Fall 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium Abstracts

Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium October 20-21, 2017

PRESENTER

TITLE OF PRESENTATION

Tarunika Anand and Chris Malarcher

Shopping our Way to Virtue: Some Observations on Green and Ethical Consumption Strategies

Omer Ashmaig

Characterizing the Effect of Shot Mutants on Dendrite Morphology

Andrew Boateng-Poku

Direct and Moderating Effects of Social Support on African American Alcohol and Tobacco Use

Trong Duc Bui

Team based care at a primary care practice

Nina Burris

Italian Opera Seria at the Eighteenth-Century Imperial Russian Court

Brandon Chen

Optimization and Application of FACS-based CRISPR Screen for Identifying mTOR Regulators

Merry Chen

Characterization of the Caenorhabditis elegans cat-1 mutant

Veena Chittamuri

The Effects of Varied Protein Diets on Mice in Open Field Conditions

Jessica Cifuentes

Gas Phase Photoelectron Velocity Map Imaging Spectroscopy of the Beryllium Sulfide Anion, BeS-

Ronald Cornely

Dynamin Isoforms Show Differential Tight Junction Localization in Alveolar Epithelial Cells

Kim de Guzman

Investigation of the function of ETV1 in Zebrafish intestinal motility

Kim de Guzman

Problematics of Infectious Disease Control and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Post-Soviet Russia

Michael Demers

Henri Bergson and the Epistemological Dimensions of Politics

Ellen Dymit

Effects of Snowmelt Timing on Plant Reproduction

Amber Feng

Development of an Inhibitor of YAP1/TAZ Transcriptional Activity

Mollie Fiero

(Re)Gendering 9/11

Julia Gensheimer

Role of Glucocorticoid Signaling in CD8+ T Cell Function

Isabel Goddard

Friend Networks and the American College Experience

Riley Horne

Swish and Flick- The Magic of Artistic Innovations Print

Making, Trans-Pacific Art Techniques, and Tourism in the Pacific Northwest Soyon Hwang

Visualizing Brain Oscillations During Natural Interactions in Prairie Voles

Daniel Jacobs

How attention affects our perception of Faces, Objects, and Scenes

Lina Jowhar

Biological and Phylogenic Analysis of Human H1N1 Influenza Viruses Collected during 2015-16 in Baltimore, MD and Taipei, Taiwan

Carli Kovel

Modulating the Catalytic Activity of First-Row Transition Metal Complexes with Redox-Active Ligands that Incorporate Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

Bon Mu Ku

Identifying the Behavior of Aerosolized Methylchloroisothiazolinone Particle in Commercial Products

Timothy Lee

Comparative Morphometric Analysis on Dog Ventricles

Carly Moore

Dispelling the Origin: A Genealogy of Hysteria

Andrea Ochoa Lozano

Moda, Vida, ou GĂŠnero

Javier Omar

Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Olubusola Osunsanya

Albumin Levels Affect How Predictive Hemoglobin Levels are of Fatigue in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Shaily Patel

Individual variation in self-reports of reading difficulties for university students

Eli Patt

Dissociating face recognition from face identification in the human brain

Jessica Pei

The Effect of Aging on Motor Memory Formation After Training

Jonathan Peraza

Between Borders and Classrooms: Salvadoran and Guatemalan Identity Formation in Georgia Public Schools

Stephanie Pintas

The Role of Malassezia spp. in Atopic Dermatitis: Modulating Pathogenesis with Botanical Extracts

Paula Quezada

Serving the People, Body, and Soul: Revolutionary Black Self-Love at the Core of the Black Panther Party

Sunidhi Ramesh

"American Horror Story" in Real Life: Perceptions of a Marginalized Individual in Media

Shambavi Rao

S. pneumoniae Invasion of Epithelial Cells through the Tight Junction Barrier

Pamela Romero

An Examination of the Genetic Architecture of Alcohol Withdrawal

Anya RosenGooding

Use and Effects of Routine Pediatric Isoniazid Preventative Therapy (IPT) in HIV-Positive Patients at the Baylor Clinical Center of Excellence (COE) in Mbabane, Swaziland

Marina Stephens

Archaeological Research in The Sanctuary of the Great Gods Samothrace

Kia Thomas

Dose and Time Dependent Changes to Rotation Behavior and Immunoreactivity of TH Staining in 6-OHDA Lesion Mice

Linda Wu

Investigation on the Effect of Different Organic Cover Crop Techniques on Soil Fertility and Microbial Diversity.

PRESENTERS

Tarunika Anand and Chris Malarcher

: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Shopping our Way to Virtue: Some Observations on Green and Ethical Consumption Strategies Tarunika Anand and Chris Malarcher, Emory University

The advent of pressing environmental and ethical issues facing modern society has caused many consumers to examine their purchasing habits and become self-proclaimed green consumers. Green consumers are defined based on their purchasing patterns of goods that are marketed to be ecologically favorable and ethical. Despite preconceptions that green consumers are a monolithic group with uniform values, the studies and papers sampled in this review demonstrate a tapestry of differing perspectives and patterns of consumption. In this review, we will discuss major findings from various studies such as motivations and behaviors of green consumers, the complexity of green consumers, the effect of socioeconomic status on green consumption activity, and the relationship between gender and green consumption. Through a critical review of the literature surrounding green and ethical consumerism, we can gain a more nuanced understanding of green consumers and evaluate consumption strategies as methods of social change.

Further research should be conducted to augment our current knowledge on green consumer behavior and to connect this topic to other academic disciplines. The information contained in this review can be used by academics and industry professionals alike to formulate positive strategies to cater to green consumers and gain a clearer insight into modern consumer behavior in general.

PRESENT ER: TITLE: AUTHORS :

Omer Ashmaig Characterizing the Effect of Shot Mutants on Dendrite Morphology Omer Ashmaig, Yuh-Nung Jan, PhD; Caitlin E. O’Brien, PhD

There is a pressing need to better understand neuronal morphology, which is essential for the proper wiring of the nervous system. Faulty wiring and abnormalities in neuronal morphology are features in many neurological disorders. Neuronal morphology depends on the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton. An important component of these cytoskeletal elements include spectraplakins, a family of scaffolding proteins responsible for crosslinking microtubules and actin.

Spectraplakins regulate cytoskeletal dynamics, and are responsible for sensory and motor axon extension. In Drosophila, short stop (shot) encodes the single spectraplakin. Shot shares homology with mammalian dystonin, which is mutated in a subset of patients

with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSAN). While shot has been studied in axons, the role of shot in dendrites has not been fully explored. In this study, we aim to explore the role of shot in dendrite arborization and microtubule stability in Drosophila peripheral sensory neurons.

