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CSI UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND/CUNY

APRIL 10, 2003

M a r l e n eSpr inger,President

CSI UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE*

*Sponsored by the Office of the Provost with funding from the CSI Student GovernmentAcademic and Curricular Affairs Commission, and the CSI Foundation.

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND/CUNY

APRIL 10, 2003

Conference Schedule

12:15 - 1:15 Authors and mentors lunch1:00 Opening remarks by President Springer

1:30 - 4:00 Poster presentations2:00 - 3:00 Musical performances3:00 - 3:45 Dramatic presentations

Marlene SpringerPresident

It is a pleasure that the College of StatenIsland is holding the second annualUndergraduate Research Conference. Theconference theme “Your Passport toKnowledge” underscores the importancethis College places on pursuit of knowledge,academic excellence, and scholarlyresearch. Each discipline pursuesknowledge and conducts research usingunique methods and approaches. In theirlaboratories, scientists conceive and

conduct experiments; social scientists engage in fieldwork andanalyses of problems; artists, through years of rigorous training,perform, compose, and expand the creative possibilities of humanexpression. Learning takes place both inside and outside of theclassroom. The projects presented at this Conference clearly aretestimony to the learning that our students have accomplished withtheir mentors, starting in their classes and continuing outside theclassroom.

I take this opportunity to congratulate all student scholars and theirfaculty mentors for sharing their projects at this conference. I knowhow much effort has gone into the scholarship being presented atthe conference. I commend students and faculty mentors for theirhard work, dedication, and collaboration in completing theseprojects.

I am very encouraged by the diversity of academic disciplinesrepresented at this year’s conference. More than sixty undergraduatestudents mentored by faculty members from twelve academicdepartments are presenting their work. The presentations in theconference include dramatic and musical performances, as well asposter presentations based on research work in the naturalsciences, mathematics, social sciences and humanities. I am alsopleased to note that the College was able to support many of ourstudents’ research projects through Summer UndergraduateResearch Awards sponsored by the CSI Foundation and throughfaculty grants.

A conference of this size requires a great deal of planning and manyorganizational hands. I want to express my sincere appreciation tofaculty and students on the conference committee. I would also liketo acknowledge the financial support for the conference provided bythe CSI Student Government Academic & Curricular AffairsCommission and the CSI Foundation.

The College of Staten Island continues to grow and excel and thisconference reflects just one facet of that growth. In its longstandingtradition of providing opportunities for intellectual growth andacademic excellence to the students, the College remainscommitted to supporting faculty-mentored research and creativeactivities in all disciplines. In closing, let me once again congratulateand thank all student presenters and their faculty mentors and wishthem success in their future projects.

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MESSAGE FROMTHE PRESIDENT

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6. Performers: Omar Daniel, MaggieHarden, Julie O’Brien, Eric Siegel. Trumpet: Reginald DenisTenor Saxophone: ChristopherGrupinski, Joseph Maniscalco, GregoryTumbarelloGuitar: Kate FarleyViolin: Michael CaseBass: Michael Friedman, John McKoyPiano: Philip OppenheimDrums: Brett SeymourDirected by Michael MorrealeMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and CreativeArtsThe CSI Jazz Ensemble

Poster Presentations1P-Atrium 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.

7. Antoinette AjavonMentor: Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of ChemistryMonte Carlo Simulation for ConfinementInduced Molecular Alignment

8. John AnastasioMentor: Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of ChemistryCombination of Molecular Modeling andQuantum Calculation to Explore the Roleof Stabilizers in Nanoparticle Formation

9. Tariq Bandoo, Jitendra S. Rathore, andPradyot PatnaikMentor: Bhanu ChauhanDepartment of ChemistryGeneration of Novel Porous Materialsand their Applications in EnvironmentalRedemption

10. Devin Bracco Mentor: Patricia Brooks and JulieHanauerDepartment of PsychologyExploring Executive Components ofDevelopment in the Cross-modal StroopEffect

Dramatic PresentationsCenter for the ArtsBlack Box Theater3:00 - 3:45 p.m.

1. Keith Palumbo and Victoria VeneziaMentor: Maurya WickstromDepartment of Performing and Creative ArtsThe Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

2. Michelle Philipin and Duo DiggsMentor: Maurya WickstromDepartment of Performing and Creative ArtsThe Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

Musical PerformancesCenter for the ArtsRecital Hall2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

3. Performers: Jeffrey Cassorla, AshleyCorrao, Alfred DeRosa, Drew Dorans,William Gregg, Christopher Grupinski,Kyeong Kim, Ji-Wook Kim, DorisNeilsen, Dustin Primeau, John Tartaglia,Gregory TumbarelloDirected by Ed BrownMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative ArtsThe CSI Guitar Ensemble

4. Hanako HiroseMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative ArtsPiano selections from “SuiteBergamasque” by Claude Debussy.

5. Dimitri ShevelevMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and CreativeArtsA piano solo of “Una Surtiva Legrima” byGaetano Donizetti.

11. Brighid CastacioMentor: Deborah PopperDepartment of Political Science,Economics, and PhilosophyBenefits of Squatter Settlements toDeveloping Economies

12. Chris Cornacchio, Joy Lim, and NhanTruongMentor: Nan SussmanDepartment of PsychologyCultural Transitions and AcculturationStyles: Effects on Body Satisfaction andEating Disorders Among ImmigrantWomen in the United States

13. Lekovic DjordjijeMentor: David GerstnerDepartment of Media CultureVisual Aesthetics of Maori in NewZealand Cinema: Inscription, Prescriptionor Subscription

14. Jacqueline Englander and RachaEstephanMentor: Fred NaiderDepartment of ChemistryBiosynthesis of a Domain of a G Protein-Coupled Receptor

15. Adam FerrettiMentor: William WallaceDepartment of BiologyRecovery from Cd Exposure in GrassShrimp: The Importance of Metal-Binding Proteins

16. Anna FiorentinoMentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer ScienceSupervised Learning Based on Multi-layer Feed-forward Potential FunctionApproach

17. Tara GianoulisMentor: Robert CorinDepartment of BiologyDifferentiation of RBL cells in vitro

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18. Ellen GrassoMentor: Katharine GoodlandDepartment of English, Speech, andWorld LiteratureFemale Grief and Emotions in the MiddleAges and the Renaissance/Early ModernPeriods

19. Adelpha HallMentor: Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of ChemistryMonte Carlo Simulation of ChargedParticles on Cylindrical Surfaces

20. Adonia HallMentor: Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment of ChemistrySimulations of the Structure ofNanocrystals on the Surface ofCylindrical Templated Rods

21. Elie JarrougeMentor: Valerie PierceDepartment of BiologyVerifying the Suitability of Silver-ureaNanoparticles for Studying Urea uptakein Drosophila

22. Stephanie Kaminski, Loretta Leotta,Karen Lutz, and Nisha PhilipMentor: Eileen GigliottiDepartment of NursingTypes and Sources of Social Supportand Maternal-Student Role Stress

23. Kristin KaneMentor: Gregory Cheplick Department of Biology Sibling Competition

24. Anatoliy KonovalovMentor: Charles KramerDepartment of BiologyThe Effect of Dibutylphthalate (DBP) onRodlet Cells in Tissues of the Platyfish,Xiphophorus Maculatus TeleosteiPoeciliidae)

25. Jitendra Rathore, Moni Chauhan* andAlexandra KrawiczMentor: Bhanu ChauhanDepartment of Chemistry*Queensborough Community College, Palladium Nanoweb: First Example ofCatalytically Active Recyclable Particles

26. Dileepa KumarapperumaMentor: Antonia FoldesDepartment of MathematicsThe Ballot Theorem and Its Proof

27. Herve NganguiaMentor: Andrew PojeDepartment of MathematicsA Generalized Look at Manifolds asPrincipal Organizers of Fluid Particles inMotion

28. Susan PaceMentor: Jonathan PetersDepartment of BusinessAir Quality and Queuing Issues inElectronic Toll Collection

29. Mario PerezMentor: William WallaceDepartment of BiologyDifferences in Prey Capture in GrassShrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, CollectedAlong an “Environmental Impact”Gradient

30. Umer Latif and Lana RabinovichMentor: Bhanu ChauhanDepartment of ChemistrySilicon Based Nanoreactors forNanoparticle Generation

31. Haroon RajaMentor: Andrzej WieraszkoDepartment of BiologyThe Influence of Melatonin on GlutamateUptake

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32. Kathleen RatcliffeMentor: Eric IvisonDepartment of HistoryPilgrim Flasks and Early ChristianPilgrimage

33. Rajesh Sardar, Pankaj Tewari andPrashant SharmaMentor: Bhanu P.S. ChauhanDepartment of ChemistrySilver Nanoparticle Reservoirs in Non-aqueous Solvents

34. Rachna SondhiMentor: Probal Banerjee Department of ChemistryDevelopmental Role of the Serotonin 1AReceptor

35. Adriana VelaMentor: Bhanu ChauhanDepartment of ChemistryBio-patterning of Metal andSemiconductor Nanoparticle1

36. Annie WangMentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer ScienceNew Approach to Design of Radial BasisFunctions Neural Networks

37. Annie Wang and Mendee BaigalsaikhanMentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer ScienceWomen in Computer Science at CUNY:Problems and Solutions

38. Kong Chi WaiMentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer ScienceAdaptive Denoising of Images byExtracting Independent Components

39. Helen ZhangMentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment of Computer ScienceNeural Network Learning andClassification: A Potential FunctionsApproach

#1. The Trestle at Pope Lick CreekKeith Palumbo and Victoria VeneziaMentor: Maurya WickstromDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

This presentation includes two scenes from Naomi Wallace’s playentitled, “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek.” The play is about atragic death in a small southern town during the depression. Thetwo teenage protagonists are locked in an ambiguous sexualgame of power and vulnerability.

