Spring 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium

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Spring 2019 Presentations

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Undergraduate Research Programs Spring 2019 Undergraduate Symposium Presentation Schedule *Oral Presentations- B. Jones Room 3rd Floor *Poster Presentations- First Floor of Library

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Poster Presentation Abstracts PRESENTER(S): Ayushi Agarwal TITLE: Association between Alcohol Consumption and Dysphoria among First-Year Undergraduate Students AUTHORS: Anjali Agarwal*, Ayushi Agarwal*, Chelsie Benca-Bachman Ph.D., Jessica Barber Ph.D., Rohan Palmer PhD

Objective: Examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and dysphoria amongst firstyear undergraduate students in a University in the southeast United States Background: Previous studies have hypothesized association between alcohol consumption and depression but findings are inconsistent among studies of college students. For instance, Dawson et al., 2005 found that college students consume alcohol irrespective of mood disorders. On the other hand, Miller et al., 2002, has shown that depressive symptoms and alcohol abuse are strongly correlated amongst college athletes (Miller et al., 2002). These incongruent findings led us to hypothesize that higher alcohol consumption would predict frequent feelings of dysphoria in a sample of students entering their first semester of higher-education. Methods: Data were collected from an IRB-approved study on 307 first-year students at Emory University. Self-report data was gathered using the AUDIT and ASSIST scale (for substance use), PHQ9 (for depression), and other health habits.

Multiple regression analyses were conducted on these self-report surveys. Results: Frequent alcohol use was not significantly associated with depressed mood, either before (b = 0.07, p = 0.243) or after (b = 0.104, p = 0.19) accounting for covariates such as sex, age, completion week, and campus location. Discussion: These results suggest no relationship between alcohol use and depressed mood at the start of college. Future analyses will examine the stability of this relationship over the course of the first academic year, during which time substance use patterns have been known to escalate in this population.

PRESENTER(S): Nimra Ahad TITLE: Investigating Desensitization to Effort-Related Cost AUTHORS: Nimra Ahad, Shosuke Suzuki, Michael T. Treadway, PhD, Emory University

Desensitization is a process that decreases emotional response to a stimulus after repeated exposure. Desensitization may impact decision-making by changing the value associated with choices. Studies in human and animals have demonstrated desensitization to rewarding and fearful stimuli after repeated exposure; however, there is a lack of knowledge on whether individuals desensitize to effort. To address this, we investigated the effects of exposure to varying amounts of effort on effort-based decision making. 40 healthy individuals were randomized to two effortexposure conditions, high vs low effort. In session one, participants were exposed to 80 trials of an effort-based computer task that involved two levels of button-pressing effort (hard & easy), such that the proportion of hard vs easy trials varied across condition. Specifically, participants in the high-effort condition completed 80% hard and 20% easy trials, and vice versa for the loweffort group. In session two—which took place 2-7 days after session one—participants completed

8 an effort-based decision-making task, which again consisted of 80 trials; however, this time, participants were free to choose between the hard and easy task on each trial with the incentive of a point system. Specifically, easy trials were associated with a constant reward amount (5 points), whereas hard trials were associated with a variable amount of reward (5-50 points). Results show no group differences in the proportion of hard choices, suggesting that mere exposure to varying amounts of effort does not affect subsequent willingness to expend effort. Individual differences and implications of these results are discussed.

PRESENTER(S): Wajd Alaidrous TITLE: The Effect of Population Density on Disease Resistance in Monarch Butterflies AUTHORS: Wajd Alaidrous, Elizabeth Sun, Isabella Cantor, Krish Khurana, Jacobus C. de Roode Infectious diseases pose a threat to the fitness of all organisms. Organisms’ resistance to these infections is affected by a variety of biological factors. One of the factors that affect resistance can be population density. The objective of this experiment was to explore the effect of density on disease resistance in monarch butterflies. A total of 230 monarch butterflies were used in this experiment. Half of the monarchs were inoculated with a dose of 10 of spores of a common protozoan parasite, while the other half served as uninfected controls. The caterpillars were then reared either alone (density=1), with one other caterpillar (density=2), or with 9 other caterpillars (density=10). Resistance was investigated by quantifying multiple measures of parasite growth.

The results showed that caterpillars reared at higher densities did not show significant difference in parasite resistance compared to those raised in lower densities.

PRESENTER(S): Harish Alappan TITLE: Effects of Anticoagulants on Medial Arterial Calcification in Humans AUTHORS: Harish R. Alappan, Gurleen Kaur M.D., W. Charles O’Neill M.D.

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Maia Amellio, Skyra Loche TITLE: Risks and Protective Factors for Depression on College Campuses AUTHORS: Maia Amellio, Skyra Loche, Dalora Najera, Dr. Rohan Palmer, Dr. Chelsie BencaBachman, Dr. Jessica Barber

The objective of this study was to expand on research with regards to the prevalence of mental health issues throughout college populations. The U.S. has seen an increase in mental health diagnoses and expansion of psychological centers. We examined symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress through self-report surveys of 307 first year undergraduate students between two campuses of Emory University, a recognized American institution. The Oxford and Atlanta campus differ in student population size and the presence of upperclassmen. Our goal was to

9 excavate variations of depression, anxiety, and stress reports from the MapMe project between the campuses with respect to protective and risk factors. We utilized the Perceived Stress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire , and GAD-7 item scale on both campuses. We operationalized protective/risk factors as degree of perceived connectedness/isolation on each campus. Utilizing gender, age, survey week completion, and campus as covariates, an Ordinary Least Squares regression was calculated. Results reflect stress is a strong predictor of depression when controlling for covariates (b = .60, SE = .05, p-value = <2e-16). This correlation is especially evident for women (b = .63, SE = .06, p-value = 0 ((<2e-16)) more so than men (b = .52, SE = .09, p-value = 1.88e-07). Stress is a stronger predictor for student depression on the Atlanta campus (b = .54, SE = .07, p-value = 5.1e-14) rather than the small Oxford campus (b = 6.766e-01, SE = 8.737e-02, p-value = 9.35e-12). The data suggests stress and depression correlations differ between campus environments.

PRESENTER(S): Ryan Ashiqueali TITLE: Differential expression of CLS amongst Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White Female Breast Cancer Patients AUTHORS: Lauren McCullough PhD, MSPH (Emory University), Miriam Cheriyan Aswathy, MPH (Emory University)

In the field of epidemiology, rates of breast cancer have been observed to be lower among African American women as compared to Caucasian American women, despite the mortality from breast cancer subtypes and worse prognosis being greater among African American women. Rates of obesity are also observed to be greater among African American women. While both biological and non-biological investigations to understanding the relationship between obesity and cancer have been previously conducted, pathological analysis on the induction of tumors by adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) has been a fairly recent. Crown-like structures (CLS) composed of ATMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, have been observed to increase pro-inflammatory processes that drive worse prognosis of breast cancer. Using a collection of non-tumor and tumor breast cancer tissue slides stained for CLS from a total of 375 breast cancer non-Hispanic Black (n=185) and non-Hispanic White (n=190) women, diagnosed with first primary invasive breast cancer (stage I-III) between 2007 and 2012, the effect of race on the presence and density of CLS, and the prognostic implications of CLS (as a measure of WAT inflammation) analyzed. It is hypothesized that the presence and density of CLS will be significantly different in African American women as compared to Caucasian American women and that the prognostic implications of obesity regarding breast-cancer is mechanistically related to the presence of CLS.

PRESENTER(S): Ramsey Baden TITLE: Graphic Journalism: The White Terror in Taiwan AUTHORS: Ramsey Baden

Following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Chiang Kai-Shek and the remnants of the Kuomintang regime fled to the neighboring island of Taiwan. This mass exodus of some 2 million

10 people created great unrest on the island. In response, the Kuomintang instituted one of the world’s longest martial dictatorships, intending to secure its grip on the last of its remaining physical territory. For decades, the government imprisoned and killed thousands of people in the name of national security in a period known as “The White Terror.” I am creating a graphic novel about the White Terror. By doing so, I seek to illustrate figuratively and literally what happened, who was responsible, and who suffered. To gather information, I traveled to Taiwan for ten days last winter and visited key sites in Taipei. Being physically present in Taiwan allowed me to access historical events in a different way, beyond simply reading about them. These pages form an imaginative translation of my primary research. With interpretive images and text, I convey a central idea to the viewer, namely that Chiang Kai-Shek and the Kuomintang inflicted the White Terror on Taiwan to protect their own power. Transitional justice must follow, and it is achieved with works like these, both domestically in Taiwan and on the world stage. I plan to continue working to introduce the White Terror to an international audience, and to demonstrate that Taiwan is truly beginning to cast light on the darkness in its past.

PRESENTER(S): Helena Baffoe-Bonnie TITLE: Experimental evolution of parasite host range in the Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens system AUTHORS: Helena Baffoe-Bonnie, Emory University; Amanda Kyle Gibson, PhD, Emory University and University of Virginia; McKenna Penley, Emory University; Raythe Owens, Emory University; Levi Morran, PhD, Emory University

One hypothesis to explain variation in parasite host range is that parasite lineages differ in their evolutionary history: parasites that consistently encounter a genetically homogenous host population may experience selection to become specialists, while parasites that often encounter a heterogeneous host population may experience selection to become generalists. Here, we utilized experimental evolution to impose selection on Serratia marcescens bacterial parasites to kill the nematode host Caenorhabditis elegans. Parasites were selected to kill hosts in homogeneous (one host genotype, N2 or CF3) or heterogeneous populations (an equal mix of two genotypes, N2 and CF3). After 20 passages of selection, we assessed the evolution of parasite host range by measuring the parasite populations’ ability to kill hosts of the N2 genotype, CF3 genotype and a novel genotype, JU1395. We predicted that parasites selected to kill homogeneous host populations will evolve a more limited host range than parasites selected to kill heterogeneous host populations.

We found mixed support for this prediction. Parasites passaged with N2 exhibited preferential adaptation to N2, indicated by increased mortality rates of N2 hosts. As predicted, these parasites showed reduced ability to kill the novel host genotype relative to control parasites. In contrast, parasites passaged with CF3 did not exhibit preferential adaptation to the CF3 host. Accordingly, these parasites showed no loss of ability to kill the novel host. These results demonstrate that both the diversity and genotypes of local hosts can influence the evolution of host range in parasites.

PRESENTER(S): Devon Bombassei TITLE: A Lawyer's Catch-22: The Normative Struggle at the Core of Child Abuse Disclosure AUTHORS: Devon Bombassei

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Many recognize the attorney-client privilege as a guardian of the frank discourse that is intrinsic to our adversarial legal system. Often excluded from this consideration, however, is the conflicted lawyer faced with competing duties â&#x20AC;&#x201C; toward his or her client, the legal system as an institution, and the broader community. This substantive tumult is most evident in jurisdictions that require mandatory reporting of suspicions of child abuse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; despite the siren call of confidentiality prerogatives that beckon otherwise. At the core of this entrenched debate surface two congruous inquiries: Do lawyers belong to the wider polity, obligated to report an incident of child abuse revealed in conversation with a client? Or, do lawyers occupy a select niche immune to mandatory disclosure due to specific professional privileges? Few realize the extensive continuum of legal reasoning available to the lawyer pressed with this confidentiality catch-22, yet many shoulder the consequences. Our contemporary moment is a product of this normative debate ongoing in three tiers of society â&#x20AC;&#x201C; among legal philosophers who span from communitarian to classical liberals, legislators who attempt to influence judicial conclusions through policy enactment, and judges who must ultimately valorize one individual right at the expense of another. The focus of this project, then, is to expound the spectrum of decision-making available to lawyers, endorsing its chaotic core as inevitable and necessary. Solutions at the radical extremes are simultaneously disavowed in order to maintain our political processes as a balancing act between the individual and the community.

PRESENTER(S): Sam Cassidy TITLE: The Relationship Between the Big Five Model of Personality and Sleep Quality AUTHORS: Sam Cassidy*, Caroline Catherman*, Chelsie Benca-Bachman PhD, Jessica Barber PhD**, Rohan Palmer PhD * - denotes dual first authorship Affiliations: Behavioral Genetics of Addiction Laboratory, Department of Psychology | Emory University **Department of Psychology | Emory University

Objective: Examine the relationship between sleep quality and personality domains in the context of stress and depression at two undergraduate campuses in the southeastern United States.

Background: Prior studies suggest that high levels of neuroticism, low levels of extraversion and low levels of conscientiousness may be associated with poorer sleep quality among college students and adults (Stephan et al., 2017). However, findings are mixed, perhaps due to inconsistent incorporation of potential covariates, such as stress and depression. The current study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine this relationship while considering stress and depression.

Methods: Multiple regression analyses were conducted on self-report data from first year students (N=307) participating in an IRB-approved study. Analyses focused on personality domains and sleep quality in the context of stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and depression (PHQ-9). Results: Consistent with prior studies, high levels of neuroticism were associated with poorer sleep quality in a model of all five factors (b=-0.061, SE=0.020, p=0.002). However, this finding appears to be confounded with stress and depression. A model controlling for stress, depression, age, sex, sleep, other personality domains, completion week, and campus found no significant relationship between personality and sleep quality. Notably, higher levels of stress (b=-0.006, SE=0.003, p=0.033) and higher depression (b=-0.056, SE=0.016, p<0.001) were significantly related to

12 poorer sleep quality. Discussion: These results suggest that neuroticism might influence sleep quality indirectly through stress or depression severity. Future research should explore the possibility that stress and depression mediate the relationship between personality domains and sleep quality.

PRESENTER(S): Leo Chen TITLE: MRI Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease AUTHORS: Chen, Leo; Qiu, Deqiang; Wu, Junjie The identification of sensitive and predictive biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is important for developing its effective treatments. MRI is sensitive to processes associated with AD, such as the atrophy cortical and subcortical brain regions, and be used to differentiate different stages of the disease. With image analysis using Freesurfer on T1-weighted MR, the volume of the hippocampus, temporal lobe structure, and cortical thickness will be quantified. With quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) images, iron deposition in basal ganglion region will also be examined. We will study the difference in indexes between normal and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who are at higher risks of developing AD; and correlational analyses between MR metrics of brain structures and neuropsychological measurements will be performed.

Results are anticipated to show a lower volume of brain structure and high levels of iron deposition in patients with MCI, leading to a better understanding of the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.

PRESENTER(S): Haobin Chen TITLE: Caregiver Stress and Burden among Hispanic Elderly with Stroke: An Investigation of HEPESE Dataset AUTHORS: Haobin Chen, Emory College of Arts and Sciences Shilpa Krishnan, PT, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Shuo Cheng TITLE: Investigating the Roles of ACLY in Multiple Myeloma Biology and Drug Sensitivity AUTHORS: Shuo Cheng, Vikas A. Gupta, Shannon M. Matulis, Constantine S. Mitsiades, Sagar Lonial, Lawrence H. Boise

The cytosolic protein ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) is responsible for converting citrate into acetylcoenzyme A (acetyl CoA) and oxaloacetate (OAA), substrates important for the fatty acid synthesis pathway. These fatty acids are used in the formation of membrane-bound organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a critical component of the secretory pathway. Many cancerous cells upregulate ACLY and fatty acid synthesis. In multiple myeloma, the myeloma cells secrete copious amounts of monoclonal antibody, so we reasoned that the myeloma cells

13 could be functionally dependent on ACLY. One study has shown that ACLY is among the top 3000 essential genes in most multiple myeloma cell lines, yet no studies have demonstrated the function of ACLY in multiple myeloma cells. The present study uses CRISPR-Cas9 single-guide RNA (sgRNA) lentiviral vectors to create ACLY knockout (KO) myeloma cell lines to investigate the impact of ACLY loss of function on myeloma cell proliferation, survivability, and response to treatment. We predict that ACLY KO myeloma cells will proliferate at a delayed rate and display lower viability when treated with proteasome inhibitors as compared to wild type controls. One of the greatest hindrances to multiple myeloma treatment is drug resistance. Sensitizing cells to proteasome inhibitors could increase patient response to standard of care.

