2023 Undergraduate Exhibition

Wild meat is not homogeneous, as different groups of animals vary in their economic and cultural role and in environmental and disease significance. Focusing on three wild meat clades and two areas of a rainforest, I investigate whether animal clades also differ in their quantitative nutritional role. I compare clades' proximate nutritional composition, the relative frequencies of their use in recipes, and their relative significance to human diets, testing for differences between areas as well.

Group norms drive belief and shape the behavior of in-group members, creating a sense of collective identity. When deviation from these norms occurs, in-group members must decide whether to excuse or condemn the behavior. This research examines political in-groups' variations in responses to violators, specifically hypothesizing that the violator as well as the nature of the norm violation itself impact response. Additionally, I examine issue salience, preference structures, and the unique dynamics of political groups.

The Epidemic - Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII; Grasso et al., 2020) was used to assess respondents’ perceptions of the impact that COVID-19 had on numerous aspects of their lives. Participants from a university subject pool and from social media recruitment were surveyed online during Fall 2021. 

For Tick-borne flaviviruses like Powassan virus, vector specificity and tropism are poorly understood and there are no vaccines available to prevent infections. I investigate the role of Powassan virus Envelope (E) protein, crucial for viral entry and vector specificity. I successfully constructed cDNA clones and generated chimeric Yellow Fever-Powassan virus. My experiments show these chimeras are efficient BSL-2 model systems to study the role of E protein in virus entry, receptor interactions, and vector specificity.

Various Drosophila neurons prune and regrow their dendrites during metamorphosis, induced by ecdysone. Neurons can be injured in many ways and require regenerative pathways. A deficiency screen showed no candidates for dendrite regeneration, but two lines show decreased branching. Both deficiencies have the same endpoint containing a UAS insertion in the gene for the ecdysone induced protein 93f. The UAS insertion is being activated by Gal4, causing expression of E93, possibly leading to premature pruning.

Squid Euprymna scolopes and Vibrio fischeri symbioses exist in nature as a multi-strain colonization model. Transformation is the process of a cell incorporating exogenous DNA into its genome. In Vibrio fischeri, natural transformation efficiency varies in co-isolated strains. This project uses transformation efficiencies of natural isolates via an erythromycin reporter gene under different protocol conditions to maximize efficiency. This technique can be utilized to generate mutants and explore strain co-evolution.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is defined by the excessive use of this drug despite a negative impact on the individual’s life. The current medications to treat AUD have limited efficacy and several side effects. One target for novel therapeutics is nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Data from both genetic and pharmacology studies provide evidence that nAChRs modulate alcohol intake. Interestingly, the reviewed literature demonstrates that pharmacological modulation of all nAChR subtypes examined can decrease alcohol consumption.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health crisis with a myriad of negative implications. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been demonstrated to be deeply associated with alcohol misuse. Somatostatin neurons within the PFC are fundamentally involved with binge drinking behaviors. However, somatostatin’s mechanistic role in binge drinking is not well understood. Using a well-validated rodent binge-drinking model, I elucidate the effect of binge alcohol consumption on somatostatin cell number expression and signaling. 

We approached the problem of generating effective scar-preventing wound healing therapies that restore normal matrix structure and full function of tissue by optimizing a 3D microtissue wound healing model. To analyze the wound healing behavior, we administered 3 types of wounds on the microtissues: physical, chemical, and thermal. We observed cell proliferation, migration, tissue regeneration, contractility, and wound closure rates. We found that the features of this model coincided with the wound-healing process.

Climate change will likely alter surface wind speeds across the world. Here, we tested how surface wind speeds influenced the behavior and predator-prey interactions of aquatic species. We exposed aquatic invertebrates to varying wind speeds in the presence or absence of a predator. We found that as wind speeds increased, prey species spent more time close to the wind source. These species also swam faster and moved greater distances, unless a predator was present. 

An individual's media consumption can vary across formats and political biases. This project is intended to analyze how the differences in media consumption across individuals influence an individual's policy preferences. My policies of interest are abortion, gun control, and campaign spending. Based on the differences between an individual's media environment and the intensity of their media consumption, I hypothesis that individuals who consume the most media content, will have the most extreme policy positions. 

Haptics, the interaction between people and their surrounding environment through touch, has allowed for various possibilities of information processing. Different forms of haptics include vibration (such as in phones to signal a notification), pressure change, and resistance. However, it is unclear how people utilize haptic feedback with other senses such as vision. This experiment compares the ability to distinguish and respond to haptic and visual movement cues to determine their accuracy to communicate a motion.

Asthma is the most common chronic condition among developing youth in the United States, however, little is known about how asthma-induced inflammation affects the brain. One of the major biological pathways that may be altered by allergic asthma is 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) signaling. To test this hypothesis, I used an animal model to determine how experimentally induced asthma during development affects gene expression related to microglial activity and serotonin (5-HT) receptors.

