptations for increased long distance and endurance running (ER) as a new hunting strategy (Bramble and Lieberman, 2004). A key correlate of ER present in modern humans, and hypothesized to be present in early Homo, is a hypertrophied gluteus maximus. The muscle’s activation and magnitude have been shown to slow the rapid and forward pitching of the upper body around heel strike in barefoot runners (Lieberman et al., 2006). Because unshod running is more often associated with midfoot and forefoot strikes rather than a rearfoot strike, this study examines the activity of the gluteus maximus in relation to upper body pitch in runners, shod and unshod, using a variety of footfall patterns. In a pilot study of three runners, at speeds of 1.25 m/s, 2.0 m/s, 3.0 m/s and 3.75, the mean trunk angle at foot contact of two subjects in barefoot running exceeded that of

shod running (p < 0.0001). Currently, 3D kinematic, kinetic and EMG data successfully collected from 24 subjects at walking speeds of 1.25m/s, 1.5 m/s, 1.75 m/s, 2.0m/s, and running speeds of 2.0 m/s, 3.0m/s and 4.0m/s will be statistically tested for foot strike pattern and the relationship between trunk pitch and gluteus maximus activity.

Branden ElmoreCommunication, MAAdvisor: Heather M. Zoller, PhD

A Communicative Approach: Analyzing the Counternarratives of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students at a Predominantly White Institution

This study considers the challenges of college students who identify as Black LGBT. The increased platforms for diversity and inclusion at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) provide more opportunities for conversations surrounding race and sexuality. This study investigates the meaning of these efforts as interpreted by those who are doubly marginalized. These students’ “counternarratives” highlight the challenges they face within dominant structures of higher education. Ethnographic methods and grounded analysis provide insight about how students navigate through a traditional system not originally meant for them. The study also includes a personal reflection from the author who identified with the study group. This process resulted in four major challenges presented for discussion: (1) comparisons to dominant culture and “white privilege”, (2) lack of representation, (3) participating for acceptance and (4) finding

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connectedness. The study concludes with a look forward and how the “counternarratives” help illuminate the issues that can later be reformed.

Sujan SarkarChemistry, PhDAnna D. Gudmundsdottir, PhD

Triplet Vinylnitrene Directly Detected in Solution and Cryogenic Matrix

Laser flash photolysis of 2-azido-1,4-naphthoquinone in solution showed the formation of triplet vinylnitrene 2 (λmax = 460 nm), which was detected directly. Vinylnitrene 2 has a lifetime of ~22 µs at ambient temperature. We also characterized the vinylnitrene 2 by obtaining its ESR spectrum at 5 K. In argon matrix at 12 K, vinylnitrene 2 reacts photochemically to form the nitrile 3. Density functional theory calculations were done to further support the characterization of vinylnitrene 2 and its photoreactivity. We elucidated the reaction mechanism by performing laser flash photolysis, low temp UV-vis, IR and ESR spectroscopy studies of 2-azido-1,4-naphthoquinone. We characterized the intermediates, excited state and photochemical products formed upon exposure to light.

Mellie June PaulinesChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Patrick A. Limbach, PhD

Robert RossChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Patrick A. Limbach, PhD

Modified Guanosine at Position 34 of Placental Human tRNA Asp(GUC) and tRNA Asn(GUU)

Transfer RNAs are adapter molecules which are necessary for protein translation. These small RNAs are post-transcriptionally modified, with over 100 modifications discovered so far. However, the biological purpose of a majority of these modifications remains elusive. Our group’s focus is to characterize and map post-transcriptional modifications; the system under study is human placenta. Here the tRNAs are isolated from the biomass, then enzymatically digested to oligonucleotides and nucleosides. These digests are then separated using liquid chromatography and analyzed by mass spectrometry. Nucleoside analysis allows us to have a snapshot of all the modifications present in the tRNA pool from the system being studied. Oligonucleotide analysis allows us to tell specifically which tRNA contains the modification, and on what base it resides. A challenge in oligonucleotide analysis is spectral complexity. In humans, there are over 240 structurally different tRNA. With an enzymatic digest of so many molecules, it is difficult to determine which oligonucleotide goes with which tRNA(s). A means to overcome this obstacle is the use of biotinylated DNA affinity probes, which

allow for isolation of a specific tRNA from the tRNA pool.Using these probes we have isolated tRNA Asp (GUC) and tRNA Asn

(GUU) from human placenta tRNA. We report—for the first time—the modification at wobble position, G34, of tRNA Asp (GUC) is a mannosyl/galactosyl queuosine where position G34 of tRNA Asn contains queuosine.

