26th Hayes Graduate Research Forum (February, 2012)

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The Arts
1st place: Maskell, Katherine
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2nd place: Mathison, Christina
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3rd place: Vadnais, Matthew
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Biological Sciences
1st place: Fenn, Ashley
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2nd place: Hansen, Katelin
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3rd place: Banerjee, Jaideep
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Education and Human Ecology
1st place: Thall, Michelle
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2nd place: Rector, Meghan
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3rd place: Gray, DeLeon

Engineering
1st place: Ziniel, Justin
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2nd place: Wang, Xiaodong
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3rd place: Olgun, Ugur
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Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
1st place: Cooperstone, Jessica
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2nd place: Kost, Matthew
3rd place: Beniston, Joshua
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Humanities
1st place: McKee, Kimberly
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2nd place: Parker, Katherine
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3rd place: Vernon, Jeffrey
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Math and Physical Sciences
1st place: Yee, Jennifer
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2nd place: Liu, Zheyun
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3rd place: Sen, Shiladitya
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Professional Biological Sciences
1st place: Fonken, Laura
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2nd place: Williams, Jarred
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3rd place: Fenger, Joelle
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Social and Behavioral Sciences
1st place: Jarrett, Brant
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2nd place: Young, Alison
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3rd place: Jones, Benjamin
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Poster Division: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
1st place: Mattiacci, Eleonora
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2nd place: Hill, LaBarron
3rd place: Cooper, Andrew
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Poster Division: Biological Sciences
1st place: Lieblein, Jacqueline
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2nd place: Zhou, Xiao
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3rd place: Sahinkaya, Fatma Rezan
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Poster Division: Engineering, Math and Physical Sciences
1st place: Bhattacharyya, Sampriti
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2nd place: Sundar, Sriram
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3rd place: Zhang, Xu
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BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATION OF MEDIAL FEMORAL CONDYLAR SUBCHONDRAL CYSTIC LESIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF TREATMENT WITH INTERNAL FIXATION
(2012-02) Williams, Jarred; Allen, Matthew; Santschi, Elizabeth; Litsky, Alan
Purpose of the study: Subchondral cystic lesions (SCLs) in the medial femoral condyle are a common equine orthopedic problem occurring most commonly in the first two years of life. They are located on the weightbearing surface of the condyle and are frequently associated with lameness. While the pathophysiology of SCLs is poorly understood, they are believed to be the result of either osteochondrosis or trauma, or perhaps both. Similar to bone cysts in adolescent children, there are many treatments recommended for SCL, and like in children, recurrence and treatment failure rates are unacceptably high . Conservative management includes stall rest with or without intra-articular medication. Surgical management consists of intra-cystic injection with corticosteroids, cystic debridement, cancellous bone grafting, mosaic arthroplasty, and placement of chondrocytes or mesenchymal cells in fibrin glue. The goals of treatment are to maximize the amount and quality of subchondral and epiphyseal bone within the defect leading to a reduction in the inflammation caused by the contact of joint fluid with epiphyseal bone, and improve the attachment of the articular cartilage overlying the defect. There is very little information available about the biomechanics of the stifle joint of the horse either in health or disease, and no treatments of SCLs address the possible changes in biomechanics generated by what is often a large void in a critical weight-bearing area of the medial femoral condyle. The objectives of this study were to identify and measure the strain on the medial femoral condyle before and after the creation of a defect similar to a SCL and evaluate if that strain is altered with the placement of a cortical bone screw placed in lag fashion across the defect. The first hypothesis was that there would be a decrease in the bone strain measured on the abaxial aspect of medial femoral condyle and proximal tibia, and a corresponding increase in strain on the medial meniscus, after the experimental creation of a medial femoral condylar subchondral bone defect. A second hypothesis was that internal fixation of the subchondral bone defect with a 4.5mm cortical bone screw placed in lag fashion would return bone strain to a level similar to the pre-defect measurements.
Central IL-4 promotes a neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory brain environment following peripheral LPS injection
(2012-02) Fenn, Ashley; Godbout, Jonathan
Aging is associated with the loss of appropriate immune regulation resulting in increased inflammatory status within the central nervous system (CNS). Microglia, the innate immune cell of the CNS, are particularly sensitive to age-associated dysregulation and promote an exaggerated inflammatory response following a peripheral or central immune challenge in aged animals. Recently our lab found that after a peripheral immune challenge, microglia from adult, but not aged, mice upregulated interleukin (IL)-4 receptor-alpha (IL-4Rα), the receptor for the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4. The functional consequence of impaired IL-4Rα upregulation was insensitivity to the anti-inflammatory promoting effects of IL-4. Thus, to further characterize potential consequences of impaired IL-4Rα upregulation on aged microglia, we conducted a series of studies investigating the extent to which a peripheral immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and central injection of IL-4 promoted IL-4Rα upregulation and the induction of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective markers in vivo. We provide evidence that upregulation of IL-4Rα is necessary to promote a strong neurotrophin and arginase response following exposure to IL-4. Furthermore, we show that a functional consequence of exaggerated arginase expression in microglia is increased polyamine production resulting in high levels of CCL2 and increased recruitment of macrophages to the brain. This is important because IL-4 levels are typically elevated in the CNS following tissue damage. Thus, impaired IL-4Rα upregulation in aged mice may prevent an appropriate arginase and polyamine response necessary for tissue repair and growth following CNS injury.