This study seeks to better understand how minority-related stressors influence racially and ethnically diverse college students’ alcohol use. First-year racially and ethnically diverse college students were examined (N=37; M(SD)age= 18.1 (0.21); 68% female; 16% Asian, 30% Black, 41% Multiracial; and 27% Hispanic/Latinx). Significant positive correlations were detected between minority-related stress, coping motives and alcohol use (r’s = .51-.59, all p’s < .01). These results will inform culturally-tailored drinking intervention programs for college students.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) harms a growing fetus, triggering a condition known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD causes learning disabilities and attention deficiencies, however research also suggests physiological symptoms such as hypertension. We analyzed the cardiovascular effects of PAE through blood pressure within mice models. Sex differences for blood pressures between male and female mice in models of FASD were significant, and choline has effects on blood pressure at week 12 and 24.   

PURPOSE: This thesis aims to evaluate the influence of key indicators of healthcare access, socioeconomic factors, and population demographics on COVID-19 vaccination rates among U.S. counties. Moreover, this thesis also serves to examine COVID-19 vaccination rates across the rural-urban continuum. Additionally, we provide insights that illuminate the indicators and behaviors that may be strategically utilized to assist policymakers on COVID-19 vaccination and mitigation strategies. METHODS: We use a three-pronged multivariate linear regression model to analyze the association of health-related factors with COVID-19 vaccination uptake at important phases during the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process. Time 1 signifies the initial phases of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution period when vaccines were moderately accessible; Time 2 signifies one month after the FDA approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine; and Time 3 signifies the end of the vaccination rollout period when the vaccine was widely available to most. To examine the leading research questions, we employ two prominent datasets: 1] the 2021 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) national dataset from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and 2] the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national database for COVID-19 vaccinations at the county level. RESULTS: The notable findings throughout all three time periods show statistically significant associations among uninsurance rates, the prevalence of primary care providers per 100,000 population, and the proportion of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals on COVID-19 vaccination coverage.

The goal of this study was to compare between high and low population periods, the ability of the Penn State Water Reclamation Facility to remove microplastics from treated wastewater. It is hypothesized that periods of higher population will result in more microplastics in treated wastewater. Samples were collected on November 17 and 29, 2022. These dates were selected based on their proximity to football games and the Thanksgiving break from November 20-26, 2022.

Twister ribozymes are a class of small self-cleaving RNA with unknown biological functions that are conserved across many organisms. I identified two examples at a splice junction where they can influence transcript maturation and their adjacent nucleotides can provide regulation for self-cleavage activity. Analysis of the self-cleavage rates of eight constructs with differing amounts of flanking sequences suggests a difference in activity between the spliced and unspliced versions.

Antimicrobial additives were incorporated into the monomer system used in the restorative process of dental fillings that have the potential to reduce secondary cavities. Untreated resins lacked an inhibitory effect towards the bacteria, Streptococcus mutans. Ampicillin was added as a positive control, with methacrylic acid and copper(II)-methacrylate being the compounds of interest. After an initial antimicrobial effect, it was observed that the resins displayed a gradual decline with soak time.

The goal of this research is determining how increased temperatures impact the number of bat calls recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark. In July 2022, Denmark experienced a record-breaking heat wave. I hypothesized that there would be more bat calls in July 2022 than in 2021. I analyzed July 2021 and 2022 calls recorded from a bat detector in a suburban garden and found that there were significantly more calls in 2022 after the heat wave started. 

Maize Zmufo1-1 is a spontaneous dominant mutation that causes high flavonoid pigment, sucrose, and glucose accumulation in reproductive and vegetative tissues. Flavonoids protect plants from damage by UV radiation and reactive oxygen species. This makes Zmufo1 an ideal model to study interactions between sugar, ROS, and flavonoids. We are investigating sugar treatments in leaf and seed tissues to elucidate the mechanism underlying flavonoid induction which is critical to crop improvement to combat climate change. Funding Source: USDS-NIFA

Through a survey of health providers, this thesis aims to better understand the level of provider awareness about the benefits of diet and exercise in one Pennsylvania healthcare system (Penn State Health). This thesis analyzes possible correlations between healthcare providers' awareness of the National Diabetes Prevention Program and their informing patients about the benefits of physical activity and a healthy diet. In doing so, this thesis strives to discover gaps in the healthcare system concerning diabetes prevention. 

Biobehavioral outcomes for 624 18-23 year old college student childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and their peers were examined using a confidential online survey. CCS participants reported less resilience, grit, academic performance, more self-compassion, better sleep quality, lower BMI compared to their counterparts. CCS participants reported more anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and increased binge alcohol drinking compared to their peers. Results fill an important gap in literature regarding biobehavioral outcomes of CCS college students.

Analyzing the kinetics of RNA folding can facilitate an understanding of the differences between thermodynamically predicted structures and those formed within the cell. Therefore, it is relevant to study the kinetics of RNA folding and the influencing factors. Consequently, a stopped-flow was used to record fluorescence of RNA duplex formation over millisecond intervals of time as a function of concentration and sequence in different solutions, allowing values of kobs to be obtained and analyzed.