PRESENTER(S): Youjin Choi TITLE: Manipulation of Caenorhabditis elegans Dispersion Over Time by Copper Barriers AUTHORS: Angela Youjin Choi Signe White Levi T. Morran Copper wire was chosen and used as a tool to mimic naturally occurring barriers that limit C. elegans movement based on previous works done on the harmful effects of copper on nematodes.

It was observed that copper can be effective in reducing free dispersal of the worms and the use of varying levels of barrier were tested in this experiment. The new assays tested control plates that included copper in the no barrier set up. The results were similar in that increasing levels of copper wire present in the plates led to an increased limitation of worm movement, confirming that the presence of a barrier was the cause for limited movement. Survival assays performed on the side showed that green fluorescent protein (GFP)-modified N2 strain were more vulnerable to infection and death by pathogens than the regular N2 strain.

PRESENTER(S): Yujin Choi TITLE: Cell-based drug screening for diabetic peripheral neuropathy AUTHORS: Yujin Choi Ji Woong Han, PhD, Emory University Young-sup Yoon, MD, Emory University

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a serious peripheral nervous complication that occurs from diabetes. This nerve damaging affliction frequently develops loss of sensation in the feet, leading to foot ulcers and limb amputations. Currently, DPN treatment options are limited to glucose control and pain management. Pathogenetically, DPN decreases the vascularity of peripheral nerves. This results from the vascular injury of vasa nervorum in nerve fibers that supply blood to the nervous system. Recent studies have shown that epigenetic changes may underlie such defects in diabetic conditions. Accordingly, we hypothesize that certain drugs can reverse impaired gene expression altered by diabetes, restore cellular function in nerves, and ultimately eliminate DPN. Previous studies showed that epigenetic modifiers can restore reduced gene expression and cellular dysfunction back to normal levels. In this study, we screened different epigenetic modifying drugs to confirm their effects on mouse Schwann cells (IMS32), DRG neurons (MED17.11) and endothelial cells (SVEC4-10), the three main cellular components of nerves.

Cells were cultured under hyperglycemic conditions to recreate the diabetic environment, then

14 treated with the drugs for 7 days. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the mRNA expressions of each cell type specific markers and functional genes were drastically reduced in diabetic conditions but restored by the drug treatment. These results demonstrated that these epigenetic modifiers can reverse the repression of gene expression of cells in diabetic conditions. Data from the study suggest that the newly identified drugs can be directly applied to animal studies and clinical therapy for treating diabetic neurovascular complications.

PRESENTER(S): Philip Chu TITLE: Novel Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Contributes to the Heritable Susceptibility of Developing Renal Cell Carcinoma AUTHORS: Philip Chu, Rebecca Arnold, John Petros

In the United States, kidney cancer contributed to 15.3 new cases and 3.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2013. Around 90% of kidney cancer is identified as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). African Americans (AA) are disproportionately affected by RCC and the reason for this is currently unknown. Other than surgical excision or ablation, there are no other treatments known to cure RCC. This leads to an urgent need to detect and treat RCC as early as possible, however, there are currently no RCC specific screening tests available. If high risk groups for RCC could be identified, radiologic screening of that specific subgroup could be a feasible and effective way to detect the cancer before it progresses. Set Domain-Containing 2 (SETD2) is a gene that is an epigenetic modifier found to have tumor suppressor functionality. A SETD2 mutations frequency of approximately 11% was identified in clear-cell RCC. In previous work, we’ve identified an inherited missense mutation (or non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (nsSNP) in the SETD2 gene that is present in a subset of patients with RCC, but not present in patient controls.

We hypothesize that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the tumor suppressor SETD2 gene attributes to the heritable susceptibility for developing RCC. To further test our hypothesis, the functionality of the SNP in question will be determined.

PRESENTER(S): Tae Jun Chung TITLE: Investigation of the relationship between SIK 3 and LKB1 in H1299 lung cancer cell line and exploring synthetic lethality as a therapeutic approach to LKB1-inactivated NSCLC AUTHORS: Tae Jun Chung, Dr. Wei Zhou

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths and about 80 to 85% percent of lung cancer cases are non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Studies have been done to discover that LKB1 tumor suppressor gene is often deactivated in NSCLC. However, there seems to be no viable therapeutic approaches to treating LKB1 inactivated NSCLC. This brings us to discuss “synthetic lethality,” in which a combination of inactivation in the gene expression of two or more genes leads to apoptosis (programmed cell-death), while inactivation of only one gene expression does not. This study will try to characterize the downstream signaling genes of LKB1 – SIK3 which is believed to be one of many modulators of apoptosis – in an attempt to explore synthetic lethality, where inactivation of SIK3 gene and a gene targeted by drugs may trigger apoptosis in

15 NSCLC. The relationship between LKB1 and SIK3 will be tested by comparing the drug reaction analysis of wild-type H1299 cell line and H1299 cell line with SIK3 gene knocked out through CRISPR-cas9 technology, characterizing the loci of SIK1 and SIK3 by DNA sequencing, understanding the biology behind the signaling axis between LKB1 and SIK3 gene using proliferation or apoptosis assays. This study will help lay out a conceptual framework and tools to discovering drugs that will preferentially induce apoptosis in NSCLC relative to normal cells.

PRESENTER(S): Jina Chung, Clement Chang, Su Kim, Naveen Azam, Sean Heflin TITLE: Angiogenic Protein Analysis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer AUTHORS: Clement Chang*; Su Kim*; Naveen Azam*; Sean Heflin*; Jina Chung* *contributed evenly, Undergraduate, Oxford College of Emory University

It is widely known that angiogenesis plays a central role in the growth and metastasis of triplenegative breast cancer (TNBC). Primary growth factors, such as VEGF, are known to promote angiogenesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of TNBC remains poorly understood. This leaves TNBC patients without any successful targeting therapy options. Despite the discouraging prognosis, there is evidence that the inhibition of a combination of TNBC molecular pathways may be promising. The purpose of this experiment was to compare individual and combination use of inhibitors BEZ-235 and TAE-226 on TNBC MDA-MD-231 cell line. We hypothesized that by co-inhibiting the IGF1R/FAK and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways with NVP-TAE-226 and BEZ-235, respectively, in TNBC, would result in decreased angiogenic potential in aggressive TNBC cells. In order to test this hypothesis, cell survival and angiogenic protein expression levels were examined using cell viability and Western blot assays, respectively.

The findings show that combined BEZ-235 and TAE-226 treatments are more effective at reducing cell viability than BEZ-235 and TAE-226 individually. Cell viability also demonstrated that BEZ was not effective in the treatment of MDA-MB-231. Additionally, decreases in VEGF protein expression was reduced more in combined treatment groups compared to single treatment groups and controls. Additional studies focusing on other angiogenic proteins must be investigated to fully understand the effects of IGF1R/FAK and PI3K/mTOR inhibition. Given the discouraging prognosis TNBC patients, it is imperative that targeting therapy and the molecular mechanisms of this subtype of breast cancer is further investigated.

PRESENTER(S): Zachary Cooper TITLE: Antibacterial Activity of Medicinal Plants of the Choctaw Nation Against Acinetobacter baumannii AUTHORS: Zachary Cooper, BA, Emory University; Monique Salazar, BA, Emory University; James T. Lyles, PhD, Emory University; Tharangmala Samarakoon, PhD, Emory University; Cassandra L. Quave, PhD, Emory University

Natural products and plants that have been attributed to the Choctaw Nation have a long standing history of medicinal and food uses. Many of these plants are located at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichuaway in southern Georgia. Ichuaway has a diverse range of

16 plants that have historically been used for medicinal, food, and cultural purposes. Several hundred plant specimens were collected from Ichauway to be tested against known pathogens and bacteria.

Among those plants, there were 12 that have been connected to the Choctaw Nation. All of the plants collected were tested for their antibacterial activity, but this project specifically looks at the 12 Choctaw plants. Each plant plant was dried, ground, and macerated in 80% ethanol, two times.

After this process, the macerations were rotary evaporated, shell frozen, and lyophilized (freeze dried). After the extracts were collected, they were dissolved in an organic solvent (DMSO) and eventually tested against Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative bacteria. The extracts were tested at 256 Âľg/mL and tested in comparison to Meropenem, a class of Carbapenums, with known anti-bacterial activity. Both percent inhibition alone and percent inhibition with synergy were evaluated. Serial dilutions were performed on four of the extracts to test the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50).

PRESENTER(S): Niharika Dighe TITLE: The role of amygdalo-orbitofrontal circuit connectivity in the induction and blockade of cocaine-induced habits AUTHORS: Niharika Dighe, Dan Li, Shannon Gourley

Adolescent-onset, compared to adult-onset, cocaine exposure increases susceptibility of drug dependence while decreasing probability of seeking treatment. In particular, adolescent cocaine exposure results in deficits in decision making processes, most notably a bias toward habits at the expense of goal-directed response strategies. This may be attributable to weakening neuronal connections of the orbitofrontal cortex, especially from the basolateral amygdala, and decreasing dendritic spine density in the OFC. Specifically, I hypothesize that BLA to OFC connections are weakened by adolescent-onset cocaine and can be strengthened by ifenprodil to rescue goaldirected behavior. To test this hypothesis, my first aim is determine whether BLA-OFC projections are associated with individual decision making strategies in cocaine-exposed, and cocaine-naĂŻve mice using contingency degradation tests. My second aim is to investigate whether the therapeutic effects of ifenprodil on cocaine-induced habits involve strengthening of BLA-OFC connections, using a fluorophore expressed in the OFC. The data will be processed and analyzed to determine the therapeutic effect of ifenprodil in the rescue and strengthening of BLA-OFC connections. The analysis of these experiments will help determine the neurobiological effects of adolescent-onset cocaine exposure on goal-directed behavior, which can greatly improve customization of treatments.

PRESENTER(S): Alex Fukunaga TITLE: Investigating the Role of PP2A on Cell Junctions AUTHORS: Alex Fukunaga, David Pallas Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Yikan Ge

17 TITLE: Acqusition of Loanwords and Coallocative Integration Among Heritage and Second Language Learners AUTHORS: Yikan Ge Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Elayna Goodman TITLE: Effects of Exercise Intervention on Cardiovascular Health through Remote Data Collection AUTHORS: Elayna Goodman, Emory University; Keith M. McGregor & Joe R. Nocera, PhD, Atlanta Va Health Care System, Emory University. or Elayna Goodman1, Keith M. McGregor2,3, Joe R. Nocera2,3,4 Author Affiliations: -------------------------- 1 - Emory University, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences 2 - Atlanta VA Health Care System, Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation 3 - Emory University, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine 4 - Emory University, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine

Around 610,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, making it the leading cause of death in both men and women. (CDC, 2017) Currently, many Americans do not fully recognize the growing evidence between increased physical activity and improved cardiovascular health. Only one in three adults participate in the recommended amount of physical activity per week. (HHS, 2017) It is challenging to understand the implications of physical activity and heart health due to difficulties examining factors related to physical activity in the adult living environment. However, recent advances in wearable technology have been geared towards capturing these outcomes.

Through wearable devices, researchers can now track various measurements while people exercise in order to draw correlations. The main focus of this study was to determine the impact physical activity has on cardiovascular health through exercise intervention. In this study, 45 participants between the ages of 51 and 78 were given Apple Watch Series 1 and an IPhone in which to send the daily-acquired data. For the first two weeks, data was captured without any recommendation for physical activity. Over the subsequent 12 weeks, participants took part in an exercise intervention in which they were instructed on the amount and intensity of exercise to be completed daily. Data analytics were used to draw correlations between the resting heart rate over time, which can indicate overall increases in cardiovascular health. The results from this study will be useful in helping to provide alternative modes of exercise recommendations to improve heart health.

PRESENTER(S): Mariam Goreish TITLE: Seroconversion of Human Sera in Response to Flavivirus Infection through Travel AUTHORS: Mariam Goreish, Matthew Collins, MD PhD, Daniel Espinoza, PhD, & Lillian Chen, Emory University.

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Adithi Govindan

18 TITLE: Susceptibilities of non-replicating bacterial populations to killing by various antibiotics AUTHORS: Adithi Govindan, Nilang Shah, Ingrid McCall, Dr. Fernando Baquero, Dr. Bruce Levin

Non-replicating bacteria are commonly thought to be refractory to antibiotics to which they are genetically susceptible. Here, we explore the sensitivity to antibiotic-mediated killing of three classes of non-replicating populations of planktonic bacteria (1) stationary phase, when the concentration of resources and/or nutrients are too low to allow for population growth; (2) persisters, minority subpopulations of susceptible bacteria surviving exposure to bactericidal antibiotics; (3) antibiotic-static cells, bacteria exposed to bacteriostatic antibiotics that prevent their replication and kill them slowly, if at all. Using experimental populations of Staphylococcus aureus Newman and Escherichia coli K12 and respectively 9 and 7 different antibiotics, we estimate the rates these antibiotics kill the different types of non-replicating bacteria. Contrary to the belief that non-replicating bacteria are refractory to antibiotic-mediated killing, all three types of non-replicating populations of these Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are consistently killed by aminoglycosides and the peptide antibiotics, daptomycin and colistin, respectively. This result indicates that non-replicating cells, regardless of why they do not replicate, have an almost identical response to the cidal activity of antibiotics. We discuss the implications of these results in understanding the mechanisms of action of antibiotics and discuss the possibility of adding a short-course of aminoglycosides or peptide antibiotics to conventional therapy of bacterial infections.

PRESENTER(S): Alexis Greenblatt TITLE: How Bilingualism Impacts Success on the Stroop Task AUTHORS: Emily Silber Allen Huang Danielle Bimston

This study examines the effect of morphological complexity on reaction time in a lexical decision task. Lexical decision tasks ask subjects to determine whether a lexical item is a word or a nonword. They are used to look at how words are processed. Morphological complexity has been shown to have a moderate effect on reaction time in similar studies, indicating that some morphological parsing takes place during lexical access. To test this, subjects were asked to complete a computer program where they were shown a lexical item on the screen and asked to press the right arrow key if it was a word and the left arrow key if it was a non-word. The items presented were either one or two morphemes long. The data showed that in general, words were interpreted quicker than non-words, and that one morpheme items were interpreted slightly quicker than two morpheme items. The time differences were not statistically significant but present nonetheless. Our results are in line with other research that shows that words do not need to be decomposed into their constituents for recognition but that morphological complexity does have some impact on the speed at which words are recognized.

PRESENTER(S): Rumi Habib TITLE: The Role of The NS1 Protein in Zika Virus Pathogenesis

19 AUTHORS: Rumi Habib, Zach Menne, Jacob Beaver, and Ioanna Skountzou MD PhD, Emory University Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Ali Haghshenas TITLE: Investigation of the role of BCD1 by site-directed mutagenesis.

AUTHORS: Ali Haghshenas1,2, Sohail Khoshnevis2,3, and Homa Ghalei2

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) are important players in key cellular processes and involved in every step of gene expression. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNA) are a class of ncRNAs that are essential for ribosome biogenesis and guide the modification and processing of the ribosomal (r)RNAs. Because of their critical role for production of ribosomes, their dysregulation can severely impact the translational output of the cells and lead to diseases including brain, breast, and colon cancer among others. BCD1 is an essential and conserved gene, which its knockdown blocks the biogenesis of box C/D snoRNAs. However, the molecular basis on how this occurs is poorly understood. In order to understand how the Bcd1 protein functions in the cell, site directedmutagenesis was conducted to produce several variants of the protein.