"For look you where my abridgement comes;" The Playability of Shakespeare's Variant Play Texts
(2012-02) Vadnais, Matthew; Schlueter, Jennifer
Shakespeare's plays were originally printed in varying conditions. Traditionally, the earlier, shorter printings have been understood as being derivative of the longer, original versions, even though the longer versions were frequently printed a full thirty years after the shorter first printings. The differences between texts have been attributed to corruption and/or abridgment introduced by performance. This study introduces a new metric to evaluate the way that texts would have been performed according to early modern practices of sundering a text into parts to be learned in isolation. Like their shorter counterparts, Shakespeare's lengthiest texts appear to have been written to make performance according to parts easier, thereby complicating the traditional explanation for textual variation.
The Role of Acute Intraspinal Hemorrhage After Spinal Cord Injury
(2012-02) Sahinkaya, F. Rezan; McTigue, Dana M.
Spinal cord (SCI) injury initiates a cascade of destructive and reparative processes, an understanding of which may help in designing strategies for minimizing tissue loss and enhancing endogenous repair. Vascular disruption and hemorrhage is a prominent characteristic of the acute lesion environment, and is central to many of the secondary pathological consequences of SCI, most notably lesion formation. However its role, if any, in reparative processes is not known. An important endogenous repair mechanism after SCI is the proliferation of NG2+ cells and their maturation into new oligodendrocytes. We created a rat model of collagenase-induced intraspinal hemorrhage (ISH), and investigated the spatial-temporal dynamics of lesion formation, astrogliosis, microglia/macrophage reactivity, NG2 cell proliferation, and mature oligodendrocyte numbers after injury. Lesion pathology was similar to a contusion injury; however, lesion size, shape and spread were different between ISH and contusion. The astrocyte and macrophage responses of ISH were also similar to that of a contusion. In addition, we determined that hemorrhage alone is sufficient to initiate NG2 cell proliferation as early as 1dpi and continuing up to a week. Furthermore, oligodendrocyte numbers decreased by hemorrhagic injury are rapidly restored to normal levels by 7dpi. We have established that acute intraspinal hemorrhage following a SCI is not only the central initiating force for secondary injury cascades, but that it also plays a role in stimulating acute NG2 proliferation following injury.
Breed Associated miRNA Expression in Canine Osteosarcoma
(2012-02) Fenger, Joelle; Kisseberth, William
Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein coding RNAs that have been implicated in humans as having a fundamental role in cancer initiation and progression. Osteosarcoma (OSA) is the most common bone tumor in dogs, however, little is known regarding mechanisms underlying malignant transformation in these tumors. Certain breeds such as Rottweilers and Greyhounds are at higher risk for developing OSA, suggesting that heritable factors play a role in this disease. We hypothesize that dysregulation of miRNAs in canine OSA is associated with specific breeds. In this study, we sought to characterize the expression of miRNAs in canine primary OSA tumors among Grehyounds, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, a mixed population of other breed and determine the association of differentially expressed miRNAs in primary tumors with breed. Methodology: Total RNA was isolated by the Trizol (Invitrogen) method from a panel of 7 normal canine tissues and 48 primary canine OSA tumors from Greyhound, Golden Retriever, Rottweiler, and mixed breed dogs. Mature miRNA expression in canine tissues was analyzed using the NanoString nCounter human microRNA Expression Assay, interrogating the expression profile of 752 human miRNAs; 168 of whose mature sequences are 100% conserved between human and dog (Sanger miRBase V15). 100 ng RNA per sample was hybridized overnight to the microRNA Expression Assay CodeSet and hybridized reactions were loaded onto the nCounter prep station for subsequent binding and washing steps. Cartridge scanning and quantification was performed with the nCounter Digital Analyzer. Nanominer software was used to perform raw data count normalization and p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. To determine miR-494 expression levels in available canine osteosarcoma and osteoblast cell lines, RNA was isolated from 8 canine osteosarcoma cell lines, a commercially available canine osteoblast cell line (CellApp, Inc), and primary canine bone-derived cells obtained from 5 independent dogs (including Greyhound, Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, and mixed breed dogs). Real time PCR to detect mature miRNA expression was performed using Taqman miRNA assays on the Applied Biosystems StepOne Plus Detection System. Normalization was performed with the small nuclear RNA U6 and miRNA expression was calculated utilizing the comparative Ct method. Statistical analysis was performed using two-tailed paired Student’s t test for qRT-PCR and p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. For primary canine bone-derived cells, reverse-transcription PCR to detect the expression of bone markers ALP, OP, BMP2 was performed using Superscript III (Invitrogen) and ThermoScientific ThermoPrime Taq Polymerase. To assess the effects of miR-494 overexpression on osteosarcoma cell behavior, canine osteosarcoma OSA16 cells (established from a Rottweiler dog) and commercially available normal canine osteoblasts were transduced with either the lentiviral pre-miR-494-GFP vector (System Biosciences) or lentiviral pCDH-CMVMCS-EF1-copGFP empty control vector (System Biosciences) and sorted using the iCyte Reflection high speed cell sorter. MiR-494 expression was performed as described above. Results and Conclusions: miRNA