the 72nd · 4 changing the microbiome and how it can affect animal behavior eleanor almeida &...
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The72ndAnnualEasternCollegesScienceConference
IthacaCollege21April2018
ProgramBook
MEETINGWELCOMEWelcometoECSC2018andIthacaCollege!It’smygreatpleasuretowelcomeyoualltoIthacaCollegeforthe72ndEasternCollegesScienceConference.Weareexcitedtobewelcomingstudentsandfacultyfromnearly20collegesanduniversities,representingdozensoffieldsinthesocialandnaturalsciences.IhavebeenattendingECSCwithmyownresearchstudentssince1989,andIhavealwaysfounditbeanincrediblyrewardingexperienceforbothmeandformyundergraduatestudentsinpsychology.Studentsaredelightedtohavetheopportunitytosharetheirresearchwithfacultyandotherstudents,explainingtheirfindingsandansweringquestionsabouttheirmethodsandtheimplicationsoftheirresearchforthefield.MystudentshavecomebackfromECSCweekendreallyjazzedaboutdoingresearch,andproudofrepresentingtheirworkandIthacaCollege.Ihopethatallofyouhavethesameexperiencethisweekend.Iencourageyoutoattendasmanyplatformpresentationsandviewasmanypostersasyoucan–includingonesfromareasoutsideyourownfield.Askquestions,engageindiscussionsabouttheimplicationsofthefindings,andmakeconnectionswithstudentsfromothercollegesanduniversities.Inthiseraof“fakenews”anddistrustoffactsandnewsmedia,scientificthinkingismoreimportantthaneverbefore.Itissuchaprivilegeandapleasuretogathertogetherwithalargegroupofscientists(ofmanyages)tocelebratetheworkthatwedo.CyndyScheibeCo-Chair,ECSCHostCommitteeECSCBoardMemberProfessor,Dept.ofPsychologyIthacaCollege
ECSCHostCommitteeatIthacaCollege
CyndyScheibe,Psychology
BrandyBessette-Symons,PsychologyL.LeannKanda,Biology
SebastianHarenberg,ExerciseandSportSciencesScottUlrich,ChemistryAnnaLarsen,Chemistry
SusanAllen-Gil,EnvironmentalStudiesandSciences
GENERALINFORMATIONNeedHelp?Youcangethelpfromanyofourvolunteers,identifiedwithlanyardsort-shirts.AvolunteershouldalsobestationedatCNS117throughoutthesessions.Incaseofemergency,contact911,orifoutsidepickupablue-lightcampusemergencyphone.WirelessInternetICCampushasawifinetworkcalledIthacaCollege-Guestthatdoesnotrequireapassword.InformationforPlatformPresenters:Pleasebringyourtalkpowerpointtotheroominwhichyouwillbepresenting15-20minutesbeforethestartofthesession(whenkeynotefinishesat10amforSessionA,at2pmforSessionC).Notethatasapresenterinasession,itisprofessionalcourtesytoremainintheroomforallthetalksofthesession.InformationforPosters:AllposterswillbeinthefronthallwaysofCNSfirstandthirdfloor.Spacesonthewallsoreaselsareeachmarkedwithtwonumbers,matchingtheabstractIDforthemorningandafternoonsessions.Morning(SessionB)postersshouldbeputupanytimepriorto11:40,andremovedattheendofsession,priortolunch.Afternoon(SessionD)postersmaythenbeputupafter12:40andbeforesessionbeginsat3:40.Pleaseremovepostersbeforedepartingforthereceptionandbanquetdowntown.InformationforFaculty:CNS117isreservedasafacultyspaceforyourconvenience.InformationforJudges:PleasedropfeedbackformsattheFacultySpaceCNS117assoonaftercompletionaspossible.Photography:
Pleasedonottakephotographsorvideosofpresentationsorposterswiththe"Nophotography"iconaccompanyingtheirabstractintheprogram.
Directions:MapsoftheIthacaCollegecampusanddirectionstoHotelIthacaareatthebackoftheprogram.
72NDECSC,ITHACACOLLEGE,APRIL21,2018SCHEDULEOFEVENTS
7:45-9:00 Registrationandbuffetbreakfast EmersonSuites,CampusCenter9:00-9:20 WelcomingRemarks EmersonSuites,CampusCenter9:20-10:00 KeynoteSpeakerThomas Gilovich EmersonSuites,CampusCenter "WhyScienceEducationisforEveryone”10:00 - 10:20 Break 10:20 - 11:40 Platform Session A Williams 202, 222, 225, 323, CNS 112, 115, 118 11:40 - 12:40 Poster Session B CNS 1st and 3rd floors; refreshments CNS 2nd floor 12:40 - 2:20 Lunch Students: Campus Center Dining Hall, Campus Center Faculty: Klingenstein Lounge, Campus Center 1:20 - 2:20 ECSC Board Members Meeting Ithaca Falls Room, Campus Center
2:20 - 3:40 Platform Session C Williams 202, 222, 225, 323, CNS 112, 115, 118 3:40 - 4:40 Poster Session D CNS 1st and 3rd floors; refreshments CNS 2nd floor 5:30 - 6:30 Reception and photos (cash bar) Hotel Ithaca 6:15 - closing Buffet dinner and awards Hotel Ithaca
PLATFORMSESSIONATime A1:Williams202
PHYSIOLOGY/DEVELOPMENT/BEHAVIOR
A2:Williams222CHEMISTRY
A3:Williams225POLITICALSCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY
A4:Williams323GENETICS/MICROBIOLOGY
A5:CNS112GENETICS/MOLECULARBIOLOGY
A6:CNS115ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY
A7:CNS118ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY/ECOLOGY
10:20
1EFFECTSOFDIETHYLPHTHALATEONTHEDEVELOPMENTOFDROSOPHILAMELANOGASTEREllenReidy;WagnerCollege
5ARSENICANDSELENIUMINHUMANTISSUES:THEINVESTIGATIONOFARSENICCONTAMINATIONINHUMANFOODANDURINESAMPLESLejlaBolevic&MohammadAlauddin;WagnerCollege
9THEINEFFECTIVENESSOFINTERNATIONALHUMANRIGHTSLAWHunterHilinski&AndrewP.Miller;WilkesUniversity
13YEASTBXI1P/YBH3PISAPH-SENSITIVECALCIUMCHANNELINESCHERICHIACOLIJamesMullin,NicholasMello,AlexanderStrakosha,AmandaRaffa&JackKalhorn;ProvidenceCollege
17CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELCHICKENFOOT-LIKENODULES(CFN)MUTANTDEFECTIVEINROOTARCHITECTUREANDSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULARoshaniBudhathoki;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity
21GLOBALCO2EMISSIONS:SOURCES,HISTORICALTRENDS,ANDLINKSTOECONOMICGROWTHSamanthaSusi&JackLeighton;WagnerCollege
25LEAFVEINSTRANSPORTWATERTOTHESMALLESTAREASJorgeGonzalez;ManhattanCollege
10:40
2EPITHELIALLININGTURNOVERINTHERODENTSMALLINTESTINEBASEDONMITOTICINDICESINTHECRYPTSOFLIEBERKÜHNJohnAcquaviva;WagnerCollege
6WALKINGONEGGSHELLS:THEEFFECTSOFTHEOBROMINEONTOOTHREMINERALIZATIONAnnaCios;WagnerCollege
10THEEFFECTOFPEER-COMPARISONINSOCIALMEDIAONFOODSELECTIONLaurenTaibi;WagnerCollege
14EXPOSINGCHROMOSOMALPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONUPONDNADAMAGEBrightShi;ManhattanCollege
18EXAMININGREGULATIONOFSPLICINGINGENESTHATAROSEFROMGENOMEDUPLICATIONINS.CEREVISIAEMichaelAttebery;IthacaCollege
22ACIDITHIOBACILLUSSP.CYCLESINORGANICSULFURCOMPOUNDS:IMPLICATIONSFORGEOCHEMISTRYOFTHEIROQUOISNATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGEACIDICSPRINGSHaleyParker&CassandraMarnocha;NiagaraUniversity
26QUANTIFYINGPOST-HURRICANEREGENERATIONOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAUSINGAERIALPHOTOGRAPHSMirandaElla,PeterMelcher&SusanWitherup;IthacaCollege
11:00
3MECHANISMSOFNEUROPEPTIDEYINHIBITIONINGUINEAPIGCARDIACGANGLIAKatieHutton&JeanHardwick;IthacaCollege
7PHOTOTUNABLEPOLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITYJesseHsu;IthacaCollege
11THEBENEFITSOFPSYCHOTHERAPY:AQUALITATIVESTUDYDevonBaris,AbreyFeliccia,DavidBrown&EmilyGalbraith;IthacaCollege
15PREVALENCEOFBETALACTAMASEANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINWHITE-TAILEDDEERINWESTERNNEWYORKAbigailE.Salter,RafayTariq,RachisanDjiakeTihagam&MarkA.Gallo;NiagaraUniversity
19SULFORAPHANEALTERSTHEACIDIFICATIONOFTHEVACUOLETOTRIGGERCELLDEATHVictoriaHallisey;ProvidenceCollege
23PLASTICSANDFISHDON'TMIX:POTENTIALEFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONJUVENILEFATHEADMINNOWSGeorgiaCaplen;IthacaCollege
27PREDICTINGBARKCOVERAGEONSAGUAROCACTIMarissaLoCastro;ManhattanCollege
11:20
4CHANGINGTHEMICROBIOMEANDHOWITCANAFFECTANIMALBEHAVIOREleanorAlmeida&LeannKanda;IthacaCollege
8THEDEVELOPMENTOFEPIBATIDINEANALOGSSYNTHESISTHROUGHDIELS-ALDERREACTIONTOPRODUCESARATTHE_4_2NICOTINICRECEPTORSZamzamaGafar;UniversityofSaintJoseph
12FATALREACTION:ACONTENTANALYSISOFTHENATUREANDCONTEXTOFMENTALILLNESSPORTRAYALSONTELEVISIONSarahVengen&GeselleDominguez;IthacaCollege
16IDENTIFICATIONOFAGLYCOSIDEHYDROLASEFORUNIVERSALBLOODNadineHusami&MarkA.Gallo;NiagaraUniversity
20EVIDENCEFORHORIZONTALGENETRANSFEROFXENOBIOTICDETOXIFICATIONGENESINSCLEROTINIAHOMOEOCARPABrieannaFuentes;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity
24GROWTHDYNAMICSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATAClaudiaSRamirezMarcano;ManhattanCollege
28ANALYSISOFCLIMATECHANGEDATAANDPREDICTEDIMPACTONJAPANANDSURROUNDINGAREASMaraMineo,TamarAmirov&VinhPhuong;WagnerCollege
PLATFORM
SESSIONA
PLATFORMSESSIONCTime C1:Williams202
ENGINEERING/PHYSICS/CHEMISTRY
C2:Williams222PSYCHOLOGY/HEALTHCARE
C3:Williams225GENETICS/CELLULAR/MICROBIOLOGY
C4:Williams323GENETICS/MICROBIOLOGY/BIOCHEMISTRY
C5:CNS112ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY
C6:CNS115ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE/BOTANY
C7:CNS118BOTANY/ECOLOGY
2:20
98THEFITBITANDFARADAY:ASTUDYINTOMECHANICALLIGHTINGLiamReilly&StephenMecca;ProvidenceCollege
102FEELINGLOW?INCREASESINDEPRESSIONAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS:2009-2015SophieHancock,JessicaCollins&EmmaWeiss;IthacaCollege
106ISOLATIONOFGLYCOSYLHYDROLASESTOWARDSGOALOFUNIVERSALBLOODMiaByrd&MarkGallo;NiagaraUniversity
110MAKINGAPOSITIONALGENEASSIGNMENTFORTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICESidneyEragene&JachiusJ.Stewart;CentralConnecticutStateUniversity
114ANALYSISOFHEAVYMETALACCUMULATIONINDUNE-DWELLINGPLANTSONVIEQUES,PRDanielleBucior;IthacaCollege
117PREDICTINGRATESOFBARKFORMATIONONSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEAMiaBertoli;ManhattanCollege
121THEEFFECTOFSEMI-PRECOCIALDEVELOPMENTONMOVEMENTOFJUVENILECOMMONTERN(STERNAHIRUNDO)FROMTHENESTMonicaValero;WagnerCollege
2:40
99OPTIMIZINGASUPER-RESOLUTIONMICROSCOPYSYSTEMTOSTUDYPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONSAlexanderBredikin;IthacaCollege
103THEEFFECTOFINDEPENDENTLOCOMOTION,THROUGHTHEUSEOFAROBOTIC-ASSISTEDDEVICE,ONINFANTS'VISUALATTENTIONTOAPUPPETSTIMULUSAbigailBrown,LaurenHughes,CaraSchanbacher,MorganSchall&KarinaFeitner;IthacaCollege
107PREVALENCEOFGIARDIALAMBLIAINMYTILISEDULISFROMORCHARDBEACH,NEWYORK,IN2016DanielleBaik&LukeAmmirati;ManhattanCollege
111INITIALBIOCHEMICALCHARACTERIZATIONOFTHESWS1/RLP1/RDL1PROTEINCOMPLEXINTHEREGULATIONOFRAD51CATALYZEDRECOMBINATIONINTHEFISSIONYEASTSCHIZOSACCHAROMYCESPOMBEMyrandaWilliams;UniversityofSaintJoseph
115GLOBALSEALEVELMEASUREMENTS:HISTORY,CURRENTSTATUS,ANDFUTUREIMPACTDerekAvery,ZacharyPandorf&MichelleHernandez;WagnerCollege
118COMPARISONOFAMINOACIDSANDSUGARINNECTARFROMSCAEVOLATACCADAANDSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIColettePiasecki-Masters;IthacaCollege
122PREDICTINGMORTALITYRATESFORSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEAColeJohnson;ManhattanCollege
3:00
100QUANTIFYINGSPECTRALMAPPINGTECHNIQUESFORTHEOSIRIS-REXPROJECTSalvatoreFerrone;IthacaCollege
104HOWABOUTAFRIENDLYSHRINK?PORTRAYALSOFMENTALHEALTHPROFESSIONALSANDTREATMENTONTELEVISIONEliotHagerty&PeterWestacott;IthacaCollege
108CONSERVATIONIMPLICATIONSOFTHETEMPORALCHANGESINGENETICDIVERSITY(1870S-2016)AMONGTHEENDANGEREDNORTHWESTERNATLANTICPOPULATIONOFROSEATETERNS(STERNADOUGALLII)JacobDayton;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity
112EFFECTSOFENTEROBACTERACEAEGROWTH,COMMUNICATION,ANDPATHOGENICITYUPONEACHOTHERShaniqueService&MarkGallo;NiagaraUniversity
116QUANTIFICATIONOFECCENTRICGROWTHINSTEMSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATAIsmaelPena;ManhattanCollege
119ANALYSISOFHURRICANESANDCYCLONESINNORTHAMERICAANDASIAMatthewBarreto&VictorRuan;WagnerCollege
123COMPARINGTHERMALTOLERANCEAMONGDAPHNIAPOPULATIONSSophiaA.Cameron;IthacaCollege
3:20
105IMPROVINGTHEDELIVERYOFMEDICATIONWITHINTELLIGENTAUTOMATIONDeanaConzuegra&ErikaBerger;PaceUniversity
109EFFECTSOFONO-RS082ANDDIFFERENTCONCENTRATIONSOFEXOGENOUSCHOLESTEROLINTHELOCALIZATIONANDPROCESSINGOFAMYLOIDPRECURSORPROTEININSH-SY5SCELLSAnnaTarren;IthacaCollege
113POPULATIONDIFFERENTIATIONOFTHENORTHAMERICANBLACKTERN:AREGIONALPOPULATIONGENETICSSTUDYTOENHANCECONSERVATIONMeganDeacon;EasternConnecticutStateUniversity
120XYLEMCONDUCTIVITIESFROMSTEMSTOLEAVESFORGRASSSPECIESHumbertoOrtega;ManhattanCollege
PLATFORM
SESSIONC
HISTORYOFTHEEASTERNCOLLEGESSCIENCECONFERENCEThefirstEasternCollegesScienceConference(ECSC)wasorganizedin1947byundergraduatePaulineNewmanatVassarCollegeinPoughkeepsie,NewYork.Theaimthen,asnow,wastostimulateinterestinundergraduateresearchinthesciencesandrelatedfieldsandtoprovidealivelyforumforthepresentationofresearchpapers.PaulineNewmanreceivedherbachelor'sdegreeinchemistryandwentontoreceiveaPh.D.inchemistryfromYale.About22schoolsattendedthefirstconference,andthethemewas"Science,PhilosophyandSociety."TheconstitutionoftheECSCwasratifiedonApril24,1948atUnionCollegeinSchenectadyNY,makingtheconferenceaself-sustainingbody.In1972thePennsylvaniaStateUniversitywasnamedtherepositoryforallofficialdocumentsoftheECSC.ProfessorStanleyShepherdwasnamedthepermanentsecretaryofECSC.In1980ProfessorShepherdsteppeddownandProfessorGerardO'LearyfromProvidenceCollegewaselectedtothepost.Atthe35thannualconferenceasteeringcommitteewasestablishedtoassistindirectingtheactivitiesoftheECSC.In1983theECSCwasincorporatedinRhodeIslandandnowoperateswithaBoardofDirectors,electedfromfacultyoftheparticipatingcollegesanduniversities.In1986ProfessorGerardO'Learysteppeddown,andProfessorEdwardGabrielofLycomingCollegewaselectedChairofECSC.In1995Dr.GabrielwassucceededbyProfessorLanceEvansofManhattanCollege.In2007,Dr.MichaelKotarskiofNiagaraUniversitywaselectedtoChairoftheBoardofDirectors,andin2011wassucceededbyDr.DonaldStearnsofWagnerUniversity.Interesthasincreasedintheconferenceandoverour72-yearhistory50collegesanduniversitieshaveattendedthisannualevent.Overtimetherangeofsubjectmatterhasalsoexpandedandnowcoverscomputerscienceandbehavioralandsocialsciences,aswellastheoriginalareasofbiology,chemistry,mathematics,physicsandengineering.
PREVIOUSEASTERNCOLLEGESSCIENCECONFERENCEMEETINGS1947:VassarCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY1948:UnionCollege,Schenectady,NY1949:AdelphiCollege,GardenCity,NY1950:BernardCollege,NewYork,NY1951:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1952:PACollegeforWomen,Pittsburgh,PA1953:N.Y.StateCollegeforTeachers,Albany,NY1954:BrooklynCollege,Brooklyn,NY1955:SetonHallUniversity,SouthOrange,NJ1956:TempleUniversity,Philadelphia,PA1957:GeorgetownUniversity,Washington,DC1958:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1959:SuffolkUniversity,Boston,MA1960:HunterCollege,NewYork,NY1961:SUNYCollegeofForestry,Syracuse,NY1962:NorthCarolinaStateCollege,Raleigh,NC1963:BostonCollege,ChestnutHill,MA1964:JerseyCityStateCollege,JerseyCity,NJ1965:DanburyStateCollege,Danbury,CT1966:D.C.Teacher'sCollege,Washington,DC1967:FordhamUniversity,NewYork,NY1968:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1969:YaleUniversity,NewHaven,CT1970:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1971:RosaryHillCollege,Buffalo,NY1972:U.S.MilitaryAcademy,WestPoint,NY1973:PennsylvaniaStateUniv.,UniversityPark,PA1974:WorcesterPolytech.Institute,Worcester,MA1975:WidenerCollege,Chester,PA1976:RhodeIslandCollege,Providence,RI1977:FairleighDickensonUniv.,Rutherford,NJ1978:UnionCollege,Schenectady,NY1979:WilsonCollege,Chambersburg,PA1980:SUNYatCortland,Cortland,NY1981:JerseyCityStateCollege,JerseyCity,NJ1982:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1983:WilkesCollege,Wilkes-Barre,PA1984:ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI
1985:SUNYatFredonia,Fredonia,NY1986:DuquesneUniversity,Pittsburgh,PA1987:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1988:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY1989:U.S.MilitaryAcademy,WestPoint,NY1990:ManhattanCollege,NewYork,NY1991:SUNYatFredonia,Fredonia,NY1992:UnitedStatesNavalAcademy,Annapolis,MD1993:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New
Britain,CT1994:DuquesneUniversity,Pittsburgh,PA1995:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY1996:LycomingCollege,Williamsport,PA1997:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New
Britain,CT1998:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY1999:SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT2000:WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY2001:WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA2002:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2003:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY2004:ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY2005:CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,New
Britain,CT2006:St.Joseph'sUniversity,Philadelphia,PA2007:CollegeofMountSt.Vincent,Bronx,NY2008:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2009:WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY2010:PaceUniversity,Pleasantville,NY2011:SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT2012:WilliamPatersonUniversity,Wayne,NJ2013:ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI2014:MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY2015:NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY2016:WesternNewEnglandUniv.,Springfield,MA2017:WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA2018:IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY
2018ECSCKEYNOTEADDRESS
"WhyScienceEducationisforEveryone"Dr.ThomasGilovich,CornellUniversity
It can be easy to be misled by our personal experience and end up believing things that careful analysis indicates are not true. People are prone to “confirmation bias,” their judgments are often distorted by their hopes and fears, and their beliefs are guided as much by the opinions of their neighbors as by independent, reflective analysis. This talk will discuss each of these sources of bias in people’s judgments and beliefs, and argue that the problems run even more deeply than most people recognize, and are based on fundamental features of how the mind works. These sources of bias are best overcome through a familiarity with the basic principles of the scientific method.
ABOUTDR.GILOVICHThomas Gilovich is the Irene Blecker Rosenfeld Professor of Psychology at Cornell. He specializes in the study of everyday judgment and reasoning, psychological well-being, and self-assessment. In addition to his articles in scientific journals, Dr. Gilovich is the author of How We Know What Isn’t So (Free Press), Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes (Simon and Schuster, with Gary Belsky), Social Psychology (W.W. Norton, with Dacher Keltner, Serena Chen, and Richard Nisbett), and The Wisest One in the Room (The Free Press, with Lee Ross). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
MANUSCRIPTSSUBMITTEDFOREVALUATIONANDCONSIDERATIONFORECSC2018EXCELLENCEAWARDS
Title: PredictingRatesofBarkFormationonSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: MiaBertoliSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: Imidacloprid-containingPesticidesDisruptC.elegansDevelopmentFirstAuthor: BeatrixBradfordSchool: MaristCollegeCategory: EnvironmentalScienceandHealthTitle: PossibleNeuroprotectiveFunctionofColonyStimulatingFactor-1Receptorin MultipleSclerosisBrainsFirstAuthor: EmilieChristieSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: CellandMolecularTitle: HowdoLeafVeinsTransportWatertotheSmallestAreas?FirstAuthor: JorgeGonzalezSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: PredictingMortalityRatesforSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: ColeJohnsonSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: EffectsofOralAdministrationofMidazolamonSpatialMemoryinRatsFirstAuthor: AnastasiyaKalininaSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: HealthSciencesTitle: PredictingBarkCoverageonSaguaroCacti(Carnegieagigantea)FirstAuthor: MarissaLoCastroSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: XylemConductivitiesfromStemstoLeavesforGrassSpeciesFirstAuthor: HumbertoOrtegaSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: Botany
Title: QuantificationofEccentricGrowthinStemsofArtemisiatridentataFirstAuthor: IsmaelPenaSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: EnvironmentalEffectsonStress-Manifestations,Behavior,andWorking MemoryinFemaleLongEvansRatsFirstAuthor: MadelynJ.PierceSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: PsychologyTitle: GrowthDynamicsofArtemisiatridentataFirstAuthor: ClaudiaS.RamirezMarcanoSchool: ManhattanCollegeCategory: BotanyTitle: TheToxicologicalEffectsofPolystyreneMicrospheresonHudsonRiverNative Crayfish,OrconectesvirilisFirstAuthor: JasonRandallSchool: MaristCollegeCategory: EnvironmentalScienceandHealthTitle: TheEffectofBiofeedbackTrainingonBeta-AdrenergicReceptorsinHeart FailureFirstAuthor: AlisonSwiftSchool: JohnCarrollUniversityCategory: PhysiologyTitle: TheEffectofSemi-PrecocialDevelopmentonMovementofJuvenileCommon Tern(Sternahirundo)fromtheNestFirstAuthor: MonicaValeroSchool: WagnerCollegeCategory: Behavior
ABSTRACTS1 (SESSIONA1)EFFECTSOFDIETHYLPHTHALATEONTHEDEVELOPMENTOFDROSOPHILAMELANOGASTER
EllenReidyDept.ofBiologicalSciences,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Thepurposeofthepresentstudywastotesttheeffectsondiethylphthalate(DEP)onthedevelopmentoftheclassicmodelorganismDrosophilamelanogaster.DEPisadiethylesterofphthalicacid,anaromaticdicarboxylicacidcommonlyusedasanorganicsolventinthemanufactureoffragrances,cosmetics,plastics,detergentsandaerosolsprays.Becauseofitswidespreaduse,thequestionofDEPtoxicityisessential.SeveralstudiessuggestthatDEPexposurehasadverseeffectsonanimals.Forthesestudies,groupsof50flyeggswererandomlytransferredtovialscontainingeither0ppmDEP,1000ppmDEP,3000ppmDEPor5000ppmDEP.Thenumberofpupathatformedaswellasthenumberofnewfliesthateclosedwerequantifiedandthedataanalyzedusingaone-wayanalysisofvariance(ANOVA).ThedataindicatethatchronicexposuretohighconcentrationsofDEPcausesasignificantdelayinflydevelopment.2 (SESSIONA1)EPITHELIALLININGTURNOVERINTHERODENTSMALLINTESTINEBASEDONMITOTICINDICESINTHECRYPTSOFLIEBERKÜHN
JohnAcquavivaDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Theregenerativepropertiesofthesmallintestinearemediatedbyasmallgroupofintestinalstemcells(ISCs)withinthebaseofthecryptsofLieberkühn.However,thedifficultyinidentifyingtheseISCsincontemporaryresearchlimitstheinformationonthedivisionandmigrationofthesecells.Inthisstudy,usingrandomhistologicalslidesfromtherodentsmallintestineandbycapturingdigitalmicroscopicimagesat100xinoilimmersion,thedividingcapabilitiesofthesmallintestinalcellswereanalyzed.Theidentificationofmitoticfiguresofdividingcellsanddifferentiatedenterocyteswithinthecryptsallowedforthecalculationofthetotalmitoticindex,whichwasfoundtobe6.1%fortheanalyzedtissuesamples.Theaveragelocationofthemitoticfiguresfromtheluminalcryptmid-linewas11.916_m.Regardingthemorphologyofthemitoticfigures,onlyprophase-likeandanaphase-likestagescouldbeidentified,suggestinganon-typical,amitoticdivision.Unidentified,distinctivecellsamongthelaminapropriaandenterocyteliningofthecryptswerealsonoticed.Wehypothesizethemtobeintestinalstemcellsmigratingfromthecryptbases.Furtherresearchcanfocusonthistypeofcell.
3 (SESSIONA1)MECHANISMSOFNEUROPEPTIDEYINHIBITIONINGUINEAPIGCARDIACGANGLIA
KatieHutton&JeanHardwickDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Sympatheticneurotransmitter,NeuropeptideY(NPY),functionsinregulatingbloodpressure,contractionfrequency,andcontractionstrength.Duringheartdisease,parasympatheticresponseattemptstoremedydiseasedtissue,butisinhibitedbyNPY.ThisstudyusedguineapigcardiacgangliatostudymechanismsbehindNPYinhibitionofparasympatheticresponse.ItishypothesizedthatNPYinhibitsvoltage-gatedcalciumchannels(L-typeandN-type).ElectrophysiologyrecordingsofmembranevoltageincardiacgangliawereusedtoanalyzetheeffectsofNPYonactionpotentials,andNPYwithcalciumchannelinhibitors(Nifedipineandcadmium).NPYhadaninhibitoryeffectonneurons,causingadecreaseinactionpotentialrecoverytime.NPYinthepresenceofNifedipineorcadmiuminhibitedneuronstoalesserextentthanNPYalone.NPYappearstobeaffectingparasympatheticresponsethroughbothL-typeandN-typecalciumchannels.NPYisstillabletodecreasetherecoverytimeoftheactionpotentialinthepresenceofacalciumchannelblocker,implyingthatsomecalciumisenteringtheneuron.Twopossibleexplanationsarethat(1)notallthedesiredchannelswereblockedand(2)NPYactsthroughbothL-typeandN-typechannels.Furtherresearchisneededonhigherconcentrationsofcalciumchannelinhibitorsandtheircombined.4 (SESSIONA1)CHANGINGTHEMICROBIOMEANDHOWITCANAFFECTANIMALBEHAVIOR
EleanorAlmeida&LeannKandaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Microbiomes,thetrillionsofmicroorganismshousedinourbodies,arevitalformaintainingourhealthbutcanbeinfluencedbymanyfactorssuchasantibiotics.RecentresearchhasfurtherdelvedintotheconnectionbetweenthemicrobesalongtheGItractandthecentralnervoussystemwithstudiesshowingthatalteringthemicrobiomescanchangeanimalbehavior.Inthislab,weusehousemice,Musmusculus,tostudyhowtheirbehaviorchangeswhenalteringtheirmicrobiome.Wesoughttoexamine:1.Doesantibioticstressalterbothmicrobecommunityandmousebehavior?2.Doesprobiotictreatmentrecovertonaturalcommunityandmousebehavior?Weconductedanopenfieldbehavioralassayoneachmousebothbeforeandafterexperimentaltreatment.Fromthesetestsweexpecttoseemicewithjustantibioticstoshowincreasedstressbehaviorssuchasgrooming,defecation,thigmotaxis,andalteredactivity.Wealsoexpecttoseemicetreatedwithprobioticsafterantibioticstoexhibitsimilarbehaviorstomicethatreceivednotreatment.Ifthereisaconnectionbetweenantibiotics,probiotics,themicrobiome,andbehavioralchangesthenthiscouldhaveimplicationsinhumanmedicalpractices.
5 (SESSIONA2)ARSENICANDSELENIUMINHUMANTISSUES:THEINVESTIGATIONOFARSENICCONTAMINATIONINHUMANFOODANDURINESAMPLES
LejlaBolevic&MohammadAlauddinDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Metabolicstudieshaveshownthatthechemicalpropertiesofseleniumandarseniccounterthetoxicityofoneanother;thereforetheintermolecularinteractionsbetweenseleniumandarsenichasbeenutilizedasameanstoprotectagainstthetoxicityofarsenic.Throughdietaryinterventionofagroupofhumansubjectsinacontrolledexperiment,theantidotecharacteristicofseleniumwasinvestigated.Thedeterminationoftheexactlevelsofarsenic,aswellas,seleniumindietaryintakewasmeasuredthroughAtomicAbsorptionSpectroscopy.Inahabitatwherearsenicfreedomesticwaterisunattainable,asimpleadditionofdietarysupplementsmayamelioratearsenictoxicity.AnalyticalresearchintheingestionofarsenicissignificantinprotectingagainstthewidespreadtoxicityobservedinhumanpopulationsexposedtoarsenicthroughdrinkingwaterfromcontaminatedtubewellsinWestBengalandBangladesh.RecentfindingsfromourowncollaborativestudiesinBangladeshwillbepresented.6 (SESSIONA2)WALKINGONEGGSHELLS:THEEFFECTSOFTHEOBROMINEONTOOTHREMINERALIZATION
AnnaCiosDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10312
Theobromine,anextractofthecacaobean,hasdemonstratedagreatereffectintheremineralizationofenamelcomparedtofluoride.Theenamelofthetoothisnaturallydemineralizedbytheonsetofacidicplaqueswithintheoralcavity.Asthecarbonatedhydroxyapatitemineralwithinthetoothstructureisdissolvedbytheacidicplaquescoatingthetooth,dentalcariesbegintoform.Remineralizationoccurswhenionsinthesalivadistributeoverthetoothsurface.Topreventdentaldecay,fluorideisaddedtotoothpasteanddrinkingwater.Studiesrevealdentalandskeletalfluorosis,causedbyexcessiveingestionoffluoride,leadtoover-calcificationofthebonewithfurtherdetrimentalsituations.Eggshells,primarilycomposedofcalciumcarbonate,wereemployedasenamel-mimickingsubstrates.Theshellfragmentsweretreatedwithvarioustoothpasteanalogscontainingtheobromineandotherxanthinederavitves.TheshellswereanalyzedusingScanningElectronMicroscopybeforeandaftertreatingwiththeformulatedtoothpastes.Theporoussurfaceofeacheggshellwassurveyedforsizeandpopulation,quantifyingtheeffectivenessofeachxanthinederivative.
7 (SESSIONA2)PHOTOTUNABLEPOLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITY
JesseHsuDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Typicallinearorganicpolymers,materialscomposedofsmallmolecularbuildingblocks,exhibithighdegreesofflexibilityandentanglementwhichinhibitporosity.Somepolymerframeworksdoexhibitporosity,likecovalentorganicframeworks(COFs)andmetalorganicframeworks(MOFs);however,theyarenotsolubleandarethereforechallengingtoprocessandcharacterize.Polymersofintrinsicmicroporosity(PIMs),originallydevelopedbyNeilMcKeownandcoworkers,arearelativelynewclassofporouspolymers,whicharealsotwodimensionalandsoluble.PIMsretaintheirporositybymeansofarigidbackbonestructureconsistingofinflexiblespiromonomers.Thismakesthempotentiallyusefulincatalysis,fuelstorage,organicnanofiltration,orpervaporation.Inordertocreateareversibleporesizeswitch,ourgrouphasbeguntoexploretheincorporationofphoto-tunableazofunctionalgroupsintoaPIMbackboneviareductivecouplingofadinitromonomer.Althoughphoto-switchabilitywasconfirmedbyUV-VisandNMRspectroscopy,onlymodestmolecularweightswereachievedusingthissyntheticmethod.Herein,wereportanewsyntheticroutetoazoPIMsvianucleophilicsubstitutionreactions.Characterizationofthepolymer,includingitsstructuraldynamicsandinherentsurfaceareawillbediscussed.8 (SESSIONA2)THEDEVELOPMENTOFEPIBATIDINEANALOGSSYNTHESISTHROUGHDIELS-ALDERREACTIONTOPRODUCESARATTHE_4_2NICOTINICRECEPTORS
ZamzamaGafarDept.ofChemistry,UniversityofSaintJoseph,WestHartford,CT,06117
Theconsequencesofusingopioidstotreatpatientswithchronicpaincanresultinpatients'abusingopioidsandpotentiallybecomingaddicted.It'sevidentthatthereisadesperateneedforalternativesforthetreatmentofseverepain.Onepossibilityincludesutilizingepibatidine,theproductofnaturalfrogpoisonthatcontainsnicotinicreceptoragonists.Thedevelopmentofchemotypeswithactivityatkappaopioidand_4_2nicotinicreceptorshasshownpotentialtotreatmentofdrugaddictionandanalgesiceffects.VaryingscalesofreactionshavebeencompletedtoeventuallycarryoutDiels-Alderreactiontosynthesizeepibatidineandobtainselectivityofnicotinicsubtypesanditsstructureactivityrelationship.FurtherinvestigationisneededforthedevelopmentofepibatidineinrelationtomakingarobustSARmodel.ThepurposeistodeviseaSARoftheanalogous[2.2.2]scaffoldforsubstitutionofthesubtypeselectivity.ModifyingliteraturemethodswithmicrowaveDiels-Alderconditionsthearylcontainingdienophilesmustbeusedtomakethederivatives.AnSARmodelisneededtosynthesizeanalogsbysubstitutingthedienophileanddieneportion.Theseconditionswillbehigher-yieldingandprovidingeasierpurification.Themodelwillshowthedesiredsubstitutionstohelpdevelopalternativesforanalgesicagents.