PRESENTER Andrew Boateng-Poku : TITLE: Direct and Moderating Effects of Social Support on African American Alcohol and Tobacco Use AUTHORS: Andrew Boateng-Poku, Chelsie Benca PhD, Rohan Palmer PhD, Behavioral Genetics of Addiction Laboratory, Department of Psychology at Emory University; Keith Whitfield PhD, Wayne State University Background: Previous literature has noted that some individuals endorse using substances as a coping mechanism to deal with daily life stressors (Fraser, 1984; Goeders, 2004). The present study explored these prior observations under the assumption that a lack of available positive coping mechanisms, specifically social support (SS) from family and peers, may influence the relationship between perceived stress (PS), depressed mood (DM), and substance use (SU). It particularly focuses on African American populations, an underrepresented populace in scientific research (Whitefield, 2013). We hypothesized that SS would have a direct and protective effect on PS and DM, but also moderate the association between PS, DM, and SU. Participants: Data was from the North Carolina African American Twin Study on Aging (men=39.7% of participants; mean age=49.86 years ). SS was a composite made up of 5 community support variables (emotional support, instrumental support, frequency of household help, rides and advice given from family and peers). PS was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale.

DM was assessed using the CES-D 10. SU was determined using measures of alcohol and tobacco consumption. Results: A significant association was observed between DM and tobacco usage. This differed for alcohol usage which showed limited association with DM. Additional analyses are required prior to ascertaining the presence of a moderating effect from SS. Summary: SS’s potential to mitigate the various relationships between PS, DM, and SU illustrates that further inquiry is required to assess how alternative coping mechanisms may inhibit detrimental outcomes due to daily life stressors.

PRESENTER:

Trong Duc Bui

TITLE: AUTHORS:

Team based care at a primary care practice Trong Duc Bui, Emory University; Adeeb Rohani, Florida International University; Paul Di Capua, MD, MBA, MSHPM, Baptist Health Medical Group

Improved population health, increased patient satisfaction, and reduction of cost per-capita in healthcare are widely accepted as the goals and excellence parameters of healthcare systems, often referred to as the “Triple Aim”. It has been argued that this triple aim is only achievable with reduction of health providers’ burnout and dissatisfaction and therefore should be expanded to the “Quadruple aim”. Our investigation attempts to address the “Fourth Aim” by focusing on team-based care at a primary care practice. We believe that professionals and doctors are only able to provide to their full capacity if they are part of a high-functioning team and healthcare system.

Previously validated surveys were provided on December 2016 to the staff of the West Kendall Baptist Hospital Family Medicine Center as a baseline. With the assistance of the administration, bi-monthly meetings were implemented along with facilitated discussions, staffing adjustments, liberating structures, and layout changes focused on improving team-based care. A second survey was provided on August 2017 for a longitudinal comparison. The data showed more than 10% growth in the processes necessary for team-based care. Processes for conflict resolution were found to be statistically significant and the overall perceived calmness by healthcare providers increased 105%.

Upon direct discussion with the staff, there was a broad sense of improved team stability and processes. The next step in our investigation will continue to focus on how measures affect the team-based care approach but most importantly how these changes reflect on the patient’s care and satisfaction.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Nina Burris Italian Opera Seria at the Eighteenth-Century Imperial Russian Court Nina Burris, Emory University

My research examines the role of Italian opera seria at the imperial Russian court in St. Petersburg from the genre’s introduction under Empress Anna (r.

1730-40) through the reign of Catherine the Great (r. 1762-96). I examine connections between the compositional and performance expectations of opera seria and its role in promoting imperial authority, indicating reasons for the lasting importance of Italian opera in Russian court life throughout the eighteenth century. I consider the ways in which the preexisting conventions of opera seria, including musical forms as well as recurring character types, plots, and libretti, were utilized by both Italian and Russian composers employed by the Russian empresses.

I have selected three operas (Francesco Araia, La forza dell’amore e dell’odio; Baldassare Galuppi, Ifigenia

in Tauride; and Dmitri Bortnianskii, Alcide) as primary examples. I analyze each work within the contexts of its original composition or revision and its performance. I discuss several of the ways in which the empresses and their ideals were represented and promoted onstage via the borrowed dramatic and musical conventions of Italian opera seria. Through comparative analyses of operas produced throughout the period under consideration, I evaluate the extent to which the expectations for such functions influenced the dramatic and musical structures of operas composed or revised for the Russian court. I then consider whether opera seria created for this setting can be said to have derived its own set of characteristic conventions from those of its native Italian predecessors.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Brandon Chen Optimization and Application of FACS-based CRISPR Screen for Identifying mTOR Regulators Brandon Chen, Emory University; Charles H. Adelmann, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David Sabatini, MD/PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) is an essential protein kinase that regulates various eukaryotic signaling pathways involved in cell growth and human diseases such as cancer. There are various regulators in the mTOR signaling pathway that control mTOR activity, for instance GATOR1. These regulatory proteins have been primarily identified through biochemical methods such as Affinity-purification/mass spectrometry. However, these proliferation-based assays have caveats that limit complete detection of all proteins involved in this pathway. For example, transient kinase phosphorylation may not be captured instantaneously. Therefore, we developed a fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based CRISPR screening platform to discover potential regulators of the mTOR pathway.

Additionally, we optimized double-knockout (KO) systems for generating pairwise CRISPR libraries that enable efficient redundant and genetic interaction focused screens. We tested human U6 (hU6) promoter with synthetic U6 (sU6) promoter for their double KO efficiency against GFP in high GFP expressing K562 cells. One promoter was designed to be upstream of GFP, and the other being AAVS1, a control guide sequence. To test for positional biases for hU6 and sU6 promoters, we switched promoter positions for the sequences and compared their respective GFP KO efficiencies. We discovered a 72.7% GFP KO efficiency for hU6-promoter and 83.0% for sU6promoter, and concluded this system provided us with an efficient model to test double KO in the future. Based on our results, we could use genetic screening approach to tackle problems that biochemical assays fall short of, and potentially identify novel regulators in the mTOR pathway and characterize their activities.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Merry Chen Characterization of the Caenorhabditis elegans cat-1 mutant Merry Chen; Joshua M. Bradner; Michelle Johnson; Vrinda Kalia, MPH; Teresa Durham; Gary W. Miller, PhD, Emory University

Vesicular monoamine transporter 2, or VMAT2, is a protein that is involved with loading dopamine into synaptic vesicles within terminals before they are transported and released in the synaptic cleft. Previously, our lab has shown that VMAT2 is protective against dopamine degeneration in mice. We have recently begun working with C. elegans models due to their properties as a model organism; not only are they easy to maintain but their transparency allows us to visualize dopamine neurons under a fluorescence microscope.