The variants were rationally designed based on the previous experiments performed in the lab and were compared with the wildtype. Growth assays and protein test expressions were carried out to characterize the mutants. The results indicate that: 1) soluble fragments of Bcd1 protein can be produced for biochemical studies. 2) mutations in serine residues within a kinase consensus at the c-terminus of the protein may confer sensitivity or growth advantage to yeast cells. Further analysis of these data will shed light on the function of Bcd1.

PRESENTER(S): Zeyad Hassan TITLE: Pharmacologic Stabilization of HIF1a Enhances Neurite Growth AUTHORS: Zeyad Hassan, Arthur English, and P. Jill Ward Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Around 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral nerve injury, and more than $150 billion is spent in U.S. health-care funds on nerve injuries annually. Neurons in the peripheral nervous system have the ability to regenerate spontaneously after injury but, contrary to common perception, nerve regeneration is often poor and inefficient, leaving patients with little functional recovery. Thus, treatments that enhance spontaneous regeneration and improve function must be discovered to improve patient outcomes. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1) is a transcription factor that has been shown to be necessary for axon regeneration in the peripheral nervous system and regulates multiple growth factors that are required for regeneration. The purpose of this study is to test whether a pharmacologic approach targeting HIF1 can improve nerve growth after injury.

Using dissociated male and female mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons and immunocytochemistry, we show that compared to untreated controls, the average neurite length was almost twice as long after pharmacologic treatment in both males and females. The pharmacologic treatment

20 (Roxadustat, Phase 3 clinical trials) represents a viable, minimally-invasive therapy for nerve injury.

PRESENTER(S): Ashleigh Hawk TITLE: How to genotype transgenic mice that harbor a jellyfish protein in the heart AUTHORS: Ashleigh Hawk, Emory University, Natasha Fernandez, BS, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Hee Cheol Cho, PhD, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology

Introduction: Without pacemaker cells, life stops. Thus, the sinoatrial node (SAN), the region of the heart where each heartbeat begins and many pacemaker cells are found, is of great interest.

However, the SAN is difficult to find. To easily locate the SAN, we must make it glow. This may be done by engineering transgenic mice to produce a green fluorescent jellyfish protein, GFP, in the SAN. To identify transgenic mice in the most minimally invasive way, we would like to use genetic analysis techniques. In this study, we identify transgenic mice from tail samples and validate our results by inspecting the mice hearts for green fluorescence. Materials and Methods: We took tail clippings from the mice, isolated the DNA from the tissue, amplified the Actin housekeeping gene and EGFP reporter gene through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and ran gel electrophoresis to identify the amplified genes found in each sample. The hearts of the mice were harvested and imaged. Results: We found that the SAN of the transgenic mice with EGFP and Actin genes fluoresced green and the SAN of the wild type mice with only Actin did not.

Conclusions: Using genetic analysis techniques and imaging, we were able to respectively identify and confirm transgenic mice. Thus, we successfully identified a minimally invasive way to confirm that transgenic mice contain GFP in the SAN.

PRESENTER(S): Layan Ibrahim TITLE: cFos as a Marker of Seizure Activity in a NHP Model of MTLE AUTHORS: Layan Ibrahim, Emory University; Annaelle Devergnas, PhD, Yerkes National Primate Center; Manuel Hazim, Emory University; Robert E., Gross, MD, PhD, Emory University; Claire-Anne Gutekunst, PhD, Emory University

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Cheng Jiao TITLE: Growth factor inhibition of coronary vessel networks during angiogenesis AUTHORS: Cheng Jiao, Jisheng Sun, PhD & Jinhu Wang, PhD, Emory University

Unlike mammals, following heart injury, adult zebrafish have the remarkable ability to fully regenerate cardiomyocytes instead of forming permanent scars. Previous studies have indicated that to support this regeneration, rapid revascularization of the damaged area is needed. However,

21 to date, the effects of therapeutic agents on coronary revascularization remain elusive. Here, we plan to modulate the coronary vascular growth by targeting angiogenic signals with small molecules. To observe coronary growth, Jb2:EGFP juvenile zebrafish hearts will be embed in agarose gel and cultured ex vivo for 10 days, while jb2:EGFP is a novel transgenic line specifically labeling coronary vessels and recently identified by Wang lab. Small molecules will be introduced via the agarose medium to target growth factors. During the culture, the revascularization process will be documented in images and skeletonized into vectors. Further spatial and morphological analysis of the vascular network will be conducted using Angiotool to identify key structural motifs. Possible findings that show modulation in angiogenic structures during development may be indicative of recruitment of growth factor systems for revascularization. This could pave the way toward future molecular studies that could introduce shared mechanisms, which may in turn lead to designing more efficient therapies for human heart disease

PRESENTER(S): Riya Kalra TITLE: Economic and Social Determinants of Voter Turnout AUTHORS: Riya Kalra, Oxford College of Emory University Dr. Christopher Blake, PhD, Oxford College of Emory University

Low voter turnout has been of concern in the United States, particularly in off-year elections. I had expected a higher voter turnout in the contentious 2016 election, however voter turnout did not appear to significantly differ from the past. Because of this, I became curious about what regional factors are most important in determining voter turnout rates. Using data collected for 2016 from a variety of sources, I analyzed the relationship between voter turnout rates and economic, demographic, and political variables for each state. To what extent can state characteristics predict the proportion of the eligible voting population that will choose to vote in a given US state? Are political, demographic, or economic characteristics more important when determining voter turnout within a state?

PRESENTER(S): Prasanna Karur TITLE: Does order of song presentation affect zebra finch song preference?

AUTHORS: Prasanna Karur, Carlos Rodriguez-Saltos, Donna Maney

The zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, can be a good model for testing the role of social reward in vocal development because male juveniles develop social bonds with their fathers and learn songs from them. To establish the zebra finch as such a model, our lab showed that preference for a given song during development predicts how well the bird learns that song. Finches in that study, however, were able to choose the order in which they heard the songs. In a new experiment, we tested whether the order of song presentation affects song learning. Juvenile finches were reared by their parents in a room where they could also hear but not interact with a male neighbor. When they were old enough to feed themselves, we placed the juveniles in sound-isolation booths where they engaged in a key-pressing experiment. When a key was pressed, a song (either fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) was played by a computer. The order of song playback was based on the order in which

22 birds in the earlier experiment elicited playback, but reversed. For example, if a bird in the first experiment was more likely to hear the fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s song earlier in the day, then in the current experiment, a yoked bird was more likely to hear the neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s song earlier. The results of this experiment will help us understand any effect of order of presentation in our previous work and help to establish zebra finches as reliable animal models to study how auditory preferences affect vocal development.

PRESENTER(S): Ayla Kazemi TITLE: Calcium imaging experiments in newborn mice: preparation and data analysis AUTHORS: Ayla Kazemi, Dr. Marie-Claude Perreault, Dr. Andrea Giorgi

Through calcium-sensitive fluorescent molecules, calcium imaging techniques allow us to optically record the activity of many different neurons simultaneously. In this project, we methodologically describe calcium imaging experiments on brainstem-spinal cord preparations from newborn mice, in which spinal excitatory (VGLUT2-positive) descending commissural interneurons (dCINs) are recorded during stimulation of different sources of reticulospinal inputs.

We used VGLUT2-GCaMP6 mice, in which VGLUT2-positive neurons express the calcium sensor GCaMP6 , and specifically labelled VGLUT2-positive dCINs with rhodamine dextran amine (RDA) crystals. My specific role in this research involved producing RDA crystals and analyzing the calcium signals data after the experiments. I used Metamorph software to extract the calcium data from the VGLUT2-positive neurons and organize data into an Excel-compatible format. Overall, the research activity that I have conducted here is part of a project aiming to improve our knowledge about brainstem-spinal cord connectivity, which can ultimately help with future development of spinal cord injury treatment.

PRESENTER(S): Fariha Kazi TITLE: The Role of Puberty on Emotional and Stress Regulation AUTHORS: Fariha Kazi Rebecca Richardson, Research Specialist, Emory University, Yerkes April Ratliff, Doctoral Student, Emory University, Yerkes Mar Sanchez, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine, Yerkes Jocelyne Bachevalier, PhD, Emory University, Yerkes Jessica Raper, PhD, Emory University, Yerkes

Adolescence is a critical developmental transition evidently indicating heightened susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. It is characterized by increased pubertal hormone secretion, which may assist in inducing functional changes in the brain. Our study investigated whether pubertal maturation affects stress/emotional regulation and underlying brain circuitry, including prefrontal cortex (PFC)-Amygdala connectivity. We hypothesized that during the transition from pre-puberty to puberty, the flux of pubertal hormones may increase behavioral and stress reactivity; however, during late adolescence, with hormone stabilization and increased PFC-Amygdala connectivity, the fear response will be down regulated. This hypothesis was tested with 10 male juvenile rhesus macaques. The animals were tested monthly for measures of testicular volume and blood sample hormone analysis. Currently, the three older macaques have been examined at the developmental

23 time points of 23 months (pre-puberty) and 34 months (early puberty). At each time point we ran the Human Intruder paradigm (Kalin and Shelton), which identifies behaviors elicited in response to an unfamiliar human, and we analyzed the monkeys’ fear-related (freezing) behavior and vocalizations during the HI task in order to monitor behavioral changes through development. The pre-puberty behavioral data at 23 months showed great individual variation in emotional reactivity even when controlled for chronological age. We further predicted that upon pubertal onset at 34 months, the monkeys will increase in freezing behaviors and vocalizations due to the influx of pubertal hormones but during late adolescence, we predict that the increased PFC-amygdala connectivity will tone down emotional responses. This study was supported by NIH grant 5R01HD090925-02.

PRESENTER(S): Sameer Khawaja TITLE: Shear Stent Study AUTHORS: Sameer Khawaja, Emory University Habib Samady, MD, Emory University Arnav Kumar, MD, Emory University Hossein Hosseini, MD, Emory University Grady Burnett, Emory University

With the rise of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stents are becoming as important as ever, opening up arteries and saving lives without the use of surgery. As more and more stents are being used, it is important to find the most effective kind of stent from the various kinds offered. In our study, named the Shear Stent Study, we are comparing two kinds of stents used in the coronary artery. These two kinds of stents are the Resolute® IntegrityTM Zotarolimus Eluting Coronary Stent and the XIENCE XPEDITION® Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent. The R-ZES stent allows the coronary artery to maintain its curved shape. The wall shear stress will be evaluated for both stents to see which one is more effective in the coronary artery. We aim to calculate OCTderived WSS within R-ZES and X-EES stents and relate differences in regional in-stent WSS to neo-intimal tissue coverage assessed by OCT at one year. We also aim to calculate the IVUSderived WSS at the R-ZES and X-EES stent edges and relate differences in Regional WSS at stent edges to change in plaque area at one year. We believe the R-ZES stent will be found to be more effective. We will do this using IVUS and Angiogram images of patients’ coronary arteries pre stent, post stent, and after a 1 year follow up. These images will be used to calculated the WSS.

PRESENTER(S): Eungjae Kim TITLE: Does Lidocaine Cause False Positive Results on Cocaine Urine Immunoassay AUTHORS: Eungjae Kim a Brian P Murray, DO b Maryam Salehi, PhD b Tim P Moran, PhD b Joseph E Carpenter, MD b David D Koch, PhD b James C Ritchie, PhD a Joanne M Schindler, MD b Brent W Morgan, MD a a Emory University, Atlanta, GA b Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Julia Kim

24 TITLE: Parental Influence on Motivation of Korean Heritage Language Learners AUTHORS: Darrah DeVane Katherine Ahn Vannessa Hajin Kim

Growing attention concerning heritage language learners and their motivation to learn more about their heritage language have shown a tremendous effect on their behaviors and attitudes the heritage language and culture. One of the most prominent factors includes the influence from the learnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents and their heritage language community. This present study focuses on the relationship between parental influence and heritage language learner motivation of Korean at Emory University. In this study, four Emory students enrolled in the Korean language courses ranging in difficulties from 200, 300, and 400 levels were interviewed, surveyed, and tested for oral proficiency based on an oral story task. The results show that without parental engagement HL Korean students still maintain high levels of motivation and positive linguistic attitudes toward the Korean language. The findings emphasize that a high level of motivation in HL students can develop positive attitudes and their own identities regardless of parental influence.

PRESENTER(S): Omer Kirmaz TITLE: Using Visual Adaptation to Understand the Neural Code for Number AUTHORS: Omer E. Kirmaz Lauren S. Aulet Stella F. Lourenco

Both human and non-human animals are capable of rapidly estimating the number of items in an array in a non-verbal manner (Whalen et al., 1999). One particular area of interest is how numbers are represented in the brain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is not known how exactly the visual system computes numerosities. Moreover, number perception is susceptible to visual adaptation, a phenomenon where prolonged exposure to a stimulus or stimulus type influences the subsequent perception of a new stimulus (Webster, 2015). It is possible to gain insight into number processing in the visual system by leveraging the aftereffects produced by adaptation to number. Here, by replicating and extending work of Burr and Ross (2008) on number adaptation, we show that following adaptation to a large numerosity (an array of 400 dots), subsequent dot arrays are perceived as less numerous. Conversely, following adaptation to a small numerosity (20 dots), subsequent dot arrays are perceived as more numerous. Furthermore, the observed after-effects were not dependent on dot contrast or location. However, it is unclear whether this adaptation is a result of a multichannel code, containing specialized neurons for representing different stimulus values, or an opponent channel code, containing neurons only for encoding opposing extremes of the encoded dimensions (e.g., small or large) (Calder et al., 2008). Accordingly, future work will examine whether the adaptation effects observed here are dependent on absolute or relative numerosity, which would dissociate between the two coding schemes.

PRESENTER(S): Jessie Kwong, Alice Yang, Joanne Choi TITLE: Neural correlates of vivid and emotional autobiographical memory retrieval AUTHORS: Jessie Kwong, Alice Yang, Joanne Choi, Charles Ferris, and Stephan Hamann

25

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Chloe Lam TITLE: The Effect of Motivational Orientation on the Continuation of Mandarin Courses in Chinese Heritage Speakers AUTHORS: Chloe Lam Grace Nguyen Lydia Feng Stephen Wu The motivations of HL learners have often been studied with relation to the learner’s HL proficiency. Previous studies have examined the role of motivation on HL proficiency. This study aims to analyze the extent to which integrative and instrumental orientations affect heritage Mandarin learners’ decision to continue learning Mandarin. Eight university students enrolled in intermediate and advanced Mandarin classes for HL learners were surveyed. Of the eight participants, five were motivated more by motivated by instrumental reasons, and three were motivated more by integrative reasons. Those that were integratively oriented have on average, taken more semesters of Mandarin than those that were instrumentally oriented. However, it is unclear whether instrumental or integrative orientations affect the expected number of future semesters of Mandarin classes. These findings imply that HL learners who are integratively oriented take more Mandarin classes to continue their HL education.

