adelbert gym december 7th, 2012 - Case Western Reserve University
Transcription
adelbert gym december 7th, 2012 - Case Western Reserve University
INTERSECTIONS winter poster presentations DECEMBER 7TH, 2012 ADELBERT GYM Research and Creative Projects by Undergraduate Students including Senior Capstone Students Intersections SOURCE Undergraduate Poster Session December 7, 2012 Adelbert Gym Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session i Intersections SOURCE Poster Session SOURCE thanks the following for financially supporting Intersections! The Center for the Study of Writing SAGES Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session ii Events Intersections: Undergraduate Poster Session December 7, 2012 Adelbert Gym Poster Session Noon-2:45pm Celebration of Student Writing Noon-2:45pm Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session iii Table of Contents & Participants Name Major Title Quetzi Abramovitz Anthropology Shree Agrawal Biology Barriers to Engagement in HIV Health Care and Social Support in Cleveland With a Concentration on Youth A Single Institution’s Experience with Prostate Brachytherapy Seed Implants (1999-2009): Sexual Health Outcomes With and Without Dose Escalation to Biologic Target Volumes Anthropology Patient attitudes towards smoking cessation in an urban Midwestern ED Vashti Aguilar Mohiuddin Ahmed Biochemistry Identification of domain that promotes Na v 1.5 trafficking to the cell surface Priscilla Ambrosi Biology Scaling properties of germ layers during evolution Denielle Anderson Nursing Olaide Apapa Biology Rumneek Bedi Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Developing Healthy Relationships in At-Risk Cleveland Youth at The National Youth Sports Program Mechanisms by Which Anurans Avoid Call Overlap to Influence Female Choice and Their Relationship with Call Length in Complex Acoustic Environments The Impact of Energy Expenditure and Maternal Nutrition on Reproductive Suppression in Humans Additional Presenters Vidhushei Yogeswaran Emma Cleary & Angelica Nieszczur Mentor Page Number Lawrence Greksa, Anthropology 1 Robin Snyder, Biology 1 Vicken Totten, Emergency Medicine 2 Qiuyun Chen, Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Claudia Mizutani, Biology 2 Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 3 Hilary Walton, Biology 3 Mark Willis, Biology 4 2 iv Michael Berger Civil Engineering Stormwater Management Master Plan at Case Western Reserve Luc Bettaieb Electrical Engineering Collision Avoidance System for Recently Visually Impaired Individuals Stephanie Corbett, Sustainability Colin Drummond, Biomedical Engineering 4 Aditi Bhanja Biomedical Engineering Design and Fabrication of a Discrete Puzzle Box Andrew Blasius & Quinn Shue Adam Gleichsner & Christopher Ryan Andrew Blasius Mathematics & Physics Collision Avoidance System for Recently Visually Impaired Individuals Luc Bettaieb, Quinn Shue Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering Colin Drummond, Biomedical Engineering Exercise and Diabetes Management, What Do Children Know? Breana Freeman, Mary Friesz & Rachael Suchy Faye Gary, Nursing 5 6 Chavon Brent Douglas Brubaker Morgan Bulger Deborah Burnstein Nursing 5 5 5 Mathematics, Applied Integrative –omics Identifies Dysregulated Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer Gurkan Bebek, Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics Management The Business of Food: Towards a More Sustainable Food Supply Network Bonnie Richley, Organizational Behavior 6 Nursing Nutrition Education in 6th Grade Students at Michael R. White STEM School Thea Emmons & Kayla Lang Gayle Petty, Nursing 7 "Trich" or Treat: Reproductive Health in Cleveland-Area Teenagers Patient Education Models for Hypertension in an Outpatient Clinic Leah Epstein & Elana Satin Jesse Honsky, Nursing 7 Tracy Ruska Cheryl Killion, Nursing 7 Barbara Lewis, Psychological Sciences 8 Nicole Steinmetz, Biomedical Engineering (SOM) 8 Albert Canda Nursing Nicole Cantrell Nursing Ruth Chao Communicatio Comparing Early Intervention n Sciences & Models for Children with Psychology Autism Biomedical Kevin Chen Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Engineering viral nanoparticles for application in medicine: Developing CPMV as a platform for efficient intracellular delivery of therapeutics v Xi Chen Xin Chen Rajesh Cherukuri David Chrzanows ki Emma Cleary Jacob Cogar Biology Identification of Actin-Binding Protein 5 as a Component of the Zebrafish Inner Ear Hair Cell Brian McDermott, Otolaryngology 9 Biology The influence of the level of expression of a long nonprotein-coding RNA on differentiation Saba Valadkhan, Center for RNA Molecular Biology 9 ThinkSphere: A collaborative data analytics environment GQ Zhang, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences 9 Practicality of Consumer GPS for Positioning of Autonomous Lawn Mower Roger Quinn, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 10 Denielle Anderson, Angelica Nieszczur Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 3 Alec David, Richard Lee Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 10 Angela Wootan, Arelis Roman Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 11 Arnold Caplan, Biology 11 Elizabeth Banks, Center of Civic Engagment & Learning 12 Barbara Kuemerle, Biology 12 Cheryl Killion, Nursing 13 Computer Sciences Mechanical Engineering Nursing Chemical Engineering Hannah Collins Nursing Megan Cramer