profiling of a panel of normal canine tissues revealed tissue-specific miRNA expression signatures. Independent real time PCR validation of a subset of tissue-specific miRNAs validated the use of the NanoString nCounter Assay as a platform for evaluating miRNA expression in canine tissues. Supervised hierarchical cluster analysis revealed distinct breed-associated miRNA expression signatures in canine OSA. 189 miRNAs were differentially expressed in Greyhound, Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, and Mixed Breed tumors (p<0.01). In an expanded cohort of Greyhound and Rottweiler tumors, real time PCR demonstrated that one of these, miR-494 (a miRNA with known importance in human tumorigenesis) is highly expressed in primary Rottweiler OSA as compared to Greyhound OSA (p<0.05) or normal canine osteoblasts cultured from various dog breeds, including one Rottweiler. To assess the effects of miR-494 overexpression on osteosarcoma and normal osteoblast cell behavior, the canine OSA16 and canine osteoblast cell lines, which express low levels of miR-494 were stably transduced with pre-miR-494 lentiviral constructs. Studies are currently underway to assess the biological consequences of miR-494 overexpression in normal canine osteoblasts and OSA cell lines. In-parallel small RNA sequencing of canine primary OSA samples using the Applied Biosystems SOLiD 4 Sequencing platform is currently underway to validate the breed-associated miRNA expression signature in canine OSA. Significance: These data reveal significant correlations between breed and miRNA expression in canine OSA, suggesting breed-associated patterns of miRNA dysregulation may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Characterization of miRNA expression in canine osteosarcoma will facilitate our understanding the biology of this disease and has the potential to identify diagnostic/prognostic factors and targets for therapeutic intervention.
Identity, Modernity, and Occupation: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Chengbo (1895-1947)
(2012-02) Mathison, Christina; Andrews, Julia
Identity, Modernity, and Occupation: The Colonial Style of Taiwanese Painter Chen Chengbo (1895-1947) I feel very fortunate to have examined the personal journal of Chen Chengbo (1895-1947). It has become an invaluable source for my research about this Taiwanese oil painter, but what struck me most was the way the journal surfaced from obscurity over sixty years after Chen was killed by the Kuomintang government in the 228 Massacre of 1947. After Chen’s death, his son hid the journal to protect the families it mentioned from government persecution, only deciding it was safe to release it a few months ago. This modest yet heroic act to prevent others from meeting the same fate as his father underscores the violent and dramatic changes that Taiwan has experienced over the past century. Preceding the Kuomintang, the Japanese occupied Taiwan (1895-1945), and Chen Chengbo’s paintings provide a window into Taiwanese life and the forces that shaped Taiwanese identity during these periods. My research focuses on Chen Chengbo and issues of identity, hybridity, and modernity, as manifested in his paintings. Taiwanese painters during the Japanese Occupation wrestled with the complexity of identifying themselves as modern painters in a Japanese colonial empire. Chen Chengbo serves as an excellent example of the transitions taking place during the occupation, as it presented him with opportunities for developing his artistic abilities but also challenged him as a Taiwanese individual and colonial subject. Chen worked within the artistic criterion of the colonizers and his exploration of this hybrid Taiwanese-Japanese culture in his paintings, as well as the seeming ease with which he moved from his work in Taiwan to Japan, to China, and finally back to Taiwan, highlights the complexity and cultural interchange of East Asian modernity in the early twentieth century. Chen, and his works, stand at the intersections of modernity, colonization, and the developing cultures of Taiwan, Japan, and China. As a painter, Chen was so broadly steeped in an all-encompassing East Asian cultural milieu that he, rather remarkably, became an award-winning artist in all three of these regions. My study aims to use his successful artistic career as a window into this cultural world of East Asia during the first half of the twentieth century, and in particular into the definitions of modernity and colonialist culture that developed in this non-European setting. While it may seem that events occurring so recently as the Japanese Occupation (which ended with the close of World War II) and the 228 Massacre would be well documented, there is a surprising lack of independent research in this field. In the decades following Chen’s death, the same forces that compelled his son to keep his journal hidden exerted pressure on scholarship about the colonization, suppressed information about the 228 Massacre, and restricted outside investigation. Much of the scholarship on Taiwanese art during the subsequent decades was heavily ideological and not terribly art historical. As a result, many subsequent studies treat Chen as a folk hero or attempt to advance a specific political agenda, making it difficult to distinguish the true story of Chen’s life from the messages that others wish to convey. In the last few decades, access to the factual evidence of the occupation and primary resources has increased dramatically. It is therefore extremely important to trace facts about Chen Chengbo and colonial Taiwan back to their primary sources to remove overt political biases and record the perspectives of eye-witnesses while they are still available. My sources are documents, such as the journal mentioned above, and others collected from archives, memories of individuals who lived through this period, and, most importantly, paintings that display the history of an island and an artist in constant transition. I have made several trips