9 (SESSIONA3)THEINEFFECTIVENESSOFINTERNATIONALHUMANRIGHTSLAW
HunterHilinski&AndrewP.MillerDept.ofPoliticalScience,WilkesUniversity,WilkesBarre,PA,18702
Mostofthestudiesconcerninghumanrightslawmeasureacountry'scompliancewithdomesticlegislation.Thisresearchanalyzestheabilityofinternationallawtopreventhumanrightsabusesintimesofconflictbymergingcasestudyanalysisofthreeseparateconflicts:thePeloponnesianWar,theVietnamWar,andtheIran-IraqWar.Thispaperalsotracesthehistoricaldevelopmentofhumanrightslawandsomeofthephilosophicalfoundationsonbothsidesofthehumanrightsdebate.Bycombiningstudiesofhumanrightsratification,compliance,andabuseinconflict,thispaperconcludesthathumanrightstreatiesnotonlyfailtoimprovehumanrightsprotectionbutthatithasactuallyhadanadverseeffectontheseprotectionsduringtimesofconflict.10 (SESSIONA3)THEEFFECTOFPEER-COMPARISONINSOCIALMEDIAONFOODSELECTION
LaurenTaibiDept.ofPsychology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Aindependentgroupsexperimentwasconductedtotesttheeffectofpeer-comparisonviaInstagramonfoodselection.Participantsincludedundergraduatewomenrangingfromtheagesof18-20yearsoldwhowererandomlyassignedtoviewanInstagramaccountthateitherinducedpeercompetition,inducednon-peercomparison,orthatservedasacontrol.Participantswerescreenedforsocialmediause.Appetite,socialcomparison,bodydissatisfaction,andemotionaleatingweremeasuredaswasBMI.Afterviewingthefeedforfiveminutes,participantswereaskedtoselectfoodsfromabuffetoffoodimagesthatconsistedof6unhealthyitemsand6healthyitems.ParticipantshighinsocialcomparisonwhowererandomlyassignedtothePCconditionwerehypothesizedtoshowdifferentpatternsofeatingbehaviorthanotherconditionsbychoosinglessunhealthyitems,takingfewerbitesofunhealthyitemsifchosen,orbyhavingfewertotalbites.Itwasalsohypothesizedthatthosehighinsocialcomparisonwouldhavehigherlevelsofbodydissatisfactionwhichwouldbereflectedinthepredictedfoodbehaviors.Finally,itwaspredictedthatfoodchoicewouldbepredictedbyemotionaleatingscorebecauseanystressfromthemediamightimpactemotionaleatersmore.11 (SESSIONA3)THEBENEFITSOFPSYCHOTHERAPY:AQUALITATIVESTUDY
DevonBaris,AbreyFeliccia,DavidBrown&EmilyGalbraithDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850
Therehasbeenextensiveresearchonpsychotherapyoutcomeoverthelastseveraldecades.Mostofthisresearchdemonstratestheeffectivenessofabroadrangepsychotherapies(Wampold,Mondlin,Moody,Stich,Benson&Ahn,1997).Thevastmajorityofresearchreliesonquantitativemethodologies.Manyresearchershaveargued
formorequalitativestudiesastheyprovide"phenomenologicalcontextualinsights"thatcannotbederivedfromquantitativedata(Midgley,Ansalado,&Target,2013).InthecurrentstudyresearchersemployedamodificationofamethodologydescribedbyAttride-Stirling(2001)identifyingemergentthemeswithin23transcriptsofopen-endedinterviews.Theninecategoriesofpositiveexperiencethatemergedfrominterviewtranscriptswere:(1)mutualliking/respectinrelationship,(2)workingtoachieve/understanding/insight,(3)comfort/supportive/safe-therapist/space,(4)emotionalrelease,(5)outsiderelationshipimprovement,(6)non-judgmentalperspectiveframing/normalizing,(7)copingskill,(8)generalpositiveaffect,and(9)improvedsymptoms.Whilesortingstatements,categoriesoneandthreewerecollapsedintoasinglecategory,asjudgesdeterminedthatmanystatementscouldbecodedineithercategorymakingdifferentiationunreliable.Thisresultedinafinaleightcategorytypesofpositivestatementsclientsmaderegardingtherapyandtherapyoutcome.Theimplicationsformaximizingpositivetherapeuticexperiencesarediscussed.12 (SESSIONA3)FATALREACTION:ACONTENTANALYSISOFTHENATUREANDCONTEXTOFMENTALILLNESSPORTRAYALSONTELEVISION
SarahVengen&GeselleDominguezDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850
Previousresearchhasexploredtheetiologyoflearnednegativeattitudetowardsmentalillnessbyanalyzingitsportrayalonchildren'sprogramsandevaluatinghowothercharactersresponded(Hanrahan,Karl,Lasher,Swaye,&Wahl,2017).TheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)hasanextensivearchiveoflive-recordedcontentfrom14televisionprogramtypes.Arepresentativesample(2011-2016)ofcontentfromthisarchivewasanalyzedinordertogatherinformationabouthowmentalillness(includingsuicideandaddiction)isportrayed,drawingfrombothfictionandnonfictionprograms.ThecurrentlongitudinalstudyisareplicationandexpansionofapreviousstudybyLearyandWarren(2017)withalargersampleofmorethan1,450incidentsin689programs.Theanalysislookedatthetypeofmentalillnessportrayed,thecontext(humorous/serious;positive/negative/neutral)andthereactionsofthepersonwiththementalillnessandthepeopleinthescenetowardsthepersonwiththementalillness(e.g.,laughtrackorlaughter;providingorseekinghelp/support;beingindenialordefensive;showingdistress,frustrationorfear;engaginginblameoraccusation).Thenatureandcontextofthementalillnessportrayalswasalsocomparedacrosscharacterdemographicsandprogramtypes.13 (SESSIONA4)YEASTBXI1P/YBH3PISAPH-SENSITIVECALCIUMCHANNELINESCHERICHIACOLI
JamesMullin,NicholasMello,AlexanderStrakosha,AmandaRaffa&JackKalhornDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02908
YeastBaxinhibitor-1(BXI1/YBH3)encodesaproteinthatbelongstotheBaxInhibitor(TMBIM)familyofproteins,whichhasbeenlinkedtodifferenttumortypesinhuman
patients.Thecrystalstructureofaprokaryoticmemberofthefamily,BsYetJ,hasrevealedthattheBxi1proteinsarepHsensitivecalciumleaks.OurlaboratoryhasshownthatBxi1pislocalizedtotheyeastERandvacuoleandourgeneticstudiessuggestthattheproteinisachannelthatcontrolstheeffluxofcalciumfromtheER.WehavealsooverexpressedBxi1pinE.coliandhaveusedafura-2basedcalciumassaytoshowthattheproteinfacilitatestheinfluxofextracellularcalciumintothecell.FurtherstudieshavesuggestedthattheinfluxofcalciumcanbealteredbythepHoftheextracellularenvironment,andthatBxi1pfunctionsasageneralizedcationchannel.WehaveinitiatedascreentoidentifysmallmoleculeblockersforthechannelinthehopesofidentifyingdrugsthatwouldkillcancercellsthatareaddictedtoBxi1p.PreliminaryresultssuggestthatGadoliniumisapotentialmolecularinhibitorofyBxi1p.[OurlaboratoryissupportedbygrantNIGMSR15GM110578,awardedtoN.Austriaco.]14 (SESSIONA4)EXPOSINGCHROMOSOMALPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONUPONDNADAMAGE
BrightShiDept.ofChemistry,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Geneticinformationisstoredaschromatin,consistingofDNA,histonesandotheressentialproteins.Histonesmediateallaspectsofchromatinfunctionandareregulatedbysetsofposttranslationalmodifications(PTMs).Modificationpatternsdictatedifferentialpathwaysandtheirdynamicbehaviorisattheheartofallchromatinrelatedprocesses,suchasreplication,transcriptionandrepair.Unfortunately,DNAisinherentlysusceptibletodamage.Therearenumerousformsofdamagingfactors,whereseveralDNAdamagepathwayscollectivelyprotectthegenomefromlife-threateningmutations.Itiscrucialthatmethodsaredevelopedthatallowforustostudychromatindamageprocessesatamechanisticlevel.Weuseasyntheticbiologyapproachthattrapshistone-proteininteractionsinlivingcells,usingunnaturalaminoacids.Comparinghistone-proteininteractionsthatarealtered,duetoDNAdamage,willhelpusresolvethemechanismsthatreshapechromatinstructureunderdamagingstress.DNAdamagesignalingpromotesbroadchangesinhistonePTMsthatcontrolinteractionsatthenucleosomalinterfaceduringtheresponsepathway.Weaimtoilluminatethosedynamicinteractionswherewehaveobservedahistone-proteincontactthatisdependentuponthedamagingagentmethylmethanesulfonate.Wearecurrentlyidentifying,isolatingandcharacterizingthisproteinviamassspectrometry.15 (SESSIONA4)PREVALENCEOFBETALACTAMASEANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINWHITE-TAILEDDEERINWESTERNNEWYORK
AbigailE.Salter,RafayTariq,RachisanDjiakeTihagam&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
StaphylococcusisaGram-positivebacteriumthatcanhaveeffectsonmammalianhostsspanningthespectrumfrombeneficial,throughbenigntopathogenic.Strainsofspecificconcernarethosethatexhibitantibioticresistance,becausetheybecomemuchmore
difficult,ifnotimpossible,totreat.Thus,antibioticresistancehasbecomeagreatconcernintheclinicalworldbecauseofthehealthimplications.However,humansarenottheonlyhostsofStaphylococcus.AnimalsinthewildarealsohoststoStaphandyetlittleisknownregardingthelevelofantibioticresistanceinthesebacteria.Onesuchhostisthewhite-taileddeer,Odocoileusvirginianus.Staphylococcusfromthenosesofthesedeerhavebeenisolatedandpurified.Thepurifiedsampleshavebeengrowninm-StaphbrothandhavebeententativelyidentifiedasStaphylococci.TheantibioticresistanceprofilesofthestrainshavebeendeterminedandtheirlevelsandtypesofresistancewerecomparedtothoseseeninStaphfoundassociatedwithhumansaswellasagriculturally-importantanimals,especiallydairycattle.GenesassociatedwithantibioticresistancewillbeidentifiedthroughPCR.16 (SESSIONA4)IDENTIFICATIONOFAGLYCOSIDEHYDROLASEFORUNIVERSALBLOOD
NadineHusami&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
TheantigenicsaccharidesofA-andB-typebloodcellsarethesourceofproblematicimmuneresponsesthatareassociatedwithbloodtransfusions.EnzymaticcleavageoftheterminalsugarsofA-andB-typebloodcellantigens-N-acetylgalactosamineandgalactose,respectively-hasbeenproposedasamethodfortheproductionofO-typebloodfromanybloodcelltype.Glycosidehydrolaseshavebeenstudiedduetotheirabilitytocleavecarbohydratelinkagesbuttherehasnotyetbeenaglycosidehydrolasewithsufficientactivityforallpossibleglycosidelinkagesassociatedwiththeantigenicportionsofredbloodcells.Oneparticularfamily,glycosidehydrolase98,appearstopossesstheabilitytocleavebothA-andB-typesugarantigens.BioinformaticcomparativeanalysesofthisfamilyhasledtothediscoveryofagenethatcouldprovideapotentialenzymeinThermobacilluscomposti.AnotherhasbeenidentifiedinClostridiumperfringens.ThisprojectaimstoanalyzetheglycosidehydrolasesisolatedfromT.compostiandC.perfringensthroughgenecloningandexpression,enzymeisolation,purification,andoverexpressioninE.coli17 (SESSIONA5)CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELCHICKENFOOT-LIKENODULES(CFN)MUTANTDEFECTIVEINROOTARCHITECTUREANDSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA
RoshaniBudhathokiDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Legumeplantssuchassoybeansinteractwiththesoilbacteriarhizobiaandformuniqueorganscallednodulestocaptureandconvertinertatmosphericnitrogen(N2)intousableformbysymbioticnitrogenfixation(SNF).ToidentifynovelgenesinSNF,chickenfoot-likenodules(cfn)mutantwasisolatedinaforwardgeneticscreenfromaTnt1mutantpopulationinthemodellegumeplantMedicagotruncatula.cfnmutantwasnamedafteritscharacteristicclusterednodule-likestructuresonrootssimilartoachickenfoot.cfnmutantplantsshowabnormalrootarchitecture,decreasednodulenumbers,reddish-purpleshoot,
whitenodulesanddefectiveinSNF.Incfnmutant,nodule-likestructuresacquireroot-likeidentityandoccasionallyroottransformsintonodule-likeorgans.ComparisonofcfnmutantphenotypewithpreviouslycharacterizedM.truncatularootarchitectureandnoduleorganidentitydefectmutantsindicatesthatcfnisanovelmutant.Segregationanalysisshowsthatcfnphenotypeiscontrolledbyasingle,recessivemutation.cfnmutantplantsareseedlinglethalandneedstobemaintainedinheterozygotes.Tofindthecausativemutationunderlyingcfnmutantphenotype,IwillminetheMedicagoTnt1mutantsdatabaseandperformwholegenomesequencing.IdentificationofthecausativemutationincfnmutantwillprovidenovelmechanismsunderlyingSNF.18 (SESSIONA5)EXAMININGREGULATIONOFSPLICINGINGENESTHATAROSEFROMGENOMEDUPLICATIONINS.CEREVISIAE
MichaelAtteberyBiochemistryProgram,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Regulationofgeneexpressionisanessentialcellularprocess.AppropriategeneexpressionrequirestheremovalofintronsfromRNAsinaprocessknownassplicing.Saccharomycescerevisiae,buddingyeast,isagreatmodelorganismforexaminingsplicing,becausetherearefewergenesthataresplicedinyeast,butyetthesplicingisverysimilartothatinhumans.Interestingly,100millionyearsago,therewasagenomeduplicationeventthatoccurredwithinyeast,creatingtwopoolsofgenesknownasparalogues.Throughevolutiontheseparalogueshavedivergedandmanywerelost,becausetheywerenotneeded.However,forsomegenes,bothformsstillexistsuggestingthattheybothserveimportantfunctions.IamstudyingtheRPS30AandBgenes.Previousexperimentsshoweddifferencesintheirsplicing,suggestingthattheyareregulateddifferentlydespitehavingnearlyidenticalcodingsequences.WeconductedquantitativePCRanalysistomeasuretheirsplicing.However,wearecurrentlydevelopingnextgenerationsequencingapproachestobetterquantifytheirsplicingeffectsandidentifyfactorsinvolvedinregulatingthesegenesdifferently.Giventhehighlevelofconservationofsplicingacrosseukaryotes,weexpectthattheseresultswillsignificantlyimpactourunderstandingoftheregulatorymechanismsofsplicinginhighereukaryotes.19 (SESSIONA5)SULFORAPHANEALTERSTHEACIDIFICATIONOFTHEVACUOLETOTRIGGERCELLDEATH
VictoriaHalliseyDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
_Sulforaphane(SFN)isacompound[1-isothiocyanato-4-(methylsulfinyl)-butane]foundinbroccoliandothercruciferousvegetablesthatiscurrentlyofinterestbecauseofitspotentialasachemopreventiveandachemotherapeuticdrug.RecentstudiesinadiverserangeofcellularandanimalmodelshaveshownthatSFNisinvolvedinmultipleintracellularsignalingpathwaysthatregulatecelldeath,cellcycleprogression,andcellinvasion.InordertobetterunderstandthemechanismsofactionbehindSFN-inducedcell
death,weundertookanunbiasedgenomewidescreenwiththeyeastknockout(YKO)librarytoidentifySFNSmutants.OurmutantswereenrichedwithknockoutsingeneslinkedtovacuolarfunctionsuggestingalinkbetweenthisorganelleandSFN'smechanismofactioninyeast.OursubsequentworkrevealedthatSFNincreasesthevacuolarpHofyeastcellsandthatvaryingthevacuolarpHcanalterthesensitivityofyeastcellstothedrug.Infact,severalmutationsthatlowerthevacuolarpHinyeastactuallymadethecellsresistanttoSFN.Finally,weshowthathumanlungcancercellswithmoreacidiccompartmentsarealsoSFNRsuggestingthatSFN'smechanismofactionidentifiedinyeastmaycarryovertohighereukaryoticcells.20 (SESSIONA5)EVIDENCEFORHORIZONTALGENETRANSFEROFXENOBIOTICDETOXIFICATIONGENESINSCLEROTINIAHOMOEOCARPA
BrieannaFuentesDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Duetotherelianceonantifungaldrugsusedtocombatmycosesinhumansandagriculture,pathogenicfungidisplayingmultidrug-resistance(MDR)arebeingincreasinglyreported.InthisstudyaplantpathogenwithMDR,Sclerotiniahomoeocarpa,wasexaminedtocharacterizeputativehorizontalgenetransfer(HGT)eventsthatcouldhaveservedasamechanismforacquisitionofxenobioticdetoxificationgenes.Apriorgenomeanalysisuncovered301candidateHGTgenes,with71originatingfromtheorderXylariales(PhylumAscomycota).Thissubgroupwasanalyzedtoidentifygenesco-localizedtothesamegenomiccontigthatcouldrepresenthorizontally-acquiredgeneclusters.Forty-threeofthegenesco-localizedintosevengroups,eachcomposedofonetothreegenes.RNA-SeqdatafromapreviousstudywereminedtodetermineifthesegenesshoweddifferentialexpressioninaMDRstrainofS.homoeocarpa.Geneswithfold-changegreaterthanthree-foldwerecharacterizedbyconserveddomainsearchesandblastxsearches.PhylogenetictreeswerealsoanalyzedtobetterunderstandtheevolutionaryhistoryofthesegenesinXylarialesandrelatedfungi.FurtherexperimentswillberequiredtosupporttheinvolvementofHGTcandidatesinfungicidemetabolism.21 (SESSIONA6)GLOBALCO2EMISSIONS:SOURCES,HISTORICALTRENDS,ANDLINKSTOECONOMICGROWTH
SamanthaSusi&JackLeightonDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
ThroughoutEarth'shistory,therehasbeenacycleofgreenhousegasesintheatmosphere,whichwasmostlyself-regulatingduetoenvironmentalfactorssuchasplantphotosynthesisandtectonicplatemovement.However,humanimpactonCO2levelsbeganrisingsincethebeginningoftheIndustrialRevolution.Thiscreatesahotteratmosphereandforyears,scientistshavesuggestedreducingCO2emissionsinanefforttocombatclimatechange.CO2isseenasoneofthemostprominentgreenhousegasesthatcontributestoclimatechange.Therefore,multipleproposalstocontrolCO2levelshavebeen
putforward,howeverargumentsagainstthelargecostsofimplementingthempreventedtheirexecution.ThisprojectanalyzesandpresentswaysinwhichtomeaningfullyreduceCO2emissionsintotheatmosphereataloweconomiccostorevenpossibleeconomicbenefit.Thisprojectalsoanalyzesproposedalternativemethodsofproducingandconsumingenergyindifferenteconomicsectorsatalowercostandreduced"carbonfootprint".AllworkandcalculationsweredoneusinghistoricaldataofCO2levelsincomparisontoprojectedCO2levelswiththeproposedchanges,viatheWolframprogramminglanguageaspartoftheScientificComputingcourseofferedexclusivelytoHonorsFreshmanstudentsatWagnerCollege.22 (SESSIONA6)ACIDITHIOBACILLUSSP.CYCLESINORGANICSULFURCOMPOUNDS:IMPLICATIONSFORGEOCHEMISTRYOFTHEIROQUOISNATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGEACIDICSPRINGS
HaleyParker&CassandraMarnochaBiologyDept.,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109
TheIroquoisNationalWildlifeRefugewetlandsarehometoasetofacidicspringsthatactasaconstantsourceofsulfide.Microbialcommunitiessupportedbythisuniqueenvironmenthavenotpreviouslybeenstudied.WeexaminedthemicrobialcommunitystructureoftwooftheseacidicspringsandfoundthattheywerelowinspeciesdiversitywhencomparedagainstthenearbyOakOrchardCreek.Acidophilicbacteriawerecommoninbothsprings,withthegenus,Acidithiobacillus,predominantinthemoreacidicspringandmakingupanotablepercentageofthecommunityofthesecondspring.WehaveisolatedastrainmostcloselyrelatedtoAcidithiobacillusthiooxidansthatiscapableofchemoautotrophicgrowthoninorganicsulfurcompounds.Wehavefoundthatthisorganismproducessulfateasitgrows,andwearecurrentlystudyinghowitusesothersulfurspeciesinitsmetabolism.TheimplicationsforthestudyofthisparticularAcidithiobacillusculturewouldbetheabilitytopredicthowthepresenceofthismicrobemightchangethegeochemistryofthespringsthemselves,andthesurroundingwetlands.23 (SESSIONA6)PLASTICSANDFISHDON'TMIX:POTENTIALEFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONJUVENILEFATHEADMINNOWS
GeorgiaCaplenDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Thereislimiteddataontheeffectsofmicroplasticscontaminationonfatheadminnowsduringthecriticalearly-stagesofdevelopment;thisisaconcernbecausemicroplasticsarebecominganincreasingthreattoaquaticenvironments.Studieshaverecordedanestimateof5.25trillionparticlesofplasticweighing268.940tonsintotalhaveendedupinourwatersystem.Microplasticparticlesareincreasingthreatstoaquaticbiotahealthbycontaminationandmayleadtoleachingofchemicalpollutantswithintheirtissue.Thus,thepurposeofthisstudyistoexaminethepotentialeffectsofmicroplasticsonthedigestivetractsofjuvenilefatheadminnows.Inthistwo-partstudy,microbeadswereintegratedinto
theirdietsandaftertwodifferentexposureperiods,theyweredissectedandanalyzedtoidentifythetotalnumberofmicroplasticsremainingintheirdigestivetracts.Highernumbersofretainedmicroplasticsinthedigestivetractmayresultindecreasedgrowthrates,highermortalityratesamongpopulations,orincreasedleachingofchemicalsintotheorganism'stissues.Thisstudyprovidesinsightonhowmicroplasticsmaybeaffectingthisindicatorspeciesthroughtheirearlystagesofdevelopmentwiththeambitiontofurtherunderstandtheireffects.24 (SESSIONA6)GROWTHDYNAMICSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATA
ClaudiaSRamirezMarcanoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
ThemanysubspeciesofArtemisiatridentatacoveredmost(586,306km2)ofthewesternUnitedStatespriortomigrationofAnglos.Today,thisspeciesisessentialasitprovidesshelterandfoodformanymigratoryandnativeanimalsofthearea.SixstemsamplesofArtemisiatridentataNutt.ssp.tridentatawerecollectedeachweekfromearlyJunetotheendofNovember2015fromThistle,Utah.Eachsamplewasanalyzed,measuringstemandbranchlengths,stemdiametersandseedcount.ThisresearchpresentstheearlyresultsoftheanalysisandapotentialgrowthmodelforArtemisiatridentata.Mainstemshadameangrowthrateof0.77mmperdaythroughouttheperiod.Onaverage,onesidebranchwasproducedeveryninedaysuntilmainstemshad30to35sidebrancheswithameanfinallengthof45mm.Consideredtogether,cumulativebranchlengthsofallsidebranchesincreased0.65mmpermmofstemlength.DuringlateAugust2015,manysidebranchesbecamereproductivebranches(producedflowers,andseeds).Onlyafewsidebranchesremainedvegetative.Remainingvegetativebranchesareestimatedtobecomemainstemsduringthenextgrowingseason.Onaverage,eachplantproducedabout20mainstemswithreproductivebranches.Eachmainstemproduced25reproductivebrancheswhileeachreproductivebranchproducedabout300seeds.Therefore,eachplantproducedabout100,000seedseachyear.25 (SESSIONA7)LEAFVEINSTRANSPORTWATERTOTHESMALLESTAREAS
JorgeGonzalezDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Thepurposeofthisstudywastodetermineleafvenationpatternsandinterveinalareasinplantleavesoftwenty-fivespecies.LeafsampleswereobtainedfromManhattanCollegeandVan-CortlandtPark.Twoleavesofeachspecieswerephotographedforanalysis.Leafmidribswerecalledprimaryveins,veinsthatleadfromprimaryveinswerecalledsecondaryveins,veinsthatleaffromsecondaryveinswerecalledtertiaryveins,andveinsthatleadawayfromtertiaryveinswerecalledquaternaryveins.Entireleafareaswerecalledprimaryleafareas.Secondaryareasconsistedofbisectingtheareabetweentwosecondaryveinseachsideofeachsecondaryvein.Leafareaswerewellcorrelatedwithsecondaryareasforalltwenty-fivespecies(y=0.097x-2.081,r2=0.93).Tertiaryareas
werewellscaledtoleafareas,(y=0.0068x-0.083;r2=0.81),withmeanareaof0.40cm2.Quaternaryareaswerewellscaledtoleafareas,((y=0.0004x+0.0063;r2=0.66),withameanareaof0.031cm2.Thenumberofareasforsecondary,tertiary,andquaternaryareaswerenotwellscaledtoleafarea,thusremainconstantamongallspecies.Overall,leafareascanhelpunderstandthedistributionofwaterinleafveins.26 (SESSIONA7)QUANTIFYINGPOST-HURRICANEREGENERATIONOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAUSINGAERIALPHOTOGRAPHS
MirandaElla,PeterMelcher&SusanWitherupDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Studyingtheimpactsofhurricanesonislandecosystemsisanimportantwaytolearnmoreaboutoverallplantcommunitydynamicsbyidentifyinghowdifferentspeciesrespondtowindandwaterdamage.Thisisusefulinunderstandingthenative-invasiverelationshipbetweenScaevolaplumieriandScaevolataccadaonthebeachesofPuertoRico.Asdunespecies,theyareexpectedtofacethefullforceofthehurricane,sustainingwindandwaterdamage.Theinvasive,S.taccada,isexpectedtoregeneratemoreeffectivelythanS.plumieri.DatacollectedonthebeachesofCulebra,PuertoRicowillprovideinsightintohowS.plumieriandS.taccadaregeneratesixmonthsaftertheimpactofthecategory4HurricaneMaria.Thiswillanswerquestionsregardingtheenduranceofduneplantsandthecompareddurabilityofnativeandintroducedspeciesinthefaceofanaturaldisaster.27 (SESSIONA7)PREDICTINGBARKCOVERAGEONSAGUAROCACTI
MarissaLoCastroDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,10471
Barkcoverageofsurfacesofmorethan22speciesoftall,long-livedcactiisoccurringthroughouttheAmericas.Thisbarkcoveragehsbeenshowntoleadtoprematuredeathofthesecactusspecies.Thisstudyutilizeddataofbarkcoverageon1149cactusplantsofsaguarocacti(Carnegeiagigantea(Engelm.)BrittandRose)from50desertfieldplotsinTucsonMountainPark,Tucson,AZ.Thesecactusplantswereobservedforfourperiods,1994,2002,2010,and2017.Theanalysisofthisresearchwascompletedafterthe2017sampling.Previousresearchhaddemonstratedthatbarkcoveragestartsonsouth-facingfacingsurfacesandprogressestonorth-facingsurfaces.Forthecurrentresearch,dataofbarkcoveragewasprocessedwithWEKA3.8,astandardmachine-learningprogram,todeterminethedegreethatbarkcoverageononesetofsurfacescanpredictbarkcoverageonothersurfaces.DecisiontreeswerecreatedbytheJ48treeclassifierandconfusionmatriceswereproducestodeterminetheaccuracyofthedecisiontreepredictions.Cactiweresubdividedintobarkcoveragecategoriesforanalysis.CactiinCategoryAhadlittlebarkcoveragewhilecactiinCategoryEhadextensivebarkcoverage.Theintentoftheresearchwastousedecisiontreestousedatafrom1994,2002and2010topredictchangesincategoriesfrom2010to2017.Forallcomparisons,decisionaccuraciesranged
between90-99%.Thesedatasupporttheoverallhypothesisthatamountsofbarkcoveragecanbeusedtodeterminetheageinwhichindividualcactusplantswillliveordie.28 (SESSIONA7)ANALYSISOFCLIMATECHANGEDATAANDPREDICTEDIMPACTONJAPANANDSURROUNDINGAREAS
MaraMineo,TamarAmirov&VinhPhuongDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
AlthoughclimatechangeintheUnitedStateshasbeentoucheduponinthemedia,theimpactofclimatechangeontheEasternhemisphereisjustasdetrimentalasintheWesternhemisphere.CountrieslikeChinaandJapanarechallengingclimatechangewhiletheirenvironmentsarecurrentlysuffering.WhileJapanistheleadingcountryincombatingclimatechange,thedevastationsarestillprevalentinJapan'ssocietytoday,andwillcontinuetobeprevalentinthenearfuture.Sincethisarchipelagostretchesacrossfourmainislandsaswellasasmallerislandchain,Japanishometonumerousclimaticzoneswhichwillwitnessthestressofclimatechangefirsthand.SincemostofChinaislesshabitable,themajorityofthepopulationlaysontheeasterncoastofthecontinentfacingJapan,aidinginthedetrimenttotheregion.ThisanalysisofJapananditssurroundingareasfocusesonkeypointssuchassealevels,cultivatedfieldsandcrops,andurbanheatislands,aswellasothers.Thisresearchwascarriedoutinthefreshman-onlyHonorsScientificComputingcourseatWagnerCollege.ComputationalthinkingskillshavebeenutilizedtoapplyfunctionalprogrammingtodevelopclimatechangedataanalysisusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.29 (SESSIONB)SYNTHESISANDCHARACTERIZATIONOFSUBSTITUTEDTRANSITIONMETALOXIDES
CoryDavis&JanetHuntingDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Titanium(IV)oxide,TiO2,(rutilestructure)isastable,inexpensiveandnon-conductingcompound.TiO2wasmadeconductingbysubstitutingtungsten,molybdenum,niobiumasfirstdopants,andothertransitionmetalandrareearthcationsasseconddopantsinplaceofaportionofthetitaniumcations.Compoundsweresynthesizedusingchemicalvaportransportinsealed,evacuatedtubeswhichwereheatedto1100˚C.Manyofthesubstitutedoxideproductsmaintainedtherutilestructureandwereconducting.ThenewcompoundswerecharacterizedbypowderX-raydiffraction,X-rayfluorescenceandbyresistivitymeasurements.
30 (SESSIONB)FLUORESCENTSELF-HEALINGPOLYMERS
EthanCramer&MichaelHaafDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Currentresearchonself-healingpolymershasrangedfrombio-mimetichydrogelsforuseinmedicine,pioneeredbyDengetal.,toplastic-likepolymerswithindustrialuses.Recently,boronateestercross-linkedpolymershavebeenshowntoreassembleafterbreakinginarangeofpHfromneutraltoacidic.Here,weattempttosynthesizeapolymerwithself-healingproperties,aswellasnovelproperties,mainlyfluorescence.Thiswasachievedbycreatingorganometalliccomplexeswithanaromaticquinolineligand,containingareactivevinylgroup,andvariousmetalsandsemi-metalssuchas:aluminum,zinc,andboron;aswellasvariouspolymerizationmethodstocreatelinearandcross-linkedpolymers.Thesemolecules,whichfluoresceundervoltageorUV,havemanytheoreticalapplications.OLEDdisplaysareacommonexampleofthesefluorescentpolymers,whichwouldgreatlybenefitfromaself-healingcomponent.Inaddition,wewereabletosolvethecrystalstructureofthemonomerofonesuchpolymer,azinccomplex,byutilizingx-raydiffraction.Knowingtheexactarrangementofatomshasgiveninsightintothetruestructureofthepolymerswehavebeensynthesizing.Furtherresearchwillfocusoncontinuingtocharacterizetheseorganometallicself-healingpolymers,mainlydescribingtheirmacroscopicproperties.31 (SESSIONB)DYE-SENSITIZEDSOLARCELLS
KelseySavje&DomenickPalmieriDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Dye-sensitizedsolarcells(DSSCs)havebeenthesubjectofmuchresearchinrecentyears,astheemploymentofsolarenergyasameansofgeneratingelectricityhasdrawnincreasinginterest.Organicdyesareparticularlyattractive,asitiseasiertomodifythestructureoforganicmoleculescomparedtometal-baseddyes.Thisprojectexploresthesynthesisofconjugatedorganicmoleculesthatcontainsimilarstructuralmotifstodyesreportedtohavehighconversionefficiencies.Thefirststepinthesynthesisoftheinitialtargetdyewasthepreparationof4-butoxyiodobenzene.Thisreactionusedethanolasasolvent,whichisacceptedasagreenorganicsolvent.Thealkoxybenzenewasthenusedinacouplingreaction,inanattempttosynthesizeatriphenylaminederivativethatwouldserveasthedonorregionofthetargetdye.Thereisnoconclusiveevidencethatthetriphenylaminedonorhasbeenisolated,soalternativedonorregionsarebeingexplored.ThenewtargetsarebasedondatafromHarvardCleanEnergyProject,whichlistsmoleculesthathavedemonstratedhighenergyconversionbasedoncomputationalanalysis.
32 (SESSIONB)ACCESSINGDIYNESCONTAININGTHIOCYANATEANDTHIOPHENEEND-GROUPSENROUTETOWARDSPOLYDIACETYLENES
OskarSundberg&IireyelGittensDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Polydiacetylenes,PDAs,areafamilyofpolymersthatcanaccessawidevarietyofpropertiesbyattachingdifferentend-groups.AmongstthemostinterestingpropertiesisthechromaticcolorchangethatoccurswhenPDAsareexposedtocertainexternalstimuli.ThispropertyhascausedPDAstobefoundinmanysensoryassemblies,whichcanbeusefulinforexamplethefoodindustry.Althoughpolydiacetyleneshavebeenknownofsincethe1960s,thereislittleknownaboutthepossibleapplicationsarisingfromattachingdifferentend-groups.Thesynthesisofthiocyanate-andthiophene-cappeddiynesisinprogress,withtheultimategoalofaccessingpolydiacetyleneswiththeseend-groupsusingahost-gueststrategy.Boththiocyanateandthiopheneend-groupsareexpectedtoimpacttheelectronicpropertiesofthepolymerizedsystembecauseoftheresonance-stabilizationandelectroniceffectsofthesegroups.Effortstosynthesizethiocyanatoethyneand1,4-dithiocyanatobuta-1,3-diynehaveproducedpromisingresults,with13CNMRdatacontainingpeaksthatcorrespondwellwithpredictedspectra.Additionalcharacterizationisneededtoconfirmisolationofthisnoveldiyne.Thesynthesisof3,3-(1,3-butadiyne-1,4-diyl)bis[thiophene]wasalsoachieved;howeverinitialattemptstowardspolymerizationareinconclusive.33 (SESSIONB)BIOCHAR-ENHANCEDSLOWSANDFILTER
CarlosPerez&EmilyCarrilloDept.ofEngineering;Physics;Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
Arecentpaper,"EfficacyofbiochartoremoveEscherichiacoli(E-coli)fromstormwaterundersteadyandintermittentflow"(2014),hasidentifiedthattheuseof5%biocharinaSlowSandFilter(SSF)retainedupto3ordersofmagnitudeofE-coli.Inthisresearchprojectwecontinuedstudyingthemodel'sefficacybydesigningandbuildingmultiplefiltersthatwilltesttheefficiencyoftheadditionofbiochartoasandfilter.Thereasonusingbiocharistransformativeisbecauseitiseasilyaccessibleinunderdevelopedcountriesandcouldpotentiallyimprovesomeofthehealthissuesthesecommunitiesface.Basedonthephysicalpropertiesofbiocharwhenmixedwithwater,itisthoughtthatbiocharenhancesthesandtolatchtheE-coliandslowthemobilizationofbacteriumthroughthefilter.Wetestedtheefficacyofbiocharinslowsandfiltersbycomparingacontrolfilterwitha3%,5%,and10%biocharbyweightfiltersthatwerehomogenouslymixedwithsand.Currentlywearetestingthepossibilityofbacteriumproliferatinginthebiocharovertime,sinceourlatestresultsareshowingthatbacteriumissurvivingonthefilterevenafterweeksofnouse.
34 (SESSIONB)PHYSICALTHERAPYMONITORFORLOWEREXTREMITYINJURIES
MadisonTribuna,MarkParker,MattKidney,RaidAlmuhanna,RussellPierson&YazmeenShahin
SchoolofEngineering,RogerWilliamsUniversity,Bristol,RI,02809Whenaphysicaltherapisttreatsapatientwithalowerextremityinjury,aweightrestrictionontheinjuredextremityistypicallyimposedbythetreatingphysician.Theweightrestrictionisusuallysomefractionofthepatient'sbodyweight.Usingastandardbathroomscale,thetherapistmaytrainthepatienttotrytorecognizewhatthemaximumallowableloadfeelslike,withthehopesthattheywillavoidexceedingthisloadwhileinrecovery.Thistrainingtakesplaceforabriefamountoftimeatthetherapist'soffice,usuallyduringthefirstappointment.Whiletraininginthisfashionworksforsome,mostpeopledonotmastertheskill.Inthispaper,wedescribeworkcarriedouttodevelopaninstrumentedphysicaltherapybootthatmonitorstheloadplacedonalowerextremityandalertsthepatientwhenapredeterminedloadhasbeenexceeded.Theeffectivenessoftheinstrumentedbootwastestedusingahumansubjectstestprotocol.Theresultssuggestthatthebootdoesimproveoratleastaugmentsthesubject'sabilitytoavoidexceedingtheweightrestriction.35 (SESSIONB)CALLIPHORIDAELARVAEDEVELOPMENTFEEDINGONTISSUEEXPOSEDTOALCOHOLANDOVERTHECOUNTERMEDICINES
ErinN.McEwen&AliciaM.BrayDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
Calliphoridae(blowflies;Diptera)areshinyandmetallic,witholfactoryreceptorssensitivetothevolatilechemicalsemittedduringthedecayofbodytissue.Thisallowfemalestodetectandovipositeggsonacadaverwithinminutesofexpiration.Theirquickresponsetodecayingtissuemakesthemanexcellentresourcewhendeterminingthepostmorteminterval(PMI)ofabody.PMIisdeterminedbycollectingandtrackingthedevelopmentofblowflylarvaeastheyprogressthroughtheirdevelopmentalstages.Thetimeandspeedittakesforlarvaetocompletethesestagesiswelldocumented.However,thespeedoflarvalgrowthcanbealteredinthepresenceofillicitdrugssuchascocaineorheroinandthereforetheexpectedPMIisaltered.Lessresearchhasbeenperformedonlegaldrugsandnarcotics,suchasoverthecounter(OTC)medicineandalcohol.IntheUnitedStates,suiciderateshaveincreasedandOTCdrugsarethesecondmostcommonmethodinoverdosesuicides.LiverscontainingalcoholandvariousOTCdrugswereusedforlarvalconsumption.Thespeedofdevelopmentwastrackedandvariationstothestandarddevelopmentaltimesweredetermined.ThisinformationmaybeusedtoestimatemoreaccuratePMIforoverdosevictims.
36 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGALZHEIMER'SDISEASEPATHOLOGY:THEEFFECTSOFREDUCEDASTROCYTEBECLIN1ONRETROMERTRAFFICKINGANDRECEPTOR-MEDIATEDPHAGOCYTOSIS
YuberkiDelgadilloDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Alzheimer'sdisease(AD)isaneurologicaldiseasecharacterizedbytheaccumulationofamyloidplaqueswithinthebrain,resultinginneuronaldeathandmemoryloss.ADbrainsarealsoassociatedwithreducedlevelsofbeclin1,aproteininvolvedinautophagyandreceptortrafficking.Howreducedbeclin1mightaffectADprogressionisunclear.Astrocytesareanintriguingtarget,astheyarethemostabundantcellsinthebrainandarecapableofdegradingplaquesviaphagocytosis.UsingC6astrocytecells,wereducedbeclin1withanshRNAlentivirus.Reducingbeclin1impairedphagocytosisoflatexbeads.ThisappearstobemediatedbyreducedlevelsofVps34,abeclin1-associatedproteinkinasethatphosphylatesthemembranesurroundingphagocytosedmaterialfortherecruitmentofproteincomplexes.AssociatedwiththesechangesarediminishedlevelsofVps35,aproteinthatisrecruitedtophagosomesandisinvolvedinreceptorrecycling.Interestingly,levelsofSR-B1,aphagocyticscavengerreceptor,werediminishedwhenbeclin1wasreduced,indicatingtraffickingofthisreceptormightbeimpaired.Thesefindingssuggestalinkbetweentheproteinbeclin1,receptortrafficking,andreceptor-mediatedphagocytosis.Therefore,enhancingbeclin1inastrocytesmayprovideanovelapproachforthetreatmentofAD.37 (SESSIONB)DOESPRENATALSTRESSAFFECTPERSONALITYANDPHYSIOLOGYOFOFFSPRINGINSIBERIANDWARFHAMSTERS?
CaraHoefen&LeannKandaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Personalityisbasedonananimal'srepeatablebehaviorsandcanimpacttheirfitness.Personalityisinfluencedbydevelopmentalconditionspossiblyincludingprenatalmaternaleffects.InthisstudywestressedpregnantPhodopussungorusdamstotesttheeffectintheoffspringonbehaviorandfecalcorticosterone(themainstresshormoneinrodents).Westressedtwodamsinapassiverestrainttubefor8daysmid-gestation,threetimesadayfor30minutes.Therewerealsotwounstressedcontroldams.Offspringwereassayedinatunnelmazeforactivityandboldnessafterweaning,andthenagainat100daysold.Fecalsamplesweretakenfromoffspringatthesetimesandcollectedfromthemotherbeforeandafterstressing.FecalcorticosteronewasanalyzedusinganELISAkit.Itisexpectedthatthecorticosteronelevelswillbehigherinthestresseddamsandoffspring,andtheoffspringwillbelessactiveandboldcomparedtocontrol.Weexpecttheseeffectstoberetainedintoadulthood.Ourfindingswilldemonstratetheimportanceofprenatalmaternaleffectsonlong-termanimalpersonality.
38 (SESSIONB)ASOCIALBEHAVIORINZEBRAFISH
KyleHammondDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Varianceinsocialbehaviorhasbeenseeninmanyanimalspecies,andcanhaveaprofoundeffectontheirabilitytosurvive.Butisasocialbehaviorgenetic,orenvironmentallylearned?Andifitisgenetic,whatpartofthebraindictatesthesetraits?Toresearchthis,Iwillobservetheconsistencyofzebrafishsocialbehaviors,theheritabilityofthesebehaviors,andwhetherdifferentwildtypespeciesofzebrafishexhibithigherorlowerlevelsofsociabilitytoprovideuswithnewopportunitiesforfutureresearch.Inthelab,therearetwotypesofwildtypefish:TLandAB.IwillberaisingpopulationsofTL,TLAB,andAB.Iwillobservewhetheranyexhibitasocialbehavior,andwhetherthisbehaviorisconsistentovertime.Theresultsbetweenthewildtypeswillbeanalyzedforstatisticalsignificance,showingwhetheronehasahigherpropensityforasocialbehavior.Ifthetypesdoshowdifferentsociability,itwillprovideresearcherstheopportunitytoexaminethegeneticdifferencesbetweenthesetypesandlocatethegeneticcauseofpredispositiontoasocialbehavior.StrongasocialfeelingsarecommoninthosewithpersonalitydisorderssuchasAvoidantPersonalityDisorder,whichaffects2.4%ofAmericansandoftenincludescharacteristicslikeextremesocialisolationandfeelingsofinadequacy.Asocialityisalsoamajorsymptomofotherpersonalitydisorderssuchasschizophrenia,mooddisorderssuchasdepressionandsocialanxiety,andthosewithtraumaticbraininjury.Inmanyofthesecases,aperson'squalityoflifeisaffectedbytheseasocialfeelings.Ifweknewthegeneticcauseforthesetypesofdisorders,wecanhelpthesepeopleliveabetterlife.39 (SESSIONB)VITAMINDEFFECTSONPDTAPOPTOSISINMCF-7CELLS
BrittenyPurcellDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109
TheroleofthevitaminDsignalingpathwayinbreastcancerhasbeenheavilyinvestigatedsincethediscoveryofthevitaminDreceptor(VDR).Asdemonstratedbypreviousstudies,vitaminDreceptorligandscouldbeusedtherapeuticallyasapotentialtreatmentofcertainbreastcancersduetoitsabilitytoinhibitthegrowthofcancercells.PaststudieshavedeterminedthatvitaminDhasincreasedtheeffectsofanticancertreatmentsofavarietyofneoplasmsincludingprostate,breast,colorectalandskincancers.ThegoalofthestudywastouseMCF-7luminalbreastcancercellsasaninvitrostudytodeterminethepossiblesynergisticrelationshipbetweenvitaminDandphotodynamictherapy(PDT).InthestudyMCF-7cellsweretreatedwithvaryingdosesofthephotodynamicagent5-aminolevulinicacid(ALA)alongwithlowdosesofVitaminD.AfterALAandvitaminDincubation,cellswereexposedtoalightemittingdiode(LED).CellapoptosiswasdeterminedbyflowcytometryassessmentandEVOSimagingsystem.ThepresentstudydemonstratesthatvitaminDincreasesthetherapeuticeffectsofPDTandsupportsthehypothesisofapotentialsynergisticrelationshipbetweenthetwo.ThefindingsdemonstrateapotentialfutureroleofvitaminDandALAcombinationtherapiesforpatientswithluminalbreastcancer.