Biology & Spanish Alexis Crosby Quanbin Dai Taylor Daiello Developing Healthy Relationships in At-Risk Cleveland Youth at The National Youth Sports Program Creating and Manufacturing a Revolutionary Flashlight: Using 3-D Design Software CREO Parametric and Case Western Reserve’s Think[box] Teacher Resource for Health Education Inhibition of superoxide production in mouse retina under hyperglycemic conditions English & Sociology Engage Cleveland Capstone Experience Biology Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Edge-Functionalized Graphene Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Diabetes and You: Sharing Education for Better Outcomes Kathleen Evers & Andres Schriver Toia Sylvester, Loni Wilkes vi Alec David Christine DeBaz Nicholas DeFelice Biomedical Engineering Chemistry Biology Creating and Manufacturing a Revolutionary Flashlight: Using 3-D Design Software CREO Parametric and Case Western Reserve’s Think[box] Immune Response to Tobacco Mosaic Virus Nanoparticles as a Vaccine Platform Defining the expression profile of the Candida albicans HYR1 and IFF4 proteins in pathogenesis during oropharyngeal candidiasis Carli Dekeyser Nursing Gaston del Pino Biology & Chemistry Limiting the Number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Increasing the Number of Applicants at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center Effect of Environmental Heterogeneity and Soil Origin on Phenotypic Plasticity in Perennial Weeds LaShanita Devese Nursing Effects of childhood obesity, pre-hypertension and lack of knowledge on Cleveland’s Youth at the National Youth Sports Program Joao Henrique Do Nascimento Biomedicine (Santa Cruze State University) Keith Dodd Biomedical Engineering Daniel Doherty Alayna Dorobek Biomedical Engineering Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Jacob Cogar & Richard Lee 10 13 Amy Hise, Center for Global Health and Disease 13 Jesse Honsky, Nursing 14 Jean Burns, Biology 14 Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 15 Sandra Rocha Gadelha Mello, Santa Cruz State University (Brazil) 15 Kunal Patel & Isaac Shyu Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 16 Anna Gawlik, Matthew Gwin, Previn Kumar Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 16 Joseph Koonce, Biology 16 Grant Pignatiello, Ethan Smith, Katherine Thomas Bryanna Mayes, Caitlin Rudge, Haley Treier Critical Evaluation of the Prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in Brazil 3D Puzzle Design Polymers were ranked for potential materials of construction for medical device development based on comparing candidates thermal analytical properties with that of Poly ether ether ketone [PEEK] Variation in Vegetation Composition Among Ohio’s NWCA Wetlands Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Nicole Steinmetz, Biomedical Engineering (SOM) vii Phoebe Edwards Anthropology & Evolutionary Biology Phenotypic Plasticity of Helisoma trivolvis in Response to Chemical Alarm Cues Across Taxonomic Levels Shaylinn Emery Nursing Patient Sexual Health Education Resources Nursing Nutrition Education in 6th Grade Students at Michael R. White STEM School Thea Emmons Dale English Leah Epstein Kathleen Evers Matheus Fernandes Michael Benard, Biology 17 Sheneka Gregory Gayle Petty, Nursing 17 Kayla Lang, Deborah Burstein Gayle Petty, Nursing 7 Nursing Analyzing Obesity Rates in Ward 11 of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Identifying Health Risk Factors Nursing "Trich" or Treat: Reproductive Health in Cleveland-Area Teenagers Michael Koopman, Jacqueline Molchan & Shannon O'Shea Elana Satin, Albert Canda Psychology Engage Cleveland Capstone Experience Andres Schriver, Alexis Crosby Mechanical Engineering Wind Flow Modeling of the Area Surrounding the Case Western Reserve University Wind Turbine Andrew Flagg Biology Carrie Foster Nursing Parker Fowler Economics & Theatre Ashley Franklin Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Predictors and outcomes of Clostridium difficile infections in cardiac surgery patients utilizing the 2004-2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database Strategies for Improving Nutrition in School Aged Children A Puzzling Storage Box Enhancing Smoking Education at Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 18 Jesse Honsky, Nursing 7 Elizabeth Banks, Center of Civic Engagment & Learning 12 David Matthiesen, Materials Science and Engineering 18 Edward Soltesz, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation 19 Tony Vehovec Rita Sfiligoj, Nursing 19 Billy Littlefield & Greg Mercier Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 20 Paulina Kauzljar Faye Gary, Nursing 20 viii Rebecca Frederick Breana Freeman Chemical Engineering Nursing Rigoberto Advincula, Macromolecular Engineering and Science Wetting Properties and Electrochromic Behavior of PVK Nanofibers 20 Exercise and Diabetes Management, What Do Children Know? Chavon Brent, Mary Friesz & Rachael Suchy Faye Gary, Nursing 5 Breana Freeman, Chavon Brent, Rachael Suchy Faye Gary, Nursing 5 Mary Friesz Nursing Exercise and Diabetes Management, What Do Children Know? Charles Fulco Systems Biology & Biochemistry Genomewide analysis of polyadenylation status in Drosophila using RNA sequencing Timothy Nilsen, Center for RNA Molecular Biology 21 Lin He, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology 21 Justin Gallagher, Economics 22 Charles Fulco Systems Biology & Biochemistry Regulation of