Additionally, the C. elegans genome contains many genes homologous to those found in humans. To investigate VMAT2, we are interested in using mutants in the cat-1 gene, a homolog of the mammalian VMAT2. We have been working on characterizing the strain through quantitative methods such as Western blotting with CAT-1 specific antibody and PCR to confirm deletion of the cat-1 gene. Various behavioral assays such as grazing, pharyngeal pumping, body movement on and off bacteria, and thrashing in liquid demonstrate behavioral abnormalities indicative of monoaminergic deficits.

Previous assays have used the e1111 strain of worms, which produce a truncated form of cat-1. We also tested the ok411 strain of worms, a 429bp deletion mutant and a true cat-1 knockout. Future directions include crossing the ok411 strain with one expressing GFP driven by the dopamine transporter (dat-1) promoter, providing visualization of dopamine neurons in a cat-1 deficient background. If successful, this new strain will be used to test for enhanced vulnerability of dopaminergic degeneration in worms lacking this VMAT2 homolog.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Veena Chittamuri The Effects of Varied Protein Diets on Mice in Open Field Conditions Veena Chittamuri, Sarah Budischak, Tina Hansen, Istvan Pelzer

In the past decade, metabolomics, the large-scale study of metabolites, has gained increasing precedent. However, metabolic databases are dominated by data on pathogen-free mice. Recent studies detailing the importance of gut micro-biome on immunity suggest the relevance of studying mice in natural environments in order to better translate to human immuno-

evolution. In this experiment, mice are kept in semi-natural environments, and fed two diets: 20% protein and 6% protein. Using 1H-NMR spectroscopy, the fecal metabolites are identified and analyzed to reveal a clustering relationship between the two experimental groups. Consequently, the loading graphs from the OPLS-DA statistical analysis reveal that the mice fed the 6% protein diet have a greater number of carbohydrate metabolites in their feces while the ones fed the high protein diet revealed a higher concentration of essential amino acids, suggesting a difference in the metabolic profiles between them. Additionally, the mice fed with the 20% protein diet have a higher IgG1 antibody concentration in response to the Trichuris muris antigen, revealing a stronger first defense against immunity.

Further research will focus on optimizing the 1H-NMR, studying the relationship between the micro- biome and the metabolic profile, as well as quantifying total IgG concentration and understanding the differences in metabolites.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Jessica Cifuentes Gas Phase Photoelectron Velocity Map Imaging Spectroscopy of the Beryllium Sulfide Anion, BeSJessica E. Cifuentes, Amanda R. Dermer, MS, Emory University; Mallory L. Green, PhD, Emory University; Kyle J. Mascaritolo, PhD, Emory University; Michael C. Heaven, PhD, Professor, Emory University

The X 2Σ+ → X 1Σ+ transition of the BeS− to the BeS ground state molecule was studied using photoelectron velocity map imaging spectroscopy to find the electron affinity, and information about the quantum states. This method uses light from a tunable laser source, Nd:YAG or Excimer pumped dye laser, to detach electrons from molecules and velocity map them onto a positionsensitive detector using ion optics. Detached electrons are mapped after every laser pulse to create images, which are then compiled to create spectra of intensity vs. electron kinetic energy (eKE). The closer the energy was to the detachment energy of BeS−, the higher the electron kinetic energy resolution. From the electron kinetic energy, vibrational transition energies were determined and evidence of rotational contours were found.

The results agreed with theoretical calculations.

PRESENTER: TITLE:

Ronald Cornely Dynamin Isoforms Show Differential Tight Junction Localization in Alveolar Epithelial Cells

AUTHORS:

Ronald M. Cornely, K. Sabrina Lynn, and Michael Koval, PhD, Emory University

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Kim de Guzman Investigation of the function of ETV1 in Zebrafish intestinal motility Kim de Guzman, Nate Schapmann, Iain Shepherd

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the pacemaker cells of the gut, play a pivotal role in mediating proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Slow waves generated by these cells coupled with neural input from the enteric nervous system (ENS) stimulate contractions within the gut. Previous work has implicated ICC in various gastrointestinal diseases, with gut motility being compromised where ICC are sparse. Currently, there are no reliable early embryonic markers of ICC in zebrafish Danio rerio. This study investigates whether the gene ETV1 transcription factor is a compelling potential marker. We have utilized in situ hybridization to identify the expression patterns and describe their embryonic expression patterns 24120 hours post fertilization (hpf). We have then functionally investigated the role of ETV1 in zebrafish embryos. We have knocked down ETV1 expression using splice-blocking morpholino oligonucleotide that has resulted in a distinct morphant phenotype. Embryos injected with 5Îźg/ml of morpholino demonstrated shortened and curved tails as well as hindbrain cell necrosis as early as 48 hpf in addition to markedly delayed development in 24 hpf relative to control embryos. We are currently characterizing with respect to ENS development and intestinal motility. Currently, we are employing an immunocytochemistry approach and utilizing known ICC marker ANO1 along with HuC/D double labeling to further confirm that we are indeed perturbing and losing ICC and not enteric neurons.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Kim de Guzman Problematics of Infectious Disease Control and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Post-Soviet Russia Kim de Guzman, Emory University

This work examines the HIV/AIDS epidemic in post-Soviet Russia and assesses the co-occurring economic, sociopolitical, and sexual revolutions that may have helped precipitate the disease’s uproar within recent years.