Nadeesha KoralegedaraEnvironmental Engineering, PhDAdvisor: Dionysios D. Dionysiou, PhD

Use of Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum (FGDG) as a Heavy Metal Stabilizer in Contaminated Soils

Flue Gas Desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) is a synthetic by-product generated from the flue gas desulfurization process in coal power plants. It has been used for many beneficial purposes: as an ingredient in cement production, in wallboard production and especially in agricultural practice as a soil amendment (due to its abundance, the purity of the material, its particle size, and its chemical and physical similarities to natural gypsum). Due to the high Ca 2+ and SO4

2- content and the alkaline behavior of FGDG, it can potentially be used to immobilize divalent heavy metals by precipitation, adsorption, cation exchange or by forming stable mineral complexes, especially in soils. This study evaluates the ability of FGDG to immobilize lead (Pb) in contaminated soils. Several leaching tests were performed on contaminated soils with and without FGDG amendment. About 50-90% Pb stabilization was observed with 5% FGDG amendment in all the leaching tests, under different conditions. The optimum conditions

to obtain maximum stabilization will be discussed.

Amy ThompsonEducational Studies, PhDAdvisor: Kathleen Koenig, PhD

Methods and Instruments to Assess Self-Directed Learning Skills in Undergraduate Medical Education

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that curricula provide active learning opportunities to develop self-directed learning (SDL) skills. To assist faculty, students, curriculum specialists and educational researchers, a literature review was conducted for SDL assessment methods and instruments—with attention to applications in medical education. The purpose was to learn the instruments used in undergraduate medical education, the contexts of the instruments’ use, and medical student performance.

PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science were searched and articles evaluated if titles and abstracts were pertinent. Abstracts and methods sections were reviewed for SDL instruments or assessment tools. An ancestry search and citation analysis was also performed. Twenty-one articles described five instruments and assessments, including the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, Oddi’s Continuous Learning Inventory, the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning, educational portfolios and learning logs. The articles described factor analysis results, students’ readiness for SDL, students’ change in SDL skills with and without interventions, the occurrence of SDL and correlation with other measures.

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Assessment of medical students’ SDL skills and progress toward competency is challenging. Measures to evaluate curriculum performance in promoting SDL skills are limited. The published data are global and age at matriculation can vary; this must be considered when interpreting the literature. Knowledge of an instrument’s measured construct is essential. Validation studies are needed before faculty can use these methods to assess student and curriculum performance in the SDL domain.

Amanda KrutzlerBiological Sciences, PhDAdvisor: Joshua B. Gross, PhD

The Evolution of Cranial Asymmetry and Shape Variation in the Blind Mexican Cavefish

Shape variation in the skull has been well studied in the context of adaptive evolution and several common human craniofacial disorders. However, the developmental, genetic and molecular mechanisms driving many of these changes remain unknown. To address this, we evaluated a series of natural, aberrant craniofacial phenotypes in the blind Mexican cavefish, which have evolved under extreme environmental pressures. Several populations of cavefish are completely eyeless, which has had a dramatic effect on the shape and positioning of cranial bones. Further, cavefish harbor dramatic left-right asymmetries in their skull. Extant surface-dwelling members of the same species, exhibiting stereotypical cranial phenotypes, enable comparative morphological and genetic analyses. Previously, a two-dimensional morphometric study revealed complete segregation of

cranial shape between cave and surface fish. Principle component analyses indicated the highest level of variation surrounding the orbit of the eye. Here, we extend our analyses to three-dimensions, assessing genetic loci associated with global shape changes and lateral asymmetry of the skull. Shape and symmetry were characterized using 32 landmarks measured in a hybrid (F2) mapping pedigree. These phenotypes were then used to perform quantitative trait locus analysis with a high-resolution linkage map (>5,000 genetic markers). We detected loci significantly associated with cave-specific craniofacial changes. Candidate genes identified from this study will be further investigated, using functional analyses, which will provide insight into the complex genetic mechanisms involved in craniofacial shape change and asymmetrical bone development across evolutionary time.

Yeon Jee SuhGeology, PhDAdvisor: Brooke Crowley, PhD

Erika FreimuthGeology, PhDAdvisor: Aaron Diefendorf, PhD

Stable Isotopes from Milk and Cheese Indicate the Dietary Composition of Dairy Animals from Organic and Conventional Farms

The stable isotope ratios of organic matter can be used to trace the biosynthetic source, geographical origin or environmental conditions that an organism experienced. We used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios to compare organic and conventional milks and cheeses from different animals (cow, goat and sheep). The conventional cow cheeses had higher carbon and nitrogen isotope values compared to the goat and sheep conventional cheeses, indicating a greater contribution of C4 plants in the diet of cows on conventional farms. Among the cow dairy products, there was a clear distinction of carbon and nitrogen isotopes between organic and conventional products, suggesting that the organic cows consumed more C3 grasses. This study demonstrates the reliability of carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses for determining the feeding conditions of dairy animals. With the limited information commonly reported in the food packaging including dairy products, stable isotopes will be helpful for consumers and food industry to infer dietary sources and production systems.