#2. The Trestle at Pope Lick CreekMichelle Philipin and Duo DiggsMentor: Maurya WickstromDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

A scene from Naomi Wallace’s play entitled, “The Trestle at PopeLick Creek” will be performed. The play is a poignant and movingstory about two adolescents growing up during The GreatDepression in Middle America towards the end of the 1930’s.

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DRAMATICPRESENTATIONS

Center for the ArtsBlack Box Theater,

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) isthe only national organization whose mission is tosupport and promote high-quality undergraduatestudent-faculty collaborative research andscholarship. CUR achieves its vision throughefforts of its membership (~3000 membersrepresenting over 850 institutions) as organized ina divisional structure viz. biology, chemistry,geosciences, mathematics and computer science,physics and astronomy, psychology, socialsciences and an at-large division that servesadministrators and other disciplines. (www.cur.org)

#3. The CSI Guitar EnsembleDirected by Ed BrownMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

From Baroque to Bluegrass

Performers: Jeffrey Cassorla, Ashley Corrao, Alfred DeRosa,Drew Dorans, William Gregg, Christopher Grupinski, Kyeong Kim,Ji-Wook Kim, Doris Neilsen, Dustin Primeau, John Tartaglia,Gregory Tumbarello

#4. Piano SelectionsHanako HiroseMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

Piano selections from ”Suite Bergamasque” by Claude Debussywill be performed. These include Prelude, Menuet, Clair de Lune,and Passepied.

#5. A Piano SoloDimitri ShevelevMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

A piano solo of “Una Surtiva Legrima” by Gaetano Donizettifrom the comedy Elixer of Love will be performed.

#6. THE CSI Jazz EnsembleDirected by Michael MorrealeMentor: Sylvia KahanDepartment of Performing and Creative Arts

This performance includes works by Duke Ellington, KennyDorham, Thelonious Monk, Reginald Denis, and William Bauer

Performers: Omar Daniel, Maggie Harden, Julie O’Brien, Eric SiegelTrumpet: Reginald DenisTenor Saxophone: Christopher Grupinski, Joseph Maniscalco,Gregory TumbarelloGuitar: Kate FarleyViolin: Michael CaseBass: Michael Friedman, John McKoyPiano: Philip OppenheimDrums: Brett Seymour

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MUSICALPERFORMANCES

Center for the Arts,Recital Hall

We have conducted Monte Carlo simulations to investigate thealignment of two rigid rods confined by a spherical harmonicpotential to mimic rod-like chains trapped in a flexible cavity. Wemodel rigid rods as shish-kebab chains with tangent hard spheresaligned in the same axis. Beads interact through hard-corerepulsions, and are subjected to the harmonic potential. For fieldsof weak strength, the two rods can be far apart and areessentially uncorrelated. As field strength is increased, thedistance between rods decreases. When their separation roughlybecomes less than the chain length, the parallel alignment of tworods emerges more frequently. As the separation of two rods isdecreased to near the length scale of bead diameter, strongintermolecular repulsions induce perpendicular alignment. Such amodel will be useful to elucidate liquid crystal ordering inpolymer/liquid crystal composites and molecular packing withintiny cellular nuclei.

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poster #7

Monte CarloSimulation forConfinementInduced MolecularAlignment

Antoinette Ajavon

Mentor: Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment ofChemistry

How to Get Started in Research

This booklet provides useful information onbeginning a research program and findingsupport for the program from both administratorsand funding agencies.

Appendices give advice on writing grantproposals and hosting poster sessions. A list offunding sources for faculty at predominantlyundergraduate institutions is included. This is amust have booklet for new faculty as well as forestablished research programs who want tobegin or expand their program withundergraduates.

A useful publication from the Council onUndergraduate Research; www.cur.org

A great deal of effort has been devoted to fabrication ofnanoparticles, novel materials with enormous applications, suchas molecular size devices. In the formation of metallic or metalcontaining nanoparticles, experimental evidence has shown thatsmaller nanocrystals will form first, prior to further aggregation tolarger nanoparticles. Such a finding has been utilized to controlthe growth of nanoparticles. With careful design, stabilizers, suchas acids or acidic surfactants, are added into a reaction systemto disperse and stabilize nanocrystals. The desired nanoparticlesof different sizes and geometries can be synthesized by removingstabilizers in a controlled way. Despite recent experimentalprogresses, our understanding regarding how stabilizers interactwith nanocrystals is still in its infancy. In this presentation, we willpresent a novel computational method developed by our researchgroup. This method is to combine quantum mechanicscalculation and molecular modeling, which can manifest theinterplay between nanocrystals and stabilizers. In the calculations,we first sketch the molecular structure of a nanocrystal andstabilizers. Molecular modeling is used to find the optimalgeometries and positions of these molecules. In the second step,we update the charge of each atom by conducting quantumcalculations. The updated charges are incorporated intomolecular modeling. These two procedures are repeated until theenergy and geometry converge. This self-consistent calculationgreatly enhances the computational efficacy, and has beenapplied to rationalize the structure of magnetic iron-oxidenanoparticles stabilized by surfactants.

1 Sponsored by the CSI Foundation, the Office of the Academic Deansand/or facutly grants

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poster #8.

Combination ofMolecularModeling andQuantumCalculation toExplore the Roleof Stabilizers inNanoparticleFormation

John Anastasio1


Due to their huge surface areas, nanosized metal particlespossess unique chemical and physical properties that can beexploited in a wide variety of technological applications, includingcatalysis, nonlinear optics ultra-purification and microelectronics.It has been established that the properties of such nanoparticlesdepend sensitively on factors such as size, size distribution,shape and chemical environment. One of the design strategiesthat has shown tremendous potential as a viable route by whichto produce metal nanoparticles with improved size control andcolloidal stability is to employ polymeric matrixes as the form ofgrowth media. Thus, nanoparticles can be grown to satisfyspecific application requirements and enhance the polymer withnew properties. Studies have demonstrated that if the polymermatrix is nanostructured, control over the nanoparticles’development and stabilization can be further enhanced. Examplesof nanostructured polymer matrixes include amphiphilic blockcoplolymers either in the bulk or as micelles.

In this presentation we will disclose our preliminary results on thegrafting of the porous polymer and its application as host agentfor environmental redemption. Our strategy not only permits usfor the quantitative generation of porous silicon materials but alsoallows a chemical control over the size of the pores under verymild reaction conditions. Preliminary results indicate that thismaterial is stable under atmospheric conditions and theagglomeration of the nanostructured particles can be successfullyprevented.

1 Sponsored by the CSI Foundation, the Office of the Academic Deansand/or faculty grants

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poster #9

Generation ofNovel PorousMaterials and theirApplications inEnvironmentalRedemption

Tariq Bandoo1,Jitendra S. Rathore,and Pradyot Patnaik

Mentor: Bhanu ChauhanDepartment ofChemistry

poster #10

ExploringExecutiveComponents ofDevelopment inthe Cross-modalStroop Effect

Devin Bracco1

Mentor:Patricia Brooks andJulie HanauerDepartment ofPsychology

Recent work by Hanauer & Brooks (2002) has documentedfailures in selective attention. Using the cross-modal Stroop taskthey found that children and adults were impaired in their abilityto name color patches when incongruent color words werepresented simultaneously over headphones. The present studyexamines whether the cross-modal Stroop effect stems fromsemantic or executive processing. In the cross-modal Strooptask, auditory information (e.g., words over headphones) conflictswith visual information (e.g., a color patch). In the related picture-word interference paradigm, a picture to be named is presentedwith a distracter word superimposed. In both of these tasks,researchers have theorized that the main source of interference issemantic competition occurring during lexical access. Analternative account is that interference effects are due to theactivation of a response set. We asked adults to name pictureswhile listening to distracter words, instructing them to ignore thewords presented over headphones. RTs were measured as eachpicture was identified. We varied the semantic category of thedistracters (i.e., their relatedness to the pictures), and their statusas members of the response set (i.e., whether or not thedistracters were names of target pictures). The magnitude of theinterference effect did not differ as a function of the semanticdistance of the distracters relative to target pictures, butdepended on their status as members of the response set. Thisindicates that the locus of the cross-modal Stroop effect residesin executive rather than semantic processing.


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My research was undertaken as the culmination of my majors inSpanish and Economics, and links both fields. I have focused onthe economic benefits of squatter settlements in the developingworld, particularly in Latin America. Most governments havesought to eradicate such communities, claiming that they aresocially aberrant.