40 (SESSIONB)STUDYINGTHYROIDHORMONEFUNCTIONINPLANARIANS
RyanDonnellyBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06053Thyroidhormonesregulatedevelopmentandmetabolisminvertebrates.Non-vertebratebilaterians,suchasplanaria,alsoproducethyroidhormoneandhavethyroidreceptors.However,fewstudieshaveinvestigatedthyroidhormonefunctioninbilateriansingeneralandfewerstillinplanariaspecifically.Planarianflatwormsareofparticularinterestastheycanregenerateanypartoftheirbody.Afteramputationorinjuryneoblasts,theonlydividingcellsinthebody,increasetheircelldivisionrateandcontributetotheregenerationblastema.Theblastemaisanunpigmentedaccumulationofcellsfromwhichmuchoftheamputatedtissuesarereplaced.Weproposethatthyroidhormonesignalingmayaffectregenerationeitherbyregulatingthemetabolicrateoftheregeneratingplanariaorbyregulatingtissuepatterning.Totestthishypothesiswecutplanarianwormsintofragments,removingthehead.Afterallowinghealing,weadministerthyroidhormones(T3andT4)totheregeneratingtailfragments.Toassessratesofregenerationwemonitormorphologicalsignsofregenerationdaily.Morphologicalsignsinclude,theappearanceoftheblastema,eyespots,andthepharynx.Weexpectthathighconcentrationsofthyroidhormonemayaccelerateregenerationratesasindicatedbyearlierappearanceofthesestructures.41 (SESSIONB)MEASURINGAPOPTOSISINHELACERVICALCANCERCELLSANDCAL-27ORALCANCERCELLSAFTERTREATMENTWITHCURCUMINANDPHOTODYNAMICTHERAPY
ChristianDomin&RobertGreeneDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Incurrentresearch,HeLacellsandCAL-27areinducedtoundergoapoptosisaftertreatmentwithcurcumin,whichisderivedfromthespiceturmeric.Thisspicehasbeenusedasananti-oxidant,ananalgesic,andananti-inflammatorymedicineforcenturies.Recently,curcuminhasbeenshowntohaveanticancerpropertiesduetoitseffectonbiologicalpathwaysinvolvedincell-cycleregulation,oncogeneexpression,apoptosisandmetastasis.Curcumininhibitscellularsignalingpathwaysthathavekeyrolesincancerprogression1.TreatmentofHeLacervicalcancercellsandCAL-27oralcancercellswithincreasingconcentrationsofcurcuminshowedinductionofapoptosis.Whencombinedwithphotodynamictherapy,cytotoxicityagainstHeLabutnotCAL-27cellswasdemonstrated.Fluorescencemicroscopyandflowcytometrywereusedtodetermineapoptosis.Resultsshowedthatinductionofapoptosisandincreasingconcentrationsofcurcuminwerepositivelycorrelated,suggestingthatcurcumincouldimprovethetreatmentoforalcancer,andthatcombinedtreatmentwithcurcuminandphotodynamictherapycouldimprovethetreatmentofcervicalcancer.Geneticdatafrombothcelltypes
wasalsoobtained,showingchangesingeneexpressioninseveralgenesknowntobeinvolvedinapoptosis.42 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFTHEPSYCHOACTIVEDRUGCAFFEINEONTHEBEHAVIOROFZEBRAFISH(DANIORERIO
KevinLipton&BrianPalestisDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Caffeine,apsychoactive,plant-basedalkaloidisfoundinavarietyoffood,whichincludecoffeeandtealeaves.Caffeineactsasastimulantthathasthepotentialtocausedependencyifalargeamountisingested,andisanxiogenic(anxietycausing).Zebrafish(Daniorerio)isanidealmodelorganismforpharmacologicalstudiesandneurobehavioralstudies,duetothehomologyoftheirnervoussystemwiththatofthehumannervoussystem.Thisexperimentwasperformedtogainabetterunderstandingofthebehaviorofzebrafishwhenexposedtocaffeine.Thisstudytestedthebehaviorofadultzebrafishwithaconcentrationof0.00625%caffeine.Thebehaviorwasquantifiedbycountingthenumberoflineseachzebrafishcrossedonagridin30seconds,usingrecordedvideos.Outofallthefishthatweretested,therewasonlyonefishthatwasnotmobileanddidnotcrossasingleline,andthisfishwasintheexperimentalgroup.Therangeofthenumberoflinescrossedforthecontrolfishwasgreaterthantherangefortheexperimentalfish,butthemeannumberoflinescrossedbetweenthetwogroupsdidnotsignificantlydiffer(control:38.6;experimental:36.0).Thisstudy,aswellasothersimilarstudies,canincreaseknowledgeandunderstandingofhowanxiogenicsubstancesaffecthumans.43 (SESSIONB)POST-GLACIALEXPANSIONOFTHEBLACK-CLAWEDSCORPION,ANUROCTONUSPHAIODACTYLUS(WOOD,1863)
HaleyGrimason&AlexsisM.PowellDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Theblack-clawedscorpion,Anuroctonusphaiodactylus,isdistributedthroughouttheMojaveandGreatBasindesertsofthewesternUnitedStates.ThemorenorthernGreatBasinDesertwasnotdesert-likeduringPleistoceneglacialperiods,whereasmuchoftheMojaveDesertremainedwarmanddry.ThisleadstothequestionofwhetherdesertscorpionslikeA.phaiodactyluspersistedintheGreatBasinduringthecoolerandwetterglacials,orrecentlycolonizedtheareafromdesertrefugiaintheMojaveasclimateswarmedduringtheHolocene.Phylogeographictheorystatesthatareasthathavebeenrecentlycolonizedbydispersal-limitedtaxalikescorpionsshouldbelessgeneticallydiversethanpopulationthathaveremainedstable.WecollectedA.phaiodactylusfromthroughoutthespecies'rangeandextracted,amplified,andsequencedmitochondrialDNA(COI)fromlegtissues.PhylogeographicanalysesoftheDNAdataindicatethatA.phaiodactyluspopulationsaremuchmorediverseintheMojaveDesert,consistentwithourhypothesisofrecentnorthwardexpansionintheGreatBasin.Thisresultiscontraryto
patternsfromco-occurringvertebratetaxa,suggestingthattheGreatBasindesertharborsaremarkablyyoungdesertfauna.44 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFCHEMICALEXPOSUREONTADPOLEBEHAVIORANDPERSONALITY
CassidyStranzlDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Repeatabilityofbehaviorswithinindividualsisthoughttobeindicativeofbasicanimal"personality",arelativelyunderstudiedfieldespeciallyinamphibianspecies.Itestedwhether"personalities"inindividualbullfrogtadpolescouldbemeasurable,andiftheserepeatablebehaviorscouldbeaffectedbypreviousexposuretoacarbamateinsecticideandaneco-friendlieralternative(lemongrassoil).Imeasuredactivitylevelsandextentofexplorationbyquantifyingmovementsfrom15minutevideotrials.Tadpoleswereobservedintheirfamiliar"home"laboratoryenvironment,andtheninanew"novel"environmentonconsecutivedays.Wefoundthattadpolesmayexhibitevidenceof"personality"andthatcarbamateinsecticidescauseanincreaseinbothactivityandexplorationbehaviors.Thesefindingscouldsuggestitisimportanttoconsiderindividual"personalities"whenevaluatingtheeffectsofenvironmentalpollutantsonlarvalamphibians.Mystudyisamongthefirsttoexaminetheeffectofchemicalexposureonindividualamphibianbehavioraltypes.45 (SESSIONB)TURNTAKINGDURINGWHITE-HANDEDGIBBON(HYLOBATESLAR)SONGDUETS
StephanieGiblin,AlexandriaMesropyan&ThomasTerlephDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
GibbonsareAsianapesthatproduceelaboratevocalizations(songs),oftenasmale/femaleduetsbymatedpairs.Duetsfunctioninterritorialdefense,andmayadvertisepairbonds.White-handedgibbon(Hylobateslar)duetsincludeturn-taking:themalerefrainsfromcallingduringamate's'greatcall'phrase,andtypicallyrepliesfollowingit,withhis'coda'phrase.Recentevidencesuggeststhat,althoughthevocalizationsofnonhumanapesarelargelyunlearned,inthesetypesofvocalexchangesgibbonsmaylearntoadjustthetimingoftheirsongoutput.Sincefemalegreatcallsshowbetween-individualdifferencesinduration,wepredictedthattheirmateswouldlearntoadjustsongtoherspecificgreatcall.Wequantifiedthelengthoffemalegreatcalls,andtheonsetofmalecodaresponsestothem,fromfieldrecordingsofalargepopulation(n=18)ofwildgibbonsfromKhaoYaiNationalPark,Thailand.Resultssuggestthatamalemayflexiblyadjusthissingingtothatofalong-termmate.
46 (SESSIONB)IMAGECLASSIFICATIONDATASETANDAPIDESIGNFORSVMEXPERIMENTATION
JustinBodnar,SimonChu,SofyaChepustanova&AnthonyKapolkaDept.ofMathandComputerScience,WilkesUniversity,Wilkes-Barre,PA,18766
TosupportteachingComputerSciencestudentsmachinelearning,twothousandjpegphotographswereobtainedfromaveterinarian'selectronicmedicalrecord.Animalsvisitingaveterinaryofficeareoftendistressed,sothisdatasetdiffersfromthosetypicallycomposedofownerselected,internetpostings.Imageswereanonymized,eachanimal'sfacewashandlocated,andtheimagesweretaggedusing144distinctlabels.AnAPIwaswritteninPythontoallowstudentseasyaccesstothetagsandtofacilitatemanipulationoftheimages.ThedatasetandAPIwerethenusedasamachinelearninglabassignmentinanundergraduateArtificialIntelligencecourse.StudentsusedaSupportVectorMachine(SVM)toclassifydatasetimagesatthreeresolutionsovermultiplecolorspaces.Resultswereobtainedidentifyingcats,animalswithblacknoses,andthosewithfloppyears.47 (SESSIONB)MINDFULNESS:RELATIONSHIPSWITHIMPULSIVITY,ANXIETYSENSITIVITYANDINTEROCEPTIVEAWARENESS
AmyPildner,DevonBaris&JessicaCollinsDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Thecurrentstudyexploredtherelationshipbetweenmindfulness,anxietysensitivity,impulsivity,andinteroceptiveawareness.Mindfulnesshasbeendefinedasnon-judgmental,presentmomentawarenessandhasbeenassociatedwithmanypositivementalhealthoutcomes.Thestudyexpandsonpreviousresearchontherelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandthethreeconstructs.Asampleof191collegeageparticipantscompletedtheonlinestudyandtheresultsdemonstratedrobustrelationshipsbetweenthevariables,includinganegativerelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandanxietysensitivityaswellasimpulsivityandtwoofitssubscales.Additionally,resultsrevealedapositiverelationshipbetweenmindfulnessandinteroceptiveawareness.Theimplicationsoftheserelationshipsarediscussed.48 (SESSIONB)TVIS"TOTESCRAY":MISLEADINGANDDEROGATORYPORTRAYALSOFMENTALILLNESSONTELEVISION
NiaKerr&JuliaFitzgeraldDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Previousstudieshaveexaminedtheimpacttelevisionhasonbeliefsandattitudesofviewersregardingmentalillness.Thecurrentstudyrepresentsacontentanalysisof689televisionshows,including14differentprogramtypes(7fiction,7nonfiction)thatwerevideotapedbetween2011-2016fortheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)archiveatIthacaCollege.Morethan60%oftheprogramscontainedoneormorementalillnessincidentsorlanguage,includingawiderangeofeuphemismsformental
illness(e.g.,"crazy,""nut-job,""whacko,""totescray")thatwereappliedtohumanandnon-humancharactersaswellastosituationsandobjects.Thisanalysisexploreshoweuphemismscanreinforcederogatoryperceptionsofmentalillness,andtocomparethe"world"ofmentalillnessontelevisionwithstatisticsaboutmentalillnessintherealworld(e.g.,thefrequencyandtypesofdifferentmentalillnesses,thedemographicsofthosediagnosedwithmentalillnesses).Resultsshowedahighincidenceofderogatoryeuphemisms(especiallyonsitcoms,children'sandteenshows)frequentlyportrayedinahumorousandnegativecontext.Televisionalsoportraysmentalillnessverygenerally,andunderrepresentschildren,teens,olderadults,andpeopleofcolorwithmentalillness,includingaddiction.49 (SESSIONB)EFFECTOFSINGLESEXSCHOOLSONGENDERSTEREOTYPING
BrigidN.Treverton,CheyenneM.Loveland&DonnaFisher-ThompsonDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109
ManyhighschoolstudentsthroughouttheUnitedStatesattendsingle-sexprivateorpublichighschools.Whilerecentresearchhasbeguntoquestionwhetherstudentsattendingtheseschoolsshowhigherlevelsofacademicachievementandlessstereotypicalcareerpaths,therearealsoconflictingreportsonwhetherstudentsattendingthemendorsegenderstereotypesmorestronglythanstudentsattendingco-educationalhighschools.Moststudiesassessinggenderstereotypeshaveonlyinterviewedstudentsaboutmathematics,science,andverbalperformance.Wequestionwhethercollegestudentsholddifferentattitudesaboutthebehaviors,personalitytraits,andcognitiveskillsofmenandwomendependentonthetypeofhighschooltheyattended.Thus,collegestudentswillbeaskedtocompleteasurveytoassessgenderstereotyping.Halfwillbeaskedtorate"atypicalmalecollegestudent"andtheotherhalfwillratea"typicalfemalecollegestudent."Studentswillalsobeaskedabouttheircollegemajorandwhethertheyattendedacoeducationalorsame-sexhighschooltodeterminewhetherthetypeofschooltheyattendedinfluencedtheirdecisionofcollegemajor.Basedonpastresearch,wehypothesizethatstudentswhoattendedsingle-sexschoolswouldhavehigherscoresonthegenderstereotypingscale.50 (SESSIONB)VISUALACUITYINGOLDFISH
BrianM.McGuire,SaraVogel&DonnaFisher-ThompsonDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Ourpresentationsummarizesanexperimentalstudyusingoperantconditioningtotestvisualacuityingoldfish(Carassiusauratus).Twocalicofantailgoldfishwereconditionedtolookthroughportholesattheendofthetank.Thefishcouldseeblackandwhitestripespositionedatadistanceof20cmfromtheportholes.Stimuluscardsvariedfrom3to55black-whitepairs(i.e.,3to55cycles)per11cm.Thefishwereinitiallyshapedtobitestimuluscardswith3or4cyclesbyrewardingthefishwithfoodforbitingtheportholedisplayingstripesratherthanacontrolstimulus(123cycles).Testingbeganoncefish
reachedan80%criterion.Fishwerepresentedwithvarious5to7stimuluscardsoneachdayofthe28testingdays,20trialsperday.Bothfishweresuccessful,reachingaminimumof70%accuracy,onstimuluscardswith18orfewercycles(comparableto20/1025onaSnellenscale).Oneadditionalcalicofantailfishandthreeblackmoorsarebeingtrainedwiththeeventualgoaltocomparethevisualacuityoftheblackmoorsthatwereartificiallyselectedtohaveenlargedtelescopiceyeswiththefantailfishthathaveunalteredeyes.51 (SESSIONB)DOESALINEUPMAKEADIFFERENCEINDEFENDANT-CULPRITMATCHING?
AmandaGarry,AlizeRosado&ZacharyGlowackiDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
CCTVsurveillancecamerashavebecomeincreasinglyprevalent.Whenaskedtoidentifyculpritsinvideos,peopletendtobelessaccuratethanexpected.Inthecurrentstudy,participantswereshowneightdifferentvideosofrealcrimesandwereaskedtoidentifywhotheybelievedwastheculpritbasedonvideoevidence.Participantswereeithergivena"fillercontrol"testcomposedof5mugshotswheretheguiltyorinnocentdefendantwaspresentamongfourfillers,ora"same/different"testwithonemugshotofeithertheguiltyorinnocentdefendant.Theguiltydefendantwaspresent50%ofthetime.Thepurposeofthefillercontrolistohelptheparticipantsrelyonevidenceratherthanpossibleoutsidebiaseswhichoftenoccurbyseeingonlyonedefendant(same/differentcontrol).Weincludedconditionswherethevideoresolutionwaseitherhighorlowandiftheculpritworeadisguiseornot.Ourstudyshowedthatparticipantspresentedwiththefillercontrollineupweremoreaccurateincorrectlyidentifyingthedefendant.Invideoconditionswithlowresolutionorwhenadisguisewaspresent,participantsfrombothgroupsperformedequally,indicatingthathighresolutionvideosaremoreaccurateforidentifyingacriminal.52 (SESSIONB)ENVIRONMENTALEFFECTSONSTRESS-MANIFESTATIONS,BEHAVIOR,ANDWORKINGMEMORYINFEMALELONGEVANSRATS
MadelynJanePierceNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118
Thisstudyinvestigatedthecorrelationsthatenvironmenthadwithphysicalmanifestationsofstress,behavior,andworkingmemoryin18femaleLong-Evansrats.Onegroupofratswasexposedtopositive-associatedpicturestapedtotheircages(PE),whileanothergroupwaspresentedwithnegative-associatedpictures(NE),andafinalgroupwasexposedtoblankwhitepaper(C).GroupPEandhalfofgroupCwereplacedinoneroomandgroupNEandtherestofgroupCwereplacedinanotherroom.Dailyrecordsoffoodconsumption,waterconsumption,behavior,andactivitywerecollected.Bodyweight,andMorrisWaterMazetimeswererecordedeveryotherdayinarotatingcyclebetweenrooms.Attheendoftheexperiment,adrenalglandweightswererecorded.ThereweresignificantdifferencesbetweengroupsNEandCandNEandPEforadrenalglandweightsandgroupsNEandPEforbehavior.Resultsindicatedthatthenegativeenvironmentinfluencedstressand
behaviorinfemaleLong-Evansrats.Neitherthepositivenorthenegativeenvironmentinfluencedworkingmemory.53 (SESSIONB)GO!ANEVALUATIONOFAONE-TO-ONETUTORINGPROGRAM
CaraSchanbacher,GretaO'Hara,ChristinaCarden&MelanieMalcomsonDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Manycommunitiesoffertutoringprogramstohelpacademicallystrugglingstudentssucceedinschool.Researchindicatespositiveimpactsofone-to-onetutoringinacademicandnon-academicskillsforstudents.Childrencanbenefitfromhavingacommittedadultintheirlifeasitisfoundtocreateameaningfulmentoringconnection.However,researchfindingsontheeffectoftutoringonacademicperformancevariesandcomparativestudiesareuncommon.Weconductedaprogramevaluationofatutoringprogramofferedtostudentsingrades2-8.Thisprogramprovidesone-to-onetutoringtostudentsatriskforacademicfailure.Tutorsarevolunteerretiredteachers.DataincludedNYSMathandEnglishLanguageArts(ELA)testscoresandmathandreadingassessmentscoresfortutoredstudentsandacomparisongroup,andqualitativedatafromsurveysfromteachers,parentsandtutorsofthesestudents.Resultsshowthatstudentsinthetutoringprogramweremorelikelytoincreaseormaintaintheirscoresovertimethanthecomparisongroup,howeverthedifferencewasnotstatisticallysignificant.Qualitativeanalysesrevealedthatteachers,parentsandtutorsfelttheprogrammadeapositiveimpactinthestudents'socioemotionaldevelopmentandschoolrelatedattitudes,aswellasimprovementsinacademicareas.54 (SESSIONB)INTERMITTENTSTRESSDOESNOTIMPACTINTERMITTENTETHANOLINTAKEACROSSTHEADOLESCENTTOADULTTRANSITIONINMALEANDFEMALESPRAGUE-DAWLEYRATS
GrantM.Brighter,JackC.Lewis,MadisonN.Sluter&TamaraL.FitzwaterDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Adolescenceisadevelopmentalperiodcharacterizedbyincreasedalcoholconsumption.Giventhecomplexinteractionobservedbetweenstressandalcohol,thecurrentstudyexaminedtherelationshipbetweenintermittentstressandethanoldrinkinginananimalmodelofadolescence.Adolescent[postnatalday(P)302]maleandfemaleSprague-Dawleyratsweregivenfree-accesstoa2-bottlechoicebetweenwaterandsweetenedethanoleveryMonday,Wednesday,andFridayforatotalof17exposures.Controlgroupshada2-bottlechoicebetweenwaterandthesweetsolutionwithoutethanol.Additionally,halfoftheratsreceivedintermittentexposureto1hofrestraintstressonnon-drinkingdays(i.e.,TuesdaysandThursdaysafterbottleremoval).Thus,ethanolconsumptiondayswereinterleavedwithstressexposure.Drinkingdatarevealedmoderateinitiallevelsofethanolintake(~6-7g/kg),whichremainedstableforthefirsthalfoftheexperimentandthensignificantlydeclined(~4g/kg).Unexpectedly,intermittentstressexposuredidnotsignificantlyimpactethanoldrinkinginmalesorfemales,andnosignificantsexdifferences
inconsumptionwereobserved.Together,thesedatasuggestthattheIA2BCparadigminducedmoderatelevelsofethanolintakeinadolescentrats,butthatethanolintakeundertheseconditionswasnotresponsivetomildintermittentstress.55 (SESSIONB)MALLEABILITY,CONTROLLABILITYANDTHESELF-CONSCIOUSEMOTIONSINAHEALTHCONTEXT
EvaA.Garcia-FerresDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Shameandguiltaretwoself-directedemotionsthatariseinresponsetonegativeevaluationsofpersonalfailures.Whileshametendstoemphasizetraitsascausalfactorsofapersonalfailure,guiltfocusesonpersonalbehaviors(Lewis,1971).Thisdistinctionisduetodifferentframeworksforunderstandingthefailureathand.Whiletheself-consciousemotionsreflectaffectiveresponsestowaysofunderstandingpersonalfailure,constructssuchasImplicitTheoriesandLocusofControlassessspecificbeliefsaboutmalleabilityandcontrollabilityofdomainssuchasintelligence.Thepresentstudyinvestigatedthewaycertainframeworksforunderstandingpersonalhealthsetbacksrelatetoemotion.Participants(N=253)completedmeasuresofimplicittheoriesofhealth,healthlocusofcontrolandhealth-relatedshameandguilt.Theresultsindicatedthatalthoughshameandguiltwerehighlycorrelated,theypresenteddistinctrelationshipswiththeotherconstructs.Individualswhobelievedtheirhealthwasfixedandpersonallyuncontrollableweremorelikelytoexperienceshame,butnotguilt,thanthosewhobelievedhealthwasmalleableandpersonallycontrollable.Furtherexaminationofthesubscalesrevealedthatindividualsassuminganactiveroleintheirhealthwerelesslikelytoexperienceshame.56 (SESSIONB)NOVELFERTILIZERAPPLICATIONTOIMPROVEHEALTHOFGREENHOUSEPLANTS
AshleyVaselDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
Thisstudyexploredpestcontrolinrelationtothechallenginggreenhouseagriculturalenvironmentsitcanface.Aphidsaresmallsapsuckinginsectsthatdestroyplantsintemperateregions,aswellasgreenhouses,provingthemselvestobeaseriouspestforagriculture,forestry,andgardeners.Theycanrapidlyreproducethroughasexualreproductionresultinginaplanttoexpendmostofitsenergyindefenseratherthanfruitproduction.Overtime,manypopulationsofaphidshavedevelopedaresistancetopesticidestherefore,organic,naturalimprovementofplanthealthwillservetobefavorable.Throughtheuseoforganicmaterialsinvaryingpottingsoils,thisexperimentwilltesttoseeifthereisasoiltreatmentthatcanincreasetheplantsabilitytofightthesepeststhroughitsowndefenses.
57 (SESSIONB)POLLENANALYSISOFSCAEVOLAPLUMIERIANDSCAEVOLATACCADAINPUERTORICO
AbbyWine,SophiaPitti-Daly,AdrianaDelGrosso,SusanWitherup&PeterMelcherDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
OurresearchfocusesonunderstandingthepotentialimpactsoftheinvasiveScaevolataccadaonthenativeScaevolaplumieriinPuertoRico.Thelargerinvasivespecies(300-400flowers)mayimpactsmallernativespecies(10-15flowers)byaffectingthebehaviorofpollinators.Thisstudyassessedwhethertheinvasiveplantattractsthesamepollinatorsthatvisitthenativeplant.Weapproachedthisquestionbyfirstcharacterizingthepollengrainsfromeachplantspecies.WefoundthatpollengrainsfromS.taccadawerelarger(~39.05m)thanthoseofS.plumieri(~33.13m)butwereotherwisesimilarmorphologically.Apreliminaryanalysisofpollenwasconductedfromopen-pollinatedflowerscollectedin2017fromS.taccada(n=2)andS.plumieri(n=3)thatrevealedthatS.taccadapollenwaspresentinflowersofS.plumieri,butnotthereverse.ThepresenceofS.taccadapollenonS.plumieriflowerssuggeststhatthesespeciessharesomepollinators.WewereunabletofindanyS.taccadaflowersthatcontainedS.plumieripollen.Additionalanalysesofopen-pollinatedflowerscollectedin2015and2016mayrevealS.plumieripollenontheinvasivespecieswhichwillprovidesupportforourpreliminaryconclusionthatthesespeciessharepollinators.58 (SESSIONB)ESTABLISHINGANEFFICIENTANDEFFECTIVESAMPLINGPROTOCOLFORTHEMUDPUPPYSALAMANDER
SamuelPallisDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,CT,06226
TheCommonMudpuppy,Necturusmaculosus(Family:Proteidae),isafully-aquaticsalamanderfoundthroughoutCanadaandintothenortheasternandmidwesternUnitedStates.Mudpuppypopulationshavedeclinedthroughouttheirentiregeographicrange.Awidearrayofsamplingtechniquesrangingfromhandnettingtoelectroshockinghavebeenusedtosamplepopulations;however,noconsistentsamplingprotocolhasbeenestablished.Thisexperimentalstudywillcomparetwocollectiontechniques,activesearchingandbaitedtrapping,selectedfromtheprimaryliteratureduetotheirreportedeffectiveness,lowexpense,andhighfeasibility.PopulationsamplingwillbeconductedintheConnecticutRiverandassociateddrainages.ActivesearchinginvolvesflippingrocksandseinenettingwhilebaitedtrappingemploysmeshtrapsoriginallydescribedbyFosteretal.(2008)andmodifiedbyBriggleretal.(2013)andMurphyetal.(2016).Theeffectivenessandefficiencyofbaitedtrappingversusactivenettingwillbecomparedbydeterminingcaptureratesandassessingcapturedemographicsofsalamanders.Baitedtrappingisexpectedtobemoreefficientthanactivesearchingduetotheecologyofthestudyspeciesandbecause20baitedtrapscanbedeployedfor24hoursinonly3-4efforthours,whileactivesearchingislimitedbythenumberofcollectors.
59 (SESSIONB)BLOCKISLAND,HORSESHOECRABPARADISE?
ChristinaCerreta&AmandaBeecherDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
LongIslandSoundisanurbanestuarythathasbeendominatedbyhumanactivity.CountsofjuvenilehorseshoecrabsonbeachesinConnecticuthaveshownthatsurvivalisloworabsentonhalfofthebeachessurveyed.Also,juvenilesinolder(largersize>5cm)classeswereabsent.OnBlockIsland,isolatedinBlockIslandSoundoffthecoastofRhodeIsland,thebeacheshavelesspollutionandthedensityofpeopleislowerthanCTbeaches.Juvenilehorseshoecrabswereabundantandwefoundnumerousindividualsacrossmostsizeclasses.Juvenilehorseshoecrabsfeedonavarietyofbenthicinvertebratesincludingsegmentedwormsandsmallbivalves.Sedimentcoresamplesweretakenfrom10beachesinCTandtwositesonBlockIslandtocomparethedifferencesinbenthicfaunadiversityanddensitybetweenthesetwoareas.ThiswillhelpdetermineiffoodavailabilitymaybeoneofthefactorsleadingtothedeclineofjuvenilesfoundonCTbeaches.Wefoundthatindeed,benthicinvertebratediversityanddensityisimportantforhorseshoecrabgrowthandsurvivalandthatthecleanerbeachesofBlockIslandprovideabetterhabitat.60 (SESSIONB)PATTERNSOFAMPHIPODFEEDINGANDPHENOLICCONTENTINAPICALANDMIDDLEPORTIONSOFINVASIVEMYRIOPHYLLUMSPICATUMANDNATIVECERATOPHYLLUMDEMERSUM
MeghanKebalkaDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
Althoughthefactorsleadingtosuccessfulsubmergedplantinvasionsarepoorlyunderstood,highlevelsofchemicalfeedingdeterrentsininvasiveplantspeciesmaybepartlyresponsible.However,chemicaldeterrentsarenotalwaysuniformlydistributedwithinplanttissues,andlittleisknownabouthowthatmayaffectherbivorefeedingpatternsinaquaticandmarinesystems.ToexaminethedistributionofphenolicswithinthetissuesofinvasiveMyriophyllumspicatumandnativeCeratophyllumdemersum,2-cmfragmentsweretakenfromtheapexandmiddleportionsof10individualsofeachspecies.Analysisoftotalphenoliccontentinthesetissuesiscurrentlyunderway.PreviousworkshowedthatphenoliccontentinwholeM.spicatumplantsis2-3timeshigherthaninC.demersum.Ano-choicefeedingexperimentshowedthatamphipods,thedominantherbivoreatourstudysite,consumedsignificantlymoremiddlethanapicalC.demersumtissueandateverylittleM.spicatum.Achoicefeedingexperimentconfirmedthatamphipodspreferredthelow-phenolicnativeC.demersumtothephenolic-richinvasiveM.spicatum.WeexpectthatapicalportionsofC.demersumwillcontainmorephenolicsthanmiddlesegments,whichmayallowC.demersumtodivertgrazingawayfrommeristematictissuecriticalforregrowth.
61 (SESSIONB)WATERYOULOOKINGAT?LANDUSEANDWATERQUALITYONTHEDINGLEPENINSULA
ElizabethBouchard&JennaRondeauDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
MorethanhalfofthepopulationoftheUnitedStateseitherliveswithinthecoastalzone.Coastalzonessupportadiversearrayofindustries(aquaculture,tourism,shipping),recreation,anddesirablespaceforurbandevelopment,whichprovideenormouseconomicproductivity.However,humanactivitiessuchaswastewatereffluent,runoff,sedimentation,andhabitatdestructionthroughinfillingwaterfrontdevelopment,reducewaterqualityincoastalecosystems.Sustainabledevelopmentofcoastalsystemsreliesonunderstandingthecomplexcoupleddynamicsbetweennaturalandhumansystems.Weconductedanenvironmentalassessmentoftwodivergentcoastalwatersheds(DingleandBallyferriter)ontheDinglePeninsulainIrelandtodetermineifandhowlanduseinfluenceswaterquality.InteractivesupervisedclassificationswereperformedonbothwatershedsusingArcGIS.Waterqualityparameters(DO,nitrates,phosphates,conductivity)wereassessedoverthepastfouryearsprimarilyduringsummermonthsinbothwatershedsaspartofalongtermresearchproject.Analysesindicateyearlyandseasonaldifferencesbetweenwatershedswithrespecttonitrateandphosphateload.Ingeneral,nutrientconcentrationswerehigherinDinglethaninBallyferriter.Weexaminethesedifferenceswithrespecttolanduseacrossbothwatershedsanddiscussnutrientdynamicswithinthecontextofthedynamicsanddiversityofcoastalhabitats.62 (SESSIONB)DIGESTIONOFMICROPLASTICSWITHTHEUSEOFNILEREDSTAINING
JuliaKeeneDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
ThisexperimentisresearchingmicroplasticsandthemostefficientwaytodetectthemincurrentsamplesfromCayugaLake,Ithaca,NY.Iftherearemicroplasticsembeddedinthesamples,thenIwillbeabletomakethemfluoresceusingNileReddyeandcolortechniques.Thishasbeenshowninpreviousresearchonthedigestionofmicroplasticswiththeuseofnilereddyedilutedwithn-hexane,orahexaneisomermixtureasthebaseofthedigestion(Shimetal.,2016).CurrentsampleshavebeencollectedfromvariouslocationsonCayugaLake,sieveddownto350micronstoseparateanyorganicmatter,driedusingavacuumfilterfortenminutes,andthengothroughdigestion.Severaldigestionprocesseshavebeenused,inShim'sresearchpaper,itsuggestedusingN-Hexane,andsinceusingitIhaveattemptedseveralotherdigestiondilutionswithNileRedincluding:methane,andhydrogenperoxide.Oncethesampleshavefinisheddigestionandarestained,thenextmethodtofollowissettingupthedissectingscopetodetectfluorescence.ThisisdonewiththeuseofablueLEDandplasticopticalfilterstoadjustwavelength.Alldigestionmethodshaveledtothefluorescingofmicroplasticsinthesamples.
63 (SESSIONB)CAREFULWHATYOUCLEAN:THETHREATOFMICROFIBERPOLLUTIONDUETOTEXTILEWEATHERING
BriannaMatthews&OscarMayerDept.ofEnvironmentalStudiesandSciences,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Ourmodernsocietyheavilyreliesontheuseofplasticmaterials,however,theconsequencesofcontinuedplasticuseareonlyrecentlybeingexplored.Microplasticsarebeingidentifiedinthroughoutwatersystemsinhuman-developedareas,posingamassiverisktotheenvironmentandpublichealth.Amajorsourceofmicroplasticsisclothing,specificallyapparelcomposedofsyntheticfabrics.Aswewashsyntheticfabrics,smallstrandsofplastic,calledmicrofibers,arereleasedfromthematerial.Thisprocessintroducesthesefibersdirectlyintotothewatersystem.Ourresearchteamhassetouttodeterminetheamountofmicrofibersreleasedfromwashingvarioustypesofsyntheticclothing.Bycollectingsamplesdirectlyfromwashingmachineaffluent,weareabletoanalyzehowmanymicrofibersarereleasedundercertainconditions.Inadditiontothemanysampleswecollect,wehavebeendirectlycomparingthereleaseofmicrofibersfromanoldpieceoffabrictoacompletelynewpieceoffabric,andcomparingtheamountoffibersreleasedfromloosely-knitsyntheticfleecestotightly-knitathleticapparel.Syntheticmicrofibersposeagreatrisktotheenvironmentandpublichealthandthroughthisproject,wewanttofurtherconversationandbringmicrofiberpollutionintothepublicawareness.64 (SESSIONB)OXYGENUPTAKEANDSPECTROSCOPICANALYSISOFFERROXIDASEACTIVITYBYFET3P
MatthewMichienzi,ElaineMilitello&ChristopherS.StojDept.ofBiochemistryChemistryandPhysics,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109
Ironmetabolismineukaryotesinvolvescarefulredoxcyclingbetweenbioactive,yetpro-oxidantFe(II)andbio-unavailable,yetredoxstableFe(III).Themechanismsbywhichbiologicalsystemsmodulatetheredoxstatusofironarecentraltoacreatingacomprehensiveviewofmetallobiochemistryandtheroleofthisessentialbiologicalcofactor.Akeyplayerinthemanagementofironredoxstatusareaclassofenzymescalledthemulticopperoxidases(MCOs).ThoseMCOswhodemonstratespecificitytowardsFe(II)arefurtherclassifiedasferroxidases,whichcoupletheoxidationofirontothereductionofmolecularoxygen.ThisstudyextendsthestructuralandfunctionalcharacterizationoftheferroxidaseFet3pfromSaccharomycescerevisiae(Baker'sYeast).ThepHdependenceofenzymaticcatalysisforFe(II)byFet3phasbeenexaminedincomparisonto,andincompetitionwith,variousironchelatorstoprobethenatureofFet3pFe(II)bindingandsubsequentoxidationtoFe(III).Oxygenuptakeexperimentshavefocusedonanironchelator4-(2-Thiazolylazo)resorcinol(TAR)whichhasbeenrecentlyshowntoexhibituniqueUV-Visspectralchangesinresponsetotheredoxstatusofiron.WearecurrentlyinvestigatingthespectroscopicfeaturesofTARforuseinacontinuousassayofferroxidaseactivitybyFet3p.
65 (SESSIONB)INFRAREDTHERMOGRAPHYAPPLIEDTOTHESTUDYOFENZYMEKINETICS
KaitlynCrobar&AndrewT.TorelliDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Enzymekineticsisafundamentalareaofstudyinbiochemistrythatinvolvesmonitoringtheratesofcatalyzedchemicalreactions,oftenbyspectrophotometricdetectionofchangesinproductorsubstrateconcentrations.Analternativestrategyfortrackingreactionratesinvolvesmonitoringtheevolutionofheatfromtheenzyme-catalyzedreactions.Thetotalheatofreactioncanthenbeusedtocalculatethemolesofproductformedbytakingintoaccountthemolarenthalpychangeforthereaction.Thisapproach,aformofenthalpimetricanalysis,offerssomeadvantagesbyavoidingrelianceonchromophoresspecifictothereactionbeingstudied,orsensitivitytointerferenceinmixedsamplesarisingfromthesimultaneouspresenceofundesirablechromophoresormultipleproteinspecies.Suchmethodologiesweredevelopedover50yearsagousingnear-adiabaticinstrumentationtoquantifythetotalheatchange.Morerecently,infraredimagingtechnologiessuchasthe$200FLIRONEhavebecomeavailable,whichopenspossibleapplicationsforanalysisofenzymekinetics.Wereportinitialstudiesbasedoninfraredthermographicimagingofanenzyme-catalyzedreactionyieldingsemi-quantitativeresultsusingasimpleexperimentalsetup.ExploitingtheuniqueaffordancesofIRimagingincludingaccelerateddatacollectionandrich,intuitivevisualfeedbackofthereactionmayprovesuitableforapplicationsofthisapproachinabiochemistryeducationsetting.66 (SESSIONB)FLUORESCENCESPECTROSCOPYTOEXPLOREMOTIONWITHINDNABINDINGDOMAINS
NatalieA.George&JamieP.EllisDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
TranscriptionofDNAisregulatedbybindingoftranscriptionfactorstospecificDNAsequences.Theauxinresponsefactor(ARF)familyisasetoftranscriptionactivatorsandrepressorsfoundinmanycrops.AllARFscontainanN-terminalDNAbindingdomain(DBD)thatincludesaB3DNAbindingmotifandadimerizationsubdomain.TheinterplayofthesesubdomainsmayexplaintheselectivityinbindingtoDNA,butmotionwithinthisdomainispoorlyunderstood.WecomparetheDBDsofARF1andARF5asARF5ismorepermissivetoalargerspacingbetweenbindingsitesonDNAsuggestingahigherflexibility.Fluorescencespectroscopyresolvessubdomainmotionsandbindingeventsthatoccuronthesametimescaleasthefluorescentlifetimes(~ns).Wetestedtheexpressionandpurificationoftheproteinthencomparedthiol-reactivefluorophorereactionstoanewN-terminalconjugationmethodinordertoapplyasmallexogenousfluorophoretomultiplespecificsites.FluorescenceanisotropyissensitivetochangesinrotationalcorrelationtimestodirectlyobservesubdomainmotionsinthepresenceandabsenceofDNA.Differencesintheavailablestructuralensemblemayexplainthestructuralbasisoftargetspecificityaswellastheinterplayofthesetranscriptionalon-andoff-switches.
67 (SESSIONB)ANNOTATIONOFSCHIZOPHYLLUMCOMMUNEMATING-TYPELOCIREVEALSDISTINCTPATTERNSOFSEQUENCEEVOLUTION
MiaMagazin&MichaelBoylesBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Schizophyllumcommuneisamushroom-formingfungusthathaslong-servedasamodelsystemforinvestigatingthemolecularcontrolofdevelopmentthroughstudyofitscomplexmatingsystem.Theproductsofthegenesencodedwithinthemating-typelociinteractinnon-selfcombinationstoactivatetheinitialeventsofsexualdevelopment.Recently,thisfungushasalsobeennotedforahighlevelofsequencediversitybetweenstrainswhichishypothesizedtobeduetoahighmutationrateandinefficientDNArepairmechanism.TheAmatingtypeloci,thatpartiallycontrolsexualdevelopment,standouteveninthishighlydiversefungusasextremeoutliersinlowsequenceidentitybetweenstrains,leadingtoahypothesisthatthisareaisunderselectionforbothsequencedivergenceatthenucleotidelevelandconservationoffunctionattheproteinlevel.AnnotationandsequencecomparisonoftheA-alphamating-typelociinthetwentystrainsforwhichgenomicsequencesareavailablerevealadistinctpatternofsequenceidentitybetweenstrainsdifferinginmating-typeandaconfirmanabruptboundaryinsequenceidentitybetweenstrainsatthebordersofthemating-typeregions.WeareexpandingourmethodsofanalysistoprovidefurtherinformationonthenatureofsequenceevolutionbetweenstrainsattheA-alphamating-typelocusofSchizophyllumcommune68 (SESSIONB)RESCUEOFETHANOLINDUCEDPHENOTYPESINZEBRAFISHEMBRYOSTREATEDWITHN-ACETYLCYSTEINE
AlexanderRadeckiBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06053Zebrafishisanestablishedmodelforstudyingfetalalcoholspectrumdisorder(FASD).EthanoltreatedzebrafishembryosexhibitFASDphenotypes,suchascongenitalheartdefects(CHD),bodytruncation,andcraniofacialdefects.N-acetylcysteine(NAC)isadrugthatisusedtotreatacetaminophenoverdoseandworksbyincreasingglutathionelevels,reducingreactiveoxygenspecies(ROS).SinceROSarealsoproducedbyethanol,wehypothesizedthatNACmayalsoreducephenotypesassociatedwithFASDinthezebrafishmodel.TotestthishypothesiswemonitoredCHDandthesurvivalrateofembryosexposedto1.5%ethanol.Weseparatedzebrafishembryosatspherestage(~4hrs)intogroupswhichincludedthreecontrolgroupsthatwerefishwater,1.5%ethanol,10µMNAC,andanexperimentalgroupof10µMNAC+1.5%ethanolmixture.Theembryosfromeachgroupwereexaminedforsurvivalrate,levelofcardiacedema,andhatching.NACpreventedcardiacedemaindevelopingembryosthatwereexposedtoethanol.Wearecurrentlyinvestigatingeffectsonheartfunction(heartrate,heartmorphogenesis)andareassessinglevelsofapoptosisinethanoltreatedembryos.WeexpectthatNACco-administrationwillalsoreduceothertypesofcardiacdefectsandreduceapoptosisassociatedwithFASD.
69 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATIONOFTHEMECHANISTICDETAILSOFTHERSC1ANDRSC2SUBUNITSOFTHEYEASTRSCCHROMATINREMODLER
AdaezeObinelo&BryanJ.WilkinsDept.ofBiochemistry,ManhattanCollege,BX,NewYork,10471
Weaimtoilluminatethestructure/functionrelationshipoftheyeastRSCchromatinremodeler.Remodelersareresponsiblefortheregulationofnucleosomalpositioningandregulatechromosomalfunction.RSCiscomprisedof17subunitsandverylittleisknownabouttheoverallorganizationorfunctionofeachunit.Todate,therelacksacrystallizedstructurefortheRSCremodeler.RSCexistsastwoisoformsthatdifferonlyinonesubunit,Rsc1orRsc2.Thesetwoproteinsarehomologsinfluencingalteringcellularphenotypes.Itisnotwellunderstoodhoweachisoformcontrolsvariablechromosomaldynamics.Weutilizeanexpandedgeneticcodeinyeastandacrosslinkerunnaturalaminoacidtoscanforhistone-Rsc1/2nucleosomalcontactsasawaytoidentifyinterfacesatthechromosomallevel,invivo.Rsc1andRsc2containbromodomainsthatareknowntobindhistoneacetyllysines.Therefore,wearescanninghistoneH3andH4tailsduetotheirhighlevelsoflysineacetylation.WeexpectthattheRsc1/2bromodomainsareresponsibleforbindingtothenucleosomeandthattheacetyloflysineisthesequesteringmechanism.Wewilltheninvestigatehowthetwohomologsaresequesteredbyvaryinghistoneposttranslationalmodificationsandidentifytheirdivergentbiochemicalroles.70 (SESSIONB)MACROH2AEXPRESSIONINCLONEDBOVINEEMBRYOS
SavannahPareDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050
Insufficientnuclearreprogrammingisthoughttocausethelowefficiencyinproducingliveanimalsbysomaticcellnucleartransfer(SCNT).DNAdoublestrandbreaks(DSB)canresultindamagingmutations.Inthisstudy,clonedembryosdevelopedinatmosphericoxygenlevels(20%),whichcouldcauseanincreaseinfreeradicals,contributingtoahigheramountofDSBversustheembryosdevelopedinvivoundernormalconditions.H2AFX(macroH2AFX)playsanintegralpartindirectingtherepairofDSB,whichmakesitaninterestingcandidatetostudywhenlookingatpossibleviabilityproblemsinclones.WeinvestigatedgeneexpressionofH2AFXininvivoproduced(n=9)andSCNT(n=10)blastocyststagebovineembryosbyRT-qPCR.TheSCNTembryoswerecreatedusingfibroblastdonorcellsinwhichH2AFXexpressionwasalsomeasured.Itwasfoundthattherewasnosignificantdifference(P-value=0.31)inexpressionofH2AFXintheinvivoversustheclonedembryos.ThissuggeststhatH2AFXexpressionwasnotincreasedduetohigherlevelsofDSBintheclonedembryos.However,therewasasignificantdifference(P-value=0.04)inH2AFXexpressionbetweentheclonesanddonorcells,indicatingthatH2AFXexpressionwassuccessfullyreprogrammedbySCNT.