Wenting HuangImmunology, PhDAdvisor: William M. Ridgway, MD

Deficient Pkhd1 Expression Mediates Autoimmune Biliary Disease (ABD) on the NOD Genetic Background

We previously published that the non-obese diabetic (NOD) congenic strains, “NOD.c3c4” and “NOD.ABD” developed spontaneous autoimmune biliary disease (ABD) with features of human primary biliary cirrhosis, including anti-PDC-E2 autoantibodies. Here we created new congenic

mice with Abd3 (NOD.Abd3) based on SNP-chip result. We show that Abd3 is a recessive allele and is both necessary and sufficient for NOD autoimmune biliary disease. We demonstrate that the B6/B10 genetic background decreases the disease severity mediated by Abd3. Bone marrow chimera studies prove that the ABD pathogenesis requires expression of the Abd3 region in both the immune system and the target tissue. To further understand the ABD etiology at the early stage, we perform RNAseq analysis for CBD genes in 2-week-old NOD.Abd3 and NOD control mice and show that genes involved in cholangiocyte injury and morphology are upregulated, while genes involved in immune response are downregulated. Most importantly, RNAseq data also reveals the abnormal exon expression pattern of Pkhd1, located 2Mb away from Abd3, in CBD of 2-week-old NOD.Abd3. Pkhd1 is responsible for autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease in human which can have similar liver/biliary manifestation as in NOD.Abd3. Using PCR and Next-Generation sequencing strategy, we identified a novel DNA mutation which consists of an approximately 7kb insertion in the intron 35 of Pkhd1 in NOD.Abd3, strongly supporting the hypomorphic allele in NOD.Abd3 is a result of premature transcription termination. These findings suggest hypofunctional Pkhd1 in NOD background leads to tissue abnormality of bile ducts at early stage which ultimately causes autoreactive immune response in the liver.

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Mary HoffmanChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Henry Spitz, PhD

Staci HermanChemistry, PhDAdvisor: William B. Connick, PhD

Nuclear Forensics

Nuclear forensics is a multidisciplinary science focused on preventing, mitigating and attributing nuclear or radiological incidents. Scientists use a variety of analytical methods and tools to explore the physical, chemical, elemental and isotopic characteristics of suspect material to aid in law enforcement investigations. The nuclear forensics group at the University of Cincinnati is a joint endeavor between Dr. Henry Spitz in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Dr. William Connick in the Department of Chemistry. Students are trained in the techniques necessary to work in a national laboratory and become successful members of the nuclear forensics field, such as gamma and alpha spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, anion exchange separations and environmental sampling. Students perform research in a wide range of areas across the field: the use of environmental concentrators (i.e. rust, lichen) to aid in detecting actinides (such as plutonium and uranium); the differential migration of thorium and other decay products in melted uranium metal to improve age dating; and the isotopic signatures found in soil and other environmental samples after a weapon detonates or a reactor generates power.

Danni LanawayPsychology, PhDProject Advisor: Ann Kathleen Hoard Burlew, PhD

Caravella McCuistianPsychology, PhDProject Advisor: Ann Kathleen Hoard Burlew, PhD

Illicit Substance Use and Residence Type among College Students in the United States

Previous research examining drug use among college students suggests that residence type is associated with increased use of certain substances. For instance, students living in Greek housing tend to use alcohol and marijuana more often than those living in other residence types. However, little is known about the influence of where a student resides on the use of other types of illicit substances.

Specific Aim: The current study seeks to examine differences in the types of illicit drugs used among college students who live in different residence types.

Method: The current study is a secondary data analysis using data from the 2011 Healthy Minds Network study. Substance use is assessed with self-reported current use for a total of six drug types: marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, prescription stimulants and ecstasy. Residence type is evaluated with self-reported residence from six categories: Greek housing, residence hall, other university housing, parent’s home, off-campus and

other. Participants: Participants were 8,739 college students from 11 U.S

institutions. Data Analysis: A total of six, 2x6 Pearson Chi-square analyses were

used to assess for residence type differences in the proportion of students reporting specific types of drug use.

Results: A statistically significant relationship was found such that more students living on campus tended to report using marijuana, cocaine and prescription stimulants compared to students living off campus.

Conclusions: The current results suggest that there may be specific factors associated with living on campus that are influencing drug use. This highlights the need to further examine the potential variables driving this relationship.

Yongkun ZouMaterials Science, PhDAdvisor: Relva C. Buchanan, ScD

CaSiO3 Based Pigment Systems for Enhanced Al Corrosion Protection

A new benign conversion coating, based on synergistic effect of defect substituted CaSiO3/PO4 along with gluconic acid, is explored for aluminum alloy AA6061 in 1% NaCl solution. The electrochemical characterization technique (like the DC polarization test) shows great inhibition behavior in the aforementioned conditions; the effects are confirmed by SEM and XRD analysis of the coating surface. The test has shown that the coating

is as good as or better than the Chromate coatings. The basic mechanism is understood to be a cathodic inhibition of the overall corrosion reaction; the synergistic effect is seen when the gluconic acid is added to the already saturated mix of 1% NaCl and CaSiO3/PO4 solution. It seems on the surface of the aluminum, a gluconate-phosphate complex through the interaction of gluconate and phosphate with additional calcium hydroxyl, glassy silicate and phosphate film on the surface to guarantee the corrosion inhibition of metal substrate is under mixed anodic-cathodic control.