PRESENTER(S): Grace Lee TITLE: Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Among Women with FXS Premutation AUTHORS: Grace Lee

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Chaerim Lee TITLE: The Word Length Effect on RT in the Stroop Task AUTHORS: Chaerim Lee, Emory College Emily Silber, Emory College Allen Huang, Emory College

In this study, we tested the possible influence of the word length effect in the mental recall of the colors presented on the screen during a Stroop task. The Stroop task tests cognitive processes such as goal-directed selective attention, inhibitory processing, and conflict resolution (and adaptation) through the use of stimuli presented in congruent and incongruent colors. The word length effect, tested by Baddeley and Buchanan and many other studies, indicates that shorter words are recalled better than longer words. Although the word length effect was tested with memorization tasks of words at varying lengths, both Baddeley and Buchanan's study and the Stroop task test the working memory. We proposed that there is a relationship between the rehearsals by recalling color names with the “inner voice” of the phonological loop. Hence, we hypothesized and predicted that the

26 longer the color name, the longer the RT. We selected two sets of four color-words: two onesyllable and two two-syllables in length. Subjects were asked to complete three Stroop tasks: two tests with distinct sets of color-words and the last with a mix of the two. Overall, the RT was longer when the color word ("W" for text) and color name ("C" for the color of the text) were incongruent in length. However, statistical significance was found between one or two-syllable color-words with two-syllable color names. Thus, our results suggest that the word length of the visual stimulus influences the RT more than that of the mental representation of color.

PRESENTER(S): Channing Lin TITLE: Response of Murine Macrophage to Infections Caused by Various Strains of NonTuberculous Mycobacteria AUTHORS: Kuo-Chuan Lin; Brahmchetna Bedi, PhD; Ruxana T Sadikot, MD; Roy L. Sutliff, PhD

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) are rod-shaped bacilli that do not cause tuberculosis or leprosy but are associated with the development of pulmonary disease. While it is well-established that these bacteria cause lung disease, the response of the lung to infection with NTM has not been well- characterized. The production of reactive oxygen intermediates and reactive nitrogen intermediates by innate immune cells is considered to be a major defense mechanism against mycobacteria. Nitric oxide (NO) plays an essential role in the killing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by mononuclear phagocytes. For example, in a mouse strain with a genetic disruption for inducible NO synthase (iNOS-/-), infection with M. tuberculosis is associated with a significantly higher risk of MTb infection and mortality. We hypothesize that the response of the macrophage to NTMs will determine the pathogenicity of the NTM. The present study characterizes how macrophages respond to NTM exposure by exposing MH-S cells (mouse alveolar macrophages) to NTM and characterizing the NO levels at 6, 12 and 24 hours postexposure. We also analyzed the expression of mRNAs that are responsible for the production of NO. The study will characterize the NO generation response of the two most common strains of NTM (M. abscessus and M. avium-intracellulare). As the studies develop, the effects of these strains on lung pathology will be characterized in mice and differential effects on the macrophage response will be correlated to pathological differences.

PRESENTER(S): Jack Liu TITLE: Effect of Connectedness to Chinese Culture on Attitude Toward Language Learning and Confidence in Speaking in Chinese Heritage Speakers AUTHORS: Genevieve Paddock Jack Liu ShengDong Fang

As the number of Chinese immigrants coming to the US has soared, there has been increased interest in the identities of Chinese Heritage language learners. Researchers have reported on the impact that identity perceptions and attitudes have on heritage language learning, including attitude, motivation, confidence and proficiency. This study investigates three undergraduate

27 Chinese heritage speakers at Emory University to determine the relationship of connectedness with Chinese culture to attitude toward language learning and to speaking confidence. Using the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (ATMB) survey and in-person interviews, cultural connectedness, attitude toward language learning and speaking confidence were quantified and correlated. A significant positive correlation was found between cultural connectedness and speaking confidence. A smaller positive correlation was seen between cultural connectedness and attitude toward language learning. These results confirm previous findings on the influence of cultural identity on heritage language learning.

PRESENTER(S): Crystal Liu TITLE: Left vs. Right: Implications of Political Ideology for Intellectual Humility and Other Dispositions AUTHORS: Crystal J. Liu, Shauna M. Bowes, Scott O. Lilienfeld

Political ideology is a deeply held conviction for many individuals, affecting their voting behavior and support of policy positions. However, much of past research do not consider the evidence that ideology is multidimensional, with social and economic political views representing related but distinct belief systems. We examined the relation between political ideology and dispositional differences in a MTurk sample (N= 572). We utilized a wide range of measures to approach the associations among personality traits and cognitive features. Consistent with our predictions, several HEXACO traits were associated with either left or right ideological sympathies.

Furthermore, identifying as being more right-leaning was associated with confirmatory thinking, need for closure, and dogmatism. On the other hand, intellectual humility and need for cognition were associated with being more left-leaning. Notably, economic views tended to manifest smaller associations with most dispositional variables compared with social views. Many associations survived after statistically controlling for each covariate (honesty humility and intelligence). Taken together, our findings demonstrate distinct personality profiles and cognitive styles across the political spectrum.

PRESENTER(S): Raya Machaca TITLE: A Case Study Analysis of the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Programs AUTHORS: Raya Machaca Faculty Mentor: Dr. Liza Vertinsky, Emory School of Law

Employment in prisons has been the subject of much study and debate, but there is still a lack of understanding and documentation on what current penal labor looks like in state prisons. Current policy for employment in state prisons tackles difficult issues of reducing idleness without abusing captive labor and largely fails. The Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP or PIE) was enacted by Congress in 1979 to provide â&#x20AC;&#x153;private sector work opportunitiesâ&#x20AC;? to inmates in state prisons. Over the last 20 years, literature has been published evaluating the success of the program economically and socially, but there is still much that is unknown about the way the program is implemented. My research study draws on a variety of these primary sources as well as state operating procedures for the program to evaluate the efficacy of the PIECP in three realms:

28 the economic outcomes, the social outcomes, and the effect on the individual. It was found that although the PIECP slightly increases post-release employment outcomes and allows prisoners to positively contribute to the economy, if the program is to continue, it requires major reform and regulation to prevent the abuse of captive labor by the private sector.

PRESENTER(S): Bipul Mainali TITLE: The role of ZBTB46 on endothelial cell activation and flow-mediated atherosclerosis AUTHORS: Yu Wang, He Ying Sun, Bipul Mainali, Amir Rezvan Division of Cardiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Ryan McCann TITLE: Characterization of Bielschowsky Positive Aggregates in the Locus Coeruleus of Wild Type FVB/129S6 Hybrid Mice AUTHORS: Ryan McCann, Emory University; Claire Galloway, PhD, Emory University; Julia Gamache, BA, University of Minnesota; Beth Steuer, MS, University of Minnesota; Karen Ashe, MD, PhD, University of Minnesota; David Weinshenker, PhD, Emory University Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with memory loss and other neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms. AD is characterized by misfolding and aggregation of amyloid and tau proteins that form extracellular plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), respectively. NFTs can first be detected in the locus coeruleus (LC), the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain that regulates attention, arousal, cognition, and stress responses.

While NFTs are evident in human AD, they have not been reported in rodents unless human tau is overexpressed using transgenic or viral vector technology. Recently, the Ashe lab noticed Bielschowsky-positive staining, which is used to identify NFTs and other protein aggregates, in the LC of young (3-6 month-old) wild-type FVB/129S6 hybrid mice. A mouse harboring endogenous tau pathology without human tau overexpression, particularly in the LC, would be an invaluable model of early AD. The goal of this project was to confirm the presence of protein aggregates in the LC of FVB/129S6 and to determine whether they contain aberrant forms of tau using immunohistochemistry. An antibody against tyrosine hydroxylase marked noradrenergic LC neurons, and Tau was assessed using AT8 (detects hyperphosphorylated tau) and PHF1 (detects paired helical filament tau) antibodies. Because neuroinflammation is another hallmark of AD, GFAP (marker for astrocytes) and Iba1 (marker for microglia) immunoreactivity was also assessed in the LC region. We optimized tau and neuroinflammation detection using positive control tissue from P301S transgenic mice that overexpress mutant human tau prone to hyperphosphorylation and aggregation. We are currently testing FVB/129S6 experimental tissue.

PRESENTER(S): Darien (Penny) McElwee

29 TITLE: Maternal Affect's Effect on Infant Behavior and Physiology AUTHORS: Darien (Penny) McElwee, Meeka Halperin, Dr. Sherryl Goodman

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Sophia Minnillo TITLE: Comparison of Oral Proficiency Testing Methods in Undergraduate French SLA AUTHORS: Sophia Minnillo

The present study compared human and computerized measures of oral proficiency in a second/foreign language and explored the distribution of oral proficiency levels across university course levels. Previous investigations that have used the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), a human-rater assessment, to measure oral proficiency in foreign languages have found positive but varied relations between oral proficiency and level of instruction. Given the potential for variability in the human scoring of the OPI, this study tested computerized assessments of oral proficiency, namely Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN), with the ultimate intention of rendering proficiency assessment more objective. We analyzed a corpus of elicited speech samples from 16 undergraduate students learning French as a foreign language in university courses. We measured the oral proficiency of learners in terms of measures of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) via CLAN and native speaker evaluations. Computerized and human assessments of oral proficiency differed for the majority of measures, indicating significant differences in how computers and humans evaluate oral proficiency. Neither human nor computerized measures modeled strong oral proficiency differences between course levels.

PRESENTER(S): Amin Mirzaie TITLE: Understanding the Putative Function of Gene CD1609 of Clostridium difficile AUTHORS: Amin Mirzaie, Daniela Wetzel, Shonna McBride

Clostridium difficile is a spore forming pathogenic bacteria that can cause symptoms of severe diarrhea with intestinal tissue inflammation in the human host. The antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is produced by the host in response to a broad range of invasive microorganisms. In response, Clostridium difficile has to resist the effects of LL-37 in order to survive but the mechanism of LL-37 adaptation is not clearly understood. It has been observed that expression of the operon CD1605-CD1612 increases when C. difficile is exposed to LL-37. Our goal is to understand how the relevance of these genes in the adaptation to LL-37. Understanding the relevance and function of the genes in this operon will contribute to the understanding how C. difficile can adapt to the host environment. In this study, the gene of interest, CD1609, is annotated as a hypothetical protein or putative export protein. We will use a homologous recombination system in order to generate a CD1609 deletion mutant. The mutant strain will be analyzed for its role in LL-37 adaptation and survival. Understanding how C. difficile acts in response to natural human defenses will play a role in developing future treatments for Clostridium difficile infections.

30

PRESENTER(S): Robin Mo TITLE: Using CRISPR-Cas technologies to model human disease-linked mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae AUTHORS: Kimwai Mo, Maria C. Sterrett, Anita H. Corbett.

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Taiki Mochizuki, Sophia Minnillo, Riley Swab, Alisia Moore TITLE: Effect of Grammatical Category on Lexical Processing: Comparison of Nouns and Verbs AUTHORS: Sophia Minnillo, Emory University Riley Swab, Emory University Taiki Mochizuki, Emory University Alisia Moore, Emory University

Past studies utilizing the lexical decision tasks have supported response time inversely varying with word frequency and slower processing times for verbs than for nouns in English and German speakers. Adding on to these existing discourse, the current study investigates English speakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; syntactic categorical decisionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whether they recognize nouns or verbs better. 16 L1 Emory University undergraduate students were tested, of which 8 were males and 8 females. Each participant was asked initially to complete a survey about his or her language background, and then to take a lexical decision task but for syntactical category: nouns and verbs. In each round, two words were presented, one above another where each word was either a noun or a verb, and the participants were required to determine if the two words were in the same syntactical category (noun-noun (NN), or verb-verb (VV)), or in different categories. Each participant took a test with 32 rounds. Results show average response times of 2.11, 2.70, 2.78, and 2.44 seconds for NN, NV, VN, and VV, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant. Possible causes may be similar imageabilities between the selected nouns and verbs as well as their varying semantic categories.

PRESENTER(S): Shruthi Mohan TITLE: Spatial distribution of GABAergic interneurons and dCINs in the mouse spinal cord AUTHORS: Shruthi Mohan, Andrea Giorgi, PhD, Emory University, Marie-Claude Perreault, PhD, Emory University

In order to fully understand the inner workings of basic motor control, the intricate pathways present in the spinal cord that send outputs to muscles in various body parts, including the trunk and hindlimbs, must be explored at a deeper level. Spinal motor pathways are composed of excitatory and inhibitory interneurons. Subpopulations of commissural interneurons, specifically the descending commissural interneurons (dCINs), have been shown to regulate bilateral

31 coordination between the muscles on each side of our body. However, dCINs are a heterogeneous population with regard to their neurotransmitter phenotypes. Little is known about the distribution of the inhibitory dCINs, especially in the thoracic cord. In this study, we quantify and assess the spatial distribution of the dCINs that express glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GAD65, also called GAD2), a marker of inhibitory GABAergic interneurons. Assessments are made in both the thoracic segment T10 and lumbar segment L2. This project will give us a greater understanding of precise areas in the spinal cord that can be targeted for therapy post SCI or other injuries that lead to motor dysfunction.

PRESENTER(S): Alisia Moore TITLE: Effects of Bilingualism on Stroop Task Performance AUTHORS: Alexis Greenblatt, Sophia Minnillo, Alisia Moore, Julie Wechsler

This paper examines if bilingualism has any impact on how well someone performs on the Stroop task. A Stroop test is when a series of color words are shown in either the corresponding color or a different color than what the text says. For example, in our test the words “red,” “green,” or “blue” showed up on the screen in text that was either red, green, or blue, sometimes corresponding to the correct color word, but not always. Previous studies have shown that there was no significant difference between monolingual and bilingual speakers when it came to most executive functioning tasks, including the Stroop task. In our experiment, participants had to press one key if the word on the screen was congruent with the color it was presented in, and another key if they were incongruent. Contrary to previous studies, our results concluded that monolingual speakers of English tended to perform much better on the Stroop task than bilingual speakers. We can infer that this could be caused by interference coming from the central executive of bilingual speakers when discriminating between the two languages or possibly another confounding variable.

PRESENTER(S): Michael Mu TITLE: LCMT-1 as an essential component of neuronal development and a regulator of tau phosphorylation AUTHORS: Mu, M, Emory University; Yang, J, Emory University; Zhong, Y, Emory University; Pallas, DC, Emory University School of Medicine

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a ubiquitous heterotrimeric enzyme that participates in many important biochemical processes. Global knockout of leucine carboxyl methyltransferase-1 (LMCT-1), a methyltransferase that regulates the proper formation of certain PP2A heterotrimers, results in midgestational embryonic lethality. To study LCMT-1 function in neurons in later gestation or postnatal mice, we have now generated a Nestin-Cre- mediated neuronal-conditional LCMT-1 knockout mouse model. Neuronal loss of LCMT-1 results in perinatal lethality around 24 hours after birth. The cause of lethality may be due to an inability to feed because PO knockout pups appear normal, but do not develop a milk spot and subsequently grow weaker over time.

Currently, we are analyzing the molecular basis of this phenotype by using biochemical techniques such as western blotting and coimmunoprecipitation to study several proteins that may be regulated

32 either directly or indirectly by LCMT-1. The downregulation of the activity of these proteins could potentially help explain the developmental defects seen with the conditional knockout. One focus is collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMPs), a family of proteins which are involved in neuronal development, which may be regulated by methylation-dependent PP2A heterotrimers.

Other areas of focus are the proteins tau and alpha-synuclein that are associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. These proteins are known PP2A targets and early dysregulation of these proteins might cause developmental defects. If these hypotheses are supported by the data gathered in this study, they will indicate causation, while previous studies have only correlated LCMT-1 or PP2A downregulation with neuronal diseases.