71 (SESSIONB)CHARACTERIZATIONOFANOVELMUTANTTRAPEZIAWITHENHANCEDANTHOCYANINACCUMULATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA
RamisSaleemDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Anthocyaninsarered,purpleorbluecoloredflavonoidcompoundsproducedbyplantswhichplayanimportantroleinstresstolerance.Anthocyaninshaveshownnumeroushealthbenefitsincludinganti-inflammatoryandanti-oxidanteffects.Anthocyaninsarealsousedastherapeuticagentstoimprovehumanhealth.ToidentifynovelgenesthatregulateanthocyaninaccumulationinthelegumemodelplantMedicagotruncatula,Dr.Veerappanscreened~500mutantplantsfromaTnt1mutantpopulation.Iamcharacterizingoneofthemutantscalledtrapezia(tpz)whichshowsenhancedanthocyaninaccumulation.tpzmutantwasnamedafterthered-spottedguardcrab(genusTrapezia)whichprotectscoralreefs.Comparedtowild-typeleaves,tpzmutantdisplaysincreasednumberofreddish-purpleanthocyaninspotsonbothadaxial(top)andabaxial(bottom)sidesoftheleaves.Dataonphenotypiccharacterizationoftpzmutantwillbepresented.Toidentifythecausalmutationresponsiblefortpzphenotype,IwillsearchMedicagoTnt1mutantdatabaseandalsoperformwholegenomesequencing.Discoveryofnovelgenesandmechanismsregulatinganthocyaninaccumulationinplantswillenableustomanipulatecropplantsforenhancedstresstoleranceandimprovedhumanhealth.72 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFAREGIONOFTHECYTOCHROME-BGENETOEXAMINEPATTERNSOFPOPULATIONSTRUCTUREANDDISPERSALOFNORTHAMERICANBLACKTERNS(CHLIDONIASNIGER
StefanosStravoravdis&MelodySlaterDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Whenconsideringconservationpolicy,definingdispersalpatternsandconnectivityamongsubpopulationsofmigratorybirdsisvitaltoprotectsiteskeytoaspecies'annualcycle.ThisisespeciallyimportantforpopulationsofBlackTerns(Chlidoniasniger),amarsh-nestingspeciesoftern.Previously,atranscontinentalanalysisofBlackTerngeneticdiversityandgeneflowrevealedpopulationstructure(limitedgeneflow)amongdecliningpopulationsacrossEurope.OurstudyservestoanalyzeBlackTernpopulationsacrossNorthAmerica,which,sincethe1960s,havebeendeclining.BlackTerns(N=106)weresampledata480-baseregioncytochrome-bgenefrompopulationsinOregon,Nebraska,Wisconsin,Ontario,andMaine.Thepopulationswereassessedforgeneticdiversity(haplotype,nucleotide,andgenediversity;meanheterozygosity)toinfergeneflow.Asinpreviousstudies,sexwasdeterminedusingpolymerasechainreactionoftheCHDregiontolookforsex-biaseddispersalofhaplotypes.WecompareresultstothoseoftheEuropeanstudy.AnysimilaritiesinhaplotypestructureandfrequencybetweenNorthAmericanandEuropeanpopulationscouldconsequentlyrepresentasharedevolutionaryhistorythatmayinformconservationdecisions.
73 (SESSIONB)DISCOVERINGHOWGENESINTERACT:RNAISCREENFORTRANSCRIPTIONALREGULATORSOFODD-SKIPPEDGENESINC.ELEGANS
JonathanRappi&AmyGrothDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Genesinteractwitheachothertoformcomplexnetworkscalledpathways.Transcriptionfactorgenescodeforproteinsthatactivateorinhibitthetranscriptionofothergenes.Odd-skippedgenesareanimportantgroupofevolutionarilyconservedtranscriptionfactors.InhumanstheyarecalledOsr1andOsr2andtheyplayimportantrolesinthedevelopmentofthekidney,heart,colon,skeletalmuscleandpalate.IncorrectexpressionofOsr1hasbeenlinkedtopancreaticandgastriccancer.ThesegenescanbestudiedinthemodelorganismC.elegans,amicroscopicworm.About60%to80%ofhumangenesarerelatedtoC.elegansgenes.Osr1andOsr2haverelatedgenesinwormscalledodd-1andodd-2.WeaimtoidentifytranscriptionfactorsthatregulateOdd-skippedgenes.Geneexpressioncanbevisualizedusingreporterstrainsthathavegreenfluorescentprotein(GFP)fusedtoodd-1orodd-2.Cellsthatfluoresceunderconfocalmicroscopyexpressthesegenes.RNAinterferencecanbeusedtoinhibitvarioustranscriptionfactorsintheOdd-skippedreporterstrains.Changesinexpressionindicatethattheknocked-downgeneregulatesOdd-skippedtranscription,directlyorindirectly.Wehaveidentifiedseveralcandidatesfrom~15genestestedtodate,andthescreenisongoing.74 (SESSIONB)REASSESSMENTOFINBREEDINGANDEFFECTIVEPOPULATIONSIZEOFTHECRITICALLYENDANGEREDCOMMONTERM(STERNAHIRUNDO)POPULATIONINBERMUDA
AbigailRidlerDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
AfteradirecthitbyaCategory4HurricaneFabianin2003,thepopulationofCommonTerns(Sternahirundo)inBermudaexperiencedamajorbottleneckingeffect.Since2003,managershavemonitoredthepopulationbytaggingandtakingbloodsamplesfromadultbirdsandhatchlings.Mostofthepopulationiscomposedoffemalesandonly2-4breedingpairshavebeendocumentedannuallysince2005.Inthisstudy,weanalyze16chickshatchedin2015-2016usingnewlypublishedhighlyvariablemicrosatellitemarkers.Allindividualswillbegenotypedforupto18independentmicrosatellitelociusingvariousPCRpanelsonacrylamidegel.Genotypeswillbeusedtoconstructageneticpedigreeforthepopulation,toinferthepresenceofunsampledbreedingadults,andtoassessthelevelofinbreedinginthissmallpopulation.Weanticipatethestatisticalpowerusingthisexpandedpanelofvariablemarkerstoinferthetotalnumberofbreedingadultsinthispopulationbetween2005and2016andperhapstoinferhistoriceffectivepopulationsizeofthisisolatedpopulation.ThesedatawillsupportconservationplansforthecriticallyendangeredpopulationofcommonternsinBermuda.
75 (SESSIONB)MOLECULARMECHANISMSOFSOMATOSENSORYNEURONFUNCTIONANDDEVELOPMENTINZEBRAFISH
MadisonChlebowskiDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Sensoryneuronsenableappropriateresponsestoenvironmentalstimuli,therebyallowingusavoidpainanddanger.Theseneuronsgrowbybranchingthroughtheskin,andtheirgoalistomaximizecoverage.Todothat,theyinteractwiththemselves,withotherneurons,andwiththeskinitself.Wehypothesizethatcell-surfaceadhesionproteinscontributetotheseinteractionsandareimportantfordevelopment.Furthermore,weproposethatregulatorsofthecytoskeletonhelpgivetheseneuronstheirshape.First,IhaveworkedtoidentifyfoundersforCRISPR/Cas9-inducedmutationsandperformedthehusbandrytocrossthesemutationstohomozygosity.Second,Ihavepreparedassaystoevaluateandanalyzeloss-offunctionmutationsingenesthatregulatedevelopmentandactivityofsomatosensoryneurons.Specifically,Ihaveappliedordevelopedassaystoanalyzecellfate,quantifygrowthandcoverageofsensoryarbors,andassessappropriatebehavioralresponsestosensorystimuli.Theseassayshelptoidentifythespecificphenotypesofsubsetsofsensoryneurons,leadingtoagreaterunderstandingofhowtheyinteractinsomatosensorydevelopment.Weusethisknowledgetoenhanceourunderstandingofdiseasescausingsensorydeficitsinhumans.76 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGGENETICMECHANISMSTHATREGULATEGERMCELLFATEINC.ELEGANS
DallasFonseca,EmilySiniscalco,VanditaBhat,ZacharyT.Campbell&Te-WenLoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Multicellularorganismsarecomprisedofnumerouscelltypes.Weareinterestedinaparticularclassofcellscalledstemcells.Stemcellsareundifferentiatedcellsthathavetheabilitytoachievemanydifferentcellfates,suchasspermandeggsinthegermline.WeareusingtheC.elegansgermlineasamodeltobetterunderstandhowstemcellsdifferentiatetoachievetheirfinalcellfates(spermoregg).Previousresearchhasidentifiedtwopathways,theconservedNotchandFBFpathways,whichworktogethertoplayaroleingermcelldifferentiation.However,themechanisticlinkbetweentheNotchandFBFpathwaysisunknown.OurresearchisfocusedonelucidatingthegeneticmechanismsthatlinktheNotchandFBFpathways.Basedonpreviousgeneticandbiochemicalexperiments,twocandidategenes,lst-1andsygl-1,wereidentifiedasthepotentialgeneticlink.Totestthishypothesis,weconductedacandidatetwo-hybridscreenandidentifiedaminoacidL153intheLST-1proteintoberequiredfortheFBFLST-1interaction.UsingCRISPR/Cas9weisolatedLST-1L153Amutantsinvivo.Thesemutantsexhibitasignificantreductioninmitoticzonesize,suggestingthatL153isessentialforLST-1function.
77 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFCHLOROPLASTINTRONLOSSINPLANTFAMILYGOODENIACEAE
NgawangChimeDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Chloroplastgenesrpl16andrpoC1areknowntobeinterruptedbyintronsinmanylandplants.Previousresearchindicatedthelossofrpl16andrpoC1intronsfromspeciesintheGoodeniaceae,butonlytwospeciesweretested.Ourgoalwastoassessrpl16andrpoC1intronpresenceinadditionalspeciesoftheGoodeniaceae.Twoapproacheswereused.PolymeraseChainReaction(PCR)wasusedtoamplifyintronsinfivespeciesofGoodeniaceaeusingprimersbasedonconservedregionsofthosegenesinrice,tobacco,andaliverwort.Secondly,wholegenomesequences(WGS)of13additionalGoodeniaceaespecieswereanalyzedusingGeneioussoftwareandthelettucechloroplastgenomeasareference.PCR-basedanalysisindicatedrpoC1intronabsence,butrpl16intronpresence,howevertheamplificationproductsizeoftherpl16intronvariedamongspecies.TheWGSanalysisconfirmedtherpoC1intronwasmissinginallspeciesexceptBrunoniaaustralis.Therpl16intronwaspresent,orpartiallypresentinallGoodeniaceaespeciesanalyzed.Thevariationofrpl16intronamplificationsizeisconfirmedbypartialintronlossesseeninWGS.Ourresultsindicatetherpl16intronhasnotbeencompletelylostinGoodeniaceaebutmaybeintheprocessofbeinglost.78 (SESSIONB)INVESTIGATINGTHEROLEOFTHECTDOFRNAPOLYMERASEIIONGENEEXPRESSIONVIASATURATIONMUTAGENESISINS.POMBE
JelaniWilliamsDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Duringgeneexpression,RNAPolymeraseII(RNAPII)isthemolecularmachinethatcarriesoutthevitalprocessoftranscription,thatis,thecopyingofDNAtoRNA.Inhigherorganisms,RNAsareprocessedforpropertranslationtoproteintooccur.Thecarboxyl-terminaldomain(CTD)ofRNAPIIconsistsofmultiplerepeatsoftheaminoacidheptadY1S2P3T4S5P6S7,whichisknowntorecruitRNAprocessingfactorsforpropergeneexpression.TodissecttheroleoftheaminoacidsintheCTDinRNAprocessing,weareusingtheprogrammedallelicseries(PALS)mutagenesisapproach(Shendure,2015)withthefissionyeastorS.pomberpb1gene,whichencodesthemajorsubunitofRNAPII.Weareconductingsite-directedsaturationmutagenesissuchthateveryaminoacidineachoftheCTD's29heptadrepeatswillbemutatedtothenineteenotheraminoacids,astopcodon,andadeletion.Wearedesigningandthensynthesizingthislargearrayofmutagenicprimersonamicroarray.UsingseveralPCRstepstheseprimersarethenamplifiedandextendedtocreatealibraryofrpb1mutants.Wewillthenassaythispoolofmutantsfortheireffectsongenome-widegeneexpression.
79 (SESSIONB)IDENTIFYINGDOWNSTREAMTARGETSOFCARTPEPTIDESINMEDIATINGREGENERATINGZEBRAFISHFINFOLDS
KevinTranDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Regenerationistheabilitytorepairandreplacedamagedorlosttissue.Someorganismslikehumansareunabletoregeneratemostdamagedorlostbodyparts,whereasotherorganismssuchaszebrafishandsalamanderscan.Themechanismunderlyingthisdifferenceremainslargelyunknown.However,animprovedunderstandingofwhyandhowsomeorganismscanregeneratebodyparts,mayfacilitatedevelopmentofimprovedmedicaltreatments.Classicstudieshaveuncoveredakeyroleofnervesinappendageregeneration.WefoundthatincreasedexpressionofCocaineandamphetamineregulatedtranscript(CART)enhancestherateofregenerationofthelarvalzebrafishfinfoldbutthemechanismunderlyingthiseffectremainsunknown.Toexploreconnectionsbetweennervesandregenerationinzebrafishweareusingpharmacologicaltreatmentsthatenhanceorblockfornerveactivityorgrowth.Furthermore,weareinvestigatingnerve-associatedgenesknowntobeassociatedwithregenerationincludingagr1,nrg1,ngn1,andduox.WearealsoinvestigatingwhetherexpressionofthesegenesisregulatedbyCART,andwhethertheeffectsofincreasedCARTpersistwhenthesegenesareknockedout.IwillpresentdataaboutprogressingeneratingCRISPRknockoutsandexaminingexpressionofthesegenesinzebrafishwithubiquitousexpressionofCART.80 (SESSIONB)THEEVOLUTIONOFDOSAGECOMPENSATION:WHATHAPPENSWHENYOUHAVETWOXCHROMOSOMESINSTEADOFONE
JacquelineAlexander,JihyeLee,JeffreyPage,EricHaag&Te-WenLoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850andDept.ofBiology,Universityof
MarylandCollegePark,CollegePark,MD,20742DosagecompensationisanessentialprocessinheterogameticorganismswherethenumberofXchromosomesdiffersbetweenmales(XO/XY)andfemales/hermaphrodites(XX).DosagecompensationensuresthatbothsexeshaveequivalentlevelsofX-linkedgeneexpressionregardlessofXchromosomesquantity.Thisprocessisnothighlyconserved.Flies,mammals,andwormsallusedifferentmechanisms,therefore,itisnecessarytoexaminemorecloselyrelatedspecies,suchasC.elegansandC.briggsae,tobetterunderstandtheevolutionofdosagecompensation.InC.elegans,dosagecompensationismediatedbythedevelopmentalmasterswitchgenexol-1.Thefunctionofxol-1isconservedbetweenC.elegansandC.briggsae.Inbothspecies,lossofxol-1resultsinmale-specificlethalityandoverexpressionresultsinhermaphroditespecificlethality.Tofurtherunderstandtheevolutionofxol-1function,wescreened4338mutagenizedF1sandidentifiedeightpotentialC.briggsaexol-1suppressors.Wearecurrentlycharacterizingeachsuppressorbasedontheirabilitytorescuethexol-1lethalityphenotype.Wholegenome-sequencingwillbeusedtodeterminetheidentityoftheseeightC.briggsaexol-1suppressors.ThesedatawillnotonlyfurtherourunderstandingofC.briggsaedosagecompensationbutalsoprovideinsightsintotheevolutionofdosagecompensation.
81 (SESSIONB)THETEMPORALANDSPATIALGENETICEXPRESSIONOFKV2.1INCONVERGENTEXPRESSIONINZEBRAFISH
RaquelIreifejDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Convergentextensionistheprocessinearlyvertebrateembryonicdevelopmentthatspecifiestheanterior-posterioraxisandisrequiredforlaterdevelopmentofthenotochordandmidlinestructures.Adisruptioninconvergentextensionisfataltoembryossincedevelopmentofthespinalcordcannotproceed.Thisstudyfocusedonconvergentextensioninzebrafishembryos.Priorresearchinthelabhasshownthatthepotassiumvoltage-gatedchannel,kv2.1iscrucialtoconvergentextension.Withoutkv2.1,therewillbedefectiveconvergentextensionandembryoniclethality.Tofurtherunderstandthisnoveldevelopmentalfunctionofkv2.1expressionbothtemporalandspatial,mustbedetermined.Tounderstandthetemporalexpression,profileaquantitativerealtimereversetranscriptasepolymerasechainreaction(qRT-PCR).AqRT-PCRwilldeterminetherelativelevelofgeneexpressionovervariouscriticaldevelopmentaltimepoints.Anin-situhybridization(ISH)wasusedtolocalizethespecificRNAtissuelocalizationatthesamedevelopmentaltimepoints.Ihypothesizethatthegenekv2.1willbemosthighlyexpressedinthe60%epibolystagesincewehaveseenanessentialrequirementforthegeneproductatthisstage.Inconclusion,theseexperimentswillcomplementfunctionaldatatohelpidentifyanoveldevelopmentalfunctionforkv2.1.82 (SESSIONB)USINGMOLECULARMARKERSTOCONFIRMDELETERIOUSEFFECTSONCONVERGENTEXTENSIONINTHEABSENCEOFFOCALADHESIONKINASE
MariaMazoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Afundamentalmechanisminthedevelopmentofavertebrateembryoisconvergentextension(CE).Astheembryodevelops,thecellsutilizeCEtonarrow(converging)thecellsalongoneaxiswhilelengthening(extension)thecellsalongtheperpendicularaxis.Thisprocessisessentialintheformationofanterior-posterioraxisandassociatedstructuressuchasthenotochord.Ourlabhassuggestedthatthedelayedrectifierandvoltage-gatedpotassiumchannel,kv2.1andFocalAdhesionKinase(FAK)bothplayanimportantroleincellmigrationandattachmenttoneighboringcellsduringCE.Usingamolecularmarkerassay,theeffectsonCEintheabsenceofFAK,weretested.Insituhybridizationwasusedonzebrafishembryoswithinjectedmorpholinoknockingdownorpreventingcellsfrommakingtargetprotein,FAK.Insituhybridizationwasalsousedoncontrolzebrafishembryos,injectedwithphenol,meaningthatFAKwaspresent.ThisallowedfortheeffectsofFAKdependentCEinaspecifictissuelocationtobeobserved.IhypothesizethattheuseofmolecularmarkerswilldemonstrateineffectivedevelopmentofCEintheabsenceofFAK.Overall,myresultsmayconfirmanessentialroleofFAKduringvertebrateCE.
83 (SESSIONB)COMPARISONOFWILD-TYPEVERSUSMUTANTL1CAMEXPRESSIONINCULTUREDNEURONS
DavidR.Cannata,CassandraLew,EvaMurphy&SamanthaPignatelliDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Thecorrecttargetingofproteinstoaxonsanddendritesofneuronsisessentialfortheproperdevelopmentofthenervoussystem.L1CAMisacell-adhesionmoleculeresponsibleformultipleaspectsofneuronaldevelopment;mutationsareknowntoresultinadevelopmentalsyndromecharacterizedbycognitiveandmotordisabilities.Weexpressedwild-typeL1CAMandknownL1CAMmutantproteins,P941LandD544N,inculturedembryonicchickforebrainneuronsandcomparedtheircellulardistributions.Preliminarydatasuggeststhatboththewild-typeL1CAMandtheP941LL1CAMmutantaretargetedtoaxonsinasimilarfashion.Incontrast,theD544NL1CAMmutantdoesnotappeartoreachthecellsurfaceoftheneuron.84 (SESSIONB)AFUNCTIONALSCREENIDENTIFYINGNOVELDROSOPHILAEGFRECEPTORTARGETSWITHROLESINEGGSHELLMORPHOLOGY
CorinneBrown,NicholasHudock,HunterHughes,ZacharyWalter&LisaKadlecDept.ofBiology,WilkesUniversity,WilkesBarre,PA,18701
SignalingbytheDrosophilaepidermalgrowthfactorreceptor(EGFR)playsanimportantroleinmanyaspectsofflydevelopment,includingoogenesis,embryogenesisanddevelopmentoftheeyeandwing.MicroarrayscreensbyourlabandothershaveidentifiednoveldownstreamtranscriptionaltargetsoftheEGFreceptorusingtheDrosophilaovaryasamodelsystem.OurinitialworkcomparedgeneexpressioninflyovariesinwhichtheactivityoftheEGFR-pathwaywasreduced,normal,orconstitutivelyactive.Asmall-scalefunctionalscreenusingavailablelibrariesofUAS-RNAitransgenicfliesandP-elementinsertionlineswasusedtoinvestigatethepossiblefunctionsofasubsetoftheseEGFR-responsivegenes.Thisfunctionalscreenrevealedrolesforseveralofthesegenesinnormaleggshellstructuringandmorphogenesis.RNAiknockdownphenotypesincludedecreasedchorionicintegrity,shortenedeggs,andvariousdorsalappendagemalformations.Wearefurtherinvestigatingthesegenesinseveralways,includingexaminationofexpressionpatternsinovariesviainsituhybridizationandevaluationofthefertilityofRNAiknockdownflies.Inaddition,wearecreatingmutantflylinesusingtheCRISPR-Cas9systemtofurtherstudyourgenesofinterest.
85 (SESSIONB)POTENTIALROLEOFHSP70DURINGREGENERATIONINPLANARIA
SeanP.Byrne&M.A.KapperDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06050Planariahavelongbeenusedasmodelorganismstostudyregeneration.Whenpartofthewormisamputated,eachpieceregrowsthemissingpart.Followingamputationneoblastsgotothesiteoftheinjury,closeoffthewound,andbegingrowingthemissingpartofthebody.Thisgrowthisreferredtoasablastema.Sincethefunctioningofcellularproteinsisduetoproperthree-dimensionalfolding,amechanismwhichmaintainsthestructuralintegrityofcellularproteinsmustbepresent.Wehypothesizethatproteinconformationandfunctionissustainedduringregenerationduetoinductionofchaperoneproteins.Chaperoneproteins,orHSPswillbindtotargetproteins,preventingtheirdenaturation.HSPsareencodedbygeneswhoseexpressionistypicallymodulatedbythermalstressbuthavealsobeenshowntorespondtootherenvironmentalstressors.Westernblotsdemonstratethepresenceofstress-inducedHsp70.WearecurrentlycomparingHSP70expressionoveratimecourseofregeneration,tothatinuncutcontrolworms.ResearchsupportedbyCSUResearchGranttoMAK.86 (SESSIONB)THEROLEOFLEADERCELLSANDCONTACTINHIBITIONOFLOCOMOTIONINPARIETALENDODERMMIGRATION
BryanSzewczyk,ArdianFerraj,BrandonLepore&JamesMulrooneyDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06053Ourlaboratoryinvestigatesthemolecularmechanismsofcellmigrationandtheroleofcelladhesionsindirectedcellmigration.PreviousworkinourlaboratoryhassuggestedthatE-cadherin-basedcell-cellcontactsareimportantforproper,collectivecellmigrationduringdevelopment.However,thesignalingthatregulatesE-cadherininparietalendodermisnotwellunderstood.ResearchbyothershasindicatedtherequirementofleadercellsthatdirectmigrationinaPI3K-dependentmanner.Theseleadercellsareresponsibleformakingcell-celladhesionsduringmigration.Rab11,asmallGTPaseinvolvedintherecyclingofmembrane-localizedE-cadherin,mayplayaroleinregulatingtheformationofthesecontactsbytargetinganotherGTPasecalledRac1.Ourgoalistodetermineifparietalendodermestablishleadercellsandelucidatethesignalingpathwayswithinthesecellsthatareimportantforcollectivecellmigration.
87 (SESSIONB)SELECTIONOFHEAT-SHOCKRESISTANTOCTAVIOUSREX
RyanMcHaleForsterDept.ofNaturalSciences,MountSaintMaryCollege,Newburgh,NY,12550
Themostdiverseentitiesontheplanetarebacteriophages,virusesthatinfectbacteria.Theextentofbacteriophagediversityandhowtheyevolvearequestionsofcurrentinterest.ByisolatingandcharacterizingnovelbacteriophagesofthehostMycobacteriumsmegmatis,thisdiversitymaybefurtherunderstood.OctaviousRex,apreviouslyisolatedandannotatedbacteriophageofthesiphoviridaefamily,wasexposedto65oCheat-shocktoexploreitsabilitytoadapttohighertemperatures.Repeatedincubationatthespecifiedtemperatureallowedforselectionofaheat-shockresistantstrainofOctaviousRex.Furthermore,distinctivepatternsofinfectionattributedtoOctaviousRexchangedtoincludebothlargeandsmallplaquemorphologies.ThegenotypicchangesassociatedwiththeheatshockresistanceandthedifferentplaquemorphologieswereinvestigatedafterisolatingDNAfrombothlargeandsmallplaquemorphologies.RestrictiondigestanalysisofgenomeDNArevealednoclearrestrictionsitemutationsbetweenthetwoplaquemorphologiesandtheoriginallyisolatedOctaviousRex.However,thesequencedgenomesfrombothplaquemorphologiesrevealedamutationintheminortailproteinintheDNAisolatedfromthesmallplaquemorphology,whichiscurrentlyunderinvestigationforitsroleintheobservedplaquemorphologyandheat-shockresistance.88 (SESSIONB)ANALYSISOFMICROBIALCOMMUNITYDIVERSITYINTWOWATERSHEDSONTHEDINGLEPENINSULA
KendraSherman&VictoriaSalvatoreBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Anthropogenicimpactsonwaterqualityincoastalecosystemsisofincreasingconcerngivencurrentland-useandpopulationpatterns.Inparticular,sustainabledevelopmentinareasofhighpopulation/tourismpressureincoastalwatershedsisofconcernanddemandsanunderstandingofthecomplexrelationshipsbetweenthe"natural"and"human"systemsaffectingtheecosystem.TwoadjacentwatershedsontheontheDinglePeninsulainIreland(DingleandBallyferriter)provideaninterestingopportunitytoseparatetheeffectsofnatural/agriculturalimpacts(Balleyferriter)vs.natural/agricultural/tourismimpacts(Dingle)onwaterqualityintheprimaryriversystemsdrainingthetwowatersheds.Aspartofalargerefforttoconductathoroughenvironmentalassessmentofthetwowatersheds,wehavebegunanassessmentofthemicrobiologicalcommunitiesintheMilltown(Dingle)andFeonagh(Ballyferriter)riversystemsbasedonfecalcoliformcountsandsmallsubunitribosomalRNAprofiling.CurrentlyourdataindicateahigherfecalcoliformloadintheFeonaghriversystemduringthefallwiththereversebeingtrueduringthesummertouristseason.SmallsubunitribosomalRNAsequencingalsoindicatesdifferencesinthemicrobialcommunitiesbetweenthetwowatersheds,howeverthesignificanceofthesedifferenceswillrequirefurtherinvestigation.
89 (SESSIONB)EVALUATINGTHESCORPIONABDOMINALMICROBIOMEFORANTIBIOTICPRODUCTION
LaurenAtkinsonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Therapidevolutionofantibioticresistancehasmaderesearchintosourcesofnewantibioticscrucial.Scorpionsareauniquepotentialsourceofantibioticssincetheyareanancientlineagethathascoevolvedwithterrestrialpathogensfor325-350millionyears.Theyareroutinelyexposedtopotentiallydeadlymicrobessincetheirprey,whichincludemiceandinsects,areoftenvectorsfordangerouspathogens.Recentresearchshowsthatthegutmicrobiomeplayscriticalrolesinbuildingandmaintainingimmunesystemsinanimals,includinginarthropods.Wehypothesizethatthescorpionmicrobiomeincludesbacteriathatproduceantimicrobialcompoundsassecondarymetabolites.Usingculture-basedtechniques,bacteriawereisolatedfromtheabdominalcavityofSmeringurusmesaensis,thedunescorpion.Isolateswereidentifiedusingmorphologyandgeneticanalysis.Theywerecharacterizedusingbiochemicaltestsandtestedforantibioticproductionusingco-cultureagainstsaferelativesoftheESKAPEpathogens,thesixmostcommonantibiotic-resistantpathogens.Fromthe13scorpionssampled,102bacterialcolonieswereisolatedandstoredinglycerol.Gram-stainingshowedpredominantlyGram-positivebacteria.Fermentationtestsshowedhighratesforsucroseandlactoseutilization.Initiallow-stressantibiotic-productiontestsfailedtoshowantibioticactivity.Furtherworkwillfocusonstressingthecoloniestotriggerproductionofantibacterialsecondarymetabolites.90 (SESSIONB)CHLAMYDIAVIRULENCEFACTORSHOMETOHOSTCELLORGANELLES
ZoeMendrysaDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Chlamydiainfectionscausesignificantmorbidityinhumans.BlindnesscanresultfromocularChlamydiatrachomatisinfectionwhilesexuallytransmittedinfectionscanleadtoinfertility.Chlamydiahastwiceindependentlyevolvedadaptationstohumansasahostorganismmakingthemanexcellentmodelofemerginginfectiousdisease.Chlamydiagrowsinsideahostcellwhereitusesatypethreesecretionsystem(T3SS)toinjectbacterialproteinsintothehostcytosol,subvertinghostcellularimmuneresponses.Hostcellstypicallytriggerapoptosis,deprivingChlamydiaofareplicativeniche.WehypothesizethatChlamydiacanstabilizethemitochondriaandnucleusbysecretingafactorwhichstabilizesthemitochondriaandpromoteshostsurvival,however,themainfunctionofthesefactorsisunknown.Thesevirulencefactorsarelikelytobehostspecific.Usingbioinformaticsandcellstaining,wewereabletodeterminebyinfectingwithC.trachomatis(humanspecific),C.muridarum(mousespecific),orC.caviae(Guineapigspecific)todetermineimpactsofinfectiononlocalizationofvirulencefactors.
91 (SESSIONB)CHARACTERIZATIONOFROB1HETEROZYGOUSDELETIONINCANDIDAALBICANSFORALLELEDEPENDENTPHEOTYPICCHARACTERISTICS
TaylorSanders&VirginiaGlazierDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Candidaalbicansisafungalpathogenwiththepotentialtocauselifethreateninginfections,specificallyinindividualsthatareimmunocompromised.PathogenicityofC.albicansispresentduringcommensalgrowthandtissueinvasion.TypicallymucosalinfectionsbyC.albicansarerestrictedtotheoralcavity,gut,orthevagina.Insomeinstances,asystemicinfectionofC.albicansinimmunocompromisedindividualscanarise,whichcanbelife-threatening.Theroleofzincclustertranscriptionfactors,specificallyROB1inC.albicans,hasbeenwellcharacterized.ThisprojectwillfocusonROB1,atranscriptionfactorwhichisrequiredforbiofilmformationinC.albicans.Biofilmformationallowsforgrowthathumanbodytemperatureanddrugresistance,bothofwhichcontributetopathogenicityofC.albicans.OurlabpreviouslyshowedanallelicheterozygositydependingonwhichalleleofROB1wasdeleted.RNAsequencingwasperformedtoidentifytranscriptionalchangesdependentonwhichallelewasdeleted.ThepurposeofthisprojectistoanalyzetheRNAsequencingdatatounderstandhowthedifferentallelesofROB1impactthetranscriptomeofC.albicans92 (SESSIONB)THEFATEOFBIOGENICSULFURINTHEENVIRONMENT:WILLITSTAYORWILLITGO?
EmilyMagyarDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
MembersoftheAcidithiobacillusgenusarecapableofconsumingandproducingelementalsulfuraspartoftheirenergymetabolism.Acidithiobacillusandothersulfuroxidizersproducebiogenicsulfurviasulfideorthiosulfateoxidationaslongasthosesulfurcompoundsareavailable.Inasulfide-richenvironmentitisunclearwhattheultimatefateofbiogenicsulfuris:isitconsumedbyothersulfuroxidizers?IsitrecycledandreusedbyAcidithiobacillus?Doesitcrystallizeandbecomelessbioavailable?Tostudyhowcellsandsulfurinteractovertime,wehaveobtainedacultureofAcidithiobacillusalbertensisandarecharacterizingitsgrowthonthiosulfate,whichitusestomakebiogenicsulfur.Wehavealsostartedtoexperimentwiththeorganism'sabilitytoformbiofilms.OurgoalistounderstandhowthebiofilmitselfimpactsthelifetimeofbothintracellularandextracellularsulfurandtheabilityofA.albertensistorecycleit.Ultimately,wewanttoapplybiofilmresultsfromthelabtothefieldinordertounderstandhowsuchmicroorganismsliveinthe"SourSprings"atIroquoisNationalWildlifeRefuge.
93 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFPLASTICPOLYMERCOMPOSITIONONEARLYMICROBIALASSOCIATIONINAFRESHWATERENVIRONMENT
ReneHoover,CarleyMcMullen&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Plasticpolymershavebecomeomnipresentinourenvironment.Frombeveragebottles,topackaging,andevenautomobiles,it'shardtoimagineourliveswithoutplastic.But,whathappensonceapieceofplasticisdiscarded?Inourenvironmentweconsiderittrash,butonamicroscopiclevelourplasticsarehometoadiverseecosystemofmicrobesformingcomplexbiofilmsandproducingenzymesthatprofoundlyaffecttheirhabitat.Wesubmergedsix,commonplasticsintheNiagaraRiver,andexaminedthemicrobiallifethatcolonizedthem.CommunitiesofbacteriaformedquicklyandafteroneweektheplasticsampleswerecollectedforDNAanalysis.Theresultsconfirmedarich,diversemicrobialconsortiumthatvariedgreatlybetweentheplasticpolymers.Thisindicatesthatdifferentspeciesofbacteriamaypreferparticularsurfacechemistriesandcompetewitheachotherforresourcesontheselocations.Microbialecosystemsarecomplex,andourresearchshowsthatmicrobialcommunitiesmayformdiscriminatelyonplasticsintheenvironment.Thisinsightintowhichmicrobesarepresentondifferentpolymersandwhatmetabolicprocessestheycarryoutmayeventuallyhelpusfindnew,innovativewaystodealwithdiscardedplasticsinourownenvironment.94 (SESSIONB)MUTANTSOFGASOLINE-CATABOLIZINGBACTERIAWITHINCREASEDTOLERANCEFORGASOLINE
BryanSzewczyk,JahlyssaBlackwin&MichaelDavisDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,
06050Thegoalofthisresearchprojectistodevelopprotocolsfortheeliminationofgasolineincontaminatedsoilusinggasoline-catabolizingbacteria.Forexample,landsurroundingautomobileservicestationscannotbeeasilyrepurposedduetogasolinecontaminationofthesoil.Thecandidatebacteriausedforthisprojecthavebeenisolatedfromsoilsamplestakenfromvariousgasstationsandselectedbasedontoleranceforgasolineanduseofgasolineasthesolesourceofcarbonandenergy.Wehaveisolatedseveraldozensuchstrains,andhaveshownthatthesecandidatestrainscancarryoutremediationofgasolinecontaminatedsoilsinthelab.Ourcandidates,whiletolerantoflowlevelsofgasoline(24-120µl/gsoil),areallinhibitedorkilledbyintermediatelevels(320µl/gsoil).Tobroadentheapplicabilityofourprotocol,wehaveisolatedmutantsoftwocandidatestrains(M7,MM3Big)thattoleratehigherlevelsofgasoline.Wehavestudiedthegrowthcapabilitiesofthesemutantsinnormalandgasolinecontaminatedsoils,andhavefoundthattheyaremoretoleranttointermediategasolinelevelsthanthewildtypestrains.Wearecharacterizingtheabilityofthesemutantstoremediatesoilatlowandintermediatelevelsofgasolinecontamination.