Ayse ArslanarginPhysics, PhDAdvisor: Thomas L. Beck, PhD

Modeling Ion Solvation in Ethylene Carbonate and Propylene Carbonate

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors are expected to have important roles in renewable energy generation and in electric vehicles as electrochemical storage systems. Non-aqueous solvents such as ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) are widely used as liquid electrolytes in LIBs. The electrolyte structure affects the efficiency of the ion transport, and understanding the solvent structure is essential for battery performance enhancements. This work investigates the thermodynamics of ion solvation in EC and PC. Free energy and enthalpy of solvation calculations have been conducted employing different force fields. Simulated annealing calculations have been performed to fit classical ion-solvent dimer interaction energies to quantum data. Non-bonded energy

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parameters are altered during the fitting process. The new parameters result in good agreement with the experimental free energy of solvation values, while the enthalpy of solvation results show deviations from the experimental data. These results suggest that classical models often do not accurately predict basic interactions in ion-solvent systems.

Patrick McGrathMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhDAdvisor: James Wells, PhD

The Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor NEUROG3 is Required for Development of the Human Endocrine Pancreas

Neurogenin 3 (NEUROG3) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that is required for development of the endocrine pancreas in mice. In contrast, patients born with NEUROG3 mutations are born with endocrine pancreas function, calling into question whether NEUROG3 is required for human endocrine pancreas development. To test this directly, we generated human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines where both alleles of NEUROG3 were disrupted using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene targeting. NEUROG3-/- hESC lines efficiently formed pancreatic progenitors, but lacked detectible NEUROG3 protein and did not form any endocrine cells in vitro. Moreover, NEUROG3-/- hESC lines were unable to form mature pancreatic endocrine cells following engraftment of PDX1+/NKX6.1+ pancreatic progenitors into mice. In contrast, a 75-90% knockdown of NEUROG3 caused a reduction, but not loss, of pancreatic endocrine cell development. NEUROG3-/- hESCs were stably transfected with a transgenic, doxycycline-inducible

NEUROG3 construct which robustly rescued endocrine specification in pancreatic precursors confirming that the endocrine phenotype was due to the mutations generated in NEUROG3. We conclude that NEUROG3 is essential for endocrine pancreas development in humans and that as little as 10% NEUROG3 is sufficient for formation of pancreatic endocrine cells.

Amrita MandalMolecular & Developmental Biology, PhDAdvisor: Joshua Waxman, PhD

Role of Wnt Signaling in Cardiac Progenitor Specification

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading type of birth defect affecting 1% of live births and ~10% of stillbirth. We currently do not have a clear understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying most CHDs. One of the signals that direct cardiac progenitor (CP) specification is canonical Wnt signaling. While our previous studies have demonstrated that canonical Wnt signaling promotes cardiac specification at the expense of hematovascular progenitors, fate maps of pre-gastrula zebrafish embryos have shown that the CP field is intermingled with pharyngeal muscle progenitors (PMPs). Interestingly, Wnt signaling has also been shown to inhibit pharyngeal muscle development in chicken embryos; however, we do not yet understand if cardiac specification is directly related to PMPs loss. Therefore, the goal of my proposal is to determine if Wnt signaling directly promotes CP fate at the expense of PMP fate in the zebrafish embryo. To manipulate Wnt signaling, I used heat shock inducible transgenic zebrafish lines and knockdown approaches. My preliminary data indicates that prior

to gastrulation, Wnt signaling inhibits dorso-anterior pharyngeal muscle development while promoting CP specification, suggesting Wnt signaling has an earlier role in cardiac and pharyngeal development. This study will provide a better understanding of the developmental mechanisms by which Wnt signaling directs the fate of cardiac and pharyngeal progenitors fate specification and the potential to generate novel therapeutics aimed at healing CHDs.

Shivani Kishor DumpawarMaterials Science, MSAdvisor: Relva C. Buchanan, ScD

Corrosion Control of HDG and CR Steels by Calcium Silicate/Phosphate Based Inhibitors

Calcium silicate based pigments have been much studied due to their proven capability of corrosion inhibition for Fe-based substrates such as HDG and CRS. Non-chromate based, non-toxic, environment friendly, easily available, low cost alternative and specifically processed Calcium silicate/Calcium phosphate based inhibitors were prepared by co-blending and spray drying techniques. Little work has been done in characterizing these pigments in terms of structural distortion, bond energy vibration, morphology and leaching behavior changes, which relate to the pigments’ corrosion inhibiting action.