Pre-miRNA Processing in B-cell Lymphoma Anthony Gatti Economics, Mathematics and Political Sciences Biomedical Engineering Investigating the Correlation Between Environmental SelfRegulation and Pollution Output Polymers were ranked for potential materials of construction for medical device development based on comparing candidates thermal analytical properties with that of Poly ether ether ketone [PEEK] Daniel Doherty, Matthew Gwin, Previn Kumar Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 16 Nursing De-stress Express: Educating Women on How Stress and Menopause Affect Health Deena Levey Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 22 Anna Gawlik Elizabeth Gibbemeye r Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session ix Aditi Bhanja, Christopher Ryan Adam Gleichsner Polymer Science and Engineering Design and Fabrication of a Discrete Puzzle Box Felipe Gomez del Campo Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering An Analysis of the Effect of Plasma Injection on Flame Stabilization in Jet Engine Combustors Iwan Alexander, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 22 Biomedical Engineering Impact of Sterilization on Antibiotic Release and Bioactivity from AffinityBased Drug Delivery Systems Horst von Recum, Biomedical Engineering 23 Alexis Schilf, Christopher Weddle Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 23 Shaylinn Emery Gayle Petty, Nursing 17 Daniel Doherty, Anna Gawlik, Previn Kumar Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 16 Catherine Gormley Juliana Gregor Engineering Sheneka Gregory Nursing Matthew Gwin Daniel Hageman Christine Hale 5 Biomedical Engineering Patient Sexual Health Education Resources Polymers were ranked for potential materials of construction for medical device development based on comparing candidates thermal analytical properties with that of Poly ether ether ketone [PEEK] Biomedical Engineering Endotoxin Levels Facilitate Device-Associated Neuroinflammation Jeffrey Capadona, Biomedical Engineering 24 Psychology Does Behavioral Inhibition Affect Emotion Regulation Abilities? Amy Przeworski, Psychological Sciences 24 Thomas Kelley, Pediatrics 25 Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 25 Gayle Petty, Nursing 26 Alyssa Harker Chemistry Courtney Hawk Nursing Evan Hayden Fabrication of a Puzzle Box in a 3-D Printer Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session HDAC6 Mediated Regulation of Inflammatory Signaling in Cystic Fibrosis Health Education About the Transmission and Prevention of STDs in a High Risk Populations: Southcentral, Alaska Increasing New Family Planning Clinic Visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Jennifer Kim, Steven Leusch, Claire Vidalon x Robert Minkebige & Jonah Pregulman Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 26 David Canaday, Infectious Disease 27 Mary Hazlett Nursing Sarah Hoffman Biology and Anthropology Flashlight For The Future Relationship between frailty status and response to the influenza vaccine in older adults Kyle Householde r Biomedical Engineering Anti-oxidant Releasing Mechanically-Adaptive Materials Improve Neural Device Tissue Integration Jeffrey Capadona, Biomedical Engineering 27 Sophia Hu Biochemistry & Nutrition Deleterious Effects of Mdm2 Deletion in Adult Mice Yun Zhang, Genetics 28 Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 28 Radhika Atit, Biology 29 Michael Kenney, Chemistry 29 Stuart Rowan, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 29 Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 30 Zuyan Huang Biology Daniel Janini Biology Sarah Jawhari Chemistry & English Colin Jaye Polymer Science and Engineering Julia Johnson Rachel Johnson Engineering Innovation and Design: Integrating a Puzzle into a Flashlight Interface Plasticity in the Motor Cortices of the Brain Resulting from Muscle Fatigue - A Brain Stimulation Study Chemical Biology at CWRU— A Trial Run Jacob Schimelman , Nabhan Karim Hannah Shimko & Dmytro Vykhovanet s Multi-Functional Stimuli Responsive Materials Using Dyanmic Covalent Bonds Biomedical Engineering Engineering a Puzzle Box Robert Reed, Adriana Marrero Nursing Effects of Secondhand Smoke and Use of Smoking Cessation Websites among Adolescents in Hong Kong Nita Kopan, Jessica Parker, Kevin Shui Mary Quinn Griffin, Nursing 30 Zuyan Huang & Jacob Schimelman Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 28 Ashley Franklin Faye Gary, Nursing 20 Nabhan Karim Biomedical Engineering Paulina Kauzljar Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Engineering Innovation and Design: Integrating a Puzzle into a Flashlight Interface Enhancing Smoking Education at Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice xi Colleen Kennedy Jennifer Kim Michaela Klco Michael Koopman Chemical Engineering Nursing Psychology Nursing Nita Kopan Nursing Emily Kreiner Nursing Victoria Krogg Nursing Previn Kumar McFerran Landis Biomedical Engineering Computer Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Utilizing 3D CAD Software and Think[box] to Produce a Puzzle Box: Creation, Manufacture, and Design of a Complicated, Useful, and Intriguing Puzzle Box Increasing New Family Planning Clinic Visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Religious beliefs and practices in mother-child dyads: Dyadic flexibility and mutual positivity and negativity in light of religious disparities Analyzing Obesity Rates in Ward 11 