Empirical evidence demonstrates however, that immigrantsdwelling in these communities are those who have been pushedout of surrounding regions for various reasons, and have settledwithin cities with hopes of improved futures. They are generallyoptimistic and industrious in working toward their objectives.

Because of the government’s preconceived ideas about thenature of these communities and the subsequent lack of aid tothem, squatters must be wholly self reliant, in terms of jobcreation as well as the provision of housing and services.Squatters thus solve the basic economic problems of theirsociety, and by doing so, create a level of productivity wherethere had been none while simultaneously alleviating thegovernment of any added pressure that joblessness,homelessness and migration, would otherwise cause.

Squatter settlements, rather than a social and economic burdenmeriting obliteration, provide less developed countries with stronginstitutions that are self sufficient and improve greatly people’sability to improve their own lives, and by extension the macroeconomy of that city and nation.

Further studies on this issue are necessary, especially as policiesin at least one nation has moved towards favoring granting tenureto these communities, and can serve as a paradigm to others.

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poster #11

Economics, andPhilosophyBenefits ofSquatterSettlements toDevelopingEconomies

Brighid Castacio

Mentor: Deborah PopperDepartment of PoliticalScience, Economics,and Philosophy

As body ideals are culturally constructed, how does immigrationand acculturation style affect satisfaction with one’s body andrisks for eating disorders? Participants were 237 immigrantwomen students from five regions representing body ideals whichare normatively different from those in the United States.Assessments were made on self-esteem, body satisfaction, riskfor eating disorders and acculturation style. Findings indicatedthat immigrant women with an integrated acculturation style hadhigher self-esteem and were more satisfied with their bodies thanwomen with other acculturation styles. However, the integratedand assimilated groups were at highest risk for developing eatingdisorders. With respect to specific ethnic groups, Asian-Americans had the lowest self-esteem and were least satisfiedwith their bodies, but a regression analysis found that strongAmerican identity and East European background predicted risksfor eating disorders. Moreover, Caribbean women with anintegrated acculturation style were at higher risk of developingeating disorders than Caribbean women with marginalized andseparated acculturation styles. Thus, while strong Americanidentification was associated with high self and body esteem, itwas also associated with increased risk for eating disorders.

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poster #12

CulturalTransitions andAcculturationStyles: Effects onBody Satisfactionand EatingDisorders AmongImmigrant Womenin the UnitedStates

Chris Cornacchio, JoyLim, and Nhan Truong

Mentor: Nan SussmanDepartment ofPsychology

Summer Fellowships through the Deans’Offices at CSI

The fellowships are intended to give motivated andtalented students the opportunity to enhance theireducational experience and become involved inthe research activities of faculty mentors whodevote substantial time and effort in scholarshipduring the summer months.

Attending to New Zealand Cinema one cannot but feel thepresence of something different, not experienced before withHollywood or other cinemas. I say feeling precisely because I failto notice or point out anything tangible but only feel this and I stillremain unable to explain what it is. Discussing a particularnational cinema one falls in danger of associating the form withwhat is strictly contained within given boundaries (the culturalconstruct of that nation) and thus is prone to overlook theimportance of the interaction between that nation and the rest ofthe world. What will be of much help to us lies within the verynature of New Zealand: the presence of Maori population.

The fact that Maori population has not been effaced andannihilated like many other indigenous populations across theglobe and that they are still very much both politically andphysically present in New Zealand offers us a unique opportunityto look into how the presence of indigenous culture has affectedthe cinematic form. The lack of a severe colonizing discourse, likethat found in Africa and South America, provides for certaintraces of indigenous Maori culture and language and thought tohave inscribed itself into film without being much disturbed ortempered with.

While Third Cinema is marked with constant struggle against thecolonizer/aggressor and so is every cinematic endeavor from theThird World, New Zealand offers us a somewhat isolated placewhere such discourse took place on another level.

If all the given premises are true, this short study will have achance of tracing certain constructs within the New Zealand’scinematic form all the way back to the indigenous Maori cultureand language thus establishing valuable connections between thetwo that might further our understanding of the medium.

It is a ‘post-strucuralist’ approach which sees ideology as beinginscribed in a specific discourse, and in a specific language, andthat no medium is ever transparent, never a carrier of messagesthat exist outside of it: it is always a language that offers thepossibility of constructing that world.

The question to investigate is whether Maori culture/language hadany impact in constructing what we call New Zealand Cinema,and if so, what traces of this culture are found inscribed in acinematic language. Our title inscription, prescription orsubscription refers to three possible relations between Maorilanguage and cinematic form. It is very appropriate to put forwardthis title, because the research will examine whether Maori peoplehave inscribed themselves into cinematic medium, prescribed anew form or solution or subscribed to the existing discourse.

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poster #13

Visual Aestheticsof Maori in NewZealand Cinema:Inscription,Prescription orSubscription

Lekovic Djordjije

Mentor: David GerstnerDepartment of MediaCulture

The α-factor pheromone receptor (Ste2p) that stimulates matingin the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to the large familyof G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Ste2p exhibits thetypical GPCR pattern of hydrophobicity indicative of seventransmembrane segments. A plasmid expressing a fusion protein,consisting of a Trp∆LE leader sequence joined via a methionine

residue to the 3rd extracellular loop, 7th transmembrane domain,and 40-residue tail (E3-M7-I4-40) fragment of the Ste2p receptor,was constructed. DNA encoding for the E3-M7-I4-40 segmentwas amplified via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) anddigested with BamH I and Hind III restriction enzymes. The DNAsegment was then ligated to the Trp∆LE, found in the pSW02plasmid, via the restriction sites using T4 DNA ligase. Theconstruct is being confirmed using restriction enzyme analysisand DNA sequencing. Subsequently, it will be transformed intoBL21(DE3)pLysS cells and expression of the Trp∆LE-E3-M7-I4-40fusion protein will be induced with IPTG.


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poster #14

Biosynthesis of aDomain of a GProtein-CoupledReceptor

Jacqueline Englander1

and Racha Estephan

Mentor: Fred NaiderDepartment of Chemistry

Undergraduate research

Undergraduate research…provides opportunitiesfor students to be creative and to pursuescholarly endeavors in more depth than ispossible in the traditional classroom setting. Theresearch environment … allows students to pushthe boundaries of their intellect and to take riskson a terrain that is largely explored. Research …serves as a primary vehicle to channel theintellectual inquiry of our student body in theperforming arts, humanities, social sciences, andnatural sciences. The faculty benefit immenselyas the in-house research enriches classroomteaching and helps build careers that rest on afoundation of scholarly activities.

From Willamette University-Mentored Research inLiberal Arts by Scott Hawke and Tori Haring-Smith, CUR Quarterly, December 2002

Sublethal cadmium exposure was previously shown to effectfeeding behavior in the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio. Weinvestigated recovery from cadmium (Cd) exposure in grassshrimp by comparing time-dependent changes feeding behaviorto changes in total metal body burdens as well as subcellularpartitioning. Shrimp collected from Great Kills harbor in StatenIsland, NY, were exposed for 14 days to a variety of Cdconcentrations (0.0, 2.25, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/l; n=12 per treatment).Prey capture of control and exposed shrimp was then assessed.Shrimp were allowed to depurate the accumulated metal for aperiod of 8 days. Prey capture was the periodically assayed (t=4,t=8) (using live brine shrimp = ‘sea monkeys’). In a parallel

radiotracer study (109Cd) exposed shrimp were used todetermine the accumulation and subcellular distribution of Cd.Results show that shrimp can recover from Cd exposure and thatimprovements in prey capture are related to a repartitioning ofmetals from metal-sensitive cellular constituents (i.e., enzymes) tomore detoxified forms (i.e., metal-binding proteins).


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poster #15

Recovery from CdExposure in GrassShrimp: TheImportance ofMetal-BindingProteins

Adam Ferretti1

Mentor: William WallaceDepartment of Biology

Make Research-Based Learning the Standard

Undergraduate education in research universitiesrequires renewed emphasis on a point stronglymade by John Dewey almost a century ago:learning is based on discovery guided bymentoring rather than on the transmission ofinformation. Inherent in inquiry-based learning isan element of reciprocity: faculty can learn fromstudents as students are learning from faculty.

(The Boyer Report- Reinventing UndergraduateEducation: A Blueprint for America’s ResearchUniversities)

Our research focuses on the architectures and algorithms used bymultilayer neural networks. The performance of a multilayer feedforward potential function neural network is based on thepotential functions used to recognize patterns in the inputdomain. The feed forward network differs from Hamming andHopfield Networks because it does not focus on a winningneuron approach. In its place it uses the linear boundaries of theinput space and then instead of using fuzzy decision making as asimple multilayer, it uses nonlinear potential functions toextrapolate the teaching patterns. The network incurs multiplelayers as well as two learning phases.

The potential function units presented in the multilayer feedforward network are Gaussian. The Gaussian function is a goodpotential function because of its ease and regulation of thenumber of parameters. The three layers, the input, hidden andoutput layers allow the network to correctly classify patterns byclustering and by function approximation.