Drawing from a historical analysis of the arguably successful Soviet healthcare delivery model, this work delineates shortcomings of the post-

Soviet regime on the healthcare front. The political transition created radical changes in the healthcare delivery model and engendered a healthcare revolution, one wherein healthcare was once a responsibility assumed by the state but is currently an assumption of the individual who must now go through private healthcare insurers. With merely ~5% of Russian citizens possessing health insurance since 2013, citizens become vulnerable to chronic and infectious disease. Debacles on the economic front may explain the initial spread of the epidemic what with consistent underfunding for healthcare in the nation’s GDP forcing healthcare providers to reuse syringes and needles. Unsanitary practices like such directly resulted in the infection of thousands of mothers and children in hospitals at the very outset of the epidemic. To further complicate this vignette, the notion of HIV/AIDS as a “moral” epidemic emerges almost inevitably given the country’s strong religious predispositions. Stigmatization and even violence from political and religious entities further marginalize groups most vulnerable to the disease, making potential solutions in mitigating the epidemic’s spread even more difficult. This work seeks to answer the questions of how, causally, this disease came about and more importantly, what factors allow the epidemic to persist so virulently.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Michael Demers Henri Bergson and the Epistemological Dimensions of Politics Michael Demers, Emory University

With the advent of emerging trends in the production and exchange of knowledge and especially the defense of so-called “alternative facts” in politics, many of philosophy’s epistemological questions appear to have risen to the fore of American political discourse. Taking the above-mentioned trends as topics of study, my project revisits the fundamental questions of epistemology as they are considered in the work of Henri Bergson. Bergson was a 20th-century French philosopher whose account of human experience and knowledge is well-suited for the aims of my project, not only because of its expansive exploration of the different forms of experience and knowledge but also because of its special attention to politics. In particular, my project considers Bergson’s account of the relationship between what he identifies as the two principal ways humans are able to experience and come to know the world, intellect, and intuition. Ultimately, my project concludes that Bergson’s epistemology can help answer questions being asked about the epistemological dimensions of emergent political trends, problematize some of the answers already given to those questions, and finally raise new questions about the different forms of knowledge and their significance for politics.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Ellen Dymit Effects of Snowmelt Timing on Plant Reproduction Ellen Dymit, Emory University

Globally, pollinators play an integral role in the function of ecosystems by facilitating the reproduction of crops and wild plants. Insects such as bees, wasps, and flies transfer pollen between the flowers of plants as they forage, a process which is essential to the reproductive success of many plant species. Because the timing of plant flowering and pollinator emergence are dependent on different environmental cues, shuffling of the interactions between plants and pollinators driven by global climate change is a growing concern. In order to assess how changes in plant flowering time affect pollination networks and consequently the reproductive success of plant communities, I conducted a set of experiments accelerating snowmelt within replicated plots in subalpine meadows at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL). Contrary to my initial hypothesis that mismatches between plant flowering times and pollinator emergence times driven by snowmelt manipulations would result in reduced plant seed production in plots with accelerated snowmelt compared to non-accelerated controls, my data demonstrate that early snowmelt has a positive effect on the reproductive success of plants. I observed increased seed production in snowmelt accelerated plots, which suggests that plants within these plots experienced increased visitation from pollinators despite their earlier flowering times. This relationship may reflect a “flower island effect�, wherein the snowmelt accelerated plots contained the sole open flowers that an entire valley of pollinators could visit before the rest of the meadow came into bloom.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Amber Feng Development of an Inhibitor of YAP1/TAZ Transcriptional Activity Amber Feng, Emory University; Jeannie Park, BS, Cornell University; Pilar Pedro, PhD, National University of Cordoba; Ramiro Iglesias-Bartolome, PhD, National University of Cordoba

The Hippo signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, playing a significant role in organ growth. Dysregulation of this pathway has been linked to tumorigenesis through uncontrolled cell growth.

When the cascade is inactive, YAP1 and TAZ, downstream co-transcriptional activators, translocate into the nucleus to bind the transcription factor TEAD and induce transcription, increasing cell growth and blocking differentiation.

Here, we created a peptide that blocks the specific YAP1/TAZ and TEAD interaction in the nucleus in order to study downstream targets of these factors without disrupting structural or cytoplasmic functions of YAP1/TAZ in the Hippo pathway. Successful nuclear localization of the peptide, inhibition of interaction, and inhibition of activity were tested using Immunofluorescence, Western blotting, Luciferase assay, and Coimmunoprecipitation. Creation of this peptide allows for rapid and specific regulation of YAP1/TAZ transcription, and helps elucidate the downstream targets in this signalling cascade.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Mollie Fiero (Re)Gendering 9/11 Mollie Fiero, Emory University

September 11, 2001 was a turning point in American cultural and political history. Cemented in America’s public memory, 9/11 has brought the social burden to “never forget” on generations of Americans and their allies around the world. Critical studies of the response to 9/11 have interrogated America’s memory of the event from a critical security, critical terrorism, and gender-based international relations perspective. Feminist scholars have used gender as a lens to understand the reaction to 9/11, from hypermasculinization of search and rescue efforts and to the rhetoric of invasion in Afghanistan. My work challenges images presented both by classical feminist theories and conservative political discourses by interrogating the absence of women from Iraq and Afghanistan’s experience of the events of 9/11.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Julia Gensheimer Role of Glucocorticoid Signaling in CD8+ T Cell Function Julia Gensheimer, William H. Hudson, Rafi Ahmed, Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Vaccine Center

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER:

Isabel Goddard

TITLE: AUTHORS:

Friend Networks and the American College Experience Isabel Goddard, Emory University

College in the American context is often conveyed as a key social equalizer, a vehicle for social mobility and a site of individual growth as well as social network formation. Numerous studies have examined and debated whether institutions of higher education truly foster mobility or instead reproduce social hierarchies. In addition to academic skills and credentials, the social networks students establish are central to the college experience and, likely, life beyond university. In this research, I turn to friendship as the heart of social networks. In principle, students go away to universities with diverse student bodies in order to be exposed to people different from themselves and to make the friendships that will last for the rest of their lives. These connections reach not only into intimate and social domains but also into professional ones. In other words, many of us believe that, in college, we will meet the people who will not only be at our weddings but who may also get us an interview at a prestigious law firm or Fortune 500 company. Thus, the story America tells itself (and that much of the rest of the world admires) is that college is not only a vehicle for educational attainment and professional advancement but also crucial for forming life-long social attachments.

Through in-depth interviews with forty Emory students and a survey with 50 anonymous respondents, I explore how these formative friendships, framed through gender, class, and socio-cultural analysis, are imagined and created in the American college environment.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Riley Horne Swish and Flick- The Magic of Artistic Innovations Print Making, Trans-Pacific Art Techniques, and Tourism in the Pacific Northwest Riley Horne, Tasha Dobbin-Bennett, PhD

Killer Whale Print is a silkscreen print from Northland Silkscreen Studio in Ketchikan, Alaska. The piece is in the tradition of Northern Style formline design and is part of the twentieth-century art revival of the Peoples of the Pacific Northwest, a group stretching from Northern California to Southern Alaska. A unique factor in this print is that it sits on Japanese handmade mulberry paper that is beautifully crafted. An even more fascinating aspect of the mulberry paper is that it shows signs of being embossed, a western papermaking technique, and has a beautiful diamond pattern rippling over its surface. This presentation looks at the physical and technical elements of this paper as well as the historical conditions that allowed these techniques to cross the Pacific Ocean. These historical influences included the rise of industry, infrastructure, immigration, and the tourist market across the coast,

and they shaped how and why artists produced art during the twentieth century. Between these factors and the physical characteristics of paper like the paper seen in the Killer Whale Print, the appeal of mass producible goods with handmade charm and high quality makes sense in the context of the twentieth century. Moreover, the exceptional degree of quality that has been determined in this particular print separates it from many other silkscreen prints, and makes it worthy of independent consideration.