to Taiwan, Japan, and China to conduct interviews and to seek additional sources from museums, libraries, and archives in the cities where Chen was born, educated, displayed his work, and died. Some of the most important parts of these trips have been interviews with the artist’s son, Chen Tsung-Kuang, now 86 years old. In meeting with Mr. Chen, I have been very fortunate to obtain a personal perspective of Chen Chengbo’s life as well as to examine a countless number of Chen’s paintings, sketches, and writings, all from his son’s private collection. This collection of resources has helped in separating facts from inaccuracies in other accounts of Chen’s life. My goal is to explore the topics of identity and colonialism in the Japanese Occupation of Taiwan through the context of Chen and his painting. Because of the political, social, and even emotional nature of this subject, it has lent itself to misinterpretation and over-interpretation. For these reasons, there is a gap in the art historical literature. I hope that my research of Chen will highlight the value of cross-cultural perspectives and the significance of the development of identity within a colonial state. An additional, long-term goal in my research is to help define the unique stylistic features of Taiwanese artists and to build a framework for better understanding their works apart from and in light of Japanese and Chinese traditions. I have an opportunity to apply converging practices, methodologies, and ideas from within and outside of Taiwan to probe more deeply into Chen’s work, just as Chen’s painting drew from all of the various cultures he experienced. Where historical accounts have captured the broad strokes of the transitions of Taiwan, Chen’s paintings and the records of his life provide unique windows into the reality of an individual’s experience during this tumultuous period. His work stands as a testament to both the challenges and amazing possibilities of a world of converging cultures that is just as relevant today as it was in Chen’s time.
Regulating Reproduction: A Historical Analysis of the Legal Approaches to Advances in Assisted Reproduction Techonology
(2012-02) Vernon, Jeffrey; Wu, Judy
Curiously, scholars have largely focused on one piece of the human reproduction equation – preventing or terminating pregnancy through either contraception or abortion. Under a related analytical framework, scholars have also explored the issue of eugenics. However, little work has been completed on efforts to facilitate procreation and the advent of fertility treatment, which has advanced rapidly since the 1970s. Moreover, it is essential that scholars research and understand how society has responded to the continuously developing field of assisted reproduction, because it allows for a more accurate representation of rights associated with procreation. Even Roe v. Wade, a landmark case supporting a woman’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy, has important implications and connections with facilitating pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s rationale has been cited in support of expanding the right of privacy and reproductive liberty to protecting the right to procreate.
Who Wrote Those “Livery Stable Blues”?: Musical Ownership in Hart et al. v. Graham
(2012-02) Maskell, Katherine; Boone, Graeme
In 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB) released what has been recognized as the first jazz record. During production, a title change led to the copyright registration for the B-side of this record bearing the title, “Barnyard Blues.” Due to a labeling error, the record itself displayed the title, “Livery Stable Blues.” The unauthorized release of sheet music titled “Livery Stable Blues,” allegedly based on the B-side song, prompted the ODJB to release sheet music titled “Barnyard Blues,” and to file for an injunction against the competition on copyright infringement grounds. In the resultant case, Hart et al. v. Graham, the court determined substantial similarity between the two pieces of sheet music. Ultimately, the case was dismissed for lack of equity, and “Livery Stable Blues” was placed in public domain because the melody was deemed to be unoriginal. While Hart focused on questions of copyright appropriation, it also presented an issue for musicologists and legal historians about the nature of ownership. This paper seeks to understand ownership of a musical work as it pertains to “Livery Stable Blues,” using extant court records and period sources surrounding Hart as an evidentiary basis. It begins with a discussion of each party’s arguments in Hart. It then establishes a conceptual framework for ownership as it pertained to legal professionals and jazz musicians. This framework serves to organize and interpret source data from Hart in order to compare the ways in which these two communities conceived of musical ownership. Historically, Hart represents the first significant intersection of copyright law with the jazz community at the moment jazz began to reach mass audiences as a commercially popular music. The case reveals points of contention between the two communities with regard to musical ownership. Compared to the traditions established by jazz musicians, period copyright law provided a narrower scope of protection due to the publication formality predicated on written notation of musical works. As a result, the musician(s) who created and owned a musical work according to the jazz community were not necessarily owners with the legally protected right to control transmission, but rather the individual who could present evidence of publication for that musical work. This legal process proved to be problematic for “Livery Stable Blues,” which existed in oral transmission and on recording before it was rendered on sheet music. Despite the new tangibility afforded jazz by the advent of recording, copyright formalities limited the federal protection afforded jazz musicians for the large-scale transmission of their works.
