Anxiety symptom onset peaks in adolescence (Essua et al., 2018). Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety (Keng et al., 2011), yet benefits may be diminished due to difficulty maintaining engagement (Lymeus et al., 2019). This study of 84 adolescents used a novel drawing-based intervention integrating an approachable and tangible activity with mindfulness elements. Initial results indicated that this guided drawing intervention bolstered physiological emotion regulation and reduced anxiety symptoms. Next steps include comparing the guided drawing intervention with free drawing and simple drawing control conditions.

More college students than ever identify as sexual and/or gender minorities (SGM), but health disparity research is lacking for this population. Biobehavioral health outcomes were examined among SGM college students (n=445) and cisgender heterosexual peers (n=2867). SGM students were younger, reported more stress and depression, less happiness, poorer sleep quality, and drank less alcohol than their peers (p's<0.05). Groups were similar in body mass index, GPA, and daily nicotine use. Health implications will be discussed.

Ethylene Forming Enzyme (EFE) is a iron (II) and 2-oxoglutarate dependent enzyme that can produce the compound ethylene as well as trace amounts of 3-hydroxypropionate, a valuable chemical building block with potential to synthesize biodegradable plastics. Our project seeks to perform protein engineering of EFE by amino acid substitutions in the substrate binding pocket such that 3HP is the primary enzymatic product, and also modify the 2-oxoglutarate substrate to synthesize substituted alkenes through the enzyme.

Evolutionary mismatch is a mechanism whereby disease-associated genetic variants that experienced positive natural selection in past environments because they were beneficial to fitness, may now contribute to negative health consequences in the context of present, modern environments. This project investigates the plausibility of the mismatch hypothesis for Type II Diabetes (T2D) by integrating genome-wide association data for individuals with South Asian ancestry (n=40,850) and evolutionary genomics.

ADSSL1-Myopathy is an ultra-rare muscular disorder caused by a mutation in the purine nucleotide cycle (PNC) gene, ADSSL1. ADSSL1-Myopathy had been hard to characterize on a molecular level due to a lack of adequate models for its study. We are investigating the functions of ADSS using C. elegans and are exploring the use of PNC substrates as a potential therapy. We have established movement phenotypes associated with ADSS function that can be rescued by adenylosuccinate.

Vibriophage are viruses that infect the marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi. A new cluster of vibriophages, Cluster B, were isolated from Chesapeake Bay oysters. These vibriophage are characterized by their shorter genome of ~42,000 bp, in comparison to the previously characterized Cluster A, which have genome lengths of ~126,000 bp. The genomes of these vibriophage were sequences and compared, and the lytic and lysogenic properties were analyzed.

Feruloyl transferase is theorized to play a role in the transport of ferulic acid to the cell wall and the subsequent formation of a dimer between ferulic acid and arabinoxylans. This creates a site for the bonding of lignin to the cell wall which reinforces the cell's structure and contricutes to the plant's rigidity.

Previous research shows a link between social media and poorer mental health among young people. Studies link the use of social media with depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, eating disorders, fear of missing out. The project will involve in-depth interviews and quantitative surveys with college students recruited from Penn State Berks to explore thoughts, decisions, and reflections about their experiences with social media. 

Vitamin D (VD) protects mice from severe influenza infection. We examined how VD metabolism genes, Cyp27b1, Cyp24a1, and the vitamin D receptor (VDR), were affected by influenza infection. Results showed that Cyp27b1 and VDR mRNA in the lung were not different throughout infection. Conversely, Cyp24a1 mRNA expression was significantly increased (P<0.05) at day 6 post-infection, suggesting increased VD metabolism in the lung. This result supports the importance of VD in the host response to influenza.

The human microbiome harbors commensal bacteria essential for bodily function. Current broad-spectrum antibiotics disrupt microbiome balance, rendering the body vulnerable. To address this, peptide-carbohydrate biocapsules were fabricated. These biocapsules are loaded with commensal bacteria and feature an antimicrobial coating, exhibiting potential to re-engineer the microbiome instead of disrupting it. The biocapsules target pathogenic growth while selectively releasing beneficial bacteria at infection sites. This biomaterial could revolutionize microbiome interventions, laying the foundation for broader health benefits.

The dynamics between creativity and false memories are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore this phenomenon by observing semantic false association performance with age as a modifier. Younger adults (N=172) and older adults (N=124) completed the Category Fluency, generating as many clothing items as possible within a time limit. Findings indicate no significant effect of semantic false associations on creativity performance across age. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying this.

The Amazonian cichlid Satanoperca displays the unique behavior of winnowing, feeding by swallowing and sifting mouthfuls of sediment to reveal food. Sediment type appears to affect their foraging and swimming behaviors. We investigated several key traits involved in swimming mechanics in Satanoperca to test their capabilities for plastic response in various sediment types. We found significant differences in mean shape among treatments groups for various skeletal traits, which reveals their integrative and modular nature.

Twister, twister sister, and hammerhead are small self-cleaving ribozymes that cleave their phosphodiester backbone and are defined by unique structures. By combining multiple RNA computational tools with customized scripts, I created a pipeline capable of searching through numerous genomes for these three ribozymes simultaneously. We identified over 800 novel ribozyme candidates in over 50 organisms. From these, we experimentally tested our top candidates and confirmed the first active twister ribozyme in a mammal, the dolphin.

People recognize emotional prosody in foreign languages; aspects of emotional prosody has universal qualities (Paulman & Uskul, 2014; Pell et al., 2009). Participants more accurately recognize emotions in their native than a foreign language(Pell et al., 2009). We studied these same accuracies for bilingual individuals. Also, the physical overlap of competing signals makes target speech more difficult to understand (Mattys et al., 2012). Thus, this we also investigated how background babble may affect emotion recognition.