PRESENTER(S): Nikita Mullick TITLE: Assessing the Toxicity of Potential Antiviral Host Defense Peptides AUTHORS: Jessica Shartouny, Emory University Joshy Jacob, PhD, Emory University

Viruses like influenza are difficult to combat, as they mutate so quickly that vaccines often are ineffective and antiviral drug resistance is common. Therefore, development of new antiviral agents is of paramount importance. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are one potential source of new drugs to counter viruses. These are short peptides produced innately by a wide variety of animals that can target common motifs on a pathogen to help protect the animal from infection. Our lab has previously found Urumin, a HDP isolated from an Indian frog, that has viral inhibition activity against one subtype of influenza viruses. Similarly, the aim of this project is to find additional HDPs that have antiviral activities to improve the breadth of peptide-based drugs. In this study, nine antimicrobial peptides were discovered and their toxicity against human erythrocytes were analyzed. Different peptide sequences that have homology to known antimicrobial peptides, Stigmurin from Brazilian scorpions and OH-CATH 30 from King Cobras, were identified through genomic scanning of various animal species. These peptide sequences came from nine species: Eastern brown snake (PT), Brown spotted pit viper (PM), Tiger snake (NS), Tropical rattlesnake (CDC), Burmese python (PB), Koala (PC), Tammar wallaby (NE), Plasmodium parasite (PM2), and Tiger tail seahorse (HC). They were then synthesized and hemolysis assays were performed.

Peptides NS, PM2, NE, HC, CDC, PB, and PM were found to be nontoxic to the cell line. These candidates for novel antiviral peptides are being further investigated for use as antiviral therapeutics.

PRESENTER(S): Annabelle Myo TITLE: “Public Health Themes in German and Austrian Countercultural and Environmentalist Literature of the 1970s-1980s” AUTHORS: Annabelle Myo

The German and Austrian environmental movement of the 1970s and 1980s is known for its magnification of a widespread breadth of topics: nuclear power, ecological conservation, green politics, environmental justice, and many more. However, lesser-known counterculture and alternative literature pertaining to the environmental movement is often left out of academic

33 discourse. Other topics of interest within primary sources such as public health concerns have also been left unassessed. Through the textual analysis of journals such as Zenit, Stammtisch Kovacic, MOZ, etc., this project sought to identify the prevalence and emphasis of public health themes and concerns in countercultural literature that emerged during the early global environmental movement. After the close reading and systemized categorization of over 500 primary sources, many were found to allude to themes of public health. Within these themes, the most common were as follows: depletion and/or contamination of resources such as food and clean water, the dangers of technology related to the wellbeing of humanity, violence between humans over the use of natural resources, and the spread of epidemic infections and disease. These topics align with measures taken in response to the global environmental movement, such as the outlining of environmental conservation in the Christian Democratic Union’s first democratic policy statement in 1978, the inclusion of ecological awareness in the “Stuttgart Principles for the 1980s” in Germany, and the official addition of environmental protection into Germany’s constitution.

PRESENTER(S): Ava Papetti TITLE: whole genome sequencing to identify candidate variants of rheumatoid arthritis AUTHORS: Ava V. Papetti, David T. Okou, Talia Gergely, Michael Zwick, Sampath Prahalad

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis encompasses the eight different forms of arthritis that present in children under the age of sixteen. The causes of these disorders are multifactorial, and much is still unknown about genetic factors that increase risk of disease. The goal of our study is to uncover genetic variants contributing to one form of the disease, rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive polyarticular JIA. We studied three probands who are sisters presenting with the disorder. After acquiring genomic samples from the sisters and their unaffected parents, we performed whole genome sequencing, genome mapping, and joint-calling for identifying genetic variants in each of the probands. We tested the hypothesis that the disease is an autosomal recessive disorder, which predicts that the sisters share a homozygous recessive mutation at the same locus. We also hypothesized that the sisters are heterozygous for different alleles in the same gene that are predicted to result in a loss of function. In addition to our search for single nucleotide variants, our third analysis was in search of copy number variants. From the list of variants generated, we narrowed down our results to the variants that met the criteria expected of casual variants based on our hypotheses. The results of this study will provide insight into the mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis as well as the efficacy of whole genome sequencing in such diseases.

PRESENTER(S): Eric Park TITLE: SK-BR3 susceptibility to RSV and its potential usage for CX3CR1-mediated viral infectivity assays AUTHORS: Eric Park, BS, Tatiana Chirkova, PhD, Larry J. Anderson, MD, Emory University

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants, young children, and elderly population. Although RSV has been studied for over 50 years, a

34 vaccine is not yet available up to this day. It is known from previous research that RSV binds to cell surface heparin sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). The G protein also has a CX3C motif that binds to the cell surface receptor CX3CR1, which is important for RSV infection of a cell— specifically human airway epithelial cells (HAECs). This study aims to determine the role of CX3CR1 in SK-BR3—a human cell culture reported to express CX3CR1 and has not been previously used in RSV research—susceptibility to RSV compared to that of a subtype of HAEC, the Hep-2—the cell line commonly used for RSV infection studies. The preliminary results confirmed the presence of CX3CR1 receptors on SK-BR3 and showed distinct differences in both CX3CR1 and Syndecan-1 (a subclass of HSPG) expression when compared to HEp-2 cells.

Understanding RSV infectivity in SK-BR3 will allow future studies to utilize SK-BR3 in RSV infection studies as well as vaccine development.

PRESENTER(S): Akshar Patel TITLE: Post-Left Ventricular Assist Device Surgery Outcomes for RV Leads in Cardiomyopathy Patients AUTHORS: Shah, A, Patel, AP & Hoskins, M. Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Neharika Penmetcha TITLE: Zooarchaeological Faunal Identifiability: Using GIS Technology to Facilitate Analysis of Gracile Long Bone Specimens AUTHORS: Neharika Penmetcha

Zooarchaeological analysis aims to identify the majority of represented skeletal elements within a given sample. Although research has shown that some fragments have areas with greater diagnostic value than others thanks to distinctive features, little research has been conducted to quantify that relationship. If proper analysis on how bone portion (location on bone where fragment came from) and relative size affects identifiability, then the zooarchaeological community can more accurately determine the frequency of specific skeletal elements at a site.

This study attempted to quantify the ability to identify skeletal elements from bone fragments through its shape, size, and location on bone (bone portion) through GIS software and comment on the efficacy of such a strategy. Materials came from gracile goat limb bones from Stephen Merritt and Davis 2017 research on fragmentation and butchery. Each fragment was assigned to an identifiability ranking with 1 being the most identifiable to side, element and portion and 5 being the least to only class of animal such as mammalian. Each individual specimen was labeled and characterized on the geospatial template and then converted to pixelated IDcat values. Then each subsequent layer of the same element type was aggregated and averaged to visually assess which regions are more identifiable than others. Results suggest that relative specimen size (percent size of fragment relative to total bone) is positively related to identifiability, meaning the bigger the size of the fragment, the better it is to identify it. Most elements had more identifiable areas around the epiphyseal ends and less in the midshaft areas across all long bones. The data and methodology were spatial in nature, but certain calculations through the python coding language

35 aided in the analysis of the question. Although the results obtained in the frame of this project are still at a preliminary stage, it still demonstrates the high potential of exploring and extending the methods and calculations in GIS to a possibly larger sample of specimens and case studies in zooarchaeological skeletal identifiability.

PRESENTER(S): Gloria Pham TITLE: The Second Death: Appropriations of (Post)colonial Ghosts and the Female Body in Assia Djebar’s La Femme sans Sépulture AUTHORS: Gloria Pham Valerie Loichoit, Phd Louisiana State University

Throughout Assia Djebar’s 2002 novel, La Femme sans Sépulture, the spectral figure of Zoulikha Oudai is omnipresent throughout the memories and testimonies of those she has left behind. A resistance fighter who has joined the National Liberation Front maquis in their struggle for Algerian independence, Zoulikha represents the ghost of colonialism after liberation. Though her body has never been found, her voice remains a pervasive element of the novel and a rebuke of the appropriation of the dead by politically and ideologically-motivated colonial and nationalist states. In wartime, it is often the woman’s body in particular which serves as a site of reinscription, of territory to be conquered and controlled. Using Judith Butler’s notion of grievability as a construction of government and media as a point of departure, this project seeks to examine the ways in which death can be justified, weaponized, and politicized in Djebar’s work. This appropriation of the resistance figure and her legacy, I argue, transforms her into a mere political tool and results in what I call “the second death.” Additionally, this project also seeks to examine the role of the gendered, tortured body throughout the text, as well as the question of representation and historical revisionism which Zoulikha’s phantasmal voice continually challenges.

PRESENTER(S): Sri Ponnazhagan TITLE: Contribution of Interpersonal and Non-Interpersonal Trauma to Depression in First-Year College Students AUTHORS: Keland Yip & Sri Ponnazhagan, Emory University; Chelsie Benca-Bachman, Ph.D., Emory University; Jessica Barber Ph.D., Emory University; Rohan Palmer Ph.D., Emory University

Objective: To examine the relationship between interpersonal trauma, non-interpersonal trauma, and depression in first-year undergraduates. Background: The consequences of interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma amongst undergraduates is poorly understood. Sexual assault is amongst the most prevalent forms of interpersonal trauma at universities. However, less is known about other types of trauma. Studies have shown higher levels of depression amongst sexually assaulted individuals. We hypothesized that exposure to interpersonal trauma would be associated with higher levels of depression than exposure to non-interpersonal trauma. Methods: This study used data from an ongoing longitudinal study (MAPme) examining health habits and cognitive

36 functioning. Participants (N=307, 70% Female) were first-year Emory undergraduates who completed the first assessment wave. Trauma exposure was determined from the Life Events Checklist. Interpersonal trauma was defined as the sum of sexual assault, unwanted sexual experiences, physical assault, and weapon assault measures. Non-interpersonal trauma was defined as the sum of vehicle accident, natural disaster, and fire. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Gender, campus site, and completion week were examined as covariates. Results: When controlling for covariates, regression analysis indicated that higher levels of interpersonal trauma were associated with elevated depression (b=0.297, P-Value <0.001, SE=0.059). Experiences of non-interpersonal trauma were not associated with depression (b=0.007, P-Value=0.912, SE=.060). It was also indicated that females had higher risk for depression. Discussion: The study supports interpersonal trauma as a contributor to depression, especially amongst females. Intervention directed towards students with a history of interpersonal trauma may lessen their susceptibility to developing depression.

PRESENTER(S): Julian Pradeep TITLE: Correlation Between Self-Assessment of Cultural Identity in Japanese Language Learners and Motivational Orientation to Learn Japanese AUTHORS: Julian Pradeep, Suji Kim & Lindsay Xu, Emory University

Despite an increasing number of East Asian language learners in the US, there has been a decline in language retention among the East Asian heritage population. Previous research has shown that this could be a result of varying motivational factors among learners. This current study investigates the correlation between self-assessment of cultural identity in Japanese language learners and motivation to learn Japanese to better understand and improve language retention in language students. The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery was adopted to form a 110 question survey to analyze this relationship in college-aged Japanese language students. The study classified and quantified two types of motivation: integrative orientation and instrumental orientation.

Findings of the study reveal that stronger self-identification with Japanese culture correlates with stronger integrative and instrumental motivational orientation for the learner. These results render instructional implications: motivational orientation should be considered and integrated in the development of curricula for heritage language learners.

PRESENTER(S): Nikhil Ramgiri TITLE: Integrative Prioritization of Genetic Loci for Nicotine Consumption AUTHORS: Nikhil Ramgiri, Chelsie Benca-Bachman, PhD, Jenani Srijeyanthan, BS, Emory University; Jason Bubier, PhD, Elissa Chessler, PhD, Jackson Laboratories; Rohan Palmer, PhD, Emory University

To date, genome-wide association studies of nicotine/tobacco use disorders have been limited in their ability to resolve genomic loci that contribute to the liability to misuse. The current study employs a novel pipeline that utilizes transcriptomic evidence for nicotine in model organisms to prioritize a subset of genetic markers that explain individual differences in nicotine consumption

37 in humans. Differential expression data was identified using the GeneWeaver Ontological Discovery tool. Prioritized Subset Analysis was used to evaluate the relative contribution of variation in these genes in three independent sample folds (n1=41,263, n2=41,368, n3=41,213; Total N=139,043) drawn from the UKBiobank. A multivariate model that examined the relative contributions of the prioritized gene regions, 5Kb and 10Kb flanking buffer regions, and all other variants in the genome indicated the total observed SNP heritability for nicotine consumption ranged from 7.6% to 9.5% across the three folds of our sample. The prioritized gene regions produced SNP heritability estimates ranging from .1% to .4% (mean=0.0024, SE=0.00175). The 5kB buffers produced estimates ranging from .3% to .6% (mean=0.0042, SE=0.00185), while the 10kB buffer produced estimates ranging from .7% to .9% (mean=0.0082, SE=0.0021). The prioritized gene and buffer regions both explain a greater proportion of the total genetic variance than expected by random selection of genes along the length of the genome, suggesting that prioritization of gene regions based on transcriptomic data from model organisms is a potentially viable strategy for characterizing the genetic underpinnings of nicotine/tobacco consumption.

PRESENTER(S): Sukriti Rawal TITLE: Prospective Costs of Single-Payer Healthcare AUTHORS: Sukriti Rawal

The Medicare for all act (M4A) and healthcare reform has been a source of great political controversy in recent years. The M4A bill, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, would start the transition to a single-payer system in the United States. A single payer system would fund healthcare from a single public source, such as the federal government. A cost assessment of single-payer system will be critical to inform healthcare cost-cutting strategies. To provide this assessment, we perform comparative aggregate cost analysis of our current system and projected costs for the proposed single-payer system. For the spending estimate of our current system, we use employer-sponsored insurance data, as it is by far the most prominent form of coverage, Medicare, and Medicaid spending. We produce the spending projection for a single-payer system by reviewing previous cost estimates of the M4A bill. This review includes a breakdown of the changes on different components in the healthcare system after factoring in the cost projections.

We find that the costs of single-payer and our current system are comparable, with the cost range of single payer straddling the current system estimate. We conclude with a qualitative discussion of some of M4Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential economic implications.

PRESENTER(S): Taylor Robinson TITLE: Evolutionary Implications of Handaxe Shape Variation AUTHORS: Taylor Robinson; Dr. Justin Pargeter, Emory University Department of Anthropology; Dr. Dietrich Stout, Emory University Department of Anthropology

Stone tools uncover evidence of skill acquisition and learning structure that teach us about hominin evolution. Handaxes [ ~1.7 mya to 0.2 mya] are a distinct form of stone tool archaeologists view

38 as a factor of skill and cultural transmission. Some archaeologists view handaxe shape as an imposition of arbitrary form (personal choice) in addition to functional characteristics, while others state the specific shape is the result of reduction intensity (amount of mass removed) over time.

The Paleolithic Technology Lab conducted one of the longest handaxe training programs in which 26 participants conducted 90 hours of training over several months to determine skill acquisition and shape variation. This experiment, inspired by the Boxgrove archaeological site (UK)[~500 ka] resulted in 128 handaxes in addition to an outside assemblage of expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; handaxes [n=10]. My study compares the shapes of the experimental [n=137] and archaeological Boxgrove [n=189] handaxes through photogrammetry methods (taking measurements on scaled handaxe images).

Measurements were transformed into shape variables via a Principal Component Analysis. My results show two components accounting for 74% of the total variation in handaxe shape. PC1 describes relationships between width and thickness, separating novice and Boxgrove handaxes; while PC2 describes ovate shape and point definition, separating expert and Boxgrove handaxes.

The increased variation within the experimental handaxes compared to Boxgrove handaxes suggests time investment and skill acquisition far beyond the 90 hrs training given to the novice knappers and provides insights into the costs of paleolithic handaxe making skill acquisition.