The Past is Ever-Present: Civil Wars as a Dynamic Process
(2012-02) Jones, Benjamin; Braumoeller, Bear
The literature on civil wars is extensive and growing. Past studies have focused on a series of questions, most notably: what are the causes of civil wars, why do some conflicts last longer than others, what causes civil wars to end, and finally why do some civil wars recur, at times repeatedly? In answering these questions, previous studies have treated each of these problems as discrete and independent phenomena -- predominantly focusing on contemporaneous factors as the primary causes of the outcome of interest. While previous studies have made progress in answering each of these questions, I argue that by disaggregating civil wars in this fashion, past studies have missed a critically important aspect of these conflicts --that previous interactions shape the bargaining environment in which combatants interact. Thus, previous studies have implicitly assumed that civil wars are static, rather than dynamic, processes. In contrast, I argue that civil wars are better understood as a dynamic process comprised of a series of stages through which states are at risk of transitioning -- from initial peace, to conflict onset, to the outcome of the conflict, to either a recurrence of conflict, or consolidated peace. Actors within a conflict do not bargain in a vacuum. Interactions between actors in previous stages not only affect the course of a civil war -- the likelihood of transitioning to a different stage -- but also structure the bargaining environment in which actors interact in the present. Drawing on notions of path dependency (Pierson, 2004; Diehl, 2006), I argue that past interactions may exhibit a direct effect on the likelihood of transitioning to a subsequent state, but more importantly, they structure the bargaining environment by providing information about the preferences and capabilities of the combatants. Thus, the effect of contemporaneous factors -- e.g. GDP or regime type -- on the likelihood of transitioning from one state to another is contingent on the information revealed in previous stages of a conflict. I employ a multi-state event history model, which is capable of empirically modeling civil wars as complex processes composed of a series of possible stages, finding that the effect of oft-cited factors like GDP or regime type is highly contingent on the structure of the bargaining environment. This paper furthers existing studies of civil war by drawing attention to the need to focus on historical interactions, not just contemporaneous factors, and also by integrating the study of civil war into a single analytic framework.
The Disruption of Real Kinship
(2012-02) McKee, Kimberly D.; Wu, Judy
Since the end of the Korean War (1950-1953), approximately 200,000 Korean children have been sent abroad for adoption. Two thirds of these children arrived in the United States, and they constitute the earliest and largest group of international adoptees in this country. The intention of this paper is to foreground theoretical understandings of kinship and family to produce new insights into transracial and transnational families. The term transnational captures the international nature of their family formation vis-à-vis intercountry adoption. At the same time, the term transracial highlights the inter-racial nature of the family formation as an estimated 75% of adoptees entered white families. This interrogation contends Korean adoption occurred to aid the reproduction of the heterosexual, white, middle class family. I also explore how the adoptive family also subverts heteronormative constructions of family not only through its non-genetic creation, but also for its transraciality – the dislocation adoptees’ experience in identity formation as racially Asian/culturally white subjects.
RAPID ONSET OXIDATIVE MYOCARDIAL INSULT AND LOSS OF CARDIAC FUNCTION
(2012-02) Banerjee, Jaideep; Sen, Chandan
Background- Dicer endonuclease, critical for maturation of microRNAs (miRNAs), is depleted in heart failure patients with certain forms of cardiomyopathy. We sought to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the rapid loss of cardiac function following cardiac-specific Dicer deletion in adult mice. Methods and Results- Conditional Dicer deletion was achieved by a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase in the adult murine myocardium. Heart function, determined using MRI and echocardiography, showed rapid and significant (p<0.05, n=5) decrease in fractional shortening, compromised ejection fraction, and increased left ventricular mass. Decreased respiratory control ratio (RCR) noted in isolated heart mitochondria (p<0.05, n=5), faster nitroxide radical decay in EPR spectroscopy (p<0.05, n=3), along with elevated lipid peroxidation (p<0.05, n=3), glutathione oxidation (p<0.05, n=4) and lactate (p<0.05, n=4) indicated mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidant stress. Microarray and QPCR detected early onset changes in 22 miRNAs (p<0.05, n=3) including elevated miRNA-15b. Over expression of miRNA15b in cardiomyocytes, resulted in compromised mitochondrial membrane potential (measured by TMRM fluorescence and JC-1 flow cytometry, p<0.05, n=4). Conclusions- Acute depletion of Dicer in adult mice results in miRNA-15b dependent mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress which is followed by rapid loss of cardiac function.
Finding the missing KASH
(The Journal of Cell Biology - Rockefeller University Press, 2012-02) Zhou, Xiao; Meier, Iris
The nucleus holds and protects the genetic information of a cell. Nuclear positioning is correlated with several important cellular processes, such as cell division, migration and differentiation, and it is essential to the development of organisms ranging from worms to mammals. Nuclear positioning is mediated through a protein complex across the nuclear envelope (NE), formed by the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) KASH proteins and the inner nuclear membrane (INM) SUN proteins. The cytoplasmic part of KASH proteins is associated with the cytoskeleton, and the nucleoplasmic part of SUN proteins is associated with the nucleoskeleton. Meanwhile, in the perinuclear space (PNS), the C-terminal tail of KASH proteins interacts with the SUN domain of SUN proteins. Therefore, KASH-SUN complexes are linkers of the nucleoskeleton to the cytoskeleton (LINC). LINC is conserved from yeasts to humans. However, in plants, only SUN proteins have been identified, leaving plant KASH proteins and the functions of plant SUN proteins a mystery. The purpose of this study is to identify plant KASH proteins and uncover the function of the plant KASH-SUN interaction.