PRESENTER: Soyon Hwang TITLE: Visualizing Brain Oscillations During Natural Interactions in Prairie Voles AUTHORS: Soyon Hwang, Elizabeth A. Amadei, Larry J. Young, Robert C. Liu Abstract not available.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Daniel Jacobs How attention affects our perception of Faces, Objects, and Scenes Daniel Jacobs, Andrew Persichetti, and Daniel Dilks, PhD, Emory University

The ability to efficiently allocate our attention to specific features in the environment is crucial to our ability to recognize and interact with things in the world. For example, if I need to discriminate between two faces or objects in the environment, then I must allocate my resources to those things in the environment, and away from the background features of the scene.

Previous neuroimaging studies have identified distinct regions of visual cortex in humans that respond to specific stimulus categories: e.g., scenes, objects, and faces. It is currently assumed that allocation of attention to different visual features modulates activation in these regions in a similar way. Unpublished pilot data from Dr. Dilks’ lab instead suggests that allocation of attention differentially affects these cortical systems. In the proposed research, we plan to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to directly test how these different category-selective cortical systems are modulated by the degree of attention allocated to images of scenes, faces, and objects. If attention to background features of the environment is detrimental to our ability to recognize and interact with things in the environment, then we predict that the scene processing system will show a decrease in activation when attention is diverted away from the scene stimuli.

PRESENTER: TITLE:

Lina Jowhar Biological and Phylogenic Analysis of Human H1N1

AUTHORS:

Influenza Viruses Collected during 2015-16 in Baltimore, MD and Taipei, Taiwan Lina Jowhar, Hsuan Liu, Thomas Mehoke, Katy Shaw-Saliba, Jared Evans, Mitra Lewis, Richard Rothman, Kuan-Fu Chen, Peter Thielen, Andrew Pekosz

During the 2015-16 influenza season, active surveillance was performed in emergency rooms of major hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and Taipei, Taiwan. The objective of this study was to understand the genetic diversity present in influenza A virus strains circulating in the 2015-16 season in two geographically distinct areas and to identify mutations that help maintain the virus in the human population and inform vaccine strain selection. 253 influenza-positive individuals were enrolled in the study from emergency rooms of The Johns Hopkins Hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and the Chang Gung Memorial Hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan. Phylogenetic trees were generated from the hemagglutinin (HA) protein sequences in order to understand the relationship between circulating virus strains and the influenza A 2015-16 vaccine strain used. After selecting 14 representative clinical strains, plaque assays on MDCK cells were used to determine if the genetic differences identified in the virus strains altered the replication of the virus. Our results indicate that the HA clades circulating in the two cities differed significantly and there are mutations in other gene segments.

Statistically significant differences in plaque sizes were demonstrated between virus strains, but they did not correlate with HA clades. The virus strains circulating were genetically distant from the 2015-16 vaccine strain (A/California/7/2009 or “California 709�), which justified an updating of the influenza A virus H1N1 vaccine component for the 2017-18 flu season. Since there was phenotypic diversity within similar genotypes, mutations outside of the HA protein are contributing to virus replication and strain diversity.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Carli Kovel Modulating the Catalytic Activity of First-Row Transition Metal Complexes with Redox-Active Ligands that Incorporate Hydrogen Bonding Interactions Carli B. Kovel; Whitley Ramirez; Omar Villanueva, PhD; Sophie Cemaj; Jessica Elinburg; John Bacsa, PhD; Savita Sharma, PhD; and Cora E. MacBeth, PhD

The development of novel and efficient methods to selectively oxidize organic molecules is an important goal for many fields of science. One of the most widely employed methods for the oxidation of feedstock molecules to more useful products (pharmaceutical and industrial compounds) in industry is via transition metal catalysis. The majority of the metal catalysts used in these methods utilize second- and third-row transition metals which are

detrimental to the environment and are economically costly. In nature, organic substrate oxidation reactions are observed in various enzymes that use first-row transition metal ions, which are more abundant and environmentally-friendly. For example, catechol oxidase is an enzyme that catalyzes the aerobic oxidation of catechols to quinones and uses copper(II) in its active site. The research presented herein focuses on the development of highly-efficient first-row transition metal catalysts capable of oxidizing organic substrates under aerobic conditions. Our approach lies in the use of redox-active ligand scaffolds to enhance the catalytic reactivity of first-row transition metal catalysts with oxygen. This presentation will describe the development, synthesis, characterization and catalytic reactivity of cobalt(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes supported by a redox-active ligand with hydrogen-bonding donor groups.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Bon Mu Ku Identifying the Behavior of Aerosolized Methylchloroisothiazolinone Particle in Commercial Products Bon Mu Ku, Emory University

Widely recognized as the biggest biocide scandal in South Korea, the use of humidifier disinfectants induced serious lung injuries and took the lives of hundreds. The ban on the humidifier disinfectants was lifted in 2011, but one of the main components of the product, 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3one (CMIT), was not recognized as the probable cause of deaths. CMIT is common preservative essential to curbing bacterial growth, but inhalation of aerosolized particles can be particularly lethal to human body. Although standard commercial products including disinfectants, antiseptics, and cleaner containing CMIT undergo thorough screening before sold in the market, this research hopes to identify and standardize the characteristic and behavior of aerosolized CMIT particle in closed spaces. Primary data were gathered from home visits and meetings with humidifier disinfectant victims. Based on exposure frequency, amount, duration, and room setting, an analytical estimate was developed to assess humidifier disinfectant exposure intensity (Îźg/m^3). These conditions were replicated with standard commercial products containing CMIT, and replicated samples are now being examined using mass spectrometer and chromatography. Any noticeable findings and standardized data of aerosolized CMIT particle behavior in different intensity will demonstrate the mechanism by which lungs cells are damaged by CMIT particles. Further study will be conducted to assess direct effect of CMIT to animal lungs with supporting radiological and clinical evidences.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Timothy Lee Comparative Morphometric Analysis on Dog Ventricles Timothy Lee, Erin Hecht PhD, David Gutman MD PhD, Marc Kent DVM DACVIM, Todd Preuss PhD

The ventricular system is an important feature of all vertebrate brains.

