2018 Undergraduate Exhibition

Donor organs can't meet demand, but tissue-engineered alternatives are not yet feasible to treat some of the worst chronic diseases or traumatic situations. Thus, there is a need for developing new biomaterials that will make cost-effective, non-immunogenic, and prolific tissue-engineered constructs a possibility. Pelodiscus sinensis collagen could be one such material but has not been characterized in this context. Here, we examine antioxidant activity of and cellular response to this novel collagen.

The basis of my project has been doing a general characterization of an ER stress gene, IRE1a, and its role in inflammatory signaling following UV irradiation. By using both cultured cells and in vivo experiments that have a non functional form of IRE1a, we are able to investigate any significant differences between the knockout and the wild type control model in terms of inflammatory signaling and recruitment.

Quorum sensing describes the synthesis and detection of small signaling molecules, called autoinducers (AI), that allow individual bacterial cells to coordinate functions as a group. Quorum sensing regulates cellular activities that are important for survival within a host, such as biofilm formation and virulence. Using the mutualism established between the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and bobtail squid, I study the ability of segregated bacterial populations to communicate via AI to promote symbiotic function.

Fusarium oxysporum (Fo) is a soil-borne fungus causing disease in over 120 crops worldwide. The mechanism of Fo-host interactions remains unclear but is fundamental to disease management. Secreted In Xylem (SIX) putative effector genes are traditionally associated with pathogenicity. However, most SIX gene functions have not been studied. SIX genes were recently detected in non-pathogenic isolates from banana. In this study, we detected SIX genes in Fo non-pathogenic isolates from chickpea and tomato.

This study examined psychological and social factors related to life satisfaction in middle-aged and older Black adults (n = 93). Participants completed surveys on life satisfaction, self-reported physical health, depressive symptoms, and personality. Better life satisfaction was associated with better physical health, lower depressive symptoms, higher agreeableness, higher conscientiousness, and lower neuroticism. These results highlight the need to explore determinants and successful aging outcomes of life satisfaction across Black populations.

Oceanographic conditions such as light and salinity can have an effect on both biotic and abiotic components of an ocean environment. Physical oceanographic data were gathered from water sampled from various depths in the South Atlantic Ocean and Northern Caribbean Sea. Light attenuation, transmissivity, temperature, salinity, density and fluorescence were analyzed to create deep water profiles. Our data suggested that physical characteristics change at various depths in conjoining bodies of ocean water.

Cyberbullying is defined as the harassment or intimidation of others over an internet related medium. It is a major cyber-issue that in extreme cases may result in depression and suicide in young adults. Our goal is to detect cyberbullying instances and prevent them from being published. In this research project, we introduce a data-driven approach that uses the real-life data from Twitter to identify major characteristics of cyberbullying contents on social media using linguistic analysis.

The Combinatorial Threshold Linear Network (CTLN) models neural activity as a network of nodes where activity is determined by binary synapses. The research presented here used a software implementation of the CTLN to analyze long run neural activity resulting from a variety of initial activation states. The results demonstrate the variability of attractive states that can be triggered in network structures having the same degree sequences.

Unpredictable captive environments can induce stress, which can negatively impact animal welfare. Our objective was to determine zebrafish preference between a food and object reward. These preliminary results would be utilized in future experimentation to determine if fish can associate a preferred stimulus with a specific caregiver, to re-introduce predictability within their environment. We found that fish became more cohesive, coordinated and displayed less aggression when interacting with food, than a novel object.

Micro-particle image velocimetry (mPIV) provides the ability to quantitatively measure microflow alongside thrombus development. Using a mPIV platform, we aim to capture the real time in vitro formation of a thrombus and better understand the micro-scale factors related to thrombus growth. Preliminary data support the mPIV system's ability to quantitatively measure flow. Results were compared to a computer COMSOL model under the same flow conditions. The experimental data validated the computational model.

According to the CDC, approximately 122,000 Americans die each year due from lodged thromboemboli that are unable to be cleared following acute ischemic stroke. Despite this, there is a lack of research on what thromboemboli properties affect the success of re-canalization and patient outcomes. An ex vivo circulatory loop, incorporating an excised bovine artery and a programmable centrifugal pump, will be developed to simulate physiological cerebral flow conditions and investigate thromboemboli lodging and adhesion.