Designing Theory-based Curriculum to Positively Affect Psychosocial Variables for Weight Loss in College Students
(2012-02) Thall, Michelle; Buckworth, Janet
The percent of overweight/obese college students increased from 20.5% to 33.5% between 1995 and 2010. This growing segment of our college population is both understudied and underserved. The purpose of this multi-phase study was to investigate the feasibility of an academic class to promote exercise and weight loss by targeting theory-based psychosocial variables. One section of a Conditioning Principles academic class was re-designed to positively change psychosocial variables related to exercise, while maintaining required class content. The teaching strategies were based on assumptions from Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and focused on increasing intrinsic motivation and improving self-efficacy for exercise. Students self-selected into the intervention section or one of two standard sections. Comparison classes were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on proposed mediators of exercise behavior beyond changes achieved through the existing curriculum. Students completed questionnaires to assess motivational regulations, self-efficacies, eating behaviors, social support for exercise, body image, and physical activity during the first and last weeks of a 10-week academic term. Height and weight were also used to examine possible moderating effects of BMI. This paper presents the study design, procedures, and a detailed intervention plan, including teaching strategies and associated target variables. If results indicate the revised class positively influenced exercise mediators, supplementing standard curriculum with SDT strategies could improve college student health and fitness. Further, insight into the moderating effect of BMI status on the mediating variables would enable tailoring of academic classes to the needs of overweight/obese students.
Feasibility Analysis and Intelligent Technologies for An Innovative Nuclear Reactor Enabling Waste Transmutation
(2012-02) Bhattacharyya, Sampriti; Yedavalli, Rama K
Nuclear energy has tremendous potential as a reliable source of cheap, clean energy. The two key impediments to expanded use of nuclear energy are safety, as highlighted by the accidents at Chernobyl and Fakushima; proliferation, as seen in the ambiguous nature of Iran’s nuclear program; and disposal of waste which remains dangerously radioactive for thousands of years. At present nuclear waste is stored at, and managed by, the power plant that generates it. This system was created as an interim solution, the intent being to allow the waste to “cool” (shorter lived isotopes to decay) before being transported to long term storage. Since the waste remains hazardous for ~100,000 years, “long term” is long indeed. From a technical standpoint, sites have been identified which meet the challenging geological requirements, in particular the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository. However, political opposition to the storage and transportation has all but killed this solution. New generations of reactors are designed to generate less waste, alleviating but not solving the problem. They can be made safer, but not passively safe (requiring no intervention to gracefully and safely shut down). They require fissile fuels (isotopes that can sustain a chain reaction), which are exactly the materials for nuclear weapons; thus proliferation issues remain. Recent developments have opened a new option: Accelerator Driven Subcritical System, ADSS. Here, a proton accelerator is used to produce neutrons, which in turn cause fission in the fuel. The nuclear reactions shut down without the accelerator, and the accelerator requires power from the reactor: it safely shuts down in the event of a system failure, i.e. is passively safe. Since neutrons are supplied externally, non-fissile materials, unsuitable for weapons, can be used as fuel: proliferation risk is virtually eliminated. But the most attractive feature of ADSS is it consumes rather than produces radioactive waste: actinide-rich waste from conventional reactors can be recycled and used as fuel in an ADSS reactor. ADSS can also use abundant (compared to uranium-235) natural isotopes, uranium-238 and thorium and produce waste with very little contamination of long-lived radioactive isotopes. ADSS (also known as just ADS, Accelerator Driven Systems; and ADSR, Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors) research is ongoing around the world, particular in China, India, and the European Union. One of the major challenges, and the one studies in this work, is building a proton accelerator with unprecedented efficiency, intensity, and reliability. Here in the US, an accelerator is under development at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Illinois) which is intended primarily for basic research, but it also meets the intensity and efficiency requirements for ADSS. The reliability required by ADSS is, however, far beyond the experience of basic research [2]. Even short (few seconds) beam interruptions result in thermal stress and fatigue failure in the targets, the replacement of which is expensive, time consuming, and hazardous. Present accelerators have 80–90 such interruptions per year and under 90% availability, whereas ADSS requires less than five interruptions and >99% availability. Progress is being made in improving the underlying components, but that alone will not deliver the 10-fold improvement required. This work starts with the standard solution for improved reliability: redundancy. Redundancy is not trivially applied to an accelerator, however. Interaction between components is complex, and the positioning of components matters. Replacing a failed component with an online spare involves much more than simply turning the spare on. The entire system must be re-tuned for the new configuration. Furthermore, a beam powerful enough to drive a nuclear reactor is also powerful enough to destroy equipment if it strikes the wrong spot. The