PRESENTER(S): Sarah Romanelli TITLE: The effects of phosphoprotein on the function of the respiratory syncytial virus polymerase AUTHORS: List of Authors: Sarah Romanelli, Dongdong Cao, Ph.D. and Bo Liang, Ph.D.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the primary cause of pediatric respiratory infections worldwide and contributes to 64 million infections and 160,000 deaths per year as reported by the World Health Organization. No effective vaccines or antivirals currently exist for this nonsegmented negative sense RNA virus; therefore, the development of targeted treatment analogues is most critical. Functional RSV genomic RNA synthesis and mRNA transcription requires a complex of four encoded proteins: the large polymerase protein (L), phosphoprotein (P), M2-1, and nucleoprotein (N). The L enzyme acts as an RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and is directly related to the virus proliferation. The P protein acts as a cofactor for L- specifically its Cterminus- which is essential for L to perform RNA synthesis (RNA replication and transcription).

In this study, the full-length P protein (residues 1-241) and C-terminus truncation (residues 161241) will be purified via affinity and size exclusion chromatography to determine which part of the P protein is essential for L activity. Future research aims to investigate the L-P complex interaction using an RNA polymerization synthesis assay. Additionally, a streptavidin tag will be engineered onto the P protein to improve the purity of the L-P complex. Future research aims to determine the structure of the L-P complex via cryo-EM. Implications of these results can be used to develop novel treatments that inhibit L activity to prevent RSV proliferation.

PRESENTER(S): Valerie Sandoval TITLE: Does Collaboration Work? Local Strategies for Addressing Poverty and Inequality AUTHORS: Valerie Sandoval, Faith Burns, Monica Corley, Kaylyn Jackson, Cam Liao, David Paek, Cassandra Pereda, Betty Zhang, Dr. Michael Rich Department of Political Science Emory

39 College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Robert Stoker Department of Political Science George Washington University

The goal of this project is to determine the breadth, depth, and reach of modern city collaborative initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and inequality in the U.S. Place-based initiatives have emerged in the U.S. beginning in the 1960s, but we still do not have a solid understanding of how different cities implement certain initiatives and whether or not collaboration makes a difference.

In order to examine this, we took a sample of 60 large U.S. cities and selected initiatives active between 2010 and 2017 that fit into one or more of the following policy areas: housing and neighborhood revitalization, education, economic development and workforce development, and comprehensive. We conducted an online survey and completed a systematic web scan to obtain data on the initiatives. We also explored whether cities with prior experience with collaborative community initiatives and cities with more philanthropic organizations invested in our policy areas of interest would have a greater number of collaborative initiatives. Our preliminary results show that more than half of the collaborative initiatives focused on a single policy area while about one in five were comprehensive. Overall nine cities, including Atlanta, had both comprehensive initiatives and collaborative initiatives underway in four of more areas. We also found that cities that had prior experience with comprehensive initiatives and more philanthropic and intermediary organizations supporting this work that were more likely to have comprehensive initiatives underway in addition to multiple initiatives in our policy areas of interest.

PRESENTER(S): Dylan Schellenberg TITLE: Changes in Oscillatory Activity in the Subthalamic Nucleus and Globus Pallidus in a Progressive Model of Parkinsonism AUTHORS: Dylan Schellenberg; Annaelle Devergnas, PhD, Department of Neurology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is a common neurodegenerative disease stemming mainly from loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia. Parkinsonism is associated with changes in neuronal oscillatory activity and increased synchronization in the basal ganglia and cortex, but the relationship between these changes and the severity of Parkinsonian signs remains unclear. We examined this relationship by studying changes in local field potentials (LFPs) in the external pallidal segment (GPe) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in 3 Rhesus monkeys rendered progressively Parkinsonian by repeated systemic injections of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). We separated wakefulness and sleep, but only wakefulness was analyzed in this study. We found that for the 3 monkeys, alpha band power (3-7Hz) between the STN and GPe was significantly increased in the last stage of Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. However, despite a significant correlation concerning the severity of Parkinsonism and increased coherence between the GPe and STN in the alpha band, we did not find any significant consistencies between monkeys in the early stages of disease. The procured results thus challenge the view that strong and/or early oscillatory synchrony in the basal ganglia is causal of explicit motor symptoms.

40 PRESENTER(S): Caroline Scheving TITLE: The Dolls and Daughters of Frank Weston Benson AUTHORS: Caroline Scheving, Emory University

Between 1903 and 1910, the Boston artist Frank Weston Benson and his daughters Eleanor and Sylvia created a collection of paper dolls. Together with Benson’s portraits of his daughters, these dolls help illuminate the artist’s understanding of the proper roles of American women in upper middle-class society. While the collaborative production allowed Benson’s daughters the opportunity to express their creativity, the collection’s family format and fashion options define the limits of the feminine realm. As didactic tools, Benson’s paper-doll set prepared his daughters for their future stations, both in their families and their careers as artists.

PRESENTER(S): Maya Shah TITLE: Phytoremediation of Copper and Iron by Eichhornia Crassipes (Water Hyacinth) at Varying pH Levels AUTHORS: Maya Shah, Oxford College of Emory University; Simbarashe Nkomo and Melissa Hage, PhD, Oxford College of Emory University

Copper and iron are common pollutants in freshwater systems. Although they are bio essential metals in low concentrations, anthropogenic activities have led to toxic concentrations of copper and iron in many freshwater systems. This study investigated the ability of water hyacinth to remediate copper and iron contaminated water samples at varying pH levels. Based on published phytoremediation research, preliminary experiments were performed to assess the extent to which water hyacinth would remediate copper at a neutral pH. Results suggest that water hyacinth is successful at extracting metal ions from a 3.5 ppm copper solution in the first few minutes followed by a steady decrease in the rate of remediation. This study focuses on how varying the pH of water samples can influence the capacity to which water hyacinth can successfully extract metal ions.

Experiments used water contaminated with copper and iron at pH levels 3.5 – 3.7 , 6.5 – 6.7 , and 9.5 – 9.7. There were 3 in-laboratory systems of a 25 ppm solution of copper or iron and each was manipulated to alter the pH. One water hyacinth plant was introduced to each system and water samples were taken every 20 minutes for 3 hours. Atomic absorption spectroscopy and visible spectrophotometry were used to analyze the concentrations. It is hypothesized that the plant will perform as it did in preliminary studies, however it is unclear whether the increase in metal concentration and/or the non-neutral pH conditions will enhance or reduce the phytoremediation ability of water hyacinth.

PRESENTER(S): Nithya Shanmugam TITLE: Determining The Role of Microglial Cell Polarization in Medulloblastoma Therapy AUTHORS: Nithya Shanmugam Victor Maximov Anna Kenney

41 Medulloblastoma (MB) is one of the most common malignant brain tumors in children, representing about 20% of childhood brain cancers. Approximately 30% of MB patients remain incurable, and 70% of MB patients that survive experience devastating lifelong side effects. It is imperative that we develop alternative treatments to improve their quality of life, and a novel treatment could be based on a better understanding of the immune systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interactions with MB. One of the first responders to a MB tumor is the microglial cell, a type of macrophage residing in the brain. Usually, most cancers manipulate the immune cells to bypass apoptosis and other cellkilling pathways via inhibition. This research analyzes how we may be able to activate the immune system to attack the MB tumor. Microglial cells can influence the growth of MB tumor cells by exhibiting a pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) polarization. I hypothesized that M1 microglial cells would increase tumor cell death levels because of the activation of the immune system. I studied this through a series of co-cultures of mouse tumor slices and microglial cells and discovered the following: 1. PCR analysis revealed that M1 microglial cells, IL1B and iNOS (signaling molecules) are up-regulated, 2. The difference in proliferation levels are negligible between the M1 and M2 cultures, and 3. Tumor slices cultured in the presence of M1-polarized microglial cells exhibit higher levels of cell death. Therefore, manipulation of microglial cell polarization may uncover novel approaches to utilize the immune system to fight against MB.

PRESENTER(S): Kaveri Sheth TITLE: Understanding Cross-Language Self-Derivation through Language Source Memory in Bilingual College Students AUTHORS: Kaveri Sheth, Jessica Dugan, Dr. Alena Esposito, Dr. Patricia Bauer

During the process of self-derivation through integration, learners acquire information through direct tuition in separate but related episodes, integrate these episodes, and form new knowledge that was never directly provided. Adults who learn information in multiple languages encounter separate episodes across languages, which have low surface similarity and may make integration difficult, because it is harder to recognize the relatedness between episodes. The primary goal of the present study was to understand how the presentation of information in different languages impacts self-derivation through integration. The prediction that cross-language integration may be a challenge rests on the assumption that the participant attends to and encodes the surface feature of the language in which the fact was learned. If this is the case, then participants should be able to identify the source or language of the individual facts. Bilingual students were presented with recordings of fact pairs in English and Spanish, accompanied with visual cues. Participants were assessed for self-derivation of new knowledge through integration and the source of individual stem facts. Participants were most successful at self-derivation of new information in the withinlanguage conditions, supporting the assumption that cross-language integration is challenging.

Participants successfully nominated the source of the facts in the within-language conditions and one cross-language condition. Variability in performance could be attributed to Spanish proficiency levels. The results provide evidence that cross-language integration is difficult because participants successfully encode the source, and thus must overcome low levels of surface similarity when integrating separate facts and self-deriving new knowledge.

42 PRESENTER(S): Sidra Siddiqui TITLE: Analyzing Correlations Between Cognitive Function and Cardiac Health Among Coronary Angiography (CA) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Patients AUTHORS: Sidra Siddiqui1, Ariana Sidotti2, Ayman Alkhoder MD2, Arshed A. Quyyumi MD2

Patients suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD) are diseases caused by atherosclerosis and stenosis of the coronary or peripheral arteries. Patients suffering from these diseases are often referred for cardiovascular treatment, such as angiographies and percutaneous coronary interventions. Previous research on such procedures has shown that patients experience an increase in cerebral micro emboli, however little has been verified as to the impact of these events on the cognitive function of patients. This study aims to determine if cognitive function is impaired among patients of cardiovascular treatment, if affected at all.

Furthermore, patient history and genetic markers of enrolled patients are used to correlate cognitive function to past and future cardiac events. Emory BioBank is a genetic database for medical history and markers for various disease, including cardiovascular diseases. Patients who have been admitted into the BioBank database and have a history of cardiovascular disease are consented to participate in a study observing their cognitive functions over the course of cardiovascular treatment. After obtaining patient consent, cognitive function of each patient is recording according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and input into Emory BioBank. Pre- and Post-MoCA test scores data will then be analyzed to determine any significant impact of cardiac treatment on cognitive function.

PRESENTER(S): Rebecca Snegg TITLE: The Unnatural Disaster of Hurricane Maria Relief for Puerto Rican Women AUTHORS: Rebecca Snegg

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Sreesh Sridhar TITLE: Curcumin and Colistin Combination Therapy Inhibits Growth of Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria AUTHORS: Sridhar S, Wozniak JE, Crispell EK, Chennamadhavuni S, Liotta DC, & Weiss DS PRESENTATION TYPE: Poster Presentation Understanding and developing novel ways of combatting antibiotic resistance becomes increasingly important as the rates of infection from antibiotic resistant bacteria rise. Colistin, a last-line drug for multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria, has seen increased usage in recent years. Used against carbapenem resistant bacteria, colistinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role as an effective last-line antibiotic remains key in treating infections arising from many bacteria. However, colistin resistance has

43 been observed in many clinical isolates and severely dampens cliniciansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to fight against these infections. Curcumin, a compound found in the antiseptic turmeric, has been shown to have antibacterial properties. An analog of curcumin, EF31 SC-01-005 was tested to determine its efficacy against resistant and heteroresistant bacterial strains. Many monocarbonyl analogs of EF31 were also synthesized and tested. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays were conducted to determine the efficacy of EF31 and the other analogs on susceptible and resistant strains of Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii . MIC data for EF31 indicates that the combination of EF31 and colistin kills resistant strains at a level comparable to clinically susceptible standards. Following these results, plate reader assays were conducted to determine the growth inhibition of the EF31 + Colistin combination treatment on susceptible, resistant, and heteroresistant strains of E. cloacae. Results illustrate colistin resistant and heteroresistant strains experience severe growth inhibition when exposed to combination therapy. Results indicate a possible synergistic role for curcumin analog that must be further explored.

PRESENTER(S): Nicole Steiner TITLE: Using the Implicit Association Test to investigate the strength of synesthetic graphemecolor associations AUTHORS: Nicole Steiner1, Margaret Martinez3, Simon Lacey4, Lynne C. Nygaard2 & K. Sathian4

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which experiences in one sensory or cognitive domain are associated with automatic, involuntary experiences in a second domain. The present study investigated the relationship between the consistency and strength of these associations in grapheme-color synesthesia, in which a specific color is experienced when seeing a particular letter or number. Firstly, synesthetic participants completed the online Synesthesia Battery (SB) which measures the consistency with which individuals choose the same color for the same grapheme and returns a standardized score which distinguishes genuine synesthetes from non-synesthetes.

Secondly, synesthetes and age/gender-matched non-synesthetic control participants completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) which measures the strength of associations. In the IAT, two response keys were paired with the synesthetesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; two most consistent SB associations in either congruent (each key is associated with a grapheme and its correct synesthetic color, e.g., A + red, B + green) or incongruent (i.e., A + green, B + red) conditions. However, on each trial, only a single grapheme or color is presented and participants make speeded responses. We expected that synesthetes would respond more quickly and accurately when their grapheme/color associations were paired congruently (e.g., A/red, B/blue) as opposed to incongruently (i.e., A/blue, B/red). In contrast, non-synesthetic controls should show no significant difference between congruent and incongruent trials because they do not have pre-existing associations between graphemes and colors. To the extent that strong associations should also be consistent, we also expected a positive correlation between SB scores and congruency magnitudes in the synesthetes.

PRESENTER(S): James Swanson TITLE: Associations between trauma history and anxiety

44 AUTHORS: James Swanson, Chelsie Benca-Bachman PhD, Jessica Barber PhD, Rohan Palmer PhD

Objective: Traumatic life events can disrupt our emotional regulation ability. As a result, individuals who experience trauma sometimes report elevated anxiety. This study investigated whether the number of traumatic events experienced predicted increased anxiety or general emotional dysregulation, (i.e. increased stress or depression). Methods: This study comprised 307 first year undergraduates from two campuses of a mid-sized university in southeastern USA. This study utilized Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) scores to measure anxiety, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores to measure depressive symptoms, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores to measure stress levels, and a 17-item Life Event Checklist (LEC) to assess for potentially traumatic event experiences. Multiple regression, accounting for week of survey completion, campus location, and sex, was used to test study hypotheses. Results: Total LEC events endorsed was directly associated with GAD-7 scores (r = .17, p-value = 004). However, total events endorsed on the LEC was not associated with GAD-7 scores after controlling for stress, depression, and other covariates (β = .011, SE = .022, p-value = .594). Discussion: These findings suggest that number of LEC endorsed is not a robust indicator of anxiety but appears to be related to emotional dysregulation more broadly. True to established research, confounding factors such as sex, depression, and stress may moderate the direct relation between the number of LEC events experienced and anxiety. Further investigation should test for moderation and focus on the unique effects of sex in the context of number of LEC endorsed on reported anxiety.