The performance of the network in pattern recognition is accuratebut can be improved upon. Some drawbacks to the network aremaintained in its inability to correctly generate the appropriatenumber of potential function units. This results in redundancy ofGaussian units or minimal units. The number of potential functionunits is identical to the number of hidden layers generated. Aswith any multilayer network an algorithm that can determine theadequate number of hidden layers for performance will improvethe networks ability. There seems to be a consensus that radialbasis functions employed with multilayer feed forward neuralnetworks are a better approach.

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poster #16

SupervisedLearning Basedon Multi-layerFeed-forwardPotential FunctionApproach

Anna Fiorentino

Mentor: Natacha GueorguievaDepartment ofComputer Science

The rat basophilic leukemic cell (RBL) is a transformed cell thatexhibits some phenotypes of the differentiated mast cell. Thecells resemble the mucosal mast cell subpopulation in that theysecrete granule contents in response to Fc? receptor activationbut not in response to agents that act through G proteinmechanisms e.g. compound 48/80. The ability to respond to bothclasses of secretion signals is characteristic of connective tissuetype mast cells. RBL cells can be induced to express theconnective tissue phenotype of compound 48/80 responsivenessby treatment of cells with the drug quercetin. We have examinedsome phenotypes of RBL cells treated with quercetin. In ourlaboratory we were able to induce compound 48/80 inducedsecretion with quercetin treatment. Secretion was assayed byquantitating the granule marker enzyme hexoseaminidase. Wealso found an increased specific activity for hexoseaminidaseafter quercetin treatment. To determine if the quercetin induceddifferentiation was related to the growth of cells we examined thegrowth of cells at several quercetin concentrations. Forcomparison, we also examined the effect of HMBA (an agent thatis known to induce a terminal differentiation of many transformedcell types in vitro), upon the growth of RBL cells. We found adose dependent decrease of cell number in response to bothagents. Neither agent was toxic as judged by the ability of cells toremain attached and spread upon tissue culture plates. Todetermine if either agent effected the proliferative potential of RBLcells i.e. induced terminal differentiation, we examined the cloningefficiency of cells in the presence of either agent. RBL cells had ahigh cloning efficiency in growth medium. The ability of singlecells to form colonies from single cells was lost when HMBA wasincluded in the medium, as has been reported for other cell typesi.e. terminal differentiation. Surprisingly, the presence of quercetindid not effect the cloning efficiency of RBL cells. We concludethat quercetin treatment caused expression of the connectivetissue phenotype, which included accumulation of granuleenzyme hexoseaminidase but not terminal differentiation.


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poster #17

Differentiation ofRBL cells in vitro

Tara Gianoulis1

Mentor: Robert CorinDepartment of Biology

For ten weeks, beginning the first week of June and continuingthrough the middle of August, 2002, I was on a mission to acquireas much information as possible on the research topic of femalegrief and emotions both in the Middle Ages andRenaissance/Early Modern periods. My goal was to provideProfessor Katharine Goodland with as wide a range of informationas possible regarding the topic, without bombarding her with toomuch extraneous or irrelevant material, in order to assist her withthe writing of her book. I sometimes question how successful Iactually was in weeding out unnecessary information, since bythe end of the project, I had identified upwards of 100 scholarlyworks and articles on some aspect of female grief. Thankfully,Professor Goodland always seemed to be able to find at least amodicum of relevance in each and every work I presented her.

Our project took off right from the start. Initially, ProfessorGoodland suggested that I familiarize myself with two texts inparticular, specifically, Webster’s The White Devil andShakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, as both works involve interestingcharacterizations of women and intense emotion. In Titus, forexample, Shakespeare portrays Tamora as the personification ofrevenge when she masterminds the rape and mutilation of Laviniaas payback for the death of her sons. Therefore, just within thecharacter of Tamora, we see the embodiment of both grief andrevenge.


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poster #18

Female Grief andEmotions in theMiddle Ages andthe Renaissance/Early ModernPeriods

Ellen Grasso1

Mentor:Katharine GoodlandDepartment of English,Speech, and WorldLiterature

We have conducted Monte Carlo simulations to investigate ageneralized model consisting of charged particles adsorbed ontothe surface of a cylinder, a limiting case of the cell model for DNAsolution. In the cell model, the DNA polyion is considered to bean infinity long charged cylinder surrounded by counterions, witha linear charge density equal to that of a DNA polyion. The radiusof the cylinder is chosen to mimic the molecular diameter of aDNA molecule. In this work, we investigate the limiting case ofthe cell model in which counterions are distributed on the surfaceof the cylinder. Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to examinethe spatial distribution of charged particles on a cylindricalsurface, and the charged particles interact through electrostaticrepulsion, depicted by a reduced potential: A/r where r is thedistance between two charged particles and A the interactionstrength which is inversely proportional to temperature. Ourpreliminary calculations show that the charged particles arrangein a random fashion for smaller A, but a strong spatial correlationbetween charged particles emerge as A is increased. Meanwhile,for large enough A, we find the charged particles arrange in ahighly order structure. For smaller charged cylinders, the heatcapacity due to the charged particles displays a non-monotonicbehavior, that is the heat capacity increases first and decreasesafter passing a maximum as the parameter A is increased,indicating that a phase transition between disorder-orderstructure may occur in such a system.

poster #19

Monte CarloSimulation ofCharged Particleson CylindricalSurfaces

Adelpha Hall


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How to Mentor Undergraduate Researchers

Topics include: How to get started; Mentoringtips; Coaching and Training; Helping the studentsto develop presentation skills; Letters ofrecommendation for students and much more

A useful publication from the Council onUndergraduate Research; www.cur.org

Fabrication of nanoparticles has attracted a great deal ofattention because of their enormous applications, such asreduction of the size of existing devices. Introducing templatedpolymers into nanoparticle syntheses has become a widely usedmethod to regulate the size and geometry of a nanoparticle.Experimental evidence has shown that the tiny nanocrystalscondense onto the surface of templated polymers. To betterunderstand the distribution of nanocrystals on the surface oftemplated materials, we carry our Monte Carlo simulations tostudy a simple model in which small nanocyrstals condense ontothe surface of a cylinder, to mimic templated carbon nanotube. Inthe preliminary calculations, we consider a short-ranged repulsivepotential between nanocrystals, A/r12, where A is the interactionstrength, inversely proportional to temperature. Meanwhile, theexcluded volume of nanocrystals (as hard spheres) isincorporated into the model. In the simulations, we calculate thespatial correlation of nanocrytals and the correspondingthermodynamics. For smaller A, we find that the smaller particlesare randomly distribution on the cylindrical surface withoutspecific correlation. When the interaction strength A is increased,our results show that the heat capacity of the system undergoesa monotonic increase, for the range of our investigation.Surprisingly, the calculated heat capacities of different cylinderradii can be fitted with a simple exponential function, suggestinga universal behavior may be exacted from this type of system.Moreover, our results also show that at large enough A, thenanocrystals exhibit highly ordered on the surface of a cylinder.

Poster # 20

Simulations of theStructure ofNanocrystals onthe Surface ofCylindricalTemplated Rods

Adonia Hall

Mentor:Chwen-Yang ShewDepartment ofChemistry

22

Facilitating Undergraduate Research

Department chairs are best positioned to helpcreate a departmental and institutional culture thatvalues undergraduate research. This can beaccomplished by setting an example as an activeresearcher, mentoring new faculty, supporting andencouraging established faculty, and most of all byencouraging students to participate in all aspectsof the research process from the formulation ofhypothesis to publication. A vigorous studentresearch program is a valuable asset forrecruitment, fund raising, and student outcomes. Alot of work, but rewarding for everyone involved.

Kerry L. Chessman et al, CUR Quarterly, pp. 76-80(Dec. 2001)

We are studying urea tolerant Drosophila melanogasterpopulations that are known to have a slower rate of urea uptakethan wild-type populations. This suggests that how urea crossesthe body may be important. We propose ultimately to use silver-conjugated urea nanoparticles as tracers to visualize the crossingof urea into the body under electron microscopy. The purpose ofthis project is to verify the suitability of these nanoparticles bycomparing their behavior in vivo with that of regular urea.

We have 4 specific objectives to investigate. First, the viability ofthe urea tolerant and wild-type flies will be assessed both in thepresence of silver-urea and regular urea to detect any toxicity ofsilver nanoparticles. Second, we will measure the concentrationof urea in the hemolymph of third instar larvae to see if silver-ureaaccumulates to the same levels during development as regularurea. Third, we will compare the rate of urea uptake in thepresence of silver-urea nanoparticles and determine whether thenanoparticles interfere with the uptake process. Our finalobjective is to verify that the nanoparticles cross into the body;we will spot hemolymph of larvae fed nanoparticles onto EM gridsand examine it using TEM. Then, we want to quantify the amountof silver-urea nanoparticles taken up by assaying hemolymph forsilver content using a Perkin Elmer 3100 furnace atomicabsorbance spectrophotometer.

Some preliminary data from only one pair of populations showedthat there was no difference in viability percentages between ureatolerant flies reared on urea food versus silver-urea food. Theseresults suggest that silver-urea might possess the same level oftoxicity in both populations as regular urea.

Urea assay showed that both urea and silver-urea led to the sameurea concentrations in the hemolymph. The wild-type larvaeshowed an average of 110 mM urea in their hemolymph on bothurea and silver-urea food, while the tolerant larvae showed anaverage of only 85 mM on both urea and silver-urea food. Asexpected the tolerant population had a significant lowerconcentration of urea.