problem tackled is a control system to adjust for changing conditions and configurations, doing so within seconds, and without risk of additional damage in the process. This demands intelligent controls and automation for replacement, repair and tuning of the system. As there is no accelerator to collect data from, our results are based on simulations of the critical elements of the accelerator: an ion source, superconducting cavities, and superconducting magnets. The ion source produces particles to be accelerated; its lifetime is poor, thus in addition to redundancy, robotic replacement of failed units is included. Superconducting cavities are supplied with RF power which they transfer to the beam. In the event of a failure, the remaining cavities must be readjusted. Present accelerators start with a simple lookup table followed by manual fine-tuning. Application of intelligent adaptive control techniques [3] brings recovery time under a second. Superconducting magnets focus and steer the beam. Beam “optics,” particularly focusing/defocusing due to magnets, is a calculable ab initio but not in the time scale of seconds. Parameterization of beam behavior from full scale simulation and carefully designed monitoring are combined with intelligent controls to safely and quickly readjust magnets. The physics and fundamental of engineering for ADSS has been now known for two decades. Recent developments in superconducting cavities allow the required efficiency, inspiring extensive ADSS research around the world. What is lacking is sophisticated technology to ensure reliability. Implementation of the technologies discussed to optimize use of redundancy and “hot swap” spares can ensure high reliability, making this innovative waste transmuter and energy producer a reality. References: 1. Abderrahim et al., "Accelerator and Target Technology for Accelerator Driven Transmutation and Energy Production", (2010) http://www.science.doe.gov/hep/files/pdfs/ADSWhitePaperFinal.pdf 2. Yousry Gohar, David Johnson, Todd Johnson and Shekhar Mishra, “Fermilab Project-X Nuclear Energy Application: Accelerator, Spallation Target and Transmutation Technology Demonstration”, (2010). http://indico.fnal.gov/ 3. Nguyen, Krishnakumar, Boschovic ,“An Optimal Control Modification to Model-Reference AdaptiveControl for Fast Adaptation” AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference and Exhibit, August 2008, Honolulu, Hawaii
Impact of Light at Night on Cardiac Arrest Outcome
(2012-02) Fonken, Laura; Nelson, Randy
Little is known about the influence of hospital environment on patient recovery. Nighttime light exposure is particularly prevalent in the hospital setting and may be detrimental because of its neuroinflammatory effects. We used a mouse model of cardiac arrest (CA) to test the hypothesis that exposure to dim light at night after cerebral ischemia impairs recovery. Mice housed in a standard light/dark cycle (LD) underwent a CA or SHAM procedure, then either remained in LD or were exposed to a light/dim light cycle (dLAN). Mortality during the first week after CA was 4-fold higher in mice exposed to dLAN relative to LD. Furthermore, surviving dLAN-CA mice had greater neuroinflammation and hippocampal cell death than LD-CA mice. dLAN likely affects CA recovery by elevating inflammation; selective inhibition of IL-1β or TNFα ameliorated the effects of dLAN light on CA recovery. In addition, restricting the wavelength of the nighttime light exposure to nm, eliminated the detrimental effects of light exposure on CA outcome. Together, these data suggest that lighting in clinical settings may affect patient recovery.
Assessing and managing soil quality for urban agriculture in Ohio
(2012-02) Beniston, Josh; Lal, Rattan
Urban agriculture (UA) is rapidly expanding in the majority of Ohio's cities and is widely recognized as a means of improving the ecological conditions, quality of life, and food security in urban areas. This project will apply the soil quality evaluation process to soils being used for specialty crop production in urban areas in Ohio with the goal of better understanding their soil properties and identifying appropriate management strategies. The project is focused around two major components: an experimental research site and a field study of production sites. The experimental site is located in a series of adjacent vacant urban lots in Youngstown OH where vacant houses were recently demolished and removed. The demolition process often leaves soils severely degraded and this experiment will document the soil's initial condition following demolition, as well as the ability for the soil to be improved for UA by applying organic matter. Experimental treatments focused on applying organic soil amendments produced from urban green wastes will be applied in a replicated, complete block experimental design, including the following treatments: 1) control, 2) leaf compost, 3) leaf compost + intensive cover cropping, 4) leaf compost + hardwood biochar. All plots are split plots comparing in ground cultivation with cultivation in 20cm raised beds. The experiment will be run for the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. Data will be collected on vegetable crop yield and on soil physical, chemical and biological properties and analyzed through both hypothesis testing and soil quality indexing. Compaction is a primary constraint at the site with bulk density values of 1.79 g cm-3 for in ground plots and 1.55 g cm-3 for raised beds. Crop yield data from 2011 demonstrate strong treatment effects on both crop yield (p=0.002) and harvest index (p=0.008). Both compost amended and compost + biochar amended plots had significantly greater crop yields than control plots, while compost + biochar plots had the highest harvest index values. An additional study in 2012 will conduct soil quality assessment at urban market gardens in Ohio and provide producers with a soil quality report and management recommendations. Expected outcomes include improved knowledge and management of UA soils in the region.
Unstable Relations?