However, it is not yet fully understood how selection pressure for the healthy functioning of the ventricular system may interact with selection pressure for enlargement or elaboration of other brain systems in evolution. In this research, we use domestic dogs as a model for studying this question.

Domesticated dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) exhibit a remarkable level of diversity. Selective breeding by humans has led to variation in morphology, behavior, and brain anatomy across dog breeds. This study attempts to further our understanding of brain evolution through comparative morphometric analysis of the ventricular system and brain tissue in 3T MRI scans across a wide sample of dog breeds. Understanding how different variables interact with ventricle size in dog brain evolution will inform our understanding of how selection pressures for different neural systems interact with pressures for healthy ventricle function. Information about different ventricle sizes across dog breeds may serve as a basis for diagnosis of common neurological diseases in dogs such as hydrocephalus and also as a basis for other further research directed on breed-specific behaviors and morphology of other brain systems.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Carly Moore Dispelling the Origin: A Genealogy of Hysteria Carly Moore, Emory University

In a 1602 London court case on demonic possession, the court determined that 14-year-old Mary Glover “was not bewitched, but hysterical” (Scull).

Mary exhibited all the conventional “paralyses, trances, tics, spasms, and contortions that resembled a creature possessed,” but the court could not determine whether her symptoms were evidence of a possession or a charade (Scull). The defense took advantage of the ambiguous origin of Mary’s symptoms and conjured the ancient disorder of hysteria (Scull).

Though hysteria diagnoses are infrequent in modern times, the disorder continues to reemerge in unexpected ways. For example, in 2007 sixhundred girls at a Catholic boarding school were suddenly unable to walk due to an outbreak of “mass hysteria” (Hughes). Modern cases of hysteria demonstrate how hysteria is largely regarded as a transhistorical disorder,

despite its many different representations. Is hysteria a transhistorical condition or a set of contingent symptoms that have no unity? My research project approached this question through the lens of Foucauldian genealogy.

My purpose in doing so is twofold. First, the project will rethink dominant medical perceptions of hysteria as a well-defined, historically continuous disorder that is coextensive with the positivist aim to rationally define “immobile forms that precede the external world of accident and succession” (Foucault, “Genealogy”). Second, the project will offer a philosophical frame for understanding medical accounts of hysteria in different historical contexts as a desire to locate and objectify a feminine origin by examining primary source material from the Central State Hospital archive.

PRESENTER: Andrea Ochoa Lozano TITLE: Moda, Vida, ou Género AUTHORS: Andrea Ochoa Lozano, Emory University The Portuguese government at the turn of the 20th century, ideologically and politically, called for the return of women to their traditional roles as mothers, wives and housewives. It also discriminated against everything that implied modernity and insisted on a national success based on simplicity and tradition. The Portuguese woman suffered a very great delay in relation to their role in society during this regime; they were expected to be pure and modest while undertaking the role of homemaker (Rodrigues, 1995). With the examples of the magazines that were analyzed, we find a common tendency of which appears to suggest the liberation of the female’s role in society. In the early 1973 editions of the magazines, we see advertisements that affirmed the idea of the superiority of men and the role of women as housewives. Only at the end of 1974 and beginning of 1975 do we a see a shift towards an increase in advertising that promised to improve women’s lives through education and work by advancing their skill sets. This shift in advertising correlates to the shift in political power and ideology towards democratization.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Javier Omar Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults Javier Omar, Emory University; Keith McGregor, Joe R. Nocera, Lisa Krishnamurthy, Venkatagiri Krishnamurthy, and Bruce Crosson, PhD, Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, VA Atlanta Medical Center

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), neurotransmitter, plays a crucial role excitability. Current research implicates aging. This age-dependent reduction

the brain’s primary inhibitory in shaping and controlling cortical decreased cortical GABA levels with in GABA serves as a model for

understanding the neurochemical foundation of cognitive decline. We aim to quantify GABA concentrations in both healthy younger and older individuals through the use of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). In addition to quantification, we are interested in establishing a relationship between GABA levels and cognitive performance, specifically verbal fluency.

Verbal fluency is an important aspect of language function and includes selective attention and inhibition, verbal working memory, and executive control of speech. We will assess verbal fluency using a battery of cognitive assessments including the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Delis-Kaplan Verbal Fluency Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, as well as working memory assessments (e.g. – digit span, reverse digit span). We hypothesize that participants with lower concentrations of GABA will demonstrate poorer verbal fluency function as compared to participants with greater concentrations of GABA. Our findings will illuminate how GABA concentrations are involved in age-related cognitive decline, especially with regard to verbal fluency.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Olubusola Osunsanya Albumin Levels Affect How Predictive Hemoglobin Levels are of Fatigue in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Canhua Xiao and Ronald Curtis Eldridge, PhD, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Atlanta, GA

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Shaily Patel Individual variation in self-reports of reading difficulties for university students Shaily Patel, Emory University Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology; Sara M. List, Neuroscience Laney Graduate School (GDBBS); Krish Sathian, MD/PhD, Emory University and Penn State College of Medicine

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Eli Patt Dissociating face recognition from face identification in the human brain Eli R Patt, Andrew S Persichetti, Daniel D Dilks

The face inversion effect, wherein people are better at identifying faces when they are oriented upright than when they are inverted, is one of many pieces of evidence that suggest faces are a special category of visual stimuli (there is no ‘inversion effect’ for everyday objects, scenes, or bodies). In addition to this distinct cognitive signature for face processing, neuroimaging studies have characterized a specialized facial recognition pathway in the brain. A prior fMRI study found that activation in the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) was significantly decreased when faces were presented inverted versus when the participants saw the same faces in their canonical upright orientation.

However, these results must be interpreted with caution because the authors reported that the behavioral task used in this experiment was more difficult during the inverted face trials than during the upright face trials. Thus, it is not clear whether the FFA is the neural correlate of the face inversion effect.