Poster # 21

Verifying theSuitability ofSilver-UreaNanoparticles forStudying UreaUptake InDrosophila

Elie Jarrouge

Mentor:Valerie PierceDepartment of Biology

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Purpose: An increasing number of women who are also mothersare returning to college to pursue a degree. These women mayexperience maternal-student role stress (MSRS) which isdetrimental to their health including a weakened immune system,depression, heart disease, and a host of other illnesses. Becausesocial support helps reduce MSRS, there is a need forinterventions to increase these women’s social support. However,before an interventional program can be implemented it isnecessary to find out if particular types and/or sources of supportare beneficial. This study will investigate whether maternal-student role stress is decreased if particular people in theirnetworks like them, agree with them, and would help them. Twogroups of women will be studied separately because Gigliotti(1999; in press) found that women under and over 37 years haddifferent sources of support.

Problem Statement: Does greater social support of a specifictype and/or from a specific source decrease Maternal-StudentRole Stress for married undergraduate (AAS Nursing Majors)women who are mothers in two age groups?

Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework was derivedfrom the Neuman systems model and social support theory.Being both a mother and a student is an environmental stressorthat may lead to maternal-student role stress, disturbance ofone’s dynamic equilibrium or usual health state. However,particular types of social support from particular people maybuffer this stress response and thus reduce or prevent maternal-student role stress.

Research Questions:1. Does high social support (affect, affirmation, and aid combined

scores) from specific network members decrease MSRS forwomen in two age groups?

2. Does greater affection decrease MSRS for women in two agegroups?

3. Does greater affection from specific network membersdecrease MSRS for women in two age groups?

4. Does greater affirmation (agreement) decrease MSRS forwomen in two age groups?

5. Does greater affirmation (agreement) from specific networkmembers decrease MSRS for women in two age groups?

6. Does greater aid (help) decrease MSRS for women in two agegroups?

7. Does greater aid (help) from specific network membersdecrease MSRS for women in two age groups?

Method: This study will be a secondary analysis of data (N = 132)collected from a previous study (Gigliotti, in press) investigatingthe relation between social support from one’s total supportnetwork and maternal student role stress for women in two age

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Poster #22

Types andSources of SocialSupport andMaternal-StudentRole Stress

Stephanie Kaminski,Loretta Leotta, KarenLutz, and Nisha Philip

Mentor:Eileen GigliottiDepartment of Nursing

groups (women 37 years and older n = 59; women < 37 years n =73). After human subjects approval is obtained, data will berecoded to reflect the amount of a particular type of support(affect, affirmation, and aid) given by each member in the totalsupport network. Pearson product moment correlations will beused to analyze the relation between types and sources of socialsupport and maternal student role stress. Study instruments werethe Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire and the PerceivedMultiple Role Stress Scale.

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Inquiry Based Learning

The basic idea of learning as inquiry is the sameas the idea of research; even though advancedresearch occurs at advanced levels,undergraduates beginning in the freshman yearcan learn through research. In the sciences andsocial sciences, undergraduates can becomejunior members of the research teams that nowengage professors and graduate students. In thehumanities, undergraduates should have theopportunity to work in primary materials, perhapslinked to their professors’ research projects. Asundergraduates advance through a program, theirlearning experiences should become closer andcloser to the activity of the graduate student. Bythe senior year, the able undergraduate should beready for research of the same character andapproximately the same complexity as the first-year graduate student; the research universityneeds to make that zone of transition from seniorto graduate student easy to enter and easy tocross. For those who do not enter graduateschool, the abilities to identify, analyze, andresolve problems will prove invaluable inprofessional life and in citizenship.

(The Boyer Report-Reinventing UndergraduateEducation: A Blueprint for America’s ResearchUniversities)

The effects of natural selection on seed production, shoot massand tiller length of the annual dune grass Triplasis purpurea wereexamined. The objective of this sibling competition is todetermine if kin selection occurs. By comparing the performanceof individuals competing with genetic relatives to that ofindividuals competing with unrelated plants, formulates thehypothesis that if kin selection occurred, the performance ofindividual competing with genetic relatives will be greater thanthat of individuals competing with unrelated plants. The speciesTriplasis purpurea has poor dispersal ability; the seeds, dropwithin a meter or so of the parent that produced them. When theseeds germinate, the seedlings will result as genetically related assiblings and often occur in groups in the filed. Twenty Triplasispurpurea plants were randomly collected 20-50 m from shore. Toensure that the seed families were genetically distinct, each plantwas separated from the previously collected by at least 15 metersto as much as 30 meters.

Post collections were then surfaced sterilized with a generalpurpose fungicide. To ensure germination, the seed families wereplaced into a 25 degree celcius/15 degree Celsius 12 m-light/12m-dark incubator for approximately one month. Square plasticpots were filled with a 2:2:1 mixture of Midland beach sand:sterile commercial sand: topsoil. Ten- paired sets of familiescomprised of a control group, intrafamily and interfamilycompeting groups. The inter family and intra family treatments arecomprised of a target plant with two competing neighborsapproximately 2cm apart diagonally from the target plant. Theplants matured in the greenhouse over the summer withscheduled tiller measurements, visual observations and collectionof flowering seeds on the terminal of the plant. In the fall theplants were harvested and final tiller, shoot mass, and no ofseeds were recorded. The data demonstrated genetically relatedsiblings performed better when competing together.


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poster #23

SiblingCompetition

Kristin Kane1

Mentor: Gregory Cheplick Department of Biology

An enigmatic cell, the rodlet cell, exists in tissues of bothfreshwater and saltwater teleosts. Although this cell was identifiedover a century ago, its origin and function still remain unresolved.One proposed function for the rodlet cell is that of defensewhereby this cell forms part of the fish’s immune system . In fishexposed to environmental contaminants and or infectious agents,the rodlet cells increase in number as compared with unexposedindividuals.

It was the purpose of this study to investigate the rodlet cellresponse in the platyfish, Xiphophorus macalatus exposed to theenvironmental contaminant di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) for up toeight days. Several tissues were examined including gills,gallbladder, liver, spleen, gonads, heart, kidneys, and intestine.The greatest effect was seen in the gill epithelium where onaverage of 488 cells were present by the end of 8 days exposure.The unexposed control had an average of ten cells after five days.Furthermore, the number of rodlet cells in the experimental fishincreased with exposure time. At one day of exposure to DBP113 cells were counted: at five days, 918 cells were observed.

These results lend support for the endogenous tenet of rodlet cellorigin, Furthermore, our findings suggest that the rodlet cell isinvolved in an as yet unspecified immune response in platyfish,X.macalatus triggered by exposure to xenobiotic di-n-butylphthalate.


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poster #24

The Effect ofDibutylphthalate(DBP) on RodletCells in Tissues ofthe Platyfish,XiphophorusMaculatusTeleosteiPoeciliidae)

Anatoliy Konovalov1

Mentor: Charles KramerDepartment of Biology

Interest in the synthesis and properties of colloidal metal particlesand metal clusters has grown constantly because of their uniqueproperties. For noble metal colloids, especially catalyticapplications are considered, since a unique combination ofreactivity, stability, and selectivity is expected. Interest in thesynthesis and properties of colloidal metal particles and metalclusters has grown constantly because of their unique properties.For noble metal colloids, especially catalytic applications areconsidered, since a unique combination of reactivity, stability, andselectivity is expected.

Various noble metal colloids stabilized by surfactants andsolvents have been used for hydrogenation, Heck and Suzukicoupling reactions. Even enantioselective hydrogenation reactionson noble metal colloids with chiral ligands have been performed.The controlled generation of Pd colloids is also promising for anumber of other reactions, such as oxidative conversions andcyclizations. On the other hand, in the case of catalytictransformation involving silicon only platinum-catalyzedhydrosilylation reactions are known to undergo Si-C bondformation reaction via Pt-colloid formation.

In this communication, we present the first example of solublepolysiloxane network stabilized “Pd” colloids and unequivocalevidence of their participation in Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed Si-H to Si-OCOR bond transformations. We will also provide the conclusiveevidences that the silicon polymers play the role of intermediatehost stabilizing agents preventing generation of bulk palladium.


1 Part of this work is subject of Journal of American Chemical SocietyPublications see: Chauhan, B.P.S.; Rathore, J.S., Chauhan, M.; Krawicz,A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2003), 125, 2876.

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poster #25

PalladiumNanoweb: FirstExample ofCatalyticallyActive RecyclableParticles1

Jitendra Rathore,Moni Chauhana andAlexandra Krawicz2

aQueensboroughCommunity College

Mentor: Bhanu Chauhan,Department ofChemistry

Suppose that two candidates compete at a presidential election,or two players are playing against each other a series of games.In either case, and in many similar situations of this naturebesides knowing who is the winner it might be important to knowwhether the winner was always leading throughout the wholecompetition. “The Ballot theorem” tells us the exact probability ofsuch a situation.