(2012-02) Mattiacci, Eleonora; Braumoeller, Bear; Box-Steffensmeier, Janet
Studies of nuclear proliferation and of its impact in the international system find that once countries acquire nuclear weapons, they start behaving differently: they are involved in more low level disputes (Rauchhaus, 2009), they prevail in crises (Beardsley and Asal, 2009) and their diplomatic status increases (Gartzke and Jo, 2009). While a lot of these studies focus on the effects of horizontal proliferation, that is, the increase in the number of states that acquire the weapon, most of the strategic action happens before states conduct their first nuclear weapon test. At which stage of their nuclear weapon acquisition do states become more aggressive? I analyze event data on the weekly interactions between rivals when at least one member is in the process of acquiring nuclear weapons. I test for the presence of structural breaks that determine different levels of instability within a specific relation. My preliminary findings show that, while relations with a proliferating state might get bumpy at times, they do so mostly at earlier stages of the weapon acquisition process.
A Generalized Framework for Learning and Recovery of Structured Sparse Signals
(Submitted to 2012 IEEE Statistical Signal Processing Workshop, 2012-02) Ziniel, Justin; Schniter, Philip
We report on a framework for recovering single- or multi-timestep sparse signals that can learn and exploit a variety of probabilistic forms of structure. Message passing-based inference and empirical Bayesian parameter learning form the backbone of the recovery procedure. We further describe an object-oriented software paradigm for implementing our framework, which consists of assembling modular software components that collectively define a desired statistical signal model. Lastly, numerical results for an example structured sparse signal model are provided.
MICE INJECTED WITH E.COLI AS NEONATES HAVE HYPERACTIVE BEHAVIOR AND AN INCREASED MICROGLIAL INFLAMMATORY PROFILE
(2012-02) Lieblein, Jacqueline; Godbout, Jonathan
Newborns surviving an early-life insult may have greater vulnerability to neuro-developmental complications including autism. We hypothesize that early-life infection (ELI) promotes microglial dysregulation resulting in hyperactivation of these cells following a secondary immune challenge. We have previously published that a hyperactive microglial response corresponds with the induction of behavioral complications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which an Escherichia coli (E.coli) infection in neonatal BALB/c mice causes locomotor disorders and increases the inflammatory reactivity of microglia. To accomplish this goal, three day old mice were injected subcutaneously with either saline or E.coli. Brain inflammation was confirmed 24 hours after injection by RT-PCR. One and two months after neonatal injection, mice were tested in an open field behavior test for locomotor activity. ELI mice had hyperactive behavior noted by a greater distance traveled and more time moving than early-life PBS control (EPC) mice. To determine the level of inflammatory reactivity in microglia, young adult EPC and ELI mice were peripherally injected with saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to provide a secondary immune challenge. Microglia were isolated 4 or 24 hours after challenge for mRNA analyses. Microglia from adult ELI mice had an amplified inflammatory profile following LPS-challenge compared to EPC mice. Exaggerated inflammatory cytokine production corresponded to increased Iba-1 immunoreactivity of microglia in the amygdala and hippocampus of ELI mice 48 hours following LPS. In conclusion, early-life infection led to hyperactive behavior and elevated microglial reactivity following a secondary immune challenge. Understanding the biochemical and immune complications that result from an early-life insult will provide new therapeutic targets to attenuate neurobehavioral complications, such as attention deficit disorder, autism, and schizophrenia.
Isomerization of Carotenoids During Processing of Tangerine Tomatoes
(2012-02) Cooperstone, Jessica; Schwartz, Steven
Epidemiological evidence, as well as in vitro and in vivo studies suggests that tomato-rich diets may be protective against different cancers, especially prostate cancer. Lycopene is the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes and Tangerine varieties are naturally high in tetra-cis lycopene, imparting an orange color. Human nutrition studies have demonstrated that cis isomers of lycopene are more bioavailable than the all-trans form. This has prompted interest in Tangerine tomatoes, as they are high in cis-lycopene when raw. The carotenoid profile of Tangerine tomatoes is quite different than red tomatoes. Little has been done to determine the effects of different degrees of thermal treatment and differing fat levels on the carotenoid profile of these tomatoes. The purpose of this study is to develop a Tangerine tomato juice, optimized for bioavailability and acceptability for use in a clinical trial. The second aim is to use Tangerine tomato sauce as a model system to investigate the effects of different degrees of thermal treatment and fat levels on carotenoid profiles and isomerization. An experimental hybrid of Tangerine tomatoes was hot break processed into juice and canned separately. Juice was then re-processed with varying levels of fat (0, 1, 2 and 3% w/w) for varying amounts of time (0, 30, 60 and 120min) at 88°C. Sauce was freeze dried to concentrate and re-processed with varying levels of fat (0, 1, 5, 15 and 30% w/w) for varying amounts of time (0, 30, 60, 120, 180 min) at 100°C. Samples in replicate were extracted for carotenoids. Phytoene, phytofluene, zeta-carotene, neurosporene, tetra-cis¬ lycopene, all-trans lycopene and other cis¬ lycopene were quantified using HPLC-PDA. Total carotenoids decreased with longer heating times. Phytoene and phytofluene were relatively heat stable. Tetra-cis lycopene decreased significantly with processing time but not with fat level. All-trans lycopene and other-cis lycopene increased significantly with processing. These results show the capability to modulate carotenoid bioavailability by food processing.

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