of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Identifying Health Risk Factors Effects of Secondhand Smoke and Use of Smoking Cessation Websites among Adolescents in Hong Kong Documentation at the Lorain County Health Department Adult Health Clinics The Importance of Visual Acuity Screenings in the Geriatric Population Polymers were ranked for potential materials of construction for medical device development based on comparing candidates thermal analytical properties with that of Poly ether ether ketone [PEEK] Lemerchand's Box Eric Sullivan, Raymond Yang Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 31 Evan Hayden, Steven Leusch, Claire Vidalon Gayle Petty, Nursing 26 Arin Connell, Psychological Sciences 31 Dale English, Jacqueline Molchan & Shannon O'Shea Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 18 Jessica Parker, Rachel Johnson, Kevin Shui Mary Quinn Griffin, Nursing 30 Gayle Petty, Nursing 31 Shannon Liauw Gayle Petty, Nursing 32 Daniel Doherty, Anna Gawlik, Matthew Gwin Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 16 Austin Mak & Matthew Zembas Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 32 xii Kayla Lang Nursing William Lang Chemistry Linda Le Biology Richard Lee Steven Leusch Mathematics Nursing Deena Levey Nursing Shannon Liauw Nursing Erika Lim Nursing Billy Littlefield Undecided Joseph Liu Biology & Philosophy Austin Mak Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Nutrition Education in 6th Grade Students at Michael R. White STEM School Isonitrile Synthases (WwisnA and WwisnB) of Terrestrial Cyanobacteria: Mechanistic Insights from Homology-Based Three Dimensional Structures Deborah Burstein & Thea Emmons Gayle Petty, Nursing 7 Rajesh Viswanathan, Chemistry 33 Qing Zheng, Otolaryngology 33 Craniofacial C57BL/6 Mouse Index Creating and Manufacturing a Revolutionary Flashlight: Using 3-D Design Software CREO Parametric and Case Western Reserve’s Think[box] Jacob Cogar & Alec David Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 10 Increasing New Family Planning Clinic Visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Jennifer Kim, Evan Hayden, Claire Vidalon Gayle Petty, Nursing 26 Elizabeth Gibbemeyer Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 22 Victoria Krogg Gayle Petty, Nursing 32 Sophie Malamut Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 34 Parker Fowler & Greg Mercier Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 20 Eric Arts, Infectious Disease 34 Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 32 De-stress Express: Educating Women on How Stress and Menopause Affect Health The Importance of Visual Acuity Screenings in the Geriatric Population Describing the Perceived Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Cupping for Treatment of Orthopedic Pain Among Geriatric individuals in Wuhan China A Puzzling Storage Box Twenty-year evolution of the gp120 envelope protein of HIV-1 in Belgium and Cameroon with respect to fitness and neutralizing antibody sensitivity Lemerchand's Box McFerran Landis & Matthew Zembas xiii Sophie Malamut Nursing Adriana Marrero Biomedical Engineering Bryanna Mayes Nursing Madeline McMorrow Nursing Describing the Perceived Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Cupping for Treatment of Orthopedic Pain Among Geriatric individuals in Wuhan China Erika Lim Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 34 Engineering a Puzzle Box Julia Johnson & Robert Reed Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 30 LaShanita Devese, Caitlin Rudge and Haley Treier Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 15 Kaitlyn Roudebush Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 35 Billy Littlefield, Parker Fowler Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 20 Stephanie Corbett, Sustainability 35 Mary Hazlett & Jonah Pregulman Shannon O'Shea, Dale English, Michael Koopman Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 26 Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 18 Brandon Pach Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 35 Joseph Plazek & Marla Vaughn Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 36 Effects of childhood obesity, pre-hypertension and lack of knowledge on Cleveland’s Youth at the National Youth Sports Program Promoting Awareness of the Components of Healthy Relationships in St. Thomas, USVI Greg Mercier Mathematics & Physics Jenna Millemaci English & Green your Lab at CWRU: Environmental "Treat your lab like your Studies second home." Robert Minkebige Nursing Jacqueline Molchan Nursing Melissa Moore Nursing Zachary Mufti Undecided Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session A Puzzling Storage Box Flashlight For The Future Analyzing Obesity Rates in Ward 11 of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Identifying Health Risk Factors Impact of a Transition Nursing Program on Patient Satisfaction and Long-Term Readmission Rates in Individuals with Congestive Heart Failure Puzzle Box Fabrication xiv Patrick Murphy Nursing Angelica Nieszczur Nursing Elizabeth Odil Biology Medication Assessment and Documentation in the Public Health Setting Developing Healthy Relationships in At-Risk Cleveland Youth at The National Youth Sports Program The Role of Soil Heterogeneity on the Competition and Coexistence of Invasive Species Morgan Redenshek Cheryl Killion, Nursing 36 Denielle Anderson & Emma Cleary Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 3 Jean Burns, Biology 37 Dale