For example: Candidate A winning an election over candidate Bmay have occurred in either of the following ways.(1.) A may have been a winner at any given time throughout thecounting processOR(2.) There was at least one (but possible many more) instancewhen that the competitor, B was leading the ballot and A becamea winner because he gained more total votes than B when thecounting was completed. The ballot theorem tells us that if we know the total number ofvotes for candidate A and the total number of votes for candidateB, then what is the probability that case (1) above occurred, thatis to say in each and every instant of the election candidate Ahad more votes than candidate B.

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poster #26

The BallotTheorem and ItsProof

DileepaKumarapperuma

Mentor:Antonia FoldesDepartment ofMathematics

A Mentor for Every Student

Generations of experienced scholars have knownand acted upon the knowledge that theintellectual development of their graduatestudents is most effectively guided in one-to-onerelationships. Essentially the same techniques oftutorship have been practiced at theundergraduate level in areas like art and music,where individual performance is watched,corrected, assisted, and encouraged. In theprocess, an undergraduate student and instructorcan develop a supportive relationship not unlikethat found between doctoral candidate andadvisor. This kind of mentoring needs to beemulated throughout universities.

(The Boyer Report- Reinventing UndergraduateEducation: A Blueprint for Americaís ResearchUniversities)

30

Studies have shown that, with great certainty, fluids don’t justorganize randomly. Indeed numerical simulations based on actualdata demonstrate that, in such complex systems as oceans, themotion of fluid particles is heavily dependent on the existence ofhyperbolic, or saddle, points from which ‘lines of conduct,’ betterknown as manifolds, emerge. These manifolds, which are eitherstable or unstable, have complicated profiles, and therefore theycan, and indeed they will, generate intersections. Theseintersections, it has been shown, lead to the formation of lobesthat dictate how fluid particles are transported in the Lagrangiandynamic of the system.

The present project proposes to generalize this aspect of fluidmotion in complex systems to more common occurrences.Achieving this goal implies the comparison of the quantificationand mixing process of a simple system (cream in a cup of coffee),and a more complex one (occurrences in oceanography).

poster #27

A GeneralizedLook at Manifoldsas PrincipalOrganizers ofFluid Particles inMotion

Herve Nganguia

Mentor:Andrew PojeDepartment ofMathematics

Internships

Internships can offer an invaluable adjunct toresearch-based learning by allowing the studentconcrete contexts in which to apply researchprinciples. Whether a student has an internship ina physics lab, a news room, a hospital, or abusiness office, the experience can providelearning that cannot be replicated in theclassroom. For undergraduates in the arts andsciences as well as in professional schools, theseexperiences provide useful, often interdisciplinary,learning and real-life problem solving. Whenstudents need to work to support their education,internships can make that economic requirementa valuable part of university experience.


31

Automobiles and other mobile sources are one of many sourcesof ozone formation in the Eastern United States. Ozone is notemitted directly into the atmosphere but is formed from chemicalreactions involving hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, andsunlight. The process rate depends upon both temperature andsunlight. New Jersey is listed as an extreme and severe non-attainment area for air quality by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency and is in frequent violation of the health-basednational air quality standards for ozone. Laboratory tests haveconcluded that a motor vehicle’s high acceleration anddeceleration rates can cause as much pollution as an entire trip.New Jersey’s air quality is severely impacted by the collection oftolls on its bridges, tunnels and roadways.

This study was designed to explore the impact of implementingelectronic toll collection, also known as E-ZPass, on both theNorth and South Raritan Toll Plazas of the Garden State Parkway.These plazas have twenty available toll facilities and anapproximate annual throughput rate of 81,000,000 vehicles or13.6 percent of the roadway’s total traffic.

Several studies have shown the benefits of electronic tollcollection but does it maximize utilization of the transportationresources available? This study focused on the impact of thehourly processing rates and the distribution of the twenty tolllanes available either to cash, token, or E-Z Pass and there effecton queuing. The actual weekly throughput, obtained from theNew Jersey Highway Authority, for each direction of this roadwaywas applied to the three following theoretical models:

1. Maximum Possible Throughput. Assumes all twenty toll lanesare accepting E-Z Pass.

2. Current Mix of Usage. Represents the average hourly numberof vehicles that should be able to be processed.

3. Maximum Throughput Without Electronic Toll Collection.

These models were used to study the capability of this roadwayand the effect user participation has at different peak periods oftraffic, e.g. week-day rush-hour and weekend pleasure travel. Ourresults show that a small decline in E-Z Pass participation canhave a dramatic effect on queuing and in turn the environment.This is demonstrated by both theoretical models and byquantitative analysis.

poster #28

Air Quality andQueuing Issues inElectronic TollCollection

Susan Pace

Mentor:Jonathan PetersDepartment of Business

32

The waterways and associated salt-water marshes along thewestern border of Staten Island, New York, the Arthur Kill, havelong been under environmental duress. Grass shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio, inhabiting the Arthur Kill are thereforepotentially at risk of exposure to metal as well as organicpollutants. Successful prey capture (of live brine shrimp, Artemiasalina) was used to compare the relative ‘health’ of shrimpcollected from three sites along an environmental impactgradient. Study sites included a relatively unimpacted harbor(Great Kills Harbor - GK) and two creeks adjoining the Arthur Kill[Nassau Creek (NC) and Richmond Creek (RC)]. Shrimporiginating from GK exhibited a rate of prey capture (6.3 prey hr-1)that was ~2x greater (p<0.05) than that of shrimp originating froma creek behind a series of landfills (RC - 3.2 prey hr-1); rate ofprey capture for shrimp collected from a creek impacted byhistoric smelting activities (NC) was intermediate (5.4 prey hr-1).Laboratory studies with shrimp from a pristine site (Tuckerton, NJ)exposed to RC conditions (i.e., sediment and water) for 8 wkindicate that reduced prey capture can be induced in ‘healthy’shrimp. Finally, video analysis suggests that reduced prey capturein RC shrimp may not be the result of less effort, but rather thecomposite of 1) 80% fewer (p<0.05) prey being captured with aëLungeí type of attack and 2) a greater reliance (p<0.05) on a lessefficient ‘Grab’ type of foraging behavior (64% success rate forRC vs 87% success rate for GK; p=0.058). These results indicatethat sublethal toxicity in environmentally impacted populationscan occur and that prey capture may be used to assay therelative ‘health’ of field specimens.


poster #29

Differences inPrey Capture inGrass Shrimp,PalaemonetesPubio, CollectedAlong an“EnvironmentalImpact” Gradient

Mario Perez1

Mentor:William WallaceDepartment of Biology

33

Generation of the nanosized metallic and semiconductor particlesis of considerable interest due to their optical and catalyticproperty profiles. We are interested in devising general syntheticroutes to monodisperse nanoparticles via a nanoreactorapproach. Our synthetic strategy is based on the recent results ofthe our laboratory,1 in which we have demonstrated a veryefficient route to alcohol substituted siloxane basedmacromolecules.

In this study, we have utilized the above-described syntheticstrategy to accomplish the oxidation of cyclic tetrasiloxanes withpolyethylene glycol, using Rhodium as a catalyst. Our goal is tocreate a miceller network under normal laboratory conditions inmultiple yields. By applying the polyol process, these micellernetworks were used to reduce metal salts in organics solvents.The role of miceller networks in production of nanosized metallicparticles (as the reduction of metal salts takes place) was alsostudied. Particle size and morphology studies were carried out byTransmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning ElectronMicroscopy (SEM). The detailed characterization of the productsand reduction of metallic salts to metal colloids was conductedby utilizing IR, UV-visible spectroscopy, 1H-, 13C-, and 29Si–NMR techniques.

1 (a) “Methods of preparing amino functional alkoxypolysiloxanes”Chauhan et al. (Nov. 19, 2002), US Patent No: US 6,482,912. (b)“A catalytic route to grafted silicones” Chauhan et al.Organometallics, 2001, 20, 2725-2729.

poster #30

Silicon BasedNanoreactors forNanoparticleGeneration

Umer Latif and LanaRabinovich


Mentoring

Good and effective mentoring can be distilled to atransformational process that is personalized,intentional, organized, and assessable.

Jeffrey R. Schulz, CUR Quarterly, pp. 72-73(December 2001)

34

Glutamate is a major neurotransmitter in the hippocampus.Following its release from the nerve endings it activatesglutamergic receptors and is taken up by Na+-dependent,neuronal uptake mechanisms. Due to their action the extracellularconcentration of glutamate in the brain is normally maintained ata low level (1-3 µM). The balance between release and uptake ofglutamate is essential for proper function of glutamergic synapsesand any deviation from that balance can cause enhanced orreduced synaptic activity. Since melatonin is able to interfere withthe glutamate uptake in retina, it is reasonable to assume thatsimilar situation occurs in the hippocampus. The aim of thisproject is to evaluate of the influence of melatonin on glutamateuptake using synaptosomes as an experimental model.Synaptosomes obtained from isolated hippocampi were loadedwith radioactive D-Aspartate, which is a marker of glutamergicsystem. 300 µl of synaptosomal suspension was diluted with 1 mlof Ringer’s containing 20 nM 3H-D-Aspartate. Following 2 min incubation the synaptosomes will be separatedfrom free 3H-D-Asparate by filtration and radioactivity remainingon the filters was counted in the scintillation counter. Thisexperimental paradigm was repeated with ynaptosomesincubated with melatonin. The difference in D-(3H) Asp uptakebetween melatonin-exposed and unexposed synaptosomes wasan indicator of the influence of melatonin on the intensity of D-(3H) Asp uptake. It has been found that 20 µM, 200 µM and 1mM melatonin facilitates glutamate uptake by 17, 25 and 35%,respectively. These results were included in the report presentedat 33rd ASN Meeting.


poster #31

The Influence ofMelatonin onGlutamate Uptake

Haroon Raja1

Mentor: Andrzej WieraszkoDepartment of Biology

35

The subject of my project is “Pilgrim Flasks and Early ChristianPilgrimage,” from Byzantine Egypt. My research focused on threeSt. Menas flasks in varying degrees of preservation which date tothe 6th-7th century CE. These artifacts are part of the SIIAS@CSIArchaeology Study Collection at the CSI Library, on loan from theStaten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences.