The idea is to utilize the corrosion inhibiting efficiency of individual ions, which act as mixed inhibitor. New pigments are processed by different levels of addition (2.5, 5, 8, 10, 15 percent) of phosphates. Unique addition

levels of phosphates bring about their best synergistic action to exhibit enhanced corrosion efficiency, evident from electrochemical tests. This research attempts to discover what the role of phosphates is in this enhanced efficiency and how it performs.

Immersion tests, optical images, and XRD, FTIR, SEM and ICP-MS techniques were used to analyze the structural, bond energy vibrational, morphological and leaching behavior changes, and DC Polarization methods were used to study their corrosion inhibiting efficiency. This works helps in bridging the gap between processing technique and enhanced corrosion inhibiting effectiveness.

Victoria McKennaCommunication Sciences and Disorders, PhD Advisor: Lisa N. Kelchner, PhD

The Stability of the Coordination of Breathing and Swallowing in Healthy Children Ages 4–11

This study examined respiratory measures during swallowing in healthy children age four to eleven. Duration of apneic pause and respiratory phase were assessed across three conditions: dry swallow, thin liquid and puree. Results indicate that younger children exhibit longer durations of apneic pause as well as increased variability in respiratory phase patterns. Adult-like patterns of stability develop later in childhood.

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Jared TraversImmunology, PhD Advisor: Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD

IL-33 is Selectively Expressed by Esophageal Epithelial Progenitor Cells during Allergic Inflammation

Background and Aims: IL-33 is a nuclear cytokine that is expressed in mucosal epithelium and promotes Th2 disorders through extracellular release. Herein, we investigate the expression of IL-33 in the Th2 disorder eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We aimed to test the hypothesis that IL-33 is selectively present during active disease.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) were performed on esophageal biopsies of patients with inactive and active eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or control individuals. In vitro, IL-33 secretion was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: IL-33 mRNA was moderately increased (2-fold; p = 0.045) in active EoE biopsies compared to control biopsies. IL-33 expression in the epithelium only occurred during active disease and was limited to the nuclei of the layer of cells in direct contact with the basement membrane between papillae. These cells expressed E-cadherin, the basal layer epithelial markers Keratin 5 and Keratin 14, and the progenitor marker p75NTR. They did not express the proliferation marker Ki-67. In vitro, IL-33 secretion could be induced from esophageal epithelial cells.

Conclusions: IL-33 is selectively present only during Active EoE disease in the most basal layer in a quiescent progenitor population. We propose

that IL-33 is likely involved in disease induction.

H. Dushanee SriyarathneChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Anna D. Gudmundsdottir, PhD

Revealing the Carbon Centered Radical Reactivity towards Oxygen by DFT Calculations and Laser Flash Photolysis

Autoxidation of organic materials is a destructive process in certain circumstances. In particular, the oxidation of food can cause loss of nutritional value and changes in chemical composition. Oxidation of fats and oil leads to rancidity. To prevent degrading of such materials due to oxidation, antioxidants are often added during the manufacturing process. Antioxidants prevent oxidation by terminating this radical chain reaction. Highly unreactive radicals or radicals that are not reactive towards oxygen have the potential to be used as antioxidants. One criterion to be an antioxidant is the radical unreactivity towards molecular oxygen.

Most carbon centered radicals are highly reactive towards oxygen. Therefore, their ability to use as an antioxidant is less. But in high temperature polymer processing, HP 136 (an aryl substituted lactone that forms a carbon centered radical) is used as an antioxidant. This fact reveals that, due to some structural parameters, some carbon centered radicals can be unreactive towards oxygen. However, the parameters which control the reactivity of carbon centered radicals towards molecular oxygen are not well understood. By understanding the parameters, we could make better antioxidants with high scavenging properties to use in potential

applications.Thus, carbon radical based anti-oxidants have rekindled research interest.

Our study was an attempt to understand the parameters which control the carbon radical reactivity towards molecular oxygen. We are answering the question of “why some carbon centered radicals are not reactive towards oxygen while most react” using density functional theory calculations and experiments.

Fathima ThowfeikChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Edward Merino, PhD

Mechanistic Investigation into the Biochemistry of a Selective ROS-Activated Agent

Several cancers, like acute myeloid leukemia, are known to possess elevated reactive oxygen species. We designed and synthesized novel anti-cancer agent pro-drugs that are converted to reactive molecules upon oxidation by ROS. Our novel agent has been shown to be selective. Early experiments in our lab have shown that the novel agents can react with DNA oligonucleotides, yielding an addition of a phenol on the rings of guanine, adenine and cytosine. We hypothesize that the mechanism of action in cells involves DNA damage and repair. I have carried out experiments using MLL-AF9 ITD AML cells, which represent a strong model for poor prognosis AML. Our agent showed highly selective cytotoxicity against this transformed cell line (MLL-AF9 ITD) with an IC50 value of 1.8±0.3 μM, whereas normal blood cells showed an IC50 of 16.1±0.5 μM. Next,

single cell gel electrophoresis was performed to identify the DNA damage induction. These experiments revealed that upon addition of agent cells, exhibit 18-fold increase in agent-induced DNA strand breaks. Follow up experiments using flow cytometry quantified apoptosis post agent incubation. Quantitative proteomics revealed the activation of the mTOR signaling node as the survival mechanism. Western blot experiments further confirmed homologous recombination as the DNA damage repair mechanism. Combinational studies with mTOR inhibitor, temsirolimus showed a synergistic effect. Taken together these results provide evidence for combinational treatment of our agent with mTOR inhibitors as new approach for the treatment of AML.