95 (SESSIONB)IDENTIFICATIONOFANTI-MYCOBACTERIALCOMPOUNDSPRODUCEDBYSOILBACTERIA
AmberGabbert,AyeishaWashington,MarisaBudlong,CatherineMartello&MichaelDavis
Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,06050
ThebacteriumMycobacteriumtuberculosiscurrentlyinfectsroughlytwobillionpeople,thevastmajorityofthemlatentlyandasymptomatically.However,activetuberculosisdiseasekillsnearlytwomillionpeopleayear.Thispathogenisinnatelyresistanttoallbutafewavailableantibiotics,andthespreadofmulti-drugresistant(MDR)tuberculosisfurtherreducestherapeutictreatmentoptions.ThefocusofourprojectistoidentifynovelnaturalcompoundswithactivityagainstMycobacteriumspecies,initiatingthedevelopmentofnewdrugstotreattuberculosispatients.Wehaveworkedwithonebacterialisolate(#22)fromsoilthatsecretesananti-mycobacterialcompound.Mostrecently,wehavetestedthehypothesisthatthecompoundwasstreptomycin,apreviouslyidentifiedanti-mycobacterialcompoundmadebythebacteriumStreptomycesgriseus.Severallinesofevidencehaveconvincinglyshownthat#22didnotproducestreptomycin,butinsteadmadestreptothricin,arelatedbutdistinctanti-mycobacterialcompoundthatisnotsuitablefortuberculosistherapy.Wehavethereforeinitiatedworkonthreenewsoilbacterialisolates.Theirinhibitionoftestmycobacteriaiscomparabletothatof#22,butpreliminaryresultsconfirmthattheyproducecompoundsdifferentfromeachother.Applyingthemethodologydevelopedwith#22,wewillinitiallydetermineiftheanti-mycobacterialcompoundsarenovelorknown.96 (SESSIONB)EFFECTSOFANTIBIOTICSANDBACTERIOPHAGEONTHESKINBACTERIUMPROPIONIBACTERIUMACNES
ElizabethGwara,ClarissaSarmiento,MonaAhmaripour,DenverHopkins&MichaelDavis
Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritian,CT,06050
Existingantibacterialtreatmentsfortheskindiseaseacneincludeantisepticsorantibiotics.TheseagentstargetthecommonskinbacteriumPropionibacteriumacnes.WehavebeendevelopinganovelacnetreatmentusingPacnes-specificbacteriophage,whicheffectivelykillPacnesbacteriabycelllysisduringbacteriophagereproduction.Ourcurrentworkisfocusedonidentifyinginteractionsbetweentwodifferentantibacterialtreatments,antibioticsandPacnes-specificphage.Duetothelargerangeofproductsavailableforacnetherapy,itisexpectedthatacnepatientswillcombinetreatments.Sincephageandantibioticsactindifferentways,wehypothesizedthattherewouldbenointeractionsbetweensubclinicaldosesofantibioticsandtheactionofphage.Ourexperimentsweredesignedtotestthathypothesisandtodetectanyinteractionsbetweenphageandantibiotics.WorkwithonephageisolateandtheantibioticsclindamycinanderythromycinsuggeststhatlowdosesofantibioticdoaffecttheabilityofthephagetokillthePacnes
bacteria.ThesetestsarebeingbroadenedtoincludetetracyclineandotherPacnes-specificphageisolates.Additionally,wearetestingtheefficacyofantibiotic-phagecombinationsonPacnesbiofilms,agrowthstatelikelytoreflectthenormalenvironmentofPacnesonskin.97 (SESSIONB)EXTRACTIONOFANTIBIOTICSFROMBACILLUSSPP.ANDTHEIREFFECTIVENESSAGAINSTG(-)BACTERIA
AriannaMedinaScienceDept.,DominicanCollege,Orangeburg,NY,10962
Thediscoveryofantibioticshassavedmillionsoflivesbuthasalsocausedtheevolutionofmultidrugresistantstrainsofbacteria.Developingnewantibioticsiscriticalifwearetopreventinfectionsfromthesepathogens.TheaimofthisstudyistoextractantibioticsthatshowbacteriocidalactivityagainstG(-)bacteriatakenfromourlocalwatershed.PutativeantibioticproducerswereisolatedfrommudandwatersamplesintheSparkillCreekandPiermontMarsh,asweretheG(-)targets.16SrDNAsequencingshowedtheidentityoftheseG(-)targetstobePseudomonas,Chromobacter,Acinetobacter,Pleiseomonas,Chromobacterim,Aeromonas,andPantoea.AdiscdiffusionassaywasdonetodeterminewhichG(-)bacteriawereresistanttothegreatestnumberofantibiotics,indicatingmultidrugresistance.AllbutAeromonasandPantoeawereshowntoberesistantto5ormoreantibiotics.Putativeantibioticproducerswereisolatedanddeterminedhaveactivityagainsttheseisolates.SequencingrevealedthesetobelongtoBacillussp.SynergisticactivityoftheseextractswithknownantibioticsorsubstancesdemonstratingantibacterialactivitywillbedeterminedforboththeG(-)targetsandotherlabstrains,bothG(+)andG(-),aswellasMycobacteriumsmegmatis.Futurestudiesincludedinvivomutagenesistoenhancetheantimicrobialactivity.98 (SESSIONC1)THEFITBITANDFARADAY:ASTUDYINTOMECHANICALLIGHTING
LiamReilly&StephenMeccaDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
Thesignificanceofanaffordablelightingsysteminoff-grid,developingregionsoftheworldisundeniable.Tothisend,theS-Labhasbeenexploringthepotentialofmechanicallightingsystemswhichmayfillthismuchneededrole.Theabilitytogeneratelightinsuchconditionswithminimaleffortexpendedbytheuserandwithouttheneedforsolarpanels,whichareoftenprohibitivelyexpensive,offersmanybenefitsthatwillgreatlyimpactthelivingconditionsofpeopleinsuchareas.Itwillallowthosewhomakeuseofittheabilitytoread,work,oruserestroomfacilitiesafterdaylighthours.Ourinvestigationbeganbyanalyzingvariousshake,spring,andgravitydesignsbeforemovingtothecurrentmodelwhichmakesuseoflowfrictionfidgetspinnerswhichmayprovidepowerforseveralminutes.Whilethisisnottheoriginaldesignexploredintheproject,itoffersaninterestingprobleminphysicsandgeometry.ThispresentationwillpresenttheworkthathasbeendoneindevelopingamodelthatutilizesachangingmagneticfluxtoinduceanEMFina
stationarycoil,whichmaythenberectifiedandusedtopowerasimplelightingsystemcomprisedofoneormoreLEDs.99 (SESSIONC1)OPTIMIZINGASUPER-RESOLUTIONMICROSCOPYSYSTEMTOSTUDYPROTEIN-PROTEININTERACTIONS
AlexanderBredikinDept.ofPhysicsandAstronomy,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Fluorescencemicroscopyisapowerfultoolforstudyingcellsamplesbecauseitallowsbiologiststodifferentiatebetweenstructureswithinthecell.Maddenetal.(2010)foundthattwointracellularproteins,b-adrenergicreceptorandb-arrestin,canbeindirectlylinkedtocancermetastasis,andthismotivatedDr.KelleyD.SullivanofIthacaCollegetostudytheinteractionoftheseproteinsbasedontheirproximitytoeachother.Unfortunately,conventionalfluorescencemicroscopytechniquescannotbeusedtostudytheinteractionoftheproteinsbecauseoftheresolutionlimitofthemicroscope.Instead,super-resolutiontechniquesmustbeemployed.Thefocusofthispresentationisontheoptimizationofthesuper-resolutionsystemintheIthacaCollegeMicroscopyLaboratoryandontheprocessofgrowingandlabellingcellsamplesforstudy.Twocancercelllines,4T1andMB-231,havebeensuccessfullystainedusingdirectimmunofluorescencetechniquesandimagedusingtotalinternalreflectionfluorescencemicroscopy(TIRFM).ColinearizationofthelaserlightsourcesandcalibrationoftheTIRFMopticswasalsoachieved,whichisnecessaryforsuper-resolutionimaging.Finally,successfulpreparationofabufferneededforsuper-resolutionimagingwasdemonstratedusingtwostandardizedsamplesofadextran-dyeconjugateandfilamentousactin.ThecompletionofthesestepsrepresentsanexcitingstepforwardfortheMicroscopyLaboratorytofullyrealizesuper-resolutionimaging.100 (SESSIONC1)QUANTIFYINGSPECTRALMAPPINGTECHNIQUESFORTHEOSIRIS-REXPROJECT
SalvatoreFerroneDept.ofPhysics,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
OSIRIS-REx,anasteroidsamplereturnmission,isthethirdprojectofNASA'sNewFrontiersprogram.TheOSIRIS-RExspacecraftiscurrentlyonitsoutboundcruisetoasteroid101955Bennu,amemberoftherareB-classasteroidsandpotentiallyhazardousobject,andisscheduledtorendezvousinNovemberof2018.Inthisstudy,weexploredifferentmethodsofcreatingspectralmapsanddeterminedwhichmethodprovidesmapswiththehighestfidelity.Spectralmapsidentifythesurfacemineralogyateverylocation.WebeginbycreatingidealizedmineralogicalmapsofBennuandsimulatespectrometerobservationstomakespectralmaps.Weanalyzethemapsusingthreeoriginalmetrics:Contrast,Smear,andObliteration–toquantifythespatialresolvability.Ourresultsindicatethatmapscreatedbyassigningdatafromthenearestspectrometerobservationtoafacetareofthehighestfidelity.Mapscreatedusingfinershapemodelresolutionsareofthehighestfidelity.Wearestilltestingourhypothesisthatcombiningdatafromthree
differentglobalsurveysofBennucouldbeusedtodemonstratespectralsuper-resolution.ThesefindingswillbeofutmostimportancetotheOSIRIS-RExscienceteamwhencreatingspectralmaps,startinginApril2019,andwheninterpretingthemapstodetermineasampleselectionsite.102 (SESSIONC2)FEELINGLOW?INCREASESINDEPRESSIONAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS:2009-2015
SophieHancock,JessicaCollins&EmmaWeissDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Trendsindepressionratesinadolescentsandyoungadultshavebecomeanareaofclosestudyinrecentdecades.Severalresearchersarguethatdepressionrateshavebeenincreasingovertime(Twenge,2017;Twenge,Gentile,DeWall,Ma,Lacefield,&Schurtz,2010;Kitzrow,2003).However,thisviewisnotuniversallyshared(Schwartz,2010).Thecurrentstudyexploresdepressionratesin1938collegestudentsincohortsspanningfrom2009-2015.Itwaspredictedthatdepressionrateswouldriseovertime.Similarly,levelsofneuroticismandstudents'experienceswithpsychotropicmedicationandpsychotherapywerepredictedtoincrease.Therelationshipwithstressandsocialsupport,typicalpredictorsofdepression,wasalsoexamined.Datawasgatheredeachsemesterfromthefallof2009throughthespringof2015,totalling11cohorts.Reporteddepressionratesrosesteadilyfrom2009to2015.Studentsin2015reportedsignificantlyhigherratesofdepressionthanstudentsin2009.Similarly,levelsofneuroticismalsoincreasedoverthisperiod,asdidreporteduseofpsychotropicmedication.Increasesindepressionwerebothstatisticallysignificantandpracticallymeaningful.Thesehigherlevelsofdepressiondidnotappeartobeduetoelevatedstressorlowersocialsupport.Futureresearchshouldexplorethecausesofthissharpincrease.103 (SESSIONC2)THEEFFECTOFINDEPENDENTLOCOMOTION,THROUGHTHEUSEOFAROBOTIC-ASSISTEDDEVICE,ONINFANTS'VISUALATTENTIONTOAPUPPETSTIMULUS
AbigailBrown,LaurenHughes,CaraSchanbacher,MorganSchall&KarinaFeitnerDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Self-Initiatedlocomotionprovidesnewwaysofexperiencingtheworldanditisalsothoughttocontributetotheenhancementofhigher-ordercognitive,self-regulatory,andattentionalcontrolprocessesunderlyinggoal-directedbehaviors,namelyexecutivefunctions(EF).Lookingdurationtovisualstimuliisthoughttoreflectpatternsofattentionalcontrolininfants.Ourstudyexamineswhetherpre-crawlinginfantsabletoexerciseindependentlocomotion,usingaroboticassisteddevice,wouldshowchangesintheirvisualattentiontoapuppetstimulus.Usinganexperimentaldesign,infantsparticipatedin12sessionsoflocomotorornon-locomotorplayacrosstwomonths.At5-monthsandat7-months,allinfantsparticipatedinavisualattentiontask.Theresultsshowedgreaterpeaklookdurationsamongpre-crawlinginfantswhousedaroboticdevicethatenabledtheirindependentlocomotion,comparedtoinfantswhodidnothaveindependentmobilityexperience.Thisshowsthatindependentlocomotioninduces
increasedattentionalcontrolininfants.Thisstudycontributestoourgrowingunderstandingoftheeffectoflocomotorexperienceoncognitivedevelopment,inparticularonthedevelopmentofattentionalcontrol.Ourfindingsalsohaveimplicationsforinterventionsusingrobotic-assistedlocomotionforinfantswithmotorimpairments.104 (SESSIONC2)HOWABOUTAFRIENDLYSHRINK?PORTRAYALSOFMENTALHEALTHPROFESSIONALSANDTREATMENTONTELEVISION
EliotHagerty&PeterWestacottDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Televisioncontinuestobeaverypowerfulmediumthatinfluenceshowweperceiverealityandformexpectationsforgroupsofpeopleorsocialroles.Whilemessagesaboutmentalillnessappearfrequentlyontelevision,treatmentforthementalillnessisrarelyportrayed-andwhenitis,manytimesthoseportrayalsarenegativeandinaccurate.Inastudydoneontheinfluencesofportrayalsoftherapistsintelevision,Robinson(2013)foundthatfictionalteleviseddepictionsofpsychotherapyhavethepotentialtoinfluenceviewers'concernsandattitudesonseekingpsychotherapytreatment.ThecurrentstudyisareplicationandexpansionofanearlierdescriptivecontentanalysisbyJonesandCalhoun(2017)withalargersampleof689televisionshowsvideotapedoverasix-yearperiod(2011-2016)fortheCenterofResearchontheEffectsofTelevisionarchiveatIthacaCollege,including14differentprogramtypes(7fiction,7nonfiction).Trainedpairscodedportrayalsofmentalhealthprofessionalsandformstreatmentrelatedtoincidentsinvolvingmentalillness(includingaddiction).Resultsshowedthatwhilethereweremorethan1,450incidentsinvolvingmentalillness,lessthan20%includedanyreferencetotreatmentandonly47incidentsinvolvedtherapistsortherapy,mostshowninanegativeorstereotypicalfashion.105 (SESSIONC2)IMPROVINGTHEDELIVERYOFMEDICATIONWITHINTELLIGENTAUTOMATION
DeanaConzuegra&ErikaBergerSeidenbergSchoolofComputerScienceandInformationSystems,PaceUniversity,
Pleasantville,NY,10570Administeringhospitalmedicationsisacrucialcomponentofapatient'srecoverywhilestayinginahospital.Medicationsarerequiredtobeadministered30minutesbeforeorafterthescheduledtime.Failingtodosocouldresultinharmtothepatientorcouldhaveasignificantimpactontheintendedtherapeuticorpharmacologiceffect.Nursesfacemanychallengeswhilecaringforpatients,someofwhichbeingtheunavailabilityofmedicationsorthelatedeliveryofmedications.Intelligentautomationinhospitaloperationscanaddresstheseissuesbydeliveringpatientmedicationsontime.Thistechnologyutilizesvariousalgorithmstodeterminetheshortestpathpossibletodelivermedicationtotheunitsthroughoutthehospital,maintainsadatabaseofmedicationsandnotifiesthepharmacywhenneeded,andtransportsmedicationstopropermedicationrooms.Ourgoalistoassessqualityofperformance,identifydeficiencies,errors,orpotentialoptimizations,
andcost-benefitanalysistodeterminewhichtasksshouldbeautomated,whichtasksshouldinvolveintimateinteractionbetweenpatientandrobot,andwhichonesshouldrelysolelyonhospitalstaff.106 (SESSIONC3)ISOLATIONOFGLYCOSYLHYDROLASESTOWARDSGOALOFUNIVERSALBLOOD
MiaByrd&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Glycosylhydrolases,astheirnameimplies,areenzymesabletoremovesugars.SugarsfoundonthesurfaceofbloodareresponsiblefortheirantigenicpropertiesnotedwithA,B,andOtypeblood.Itfollowsthatremovalofthesugarsresponsiblefortheirantigenicityshouldproducea"universalblood."TheterminaltrisaccharidesonthesurfaceofbloodcontainamoietyofeitheranN-acetylgalactosaminelinkedinanalpha1,3configurationtofucoseinAtypebloodorgalactoselinkedinasimilarmannertofucoseinBtypeblood.Manybacteriautilizeglycosylhydrolasesasameanstobreakdowncomplexcarbohydratepolymers.Severalgroupshaveidentifiedenzymeswithactivitiesagainstthesugarresiduesonbloodhowevernoneareofsufficientcatalyticactivitytobecommerciallyviable.Thisresearchwillisolateenzymesfromnovelgroupsofbacteriainhopesofidentifyingenzymeswithgreateractivityandspecificityfortheremovalofsugarsfromblood.107 (SESSIONC3)PREVALENCEOFGIARDIALAMBLIAINMYTILISEDULISFROMORCHARDBEACH,NEWYORK,IN2016
DanielleBaik&LukeAmmiratiDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471
Bivalvesareusedasbioindicatorsformetalsandparasitestotestthequalityofwater.GiardialambliaisanintestinalparasitethathasbeenfoundinNewYorkCitybeachesusingbivalvescollectedin2014.Thepurposeofthisstudyistodeterminewhetherthereisachangeintheprevalenceofthisintestinalparasiteusingbluemussels(Mytilusedulis).Themusselswerecollectedin2016fromOrchardBeach,NewYork.Eachmusselwasdissectedforthegill,mantle,foot,digestivegland,andadductormuscle.Inthisstudy,33ofthe62musselswereanalyzed.DNAwasextractedfromthetissuesassessed.TheprevalenceofG.lambliawastestedusingapolymerasechainreaction(PCR)-basedassay.Wefoundthat32samples,onemusselwaspositiveforG.lambliafoundintheadductormuscleprovidinga3%prevalence.Outofthetotal62mussels,therewasan11.3%prevalencewhichwaslowerthanthe20.6%and28.8%observedin2014and2015,respectively.
108 (SESSIONC3)CONSERVATIONIMPLICATIONSOFTHETEMPORALCHANGESINGENETICDIVERSITY(1870S-2016)AMONGTHEENDANGEREDNORTHWESTERNATLANTICPOPULATIONOFROSEATETERNS(STERNADOUGALLII)
JacobDaytonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Despiteintensivemanagementactionsince1991,recoveryoftheendangerednorthwesternAtlanticpopulationoftheRoseateTern(Sternadougallii)hasbeenslowtocombatlowproductivityfromafemale-biasedsexratio(1.3:1),lowjuvenilerecruitment,predation,andhabitatconstriction,whereby>90%ofindividualsbreedacrossfoursitesfromcoastalNewYorktoMassachusetts.TocharacterizetheimpactofhistoricalbottlenecksandongoingfluctuationsongeneticdiversityamongRoseates:individualsfromthe1870s(pre-bottlenecks),1975(post-bottlenecks),1997(post-conservation),and2016(modern)weregenotypedat8-18autosomalmicrosatellitesandtwopartial-mitochondrialregions.Neutralmicrosatellitesrevealedsignificantdeclinesinvariationfromthe1870s(HE=0.54,AR=2.9)to1975(HE=0.40,AR=2.4;p<0.04)and1997(HE=0.40,AR=2.4;p<0.002).Althoughsignificantgeneticsignaturesofseverehistoricalbottleneckspersistedinboth1997(Wilcoxonranked:p<0.008)and2016(p<0.02),near-recoveryof1800svariationoccurredby2016(HE0.51,AR2.6).Thisworksuggeststhatmanagementactionstorestorehabitatquality/availabilityofmajorcolonysiteshavereestablishedstrongmetapopulationconnectivityandfacilitatedarapidredistributionofgeneticvariationthroughoutthenortheast.ContinuedworkwillemployBayesiancoalescenceapproachestoestimatetheunknownhistoricalpopulationsize,acriticalmetricforconservationgoal-making.109 (SESSIONC3)EFFECTSOFONO-RS082ANDDIFFERENTCONCENTRATIONSOFEXOGENOUSCHOLESTEROLINTHELOCALIZATIONANDPROCESSINGOFAMYLOIDPRECURSORPROTEININSH-SY5SCELLS
AnnaTarrenDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Themisprocessingofamyloidprecursorprotein(APP)isahallmarkofAlzheimer'sdisease(AD).However,itisstillunknownwhattriggersthemisprocessing.UnderstandingthelocalizationofAPPmayhaveimportantimplicationsforthemisprocessingoftheprotein.WehavefoundthatdifferentconcentrationsofexogenouscholesterolandperturbationofcholesteroltraffickingaffectsthelocalizationofAPPinHeLacells.SinceADisaneurologicaldisorder,weperformedthesesameexperimentsinSH-SY5ScellsderivedfromaneuroblastomaandcommonlyusedinADresearch.TreatmentofcellswithONO-RS082,aphospholipaseA2inhibitorcausedaredistributionofAPPsimilartothatseeninHeLacells.ImmunofluorescencemicroscopywasusedtofurtherunderstandthelocalizationofAPPwhenSH-SY5Scellswerefedlowversushighconcentrationsofcholesterol.ImmunoblottingwasusedtofurtheranalyzetheeffectofdifferentexogenouscholesterollevelsontheprocessingofAPP.ThistechniquewasalsousedtoobservetheprocessingofAPPwhencholesterolhomeostasiswasdisruptedusingONO-RS082.
110 (SESSIONC4)MAKINGAPOSITIONALGENEASSIGNMENTFORTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICE
SidneyEragene&JachiusJ.StewartBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
TodiscoverwhichgeneonmouseChromosome9harborstherecessive"curlywhiskers"mutation(abbreviatedcw),weproposedtotakea"positional"approach,wherebythecausativegeneisidentifiedbasedonthegeneticlocationofthemutantphenotype.Ourfirstgenetic-mappinganalysisplacedcwatthecentromericendofChromosome9,however,thatregionofthemousegenomeencodedonlyalimitednumberofPCR-basedpolymorphismsthatcouldbescoredamongthestandardinbredstrains.Toovercomethisobstacle,oursecondmappinganalysismeasuredthefrequencyofrecombinationaroundcwinhybridfemalesweproducedbycrossingcw/cwmice(Musmusculusmusculus)withinbred,wild-derivedM.m.castaneusmice.PolymorphismsofferedbytheM.m.castaneusbackgroundallowedustolocatecwintoasmallregionwhereonly3skin-expressedgenesarealsolocated.Finally,wesequencedthecodingregionsofoneofthosecandidates,Hephl1,andfoundasingledefectinthemutantstrainthatispredictedtodestroyaspliceacceptorsite.Wewilldiscussadditionalanalysesthatcouldlendsupporttoourcurrenthypothesis:thatthepointmutationwehavediscoveredintheHephl1geneisthecauseofthecurlywhiskersmutantphenotype.111 (SESSIONC4)INITIALBIOCHEMICALCHARACTERIZATIONOFTHESWS1/RLP1/RDL1PROTEINCOMPLEXINTHEREGULATIONOFRAD51CATALYZEDRECOMBINATIONINTHEFISSIONYEASTSCHIZOSACCHAROMYCESPOMBE
MyrandaWilliamsDept.ofChemistry,UniversityofSaintJoseph,WestHartford,CT,06117
Genomerearrangementcanleadtocancerthroughtheinadvertentactivationofcancergenes.Thisrearrangementcanariseviaduplications,deletions,insertions,orinversionsthatresultfromdouble-strandbreaksintheDNA.Onepathwayfortherepairofthesedoublestrandbreaksishomologousrecombinationrepair.Mutationsinregulatoryfactorsthatcontrolhomologousrecombinationrepairhavebeenshowntoleadtogenomeinstabilityandcarcinogenesis.Proteinfactorsthatactasregulatorsofrecombinationareclassifiedasmediatorsorsuppressors.ThesemediatorsandsuppressorproteinscompetetoregulatetheactivityoftheRAD51recombinase,whichcatalyzestheinitialstepsofhomologousrecombinationrepair.TheSWS1/RLP1/RDL1proteincomplexisaknownrecombinationmediatorcomplexthatfunctionsatanearlystageofhomologousrecombinationrepairinthefissionyeastSchizosaccharomycespombe.GeneticanalysissuggestthatthiscomplexactstofacilitatetheformationoftheRAD51presynapticfilament,theactiverecombinogenicstructure.Howevernobiochemicalanalysisofthiscomplexhasyetbeenperformed.Wereporthereonourstudiestoclonethegenesthatcodefortheseproteins,expressandpurifytheresultantproteincomplexandcharacterizethe
biochemicalactivitiesofthiscomplexinanefforttodeterminethemechanismbywhichitfacilitatespresynapticfilamentformation.Abetterunderstandingofthebiochemicalmechanismbywhichthiscomplexregulateshomologousrecombinationrepairmayleadtotheidentificationofnovelcancertherapeutictargets.112 (SESSIONC4)EFFECTSOFENTEROBACTERACEAEGROWTH,COMMUNICATION,ANDPATHOGENICITYUPONEACHOTHER
ShaniqueService&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Weshareourbodieswithacollectionofbacteriathatconstructourmicrobiomeandhavebecomekeymediatorsinsideus.Extracellularsignalscanaffectthephysiologyofcertainbacteria,disruptingthissymbioticrelationship,thusallowingbacteriatobecomepathogenictothehost.Norepinephrineisacatecholaminethatfunctionsasahormoneandneurotransmittertomobilizeresourcesinmammalians.ItalsostimulatesthecellgrowthofEscherichiacoli,agram-negativebacteriumintheintestinaltract.E.coliisamemberofEnterobacteriaceaefamily,bacteriumthatsharedistinguishablepropertiesincludingtheabilitytoproducetoxins,enzymes,andotherfactorsthatallowE.colitofunctionasavirulentpathogen.Onesuchfactorisanautoinducer,whichregulatespopulationdensitythroughquorumsensingaswellassignalsforvirulencefactorproduction.WhetherotherentericbacteriacaninterpretthisE.coli-specificautoinducerisunknown,asitisunclearifotherentericbacteriahaveautoinducersfunctioningatthislevel.ThisstudywillobservecellgrowthandvirulencefactorproductioninEscherichia,Citrobacter,Vibrio,Salmonella,Yersinia,Klebsiella,Shigella,Enterobacter,andSerratiatodeterminetheeffectsofautoinducercrosstalkfunctionalityonotherEnterobacteriaceae113 (SESSIONC4)POPULATIONDIFFERENTIATIONOFTHENORTHAMERICANBLACKTERN:AREGIONALPOPULATIONGENETICSSTUDYTOENHANCECONSERVATION
MeganDeaconDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Sincethe1960s,theNorthAmericanBlackTern,Childoniasniger,hasexperiencedsignificantpopulationdeclinesgeneratingconcernfromthepublicandconservationistsalike(Novak1992;Peterjohn1997).ThisstudyexploresthepopulationgeneticsofthreeBlackTernpopulationsinthenortheasternandGreatLakesregiontoidentifygeneticallydistinctorrelatedpopulations.Ultimately,thiswillhelptobetterunderstandthepotentialcausesandconsequencesofthedeclinetomakeappropriateconservationmanagementdecisions.Atotalof32individualsfromthreelocations,Maine,Ontario,andMichigan,weregenotypedateightmicrosatelliteloci.Themeannumberofallelesperlocusforeachpopulationrangedfrom5.83to6.33withanaverageheterozygosityvalueof0.73,bothofwhichvaluesindicatemoderatetohighlevelsofdiversity.PairwisepopulationFSTvaluesrangedfrom0to0.033revealingoverallpanmixes,withparticularlyhighgeneflowbetweenMichiganandOntario.ThisstudyreportsthatthesampledBlackTernpopulations
havemaintainedgeneticvariation,asmeasuredbyallelicrichnessandheterozygosity,despiteobservedandreportedpopulationdeclines.Theirpopulationconnectivitycallsforregionalandinternationalconservationmanagementcollaboration.114 (SESSIONC5)ANALYSISOFHEAVYMETALACCUMULATIONINDUNE-DWELLINGPLANTSONVIEQUES,PR
DanielleBuciorDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
From1943to2003theU.SNavyownedmostoftheeasternandwesternportionsofVieques,PuertoRico.Thelandandseaartillerytestedduringthistimeisthoughttoincreasebioavailabilityofheavymetalsincludinglead,aluminum,andtitanium.Previousstudieshaveindicatedthatplantsarereliablebiologicalindicatorsfordetectingtoxinsandheavymetalsintheirenvironments.Wecollectedacoastalduneplant,Scaevolataccada,alongwithsamplesofsurroundingsoilfrom12beacheslocatedintheViequesNationalWildlifeRefuge.WetestedsamplesforthepresenceofmetalsusingICP-OES.Additionalfactorsconsideredincludedgeographiclocation,soilpH,soilgeochemistry,andproximitytoawaterdrainage.Ouranalysesfoundlevelsofmetalsinbothsoilandplantsthatareabovenaturalgeochemicallevels.Weassumethatthesourceofthesemetalsareanthropogenic.MetalpresenceinplantsisassociatedwithcloseproximitytodrainagesandtohighsoilpH.Metalaccumulationmayalsobeduetootherpointsourcesofcontamination,whicharedifficulttoquantifyandcharacterize.115 (SESSIONC5)GLOBALSEALEVELMEASUREMENTS:HISTORY,CURRENTSTATUS,ANDFUTUREIMPACT
DerekAvery,ZacharyPandorf&MichelleHernandezDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Sealevelsaroundtheglobehavebeenrisingrapidlysincethelatenineteenthcentury.Variousareasaroundtheworldaredirectlyaffectedbytheserisingsealevels,specificallyheavilypopulatedcoastalregions.Primarycausesofrisingsealevelsarethermalexpansionofoceansandincreasedmeltingofglaciers.Themeltingoficecapshavepotentialcatastrophiceffectsontheenvironment.Thispresentationillustratestherelationshipbetweenclimatechangeandpast,current,andfuturesealevels.TheresearchwasperformedintheScientificComputingcourse,afreshman-onlyhonorsclassatWagnerCollege.Withinthecourse,computationalskillsandcriticalthinkingareimplementedusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.TheMathematicaprogramisessentialforlarge-scaledataanalysisthroughcollectionandpresentationofsealevelsandhistoricaltrends.Economicandagriculturalimpactsexistinmostregions,whichhasaneffectonthestandardoflivingintheseareas.Thiswillbecomparedbetweendevelopedanddevelopingnations.Predictionsforfuturesealevelsposethreatstolifeanddevelopmentaroundtheglobe.UsingMathematica,thepresentationdisplaystheprojectionsandtrendsofsea
levels,usingavarietyofinteractivefunctions.Altogether,therisingglobalsealevelswillbeeffectivelyexhibitedusingcomputationaldataanalysis.116 (SESSIONC5)QUANTIFICATIONOFECCENTRICGROWTHINSTEMSOFARTEMISIATRIDENTATA
IsmaelPenaDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471
Artemisiatridentata,BigSagebrush,isthemostdominateshrub,coveringmorethan60millionhectares,inthewesternUS.Itprovideshabitatforcountlessnumbersofanimalspecies.StemsofthevarioussubspeciesofA.tridentataexhibiteccentricgrowthduetothedeathofvascularcambiumaffectingfuturestemgrowth.Inthisfirststudy,concerningratesofeccentricitybetweensubspecies,stemsofA.tridentatassp.wyomingensisandssp.tridentatawereanalyzed.Comparisonsof8mmstem-diametersamplesshowedthatmostsamplesinbothsubspecieswereeccentric.ThesecondtestwastodetermineeccentricityalongthreestemsofA.tridentatassp.wyomingensis.Stemdiametersrangedfrom5-40xylaryringsandwerebetween33-50cmlengthwise.Stemsegmentscontaining>10xylaryringswereeccentric.Thedatashowthateccentricityresultingfromdeathofvascularcambiumwas:localized,notmaintainedwellamongsequentialstemsegments,andubiquitousinstemsofArtemisia.Stemswitheccentricgrowthareweakermechanicallywhichmayhelpexplainwhyindividualstemsdonotgrowwell.However,individualplantsproducethousandsofseeds,accountingforA.tridentata'sdominanceintheregion.ThisstudyisthefirsttoquantifyeccentricityalongstemsoftwosubspeciesofA.tridentata117 (SESSIONC6)PREDICTINGRATESOFBARKFORMATIONONSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEA
MiaBertoliDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471
Saguarocactus(Carnegieagigantea)isakeystonespeciesoftheSonoranDesertofArizonaandMexico.Recentevidenceshowsthatepidermalbrowning,thepresenceofbarkonthesurfacesofsaguaros,leadstoprematuredeathofplantsfromtheaverage200to300-yearlifeexpectancy.Saguarocacticontainmultiplesurfacesthatbarkstartingonsouth-facingsurfacesandendingonnorth-facingsurfaces,sincesouth-facingsurfacesareexposedtomoresunlight.Thelastsurfacetoshowbarkwasnorth-righttroughs.Previousresearchhasshownthatoncenorth-righttroughshad80%bark,cactusplantsdiedwithineightyears.Thecurrentresearchwasaimedatfurtherunderstandingbarkformationonnorth-righttroughsusingvariouscomputerprograms.TheresultsshowthatusingvariouscombinationsofRandomForestpredictorsurfacesandValidateModelhistograms,themostaccuratesurfacestopredictthenorth-righttroughwerethenorth-lefttroughscombinedwithwest-lefttroughs.Highstandarddeviationvalueswerecoincidentwithlowpredictiveaccuracy.Cactusoutliersthatbarkedslowerthanpredictedweremoreshadedthancactusoutliersthatbarkedfasterthanpredicted.Overall,computerprogramsWEKA,Validate
Model,andRem_High_Lowareaccuratetoolstopredictbarkformationratesonnorth-righttroughsandwhenindividualcactusdeathwilloccur.118 (SESSIONC6)COMPARISONOFAMINOACIDSANDSUGARINNECTARFROMSCAEVOLATACCADAANDSCAEVOLAPLUMIERI
ColettePiasecki-MastersDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Scaevolaplumieri,aspeciesofcoastalshrub,isnativetotheCaribbeanIslands.Scaevolataccada,acongenernativetotheIndopacific,wasintroducedtotheCaribbeaninthe1970sandwasfirstrecordedinVieques,PuertoRicoin2002.S.taccadahasbeenreportedtodisplaceS.plumieri,whichisnowlistedasthreatenedinmanylocations.Sincethesespeciescompeteforresources,weareinterestedinexploringthepossibleimpacttheinvasiveS.taccadahasonthepollinationbiologyofthenativespecies.Wepresentdataonthenectarconstituents—specificallysugarandaminoacidconcentrations—ofthesespeciesfromVieques.Nectarsampleswerecollectedfrom2015-2017usingmicrocapillarytubes.Thenectarvolumewasmeasuredfromindividual,baggedflowers.ThesucrosepercentagewasanalyzedusingadigitalrefractometerandtheaminoacidprofileswereanalyzedusingHPLC.TheaveragesucroseconcentrationisslightlyhigherinthenectarofS.plumieri,whiletheaveragevolumeperflowerishigherinS.taccada.Thespecies'aminoacidprofileswerefoundtosharesimilarcompoundsinthenectars,however,theconcentrationoftheserespectivecompoundsisvariable.Usingappropriatestatisticalmeasures,wehavequantifiedtheintra-andinterspeciesvariability.119 (SESSIONC6)ANALYSISOFHURRICANESANDCYCLONESINNORTHAMERICAANDASIA
MatthewBarreto&VictorRuanDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
ClimatechangehascausedanemergenceofextremeweathereventsintheUnitedStatesandAsia.Mostnotably,thispresentationanalyzesthejuxtapositionbetweentheeffectsofhurricanesintheUnitedStatessuchasHurricanesSandyandKatrina,andcyclonesprevalentinAsia,primarilyTyphoonChan-hom(2015),orTyphoonFalconinthePhilippines.Theprevalenceoftheseextremeweathereventshavecausedmanyeffectsontheworldandhumanlife.Furthermore,thispresentationshowcasesacorrelationbetweentheseverityandfrequencyofhurricanesandcycloneswithcertainfactorssuchasjoblossrates,insurancedeficits,andpublicassistancenecessities.ThisresearchhasbeencarriedinthefreshmanonlyScientificComputingcourseatWagnerCollege.ThecomputationalanalysisofthedatawascarriedoutusingtheWolframprogramminglanguage.Thisresearchfocusesontheseveritiesofhurricanesandcyclonesindifferentpartsoftheworldandhowtheyimpacttheglobaleconomy.Basedonthesefindings,therehasbeenanotabletrendinadecreaseinamountofextremeweatherevents,butanincreaseintheirintensities.ThisdatacouldserveasaprecursorforextremeweathereventsthatmayoccurinthefutureofNorthAmericaandpartsofAsia.
120 (SESSIONC6)XYLEMCONDUCTIVITIESFROMSTEMSTOLEAVESFORGRASSSPECIES
HumbertoOrtegaBiologyDept.,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Grassesgrowinavarietyofenvironments,somewithlimitedwater.Thisresearchisimportantbecausegrassgrowthandproductivitydependuponwaterconductionfromstemstoleaves.Thepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandcharacteristicsofxylemcells,xylemcellswithinvascularbundlesandxylemconductivity.Xylemconductivityisusedtoestimatethecells'abilitytotransportwaterfromstemstoleaves.Datafrom13C3grasses,speciesmostlyconfinedtotemperateclimates,and13C4grasses,speciesmostlyfromtropicalclimates.Stemswithlargerdiametershadmorevascularbundles(y=25.1x-18.7,r2=0.92).Numbersofleafbundleswerelinearlyrelatedwithnumberofstembundles(y=0.10x+6.61,r2=0.84)demonstratingthatstemscontributed10%oftheirbundlestoeachleaf.Xylemconductivityvaluesperbundleinleaveswerelinearlyrelatedwiththestembundleconductivity(y=0.054x-0.00,r2=0.84).Xylemconductivityvaluesofentireleaveswerelinearlyrelatedwithentirestems(y=0.060x+0.027,r2=0.90).Leafconductivityvalueswereaboutsixpercentofstemconductivities.Bothgroupsdisplayedsimilarxylemconductivitiesthereforeweconcludedthatxylemconductivityisindependentofwateruseefficiency.121 (SESSIONC7)THEEFFECTOFSEMI-PRECOCIALDEVELOPMENTONMOVEMENTOFJUVENILECOMMONTERN(STERNAHIRUNDO)FROMTHENEST
MonicaValeroDept.ofBiology,WagnerCollege,SI,NY,10309
Theobjectiveofthisexperimentwastoobservetheeffectofsemi-precocialdevelopmentonthemovementofjuvenileCommonTerns(Sternahirundo)asthechicksaged.Semi-precocialspeciesbegintowanderawayfromthenestataroundtwotothreedaysold.Overthecourseoftwomonths,twositesinBarnegatBay,offLongBeachIsland,NewJerseywereobservedtoexaminecommonternchickmovementfromthenest.Oncethechickshatched,datawascollectedonthechicks:bandnumbers,thechicks'distancefromthenest,aswellasthedistancebetweenneighboringnests.Theresultscollectedwereexpectedtoreflectsemi-precocialdevelopment,meaningthatasthechicksaged,theywouldbefoundfartherfromthenest.ObservationsofS.hirundochicksfromsevendifferentagegroupssupportedthehypothesisthatchicksmovedfromthenestastheymatured.Inthefirstagegroupof1to3days,itwasfoundthatthemediandistancefromthenestwasonly0.10mawayfromthenest.Inthenextagegroupof4-6days,themediandistanceawayfromthenestwas0.45maway.Intheagegroupofoverthreeweeksold,themediandistanceawayfromthenestwas6.45meters;nochickswerefoundattheirnest,andthechickswereabouttofledge.Althoughcomplicationsdidarisesuchasstorms,predationbygulls,andthechicksmovingintodensevegetation,enoughchickswererecordedtodemonstratethatS.hirundochicksmoveawayfromthenestafteronlydaysof
hatching.Ultimately,thedatashowthatCommonTernchicksarenotattachedtothenestsite,despitecontinuingtorelyontheirparentsforcare.122 (SESSIONC7)PREDICTINGMORTALITYRATESFORSAGUAROCACTI(CARNEGIEAGIGANTEA
ColeJohnsonDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Saguarocacti(Carnegieagigantea)areoneofmorethantwentyothercolumnarcactusspeciesintheAmericassubjecttobarkformation,orepidermalbrowning.BarkformationisknowntobetheresultofUV-Blightcomingfromthesun.Extensivebarkcoverageleadstoprematuredeathofsaguarocactusplantsthatareknowntoliveforhundredsofyears.ThisstudyusedWEKAmachinelearningprogrammingtopredictdeathratesforapopulationofsaguarocactilocatedinTucsonMountainPark,Tucson,AZfrom1994-2017over8-yearintervals.Itwashypothesizedthatnorth-facingsurfaceswouldbethemajorpredictorofcactusmortalitybecausepreviousresearchhasshownthatcactusdeathoccurswhennorth-facingrighttroughshave80%barkcoverage.Eachindividualcactuswasassignedahealthclassbasedonpercentagesofbarkcoverageonsurfacesfrom1994-2002,2002-2010,and2010-2017.Cactiwereevaluatedfor1994,2002and2010topredictmortalityin2002,2010,and2017,respectively.DatawereanalyzedwithWEKAdecisiontreeprogramstodeterminetheabilityofcactussurfaces(north,south,east,andwest)topredictcactusmortality.Confusionmatriceswereobtainedtounderstandthemethodofprediction.Forcactiwithcactiwithbarkcoveragebelow80%,north-facingsurfaceswerethebestpredictorsofcactusdeath.Forthesegroups,deathwaspredictedformorethan80%ofcacti.Forcactiabove80%barkcoverage,south-facingsurfaceswerethemajorpredictorsofdeath.Forthesecacti,deathwaspredictedatonlythe72%level.123 (SESSIONC7)COMPARINGTHERMALTOLERANCEAMONGDAPHNIAPOPULATIONS
SophiaA.CameronDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Understandinghowpopulationsandspecieshaveevolveddifferencesintraitsinvolvedinthermaltolerancewillbeinformativeinpredictingfutureevolutionaryresponsestoclimatewarming.DaphniapulexandDaphniapulicaria.arecloselyrelatedspeciesoffreshwaterzooplanktonthataremorphologicallyindistinguishable.D.pulexistypicallyfoundinephemeralponds,whileD.pulicariainhabitslakes.Despitetheirmorphologicalsimilarityandabilitytohybridize,multiplesourcesofmoleculardatahaveconfirmedtheirstatusasseparatespecies.HereweinvestigatethehypothesisthatpopulationsofD.pulexmaypossessgreaterthermaltolerancethanD.pulicariabecauseofthegreateramplitudeoftemperaturevariationtheylikelyexperienceinnature.Usinglaboratory-grownlineagesofDaphniaestablishedfromfieldsamplingofmultiplelakeandpondhabitats,wemeasuredcriticalthermalmaximum(CTmax)ofadultanimalsviaadynamicmethod.Thisconsistsofafast-rampingassayinwhichanimalsexperiencedaconstantrateof
temperatureincrease(1Cper20s)untilfainting.WecompareCTmaxamongpopulationswithinspecies,andbetweenspecies.124 (SESSIOND)POLYMERSOFINTRINSICMICROPOROSITYINCORPORATINGAZOFUNCTIONALGROUPS
KarlOttoEuller,JesseHsu&MichaelP.HaafDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Polymersofintrinsicmicroporosity(PIMs)arearelativelynewcategoryofpolymerswhichdifferfromtraditionallinearorganicpolymers.Incontrasttoinsoluble,highlycross-linkedpolymers,PIMsderivetheirintrinsicporositythroughlargeplanarstructuresinterspacedbytetrahedralcarboncentersthatexhibitadistinctlytwistedstereochemistry.PracticalapplicationsofPIMsincludegasfiltration,drugdelivery,orenantiomericseparationofmolecules,throughthefine-tuningoftheircharacteristicpores.WeareintheprocessofsynthesizingaPIMthatincorporatesanazofunctionalgroupintothepolymerbackbone.AzofunctionalgroupsexistinthecisortransconfigurationandthestereochemistryofthefunctionalgroupcanbeswitchedthoughUVlightexposure.IncorporationofthisfunctionalgroupwouldlikelyallowadegreeofcontrolovertheshapeofthisPIMandcouldenabledramaticchangesintheporosityofthepolymerwiththeuseofUVlight.ProgresstowardthesynthesisandcharacterizationofaphotoswitchablePIMwillbepresented.125 (SESSIOND)ANTIBACTERIALPROPERTIESOFFUNCTIONALIZEDMELAMINE
PiperSkinnerDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Theantibacterialactivityofmoleculesistypicallyattributedtothepresenceoflonghydrophobicalkylchainsorphenolgroups.Attachingsuchgroupstomelamine,anaromaticheterocycle,canresultinnewmoleculesthatpossesstheabilitytoresistbacteria.Theantimicrobialactivityofchlorinatedmelaminehasbeenreportedintheliterature.Thisprojectfocusesonthealkylationofmelamineasameansofenhancingantimicrobialproperties.Attemptstofunctionalizemelaminewithalkylchainsusingsubstitutionreactionsareinprogress.Bromobutaneandbromopentanehavebeenemployedthusfar,withvariousreactionconditionsunderreview.Oncealkylationisachieved,thecompoundwillbeappliedtoinfectedagarplatestodetermineifthecoloniesofbacteriadoindeeddecrease.Inadditiontoaddingalkylgroups,phenolicsubstituentswillalsobeexploredasameanssynthesizingadditionalmelaminederivativeswithantibacterialactivity.