Cover crops (CC) play an important role helping farmers retain efficiency and yield while promoting sustainable agricultural practices. By understanding how CC allocate their biomass we can better predict their ecosystem service provisioning (e.g., nitrogen retention). Through this research, I analyzed above and below-ground allocation changes in four CC species in monocultures and mixture treatments. Insights from this work can aid growers in optimizing their planting techniques to yield specific service packages from CC.

This ongoing study examines gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cells' survival when exposed to differentially substituted 4-thiozolidinones. Performed by observing the quality and quantity of cancer cells after timed reactions as well as incubation with varied concentrations of compounds. As we continue with this study, we aim to explore potential therapeutic efficacy in tumor treatment.

Research has shown that Latino/a/x students attending predominately white institutions experience discrimination, negatively impacting their mental health. Correlation data was analyzed to highlight how these microaggressions affect mental health outcomes among Latino/a/x students (N = 169; M(SD)age = 20.01(1.12); 72% female). Significant correlations were detected between microaggressions, depression, anxiety, and stress. Based on these findings, culturally-tailored interventions should be created to improve the college experience and mental health of Latino/a/x students.

This project explores the relationship between self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and the traditional Section II criteria BPD in comparison to the more recent levels of personality-functioning (LPFS) found in Section III. Individuals with personality disorders have higher prevalence rates for self-injurous thoughts and behaviors. However, the literature has sparse information on the relationship between levels of personality-functioning and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. So, this study aimed to assess if the levels of personality-functioning predict self-injurious thoughts and behaviors over and above the categorical BPD criteria B. To do this, a binary logistic regression and linear regression were run to analyze the BPD and levels of personality-functioning in how they predict self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. The results showed the BPD criteria B and certain LPFS domain scores were significant predictors of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors.   

An increase in antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria threatens effective treatment for human and animal diseases. To combat this problem, we must identify and manage sources of these bacteria; one of these sources is agriculture. Young dairy calves are likely reservoirs of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli and AMR genes because they carry a higher proportion of fecal resistant and MDR E. coli compared to other cattle on dairy farms. Among MDR E. coli from dairy calves, AMR genes have been found co-located with iron scavenging genes. The optimum iron concentration for in vitro E. coli growth is lower than the iron concentration of whole milk, the primary diet of dairy calves. We hypothesize that this low iron diet creates an environment that induces selection for E. coli carrying iron scavenging genes, which then induces co-selection for AMR genes as well. To test this hypothesis, 20 calves were assigned to two dietary groups that received either milk replacer (CTRL) or milk replacer supplemented with iron at 1600ppm dry matter (IRON). Fecal samples were collected at least weekly through 42 days of age to measure fecal iron content. Blood samples were drawn weekly to determine serum iron and total iron binding content. Fecal iron content for pooled samples in IRON calves remained higher (median 9137 ppm DM) than in CTRL (median 704 ppm DM) throughout the study. Serum iron was higher in the IRON group throughout the study (p<0.0001). Serum total iron binding content was higher in CTRL calves (p<0.0001) and increased as the calves aged (p<0.05). These results indicate no adverse effects of iron supplementation at this level. In both groups, as the calves aged, the number of antibiotic classes they were resistant to decreased, as is expected based on previous studies. Evidence indicates no co-selection of AMR genes since there was no difference in the number of AMR classes between the CTRL and IRON groups. However, the CTRL diet exceeded optimal iron for fecal E. coli growth and was higher than a whole-milk diet, which suggests iron scavenging genes were not beneficial to E. coli within the fecal environment. Further research on the effects of a whole milk diet could identify evidence of co-selection. Should iron supplementation of milk replacers be successful in reducing fecal AMR in young calves, it could serve as an affordable antibiotic stewardship intervention for dairy producers. 

Neurons depend on microtubules (MTs) for intracellular transport, signaling, and structure. Spindle matrix (SM) proteins work closely with spindle MTs during mitosis, and we suspect they may also regulate MTs in neurons. After axon injury, we have documented an increase in MTs, and I have observed a subsequent decrease in the SM protein Chromator. Using RNAi, mutant genotypes, and fluorescence microscopy, I am investigating this relationship and possible communication pathways between SM proteins and MTs.

This research poster investigates changes in the structural ensemble of FoxO1, a crucial transcription factor implicated in various cellular processes. Utilizing novel carbon direct-detect NMR techniques, we analyze how the post-translational modification of acetylation influences FoxO1's conformational dynamics. Our findings shed light on the intricate interplay between FoxO1's structure and function, providing valuable insights into its regulatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for diseases such as cancer and metabolic disorders.

We are in the process of conducting a meta-analysis regarding memory and emotion regulation, specifically the strategies of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. The key ideas from relevant peer-reviewed articles will be compiled to construct the meta-analysis regarding the effect of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal on memory. We predict that using these emotion regulation strategies will result in worse memory. We will test whether these effects differ based on various moderation variables.

Streptococci bacteria are a fundamental part of the human oral microbiome. Using a competitive mapping approach with ancient DNA from British populations dating 2100BCE-present, we found major shifts in streptococci communities occurred after the post-medieval period. While Streptococcus sp. DD04 now has reduced diversity, Streptococcus sanguinis remains abundant in healthy modern populations where it has acquired genes involved in membrane transport and stress response. These evolutionary histories provide important insights into humanity’s changing oral health. 

The theoretical perspectives of allostatic load and cumulative disadvantage can be used in tandem to consider the impact accumulated early and adult adversity has on health. We tested associations between early life and adulthood adversity on inflammation in the Einstein Aging Study (N = 205, Age Range = 70-89) with race as a moderator. Using regression and correlational models, significant effects were seen for adult/early life adversity and IL6, TNF- Î±, race modified associations.