Kosala Thenna HewaChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Anna D. Gudmundsdottir, PhD

Efficient Alcohol Release from Irreversibly Formed High Energy Intermediates of Photoremovable Protecting Groups

We have designed a new photoremovable protecting group 1 that releases alcohols in high yields. The photorelease of the alcohol takes place in argon and oxygen saturated solutions. We elucidated the mechanism for photorelease using product studies, ultra-fast transient absorption spectroscopy, ultra-fast transient Raman spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Upon irradiation, excited 1 undergoes expulsion of N2 to form singlet excited 2 that then intersystem crosses (ISC) to form triplet 2. Intramolecular hydrogen abstraction taken place on triplet 2 to form

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biradical 3. Biradical 3 undergoes lactonization to release methanol and form biradical 4. Intramolecular H transfer of biradical 4 forms final photoproduct 5. The high yield for the photorelease is due to the irreversible formation of intermediate 2 by the expulsion of N2.

Ke LiuImmunology, PhD Advisor: John Harley, MD, PhD

X Chromosome Dose and Sex Bias in Autoimmune Diseases: Increased 47,XXX in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjögren’s Syndrome

Objective: More than 80% of autoimmune disease is female dominant, but the mechanism for this female bias is not well understood. We suspected an X chromosome dose effect and predicted if so, triple X (47,XXX , 1 in ~1,000

live female births) would be increased in female predominant diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], primary Sjögren’s syndrome [SS], primary biliary cirrhosis [PBC] and rheumatoid arthritis [RA]) compared to diseases without female predominance (sarcoidosis) and controls.

Methods: We identified 47,XXX using aggregate data from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays and confirmed, when possible, by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR).

Results: We found 47,XXX in seven of 2,826 SLE and three of 1,033 SS female patients, but only in two of the 7,074 female controls (p=0.003, OR=8.78, 95% CI: 1.67-86.79 and p=0.02, OR=10.29, 95% CI: 1.18-123.47; respectively). One 47,XXX was present for every ~404 SLE women and ~344 SS women. So 47,XXX was present in excess among SLE and SS subjects as predicted by X chromosome dose effect.

Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of SLE and SS with 47,XXX being respectively ~2.5 and ~2.9 times higher than in women with 46,XX and ~25 and ~41 times higher than in men with 46,XY. No statistically significant increase of 47,XXX was observed in other female-biased diseases (PBC or RA), suggesting multiple pathways to sex bias in autoimmunity.

Lauren FreeseAnthropology, MAAdvisor: Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, PhD

Crafting the “Ideal” Vision: An Ethnographic Study of Design Researchers

The purpose of this ethnographic work is to further the anthropology of expertise by exploring the learning practices of design researchers, professionals who act as the interlocutor between the design community and the public. Evolving from anthropological practices and product design, design research is used to create more meaningful products and experiences by revealing dimensions of the end-user previously unknowable to designers. Lack of widespread institutionalized training in design research has fostered the creation of corporate apprenticeships that effectively teach social science methods to employees from a range of creative backgrounds. These apprentice design researchers learn via immersion, embodiment and collaboration—learning practices typical of design schools and thus familiar to most design research professionals. Learning outside of the dominant education paradigm shows a shift in the validation of expertise as disciplines expand the definition in response to an emergent need.

Heidi HsiehEpidemiology (Environmental Health), PhDAdvisor: Mary Beth Genter, PhD

Zinc Toxicity in Olfactory Neurons: In Silico, In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Zinc is both an essential and potentially toxic metal. It is widely recognized that oral zinc supplements can reduce the effects of the common cold; however, there is strong clinical evidence that intranasal (IN) zinc gluconate (ZG) treatment for this purpose causes anosmia (loss of the sense of smell) in humans. Using the rat olfactory neuron cell line Odora, we have

investigated the means by which zinc is toxic to olfactory neurons. Using RNAseq and in silico analyses, we found pathways associated with metal response, oxidative stress and ATP generation were up-regulated due to zinc exposure. We showed that Odora cells can recover from zinc-induced oxidative stress, but not zinc-mediated ATP depletion. Many genes in these pathways are polymorphic in humans suggesting that people may be differentially susceptible to zinc toxicity. Metallothionein (MT) is involved in metal response and oxidative stress, and polymorphisms in humans are associated with increased cadmium toxicity. Thus, we are using shRNA to reduce Odora MT expression to observe effects on ATP, oxidative stress and viability. Concurrently, we are administering IN ZG to MT knockout (KO) mice to test the hypothesis that KO will show more damage to olfactory tissue and delayed behavioral and histological recovery in olfactory neurons compared to heterozygous and wild-type (WT) littermates. Unexpectedly, in the small group of mice tested to date, we have seen that KO recover their sense of smell earlier than their WT counterparts despite sustaining more severe damage and delayed recovery of their olfactory epithelium. Future work will examine recovery over more time points and delve deeper into olfactory tissue recovery to explain these contradictory results.