126 (SESSIOND)CHEMISTRYINTHEAEROSOLINTERFACIALREGION:ACOMPUTATIONALSTUDY
GentPrelvukajDept.ofChemistry,WagnerCollege,StatenIsland,NY,10301
Thechemicalreactionscausedbyatmosphericaerosolparticlesareinvolvedinradiativeforcing,chemicalreactioncycles,andhumanhealth.Thechemicalreactionsthatoccurintheinterfacialregionremainambiguous.Duetothecomplexityoftheinterfacialregion,selfassembledreversemicelles(RM)areusedasproxiestohelpdevelopacompleteunderstandingofthephotochemicalpropertiesoftheregion.Weperformedfullyatomisticmoleculardynamicssimulationstoexploretheimpactoftrappedionicspeciesonthesizeandshapeofreversemicelles.Oursimulationsoflargerreversemicellesfromw0=10,15,20provideatemplateforfurtherstudies.ForeachRMsize,theionsformlayersintheinterfacialregion.K+ionsresidenearthesurfactantheadgroupsandevenreplacetheNa+counter-ionofthesurfactantwhiletheCl-anionsarelocalizedintheaqueouscore.Densitycalculationsindicatethattheinterfacialregionofthereversemicellesarestructuredasfollows:R-SO3->Na+≥K+>Cl-(Core).Oursimulationsindicatethatthetrendinshapeofreversemicellescontinuesforsmallerreversemicellesincludingw02,3,4,and6.Afterrunningmultiplesimulationsofdifferentconcentrationswediscoveredthatthereisathresholdconcentration.127 (SESSIOND)THEIMPACTOFTHEORIENTATIONOFTHEMICROFLUSHVALVEINTHEGLOBALSUSTAINABLEAIDPROJECTTOILET
ColbyAndersonAndresenDept.ofPhysics-Engineering-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
TheMicroflushvalveintheGlobalSustainableAidProject(GSAP)toiletisdesignedtominimizeaerosols/spraybyslidingthewastewhenthetoiletisflushed.Thevalvecanhaveoneoftwoorientations.Onewherethecounterweightisforwardintheuserinterfaceandonewhereitisonthebackendoftheuserinterface.Theaimofthisresearchistoconsidertheimplicationsofbothorientations.Avalveinterfacewasbuiltinthelabtofacilitatethisstudy.Asolutionofreddyewithwaterwaspouredintothevalvetosimulatewaste.Thespraywasthenexaggeratedthroughanextremeflushing.Measurementsweretakentoobservethedistributionofthesprayjustabovethevalve,inthemiddleofthebowlofthetoilet,andatthetopofthetoilet.ThedistributionswerethenanalyzedusingImageJtofindthecenterofmass.Resultsshowthatthecenterofmasswasorientedtowardsthebackoftheuserinterfacefortheforwardpositionofthecounterweight.Justtheoppositefortheotherorientation.Thus,installingthevalveintheforwardorientationcoulddecreasethepossibilityofinfectionthroughsplattercontactwiththeuser.
128 (SESSIOND)THEMETHODOFUSINGMULTIPLE3DLASERSCANNINGSTOSCANTRIMCASTLEINTRIM,IRELAND
AlexanderTuongDept.ofPhysicsandAstronomy,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
3Dlaserscanningisbecomingmoreprominentintheworldinfieldssuchasautonomousvehicles,forensics,3Dmodelingandarchitecture,constructionandhistoricpreservation.Withtheriseof3Dlaserscanningnewresearchmustbedonetolearnhowtoimplementthistechnologyintotheworld.Theresearchbeingpresentedinvolvesthemethodologyofimplementingmultiple3Dlaserscannersimultaneously.ThefieldworkwascontextuallybasedinhistoricpreservationofTrimCastleinTrim,IrelandusingtwoLeicaScanstation3DLaserScanners.Amethodforusingboththescannerssimultaneouslyandefficientlywasdevelopedinwhichsmallscanteamswithonemanagingbodywasproventobemoreworkandcostefficient.Thescannersalsomustbeoutofsightofeachother.InthecaseofTrimCastle,thebestmethodwashavingthescannersonseparatefloorsorinside/outside.Inordertocompilethedataintothesamepointcloud,thescannersmustbeabletosharecoordinatesandbelockedintothesamecoordinategrid.129 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFMICROGRAVITYONTHEGROWTHANDFUNCTIONOFNEURALCELLS
BenRumrill&BarbraMurdochDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
AsNASAstrivestoadvancethereachofhumanspaceexploration,astronautsarespendinglongerdurationsexposedtomicrogravity.Astronautsreturningfromspaceshowcognitivedeficits,likeattentionlapseandlowerreactiontimes.Thereasonforthisareunclear,however,onepossibilityisthatmicrogravitycausesthelossofneuronsinthebrain.Typically,cellreplacementinvolvescelldifferentiation.Perhapsmicrogravityaffectscelldifferentiation?Wehypothesizethatmicrogravityimpairstheabilityofneuralcellstodifferentiateintoneurons.Usingthemouseneuroblastomacellline,Neuro2A(N2A),wetestedtheabilityofN2Acellstoproduceneurons,followinggrowthinsimulatedmicrogravitycomparedtonormalconditions.N2Acellsareideal,asdependingonthecultureconditions,N2Acellscaneitherbemaintainedasdividingcellsordifferentiatedtoproduceneurons.N2Acellsweregrownwithandwithoutsimulatedmicrogravityfortwodays.Subsequentlyundernormalgravity,thecellsweredifferentiatedandtestedforneuronproductionusingimmunocytochemistry.Preliminaryexperimentsindicatecellularchangesinmicrogravitycomparedtonormal,withneurondifferentiationevidentinbothconditions.Neuronquantitationiscurrentlyunderway.Alossofneuronscouldtranslateintoalteredcommunicationinthebrain,leadingtothecognitivedeficitsseeninastronautsafterspaceflight.
130 (SESSIOND)ASSESSMENTOFMICROGLIALFUNCTIONINBRAINANDBLOODMICROENVIRONMENTS
LillianHydeDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Microgliaaresupportcellsinthecentralnervoussystemthattriggerdefensemechanismsinresponsetoforeignparticles.Microglia,althoughnaturallyfoundininterstitialfluid,anenvironmentsimilartocerebrospinalfluid(CSF),areroutinelystudiedinvitrobyculturingthesecellswithfetalbovineserum(FBS).WhethermicrogliaculturedwithFBSarefunctionallysimilartothoseintheirnativeenvironmentisunclear.Thisquestionisparticularlyinterestinggiventhatmicrogliacanbeactivatedintoapro-inflammatory(M1)oranti-inflammatory(M2)phenotypebasedonsignalingmoleculesintheirenvironment.Thesephenotypescanhaveprofoundlydifferentinfluencesonbrainhealthbydamagingneurons(M1activation)orpromotingneuronsupport(M2activation).ThisstudyassessesifmicroglialactivationdiffersinFBScomparedtotheirmorenaturalenvironmentofCSF.Byestablishingabaselinecharacterizationofmicroglia,theroleofmicrogliaindiseasecanbemorecloselymodeledinvitro.PreliminaryresultssuggestthatCSFpromotesmicroglialmorphologyreminiscentofM2activationwhileFBSpromotesM1activation.Furtherstudieswillcharacterizethesecellsbasedoncellularmarkersandfunction.ThesefindingssuggestthatculturingmicrogliainFBSmightdrivethesecellstowardsadifferentactivationstatethanwheninthecentralnervoussystem.131 (SESSIOND)FUNCTIONOFLEPTININFINFOLDREGENERATION
NishatRahmanDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Humansandotheranimalscannotregeneratewell.Someanimalscanregeneratewholebodyparts.Vertebrateslikefishandsalamandersareexamplesofspeciesthatregeneratelimbsormissingpartsoftheirorgans.Ifwecanunderstandwhysomecanregenerateandotherscannot,thenwecanhelpfurtherregenerativemedicine.Weusezebrafishmodelforstudyingregeneration,focusingontheregenerationofthelarvalfinfold.Whenthefinfoldisamputated,theexpressionoftheneuropeptideleptinincreasesatthesiteofamputation.Whiletheroleofleptininappendageregenerationisunknown,leptinisknowntoplayanimportantroleinboneremodeling.LeptinactsupstreamofCart,whichisanotherneuropeptideexpressedinthebrainandperipheraltissues.Wewillstudythefunctionofleptininfinfoldregeneration.Todoso,wewillgeneratefishinwhichtheexpressionofleptincanbeexperimentallyinduced.Wehypothesizethatincreasedleptinexpressionwillenhanceregenerationrate,increaseexpressionofcart,andincreaseexpressionofgenesinvolvedinboneremodeling.Furthermore,theseeffectswillbeblockedinfishthatcarryageneticlossoffunctioninCart.Thesestudiesshouldimproveourknowledgeofregenerationandboneremodeling.
132 (SESSIOND)COMPARINGRATESOFEVOLUTIONINARTHROPODDNADAMAGEREPAIRGENES
TaylorYowanDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
ExposuretoultravioletradiationiswellknowntocauseDNAdamageandmutationsleadingtodiseasesassevereasskincancerinhumansorevendeath.OrganismssuchasDaphniapulexliveinshallowareasofwaterwhichcanbedirectlyexposedtosunlightandthereforultravioletradiation.IaminvestigatinghowexposuretoultravioletradiationaffectstherateatwhichorganismswithintheArthropodafamilyevolvethisisbasedoffpreviousworkdonebyProfessorBrooksMinerwhichexploredhowdifferentlevelsofexposuretoultravioletradiationaffectedthediversitywithinneighboringDaphniapulexpopulations.ThiscanbequantifiedbycreatingaKa/KsratioofgenesassociatedwithDNAdamageresponseforeacharthropodofinterest.IwillthencomparetheseratiosinordertocreateaphylogenyofarthropodsthatvisualizeshowDNAdamageaffectstherateatwhichtheseorganismsevolveinavarietyofecosystems.IbeganwithalistofknownDNAdamagegenesinthemodelorganismDrosophilamelanogasterwhichIthenusedtosearchfororthologousgenesinaseriesofdiversearthropodsforwhichDNAsequencedataisavailable.OnceIhadaccesstothegenomesofthearthropodsofinterestIusedcommandlineBLASTandpythonscriptstoidentifytheseDNAdamageorthologs.ThenextstepsinvolveotherprogramsincludingMUSCLEandPAMLtocalculatetheKa/Ksratiosoftheseorganisms.Iwillpresentonhowtheresultsofthisongoingresearchconfirmordenythehypothesisthathigherexposuretoultravioletradiationisassociatedwithfasterratesofevolution.133 (SESSIOND)CRACKINGTHECODE:DISCOVERINGTHEROLEOFGENETICSINDEGENERATIVEMYOPATHY
CaitlinSteinbeck&Dr.ArévaloDept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
Ourlabisinterestedinlookingattheaspectsofthedoggenomethatspecificallyrelatetotheinteractionsbetweengenesandtheirphysicalcharacteristicsanddiseases.Ihavefocusedonalate-onsetneurodegenerativedisorderofthespinalcordcalleddegenerativemyopathy(DM),whichleadstothelossofcontrolofthehindlimbs.TheprogressionseenindogsaffectedbyDMhasbeencorrelatedwiththesymptomsinhumanssufferingfromamyotrophiclateralsclerosis(ALS).SeveralgeneshavebeenassociatedwithALSincludingSOD1,agenethatisalsolinkedtoDMindogs.However,theroleofSOD1indogsisnotsufficienttofullyexplainthediseasebecauseofthelowlevelsofgeneticpenetranceindogscarryingthemutation.OurlabisscreeningforalternategenesthatareeitherknowntobeinvolvedwithALSorareknowntohavearegulatoryroleonSOD1expressionindogs.IamlookingatthedogversionoftheC9orf72gene,whichisassociatedwithALSandFrontotemporalDementia(FTLD).Weplantoscreenalmost300dogDNAsamplesforgeneticvariabilityinthecanineC11H9orf72genetodeterminewhetherithasaroleinDM.
134 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFMICROGRAVITYONNEURONALCELLS
CarlyBalskusDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Astronautsareknowntoexperiencecognitivedeclinewheninspace.Thecauseoftheseimpairmentsisunclear.Todeterminewhethermicrogravityimpairsneuronalfunction,differentiatedmouseneuroblastomacellsweregrownonmicrocarrierbeads.Cellswerethensubjectedtonormalgravityorsimulatedmicrogravityfor48hoursusingaRotaryCellCultureSystem.Microgravityreducedneuronalprocesslengthandexpressionofthesynapticmarker,synaptophysin,asmeasuredbywesternblot.Importantly,cellviabilitywasnotalteredbymicrogravity,indicatingoureffectsarenotaconsequenceofenhancedcelldeath.Thesedatasuggestthatexposuretomicrogravitymaydisruptneuronalcommunicationandpossiblyunderliethecognitiveimpairmentsseeninastronauts.135 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTSOFDIETARYANTIOXIDANTSONOXIDATIVESTRESSLEVELSINEUROPEANSTARLINGS,STURNUSVULGARIS
OliviaFatica&MaxTrudeauDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Migratorybirdsrelyheavilyontheconditionoftheirmusclesandthequalityoftheirfatstorestomakeitsafelytotheirdestinations.Butunfortunately,theycopewithseveremuscledamageduetotheirextremelylongenduranceflights,whichcangreatlyaffecttheirperformanceinanegativeway.Antioxidants(AOs)arecomponentsthatcombatthismuscledamage.Uricacidisconsideredtobeanendogenousantioxidantandreliablebiomarkerforoxidativedamageandisreleasedduringmusclecatabolism.Inthisstudy,femaleEuropeanStarlingsunderwentastricttrainingregimeleadinguptoa6-hourmigrationsimulation.Groupsofstarlings,bothtrainedanduntrained,werefeddietswitheithernodietaryantioxidantsaddedordietssupplementedwithantioxidantsintheformofanthocyanin.Bloodwasdrawnatthreetimepoints;backgroundsample,apost-flightsample,andafinalsampletwodaysafterflightrecovery.Uricacidlevelsweremeasuredinbloodplasma.Wepredictthattheuricacidlevelswillbesignificantlyhigherintheabsenceofthedietaryantioxidant,especiallyintrainedbirds,asthebodywillonlyhaveaccesstotheirendogenousAOs.Preliminaryresultssuggestapossiblecorrelationbetweenlevelsofuricacidanddietaryantioxidants.136 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFBIOFEEDBACKTRAININGONBETA-ADRENERGICRECEPTORSINHEARTFAILURE
AlisonSwiftNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118
Ofthe5.7millionadultsdiagnosedannuallywithheartfailure,50%willsuccumbtothediseasewithinfiveyears,creatingademandformoreeffective,long-termtherapies.Prior
studiesdemonstratedthattotalbeta-adrenergicreceptordensityfollowingbiofeedback-assistedstressmanagementtraining(biofeedback)isdown-regulated,similartofailingheartsandunlikefailingheartstreatedwithleft-ventricularassistdevices(LVAD).However,itisunknownwhetherbiofeedbacktrainingresultsinalterationsinbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtype(beta-1andbeta-2)ratio.Therefore,thepresentstudysoughttodeterminehowbiofeedbackaffectsbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtyperatioincomparisontonon-failingandLVADgroups.Itwashypothesizedthatbeta-adrenergicreceptorsubtyperatiointhebiofeedbackgroupwouldbesimilartothatofnon-failingandLVADgroupsandsignificantlydifferentfromthefailinggroup.Theresultsdidnotindicateasignificantdifferencebetweengroupsforbeta-1receptors.Forbeta-2receptors,densityresultsindicatedasignificantdifferencebetweenboththefailingandbiofeedbackgroupsincomparisontotheLVADandnon-failinggroups.Theresultsobtainedforthefailinggroupdidnotcorroboratehistoricaldata,indicatingpotentiallimitationstothestudyandencouragingfuturestudy.137 (SESSIOND)PHYLOGEOGRAPHYOFAMOUNTAINTOPSALAMANDER,PLETHODONPUNCTATUS(PLETHODONTIDAE)
AlexsisM.Powell&HaleyC.GrimasonDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Thecowknobsalamander,Plethodonpunctatus,isalittle-knownmemberofthelunglesssalamanderfamilyPlethodontidae.ThespeciesonlyoccursinafewisolatedmountainrangesandmountaintopsthatstraddletheVirginiaandWestVirginiaborder.WestVirginiahasdesignatedP.punctatusasaS1(CriticallyImperiled)speciesofconcernduetohabitatfragmentation,lowabundance,anditsnarrowdistribution.ThisledtothequestionofwhetherP.punctatuspopulationsindifferentisolatedmountainrangesaregeneticallydivergentandshouldbemanagedasseparateunits.Tailtipswerecollectedfromspecimensthroughouttheknownrangeofthespecies,andDNAwasextracted.Threegeneticloci,twomitochondrialandonenuclear,wereamplifiedandsequenced.PhylogeneticanalysesoftheDNAdatarevealedthatindividualmountainrangesdonoteachharborauniquegeneticlineage.Instead,P.punctatusiscomprisedoftwogeneticclades,onefoundinnorthernhalfofthespecies'rangeandanotherinthesouth.HaplotypenetworksandpopulationgeneticanalysesindicatethatthenortherncladeofP.punctatusunderwentrecentpopulationexpansion,whilethesouthernclademayhavebeenmorestable.Interestingly,thetwocladesappeartohavedivergedaround2.6millionyearsago,coincidingwiththeonsetofthePleistocene.138 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFINSECTICIDESONTADPOLEDEVELOPMENT,ANDBEHAVIOR
CaitSackmanDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Riverdale,NY,10471
Amphibiansareimportantindicatorspeciesfortheecosystem,withpermeableskinandaquaticreproductionmakingthemvulnerabletoenvironmentalperturbation,and
susceptibletochemicalpollution.Contaminationoffreshwaterhabitatswithtraditionalinsecticidaltoxinsisthoughttobeacontributingfactortotheglobaldeclineofamphibianspecies.However,theuseofmoreeco-friendlyalternativecompoundsisontherise,butunderstandingthewaysinwhichthesealternativecompoundsmayimpactnaturalpopulationsisimportant.Ihypothesizedthat:1)tadpolesinthepresenceoftraditionalcarbamateinsecticideswouldexhibitabnormalbehaviors,2)carbamateinsecticideswouldnegativelyaffecttadpoledevelopment,and3)tadpoleswouldexperiencefewernegativeeffectsonbehavioranddevelopmentinthepresenceofanaturalinsecticidealternative(lemongrassoil).Theresultsshowthattadpolesexposedtoinsecticidechemicals(bothtraditionalandeco-friendlyalternatives)showedsignsofbehavioralanddevelopmentalchangesrelativetocontroltadpoles.EvenatconcentrationssignificantlylowerthanthosesuggestedbyEPAguidelines,insecticidescouldcausesignificantsub-lethalchangestolarvalamphibians,whichcouldhavedetrimentaleffectstothefitnessofwildpopulations.139 (SESSIOND)ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEANDTHEROADMAPTOCYBERNETICIMMORTALITY
DavidBernhardt&NoelleFrancisSeidenbergSchoolofComputerScienceandInformationSystems,PaceUniversity,NY,
10570ArtificialIntelligence(AI)andCybersecurityaretwodisciplinesthatareadvancingbyleapsandbounds.Yet,withtheadvancesinAIcriminalsareusingcyberspacetocommitnumerouscyber-crimes.Cybersecurityplaysavitalroleintoday'stechindustry.Physicaldevicesandhumaninterventionarenotsufficientformonitoringandprotectingtheseinfrastructures.That'swhereAIcomeintoplayforcybersecurity.ArtificialIntelligencehasprovenveryhelpfulindealingwithcybercrimes,inthattheyhelppreventthesecrimes.However,thereisaneedformoreadvancedcyberdefensesystemthatcanassessasituationquicklyandmakeintelligentreal-timedecisionsimmediately.Inthisstudy,weanalyzehowAIandCybersecurityhavebeenimproperlymerged.Analyzingthesefailures,wethenproposeanapproachformergingthemeffectivelyandtheirapplication.Inaddition,wediscussthebenefitsofwhenArtificialIntelligenceandcomputersecurityarecombinedcorrectlytocombatcybercrime,aswellashowtocorrectlyusethetwoareasinharmony.140 (SESSIOND)DEPRESSION,SOCIALSUPPORTANDRACE:DISPARITIESAMONGCOLLEGESTUDENTS
SerenaBerrios,MayaHoward,ShannaleeBrown&TyreshaPringleDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Manystudieshaveexploreddifferencesindepressionandsocialsupportasafunctionofrace.InthecurrentstudywecomparedBlack,White,Asian,Latinx,andMultiracialstudentsonmeasuresofdepressionandsocialsupport.Unlikethegeneralpopulation,Blackstudentsreportedthehighestlevelsofdepressionandlowersocialsupport.Latinxstudentsalsoreportedelevatedlevelsofdepression.Despitethelimitedsamplesize,therewasevidencethatMultiracialstudentsreporthighlevelsofdepressionandlowlevelsof
socialsupport.Theimplicationsofthesefindingsforsupportingdiversestudentpopulationsarediscussed.141 (SESSIOND)INSANEINTHEMEMBRANE:VARIATIONSINPORTRAYALSOFMENTALILLNESSONTELEVISIONBYTIMEPERIOD,STATIONANDPROGRAMTYPE(2011-2016)
LiaBradley&SabrinaDeArmasDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Previousresearchhasshownthattelevisionhasstronginfluencesonthebeliefs,attitudesandbehaviorsofbothchildrenandadults.Giventheriseinmentalillness(includingaddictionandsuicide)overthepastseveraldecades,whatdoviewerslearnaboutmentalillnessfromwatchingtelevision?ThecurrentlongitudinalcontentanalysisisanextensionandreplicationofearlierstudiesbyGomez&Hochberger(2015)andBevan(2017)usingalargersampleof689televisionprogramsvideotapedfrom2011-2016fortheCenterforResearchontheEffectsofTelevision(CRETV)archive.Bothfiction(soapoperas,dramas,crime/action,sitcoms,children'sshows,andteenshows)andnonfiction(news,talkshows,magazineshows,andreality/re-enactmentdramas)programswereincluded.Thedatareportedinthisanalysisincludetheproportionofshowsineachprogramtypethatcontainedcontentrelatedtomentalillness,thenumberandtypeofincidentsineachprogram,thecontext(humorous/serious,positive/negative)andhowthosedatavariedbyprogramtype,station,timeperiodandyear.Mentalillnessportrayalsoccurredinmorethan60%oftheprogramsstudied,includingover85%ofdramas,talkshows,magazineshowsandsitcoms.Theywereleastlikelytoappearonprosocial/educationchildren'sshowsandlocalnewsprograms.142 (SESSIOND)ROBOTICASSISTEDLOCOMOTOREXPERIENCELEADSTOENHANCEDEXECUTIVEFUNCTIONING
LacieGary,LiyaLachovizer&AveryWhisman-WoodwardDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850
Executivefunctioning(EF)involvesinhibitorycontrol,planning,andcognitiveflexibility.Researchershavesuggestedthatself-guidedlocomotioncontributesitsdevelopment;ourresearchwasdesignedtotestthisclaim.Five-month-oldnon-crawlinginfantswererandomlyassignedtoalocomotorornon-locomotorconditiontostudytheeffectsofgoal-directed,self-guidedlocomotiononEF.Bothgroupscametothelabfor12playsessionsoveraperiodoftwomonths.DuringthesesessionsinfantsinthelocomotorgroupwereabletolocomotetotoysusingaroboticdevicefittedoutwithawiiboardthatwasdesignedbyLarin,Dennis,andStansfield(2012).Theplaysessionsforthenon-locomotorgroupwereidenticalexceptthatthetoyswerealwayswithinreachandnolocomotionwaspossible.AtsevenmonthsofageinfantsinbothgroupsweretestedonanumberofvideovignettesdesignedtomeasureEF.Toavoidconfoundswithmotordevelopment,eyemovementsweremeasuredastheyviewedthevideos.Reportedhereareresultsforthreeofthevideotasks:1)apuppetdancingtomusic,2)aswitchtask,and3)aPiagetianA-not-
Btask.AcrossthesetaskslocomotorinfantsshowedenhancedEFfunctioningwhencomparedwiththeinfantsinthenon-locomotorcondition.143 (SESSIOND)AREYOUCONFIDENT?THEROLEOFCONFIDENCEINEMOTIONALMEMORY.
YoussefAmin,KyleRichardson&IsabellaMoreno-KingDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,IthacaNY,14850
Previousresearchhasshownthatemotionalmaterialprovokeanincreaseinconfidenceregardingthevividnessofmemories,whichisevidentbygreaterhigh-confidencehitratesinrecognitionmemory.However,emotionalmaterialisoftenassociatedwithgreaterfalsealarmrates,suggestingamoreliberalresponsebiasinrecognitiondecisionsforemotionalitems.Whereas,theliteraturehasconcentratedondifferencesinhigh-confidencehitrates,therehasbeenlittleinvestigationofhowconfidenceinfluencesemotionaldifferencesinfalsealarmrates.Therefore,weexaminedtheeffectofemotiononrecognitiondecisionsacrossvariouslevelsofmemoryconfidence,whilealsoexploringiftheavailabilityofaguessoptionwouldinteractwithreportedemotionalmemorydifferences.Wefoundthatprovidingaguessoptiondidnotinteractwithanyofthereportedemotionaldifferences.Overallaccuracyandresponsebiasestimatesshowedreducedaccuracyandamoreliberalresponsebiasfortheemotionalpictures.Inspectionofthehitratedatarevealedthattheoverallfindingofagreaterhitratefornegativethanpositiveandneutralpictureswaslimitedtoonlythehighestconfidencedecision,whereaswefoundgreaterfalsealarmratesforbothnegativeandpositiveacrossallconfidencelevels.144 (SESSIOND)SLEEPMAYNOTINFLUENCETHESUSCEPTIBILITYTOTHEMISINFORMATIONEFFECT
SaraVogelDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Duringeyewitnessstudies,memoryisoftenquestionedduetoitslackofreliability.Thepresentstudytestedthereliabilityofmemorybydeterminingifseeingacrimebeforesleepingorafterwakingupandexperiencinganaveragedayfortheparticipantmakesanimpactofthesusceptibilityofthemisinformationeffect.185participantsweretestedusingtheonlinestudysourceProlific;halfoftheparticipantssawavideoofacellphonerobberybeforetheywenttobedandtheotherhalfwatcheditaftertheywokeup.Whenallparticipantsreturnedtoanswerquestions,halfofthemreadasummarybeforehandthatincludedsomemisinformation.Usingap-value<0.05,theresultsshowedthatneithersleepnorthemisinformationhaveaffectedthememoryofevents.Thisimpliesthatthetimeseeinganevent(atnightorinthemorning)andbeingtoldsomeincorrectinformationaboutaneventmaynotimpactmemoryofsaidevent.
145 (SESSIOND)HUMANFORAGINGBEHAVIORUNDERUNCERTAINTYANDITSRELATIONSHIPTOPERSONALITY
JohnTaylor&MilenRadellDept.ofPsychology,NiagaraUniversity,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Foragingbehavior,anditsrelationshiptothepersonalitytraitsbehavioralinhibition(BI)andintolerancetouncertainty(IU),bothassociatedwithanincreasedriskforanxietydisorders,wasexaminedusingaconditionedplacepreferencetask.Inthistask,participantssearchedforrewardinavirtualenvironmentconsistingofmultipleinterconnectedrooms.Oneoftherooms(therichroom)waspairedwithahighrateofrewardbutalowrateofpunishment(i.e.,chancetolosealreadyacquiredrewards)whileanotherroomwastheopposite.Preferenceforeachroom,includingacompletelynewroom,wasmeasuredinasubsequenttest.Inaddition,theamountofinformationavailableaboutthenewroomwasmanipulated.Forsomeparticipants,thecolorofitsdoormatchedthatoftherichroom(informedcondition)—forothers,thecolorofthedoorwascompletelynew(uninformedcondition).WeexpectthatindividualswhoratehigherinBIand/orIUwillshowgreateravoidanceofthenewroom,inparticularwhenuninformed,andoftheroomwheremorepunishmentwaspreviouslyadministered.146 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFORALADMINISTRATIONOFMIDAZOLAMONSPATIALMEMORYINRATS
AnastasiyaKalininaNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118
Studieshaveshowntheabilityoftheclassofbenzodiazepinedrugstocausememorylossinanimalsandhumans.Midazolamisabenzodiazepinecommonlyadministeredintravenouslyduringsurgicalproceduresbecauseitcausesanterogradeamnesia.ThecurrentstudyevaluatedtheeffectsoforallyadministeredmidazolamonspatialmemoryincontrolandexperimentalfemaleLong-EvansratsutilizingtheMorrisWaterMaze(MWM).Sampleandtestrunstoaplatforminthemazewererecordeddailyforallanimals.ArepeatedmeasuresANOVAwasperformedforallratsonthefollowingdata:meanMWMtimes,bodyweight,foodintakeandwaterintake.Spatialmemorywassignificantlyimpairedintheexperimentalgroupandtherewasasignificantdifferenceforsampletrialswithinthecontrolandexperimentalgroups.ExperimentalratshadsignificantdifferencesinMWMtimescomparedtothecontrolrats.Theexperimentalgroupalsohaddifferentactivitypatternswithlowpeaksfollowedbyhighpeaksduringthedarkcyclecomparedtothecontrolrats.Thisstudyprovidesevidencethatorallyadministeredmidazolammayimpairspatialmemoryandalteractivitypatterns.
147 (SESSIOND)STREAMOFSUBSTANCE:ACONTENTANALYSISOFDRUGS,ALCOHOL,ANDTOBACCOONNETFLIXSHOWS
MikaylaNolan&CaileyMcGillicuddyDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
BroadcastandcabletelevisionhasbeenastapleofentertainmentinAmericanhomes,butrecentlyonlineplatformslikeNetflixhaveexpandedviewers'optionsfortelevisionprogramming.StatisticsshowthatNetflixsubscriptionshaveincreasedwhilecableTVsubscriptionshavedropped(Huddleston,2017).StudieshaveexaminedNetflixviewinghabitsincluding'bingewatching'(Jenner,2016)andhowcertaincontentsuchasmentalillnessandsuicideareportrayed(Singer,2017;Stafford,2017).However,thereislimitedresearchonportrayalsofharmfulbehaviors(e.g.,theuseofdrugs,alcohol,andtobacco)onNetflixTVprograms.ThecurrentstudyisanexpansionofpreviousresearchbyMihelisandMangano(2017)thatexaminedportrayalsofdrugs(illegalandlegal),alcohol,andtobaccooncableTVshows,PSAsandcommercials.Thepresentstudyanalyzedportrayalsin90Netflixshowsforcomedy,drama,andactiongenres.Messagesaboutthesesubstanceswerecodedasnegative,positiveorneutral,accordingtotheportrayaland/orverbalstatementsmadeduringthescenes.Findingsshowthatthemajorityofmessagesinvolvedalcohol,followedbylegalandillegaldrugs,withfarfewerportrayalsoftobaccouse.Positiveportrayalsoutweighedneutralandnegativeportrayalsforallthreesubstances.148 (SESSIOND)AMIXED-METHODSINVESTIGATIONOFPSYCHOSOCIALFACTORSRELATEDTODIABETESSELF-CARE
JackFiccardi,JennaCaster,KevinToal,AlyssaCohen,RalfSilva&JoannaLangdonDept.OfPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
In2015,therewereapproximately30.3millionadultswithdiabetesintheUnitedStates,creatingapressingneedtounderstandthepotentialroleofpsychosocialinfluencesondiseaseself-care.Thus,thepresentstudyexaminestherelationshipbetweencounterfactualthinking(CFT),copingmechanismselection,anddiseaseself-carepracticesofindividualswithdiabetes.Usingamixed-methodsapproach,10participants(3male,7female)havecurrentlycompletedourprotocol.Quantitativemeasuresincludeoptimism,diabetesself-efficacy,andguilt.Participantsalsocompleteda45-minuteinterviewwhichassessedcognitiveandaffectivereactionstolivingwithdiabetes,particularlywithrespecttoCFT.Participantsrangedinagefrom21-93(M=58.7).Threeindividualsreporthavingtype1diabetes,andsevenreporthavingtype2diabetes.Preliminaryresultsindicatethatthetendencytoengageinself-referentupwardCFTisassociatedwithfeelingsofguilt.Inturn,guiltisassociatedwithcopingthroughbehavioraldisengagement.However,CFTisalsorelatedtoimprovedbloodglucosetesting(BGT).Incomparisontoindividualswithtype2diabetes,thosewithtypeonediabeteshavehigherdiabetesself-efficacyscores,andreportedbetterdiet,exercise,andBGT.Atthisjuncture,thechallengemaybetounderstandhowtoencouragecounterfactualthinkingwithoutpromotingguiltorbehavioraldisengagement.
149 (SESSIOND)UNREALISTICOPTIMISMANDGELOTOPHOBIA:BLEAKPASTANDBLEAKFUTURE
CharlieLevitz&EmmaMcCarthyDept.ofPsychology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Whenpeopleassessthelikelihoodthattheywillexperiencepositiveornegativelifeevents,theyoftenshowunrealisticoptimism.Theybelievethatgoodthingswilloccurandbadoneswillnot.Basedonpreviousresearch,wehypothesizedthatgelotophobes,whofearbeinglaughedat,wouldviewtheirlivesaslowinpositivityandhighinnegativitywhenrespondingabouttheirlifeingeneral.ParticipantscompletedtheAttitudesTowardTimeInventoryandameasureofgelotophobia.Participantslowingelotophobiawereoptimisticthatgoodthingswouldhappentothemselvesandothers;theyweremuchmoreoptimisticthattheywereimmunetonegativeeventsthanothers.However,gelotophobeswerenot"plagued"byunrealisticexpectationsregardingthelikelihoodofpositiveeventsintheirlives.Thisfindingisconsistentwithearlierresearchreportingthatgelotophobesdonotself-deceive.Theyhavearealisticoutlookontheirlivesanddonotautomaticallyanticipatepositiveoutcomesthewaythatnon-gelotophobesdo.However,theyarelikeeverybodyelsetheyfeelprotectedwhenitcomestoanticipatingnegativeevents.Thisstudysuggeststhatgelotophobesdonotbelievethattheirliveswillbebad;theyjustdonotbelievethattheirliveswillbegood.150 (SESSIOND)BLOOD-REDNECTAR:WHATHAPPENSIFAHUMMINGBIRDTAKESIT?
IsaacDiaz&ThomasMioneDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
TheflowerofJaltomataquipuscoae(Solanaceae)secretesblood-rednectarthatservesasanenergyrewardtopollinators.Thepurposeofthisexperimentwastodeterminewhetherornottheflowerofthisspeciesrespondstonectarremovalbyreplenishingitsnectarsupply.Inthisexperiment,weremovedallnectarfromapairofflowersatthesamedevelopmentalstageonthesameplant,atthebeginningofan8-hourperiod.Thenectarofoneflowerwasthenremovedevery2-hourswhiletheotherflower(thecontrol)didnothaveitsnectarremoveduntiltheendofthe8-hourperiod.Thevolumeandsugarconcentrationwererecordedfor20pairs.Bothvolumeofnectarproducedandsugarcontent(mg)producedwerecomparedusingpairedt-tests.Significantlymorenectarvolume(P=0.003)andsugar(P=0.011)wereproducedbytheexperimentalflowers.TheflowerofJ.quipuscoaerespondedtonectarremovalbysecretingadditionalnectar.OurlabistheonlylabintheworldgrowingJ.quipuscoae,anherbaceousperennialthatwasrecentlydiscoveredinArequipa,Peru.ThisisthefirstnectarremovalstudyinthegenusJaltomata.
151 (SESSIOND)FINDERS,KEEPERS;LOSERSCHANGECACHESITES?PILFERAGEOFNUTSCACHEDUNDERTREESMAYLEADSQUIRRELSTOCACHEMORENUTSINTHEOPEN
JosephSoucy,TiaBrown,MelissaHart,DawnHubbell&SylviaHalkinBiologyDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050
EasternGraySquirrels(Sciuruscarolinensis)havebeenreportedtocachehighcaloriefoodssuitableforlongtermstorageintheopen,awayfromthecoveroftreecanopy:thisincreasessquirrels'exposuretopredators,butreducestheriskofpilferage(theft)oftheircachednuts(Steeleetal.,2014,BehavioralEcology25(1),206-215).Inordertolearnmoreaboutthedevelopmentofthisbehavior,weconductedanexperimenttodeterminewhetherrepeatedpilferageofnutscachedundertreecanopywouldleadtosquirrelscachingmorenutsintheopen.Whenwesimplyobserved11squirrelscachinghazelnutsweprovidedinintactshells,8ofthemcachedmorenutsintheopenthanundertreecanopy.Whenwecontinuedprovidinghazelnutstothosesquirrelsbutattemptedtodigupeachnutcachedundertreecanopy,9ofthe11squirrelscachedanevenhigherpercentageofnutsintheopenthantheyhadbeforewestarteddiggingthemup,providingevidencethatexperiencemaybeinvolvedinthedevelopmentofthetendencytocachevaluablenutsintheopen.152 (SESSIOND)SITEFIDELITY,FECUNDITY,ANDCOHABITATIONOFREDBACKSALAMANDERSINCONNECTICUT
LiaSpencer-DupretDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Giventheglobaldeclineofamphibians,monitoringpopulationshasbecomeespeciallyimportant.Manyamphibianspecies,includingsalamanders,areespeciallysensitivetoenvironmentalchanges,makingthemgoodindicatorspeciesofecosystemhealth.TheRedbackSalamander,Plethodoncinereus,isanativeamphibianimportantasbothpredatorsandpreyinforestecosystemsofthenortheasternUnitedStates.ToassessfactorsthataffectsurvivalandreproductionofRedbacks,salamandersweresurveyedusingmark-recapturetechniquesinsix5x10-mcoverboardplotsatChurchFarmPreserve,Ashford,CT,USAduringthefall2016,spring2017,andfall2017seasons.Capturedsalamandersweretaggedwithanelastomerdyeforidentificationduringfuturesurveys,andthensexed,measured,andexaminedforeggsbeforerelease.Thisresearchanalysisexaminedsubplotpopulationdynamics,particularlymalesitefidelityandmovementrangewithinplots,aswellascohabitationpatternsandrecapturepatternsacrossseasonsandplots.Theseplotsrepresentoneof21sitesthatarepartofalargerregionalresearchgroupthatisstudyingtheeffectsofclimatechangeonsalamandersatbroadgeographicscales.
153 (SESSIOND)CONNECTICUTLIVINGSHORELINEANDITSEFFECTSONSPAWNINGHORSESHOECRABS
JordanFrederick&AndrewAmuroDept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Globalclimatechange,coastalhabitatdegradation,andcoastalerosionbyhumandevelopmentultimatelyresultinaflatandbarrenshoreline.Historically,StratfordPointsupportedoysterreefs,alargefringingmarshandamosaicofuplandcoastalhabitats.Overthepastcentury,thesitehasbeensubjecttosubstantialhabitatalteration.Since2001,theshorelinehaserodedinlandby24manddownbyover1m.A'livingshoreline'wasinstalledtoarresttheerosiveforcesandallowforsedimentdepositionandretention.In2014,a49mlivingshorelinepilotprojectwasconstructedintheintertidalzonetoabateerosion.Thelivingshorelineconsistsofanartificialreefconstructedwithconcretereefballs,andplantedsaltmarshgrasses.Over30cmofsedimentaccumulatedbehindthereefandwithinthegrowingsaltmarsh.InNovember2016,thelivingshorelinewasexpanded228malongtheHousatonicRivershorelineleadingintoLongIslandSound.Overthepastsevenyears,spawninghorseshoecrabswerecountedonthebeachatStratfordPt.todetermineifthelivingshorelineconstructioninhibitedtheirspawningactivity.Duringtheyearsofconstruction,countswerelowbutnowtheyhavestartedtoincreaseclosertonumbersfoundbeforetherestorationactivity.154 (SESSIOND)IMIDACLOPRID-CONTAININGPESTICIDESDISRUPTC.ELEGANSDEVELOPMENT
BeatrixBradfordDept.ofBiology,MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY,12601
NeonicotinoidsareaclassofpesticidethathasbeenunderinvestigationbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)inrecentyears.Amajorconcernisthepossibleroletheymayplayincolonycollapsedisorderinhoneybees,whereinneonicotinoidsdisruptboththeirdevelopmentandbehavior.Oneexampleofaneonicotinoidisimidacloprid,anactiveingredientinpesticides.Here,weinvestigatedtheeffectsoftheimidacloprid-containingpesticideBayerTreeandShrubontheC.elegansgermline,apopulationofcellsthatgivesrisetoallofthespermandeggsoftheorganism.Todeterminetheeffectsofimidiclopridongermcelldevelopment,Iscoredapoptoticnucleiandassessedfertility.IfoundthatimidaclopridcausedastatisticallysignificantincreaseinthenumberofapoptoticnucleiasaresultofBayerTreeandShrubexposure.IalsodiscoveredareductioninfertilityinanimalsexposedtoBayerTreeandShrubversuscontrols.ThesedatasupportmyhypothesisthatimidaclopridnegativelyimpactsgermlinedevelopmentandareinagreementwithEPAfindingsthatneonicotinoidscausewidespreadharmtomultiplespecies.
155 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFMICROPLASTICSONFRESHWATERDAPHNIA
JacksonCedrone&TomMinettDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Plasticisoneofthemostcommonlyusedmaterials.Microplastics,usuallyunder50micronsindiameter,areincrediblysmallpiecesofplasticdebristhatmaketheirwayintowatersystems.Thesemicroplasticscancomefrombrushingone'steeth,washingcertainfabrics,andindustrialwaste.OurresearchisspecificallyobservingtheeffectsofmicrofibersandmicrobeadsonfreshwaterDaphnia.Daphniaarecrustaceanfilterfeedersthatusuallyrangefrom1mmto5mminsize.Thisaquaticcreatureisanidealcandidatetoobservewhentestingmicrobeadandmicrofibereffectsonlivingaquaticorganismsduetotheirsensitivitytochangesintheecosystem.Theyarealsoknowntoconsumeplasticparticles,sinceDaphniaarefilterfeeders.OurteamwillhavetwoseperategroupsofDaphnia,oneexposedtomicrofibersandoneexposedtomicrobeads.Withinthesetwogroupswillbethreegroupsof20,eachexposedtomicroplasticsfor24hours,3days,andaweek.Foodwillincludemicrofiber/microbeadsandgroundfishfoodwithaconsistentconcentration.Attheendofeachtimeperiodwearemeasuringformortality,reproductiverates,andgrowth.InitialresultsshowthatmicroplasticscanbefoundandobservedwithinthedigestivetractofDaphnia.156 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTSOFADVANCEMENTSINCOSMETICMICROBEADTECHNOLOGY:NEWTRENDOFCOSMETICMICROBEADSINFILTRATINGAQUATICECOSYSTEMS
JasonRandallDept.ofEnvironmentalScience,MaristCollege,Poughkeepsie,NY,12601
Microplasticingestionisarelativelynewecologicalandhumanhealthconcern.ThefocusofthisstudyisthetoxicityofpolystyrenemicrospheresormicrobeadsonOrconectesvirilis,aHudsonRivernativecrayfish.Itwashypothesizedthatpolystyrenemicrosphereswouldproducetoxicologicaldamagetobiochemicalandphysiologicalfeaturesandprocessesofthecrayfishuponaccumulationintissuewhileaffectingbehaviorandinducingecdysisandmortality.Thefollowingexperimentalexposuretreatmentswereestablished:10µmdiameterlowandhighconcentrations,and45µmdiameterlowandhighconcentrations.Inaddition,threecontroltreatmentswereestablished:rivercontrol,flowthroughcontrol,andstationarycontrol.Afterthe14-dayexperimentalperiod,thereweremajordifferencesobservedbetweencrayfishexposedtopolystyrenemicrospheresincomparisonwithcontrols.AstatisticallysignificantincreaseinDNAdamageinthehepatopancreaswasrecorded.Therewasanincreaseinpathologicalfeaturessuchasvacuolization,cellhypertrophy,cellmembranedegradation,eosinophilicinclusionbodies,anddemineralizationofexoskeletonsinexposuregroups.Ecdysiswasmorefrequentamongorganismsexposedtoplastics.DNAdamageandpathologicalfeatureswerecorrelatedwithmicrosphereaccumulationinthehepatopancreas.ThetoxicologicaldamageexemplifiedbyOrconectesvirilisraisesconcernsastothepotentialtoxiceffectsofmicroplasticsonhumanandenvironmentalhealth.