The flasks are terracotta pottery, roughly round and flat, and wereconstructed by joining two sides, imprinted with an image using amold. A cylindrical neck and two handles were added, and thenthe piece was fired. They fall within the normal size range for St.Menas flasks, about 3 inches by 2+ inches, and less than an inchthick. On the best preserved, the image is St. Menas depicted inRoman military attire—a tunic, a chlamys (cloak), and boots. Hishead is nimbed (or haloed), and is flanked by Greek inscriptions,“St. Menas.” He stands between two kneeling camels in theorant position—arms outstretched and hands upraised insupplication.

These are pilgrimage souvenirs from the shrine at Abu Mena,southwest of Alexandria, but what was their function andsignificance in pilgrimage? Who participated in pilgrimage in theByzantine Empire? Who was St. Menas and what was hissignificance in Early Christian religious experience?

Pilgrimage marks a period of development of Christianity whenthe theology of incarnation became a theology of holycontagion—holiness by physical contact with a holy person or arelic. This presentation will demonstrate that flasks were a meansof obtaining a blessing from the holy place that could be usedlater and at a distance for protection and healing, as well aspersonal piety.

In support of my thesis, my presentation will refer to the saint, hislegends, and the development of his shrine at Abu Mena wherethe flasks became popular and important. I will also explain thepilgrim phenomenon that attracted people from every part ofsociety and gave them a common experience based on varied,yet similar motivations, by contrasting pilgrimage and tourism. Iwill also compare earlier relics with secondary relics (thesouvenirs that developed) and how the new form would stillprovide the pilgrim with tangible evidence of blessing andcontinue the contact with the saint, and, by extension, theholiness of God.

poster #32

Pilgrim Flasks andEarly ChristianPilgrimage

Kathleen Ratcliffe

Mentor: Eric IvisonDepartment of History

Nanometer-sized particles of metals and semiconductors havebeen investigated intensively in recent years because of theirsize-dependent properties and the possibility of arranging them inmicro assemblies (and nano assemblies). In this presentation, wewill present a versatile new synthetic approach to generatepolyorganosiloxane encapsulated nanosilver sols bypolyhydrosiloxanes induced reduction of silver salts (Scheme ).

Our method enables routine formation of dispersions of silverparticles in organic solvents avoiding particle aggregation duringthe nucleation and growth process. The kinetics of reductionreactions was compared in presence reducing agents as well asusing several other catalysts. Using PMHS as reducing agents,acetonitrile was found to be better among other polar solventsviz. methanol, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrahydrofuran andacetonitrile and toluene was suitable among different non-polarsolvents.

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poster #33

SilverNanoparticleReservoirs in Non-aqueous Solvents

Rajesh Sardar, PankajTewari and PrashantSharma


In the central nervous system, the serotonin 1A receptor (5HT1A-R) plays an important role in neuronal communication thatregulates many behavioral traits, such as anxiety and depression.The blueprints of many of these traits are made in the brainduring embryonic and neonatal development. Studies haveshown that when the 5HT1A-R is absent during embryonicdevelopment, the mice become anxious1. However, when thisreceptor is present during the developmental stage and thenremoved at a later stage, the young adult mice are not affected.This provides evidence that most behavioral traits arecharacterized during the embryonic stage. This leads us toquestion the role of the 5HT1A-R. Our previous studies in thehippocampal neuron-derived cell line (HN2-5) have shown that inundifferentiated cells, agonist activation causes increased celldivision2. Also, agonist activation of differentiated cells shows theneuroprotection of the receptor against signals that triggerapoptosis. Interestingly, the same biochemical pathway viamitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is responsible for theincrease of cell division and neuroprotection. Based on theseobservations, we have hypothesized that the 5HT1A-R supportsbrain development by increasing proliferation of early, pre-neuronal cells. In addition, this receptor then helps in theformation of neuronal connections by protecting post-mitoticneurons when they are establishing their synapses. Using normalmice, we will use immunohistochemistry to ask if the 5HT1A-Ragonist 8-OH-DPAT causes activation of the MAP isozymesERK1/2 in embryonic mouse brain. In double antibody-labeledbrain slices, we will test if the agonist-stimulated 5HT1A-Rcauses increased cell division in BrdU-injected mice. Here, we willtreat mice with both carrier as well as 8-OH-DPAT in the absenceand presence of an antagonist (WAY-100635) to verify if agoniststimulation of this receptor indeed causes increased cellproliferation. The specific role of the 5HT1A-R in this signalingpathway will be verified by performing similar experiments using5HT1A-R knockout (-/-) mice that act as a negative control.

1 Gross, et al. Serotonin1A Receptor Acts During Development toEstablish Normal Anxiety-Like Behavior in the Adult. Nature. 2002 416,pg. 396-400.2 Banerjee, et al. The G protein-coupled 5HT1A Receptor CausesSuppression of Caspase - 3 through MAPK a n d Protein Kinase C±.2001.

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poster #34

DevelopmentalRole of theSerotonin 1AReceptor

Rachna Sondhi

Mentor: Probal Banerjee Department ofChemistry

38

Templates of biological origins are known to affect the structureof the minerals formed therein. There are only a few examples inwhich templates of biological origin have been exploited for thepreparation of nanostructured materials. To the best of ourknowledge, no one has reported the effects of particle depositionand structure of nanoparticle formation in biological templates. Inthis research we seek to provide much needed fundamentalinformation on nanoparticle formation and self-assembly innaturally occurring biological templates and in their polymerreplicas. There are important practical ramifications of theproposed work. The semiconductor nanoparticles formed inbiological templates and in their polymeric replicas may haveunique electrical and photonic properties, which could beexploited for device and sensor construction.

In this presentation we will disclose our preliminary results on thestructure of sea urchins and their conjugation with nanoparticlesof different size and morphology (see picture). We are alsostudying thegrafting of suchporous cells forenvironmentalredemption. Ourstrategy not onlypermits us for thequantitativegeneration ofporous siliconmaterials but alsoallows a chemicalcontrol over thesize of the pores under very mild reaction conditions. Preliminaryresults indicate that this material is stable under atmosphericconditions and the agglomeration of the nanostructured particlescan be successfully prevented.

* Scholarship provided by the Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP)program.

poster #35

Bio- patterning ofMetal andSemiconductorNanoparticles

Adriana Vela*


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Supervised learning techniques are extensively used in objectrecognition based on neural networks. For instance, this theoryhas been used for the observation of the pattern on a radarscreen in the radar detection system. In the research of medicaldiagnosis, it has been used for the study of disease by observingthe pattern of the clinical data. This theory has also been widelyapplied to the supervised learning for hand written Chinese,Arabic, and other character recognition to acquire recognitionrules. This paper develops the theory and applications fordifferent neural network architectures rooted in potential functionsand their implementation in solving classification problems.Algorithms are proposed for teaching automata to recognizeclasses of input functions derived from the construction of thepotential functions.

Several classification functions are considered —- multilayerperceptron and radial basis functions are involved. However, boththe multilayer perceptron and radial basis functions havelimitations in their applications. Because multilayer perceptron isa highly nonlinear optimization process, the training of it can bereasonably complicated. Also, it is difficult to find goodparameters for the basis function centers and their variances forthe radial basis functions, while the number of centers is small. Itis a problem to discover an appropriate network size and fittingparameters.

On the other hand, the training of the radial basis functions ismuch less computationally intensive than the multilayerperceptron. Also, the networks of the radial basis functions havethe best approximation ability. Therefore, the goal of this projectis to develop supervised learning algorithms for feed forward andradial basis functions neural networks and a novel method fordata clustering. In our research, the classification is derived froma set of potential fields synthesized over the domain on inputspace by several potential function units.

In order of neural networks to learn to recognize different classesof objects, many algorithms have been developed. In thisresearch, we concentrate on the supervised learning algorithm,which uses potential functions. We try to generate the learningalgorithm, which mainly contains the initializations phase, thelearning phase, and the dynamic learning phase, with structuralchanges by using the potential functions between cluster centersand samples as the learning criterion. One of the greatadvantages the potential function has is that it facilitatesmatching of non-overlapping sets. The potential method results inhigher order decision boundaries while the other method, forexample, the Euclidean distance method, generates piecewiselinear boundaries between classes. Therefore, we use potentialfunction method to approach the determination of decision

poster #36

New Approach toDesign of RadialBasis FunctionsNeural Networks

Annie Wang


functions, which generate the partition boundaries in the patternspace to separate patterns of one class from another. Theanalytical design of automatic pattern classification systemsconsists primarily in the determination of the decision functions.Our research shows that the potential functions method has moreuniform similarity distribution between samples in the same class,and has smoother and more natural decision boundaries betweenclasses. It is our expectations that applying this algorithm willgive rise to a precise classification when performing objectrecognition.