English, Michael Koopman, Jacqueline Molchan Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 18 Melissa Moore Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 35 Anirban Sen Gupta, Biomedical Engineering 37 Mary Quinn Griffin, Nursing 30 Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 16 Jesse Honsky, Nursing 14 Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 36 Shannon O'Shea Nursing Brandon Pach Nursing Analyzing Obesity Rates in Ward 11 of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Identifying Health Risk Factors Impact of a Transition Nursing Program on Patient Satisfaction and Long-Term Readmission Rates in Individuals with Congestive Heart Failure Biomedical Engineering Mimicking Platelet-Cancer Cell Interactions for Targeted Drug Delivery in Metastatic Breast Cancer Jessica Parker Nursing Effects of Secondhand Smoke and Use of Smoking Cessation Websites among Adolescents in Hong Kong Kunal Patel Chemical Engineering 3D Puzzle Design Nursing Limiting the Number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Increasing the Number of Applicants at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center Isaac Shyu, Keith Dodd Carli Dekeyser, Ethan Smith, Katherine Thomas Puzzle Box Fabrication Marla Vaughn, Zachary Mufti Victor Pan Grant Pignatiello Joseph Plazek Chemical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Nita Kopan, Kevin Shui, Rachel Johnson xv Jonah Pregulman Nursing Pooja Rambhia Biochemistry Vibha Ramesh Biology Lahiru Ranasinghe Biology Flashlight For The Future Characterization of the Immune Response to Plant Viral Nanoparticle Tobacco Mosaic Virus for HIV Vaccine Platform Application ERK Signaling in ASD Associated with Copy Number Variation of 16p11.2 Signaling through the HGF receptor c-Met stimulates oligodendracyte proliferation and inhibits astrocyte proliferation Lauren Randolph Biomedical Engineering Jeremy Rayl Biology Biodistribution of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Rods and Spheres The stream drift paradox: How are Northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) populations maintained? Morgan Redenshek Nursing Medication Assessment and Documentation in the Public Health Setting Robert Reed Civil Engineering Sarah Richmond Anthropology Arelis Roman Nursing Kaitlyn Roudebush Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Engineering a Puzzle Box The Influence of Religion and Geography on the Rituals of Papua New Guinea and Aboriginal Australia Teacher Resource for Health Education Promoting Awareness of the Components of Healthy Relationships in St. Thomas, USVI Robert Minkebige, Mary Hazlett Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 26 Neil Greenspan, Pathology 38 Gary Landreth, Neurosciences 38 Robert Miller, Neurosciences 39 Nicole Steinmetz, Biomedical Engineering (SOM) 39 Michael Benard, Biology 40 Cheryl Killion, Nursing 36 Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 30 Lawrence Greksa, Anthropology 40 Hannah Collins & Angela Wootan Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 11 Madeline McMorrow Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 35 Patrick Murphy Julia Johnson & Adriana Marrero xvi Effects of childhood obesity, pre-hypertension and lack of knowledge on Cleveland’s Youth at the National Youth Sports Program Optimization of IndiumLimited Transparent Conductive Oxides for use in Organic Photovoltaics Patient Education Models for Hypertension in an Outpatient Clinic LaShanita Devese, Bryanna Mayes, Haley Treier Caitlin Rudge Nursing Shawn Rupp Polymer Science and Engineering Tracy Ruska Nursing Christopher Ryan Computer Sciences Design and Fabrication of a Discrete Puzzle Box Srijita Sarkar Psychology & Biochemistry Quantitative Comparison of Gated and Real-Time Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Nursing "Trich" or Treat: Reproductive Health in Cleveland-Area Teenagers Aditi Bhanja Patrick Crago, & Adam Biomedical Gleichsner Engineering Nicole Seiberlich, Biomedical Engineering Albert Canda & Leah Jesse Honsky, Epstein Nursing Engineering Fabrication of a Puzzle Box in a 3-D Printer Juliana Gregor & Christopher Weddle Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 23 Biomedical Engineering Engineering Innovation and Design: Integrating a Puzzle into a Flashlight Interface Zuyan Huang & Nabhan Karim Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 28 Engage Cleveland Capstone Experience Alexis Crosby & Kathleen Evers Elizabeth Banks, Center of Civic Engagment & Learning 12 Gao Liu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Environmental Energy and Technologies Division) 41 Elana Satin Alexis Schilf Jacob Schimelma n Andres Schriver Dhruv Seshadri Biology Polymer Science and Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Synthesis of Anode Material for Lithium-ion Polymer Batteries via a Two Phase Synthetic Method Nicole Cantrell Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 15 Kenneth Singer, Physics 40 Cheryl Killion, Nursing 7 5 41 7 xvii Oluwatosin Shenbanjo Psychology & Spanish Hannah Shimko Chemistry Yong Mi Shin Biology & Psychology Quinn Shue Biomedical Engineering & Economics Kevin Shui Nursing Isaac Shyu Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Behavioral Inhibition as a Predictor of Social Competence in Children Chemical Biology at CWRU— A Trial Run Determining the efficiency of antibody specificity against FadA protein of Fusobacterium nucleatum