Here, we will manipulate task difficulty in an fMRI paradigm to test whether the FFA is indeed the neural correlate of the face inversion effect, or if another face-selective region is responsible for this well-known phenomenon.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Jessica Pei The Effect of Aging on Motor Memory Formation After Training Jessica Pei, Emory University; Julianne. J. Freeman, BS, Emory University; Cathrin M. Buetefisch, MD, PhD, Emory University

Studying motor learning in healthy subjects is important for stroke rehabilitation research because motor learning and motor recovery share common mechanisms. Since most stroke patients are older, available results of motor learning studies in younger subjects may not apply to the stroke population. Here we explored effects of age on motor learning in 16 healthy subjects (10 younger, 18-30 years; 6 older, 50-80 years). All subjects underwent motor training consisting of right wrist extension movements to move a cursor to a target box on a screen in front of the subject. Motor performance and primary motor cortex (M1) excitability (stimulus response curve (SRC)) were measured before and after training. SRC was collected by applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the corresponding left M1 hotspot at increasing intensities of stimulator output. At each intensity, motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude was determined. M1 excitability was expressed as area under SRC. Motor learning was defined as increases in M1 excitability and peak velocity of wrist extension movements. All subjects learned the task but younger subjects demonstrated greater training related increases in peak wrist velocity (824.38 to 950.90 m/s (SE 76.06 and 57.86)) compared to older subjects (641.79 to 751.74 m/s (SE 73.08 and 57.86)).

Younger subjects demonstrated greater area under SRC (7.84 to 8.99 (SE 1.24 and 1.88) than older subjects (3.27 to 5.47 (SE 3.91 and 0.71) after training. Since learning differences between young and old subjects were found, future research should consider subjects’ ages when studying motor learning in healthy subjects.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Jonathan Peraza Between Borders and Classrooms: Salvadoran and Guatemalan Identity Formation in Georgia Public Schools Jonathan Peraza, Emory University

Since 2014, migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras has peaked as countless Central Americans, including unaccompanied minors, have fled violence and poverty in their home countries. This surge in migration from the Northern Triangle countries have elevated the national debate about immigration control and racial relations. Following the Trump Administration’s campaign against Mexican migrants, Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13), and consequently Salvadoran immigrants, are making waves in the media and have become another target for the U.S. deportation machine.

Beyond narratives of criminality, Central American experiences remain marginalized in discourses about race, immigration, and Latinx/Latin American identity. The least attention is paid to the experiences of Salvadorans and Guatemalans in the U.S. Southeast. As more Salvadoran and Guatemalan migrants arrive to the state of Georgia, anti-immigrant policies and interactions with Georgia natives (e.g. white and Black Americans) and other immigrant communities will shape the schooling and integration of recently arrived Salvadoran and Guatemalan youth. Using semi-structured interviews, I will examine how Salvadoran and Guatemalan migrant youth in metro Atlanta public schools (n=20) perceive their racial, ethnic, and national identities in their new educational and residential contexts. The boundary making interactions that shape identity formation trajectories are at the core of this project. This study will contribute to fledgling bodies of work about Central American diasporic experiences, particularly in the “Nuevo New South.”

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Stephanie Pintas The Role of Malassezia spp. in Atopic Dermatitis: Modulating Pathogenesis with Botanical Extracts Stephanie Pintas; Kate Nelson; James T. Lyles, PhD, Emory University; Cassandra L. Quave, PhD, Emory University

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin condition that affects 15-30% of children and 10% of adults in the US. It is characterized by intensely itchy, dry, and flaky skin. Although not lethal, there are enormous health and economic burdens associated with AD. Direct costs equal as much as $4 billion per year due to work losses, and it is estimated that the cost of caring for a child with AD is more expensive than asthma. Current treatments include topical steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and topical antibiotics for bacterial flare-ups. Due to side effects of these treatments, it is important to develop novel treatments that reduce symptoms without promoting antimicrobial resistance. While previous studies have highlighted the role of Staphylococcus aureus in AD, less research has focused on the role of Malassezia species in contributing to microbial dysbiosis and inflammation. Malassezia is the most common fungal genus colonized on the human skin, with M. furfur, M. globosa, and M. restricta among the most common in AD patients. Individuals with AD have Malassezia spp.-specific IgE antibodies that induce inflammatory cytokine responses, contributing to inflammation and worsening the pathogenesis of AD. While patients have seen improvement of symptoms with topical antifungals, fungal resistance is also a growing issue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discover botanical plant extracts that exhibit fungicidal effects for the three most common Malassezia spp. found in AD. With decreased colonization of Malassezia spp., individuals may have reduced allergenic responses, improving symptoms of AD without promoting fungal resistance.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Paula Quezada Serving the People, Body, and Soul: Revolutionary Black Self-Love at the Core of the Black Panther Party Paula Camila Quezada, Emory University

This paper examines the foundational role of revolutionary Black self-love in shaping the efforts and the ideology of the Black Panther Party (BPP). The Party’s legacy has largely been misrepresented and misunderstood through the distortion of historical memory—in which the impact of self-love is rarely discussed. By tracing the intellectual origin of revolutionary Black self-love to the informal studies of Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton—which included Frantz Fanon’s position on the legitimacy of revolutionary violence—and Kwame Ture’s discourse on Black Power, I argue that that the BPP’s consciousness emerged as a direct response to white supremacist institutions. The Panthers recognized the effects of incarceration, police brutality, and socioeconomic oppression on Black Americans to create their mission statement: the Ten-Point Platform. By drawing from primary and secondary resources, a combination of BPP flyers and books surrounding the Party, I found that this ideological structure guided their work in implementing social services—such as the free breakfast program for

schoolchildren—which forged the BPP’s legacy rooted in self-sufficiency and communal love. However, I also discuss how hypermasculinity, misogyny, and the exploitation of Black women’s labor worked to undermine the Party’s success.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Sunidhi Ramesh "American Horror Story" in Real Life: Perceptions of a Marginalized Individual in Media Sunidhi Ramesh, Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology (NBB) and Sociology, Emory University

There is no doubt a history of discrimination and racism has left black Americans in the United States with a differential understanding of what it means to be an individual in a larger humankind. That meaning continues to be shaped by individuals’ personal experiences with prejudice, discrimination, and perceived oppression. Consequently, black Americans may be likely to perceive representations of instances of prejudice and discrimination differently than white Americans. Cultural products like books, movies, and television programs often offer such instances, and how people “receive” or interpret them falls under the rubric of “audience reception.”

Thus, this project aims to explore the perceptions of white and black women to a clip from "American Horror Story: Freak Show," in which a white woman (Pepper) with microcephaly is framed for the murder of her sister’s child. The study surveys participants’ responses to the cultural object, and the project may suggest subtle differences in how different racial groups perceive Pepper’s experiences. More specifically, the black volunteers are hypothesized to be more sympathetic towards Pepper and her plight (in light of their own, similar experiences) than the white volunteers. Such a pattern of results would imply a racial basis for the perception of mentally and physically incapacitated individuals. Ultimately, an understanding of racialized perceptions may aid in the development of new ideas and strategies to combat stigma around disability.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Shambavi Rao S. pneumoniae Invasion of Epithelial Cells through the Tight Junction Barrier Shambavi Rao, Emory University; Jorge E Vidal, PHD, Rollins School of Public Health

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Pamela Romero An Examination of the Genetic Architecture of Alcohol Withdrawal Pamela Romero; Chelsie Benca, PhD.; Kathleen Bucholz, PhD, Rohan Palmer, PhD

Alcohol has the highest rate of drug dependence in the US. Of those with alcohol dependence (AD), around 27% exhibit withdrawal symptoms.