157 (SESSIOND)SINGLECELLINTERROGATIONOFDOPAMINEFUNCTION
MelissaMcLain&DanChaseDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06053DefectsinsignalingbytheneurotransmitterdopaminecauseParkinson'sdisease.InwormsdopamineactsthroughaD1-likereceptor(DOP-4)tomodulateactivityofachemosensoryneuroncalledASH.Touncoverthemolecularmechanismsofdopaminesignalingwehaveexpressedagenetically-encodedcalciumsensorinASHtomeasuretheeffectsofdopamineonneuronexcitability.Wetraptheseanimalsinamicrofluidicchamber,stimulateASHusingchemicalcuesandmeasurecalciumfluxinthepresenceorabsenceofexogenousdopamine.Sofarmyresultsshownoeffectofdopamineoncalciumflux.However,itispossiblethatdopamine'seffectsareshortlived,soIhavebegunusinglight-activatedChR2totriggerthereleaseofendogenousdopamineimmediatelybeforeIstimulateASH.IwillperformtheseassaysonacontrolstrainthatcontainsDOP-4andanexperimentalstrainthatlacksDOP-4.158 (SESSIOND)CHARACTERIZINGINVIVOCHROMATINREMODELERINTERACTIONSATTHEYEASTNUCLEOSOMECORE
BrianEvansDept.ofBiochemistry,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Ineukaryotes,geneticinformationisstoredaschromatin.Withinthechromatin,DNAiswoundaroundoctamericunitsofhistoneproteins.Aclassofproteinsknownaschromatinremodelersphysicallyrepositionnucleosomesalongthechromatinfiberwhichdirectlyaffectsgeneregulation.Duetotheirlargesizes,chromatinremodelerinteractionsatthenucleosomeremainrelativelyobscure.Inthiswork,weusesyntheticbiologytotraphistone-remodelerinteractionsinlivingcellsusingtheunnaturalaminoacidp-benzoylphenylalanine(pBPA).Wesite-specificallyinsertpBPAintohistonesandidentifyremodelerbindingviatheadditionofshortpeptidefusiontagstoourinteractiontargetprotein.Thissystemhasthepotentialtoilluminatedetailedcrosslinkingmapsofanychromatinremodelercomplexwhichcanthenbeusedtoidentifyandassignbiologicallyimportantstructures.UsingWesternblotanalysis,weexemplifythepotentialofthistechnologyforcreatingcrosslinkingmapsforthechromatinremodelerRSC.Inaddition,weshowthatbindingtoH3(butnotH2A)isdependentuponPTMsandadefinedacetylationeventatlysine14onhistoneH3.IncellsthatlackH3K14ac,Sth1cannolongerbesequesteredtothenucleosome.Overall,thistechnologyenablesthedeterminationofin-vivomechanisticdetailsaboutRSC-nucleosomalfunction/structurerelationships.
159 (SESSIOND)QUANTIFYINGINTERNALSTRUCTURALCHANGESINTHEPB1DOMAINOFAUXINRESPONSEFACTORS
ReidGarnerDept.ofChemistry,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
ThePhoxandBem1(PB1)domainwithinauxinresponsefactors(ARF)arerequiredforhormonalregulationinplants.TwochargedfacesfoundineachPB1domaincreatecomplementarysitesforprotein:proteinbindingthroughionicinteractionswithbothhomo-andheterodimerizationpossible.TheinternalinteractionswithinPB1domainsarenotwell-defined,butmayresolvequestionsregardingtheformationofhomo-vsheterodimersandthefrequencyofoligomers.WecombinedNMRwithfluorescencelifetimeexperimentstodeconstructmovementandalignmentoftheseinterfaces.Thecombinationprovidedcomplementaryinformationonthetimescaleofbiomolecularmotion.Ourworkfocusedonhighlyconservedtryptophanresidueswhichare(1)detectablebybothspectroscopiesand(2)locatedbetweentheinteractionsites.ThetryptophansareshelteredfromthebulksolventandchangeenvironmentslightlyupontheformationofdimersasconfirmedbyNMR.FluorescencelifetimeandcollisionalquenchingfurtherquantifiedthislevelofshelteringtoexplorethedifferencesbetweendifferentARFsaswellasintheformationofdiversedimers.ThePB1domainisfoundinavarietyoforganisms,yetthestructuralshiftsfeltwithinthedomainwhenforminginteractionsisuncertain.Ourworkprovidesnewinsightstowardthisclassofproteins.160 (SESSIOND)DI-N-BUTYLPHTHALATEORDBP,ACOMMONINGREDIENTINPLASTICS,INDUCESCRANIOFACIALDEFECTSDURINGEMBRYONICDEVELOPMENT
TannerJergensen,DanielleCusmano&NicoleM.RoyBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
Di-n-Butylphthalate(DBP)isahighproductionvolumeplasticizeraddedtoincreasetheflexibilityofsyntheticpolymers.DBPisfoundinavarietyofeverydayitemslikefoodpackaging,cosmetics,cleaningmaterials,lubricants,waxesandinsecticides.DBPreadilyleachesfromproductsintosoilandgroundwateranditsubiquitouspresenceintheenvironmentalhasleadtheEuropeanCommissiontolabelDBPasaprioritysubstance.SedimentandwateranalysishasnotedhighlevelsofDBPandtheendocrinedisruptingeffectsofDBParewellnoted.GiventhewidespreadusesofandexposuretoDBP,studiesondevelopmentaltoxicityareneeded.Tothatend,wesoughttoinvestigatethedevelopmentaleffectsofDBPexposureduringearlydevelopmentutilizingthezebrafishvertebratemodelsystem.WetreatedgastrulastagedembryoswithincreasingconcentrationsofDBPandnotedconcentrationdependentdefectsincraniofacialdevelopment,buttheeffectwasspecificwithnootherdevelopmentaldefectsnoted.OverallcranialsizeinDBPtreatedembryos,asmeasuredverticallyfromcranialvaulttiptojawandhorizontallyfromnosetopectoralfin,wassignificantlylessthencontrols,buttheintraoculardistancewasincreased.Subsequentanalysisofjawbonedevelopmentdemonstratedlossofand/ordisorganizationofcartilagedevelopmentwithconcomitantdefectsinvascularinnervationandneuronalpatterning.Furthermore,vascularizationof
thecranialcavityalsobecamedisorganizedorcompletelylost.WeconcludethatDBP,atenvironmentallyrelevantdoses,istoxictocraniofacialdevelopmentinzebrafish.161 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSONGUTREGENERATIONINPLANARIATREATEDWITHANANTAGONISTOFRETINOICACIDSYNTHESIS
DusanEtienne&HannahKressbachBiomolecularSciencesDept.,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06053Planarianflatwormshaveanabilitytoregenerateanylostorinjuredbodyparts.Themolecularmechanismsunderlyingplanarianregenerationarestillunderinvestigation.Itisourcontentionthatretinoicacid(RA)playsaroleinmediatingposteriorregenerationinplanaria,justasRAplaysacriticalroleinposteriordevelopmentandregenerativeprocessesinvertebrates.WeareinvestigatingRAfunctionsinplanariabytestingeffectsofdiethylaminobenzaldehyde(DEAB),anRAsynthesisinhibitor,duringregeneration.WehypothesizethatDEABinhibitsposteriorregenerationinplanaria.Inpreviousstudies,wefoundthat45µMDEABinhibitsordelaystheformationofaposteriorblastema,butnottheanteriorblastema.Wenowwanttofollowthedifferentiationofvariouscellandtissuetypesastheyregenerate.UsingimmunofluorescenceweareassessingtheregenerationoftheposteriorgutinDEABtreatedworms.InthesestudiesplanariaweretreatedwithDEABorcontrolfor1-2dayspriortocuttingtoeliminateRA.Wormswerethencutandallowedtoregenerateforvariouslengthsoftime.Tovisualizethegutweuseamonoclonalantibody,6G10,thatlabelsthegutmuscle.WeexpectthatgutregenerationwillbelackingordelayedinplanarianfragmentstreatedwithDEAB.162 (SESSIOND)ADEFECTIVESPLICEACCEPTORSITEISSPECIFICALLYASSOCIATEDWITHTHE"CURLYWHISKERS"(CW)MUTATIONINMICE
JuanSamuel-Constanzo,JachiusJ.Stewart&SidneyErageneBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
Withthegoalofassigningthecwmutationinmicetoaparticulargenedefect,wehavemappedthe"curlywhiskers"mutantphenotypewithinasmallregiononChromosome9,whereoneskin-expressedgene,hephaestin-like1(Hephl1),notonlybestfitstheprofileofalikelygene"candidate",butalsoshowsaDNAalterationpredictedtodestroythespliceacceptorsitethatis5'toExon11.TotestwhetherthisAtoGtransitionmightbethemolecularbasisofthecurlywhiskersmutantphenotype,weaskedifthismutationisalwaysassociatedwithcw,butneverfoundinanyothermousestrain.Toobtainananswer,firstweconsultedon-linedatabasesthatarchivewhole-genomeDNAsequencedataforvariousstandardstrainsofmice.Second,wedevelopedasimple,endonuclease-basedtesttoefficientlyscreenamongsomeadditionalmousestrainsforanythatmightlackthenormalspliceacceptorsequence5'toHephl1,Exon11.Becausethissearchuncoverednostrainswithspliceacceptordefects5'toExon11(exceptforasecondstrain
thatcarriescw),wesuggestthattheHephl1mutationwehavediscoveredislikelyspecifictothecurlywhiskersvariant,andcouldbeitscausalbasis.163 (SESSIOND)ANALYZINGTHEEXPRESSIONOFTET1INCLONEDANDINVIVOBOVINEBLASTOCYSTSTOUNDERSTANDLOWCLONINGEFFICIENCY
VincentThoren,AlexisTolley&AnnaBertoldoDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050
Theefficiencyofcloningmammalsusingsomaticcellnucleartransfer(SCNT)hasremainedrelativelylowandrequireshundredsofattemptstocreateaviableoffspring,whichusuallyhaveothercomplicationsduetothecloningprocess.Failureincloningismostlikelyconnectedtotheinabilityoftheoocytetocompletelyreprogramtheepigenomeofasomaticcell.TET1mRNAistranslatedtocreateTET1protein,whichisinvolvedinthedemethylationofDNA.ToobservetheexpressionofTET1inpreimplantationdevelopment,real-timeRT-qPCRwasconductedusingbovineblastocystscreatedinvivoorviaSCNT.cDNAfromthedonorfibroblastcellswasalsomeasuredtoexamineTET1expressionindifferentiatedcells.ClonedblastocystsexpressedTET1atsignificantlyhigherratescomparedwithnaturallyconceivedembryos(P-value=0.01),andthefibroblastcellsdidnotexpressTET1atall.ThisindicatesthatTET1wasincorrectlyreprogrammedintheclonedembryos.OverexpressionofTET1duringpre-implantationdevelopmentmaycauseabnormalmethylationpatternsandleadtoembryonicloss.UnderstandingtheexpressionofTET1andothergenesresponsibleforregulatingDNAmethylationcouldhelpfurtherthesuccessoffuturecloningexperiments.164 (SESSIOND)THEEFFECTOFINVITROCULTUREONTRIM28EXPRESSIONINBOVINEBLASTOCYSTS
DanielSigman&MichelleSeedsDept.ofBiology,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06050
Genomicimprintinginvolvesthesilencingofeitherthematernalorpaternalallele,preventingbi-allelicexpression.DNAmethylationisanimportantepigeneticmarkthatmaintainsthismono-allelicexpression.DemethylationatImprintingControlRegions(ICRs)canallowfortheexpressionofbothparentalalleles,resultingindevelopmentalproblemsfortheembryoanddiseasesinoffspring.DemethylationcanoccuractivelybyTETenzymes.TRIM28isacomponentofacomplexthatplaysasignificantroleinpreventingdemethylationbyTETsatICRsandthereforemaintainsimprinting.ExpressionofTRIM28ininvivofertilized/invitrocultured(invivoderived;IVD)bovineblastocystswascomparedwithTRIM28expressioninblastocystsproducedsolelyinvivo(artificialinsemination;AI).ItwashypothesizedthatTRIM28expressionwouldbedown-regulatedintheIVDembryosduetostudiesshowinghigherlevelsofimprintingdisordersinembryosculturedinvitro.TRIM28expressionwasdeterminedusingReal-TimeRT-PCR.Ashypothesized,therewasasignificantdifferenceinTRIM28expressionbetweentheAIandIVDembryos(P-value=0.01;Mann-WhitneyUtest)withhigherexpressionseenintheAI
embryos.Down-regulationofTRIM28couldleadtodemethylationofICRsandabnormalimprintedgeneexpression.165 (SESSIOND)INVESTIGATINGTHEMATINGSYSTEMOFTHEFUNGALPATHOGENNEONECTRIADITISSIMA
JamesKaneDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Neonectriaditissimaisafungalpathogenthatinfectsawiderangeoftreespecies,includingbirches(Betulasp.)andmayposeathreattodeciduousforestsofNewEngland.Thispathogencausesformationofcankersoninfectedtrees,referredtoasCankerDisease.Sporesaredisseminatedbywindandrain,andinfectionsareinitiatedwhensporesgerminateandinvadeopentreewounds.Previousstudieshavesuggestedthisspeciestobeeitherhomothallicorheterothallicbutwithminimaldatatosupporteitherpossibility.Infungi,homothallicspeciesaredefinedasself-fertile,havingbothmatingtypeloci,whileheterothallicspeciesrequiresyngamybetweenfungalstrainswithcompatibleMATloci.Thematingtypelociandmatingtypegenes,specificallyMATidiomorphs,whichgovernsexualreproduction,havenotbeencharacterizedinN.ditissima.TheobjectiveofthisstudyistodetermineifN.ditissimacouldpossessMATlocicharacteristicofahomothallicspecies.WeusedblastsearchesofthegenomicsequencedatatodeterminetwogenomiccontigswithduplicationsoftheMAT1-2locus.HowevertheMAT1-1locuswasnotobserved,suggestingthatthefunguscouldbeheterothallic.FutureworkwillenablethedevelopmentofgeneticmarkerstofacilitatecharacterizationofN.ditissimapopulationbiology.166 (SESSIOND)SECONDARYSCREENINGANDCHARACTERIZATIONOFMUTANTSDEFECTIVEINSYMBIOTICNITROGENFIXATIONINTHEMODELLEGUMEPLANTMEDICAGOTRUNCATULA
VincentBrownDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Nitrogen(N2)isanessentialnutrientforthesurvivalofalltheorganisms.Atmosphericaircontains78%N2butitisnotbioavailable.LegumeplantssuchassoybeansinteractwiththesoilbacteriarhizobiaandformuniquestructurescallednodulestoconvertinactiveatmosphericN2intoabioavailableformbysymbioticnitrogenfixation(SNF).ToidentifynovelgenesthatareessentialforSNF,Dr.VeerappanisolatedseveralmutantsdefectiveinSNFbyscreeningtheTnt1retrotransposonmutantpopulationinthemodellegumeplantMedicagotruncatula.Wild-typeplantsshowgreenshootsandovoidshapedlargereddish-pinknoduleswhereasmutantsaredeficientinN2fixationanddisplaypurpleshootsandwhitecolorednodules.Iamperformingasecondaryscreeningof10putativemutantsusingasoil-freeaeroponicrootphenotypingsystemtoidentifymutantswithrobustdefectiveSNFphenotypesforfurthercharacterization.IwillpresentdataonthephenotypiccharacterizationofasubsetofSNFmutants.Tofindthecausativemutation,I
willminetheTnt1mutantsdatabaseandalsoperformwholegenomesequencingtoidentifyTnt1mutations.UnderstandingtheSNFprocessbydiscoveringnovelgenescanpotentiallyhelpustotransferSNFtoothernon-legumeplantssuchascorn.167 (SESSIOND)IDENTIFICATIONOFODD-1ANDODD-2TARGETGENESTHROUGHSOAKINGRNAINTERFERENCEOFFLUORESCENTREPORTERSTRAINSINCAENORHABDITISELEGANS
ChristianneSenechalDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Caenorhabditiselegansisanematodeandeffectivemodelorganismduetoitssequencedgenome,transparentbody(allowingforvisualizationofindividualcells)andgeneticsimilaritytomostanimalspecies.Forexample,C.elegansgenesarerelatedto~60-80%ofhumanprotein-codinggenes,makingitausefulorganismforstudyinghumandiseases.TwooftheseC.elegansgenesincludeodd-1andodd-2,whichbelongtotheOdd-skippedgenefamilyandaffecttheexpressionofothergenes.odd-1/2arerelatedtohumanoddgenes,whichareimportantforthedevelopmentofvarioustissuesandcancer.Bothwormgenesaffectdevelopmentoftheintestine,whileodd-2alsoaffectstherectalglandcellsandislethalwhenmutated.WeareusingsoakingRNAinterference(RNAi)toknock-downodd-1andodd-2influorescentreporterstrainsforgenesthatarelikelytranscriptionaltargetsofodd-1orodd-2.Thewormsaresoakedinodd-1orodd-2RNAthatwillknock-downoddexpression.Thepotentialoddtargetgeneswearetestingincludeskn-1,ref-1,andpha-4,whichallfunctioningutdevelopment.Iftheyaretargetsofeitheroddgene,theywillhavechangesintheirfluorescentpatternwhentreatedwithoddRNAi.168 (SESSIOND)DISCOERYOFNOVELCOMPONENTSINFIBROBLASTGROWTHFACTORRECEPTORSIGNALINGPATHWAYS
JasonE.Webb,FardinAhmed,EricJ.Echelberger,MariyaStefinko,MichaelJ.Stern,CindyViosine&Te-WenLo
Dept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,953DanbyRoad,Ithaca,NY,14850;Dept.ofBiology,NortheasternIllinoisUniversity,5500NorthStLouisAvenue,Chicago,IL,60625
FibroblastGrowthFactorReceptors(FGFRs)areatypeofreceptortyrosinekinase(RTK)thatphosphorylateprecisetyrosineresidues.FGFRsplayaroleindiversehumandevelopmentalpathways.Mutationsinthesepathwaysresultindevelopmentaldisorderssuchasachondroplasia.WeuseC.eleganstobetterunderstandFGFRsignalingfortworeasons:C.elegansonlyhaveoneFGFR,EGL-15,anddefectsresultinstrikingphenotypes.Forexample,hyperactivationofEGL-15resultsinfluidimbalance(Clrphenotype).Isolationofsoc(suppressorofClr)mutantshasledtotheidentificationofmanycoreEGL-15signalingcomponentssuchasSEM-5,anadaptorproteinthatlinksRTKactivationtotheactivationoftheRAS/MAPKpathway.Anegl-15truncationmutation,n1457,eliminatesknownSEM-5bindingsitesonEGL-15but,doesnotconferaSocphenotype.ThisindicatesakeycomponentthatlinksactivatedEGL-15toSEM-5hasyettobediscovered.Toidentifythesemissingcomponents,weconductedamodifiedsocscreenusingtheegl-15(n1457)
mutant.Wholegenome-sequencinghasidentifiedcca-1asapotentialsocgene.Ongoingexperimentsarefocusedonverifyingandcharacterizingthispotentialsocgene.169 (SESSIOND)ASIMPLEMETHODTOREADILYDISTINGUISHTWOCLOSELYRELATEDSPECIESVIAANAMPLIFIEDGENETICPOLYMORPHISM
SarahCargill&BrooksMinerDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Daphniapulex,foundinephemeralponds,andDaphniapulicaria,foundinlakes,arecloselyrelatedspeciesoffreshwatermicrocrustaceanthataremorphologicallyindistinguishable.Previousresearchhasidentifiedasingle-nucleotidepolymorphismintheLdhAgenethatsegregatesbetweenthetwospecies.WehavedevelopedaCAPS(CleavedAmplifiedPolymorphicSequences)methodusingtherestrictionenzymeHphltoreadilydifferentiateD.pulex,D.pulicaria,andtheirhybrids.Usingprimerswedeveloped,wePCR-amplifyaspecificregionofLdhAthatcontainsthepolymorphicsite,thendigestthePCRproductswithHph1,whichonlycleavestheLdhAallelecarriedbyoneofthetwospecies,butnottheother.Speciesidentitycanthenbereadilyobservedonastandardagarosegel.170 (SESSIOND)CLASSIFYINGCOMMONRAVENPOPULATIONSINMEXICOVIACRYPTICGENETICVARIATION
SallyYraita&NandadeviCortes-RodriguezDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Thecommonraven(Corvuscorax)hasadistributionthatexpandsacrosstheentireNorthernHemisphere,butshowslittlephenotypicdifference.Althoughtheyhaveuniformmorphology,basedontheirmitochondrialDNA,theyhavebeenseparatedintotwocladesknownasthe'Holarcticclade'andthe'Californiaclade'.Despitethisgeneticdistinction,manypopulationshavenotbeenclassifiedaseitherclade,includingthepopulationsincontinentalMexicoaswellasislandsnearby.Toidentifytheirclassification,weobtainedtoepadsfromcommonravenfoundacrossMexicoandtheRevillagigedoIslands(ClarionandSocorro)andextractedDNAfrom14samplesbyfollowingaphenol/chloroformmethod.AfterisolatingtheDNA,wesequencedasmallfragmentofthecontrolregionofthemitochondria.Thisfragmentof150bpshowssomevariation;however,itisnotsufficienttodifferentiatetheindividualsfromtheRevillagigedoIslandsasanindependentevolutionaryunit.
171 (SESSIOND)CHARACTERIZINGTHEROLEOFCALCIUMINTERACTIONSINTHEELASTICITYANDSTRENGTHOFSLUGGLUE:STEPSTOWARDANORGANICHYDROGELGLUEANDASTITCH-FREEWORLD
ChristopherGallegoDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
Stitchesarecumbersomeforpatientsandposeaninfectionrisk.Medicalgluescouldserveasanalternativebuthavelimitations.Abiomimeticapproachtogluedevelopmentholdspromise.Analysisofthetough,stickydefensivesecretionoftheslugArionsubfuscushadguideddevelopmentofanovelmedicalglue.Theslug'sglueisheldtogetherbysacrificialbondsthatappeartobebasedonmetalinteractions.Calciuminparticularseemsimportantduetoitshighabundance.Theroleofcalciumwastestedbymanipulatingcalciuminteractionswithinthegluetoobservehowthisimpactsitselasticity.CalciuminteractionswerecontrolledbyvaryingpHanddeterminingtheresultingelasticity.Elasticitywasmeasuredincutgluesamplesinatensometer,andtheassociationbetweencalciumandglueindifferentpHbufferswasmeasuredwithanatomicabsorptionspectrometer.WefoundthatglueelasticitydecreasedmarkedlyatpH4.5whilecalciumlevelsdroppedalmostlinearlyintherangefrom2.5to7.Thus,althoughdecreasedcalciumwasassociatedwithlossofstrength,theywerenottightlycorrelated.Thisprovidesinsightintothepropertiesofthisslugglueandprovidesasteppingstoneforfutureresearchinmedicalgluecreation.172 (SESSIOND)EXAMININGTHEROLEOFTHEC-TERMINALDOMAINOFRNAPOLYMERASEONGENEEXPRESSION
AlexisBurian&JaredBarendsDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
GeneexpressionisanessentialprocessgovernedbytheCentralDogma,wherebygeneticinformationisstoredinDNA,transcribedintoRNA,andfinallytranslatedintoprotein.Westudygeneexpressioninthemodelorganism,Schizosaccharomycespombe,orfissionyeast.ThestepofgeneexpressionthatweareexaminingisthemechanismsofhowRNAissplicedoreditedinthecell.Theprocessofalternativesplicing,wherethecodingregionsofthegeneareeditedindifferentcombinationstogiverisetomanydifferentproteins,isanimportantmechanismforregulationofgeneexpression.RNApolymerase,theenzymethatmakesRNA,hasalongchainof~30sevenaminoacidrepeatscalledtheC-TerminalDomain(CTD).TheCTDplaysanimportantroleinrecruitingfactorsthataffecthowRNAisprocessedorspliced.OurpreviousstudiesshowthatlargescalechangestotheCTDhaveledtooverallincreasedgeneexpressionattheendsofthechromosomes.TostudythedetailedeffectsoftheCTDongeneexpressionandsplicing,wearemakingsinglechangestoeveryaminoacidintheCTD.OurgoalistogaininsightsintotheregulationofgeneexpressionviaRNAsplicing.
173 (SESSIOND)RECOMBINANTPURIFICATIONOFASMP15B;APROTEINRESPONSIBLEFORTHEFUNCTIONALPROPERTIESOFATOUGHBIOLOGICALGLUE
RebeccaFalconerDept.ofBiology,IthacaCollege,Ithaca,NY,14850
TheslugArionsubfuscussecretesadefensivegluethatisverystrongdespitebeingcomposedof97%water.Theoverarchinggoalforanalyzingthisglueistoguidethedevelopmentofabiomimetichydrogeltoreplacestaplesandstitchesinsurgicalpractice.Previousresearchhasidentifiedcertainproteinsthatareuniquetotheglueandareintegralforadhesion.Thisparticularresearchaimstopurifyoneoftheseproteins,Asmp15b(Arionsubfuscusmucusprotein,size15kD)byusingarecombinantmethod.LigationindependentcloningwasusedtoinsertcDNAcodingforthisproteinintoaplasmidvector.TheplasmidalsocontainedaHis-tagtofacilitatepurification,andthecodingsequenceforProteinG.AppendingacleavableProteinGdomainmarkedlyimprovedthetoleranceofthebacteriafortherecombinantprotein.Afteramplificationandpurificationoftherecombinantplasmids,theplasmidswereusedtotransformanexpressionvectordesignedtofacilitatedisulfidebondformation(SHuffleTcells,NEB).Aftertriggeringoverexpression,theproteincouldbeisolatedbybindingtonickelresins.Thepurifiedproteinswillbefurtheranalyzedtoidentifyspecificdomainsthataidadhesion,identifycross-linkingsites,andtodetermineitsbindingpartners.174 (SESSIOND)MOLECULAREVIDENCEOFGENETICINTERACTIONSBETWEENKV2.1ANDFAKDURINGCONVERGENTEXTENSION
BrendaCarhuayoDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Duringvertebrateembryonicdevelopment,convergentextension(CE)isanimportantprocessthatspecifiestheanterior-posterioraxis,thedevelopmentofthenotochord,andothermidlinestructures.Convergentextensionrequirescellstomigrateandconvergeatthemidlinewheretheyintercalateandelongatetoformtheanterior-posterioraxis.Myresearchfocusesonthestudyofconvergentextensioninzebrafishembryosthroughmorpholinomediatedknock-downexperiments.Previousresearchhasshownthatthedelayedrectifyingpotassiumchannel,kv2.1,andfocaladhesionkinase,FAK,playimportantrolesinregulatingthisprocess.Independentknock-downofkv2.1andFAKresultsinnearlyidenticalphenotypessuggestingdefectiveCE.Thisresearchindicatesthatkv2.1andFAKinteractsgeneticallyduringtheprocessofconvergentextension.Ihypothesizethatduetothesimilarityintheknock-downphenotypesofkv2.1andFAKifadoubleknock-downisgenerated,theremovalofbothkv2.1andFAK,thesamedefectiveCEphenotypewillbeobserved.UsingmolecularmarkersshowsthatthereisdefectiveCEafterkv2.1andFAKhavebeenknocked-down.Myresultsindicateaninteractionbetweenkv2.1andFAKthroughouttheprocessofconvergentextensioninzebrafish.
175 (SESSIOND)THEGENETICEFFECTOFCONVERGENTEXTENSIONFOLLOWINGTHEREMOVALOFKV2.1ASASSAYEDBYMOLECULARMARKERS
JenniferZhanayDept.ofBiology,ManhattanCollege,Bronx,NY,10471
Convergentextensionischaracterizedastheprocessinwhichthetissuesofanembryoisrestructuredthroughanarrowingalongoneaxisandanelongationalongtheperpendicularaxisascausedbycellularmigration.Thisprocesscanbeseenalongtheaxisdrawnbetweentheheadandtailofanembryo(anteriortoposterior)causingittobecomelongerasthetissuesmoveintowardsthedorsalmidline.Midlinestructuresincludethenotochordandneuraltube.Inthisresearch,zebrafishembryoswereusedtotestwhetheradelayedrectifyingpotassiumchannelwouldhaveadeleteriouseffectonconvergentextensionwhenkv2.1isabsent.Ihypothesizedthatifkv2.1isabsentduringembryonicdevelopmentofthenotochord,Iwillseethatkv2.1isrequired.Toachievethisaim,insituhybridizationwereperformedonembryosthatwereinjectedwithamorpholino,whichknocked-downkv2.1expression.Byusinginsituhybridizationsformidlineandmesenchymalmarkers,Iobservedclearanddistinctdeviationsfromcontrolpatterns.Allofmyresultsareconsistentwithsupportingmyhypothesis.Inconclusion,fromlookingatmyresultsitcanbeinferredthatkv2.1hasanovelfunctionwithinembryonicdevelopment,particularlyinconvergentextension.176 (SESSIOND)YEASTBAXINHIBITOR(BXI1)ISINVOLVEDINCALCIUMHOMEOSTASISOFTHEERINSACCHAROMYCESCEREVISIAE
LiamMcDonough,JosephAlisch,DavidEagan,JamesMullin,AlfredoGonzalez,&NicanorAustriaco
Dept.ofBiology,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918YeastBaxinhibitor-1(BXI1/YBH3)encodesaproteinthatbelongstotheBaxInhibitor(TMBIM)familyofproteinsthatallcontainatransmembraneBAXinhibitormotif.Thecrystalstructureofaprokaryoticmemberofthefamily,BsYetJ,hasrevealedthattheBaxinhibitorproteinsarepHsensitivecalciumleaks.Inmammals,theBaxinhibitorfamilyofproteinshascytoprotectivepropertiesthataremostevidentinparadigmsofendoplasmicreticulum(ER)stress.OurpublishedstudieshaveshownthatyeastBxi1pislocalizedtotheendoplasmicreticulumandisinvolvedintheunfoldedproteinresponse(UPR)thatistriggeredbyERstress.BXI1isthoughttoactviaamechanisminvolvingalteredcalciumdynamics.WenowshowthatcellslackingBXI1accumulatehigherlevelsofcalciumintheirERascomparedtotheirwildtypecounterparts.Ourpreliminarydatawith∆bxi1∆pmr1doublemutantssuggestthatBxi1pandPmr1p,theGolgi-ERcalciumpump,functioninanantagonisticmanner.[OurlaboratoryissupportedbygrantNIGMSR15GM110578,awardedtoN.Austriaco.]
177 (SESSIOND)THEEVOLUTIONARYGENETICHISTORYOFDIVERGENCEAMONGDOMESTICATEDANDWILDSTRAINSOFTHEYEASTSACCHAROMYCESCEREVISIAE
GabrielleGontarek,MaryA.Garside,JamesJ.Siclari,PatrickR.Cabana,FrancescaG.Norko,KirkA.Bartholomew&GeffreyF.Stopper
Dept.ofBiology,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825StrainsoftheyeastSaccharomycescerevisiaeareusedfortheproductionofbread,beer,andwine.Thestrainsusedintheseindustriesappeartobequitevariableevenwithineachindustry,withmanystrainsshowingdistinctheritablephenotypes.Variabletraitsincludetheprofileofmetabolicbyproductsproducedduringfermentation,amongothervariablecharacteristics.Theprocessofdomesticationofyeastwasprobablyinadvertentlywellunderwaythousandsofyearsago,butthepatternandtimingofthedomesticationofSaccharomycescerevisiaeispoorlyunderstood.Forexample,itisunknownifstrainshavehistoricallybeenfrequentlypassedbetweentheseindustries,anditisunknownwhethertherehavebeenmultipleindividualdomesticationeventsfromwildancestorswithintheseindustries.HereweseektoidentifygeneticvariationamongmanystrainsfromtheseindustriesthroughPCRandsequencingofseveralgenes.Thisidentifiedvariationwillbeusedtounderstandtheevolutionaryrelationshipsofthesestrains,andthereforehistoricalpatternsofdivergenceintheirusewithinandamongthethreeindustries.Weintendtoextendthisstudythroughwholegenomesequencing,andhopetousethevariationtoalsomakestepstowarddevelopingmolecularassaysforrapidstrainpurityscreeninginthebrewingindustry.178 (SESSIOND)GENEEXPRESSIONANDMOLECULARSTUDIESOFTHEGBSSIGENEOFJALTOMATA
JeffreyFeola&BarryHoopengardnerDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,
06050Ourlaboratory,incollaborationwithDr.ThomasMione,islookingforconformationalpresenceofthegranule-bound-starchsynthasegene(GBSSI)withinnumerousspeciesofgenusJaltomata.PrimersweredesignedfromDSGenegenomicalignmentsofsimilarspecieswithinboththeJaltomataandSolanumgenera.AfterPCRandgelelectrophoresisconfirmthepresenceoftheGBSSIgeneinnovelspeciesofJaltomata,semi-qPCRwillbeperformedtoquantifyexpressionamountswithineachoftherespectivespecies.
179 (SESSIOND)USINGCRISPR-CAS9TOKNOCKDOWNGENEEXPRESSIONINC.ELEGANS
SylviaTang,SarojaKolluru,KaseyAndrist,ShannonMcEnerney,PriyaPatel,DawnRosenberg&DanChase
Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritain,CT,06053
WeareusingCRISPR-Cas9tomodifygenesinC.elegansandtargettheirmRNAsforcell-specificknockdown.SingleguideRNAsdirectCas9tocutimmediatelyafterthecodingsequenceofthegene.WeprovideDNAtemplatestorepairthechromosomebreakthatinsertadditionalsequencesafterthegenethatcausethestopcodonintheresultingmRNAtoberecognizedaspremature.Suchtranscriptswillbedegradedbynonsense-mediateddecay(NMD).However,ifthesemodifiedgenesareexpressedinanimalsthatlackanessentialcomponentoftheNMDmechanismtheirmRNAshouldbestableandtranslatednormally.UsingtheseNMDdefectiveanimalswethenre-expressthemissingNMDcomponentinspecificcellsusingcell-specificpromoters.IntheNMD-rescuedcellsthemodifiedmRNAsaredegradedwhiletheycontinuetobeexpressednormallyinallothercellsoftheorganism.Wearecurrentlytestingthisknockdownstrategyontheocr-2gene,whichencodesaTRPV-likecalciumchannelrequiredforchemosensation.WewillmeasuretheefficiencyofknockdownusingbehavioralassaysandsinglecellmeasurementsofmRNAexpression.180 (SESSIOND)INVESTIGATINGCHANGESINGENEEXPRESSIONASSOCIATEDWITHTHEANTI-PROLIFERATIVEEFFECTOFTRANS-CINNAMALDEHYDEINHELACELLS
LilyGoodman&SuparnaBhallaDept.ofNaturalSciences,MountSaintMaryCollege,Newburgh,NY,12550
PhytochemicalshavehistoricallybeenusedformedicinalpurposesinseveralAsiancultures.However,onlyafewsuchcompoundshavebeensubjectedtorigorouscontrolledstudiesandmostofthedatainsupportoftheirbenefitsremainsanecdotal.Weareinterestedintheanti-proliferativeandanti-cancerouseffectsofbioactivecomponentsincinnamon.Wehadpreviouslydemonstratedthattrans-cinnamaldehyde(CIN),theactiveingredientincinnamon,hadapotentanti-proliferativeeffectonHeLacells,ahumancervicalcancercellline.Cancercellsevadecrucialcellcyclecheckpointsthatwouldnormallysendaberrantcellsintoapoptosis,orprogrammedcelldeath.Theproposedmechanismoftheanti-proliferativeeffectwashypothesizedtobeviaanincreaseinapoptosisofthecancercells.ResultsfromourTUNELassayssupportedourhypothesis.WearecurrentlyattemptingtofurtherdissectthemolecularmechanismofthiseffectbymonitoringchangesintheexpressionofgenesassociatedwithapoptosisusingquantitativePCR(qPCR).Preliminaryresultssuggestthatbcl-2,ageneassociatedwithcellsurvival,isdown-regulatedupontreatmentwithCIN.Wearecurrentlyinvestigatingchangesintheexpressionofthebaxgene,anadditionalapoptoticmarker,insupportofourhypothesis.
181 (SESSIOND)POSSIBLENEUROPROTECTIVEFUNCTIONOFCOLONYSTIMULATINGFACTOR-1RECEPTORINMULTIPLESCLEROSISBRAINS
EmilieChristieNeuroscienceProgram,JohnCarrollUniversity,UniversityHeights,OH,44118
ColonyStimulatingFactor-1Receptor(CSF-1R)isatyrosinekinasereceptorwhosesignalingregulatesdevelopmentofmicrogliaandmacrophages.Recently,CSF-1Rhasbecomeatargetmoleculeformultiplesclerosis(MS)research,andstudiesexploringtherapeuticeffectsofinhibitingCSF-1Randothertyrosinekinaseshavebeenconductedinmousemodels.However,littleisstillknownaboutthelocalizationandfunctionofCSF-1R,andthereisagrowingbodyofevidencetosuggestthatitsinhibitioncouldbeharmfulforpatientswithneurodegenerativedisorders.ThepurposeofthisstudywastoestablishthepatternofexpressionofCSF-1RinnormalhumanandMSbrainstoprovideinsightintoCSF-1Rlocalizationinhumanswithdemyelinatingdiseases.ItwashypothesizedthatCSF-1Rwouldbelocalizedonmicrogliaandsomeneurons.Usingimmunohistochemistry,itwasfoundthatCSF-1Risexpressednotonlyonmicroglia,butalsoonneuronsanddistressedaxons.CSF-1Risalsoco-localizedwiththemitochondrialpyruvatecarrierproteininasubpopulationofneuronsinMScortex.ThisevidenceimpliesthatneuronsinareasofdamageupregulateCSF-1Rasanactofself-preservation.Therefore,CSF-1RmayhaveaneuroprotectivefunctionanddevelopmentofCSF-1Rinhibitorstotreatneurologicaldiseasesshouldbeapproachedwithcaution.182 (SESSIOND)ISOLATIONANDCHARACTERIZATIONOF"WILD"MICROBESFORBREWING
KileyRidgway&JessicaZolotarevskyBiologyDept.,SacredHeartUniversity,Fairfield,CT,06825
ThecraftbrewingindustryintheUnitedStateshasenjoyedexplosivegrowthoverthepastdecadeandasacomponentofthisexpansioninterestintheproductionof"wild"orspontaneouslyfermentedalcoholicbeersandaleshasincreaseddramatically.Wereporthereisolationofanumberofspeciesofyeastfromvariousenvironmentalsourcesandevaluationoftheirpotentialuseinthecraftbrewingindustry.Isolatedstrainshavebeencharacterizedbymetabolicprofiling,large-subunitribosomalRNAgenesequencingandsensoryanalysis.Basedonourresults,wehavedevelopedastandardizedmethodologytopredicttheusefulnessofisolatedyeastbasedontheircarbohydrateutilization,attenuation,andsensoryprofile.Todate,twoofthestrainsisolatedandcharacterizedusingthemethodologydescribedherehavebeenusedincommercialproductionbyalocalbrewery.
183 (SESSIOND)IDENTIFYINGTHESCORPIONGUTMICROBIOME
ChristopherShimwell&BarbaraMurdochDept.ofBiology,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,Willimantic,CT,06226
Everyyearabout23,000peoplediefromharmfulantibioticresistantbacteria.Antibioticresistanceisaglobalcrisisthatneedstobeintensivelyresearchedbyscientists.Unlikehumans,someorganismshowever,havebeenresistanttotheconstantlyevolvingbacteriathatcontributetoantibioticresistance.Scorpions,amemberofthearthropodfamily,havebeenaroundforover400millionyearswithlittlephysicalchange.Thisisasignthatscorpionshaveadvantageoustraitsthatkeepthemsafefromharmfulbacteria.Onepossibleexplanationforthescorpion'ssuccessfullongevitycouldbethecollectionofbacteriafoundinsideofthem-theirmicrobiome.Therehasbeenlittleresearchonthescorpionmicrobiomeandourprojectishopingtofillthisvoid.Wehaveculturedbacteriafromscorpionguts.DNAfrombacterialisolateswassubjectedtoPCR,toamplifythe16SrRNAgene.Thesequenceanalysisoftheseribosomalgenesisthebasisfortheidentificationofindividualbacteria.Wehavesequenced50bacterialsamples.Interestingly,severalidentifiedbacteriaareassociatedwithfood-borneillnessinhumans.Ourresultsshedlightonthediversityofbacteriafoundwithinscorpionsandmayleadtonewsourcesofantibioticstohelpcombatantibioticresistance.184 (SESSIOND)ANALYZINGTHESWITCH:OXYGENICANDANOXYGENICPHOTOSYNTHESISINCYANOBACTERIA
KaleighBlock&JoyO'BrienDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,Lewiston,NY,14109
MicrobialmatsfoundatthebottomofsinkholesinLakeHuronarecomprisedmainlyofcyanobacteriacapableofanoxygenicphotosynthesisviasulfide.Inanoxygenicphotosynthesis,sulfideisoxidizedandelementalsulfurisreleasedintotheenvironment.Tobetterunderstandtherangeofenvironmentalconditionsinwhichthisswitchcanoccur,wearestudyingstrainsofPseudanabaenaandOscillatoriawhichhavemembersknowntocarryoutthisswitchbetweenoxygenicandanoxygenicphotosynthesis.WeobtainedpureculturesofPseudanabaenasp.CCAP1464andOscillatorialimneticaandaremeasuringgrowthratesinoxygenicconditions.Thisdatawillbeabaselineforourfuturein-situexperimentsineuxinicenvironments.Pseudanabaenasp.andO.limneticahavealsobeenscreenedforsulfide:quinoneoxidoreductase(sqr)usingPCR.Thesqrgeneisrequiredfortheoxidationofsulfideandtheoxygenic/anoxygenicphotosynthesisswitch.WehaveconfirmedthepresenceofaTypeIsqrgeneinPseudanabaenasp.whichmeansitshouldbecapableofanoxygenicphotosynthesisinthepresenceofsulfide.WearestillconductingPCRonO.limneticawithexpectationsthatitcarriesthesamesqrgene.Bystudyingtheswitch,wewillbeabletoexaminetheimplicationsofanoxygenicphotosynthesiswithintheenvironment.