using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay Effects of Secondhand Smoke and Use of Smoking Cessation Websites among Adolescents in Hong Kong Kendra Simmons Anthropology Sara Sines Psychology & Anthropology Cost and Benefits of Friendship in Non-Human Primates Kyle Smith Samuel Sprawls Nursing Limiting the Number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Increasing the Number of Applicants at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center Biology Observed stress-induced genetic changes in Linum usitatissimum and how they are related to Turkish Linum bienne Mathematics Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 42 Michael Kenney, Chemistry 29 Yiping Han, Dentistry Colin Collision Avoidance System for Luc Bettaieb Drummond, & Andrew Biomedical Recently Visually Impaired Blasius Engineering Individuals 3D Puzzle Design Costa Rican Health Care System and Ethical Principles: A Comparison with the United States' System Ethan Smith Sarah Jawhari, Dmytro Vykhovanet s Amy Przeworski, Psychological Sciences Comfortable and Adjustable 3D Movie Glasses 42 5 Nita Kopan, Jessica Parker, Rachel Johnson Mary Quinn Griffin, Nursing 30 Keith Dodd & Kunal Patel Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 16 Lawrence Greksa, Anthropology 43 Cynthia Beall, Anthropology 43 Jesse Honsky, Nursing 14 Christopher Cullis, Biology 43 Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 44 Carli Dekeyser, Grant Pignatiello, Katherine Thomas Kaveh Varghai & Zaiquian Zhang xviii Rachael Suchy Eric Sullivan Elena Svenson Andrew Sylvester Toia Sylvester Erica Tangney Matt Tedesco Katherine Thomas Amanda Tong Haley Treier Breana Freeman, Chavon Brent, Mary Friesz Faye Gary, Nursing Colleen Kennedy & Raymond Yang Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 31 Chemical Engineering Exercise and Diabetes Management, What Do Children Know? Utilizing 3D CAD Software and Think[box] to Produce a Puzzle Box: Creation, Manufacture, and Design of a Complicated, Useful, and Intriguing Puzzle Box Systems Biology Network Effects of TP53 and PTEN Mutations in Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Mark Chance, Center for Protiomics and Bioinformatics 44 Biomedical Engineering Hyaluronan Oligomer (HA-o) Delivering Nanoparticles for Localized In Vivo Elastic Matrix Regenerative Therapies Anand Ramamurthi, Biomedical Engineering 44 Cheryl Killion, Nursing 13 Nursing Taylor Daiello & Loni Wilkes 5 Nursing Diabetes and You: Sharing Education for Better Outcomes Biology Effects of modulation of energy expenditure on body weight in mice with cystic fibrosis Mitchell Drumm , Pediatrics 45 Biomedical Engineering Selecting Polymers for Medical Applications and Devices Based on Standard PEEK Amanda Tong Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 45 Nursing Limiting the Number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Increasing the Number of Applicants at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center Carli Dekeyser, Grant Pignatiello, Ethan Smith Jesse Honsky, Nursing 14 Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering 45 Sarah Gueldner, Nursing 15 Biomedical Engineering Selecting Polymers for Medical Applications and Devices Based on Standard PEEK Nursing Effects of childhood obesity, pre-hypertension and lack of knowledge on Cleveland’s Youth at the National Youth Sports Program Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Matt Tedesco LaShanita Devese, Bryanna Mayes, Caitlin Rudge xix Arleen Truitt Kent Turner Kaveh Varghai Nursing Psychology Marla Vaughn Biochemistry Tony Vehovec Nursing Katarina Velickovic Biology Claire Vidalon Alexander Vu Dmytro Vykhovane ts Kelli Watson Christopher Weddle Loni Wilkes Barbara Lewis, Psychological Sciences 46 Jesse Honsky, Nursing 46 Samuel Sprawls & Zaiqian Zhang Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 44 Zachary Mufti & Joseph Plazek Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 36 Carrie Foster Rita Sfiligoj, Nursing 19 Ahmad Khalil, Genetics 47 Gayle Petty, Nursing 26 Arin Connell, Psychological Sciences 47 Michael Kenney, Chemistry 29 Horst von Recum, Biomedical Engineering 47 Fabrication of a Puzzle Box in a 3-D Printer Juliana Gregor & Alexis Schilf Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 23 Diabetes and You: Sharing Education for Better Outcomes Taylor Daiello & Toia Sylvester Cheryl Killion, Nursing 13 Communicatio Infancy Babbling: and relating n Sciences it to the acquisition of speech Nursing Psychology and Sociology Chemistry & Spanish Biochemistry & Psychology Physics Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Emergency Preparedness Within the Shaker Heights Community Comfortable and Adjustable 3D Movie Glasses Puzzle Box Fabrication Strategies for Improving Nutrition in School Aged Children Identifying long noncoding RNAs associated with the pluripotentency factor Oct4 in human embryonic stem cells Increasing New Family Planning Clinic Visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Evan Hayden, Jennifer Kim, Steven Leusch Victimization and the Late Positive Potential Chemical Biology at CWRU— A Trial Run Sarah Jawhari & Hannah Shimko Targeted protein knockdown as an ocular therapeutic xx Mary Wingert Nursing Melinda Wolboldt Chemistry & Sociology Angela Wootan Raymond Yang Yuchen Yang Vidhushei Yogeswara n Matthew Zembas Zaiqian Zhang Kristen Zozulin Nutrition Education and Goal Setting with High School Students in