Furthermore, withdrawal promotes AD via negative reinforcement. To date, few human studies have looked at the genetics of alcohol withdrawal. The aim of the current project is to identify genetic variation related to alcohol withdrawal in order to derive more accurate representations of individual differences in AD. This project will be achieved using an integrative approach in which genetic variation associated with withdrawal in animal models will be used to first identify genes in biologically relevant neurotransmitter systems. The identified a priori system is expected to include GABAergic and glutamatergic genes, to name a few. Data from this project come from the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Methods to be applied after data cleaning will include SNP-association, gene- and set-based testing, and network-based association testing to explore epistatic effects.

Phenotypes will be limited to symptoms of alcohol withdrawal assessed using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism. Replication of identified SNPs, genes, and gene sets will conducted in a smaller community-based sample.

PRESENTER: TITLE:

AUTHORS:

Anya Rosen-Gooding Use and Effects of Routine Pediatric Isoniazid Preventative Therapy (IPT) in HIV-Positive Patients at the Baylor Clinical Center of Excellence (COE) in Mbabane, Swaziland Anya Rosen-Gooding, Alexander W Kay, Nkulungwane Mthethwa, Sandile Dlamini, Katherine Ngo, Anna Mandalakas

People living with HIV (PLHIV) are especially susceptible to tuberculosis (TB), with >70% of TB cases in Swaziland occurring in PLHIV. Isoniazid preventative therapy (IPT) has been recommended for PLHIV ≼1 year of age regardless of TB exposure since 2009. To enhance IPT program strategies, we assessed IPT prescribing practice and effectiveness in pediatric HIV patients (ages 1-17 years) through a retrospective analysis of electronic medical

records (EMR) at the Swaziland-Baylor Children’s Foundation Center of Excellence (COE) from February 2006 through November 2016, focusing on which patients were prescribed IPT, effect of IPT on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and risk factors for developing TB after IPT. Of 1664 eligible pediatric patients identified with over 10 visits to the COE and at least one visit after 2009, 922 (55.4%) have been prescribed IPT. Of 305 patients who initiated IPT over four years ago, 64 (20.1%) later developed TB. Past TB, age >14 years, <40 clinic visits, and ART adherence <95% were negatively associated with IPT prescription, while CD4 <500 and age <5 years were positively associated with IPT prescription. Children with CD4 counts <500 and ART naïveté at IPT initiation were more likely to develop TB following IPT. Average ART adherence (measured via pill count) of those with <95% ART adherence before IPT initiation (n=23) increased by 4.4% (p<0.001) during IPT as compared to the preceding year. Although clinicians were wary of prescribing IPT to children with low ART adherence, this population experienced an increase in ART adherence during IPT.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Marina Stephens Archaeological Research in The Sanctuary of the Great Gods Samothrace Marina Stephens; Bonna Wescoat, PhD, Emory University

I did archaeological research in the ancient Greek site known as The Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. My research efforts focused on the area of the sanctuary comprised of several adjoining dining rooms below the stoa. This area is important because it is the link between the sacred and secular sections of the sanctuary. My research included a rock-typing of the walls and surveying using a total station in order to collect. This data can now be analyzed in order to determine the dates of construction for the different rooms and to determine how a cult member would have reached the stoa from this lower part of the sanctuary.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Kia Thomas Dose and Time Dependent Changes to Rotation Behavior and Immunoreactivity of TH Staining in 6OHDA Lesion Mice Kia Thomas, Chandrika Abburi, PhD, Braeden Rodriguez, Daniel McGehee, PhD

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition in which dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia die, eventually leading to loss of motivation, motor control, and motor learning.

There's no cure for PD. The most common treatment is levodopa. Long-term treatment decreases the therapeutic effects, and most patients develop levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Therefore, it's important to find more effective treatments, and that effort depends upon testing in animal models of the disease. The goal of this study is to validate a mouse PD model involving striatal injection of the neurotoxin 6-OHDA, which kills dopamine neurons. We examined 6-OHDA-induced changes in behavior and dopaminergic cell loss.

The results of this experiment contribute to a larger study aimed at manipulation of synaptic plasticity in striatal medium spiny neurons to relieve the symptoms of dopamine cell loss. Subjects were C57/Bl6 mice.

Saline (control), low, and high dose 6-OHDA injections were given. Behavioral effect of the lesion was assessed using rotation tests. Immunocytochemistry on slices of each mouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s striatum was performed to assess the level of staining for the dopamine neuron marker, tyrosine hydroxylase. The fluorescence intensity in the striatum was determined for each hemisphere and a ratio was calculated. Comparison of the immunostaining results with the behavioral data revealed an inverse correlation of the difference between rotation directions to the ratio of TH staining comparing hemispheres.

Overall, our data shows that more dopaminergic cell death and intense behavioral affects of the neurotoxin 1-2 weeks post-injection and at a dose of 4ug/ul.

PRESENTER: TITLE: AUTHORS:

Linda Wu Investigation on the Effect of Different Organic Cover Crop Techniques on Soil Fertility and Microbial Diversity.

Linda Wu, Daniel Parson, and Sarah C. Fankhauser

The microbial community within a piece of soil is essential to the fertility of soil and success of the crop. Many species of bacteria can play a supporting, mutualistic, parasitic, and even harmful roles in the life cycle of a crop, and specific farming practices can play a deciding factor in generating different microbial communities. Thus, the aim of this project is to further investigate the effects that different farming practices have on the microbial communities and how these communities in turn affect crop production. The first year of the project will be revolved around the investigation of the bacterial communities generated by different cover crops and the effects of these communities on the production of a broccoli crop. Planting cover crops is a farm practice which involves the process of growing specific crops on a field to fertilize the soil and prepare for the next growing season. Cover crop may include many species are may vary depending on the cash crop that the cover crop is preparing the soil for. The study will be accomplished by implementing an experimental plot on the Oxford College Organic Farm to study the microbial diversity developed by different cover crop strategies

and a no cover crop strategy and analyze the effect of these strategies on the soil composition as well as broccoli crop production. In subsequent years, the specific bacteria that prove to have direct impact on the broccoli crop yield will be further investigated with different crops.