PRESENTER(S): Mohammed Syed TITLE: Bacterial cloning AUTHORS: Mohammed Syed

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Farhan Tejani TITLE: TNF-alpha levels on a High Fat Diet AUTHORS: Farhan R Tejani, Jordan Jackson, Madeleine E. Hackney

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Gizem Terzioglu TITLE: The Impact of Rare Human Variants on RGS14 Interactions with Its Binding Partners AUTHORS: Gizem Terzioglu & Carolina Montanez-Miranda & Suneela Ramineni & John R. Hepler, PhD, Emory University

45 The Regulator of G Protein Signaling14 (RGS14) is a multifunctional signaling protein that integrates G protein, MAPKinase, and Ca++/CaM signaling pathways in host cells. Expressed primarily in hippocampal neurons, RGS14 suppresses synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA2 neurons, and the linked hippocampal-based learning and memory.

The RGS14 domain structure consists of an RGS domain that binds active Gα-GTP, an H-Ras and Rap1/2 binding domain (R1), and a GoLoco/GPR domain that binds inactive Gα-GDP. Genetic variations account for diverse traits and individual predispositions to disease. We have identified genetic variants of RGS14 that confer changes within functional binding domains. Here we investigate the functional consequences of two human variants of RGS14, Q116P and K334N, on their interactions with related binding partners. Variant Q116P involves a missense point mutation in the RGS domain that is expected to impact RGS14 interactions with Gαi-GTP. Variant K334N involves a missense point mutation in the R1 domain, and is expected to alter RGS14 interactions with Rap2A. Our preliminary data shows that Q116P does not change RGS14’s interaction with Gαi, whereas the point mutation K334N hinders RGS14’s binding with Rap2A. Future experiments using Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) imaging will provide further evidence for the interaction of the human variants of RGS14 with the binding partners.

PRESENTER(S): Caroline Thomas TITLE: Effects of Food Quality on Schistosoma mansoni Infections in Biomphalaria glabrata Snails AUTHORS: Caroline Thomas, Rachel Hartman, M.S., & David J. Civitello, PhD, Emory University

A parasite infection can cause significant harm to the host organism by reducing the host’s reproduction and increasing its mortality. Functionally, most of these harmful effects occur because parasites exploit and steal available nutrients from their hosts in order to supply energy for their own survival and development. Given this nutritional interaction, the amount and type of food the host organism consumes could influence the sensitive dynamic between a host and its parasite. A good host diet could promote parasite reproduction by supplying a rich amount of resources, but it could also trigger an immune response from the host and lead to parasite death. It has been previously found that food quantity causes an increase in cercariae production and virulence of S. mansoni in B. glabrata snails. In this study, I hypothesize that an increased food quality provided to the host snail will result in an increase in the parasite’s reproduction and virulence. I created gradients of food quality by blending different ratios of chicken feed and fish flakes (high in lipids and protein) with starch (high in carbon) and measured snail size, snail reproduction, parasite production, and snail survival over time.

PRESENTER(S): Alison Thomas TITLE: Long Term Effects of Dietary Phosphate Consumption on the Kidney AUTHORS: Thomas, A, Viggeswarapu, M, Beck, G.

46 Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Veronica Vazquez TITLE: Effects of Primed Speaker Knowledge on Speech Perception AUTHORS: Veronica Vazquez, Christina Tzeng, Ph.D., Lynne Nygaard, Ph.D., Emory University Human speech changes significantly depending on the context in which it is produced. Variation in speakers’ utterances stems from a variety of sources such as a speaker’s age, gender, and individual identity. This variability is not discarded, but rather rapidly encoded during spoken language processing. In two experiments, the present study examines the extent to which social cues about the speaker, such as speakers’ age, can shift the perception of the acoustic-phonetic features of speech (e.g., voice-onset time, VOT). Using vowel length as a proxy for speaking rate, the first experiment presented participants with either shortened or lengthened vowel lengths in VOT continua during a categorization task. Findings from the first experiment showed that categorization of speech sounds can be changed by altering the acoustic characteristics of the signal. The second experiment investigated the extent to which knowledge of a speaker’s age can shift the perception of VOT. Listeners engaged in a task identical to that in Experiment 1 except that they were primed with visual information about the speaker’s age (a photograph of an old or young speaker). Results show that priming listeners can induce similar patterns to those seen when the speech signal is altered. Listeners appeared to be tracking and encoding the distribution of features associated with a particular group of speakers rather than just inferring general characteristics. Speech perception appears to entail both bottom-up and top-down processes such that listeners employ their knowledge of group-specific acoustic-phonetic features of speakers to adjust their perception of speech.

PRESENTER(S): Charlotte Wang TITLE: Organic Cover Cropping Techniques Significantly Impact the Microbial Composition of Agricultural Soil AUTHORS: Charlotte Wang, Oxford College of Emory University Linda Wu, Emory College of Arts and Sciences Magdy S. Alabady, PhD, Plant Biology Department of University of Georgia Zengyan Wang, Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, University of Georgia Daniel Parson, Oxford College Organic Farm Sarah C. Fankhauser, PhD, Oxford College of Emory University

The microbial communities within soil are essential to the fertility of the soil and the success of agricultural crops, yet a substantial portion of microbial life remains uncultivated and underexplored. Organic farming techniques such as cover cropping can alter this microbiome. To understand how various cover cropping techniques affect soil microbial communities, we used next-generation sequencing of the16s rDNA gene to compare the soil bacterial diversity from three different treatments: a single species of buckwheat, a multi-species complex of 7 cover crops, and no cover crops. We hypothesized that a more complex soil rhizosphere in the multi-mix treatment would result in a more diverse composition of the microbial community, which would, in turn, benefit crop production. An experimental plot was established with the three different treatments

47 in triplicates. Soil samples were taken at key points throughout the experiment. Data thus far indicated that the cover crop techniques were effective in increasing soil fertility and nutrient recycling. Illumina sequencing results indicated that overall bacterial abundance decreased over time for multi-mix and control, whereas the diversity index increased. The multi-mix showed the greatest diversity at the end of the field study. For each treatment, the number of operational taxonomical units (OTU) that significantly differed across time was classified into phyla levels.

The average abundance of most phyla in the single-mix and control decreased over time, whereas the multi-mix showed an increase in average abundance. These results will be the first to systematically investigate how cover crops alter microbial communities of the soil.

PRESENTER(S): Julie Wechsler TITLE: Effect of Word Frequency on Lexical Retrieval AUTHORS: Laura Flescher Debbie Lee Carlos Monteagudo Julie Wechsler

The purpose of this experiment was to see which model of lexical retrieval is supported using a lexical decision task. In previous studies, it was found that words are recognized more readily than nonwords, and also that frequent words are recognized more quickly than infrequent words. We tested individuals on their speed and accuracy during a lexical decision task in which one string of letters was presented at a time, and the participant indicated whether it was a word or a nonword.

The stimuli came from a generated list of frequent words, infrequent words, frequent-looking nonwords, and infrequent-looking nonwords. We found that the difference between frequent words and frequent-looking nonwords in terms of reaction time was statistically significant, as was the difference between frequent words and infrequent words. This indicates that words are processed more quickly than nonwords, and that frequent words are processed more quickly than infrequent words. This finding supports the theory of a serial search model – since it took longer to process less familiar words, it is likely that the model skims through often-used words first, then reaches the infrequent words, then reassesses if it is a nonword (hence, the difference in reaction times based on word versus nonword and word frequency).

PRESENTER(S): Genevieve Wilson TITLE: The Role of the Neuropeptide Galanin in Locus Coeruleus Degeneration AUTHORS: Genevieve Wilson, Emory University Rachel Tillage, Emory University David Weinshenker, PhD, Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common neurological disease, and it currently has no cure.

One of the earliest brain regions to degenerate in AD is the locus coeruleus (LC), a small noradrenergic brainstem nucleus which supplies norepinephrine to most brain regions. The LC is known to have important roles in memory, arousal, and stress. The noradrenergic neurons of the LC show high expression levels of galanin, a neuropeptide which has been previously implicated in AD pathology in both humans and rodent models. However, evidence of galanin’s role in neurodegeneration associated with AD is conflicting. While some studies have suggested that increased galanin may worsen the symptomatic cognitive impairment associated with AD, other

48 work has indicated it may delay degeneration. In this experiment, transgenic galaninoverexpressing and wild type mice were exposed to either a single or chronic dose of N--N-ethyl2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4), a neurotoxin that causes specific degeneration of the LC. To assess LC neuron axonal degeneration in the hippocampus, we used immunohistochemistry for the norepinephrine transporter (NET), which is highly expressed on noradrenergic axons. NET was quantified in the dentate gyrus, CA1, and CA3 regions of the dorsal hippocampus. A trend of decreasing NET immunoreactivity was observed among most groups treated with the neurotoxin as expected. However, no clear differences were observed between galanin-overexpressing and control groups, suggesting that increased galanin may not provide a neuroprotective effect for hippocampal LC terminals. Future research will provide more insight through utilizing larger sample sizes and investigating additional brain regions.

PRESENTER(S): Stella Wu TITLE: Litigations of Multinational Corporations in China AUTHORS: Stella Wu, Undergraduate, Emory University; Jian Xu, PhD, Emory University

Abstract not available.

PRESENTER(S): Kevin Wu, Kenny Chian, Yiran Ge, Simran Soman TITLE: Targeting miR-330-3p reverses epithelial - mesenchymal transition in triple-negative breast cancer.

AUTHORS: Kenny Chian*, Yiran Ge*, Simran Soman*, and Kevin Wu* *all authors contributed equally to this work

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the highest mortality rate among all breast cancers and lacks an alternative therapeutic strategy for invasive and ineffective treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. miR-330-3p plays a cancer-specific role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process which increases metastatic potential. In TNBC, miR-330-3p is highly expressed and presumably promotes EMT. In this study, we investigated the effects of miR-3303p inhibition on EMT in MDA-MB-231 human TNBC cells using an anti-miR-330-3p miRNA. Furthermore, changes in cell morphology and expression of EMT markers were analyzed via confocal microscopy and Western blot analyses, respectively. Cell viability assays demonstrated that miR-330-3p is essential for mesenchymal TNBC cells survival, which was reduced in a dosedependent manner. Noted changes in morphologies of cells transiently transfected with anti-miR330-3p suggested a transition from mesenchymal to epithelial phenotypes in MDA-MB-231 cells.

These observations were confirmed by decreased expression of mesenchymal markers vimentin and SOD2 in response to anti-miR-330-3p treatments in these cells. Although further research is needed, these results suggest that inhibition of miR-330-3p in TNBC cells reverses EMT and has a cytotoxic effect to mesenchymal TNBC cells.

PRESENTER(S): Cameron Wynn

49 TITLE: Effects of Serratia marcescens on Anasa tristis AUTHORS: Cameron Wynn, Sandra Mendiola, Nicole Gerardo

Cucurbit yellow vine disease (CYVD) is an infection developed in squash crops that is caused by the bacteria Serratia marcescens. CYVD can result in 100% crop loss and can be economically devastating for farmers. This disease is transmitted by Anasa tristis, the common squash bug. A. tristis has a mutually beneficial relationship with Burkholderia species bacteria. We are currently investigating if Burkholderia living in the squash bug may stop the transmission of S. marcescens.

This particular experiment investigated whether insects also experience negative effects from the plant pathogen, S. marcescens. The rate of development, the survival rates, and the size of the insects in the various treatment groups were all examined. We hypothesized that the insects without Serratia infection would fare better overall.

PRESENTER(S): Grace Xu TITLE: Assessing the Utility of a Physical Functioning Report for Lupus Patients and Providers AUTHORS: Grace Xu and Laura Plantinga, PhD, Emory University Division of Renal Medicine

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 1.5 million Americans, primarily women of childbearing age. Due to the debilitating symptoms of the disease, which include chronic pain and fatigue, SLE patients remain at high risk for functional impairments. To identify targets for intervention, an ancillary pilot study called the Approaches to Positive, Patient-Centered Experiences of Aging in Lupus (APPEAL) conducted physical functioning assessments of Atlanta-area patients (n = 60) diagnosed with SLE. Given that shared knowledge of functioning may improve the patient-centeredness of care, the present study has developed a potential intervention report to convey these results and facilitate shared decisionmaking between patients and providers. Reports based on patient results were mailed to a subset of the APPEAL cohort (n = 30) and a survey was conducted to obtain patient input regarding the coherence and future utilization of the report. Overall, 86.7% (n = 26) of patients indicated that they would be willing to arrive 20-30 minutes prior to a clinical appointment to complete the performance tests. Furthermore, 80% (n = 24) of patients indicated that they would be willing to complete the performance tests at least once every 6 months. Collectively, these data indicate that patients are willing to utilize the report and discuss physical impairments with their providers.

Therefore, this report may be utilized to facilitate patient-provider communication regarding physical functioning within the setting of lupus.

PRESENTER(S): Jin Yoo TITLE: The Effects of Actin Regulation on Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Migration AUTHORS: Jin Yoo; Kenneth R. Myers, PhD, Emory University; Stephanie Lynn Pollitt, B.S., Emory University; James Zheng, PhD, Emory University.

50 Cell migration is an essential component of wound closure, cancer metastasis, and immune response. This process requires the cytoskeleton, which is made up of various filaments that provide the basis for cell structure and motility. The assembly of actin, a type of cytoskeletal filament, is imperative to the process of whole-cell migration, as the dynamic actin filaments have new actin monomers constantly added to their growing plus ends. Individual actin filaments are assembled into higher-order structures, such as bundles and branched networks, through the actions of actin regulatory proteins such as formins and the Arp2/3 complex. Cell migration is particularly important for wound repair in the lungs, where exposure to toxic particles and infections can lead to lung tissue damage. Here, we investigated the effects of altering actin cytoskeletal turnover on cell migration in human bronchial epithelial cells. Using a wound healing scratch assay, we found that inhibition of actin dynamics by several pharmacological reagents that attenuate actin assembly or disassembly markedly reduced the wound repair process over an 8hour period. We also investigated the effects on cell polarity, a key initial step of migration. These results are not only relevant to the field of cell migration, but also in cancer cell migration, as the proteins and actin assembly affected by these drugs can target the mechanisms underlying metastasis.

PRESENTER(S): Sally Zhang TITLE: Proteomic analysis of the Poly-Ubiquitin Profiles in Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease AUTHORS: Eric B. Dammer, Measho Abreha, Duc M. Duong, James J. Lah, Allan I. Levey and Nicholas T. Seyfried, Emory School of Medicine

Several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease (AD), have characteristic ubiquitin positive pathological protein aggregates. Currently, the specific ubiquitylation protein substrates associated with these aggregates in AD brain is poorly understood. Here we analyzed control and AD postmortem brain tissues to examine the changes in the proteome and ubiquitylation proteins associated with AD. Affinity capture using tandem ubiquitin binding entities (TUBEs) was utilized to enrich poly-ubiquitylation substrates from AD and age-matched control postmortem brain tissues (n=3 each group). Label-free mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomic analysis identified a total of 2112 unique proteins across all samples and bead controls.

After controlling for non-specific binding, we identified 197 proteins that were at least two-fold enriched in AD compared to control cases. Some of these targets include ubiquitin, Tau, p62 sequestosome and 14-3-3 proteins, which are known to associate with AD neuropathology. A cross comparison with previous proteomic studies revealed that 108 of those 197 proteins have increased site-specific levels of ubiquitylation in AD brain. Tau poly-ubiquitylation from AD brain homogenates was confirmed by affinity capture using either pan or linkage specific (K48 and K63) poly-ubiquitin TUBEs and immunoblotting. These findings show the utility of MS to map ubiquitylated substrates in the human brain and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying post-translational modifications of pathological proteins in AD.