Southeast, Alaska Determining the inflammatory response profile of macrophages exposed to the Fenton reaction and bacterial antigens Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 48 Dianne Kube, Biology 48 Marilyn Lotas, Nursing 11 Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 31 Michael Harris, Biochemistry 49 2 Nursing Teacher Resource for Health Education Hannah Collins & Arelis Roman Biomedical Engineering Utilizing 3D CAD Software and Think[box] to Produce a Puzzle Box: Creation, Manufacture, and Design of a Complicated, Useful, and Intriguing Puzzle Box Colleen Kennedy & Eric Sullivan Biochemistry Probing the connection between molecular motion and enzyme catalysis of hepatitis delta virus ribozyme Biology Patient attitudes towards smoking cessation in an urban Midwestern ED Vashti Aguilar Vicken Totten, Emergency Medicine Lemerchand's Box McFerran Landis, Austin Mak Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 32 Chemical Engineering Comfortable and Adjustable 3D Movie Glasses Samuel Sprawls, Kaveh Varghai Patrick Crago, Biomedical Engineering 44 Systems Biology Aquatic calcium concentration and predatory cues alter the behavior and morphology of freshwater snails Michael Benard, Biology 49 Chemical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxi Celebration of Student Writing Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Writing, SAGES, the Department of English; Coordinated by the Writing Resource Center Course/Organization Title Introduction to Composition Serendipity: Accident Met with Sagacity Faculty/Staff/ Representative Student Participants Page Cara Byrne Dong Tony An, Pablo Griggio, Zefeng Fang, Yenhsuan Lee, Xi Li, Yu-Hung Lin, Cheuk Yin Luu, Jia Na Peng, Tianming Peng, Yun Tang, Kristina Zeinstra, Fange Zhang 51 Sarah Gridley Alex Aloi, Bryden Spevak, Andrin Foster, Bethany Wisinski, Martin O'Brien, Caelyn Rosch, Joe Sossi, Emily Wixted 51 What is a Museum? Susan Dominguez Ahn Phan, Will Federkie, Connie Min, Salam Taraben, Sarah Ialacci Nichole Moomaw, Marina Mijic, Ella Mravec, Lexie Li, Alyssa Batiancela 51 What is a Museum? Susan Dominguez Alison McKim, Alex Smick, Lex Martin, Cartier Reed, Maria Madison, Rudolf, Merick, Ashia Lewis, Rosa Katz, Sammy Alton, J.P. Choi, Marmeny Infante, Dan Farnsworth, Julie Murray, Joey Arko 52 Philanthropy in America Barbara BurgessVan Aken Jane Amusat, Daniel Bai, Victoria Bouillion, John Boykin, Aria Bredt, Alex Cao, Leah Castelaz, Alyssa Daniels, Ellie Elston, Samantha Fernandez, Jesse Ferrigno, Keniece Gray, Suneil Kamath, Kait Kennedy, Josh Rogers, Sean Leonard, Emma Steele 52 Doc Talk: Language and Medicine Kimberly Emmons Samantha Buddeymeyer, Yuna Choi, Steffen Christoffersen, Sei Cole, Nicole Episalla, Dimitris Gazgalis, Nathan Gilbert Chandler Holcomb, Daniel Mason, Nana Afia Mensa, Victoria Robinson, Daniel Ryave, Alan Thomas, Adam Vianna, Abby Walker, Maryam Zeinomar, Brook Zhang, Diana Zhou 52 Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxii Thinking Through Literature Writing Tutorial Paul Jaussen Stefan Klek, Becky Olson, Cole Thrush Kate Dunning Yiqing Jiang, Ning-Yuen Li Materials and Energy Susan Dominguez and Mark DeGuire Postcolonialism and Literature Greg Weiss Sewon Min, Ja'nae Morris, William Qu, Galilea Sanchez, Alexis Attinoto, Kari Floyd, Basirat Rosenje, Angela Donajkowski, and Caitlynn Weston 54 Fiction with a New Face: Adaptation Across Media, Time and Culture Rachel Kapelle Sparsh Agarwal, Yvonne Chueh, Jin Young Kim, Eric Ma, Annabelle Park, Jingze Sun, Margo Suryanaga, Iris Tsai 54 Working-Class Heroes Megan Swihart Jewell Gabrielle Brown, Malcolm Perkins, Rachel Horetzky, Margo Schmiederer, Paige Klopfenstein, Satvika Mikkilineni, Tarik Akyuz, Camille Paladino, James Yang, Thekkethalackal Mammen Kurien, SunMee Kasper 55 Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Gaby Cage, Kyle Deal, Tom Dietrick, Josh Hall, Daniel Kernan, Arty Krishnan, Ketav Majumbar, Mary Manspeaker, James Marsh, Ling Neoh, Kafre Petiri, Megan Quinlan, Matt Randall, Philip Sheahan, Tom Shkurti, Drake Sweet, Alex Williams 53 53 54 xxiii AWARDS SOURCE PROVOST AWARD Students may elect to have their presentations judged by faculty reviewers for our SOURCE Provost Award. One $200.00 and one $100.00 award will be given in each of seven categories: Arts, Engineering & Computer Science, Humanities, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Nursing, Social Sciences, and Management & Accounting. Awards will be announced at the Honors Assembly in April of 2013, during the Community Hour. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxiv Many Thanks Thank you very much to our alumni, faculty, post doctorate fellows, and graduate students who have volunteered to serve as judges for the SOURCE December 2012 competition. Without their assistance, our competition would not be possible. In addition, many students request copies of their evaluations to help them better prepare for future presentations. James Aldridge, Macromolecular Science Celeste Alfes, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Paul Bakaki, Epidemiology & Biostatistics Jennifer Bartholomew, Social Welfare Rebecca Carter, Psychology Ying Chen, Mechanical Engineering David Corn, Biomedical Engineering Rebecca Darrah, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Taneisha Deans, Macromolecular Science Nicholas Dunn, Chemistry Marjorie Edguer, Social Welfare Thomas Eggers, Biomedical Engineering Shirly