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Specific recommendations to implement theInternship model include:

1. Beginning in the freshman year, studentsshould be able to engage in research in as manycourses as possible. 2. Beginning with the freshman year, studentsmust learn how to convey the results of theirwork effectively both orally and in writing. 3. Undergraduates must explore diverse fields tocomplement and contrast with their major fields;the freshman and sophomore years need to openintellectual avenues that will stimulate originalthought and independent effort, and reveal therelationships among sciences, social sciences,and humanities. 4. Inquiry-based courses should allow for jointprojects and collaborative efforts. 5. Professional schools need to provide the sameinquiry-based opportunities, particularly in theearly years. 6. Provision of carefully constructed internshipscan turn inquiry-based learning into practicalexperience; internship opportunities need to bewidely available.


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Our research concentrates on different aspects of the CUNYComputer Science environment that involve the professionaldevelopment and gender issues of female graduate students,professors and research staff. As we all know, computer scienceis a challenging, competitive, and difficult subject for both menand women. However, women have made fundamental andunique contributions to computer science from the early history ofcomputers and up to the present. The last twenty years haveplayed marginal role for women in computer science andtechnology. Women are making progress and gaining equaltreatment from society. However, there still exist a major numberof differences between men and women in the field of computerscience and technology.

A key objective of our research is to identify courses of actionand areas where academia can provide significant progresstowards the goal of bringing and retaining more women to thecomputer science field. We tried to discover the problems ofwomen facing in CS and find the solutions that enable them togrow both professionally and personally.

Our studies in the summer of year 2002 prove that there is adefinite lack of women in the computer science field. The surveyof CUNY female professors that we conducted clearly shows thatnot even 30% of teachers in the field of computer science arewomen. These figures are alarming and unfortunately, thisproblem is generally consistent with that of other scientific andengineering fields. Increasing the number of female facultymembers is one of the solutions that will result in female studentsbeing encouraged more. Female students will feel morecomfortable in the academic environment and will gain more self-esteem.

Many women in CS encounter particular problems that limit theiracademic, professional, and personal growth nowadays. What arethe problems? How did they solve the problems? What is thedefinition of a success as a female? Why is there a gender gap incomputer science? From our survey, it shows that there are twoprimary and consistent challenges that women face in pursuingtheir PhD degrees:

➢ Pressures encountered.

➢ Difficulties in balancing career and family responsibilities.

Even thought computer science is a very competitive andchallenging subject. However, our survey shows that not onlyPhD Students but also female professors still found their lifeexcitement and adventure in their chosen field.

poster #37

Women inComputer Scienceat CUNY:Problems andSolutions

Annie Wang andMendeeBaigalsaikhan


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ICA (Independent Component Analysis), ISA (IndependentSubspace Analysis) and TICA (Topographic IndependentComponent Analysis) are computational and statistical techniqueswhich attempt to find hidden factors that underlie sets of randomvariables, measurements, or signals when the known classicmethods fail completely. Applications of these algorithms can befound in many different areas. However, the purpose of thissoftware package is focus on the image processing. It will readany formats of image files and use ICA, ISA or TICA as theprincipal model for natural images. Finally, we will see that thesealgorithms do provide some models that are very similar to themost sophisticated low-level image representation used in imagedenoising.

The ICA neural network model is based on FastICA and includesthe phases of whitening, separation and estimation of basisvectors for different layers. FastICA is a parallel, distributed,computationally simple network, which requires little memoryspace. During the whitening, the image is linearly transformed sothat the resulting vector has decorrelated components, which arethen normalized to unity. The FastICA algorithm was appliedusing the hyperbolic tangent nonlinearity. Our experimental inputdata are patches from colored natural images.

The implementation of this approach requires selecting suitableparametrizations and estimation of parameters. Testing allpossible combination of parameters would require a huge amountof experiments. In order to restrict their number we test theinfluence of one or two parameters at a time. We also propose agraphical user interface (GUI), which greatly reduces the amountof the test time.

poster #38

AdaptiveDenoising ofImages byExtractingIndependentComponents

Kong Chi Wai


Artificial neural network (ANN) is an information-processingparadigm inspired by the way the densely interconnected, parallelstructure of the mammalian brain processes information. Neuralnetworks have been extensively used in the area of patternclassification due to their parallel computation and learningcapabilities. Algorithms are proposed for trainable patternclassifiers to recognize different classes of objects based on theconstruction of the potential functions. The performance of agiven algorithm is not only dependent on the type of data beinganalyzed, but is also strongly influenced by the chosen measureof pattern similarity and the method used for identifying clustersin the data.

Suppose that we want to distinguish between two patternclasses, and . Sample patterns of both classes are representedby vectors or points in the n- dimensional pattern space. If thesesample pattern points are likened to some kind of energy source,the potential at any of these points attains a peak value and thendecreases rapidly at any point away from the sampleequipotential contours, which are described by a potentialfunction. There are two types potential functions: Type 1 —Orthonormal functions over the region of definition of the patternsby using Hermite polynomial functions and Type 2 — asymmetrical function of two variables by using exponential form.By using potential function of Type1, the general form of theselected decision function was quadratic. By using Type 2, theform of the decision function depends on the number ofcorrections made on the cumulative potential.

Selection of appropriate potential functions plays the role of thepattern classification. For the purpose of this research, wepresent the foundation of decision functions and their applicationto pattern classification. The quality of the decision functions isdependent on the complexity of the approximation chosen forthese decision functions. Pattern classification consists primarilyof the determination of the decision functions, which generate thepartition boundaries in the pattern space to separate patterns ofone class from another. When the patterns are well distributed,the algorithm yields all optimal solutions. If the classes areseparable, there exists of course a unique solution. Our approachis to determine the decision functions and partition boundaries byuse of the potential function.

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poster #39

Neural NetworkLearning andClassification: APotentialFunctionsApproach

Helen Zhang

Mentor:Natacha GueorguievaDepartment ofComputer Science

NAME DEPARTMENT

Probal Banerjee Chemistry

Patricia Brooks Psychology

Bhanu Chauhan Chemistry

Gregory Cheplick Biology

Robert Corin Biology

Antonia Foldes Mathematics

David Gerstner Media Culture

Eileen Gigliotti Nursing

Katharine Goodland English, Speech, and World Literature

Natacha Gueorguieva Computer Science

Julie Hanauer Psychology

Eric Ivison History

Sylvia Kahan Performing and Creative Arts

Charles Kramer Biology

Fred Naider Chemistry

Jonathan Peters Business

Valerie Pierce Biology

Andrew Poje Mathematics

Deborah Popper Political Science, Economics, andPhilosophy

Chwen-Yang Shew Chemistry

Nan Sussman Psychology

Maurya Wickstrom Performing and Creative Arts

William Wallace Biology

Andrzej Wieraszko Biology

UndergraduateResearchConferenceFaculty Mentors

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CSI Foundation, Office of the Academic Deans and/or FacultyGrants

STUDENT MENTOR DEPARTMENT

John Anastasio Chwen-Yang Shew Chemistry

Tariq Bandoo Bhanu Chauhan Chemistry

Devin Bracco Patricia Brooks &Julie Hanauer Psychology

Jacqueline Englander Fred Naider Chemistry

Adam Ferreti William Wallace Biology

Tara Gianoulis Robert Corin Biology

Ellen Grasso Katharine Goodland English

Kristin Kane Gregory Cheplick Biology

Anatoliy Konovalov Charles Kramer Biology

Alexandra Krawicz Bhanu Chauhan Chemistry

Mario Perez William Wallace Biology

Haroon Raja Andrzej Wieraszko Biology

Rachna Sondhi Probal Banerjee Chemistry

Sponsors ofUndergraduateResearchConferenceStudents

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David Podell Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost

Vijendra Agarwal Assistant Provost

Marie Anderson Assistant to the Academic Deans

Ken Bach Director of Public Relations

Bhanu Chauhan Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Norbert Chencinski Professor of Physics

Eileen Gigliotti Associate Professor of Nursing

Steve Harney Assistant Professor of Sociology

Sylvia Kahan Assistant Professor of Music

Bertram Ploog Assistant Professor of Psychology

Carmen Rengifo Student, Music Major

Francisco Soto Acting Dean of Humanities and SocialSciences

Amir Stpehan Student, Chemistry Major

José Torres Dean of Science and Technology

Vijendra AgarwalSouth Administration Building (1A), Room 305College of Staten IslandStaten Island, NY 10314Phone: [email protected]

For commentsand questionscontact:

UndergraduateResearchConferenceCommittee

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Undergraduate Research Conference/Notes

college of staten island/cunyoae.csi.cuny.edu/ugconference/pdfs/urc_abstracts2003.pdfcollege of...

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