PRESENTER(S): Shirley Zhang TITLE: Satellite Cell Fusion in Craniofacial and Limb Muscles AUTHORS: Shirley Zhang, Fang Wu, Hyojung Choo

51

Craniofacial muscles are crucial for food mastication and swallowing. Dysphagia, the inability to swallow, affects millions of elderly individuals and is caused by dysfunction of the tongue and pharyngeal muscles. Currently, no treatment exists for dysphagia and little is known about the effects of age or disease on craniofacial muscles. Like hind limb muscles, craniofacial muscles are highly susceptible to muscular dystrophies, but they have differential susceptibility to each specific dystrophy. Satellite cells are the precursors to skeletal muscles and are essential for muscle regeneration. Previous studies have shown that satellite cells in non-limb muscles are more transcriptionally active than those in hind limb, but the mechanism of satellite cell proliferation and fusion remains unclear. To investigate how satellite cell fusion changes, our lab will use a genetically engineered mouse which express tdTomato under satellite cell specific promotor, Pax7.

Utilizing inducible Cre-lox system, our mice will express tdTomato in satellite cells by Tamoxifen injection. We will compare the satellite cell number and fusion activity between limb muscles and craniofacial muscles in young (3 month) and old (12 month) mice. These experiments will provide insights into the mechanism of muscular dystrophies, which can help us identify potential drug treatments in humans.

PRESENTER(S): Julia Zhong TITLE: Eye Blink Entrainment as a Measure of Social Contingency Within Caregiver-Infant Dyads AUTHORS: Julia Zhong, Research Partners Program, Emory University; Zeena Ammar, Neuroscience Program, Emory University; Sarah Shultz, Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University School of Medicine

In social interactions, two engaged conversationalists will often synchronize their posture, breathing, and even the timing of when they blink their eyes (Hรถmke et al, 2017). Eye-blink entrainment, or the synchronization of eye-blinks between two individuals, is a bodily mechanism that reflects positive and successful interpersonal communication and serves as a foundation for effective social communication (Nakano et al., 2010). However, this phenomenon has been found to be disrupted in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as eye-blinks are not entrained when observing a speaker (Nakano et al., 2011). This current study aims to investigate whether eye-blink entrainment emerges in infancy and if it is disrupted in infants later diagnosed with ASD. Eye-tracking data and video were collected from 3- to 5-month-old TD and ASD infants and their caregivers as they interacted through a live video feed. Frames of blinks for both individuals were identified and analyzed using peristimulus time histograms which quantify change in rate and timing of infant eye-blinks relative to eye-blinks of their caregiver. The results from this study may identify a critical aspect of early interactive contingencies that could be disrupted in infants that are later diagnosed with ASD.

52 Oral Presentation Abstracts

PRESENTER(S): Veronica Chiu TITLE: Investigating Numerosity in the Domestic Dog Using Awake, Unrestrained fMRI AUTHORS: Veronica Chiu, Emory University; Lauren Aulet, Emory University; Ashley Prichard, Emory University; Raveena Chhibber, Emory University, Mark Spivak, Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Atlanta, Georgia; Stella Lourenco, PhD, Emory University, Gregory S Berns, MD/PhD, Emory University

Numerosity, or the ability to represent number without use of symbols, is a highly conserved skill across a variety of animals. Numerosity allows for quick, imprecise judgements across different stimulus modalities. Although number representation in humans and non-human primates has been well-studied, numerosity studies in other animals have only utilized behavioral paradigms.

Particularly in dogs, these past behavioral tests have not provided strong evidence for an innate number representation. The present study investigated neural activation in the canine cortex in response to changes in numerosity using fMRI. Eleven awake, unrestrained dogs passively viewed alternating dot arrays of 2 vs 10, 4 vs 8, or 6 vs 6 dots in a block fMRI design. After preprocessing, the data were split into two unique datasets to localize a region and test for a linear response to the ratios of 1, 2, or 5. In eight of the eleven dogs, we identified regions in the parietal cortex that were differentially active to modulated effect of numerosity, which were replicable in an independent dataset at p = 0.04. These regions, although variable in location, were consistent with previous findings that had implicated the parietal cortex in encoding numerosity. To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide evidence of an untrained canine ability to discriminate changes in numerosity.

PRESENTER(S): Jose Ruben Diaz Vasquez TITLE: The Production of Ideology Through Chicanx Poetry: Towards an Alternative Framework for the American Dream AUTHORS: Ruben Diaz Vasquez, Emory University - Class of 2019 In 1960’s, endeavours such as the Chicano Power Movement and Farmworker Rights brought about political, economic, and cultural shifts that contributed to a distinct corpus of artistic work produced by Chicanx artists and writers. This research investigates Chicanx poetry between 1960’s and 1990’s to examine the ideologies encrypted in the texts as they relate to experiences of upward mobility, a salient aspect of the American Dream. The Dream provides narratives central to how the U.S. and its people perceive themselves--stories that seek to capture the American ethos and culture. Through this project, I argue these narratives are tied to formations of modern empire, conquest, colonization, and global dominance. The radical consciousness and political ardency of the Chicanx artistic works present a tremendous opportunity to study how poets in the context of social protest challenge hegemonic ideas in the U.S. through literary sites. Using literary analysis, I scour contemporary poetry for instances where American Dream ideologies are reinforced and where these are deconstructed or substituted for alternative narratives. These ideas are also recognized as being part of identifiable ideologies that serve a hegemonic purpose, and the texts

53 from which they emerge are treated as cultural objects shaped by a myriad of interactions. Through tools of sociological analysis, this project demonstrates how ideological contestation is tied to struggles for structural change or resistance to change. It's the poetry of Chicanx individuals during an intensely active political moment that reveals how this Dream may also relate to traditions and cultures of resistance.

PRESENTER(S): Lucas Encarnacion-Rivera TITLE: Myosoft: A Novel Tool to Analyze Muscle Fiber Morphometry and Type AUTHORS: Lucas Encarnacion-Rivera, Steven Foltz, Ph.D., Hyojung Choo, Ph.D., Criss Hartzell, Ph.D.

Skeletal muscle comprises a heterogeneous arrangement of muscle fiber types: IIa, IIb, IIx, and I, which possess different metabolic strategies and contractile kinetics. Fiber size (e.g. crosssectional area) and type are primary determinants of muscle function; thus, careful examination of these features provides functionally relevant information about muscle status. Importantly, fiber type composition responds to physiological changes like exercise and aging and is often altered in neuromuscular disease states. Analysis of fiber size and type in histological muscle preparations can be a useful method for quantifying key indicators of muscle function and for measuring responses to a variety of stimuli or stressors. However, despite the values of such analysis, it is often performed manually, which is both labor-intensive and time-consuming. To offset this obstacle, I developed Myosoft, a novel method to automate morphometric and fiber type analysis in immunofluorescently stained transverse muscle sections. Myosoft synergizes machine learningbased image segmentation with thresholding algorithms to extract morphometric features of muscle fibers (like cross-sectional area and mean ferret length) and their corresponding type for over 4,000 of fibers in under 10 minutes with >98% accuracy and minimal supervision from the investigator. Altogether, Myosoft is a high-throughput, quick, accurate, and convenient solution to analyzing large sections of muscle tissue, capable of circumventing the error, bias, and labor incurred by manual annotation.

PRESENTER(S): Dorottya Kacsoh TITLE: Care in the Clinic: A Humanistic Approach to Healing in Stroke Survivorship AUTHORS: Dorottya B. Kacsoh, Emory University; Vincent Bruyere, PhD, Emory University

Narrative medicine is an emerging field that emphasizes clinical implications of humanistic inquiry. Clinical applications of the humanities are in part shaped by the study of illness narratives.

This presentation elucidates the significance of caregiving and care-partnership in the field of narrative medicine using The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (1997) as its primary document of study. The examined text is a memoir dictated by Jean-Dominique Bauby, the former editor-inchief of Elle, who suffered a stroke that left his body completely paralyzed but his mind intact.

Through the intervention of caregiversâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whether they be hospital staff, his family and friends, or his own imaginationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bauby is able to come to terms with his new body using methods that

54 emphasize sensory experiences. These modes of caregiving reject the Cartesian model of mind/body dualism and instead focus on the sensory and narrative dimensions of caregiving. A close reading of the memoir suggests that caregiving serves as the basis for the process of adjusting to a new state of normalcy. The interpretation of the role of caregiving in this metamorphosis is then translated into the practical applications of the humanities in a rehabilitation medicine context.

Eliciting a patient’s narrative allows clinicians to tailor their therapy according to the individual’s and their care-partners’ needs and desires. Therefore, attention to both the physical and metaphysical aspects of health allows holistic to take place.

PRESENTER(S): Ramona Li TITLE: “And on goes the train” – Nietzschean Active Nihilism in Hedda Gabler and Precautions to Staging Ibsen as Sociocultural Critique AUTHORS: Ramona Li

Theater practitioners often resort to a convenient, albeit reductive, understanding of Henrik Ibsen’s dramatic realism: that Ibsen comments merely on nineteenth-century society, politics, and culture in his plays. Productions of Hedda Gabler (1891) have commonly prioritized the accurate replication of nineteenth-century living while, unfortunately, neglecting the story’s metaphorical significance by oversimplifying character motives. However, when investigated as a philosophical allegory, Hedda Gabler bears a Nietzschean undertone. Brian Johnston theorizes a Hegelian dialectical framework underlying Ibsen’s prose cycle. Analogously, this research investigates Nietzschean Active Nihilism in Hedda Gabler. This research illuminates the shared mythical foundation of paganism in Ibsen’s early works and Nietzsche’s Apollonian-Dionysian dichotomy in The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music (1872). Further, this research compares Hedda’s existential transformation to the camel-lion-child axis in Thus Spoke Zarathustra (pub. 1883-1891) and outlines similarities in Hedda’s romantic vision to the Nietzschean Übermensch. Hedda Gabler can be viewed as a tale of restoring Dionysian glory in an age of Apollonian triumph. By liberating Løvborg from Thea’s domesticating influence, Hedda asserts her individuality against the stifling triviality and grotesque norms of bourgeois living. She thus exemplifies the actively nihilistic attempt to create one’s own values after acknowledging the inherent meaninglessness of the world.

On this basis, this research proposes staging guidelines that reconcile such statements about universal existence with the inevitable particularity of the setting, class distinction, and manners of Hedda’s era. It is still feasible to stage Ibsen’s plays as sociocultural critique – only with larger implications.

PRESENTER(S): Michelle Oppong-Ampofo TITLE: Read ‘Em and Weep: Understanding Grief through Lucille Clifton’s Poetry AUTHORS: Michelle Oppong-Ampofo

Grief among African-Americans is a widely understudied topic. Yet grief is constantly contextualized in African-American literary worlds. Lucille Clifton is one such poet who

55 constantly weaves grief into her work. What is unique about Clifton, however, is that most critics and scholars cannot seem to place her within any one literary movement. Despite similar topics and various interactions of with writers of the Black Art Movement, which was based in politics of Black Nationalism, Clifton does not quite fit in the Black Arts Movement of the mid-1960s to 1970s. Nor does she seem to fall under the Post-Black Art movement, which focuses primarily on avoiding labels of “blackness.” Clifton’s distinctive style would suggest that she treats grief, as well as other topics in her work, differently than her contemporaries. I will use genetic criticism, an approach to studying literature which looks at otherwise ignored artifacts such as drafts, typescripts, proofs, notes, letters, and other preparatory documents to answer the questions: “How does Clifton choose to represent grief?” and “What is a ‘good grief poem’ to Clifton?” In addition, I will use the answers to these questions to recreate some of Clifton’s unpublished poems.

PRESENTER(S): Krishna Pucha TITLE: Differences in OA development between sexes in the rat meniscal transection model AUTHORS: Krishna A. Pucha, Jay M. McKinney, Julia M. Fuller, Nick J. Willett Osteoarthritis(OA) is a degenerative disease of the joints that can hinder patient’s mobility. While there are clear sex differences in OA development in humans, most pre-clinical research has been conducted in solely male animals. Research conducted with this unisex approach can’t be generalized to both sexes diagnosed with OA. The objective of this study was to determine if sex impacts the progression and severity of OA in a preclinical animal model of surgically induced OA and it was hypothesized that differences would be observed. A medial meniscal tear(MMT) was implemented in Lewis Rats to induce OA. Animals were euthanized 3 weeks post-surgery and contrast enhanced microCT was used to quantitatively evaluate articular cartilage structure and composition and secondary phenotypic structures. OA induction caused significant increases in articular cartilage volume, thickness and proteoglycan loss in male and female groups.

Significantly larger increases in medial 1/3 cartilage volume and thickness, when compared to sham, were observed in females when compared to male animals. Normalized values indicated that though MMT caused significant increases in total osteophyte volumes, the magnitude of increase was significantly larger in males compared to females. The data supports the hypothesis and though both sexes showed signs of OA development, the MMT animal model produces different phenotypes of OA in male and female Lewis rats. Mechanistic and therapeutic studies in the rat MMT model would benefit from including both sexes, which would make results more broadly applicable, especially when assessing the efficacy of potential OA therapeutics in the preclinical setting.

PRESENTER(S): Liz Rivera TITLE: The Role of Spirit Possession in Bahian Candomblé: The Body, Community, and Social Contexts AUTHORS: Liz M Rivera

56 The number of LGBTQ+ deaths in Brazil due to homophobia and violence has increased drastically within the past decade. For that reason, many individuals that identify as LGBTQ+ seek refuge in practicing Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian divination religion where homosexuality is prevalent. Practitioners of the religion attribute characterizations of natural elements and supernatural powers to concentrations of energy, otherwise known as orixás, who beneficently intervene and provide a balance to the lives of the worshippers. Under the supervision of Dr. Dianne Stewart, a religious studies scholar specializing in African heritage religious cultures, the study examines scholarly articles, books, and personal narratives from Candomblé worshippers to investigate how spirit possession, or incorporation, serves as a tool of resistance for the LGBTQ+ community in Bahia, Brazil. I argue that orixás enable the deconstruction of heteronormative and androcentric views that exist in Brazil due to their fluidity with gender and sexuality. This study departs from previous research that has been conducted surrounding sexuality in Bahian Candomblé as it views homosexuality through the lens of incorporation. Once a worshipper is possessed, incorporation becomes central in talking about history, social justice, gender, and sexuality.

PRESENTER(S): Yi Xie TITLE: Becoming American in a White Republic, 1868-1904: Chinese Immigrants and African Americans' Battle for Inclusion AUTHORS: Yi Xie

The major historical legislation of the nineteenth century reflected anti-Chinese agitation and resulted in the limited inclusion of African Americans and the complete exclusion of the Chinese.

On the West Coast, whites promulgated the principles of racial difference and discouraged cooperation among racial minorities for the purpose of maintaining white supremacy. Some whites juxtaposed the Chinese with African Americans and conflated their group identities as alien, barbaric, and unassimilable. Others emphasized the difference between the two groups, considering one more inferior than the other. Since the passage of the ineffective Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, whites increased the use and threats of violence to strengthen white superiority and non-white inferiority. Internalizing this idea of whiteness, Chinese and African Americans competed for inclusion into the American mainstream culture and body politic at the expense of the other. The Chinese struggled with their declining status and tried to elevate and stabilize their social standing as racially and culturally superior. Some Chinese intellectuals and race leaders portrayed African Americans as uncivilized monsters with ancestry in African jungles.

Some African Americans worked for their racial uplift by identifying against the Chinese— depicting “Chinamen” as “foreigners,” “interlopers," and “invaders,” while others identified with the Chinese, pronouncing a brotherhood of man. I investigate why and in which ways the “Chinese Question” and the “Negro Problem” were conflated and differentiated and analyze the dynamic and complexity of the relations between the two.