Nadeesha WellalaChemistry PhDAdvisor: Hairong Guan, PhD

A Diphenyl Ether Based Secondary Phosphine Oxide as Preligand for Nickel-Catalyzed Carbon-Sulfur Cross-Coupling Reactions

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Transition-metal catalyzed carbon-sulfur cross-coupling reactions have received great attention among the organic community due to their importance in the synthesis of pharmaceutically active compounds that contain an aryl sulfide moiety. Air- and moisture-stable secondary phosphine oxides are attractive preligands for transition-metal catalyzed carbon-sulfur cross-coupling reactions. Although secondary phosphine oxides exist predominantly as the pentavalent form for the phosphorus center, they are prone to tautomerize to the less stable trivalent phosphinous acid. The phosphinous acid formed exhibits good coordinating capability toward transition metals. Compared to the well-known monodentate secondary phosphine oxides, bidentate secondary phosphine oxides are less explored but potentially superior in stabilizing active catalytic species. A novel bidentate secondary phosphine oxide was synthesized from the reaction between organolithium compounds and Cl(NEt2)PPh followed by hydrolysis in acidic media. This compound was fully characterized and its ligated nickel complex was demonstrated to catalyze the thiolation of iodobenzene. The optimized catalytic reaction conditions involve 0.5 mol% of catalyst, 1.1 equiv. of KOH (with respect to the thiol substrate) in DMF at 80° C for 1 h. Investigation of the substrate scope is currently in progress.

Sue SchlembachEducational Studies, PhDAdvisor: Victoria Carr, EdD

Spaces for Play: Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

The rate of women and children experiencing homelessness in the United States increased over the past decade. Research investigations of young children’s play in contexts of homeless shelter care are relatively absent from the literature on children and homelessness. Research findings from the fields of child development, education and cognitive neuroscience point to the vital role play serves in the healthy growth and development of young children. The lack of research in this area reveals a pressing need to explore play as it is experienced by women and children in the context of homeless shelters.

This ongoing study explores the available indoor and outdoor play spaces of young children experiencing homelessness in the context of local shelters for women and children. The purpose of this research project is to gather detailed descriptions of the characteristics of the space, materials and affordances available in shelters. This study follows an exploratory single-case study design, utilizing observation, field notes, semi-structured interview and photographic documentation methods in an effort to gather information pertaining to the characteristics of young children’s play environments in homeless shelters. Thematic analysis indicates emerging categories centered on: safety, quality, location, access, rules, privacy, privilege, control and resources. Findings from data analysis will offer detailed descriptions of the contextual nature of available indoor and outdoor play spaces for young children experiencing homelessness. Findings will be used to add to existing literature, evoke future research and facilitate public awareness initiatives of issues surrounding women and young children experiencing homelessness.

Mona JenkinsEducational Studies, MAAdvisor: Victoria Carr, EdD

Teaching Strategies for Gender Nonconforming Preschoolers

The purpose of this project was to explore the early childhood education experiences of a gender nonconforming child to see how teaching and classroom management strategies support her cognitive, social and emotional development. Exploring these experiences can be valuable to the field of early childhood education since many traditional preschool classrooms provide a learning environment that can be stressful for gender nonconforming children. Researchers conducted one hour long observation and interview sessions from multiple perspectives in order to gain insight from the experiences of the educators, school administrators, parents and the gender nonconforming child. All sessions were recorded using an audio recording device with the exception of the interviews for the gender non-conforming child. In an effort to capture an accurate and unbiased viewpoint, interviews were substituted with PhotoVoice. The observation and interview sessions were transcribed and analyzed to determine replicable practices likely to improve how educators, school administrators and parents can contribute to the cognitive, social and emotional development of gender nonconforming children in the classroom. New practices were proposed based on constructive lessons as well as failed situations and outcomes.

Kaylin EarnestChemistry, PhDAdvisor: Edward Merino, PhD

Improving In Vivo Properties of a ROS-Activated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Anticancer Agent

Current chemotherapy approaches for cancer treatment lack selective cytotoxicity, causing unwanted side effects. Recent literature studies have shown that some cancers show elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). For example, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cancer cells have shown an increase in superoxide ROS compared to normal blood cells. We are translating this observation into a pro-drug design approach, allowing ROS to oxidize the pro-drug in order to improve selective cytotoxicity. Our current lead agent has shown 10-fold selectivity between AML cells over normal CD34+ blood cells in vitro, but has been found to rapidly metabolize in vivo. We hypothesize, based on calculations, that metabolism of the phenol predominately occurs via enzymatic reaction with CYP1A2, one of the most common xenobiotic resistance enzymes. By modifying the free phenol with different lengths of polyethylene glycol (PEG) tails, we predict to see an increase in stability within liver microsomes. This is shown through the calculation of the inhibition constant (Ki) with CYP1A2. The higher the Ki value, the more stable the molecule. Comparing these results with other data, such as hydrolysis rate, the most stable PEG modification can be identified, and in vivo experiments using an AML mouse model will be done to determine if the properties have improved.