185 (SESSIOND)RATEOFPLASMIDLOSSWHENSELECTIVEPRESSUREISREMOVED:USEITORLOSEIT
JackKlem&MarkGalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
Plasmidsareextrachromosomalelementsthatarenormallyfoundinmostbacteria.Oneplasmid,p-Glo(TM),isusedinE.coliformanyexperiments,especiallyaspartoftheAdvancedPlacementBiologycurriculum.Thisplasmidcontainsthegreenfluorescentproteingeneundercontrolofthelactosepromoter,thebetalactamasegenewhoseproductprovidesbeta-lactamantibioticresistance,anoriginofreplication,aswellasamultiplecloningsite.Theplasmidisretainedinthecellduetoselectivepressureoftheantibiotic.However,verylittleexperimentationhasbeendoneontherateofthelossofplasmidsinbacteria.Plasmidlosswillbeexploredwhenunderdifferentselectivepressures,namelytheadditionalcostofexpressionofGFPproteinonabilitytocompeteforresources.186 (SESSIOND)ISOLATIONOFBACTERIOPHAGEINSTAPHYLOCOCCI
JanelleA.Fancher,MariaC.Kajdasz,ShaniaP.J.M.vanNuland&MarkA.GalloDept.ofBiology,NiagaraUniversity,NY,14109
PathogenicStaphylococcusstrainsthatareantibioticresistantcancauseinfectionsthataredifficulttotreat.TheuseofbacteriophageintreatmentofStaphylococcusaureusinfectionhasbeenproposedasapossiblealternativetoantibiotics.Isolationandidentificationofnewbacteriophageisanexcitingareaofresearchthatmayyieldnoveltreatmentsforinfectionsthathavebeenchallengingtoeliminatebytraditionalmeans.OnepreviouslyunexploredsourceofStaphandtheircorrespondingphagearestrainsassociatedwithwildanimals.Inthisstudy,Staphwereisolatedfromwhitetaildeer,Odocoileusvirginianus.TheresultingbacteriawereanalyzedforthepresenceoflyticphagethatwereactiveagainstRN4220,apermissivestrainofS.aureus.SixteenindependentbacteriophagesweredetectedandtheirrangeofactivityonotherStaphylococcusspecieswasdetermined.187 (SESSIOND)DEVELOPMENTANDLOSSOFANTIBIOTICRESISTANCEINBACTERIAMAINTAINEDINPLANARIA
BrendenGriffith,ScottWilmot,TimothyDibble,StevenHelming,RyanDonnelly&MichaelDavis
Dept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,06050
Planariapossessunusuallyrobustregenerativecapability,andmanyinvestigatorsstudythisprocessintheseorganisms.Ourlab,though,isdevelopingaplanaria-basedmodelsystemtostudyinteractionsbetweenananimalanditsnormalmicrobiota.Wehaveemployedvariousantibiotics,aloneorincombination,tosignificantlydepletebacterialpopulationsinplanaria(Dugesiatigrina).Theanimalsaregenerallyhealthy,andcanbe
maintainedinabacteria-depletedstateforsometime.Wecanreintroducemicrobiotafromdonoranimals,andincludedefinedbacterialspeciesofinterest.Ourfirstuseofthismodelsystemistostudythedevelopmentandpersistenceofantibioticresistanceinthesebacteria-depletedanimals.Wehavecolonizedplanariawithoneofseveraldifferentspeciesofbacteria:Staphylococcusepidermidis,Staphylococcusaureus,Pseudomonasaeruginosa,andacurrentlyuntypedstrain,amemberofthenaturalmicrobiotaoftheplanaria.Isogenicpairsofantibioticresistantandantibioticsensitiveversionsofthesestrainswillbeintroducedintotheanimals,andantibioticsatvaryingconcentrationswillbeadded.Thedynamicsofantibioticresistancedevelopmentwillbeassessed.188 (SESSIOND)HOST-RANGECOMPARISONSAMONGBACTERIA(PROPIONIBACTERIUMACNES)ANDTARGET-SPECIFICBACTERIOPHAGEISOLATEDFROMSKIN
AdamSchirduan,AmyFerrante,KarolinaSkutulas&MichaelDavisDept.ofBiomolecularSciences,CentralConnecticutStateUniversity,NewBritainCT,
06050Anumberoftherapiesforacneexist,mostofwhichtargetPropionibacteriumacnes,theopportunisticbacterialpathogenthatcausesseriousacnelesions.Antibiotics(eg,clindamycin)andantiseptics(eg,benzoylperoxide)areusedwithvaryingsuccess.Ourlabisdevelopinganoveltherapyfortheskindiseaseacnebasedontheabilityofbacteriophage(bacteria-specificviruses)totargetandkillPacnesbacteria.Wehaveamassedalargecollection(hundreds)ofPacnesisolates,andasmallerbutstillsignificantcollection(dozens)ofPacnesspecificbacteriophageisolates,andhaveexpandedanefforttocharacterizethehostrangeofthebacteriophageinourcollection.WehavedevelopedmethodstoincreasetherecoveryofPacnesspecificbacteriophage,andhypothesizethatthiswillletusexpandthenumberandvarietyofbacteriophageisolatesinourcollection.Inaddition,hostrangestudieswithourexistingbacteriophagehasidentifiedtwoisolatesthatappearabletoinfectandkilleachof50+independentPacnesbacterialisolatestested.Thisbreadthofhostrangeisunusual,asbacteriophagearegenerallyabletoinfectonlylimitedsubtypes(subspecies)ofbacteriawithinasinglespecies.Suchbroadhostrangemaysimplifyandspeedthedevelopmentofbacteriophagetherapyforacne.189 (SESSIOND)MONITORANDCONTROLOFBENCHTOPDIGESTERS
SarahKaneDept.ofEngineering-Physics-Systems,ProvidenceCollege,Providence,RI,02918
ThisprojectaimstounderstandthedetailsofthecomplexprocessthatoperatesintheGSAPMicroflushtoilet'sfilter-digester.Oncethisprojectiscomplete,stepswillbetakentoimprovethemicroflushtoiletsystem.Thatprocessincludesmacro-organismenhancedaerobicdigestiongovernedbyanumberofparametersincludingtemperature,pH,oxygen,moistureandtheC/Nratioofthedepositedwaste,amongotherfactors.Theprojectrequires24-7monitoringandcontrolofmultipleparametersandvariables;thedigestionprocessincludesamacro-organismenhancedaerobicdigestionoftheefficacywhichisinfluencedbytemperature,pH,oxygen,moistureandtheC/Nratioofthedepositedwaste
andotherfactors.Thereareseveralmacro-organismswithhabitatrequirementsthatmatchtheaverageconditionsofthedigesterbedcurrentlyinthefield,buttheonewefocusonise-fetida,acommon(red-wriggler)earthworm.Themassandpathogenreductionwithvermicompostinghasbeenshowntobefarsuperiortothatoftraditionalpitlatrines.Iamcurrentlyperformingalong-termcontrolledstudylookingatthedetailedefficacyoftheprocessfocusingontheaforementionedparameters.Sofar,Ihavebeenabletodeterminethatthereisadirectcorrelationbetweenchangeinmassandoxygen.Icurrentlyhaveonecontroldesktopdigesterbeingmonitored24/7.Iamconstructingtwomoredigestersthatwillbefilledwiththesamesoil;however,oneofthenewdigesterswillbepopulatedwithe-fetidawhiletheotherwillnotbepopulatedwiththemacro-organisms.Iwillcomparehowthechangeinmassisaffectedbyhavingonlymicro-organismsinonedigesterandhavingonlye-fetidapopulatetheotherdigester.190 (SESSIOND)BACTERIALANDCOLIPHAGEDIVERSITYINTHESPARKILLCREEK
KimberlyAcevedo&ChristinaJosephScienceDept.,DominicanCollege,Orangeburg,NY,10962
InNewYorkStatealone,792waterbodiesareonthe"Impaired/TMDL"list,whichidentifiesbodiesofwaterthatmightrequireremediation.TheSparkillCreek,placedonthelistfirstin2010,emptiesintotheHudsonRiver.Itfacesissueswithstormwaterrunoff,causingelevatedlevelsofpathogensinthecreekanddecreasedoxygenavailability.Accordingtopublisheddata,thelevelsoftheindicatorbacteriaare24timeshigherthanEPAstandards.TheSparkillCreekwasexaminedformicrobialandcoliphageloadsanddiversityasrelatedtoweatherevents.ColiformandE.colilevelsweremeasuredusingPetrifilm®,withasignificantincreasefoundwitharainfalleventforbothsamplinglocations.Thecoliphagenumberswerealsosignificantlyhigherwitharainevent.Familytypingofthesecoliphagewasattemptedon36isolates.Ofthese,5%werefoundtobeMicroviridae,26%JK,16%Lambda,and58%T4.DNAfromG(-)bacteriawassubjectedto16SrDNAsequencing.OfnotewasthepresenceofStenotrophomonasretroflexusindryweather,significantlydecreasedafterarainevent,andincreasedprevalenceofEnterobacterandEscherichiathreemilesfromthemouthofthecreek.Futurestudiesincludetrackingofthesebacteriabothintimeandalongthewaterway.191 (SESSIOND)EFFECTSOFREDOAKFOLIARPHENOLICSONGYPSYMOTHLARVALGROWTHANDSURVIVAL
MIDNErinKusuda&MIDNLianneMarquezChemistryDept.,UnitedStatesNavalAcademy,Annapolis,MD,21402
Populationoutbreaksofgypsymoth(Lymantriadispar)larvaearecontrolledbyavirusthatkillsthelarvae,phenoliccompoundsinthefoliageconsumedbythem,andpredators.Inanefforttoidentifyandunderstandtheeffectsofthephenoliccompoundsfoundinfoliagetypicaltothegypsymothcaterpillars'naturaldiet,freeze-driedredoak(Quercusrubra)foliagewasextractedandtheextractchromatographedwithaseriesofsolvents.
Thefractionsofisolatedphenolicswereseparatelydissolvedinwateratseveralconcentrationsandinfusedinto1cmplugsofgypsymothartificialdiet.Neonatelarvaewerefedthephenolic-infuseddietforthreeweeks,afterwhichtheywerefrozenandweighed.Unlikepriorexperiments,larvaethatconsumedthecontrol(non-infused)dietweresignificantlysmaller(mean=47.0mgFW),thanlarvaethatconsumeddietcontainingphenolics(e.g.mean=71.9mgFWforlarvaethatconsumedthe30%acetonefraction:p<0.01).Theseresultsarethereciprocalofthepriorthreeyearsofexperimentation,andworkcontinuestodeterminethecause.Ifgypsymothlarvaevaryamongyearsintheirresponsetofoliarphenolics,itmayhelpexplainsomeofthevariationinthetimingandseverityofoutbreaks.
INDEXBYNAMELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Institution Acevedo Kimberly 190 D DominicanCollegeAcquaviva John 2 A1 WagnerCollegeAhmaripour Mona 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityAhmed Fardin 168 D IthacaCollegeAlauddin Mohammad 5 A2 WagnerCollegeAlexander Jacqueline 80 B IthacaCollegeAlisch Joseph 176 D ProvidenceCollegeAlmeida Eleanor 4 A1 IthacaCollegeAlmuhanna Raid 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityAmin Youssef 143 D IthacaCollegeAmirov Tamar 28 A7 WagnerCollegeAmmirati Luke 107 C3 ManhattanCollegeAmuro Andrew 153 D SacredHeartUniversityAndresen ColbyAnderson 127 D ProvidenceCollegeAndrist Kasey 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityArévalo Dr. 133 D ProvidenceCollegeArmas SabrinaDe 141 D IthacaCollegeAtkinson Lauren 89 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityAttebery Michael 18 A5 IthacaCollegeAustriaco Nicanor 176 D ProvidenceCollegeAvery Derek 115 C5 WagnerCollege Baik Danielle 107 C3 ManhattanCollegeBalskus Carly 134 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityBarends Jared 172 D IthacaCollegeBaris Devon 11,47 A3,B IthacaCollegeBarreto Matthew 119 C6 WagnerCollegeBartholomew KirkA. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityBeecher Amanda 59 B SacredHeartUniversityBerger Erika 105 C2 PaceUniversityBernhardt David 139 D PaceUniversityBerrios Serena 140 D IthacaCollegeBertoldo Anna 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBertoli Mia 117 C6 ManhattanCollegeBhalla Suparna 180 D MountSaintMaryCollegeBhat Vandita 76 B IthacaCollegeBlackwin Jahlyssa 94 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBlock Kaleigh 184 D NiagaraUniversityBodnar Justin 46 B WilkesUniversityBolevic Lejla 5 A2 WagnerCollegeBouchard Elizabeth 61 B SacredHeartUniversityBoyles Michael 67 B SacredHeartUniversityBradford Beatrix 154 D MaristCollegeBradley Lia 141 D IthacaCollegeBray AliciaM. 35 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBredikin Alexander 99 C1 IthacaCollegeBrighter GrantM. 54 B IthacaCollegeBrown Abigail 103 C2 IthacaCollegeBrown Corinne 84 B WilkesUniversityBrown David 11 A3 IthacaCollegeBrown Shannalee 140 D IthacaCollegeBrown Tia 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBrown Vincent 166 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity
Bucior Danielle 114 C5 IthacaCollegeBudhathoki Roshani 17 A5 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityBudlong Marisa 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityBurian Alexis 172 D IthacaCollegeByrd Mia 106 C3 NiagaraUniversityByrne SeanP. 85 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Cabana PatrickR. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityCameron SophiaA. 123 C7 IthacaCollegeCampbell ZacharyT. 76 B IthacaCollegeCannata DavidR. 83 B SacredHeartUniversityCaplen Georgia 23 A6 IthacaCollegeCarden Christina 53 B IthacaCollegeCargill Sarah 169 D IthacaCollegeCarhuayo Brenda 174 D ManhattanCollegeCarrillo Emily 33 B ProvidenceCollegeCaster Jenna 148 D IthacaCollegeCedrone Jackson 155 D IthacaCollegeCerreta Christina 59 B SacredHeartUniversityChase Dan 157,179 D,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityChepustanova Sofya 46 B WilkesUniversityChime Ngawang 77 B IthacaCollegeChlebowski Madison 75 B IthacaCollegeChristie Emilie 181 D JohnCarrollUniversityChu Simon 46 B WilkesUniversityCios Anna 6 A2 WagnerCollegeCohen Alyssa 148 D IthacaCollegeCollins Jessica 47,102 B,C2 IthacaCollegeConzuegra Deana 105 C2 PaceUniversityCortes-Rodriguez
Nandadevi 170 D IthacaCollege
Cramer Ethan 30 B IthacaCollegeCrobar Kaitlyn 65 B IthacaCollegeCusmano Danielle 160 D SacredHeartUniversity Davis Cory 29 B IthacaCollegeDavis Michael 94,95,96,
187,188B,B,B,D,D
CentralConnecticutStateUniversity
Dayton Jacob 108 C3 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDeacon Megan 113 C4 EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDelgadillo Yuberki 36 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityDiaz Isaac 150 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityDibble Timothy 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityDomin Christian 41 B NiagaraUniversityDominguez Geselle 12 A3 IthacaCollegeDonnelly Ryan 40,187 B,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Eagan David 176 D ProvidenceCollegeEchelberger EricJ. 168 D IthacaCollegeElla Miranda 26 A7 IthacaCollegeEllis JamieP. 66 B IthacaCollegeEragene Sidney 110,162 C4,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityEtienne Dusan 161 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityEuller KarlOtto 124 D IthacaCollegeEvans Brian 158 D ManhattanCollege Falconer Rebecca 173 D IthacaCollegeFancher JanelleA. 186 D NiagaraUniversity
Fatica Olivia 135 D SacredHeartUniversityFeitner Karina 103 C2 IthacaCollegeFeliccia Abrey 11 A3 IthacaCollegeFeola Jeffrey 178 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerraj Ardian 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerrante Amy 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityFerrone Salvatore 100 C1 IthacaCollegeFiccardi Jack 148 D IthacaCollegeFisher-Thompson
Donna 49,50 B,B NiagaraUniversity
Fitzgerald Julia 48 B IthacaCollegeFitzwater TamaraL. 54 B IthacaCollegeFonseca Dallas 76 B IthacaCollegeForster RyanMcHale 87 B MountSaintMaryCollegeFrancis Noelle 139 D PaceUniversityFrederick Jordan 153 D SacredHeartUniversityFuentes Brieanna 20 A5 EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Gabbert Amber 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityGafar Zamzama 8 A2 UniversityofSaintJosephGalbraith Emily 11 A3 IthacaCollegeGallego Christopher 171 D IthacaCollegeGallo Mark 15,16,93,
106,112,185,186
A4,A4,B,C3,C4,D,D
NiagaraUniversity
Garcia-Ferres EvaA. 55 B IthacaCollegeGarner Reid 159 D IthacaCollegeGarry Amanda 51 B NiagaraUniversityGarside MaryA. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityGary Lacie 142 D IthacaCollegeGeorge NatalieA. 66 B IthacaCollegeGiblin Stephanie 45 B SacredHeartUniversityGittens Iireyel 32 B WagnerCollegeGlazier Virginia 91 B NiagaraUniversityGlowacki Zachary 51 B NiagaraUniversityGontarek Gabrielle 177 D SacredHeartUniversityGonzalez Alfredo 176 D ProvidenceCollegeGonzalez Jorge 25 A7 ManhattanCollegeGoodman Lily 180 D MountSaintMaryCollegeGreene Robert 41 B NiagaraUniversityGriffith Brenden 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityGrimason Haley 43,137 B,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityGrosso AdrianaDel 57 B IthacaCollegeGroth Amy 73 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityGwara Elizabeth 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Haaf Michael 30,124 B,D IthacaCollegeHaag Eric 80 B IthacaCollegeHagerty Eliot 104 C2 IthacaCollegeHalkin Sylvia 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHallisey Victoria 19 A5 ProvidenceCollegeHammond Kyle 38 B IthacaCollegeHancock Sophie 102 C2 IthacaCollegeHardwick Jean 3 A1 IthacaCollegeHart Melissa 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHelming Steven 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHernandez Michelle 115 C5 WagnerCollegeHilinski Hunter 9 A3 WilkesUniversity
Hoefen Cara 37 B IthacaCollegeHoopengardner Barry 178 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHoover Rene 93 B NiagaraUniversityHopkins Denver 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHoward Maya 140 D IthacaCollegeHsu Jesse 7,124 A2,D IthacaCollegeHubbell Dawn 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityHudock Nicholas 84 B WilkesUniversityHughes Hunter 84 B WilkesUniversityHughes Lauren 103 C2 IthacaCollegeHunting Janet 29 B IthacaCollegeHusami Nadine 16 A4 NiagaraUniversityHutton Katie 3 A1 IthacaCollegeHyde Lillian 130 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Ireifej Raquel 81 B ManhattanCollege Jergensen Tanner 160 D SacredHeartUniversityJohnson Cole 122 C7 ManhattanCollegeJoseph Christina 190 D DominicanCollege Kadlec Lisa 84 B WilkesUniversityKajdasz MariaC. 186 D NiagaraUniversityKalhorn Jack 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeKalinina Anastasiya 146 D JohnCarrollUniversityKanda Leann 4,37 A1,B IthacaCollegeKane James 165 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityKane Sarah 189 D ProvidenceCollegeKapolka Anthony 46 B WilkesUniversityKapper M.A. 85 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKebalka Meghan 60 B ProvidenceCollegeKeene Julia 62 B IthacaCollegeKerr Nia 48 B IthacaCollegeKidney Matt 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityKlem Jack 185 D NiagaraUniversityKolluru Saroja 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKressbach Hannah 161 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityKusuda MIDNErin 191 D UnitedStatesNavalAcademy Lachovizer Liya 142 D IthacaCollegeLangdon Joanna 148 D IthacaCollegeLee Jihye 80 B IthacaCollegeLeighton Jack 21 A6 WagnerCollegeLepore Brandon 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityLevitz Charlie 149 D IthacaCollegeLew Cassandra 83 B SacredHeartUniversityLewis JackC. 54 B IthacaCollegeLipton Kevin 42 B WagnerCollegeLo Te-Wen 76,80,168 B,B,D IthacaCollegeLoCastro Marissa 27 A7 ManhattanCollegeLoveland CheyenneM. 49 B NiagaraUniversity Magazin Mia 67 B SacredHeartUniversityMagyar Emily 92 B NiagaraUniversityMalcomson Melanie 53 B IthacaCollegeMarcano ClaudiaS
Ramirez24 A6 ManhattanCollege
Marnocha Cassandra 22 A6 NiagaraUniversity
Marquez MIDNLianne 191 D UnitedStatesNavalAcademyMartello Catherine 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMatthews Brianna 63 B IthacaCollegeMayer Oscar 63 B IthacaCollegeMazo Maria 82 B ManhattanCollegeMcCarthy Emma 149 D IthacaCollegeMcDonough Liam 176 D ProvidenceCollegeMcEnerney Shannon 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcEwen ErinN. 35 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcGillicuddy Cailey 147 D IthacaCollegeMcGuire BrianM. 50 B NiagaraUniversityMcLain Melissa 157 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMcMullen Carley 93 B NiagaraUniversityMecca Stephen 98 C1 ProvidenceCollegeMedina Arianna 97 B DominicanCollegeMelcher Peter 26,57 A7,B IthacaCollegeMello Nicholas 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeMendrysa Zoe 90 B IthacaCollegeMesropyan Alexandria 45 B SacredHeartUniversityMichienzi Matthew 64 B NiagaraUniversityMilitello Elaine 64 B NiagaraUniversityMiller AndrewP. 9 A3 WilkesUniversityMineo Mara 28 A7 WagnerCollegeMiner Brooks 169 D IthacaCollegeMinett Tom 155 D IthacaCollegeMione Thomas 150 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMoreno-King Isabella 143 D IthacaCollegeMullin James 13,176 A4,D ProvidenceCollegeMulrooney James 86 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityMurdoch Barbara 129,183 D,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityMurphy Eva 83 B SacredHeartUniversity Nolan Mikayla 147 D IthacaCollegeNorko FrancescaG. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityNuland ShaniaP.J.M.van 186 D NiagaraUniversity O'Brien Joy 184 D NiagaraUniversityO'Hara Greta 53 B IthacaCollegeObinelo Adaeze 69 B ManhattanCollegeOrtega Humberto 120 C6 ManhattanCollege Page Jeffrey 80 B IthacaCollegePalestis Brian 42 B WagnerCollegePallis Samuel 58 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityPalmieri Domenick 31 B WagnerCollegePandorf Zachary 115 C5 WagnerCollegePare Savannah 70 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityParker Haley 22 A6 NiagaraUniversityParker Mark 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityPatel Priya 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityPena Ismael 116 C5 ManhattanCollegePerez Carlos 33 B ProvidenceCollegePhuong Vinh 28 A7 WagnerCollegePiasecki-Masters
Colette 118 C6 IthacaCollege
Pierce MadelynJane 52 B JohnCarrollUniversityPierson Russell 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityPignatelli Samantha 83 B SacredHeartUniversity
Pildner Amy 47 B IthacaCollegePitti-Daly Sophia 57 B IthacaCollegePowell AlexsisM. 43,137 B,D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityPrelvukaj Gent 126 D WagnerCollegePringle Tyresha 140 D IthacaCollegePurcell Britteny 39 B NiagaraUniversity Radecki Alexander 68 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityRadell Milen 145 D NiagaraUniversityRaffa Amanda 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeRahman Nishat 131 D IthacaCollegeRandall Jason 156 D MaristCollegeRappi Jonathan 73 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityReidy Ellen 1 A1 WagnerCollegeReilly Liam 98 C1 ProvidenceCollegeRichardson Kyle 143 D IthacaCollegeRidgway Kiley 182 D SacredHeartUniversityRidler Abigail 74 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversityRondeau Jenna 61 B SacredHeartUniversityRosado Alize 51 B NiagaraUniversityRosenberg Dawn 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityRoy NicoleM. 160 D SacredHeartUniversityRuan Victor 119 C6 WagnerCollegeRumrill Ben 129 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversity Sackman Cait 138 D ManhattanCollegeSaleem Ramis 71 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySalter AbigailE. 15 A4 NiagaraUniversitySalvatore Victoria 88 B SacredHeartUniversitySamuel-Constanzo
Juan 162 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity
Sanders Taylor 91 B NiagaraUniversitySarmiento Clarissa 96 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySavje Kelsey 31 B WagnerCollegeSchall Morgan 103 C2 IthacaCollegeSchanbacher Cara 53,103 B,C2 IthacaCollegeSchirduan Adam 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySeeds Michelle 164 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySenechal Christianne 167 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityService Shanique 112 C4 NiagaraUniversityShahin Yazmeen 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversitySherman Kendra 88 B SacredHeartUniversityShi Bright 14 A4 ManhattanCollegeShimwell Christopher 183 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySiclari JamesJ. 177 D SacredHeartUniversitySigman Daniel 164 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySilva Ralf 148 D IthacaCollegeSiniscalco Emily 76 B IthacaCollegeSkinner Piper 125 D WagnerCollegeSkutulas Karolina 188 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySlater Melody 72 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySluter MadisonN. 54 B IthacaCollegeSoucy Joseph 151 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversitySpencer-Dupret Lia 152 D EasternConnecticutStateUniversityStefinko Mariya 168 D IthacaCollegeSteinbeck Caitlin 133 D ProvidenceCollegeStern MichaelJ. 168 D IthacaCollegeStewart JachiusJ. 110,162 C4,D CentralConnecticutStateUniversity
Stoj ChristopherS. 64 B NiagaraUniversityStopper GeffreyF. 177 D SacredHeartUniversityStrakosha Alexander 13 A4 ProvidenceCollegeStranzl Cassidy 44 B ManhattanCollegeStravoravdis Stefanos 72 B EasternConnecticutStateUniversitySundberg Oskar 32 B WagnerCollegeSusi Samantha 21 A6 WagnerCollegeSwift Alison 136 D JohnCarrollUniversitySzewczyk Bryan 86,94 B,B CentralConnecticutStateUniversity Taibi Lauren 10 A3 WagnerCollegeTang Sylvia 179 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTariq Rafay 15 A4 NiagaraUniversityTarren Anna 109 C3 IthacaCollegeTaylor John 145 D NiagaraUniversityTerleph Thomas 45 B SacredHeartUniversityThoren Vincent 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTihagam RachisanDjiake 15 A4 NiagaraUniversityToal Kevin 148 D IthacaCollegeTolley Alexis 163 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityTorelli AndrewT. 65 B IthacaCollegeTran Kevin 79 B IthacaCollegeTreverton BrigidN. 49 B NiagaraUniversityTribuna Madison 34 B RogerWilliamsUniversityTrudeau Max 135 D SacredHeartUniversityTuong Alexander 128 D IthacaCollege Valero Monica 121 C7 WagnerCollegeVasel Ashley 56 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityVengen Sarah 12 A3 IthacaCollegeViosine Cindy 168 D IthacaCollegeVogel Sara 50,144 B,D NiagaraUniversity Walter Zachary 84 B WilkesUniversityWashington Ayeisha 95 B CentralConnecticutStateUniversityWebb JasonE. 168 D IthacaCollegeWeiss Emma 102 C2 IthacaCollegeWestacott Peter 104 C2 IthacaCollegeWhisman-Woodward
Avery 142 D IthacaCollege
Wilkins BryanJ. 69 B ManhattanCollegeWilliams Jelani 78 B IthacaCollegeWilliams Myranda 111 C4 UniversityofSaintJosephWilmot Scott 187 D CentralConnecticutStateUniversityWine Abby 57 B IthacaCollegeWitherup Susan 26,57 A7,B IthacaCollege Yowan Taylor 132 D IthacaCollegeYraita Sally 170 D IthacaCollege Zhanay Jennifer 175 D ManhattanCollegeZolotarevsky Jessica 182 D SacredHeartUniversity
INDEXBYINSTITUTIONCENTRALCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ahmaripour Mona 96 B Andrist Kasey 179 D Bertoldo Anna 163 D Blackwin Jahlyssa 94 B Bray AliciaM. 35 B Brown Tia 151 D Budlong Marisa 95 B Byrne SeanP. 85 B Chase Dan 157,179 D,D Davis Michael 94,95,96,187,
188B,B,B,D,D
Diaz Isaac 150 D Dibble Timothy 187 D Donnelly Ryan 40,187 B,D Eragene Sidney 110,162 C4,D Etienne Dusan 161 D Feola Jeffrey 178 D Ferraj Ardian 86 B Ferrante Amy 188 D Gabbert Amber 95 B Griffith Brenden 187 D Gwara Elizabeth 96 B Halkin Sylvia 151 D Hart Melissa 151 D Helming Steven 187 D Hoopengardner Barry 178 D Hopkins Denver 96 B Hubbell Dawn 151 D Kapper M.A. 85 B Kolluru Saroja 179 D Kressbach Hannah 161 D Lepore Brandon 86 B Martello Catherine 95 B McEnerney Shannon 179 D McEwen ErinN. 35 B McLain Melissa 157 D Mione Thomas 150 D Mulrooney James 86 B Pare Savannah 70 B Patel Priya 179 D Radecki Alexander 68 B Rosenberg Dawn 179 D Samuel-Constanzo Juan 162 D Sarmiento Clarissa 96 B Schirduan Adam 188 D Seeds Michelle 164 D Sigman Daniel 164 D Skutulas Karolina 188 D Soucy Joseph 151 D Stewart JachiusJ. 110,162 C4,D Szewczyk Bryan 86,94 B,B Tang Sylvia 179 D
Thoren Vincent 163 D Tolley Alexis 163 D Vasel Ashley 56 B Washington Ayeisha 95 B Wilmot Scott 187 D DOMINICANCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Acevedo Kimberly 190 D Joseph Christina 190 D Medina Arianna 97 B EASTERNCONNECTICUTSTATEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Atkinson Lauren 89 B Balskus Carly 134 D Brown Vincent 166 D Budhathoki Roshani 17 A5 Dayton Jacob 108 C3 Deacon Megan 113 C4 Delgadillo Yuberki 36 B Fuentes Brieanna 20 A5 Grimason Haley 43,137 B,D Groth Amy 73 B Hyde Lillian 130 D Kane James 165 D Murdoch Barbara 129,183 D,D Pallis Samuel 58 B Powell AlexsisM. 43,137 B,D Rappi Jonathan 73 B Ridler Abigail 74 B Rumrill Ben 129 D Saleem Ramis 71 B Senechal Christianne 167 D Shimwell Christopher 183 D Slater Melody 72 B Spencer-Dupret Lia 152 D Stravoravdis Stefanos 72 B ITHACACOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ahmed Fardin 168 D Alexander Jacqueline 80 B Almeida Eleanor 4 A1 Amin Youssef 143 D Armas SabrinaDe 141 D Attebery Michael 18 A5 Barends Jared 172 D Baris Devon 11,47 A3,B Berrios Serena 140 D Bhat Vandita 76 B Bradley Lia 141 D Bredikin Alexander 99 C1
Brighter GrantM. 54 B Brown Abigail 103 C2 Brown David 11 A3 Brown Shannalee 140 D Bucior Danielle 114 C5 Burian Alexis 172 D Cameron SophiaA. 123 C7 Campbell ZacharyT. 76 B Caplen Georgia 23 A6 Carden Christina 53 B Cargill Sarah 169 D Caster Jenna 148 D Cedrone Jackson 155 D Chime Ngawang 77 B Chlebowski Madison 75 B Cohen Alyssa 148 D Collins Jessica 47,102 B,C2 Cortes-Rodriguez Nandadevi 170 D Cramer Ethan 30 B Crobar Kaitlyn 65 B Davis Cory 29 B Dominguez Geselle 12 A3 Echelberger EricJ. 168 D Ella Miranda 26 A7 Ellis JamieP. 66 B Euller KarlOtto 124 D Falconer Rebecca 173 D Feitner Karina 103 C2 Feliccia Abrey 11 A3 Ferrone Salvatore 100 C1 Ficcardi Jack 148 D Fitzgerald Julia 48 B Fitzwater TamaraL. 54 B Fonseca Dallas 76 B Galbraith Emily 11 A3 Gallego Christopher 171 D Garcia-Ferres EvaA. 55 B Garner Reid 159 D Gary Lacie 142 D George NatalieA. 66 B Grosso AdrianaDel 57 B Haaf Michael 30,124 B,D Haag Eric 80 B Hagerty Eliot 104 C2 Hammond Kyle 38 B Hancock Sophie 102 C2 Hardwick Jean 3 A1 Hoefen Cara 37 B Howard Maya 140 D Hsu Jesse 7,124 A2,D Hughes Lauren 103 C2 Hunting Janet 29 B Hutton Katie 3 A1 Kanda Leann 4,37 A1,B Keene Julia 62 B Kerr Nia 48 B Lachovizer Liya 142 D Langdon Joanna 148 D
Lee Jihye 80 B Levitz Charlie 149 D Lewis JackC. 54 B Lo Te-Wen 76,80,168 B,B,D Malcomson Melanie 53 B Matthews Brianna 63 B Mayer Oscar 63 B McCarthy Emma 149 D McGillicuddy Cailey 147 D Melcher Peter 26,57 A7,B Mendrysa Zoe 90 B Miner Brooks 169 D Minett Tom 155 D Moreno-King Isabella 143 D Nolan Mikayla 147 D O'Hara Greta 53 B Page Jeffrey 80 B Piasecki-Masters Colette 118 C6 Pildner Amy 47 B Pitti-Daly Sophia 57 B Pringle Tyresha 140 D Rahman Nishat 131 D Richardson Kyle 143 D Schall Morgan 103 C2 Schanbacher Cara 53,103 B,C2 Silva Ralf 148 D Siniscalco Emily 76 B Sluter MadisonN. 54 B Stefinko Mariya 168 D Stern MichaelJ. 168 D Tarren Anna 109 C3 Toal Kevin 148 D Torelli AndrewT. 65 B Tran Kevin 79 B Tuong Alexander 128 D Vengen Sarah 12 A3 Viosine Cindy 168 D Webb JasonE. 168 D Weiss Emma 102 C2 Westacott Peter 104 C2 Whisman-Woodward
Avery 142 D
Williams Jelani 78 B Wine Abby 57 B Witherup Susan 26,57 A7,B Yowan Taylor 132 D Yraita Sally 170 D JOHNCARROLLUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Christie Emilie 181 D Kalinina Anastasiya 146 D Pierce MadelynJane 52 B Swift Alison 136 D
MANHATTANCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Ammirati Luke 107 C3 Baik Danielle 107 C3 Bertoli Mia 117 C6 Carhuayo Brenda 174 D Evans Brian 158 D Gonzalez Jorge 25 A7 Ireifej Raquel 81 B Johnson Cole 122 C7 LoCastro Marissa 27 A7 Marcano ClaudiaSRamirez 24 A6 Mazo Maria 82 B Obinelo Adaeze 69 B Ortega Humberto 120 C6 Pena Ismael 116 C5 Sackman Cait 138 D Shi Bright 14 A4 Stranzl Cassidy 44 B Wilkins BryanJ. 69 B Zhanay Jennifer 175 D MARISTCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bradford Beatrix 154 D Randall Jason 156 D MOUNTSAINTMARYCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bhalla Suparna 180 D Forster RyanMcHale 87 B Goodman Lily 180 D NIAGARAUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Block Kaleigh 184 D Byrd Mia 106 C3 Domin Christian 41 B Fancher JanelleA. 186 D Fisher-Thompson Donna 49,50 B,B Gallo Mark 15,16,93,106,
112,185,186A4,A4,B,C3,C4,D,D
Garry Amanda 51 B Glazier Virginia 91 B Glowacki Zachary 51 B Greene Robert 41 B Hoover Rene 93 B Husami Nadine 16 A4 Kajdasz MariaC. 186 D Klem Jack 185 D
Loveland CheyenneM. 49 B Magyar Emily 92 B Marnocha Cassandra 22 A6 McGuire BrianM. 50 B McMullen Carley 93 B Michienzi Matthew 64 B Militello Elaine 64 B Nuland ShaniaP.J.M.van 186 D O'Brien Joy 184 D Parker Haley 22 A6 Purcell Britteny 39 B Radell Milen 145 D Rosado Alize 51 B Salter AbigailE. 15 A4 Sanders Taylor 91 B Service Shanique 112 C4 Stoj ChristopherS. 64 B Tariq Rafay 15 A4 Taylor John 145 D Tihagam RachisanDjiake 15 A4 Treverton BrigidN. 49 B Vogel Sara 50,144 B,D PACEUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Berger Erika 105 C2 Bernhardt David 139 D Conzuegra Deana 105 C2 Francis Noelle 139 D PROVIDENCECOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Alisch Joseph 176 D Andresen ColbyAnderson 127 D Arévalo Dr. 133 D Austriaco Nicanor 176 D Carrillo Emily 33 B Eagan David 176 D Gonzalez Alfredo 176 D Hallisey Victoria 19 A5 Kalhorn Jack 13 A4 Kane Sarah 189 D Kebalka Meghan 60 B McDonough Liam 176 D Mecca Stephen 98 C1 Mello Nicholas 13 A4 Mullin James 13,176 A4,D Perez Carlos 33 B Raffa Amanda 13 A4 Reilly Liam 98 C1 Steinbeck Caitlin 133 D Strakosha Alexander 13 A4
ROGERWILLIAMSUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Almuhanna Raid 34 B Kidney Matt 34 B Parker Mark 34 B Pierson Russell 34 B Shahin Yazmeen 34 B Tribuna Madison 34 B SACREDHEARTUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Amuro Andrew 153 D Bartholomew KirkA. 177 D Beecher Amanda 59 B Bouchard Elizabeth 61 B Boyles Michael 67 B Cabana PatrickR. 177 D Cannata DavidR. 83 B Cerreta Christina 59 B Cusmano Danielle 160 D Fatica Olivia 135 D Frederick Jordan 153 D Garside MaryA. 177 D Giblin Stephanie 45 B Gontarek Gabrielle 177 D Jergensen Tanner 160 D Lew Cassandra 83 B Magazin Mia 67 B Mesropyan Alexandria 45 B Murphy Eva 83 B Norko FrancescaG. 177 D Pignatelli Samantha 83 B Ridgway Kiley 182 D Rondeau Jenna 61 B Roy NicoleM. 160 D Salvatore Victoria 88 B Sherman Kendra 88 B Siclari JamesJ. 177 D Stopper GeffreyF. 177 D Terleph Thomas 45 B Trudeau Max 135 D Zolotarevsky Jessica 182 D UNITEDSTATESNAVALACADEMYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Kusuda MIDNErin 191 D Marquez MIDNLianne 191 D UNIVERSITYOFSAINTJOSEPHLastName FirstName AbstractID Session
Gafar Zamzama 8 A2 Williams Myranda 111 C4 WAGNERCOLLEGELastName FirstName AbstractID Session Acquaviva John 2 A1 Alauddin Mohammad 5 A2 Amirov Tamar 28 A7 Avery Derek 115 C5 Barreto Matthew 119 C6 Bolevic Lejla 5 A2 Cios Anna 6 A2 Gittens Iireyel 32 B Hernandez Michelle 115 C5 Leighton Jack 21 A6 Lipton Kevin 42 B Mineo Mara 28 A7 Palestis Brian 42 B Palmieri Domenick 31 B Pandorf Zachary 115 C5 Phuong Vinh 28 A7 Prelvukaj Gent 126 D Reidy Ellen 1 A1 Ruan Victor 119 C6 Savje Kelsey 31 B Skinner Piper 125 D Sundberg Oskar 32 B Susi Samantha 21 A6 Taibi Lauren 10 A3 Valero Monica 121 C7 WILKESUNIVERSITYLastName FirstName AbstractID Session Bodnar Justin 46 B Brown Corinne 84 B Chepustanova Sofya 46 B Chu Simon 46 B Hilinski Hunter 9 A3 Hudock Nicholas 84 B Hughes Hunter 84 B Kadlec Lisa 84 B Kapolka Anthony 46 B Miller AndrewP. 9 A3 Walter Zachary 84 B
EVENINGRECEPTION,BANQUET,ANDAWARDSDirectionstoHotelIthacaTheeveningfestivitieswillbeheldatHotelIthacaindowntownIthaca.DrivingdirectionsfromIthacaCollegeMainEntrance:Turnright(downhill)onto96B.TurnleftonClintonStreet.TurnrightonCayugaStreet.HotelIthacaisontheleft;aparkinggarageisonyourright.