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Siri Langone Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

I Love Loosie

What if the things we loved caused your death? You would at least think to yourself, “At least I died for what I loved.” But what if the things we loved caused another man’s death?

Richard Wolhoy Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

No. 1 

Rick Wolhoy investigates the material transcendence of auto paint through history and memory. Wolhoy’s work has included investigations into social practice, aeronautic video capture/recovery, aluminum experimentations, autobody paint process and color theory. Looking back through his interests, growing up in Kentucky to an outward approach to minimalist practices in presentation, Wolhoy’s work relies on a labor driven aesthetic that disappears in the final artwork allowing the viewer to engage with the work on many levels. 

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Kathryn Ball Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Noel Anderson, MFA

Happy Family

I make stop-motion animations using my etchings and collagraphs, found images and objects. My materials often include teeth, fingernails, shrimp and meat in various forms. I re-contextualize and combine these materials to overturn the systems to which they belong. I like to project my videos onto miniature dollhouse-like structures.

Ian Horwitz Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

A Hyper-Masculine Approach to Sensitivity

My work explores the aggressive nature of life and sensual moods experienced by the American outdoorsman. Much like a tackle box, my paintings are compartmentalized on the wall with the intention of becoming one piece in its entirety.

Teal Porrini Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

Untitled

My most recent work examines curiosities. The work is both sensual and seductive, focusing on the materiality and physicality of paint and its interaction in space. These sculptural paintings display interest in the manners in which paint exists. I am interested in the way it pulls, sweeps, bends, folds, twists, separates and comes together effortlessly. The work displays the pervasive and ubiquitous qualities of paint. This body of work shares my interest in the piece of peeling paint I walked past last Tuesday and the bubbled beige latex that I stare at pensively while trying to fall asleep. I am thoroughly captivated by paint’s possibility to exist on a more sensory level and I am obsessive about uncovering ways to represent it in a more permeating way. The work is a plea for the viewer to join in my enthusiasm for the material. My work embodies a sensitivity towards blemishes and the aesthetically awkward.

Acrylic on canvas, 24”X24”, 2015.

Stephanie Lefeld Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

Family, Football, Faith

Family, Football, Faith is a documentary photography project that looks at small town/rural Ohio and how identity is created through material culture and architecture. This project explores five small towns in Auglaize and Mercer Counties in northwestern Ohio. The most important aspects of life for the residents of these towns is family (as most of them are related in some way or another), football (as it is a part of their lives that the whole town can support and it is a way for these small town boys to get out and experience new avenues), and faith (as this area is also called The Land of the Cross-Tipped Steeples and was a town settled by German Catholics 150 years ago). The photographs in this project are just a glimpse of what the culture of small town Ohio looks like, but the images also can tell you a lot about what life is like for these rural residents. The images presented are only a few of the many images that will be included in a photographic book.

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Mary Clare Rietz Fine Arts, MFA Advisor: Joseph Girandola, MFA

Tea Break

This winter, thirteen of us lived and worked at The Sanskriti Kendra, New Delhi, India, for a three week course titled Art in India offered jointly by Miami University and University of Cincinnati. Our group included two faculty—Tracy Featherstone (Miami) and Denise Burge (UC); ten undergraduate students; and me. The art practice I am developing as an MFA student combines with my background in community organizing to fuel a strong interest in engaging with people and materials in what I have been thinking about as aesthetic action. The graduate-level project I did at Sanskriti is an example of this coming together of the two threads of vocation that run through my life.

*********The participatory artwork, Tea Break, started with a circle of community

that existed among our university group and the staff of The Sanskriti Kendra—existed in that we shared time and space and a give-and-take of labor. Tea Break strengthened that connection by way of materials and a process designed to facilitate everyday ways of getting to know: names, self- introductions, and exchange of language.

The use of local handmade paper in Tea Break in shades of white (the color of some of the most special places in India) and embedded with rose and marigold (used in India to honor and celebrate), point to the holy nature of the circular experience of extension and return, when one offers something about oneself to another, and the other reciprocates.

In India, vessels are used every day to hold water and food, and for cooking. To commemorate the interaction of Tea Break, the white strands that extended between participants and are tied to their names have been coiled and formed into a white vessel, pointing to the idea that the connections we make with others are what sustain life.

Tea Break broke the habits and patterns of the everyday, and gave participants the opportunity to act out the meaning of the Hindi greeting “Namaste,” a circle that completes itself: As I am, so are you.

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