Espinoza Herrera, Biochemistry Laurine Gajkowski, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Ulfpeter Guenther, RNA Center Jeffrey Halpern, Biomedical Engineering Huijuan Huang, Chemistry Taylor Jay, Neurosciences Mark Jones, Pathology Vasily Igatenko, Chemistry Damian Junk, Pathology Chia-Wen Lee, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Joey Mangadlao, Macromolecular Science Jane Marek, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Mohammad Mofidfar, Macromolecular Science Shirley Moore, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Laurie Murphy, Epidemiology & Biostatistics Henry Neilson, Materials Science & Engineering David Prabhu, Biomedical Engineering Christa Pawlowski, Biomedical Engineering Ms. Vincent Perez, Nursing Susan Perry, University Director of Outcome Assessment Suparat Phisaiphanth, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Andrea Putnam, Biochemistry Mary Quinn Griffin, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Mohammed Quatish, Biomedical Engineering Joseph Racca, Biochemistry Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxv Madhumitha Ravikumar, Biomedical Engineering Andrew Reimer, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing Sean Ryan, Pathology Loren Schmidt, Neurosciences Andrew Shoffstall, Biomedical Engineering Maria Smith, Neurosciences Samantha Stubblefield Park, Center for Global Health & Disease Josh Terchek, Office of Planning and Institutional Research Brylee David Tiu, Macromolecular Science Lynn Ulatowski, Nutrition Jacqueline Wallat, Macromolecular Science Kuo-Chen Wang, Biology Louis Weigele, Social Welfare Paul Wille, Center for Global Health & Disease Francis Willett, Biomedical Engineering Rudy Wojtecki, Macromolecular Science Elizabeth Woyczyski, School of Law Daniel Young, Biomedical Engineering Jennifer Zechel, Genetics Yu Zhang, Chemistry Zamir Zulkelfi, Mechanical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxvi Intersections: SOURCE Symposium & Poster Session April 20, 2012 Arts & Humanities Poster Competition 1st Erik Williams, Passing Through. Faculty Mentor: Professor Sally Levine, Department of Art History and Art. Arts & Humanities Oral Competition 1st Emily Sparks, Why Wind? A Comparison of Germany, the U.S. and China. Faculty Mentor: Professor Jessica Green, Department of Political Science. Natural Sciences Poster Competition (Tie) 1st Peter Lee, Genetic Factors in the Progression of Alcoholic Liver Disease. Faculty mentor: Professor Colleen Croniger, Department of Nutrition. st (Tie) 1 Wayne Tse, Synthesis of a Clickable Probe for Electrophiles Formed in Sterol Biosynthesis: Faculty Sponsor: Professor Michael Kenney, Department of Chemistry nd 2 Jessica Hwang, Amylin Treatment Regulates Neuronal Signaling Associated with Synaptic Plasticity. Faculty Mentor: Professor Gemma Casadesus, Department of Neurosciences. Natural Sciences Oral Competition 1st James Maloy, Design and Development of a Split Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein-based Yeast Two Hybrid (Y2H) System. Faculty Mentor: Professor Michael Weiss, Department of Biochemistry. Social Sciences Poster Competition (TIE) 1st Scott Tillem, The Social Brain: An ALE Based MetaAnalysis of Social Cognition in the Brain. Faculty mentor: Professor Anthony Jack, Department of Cognitive Science. (TIE) 1st Sarah Lukowski, The Etiology of Spatial Visualization and its Relationship with Math Achievement. Faculty Mentor: Professor Lee Thompson, Department of Psychology. nd (TIE) 2 Amanda Brown, Imagery and Expertise: The Use of Visualization in Fencing. Faculty Mentor: Kensy Cooperrider, Department of Cognitive Science. nd (TIE) 2 Meral Tubi, Exploring the Function of the Inferior Pre-Central Gyrus. Faculty Mentor: Professor Anthony Jack, Department of Cognitive Science. Engineering Poster Competition 1st Ross Widenor, The Role of Material Strain in Triboelectric Charging and Charge Transfer. Faculty mentor: Professors Daniel Lacks and Mohan Sankaran, Department of Chemical Engineering. 2nd Edward Kreinar, High- and Low-Level Autonomy for Complete Coverage Robotic Path Planning. Faculty Mentor: Professor Roger Quinn, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Engineering Oral Competition 1st Daniel Hageman, Mechanisms Causing Neuronal Dieback Associated with Cortical Implants. Faculty Mentor: Professor Jeffrey Capadona, Department of Biomedical Engineering. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxvii Celebration of Student Writing 50 Senior Capstone Students – December 2012 56 SOURCE Summer Programs 57 2012 Summer Program Participants 57 2012 P-SURG Program Participants 58 2012 SURES Program Participants 60 Case School of Engineering – Alcoa Campus Partnership 2012 Participants 61 CWRU – Formal Summer Programs 62 Acknowledgements 63 Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session xxviii Barriers to Engagement in HIV Health Care and Social Support in Cleveland With a Concentration on Youth Quetzi Abramovitz, Department of Anthropology The HIV epidemic continues to prevail throughout the United States, infecting roughly 1.2 million Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 5 of these infected Americans are unaware of their infection. Furthermore, in 2009 roughly 39% of the newly diagnosed HIV positive population were youths, ages 13 to 29. Although these statistics appear bleak, the beneficial outcomes of early engagement in medical care and support groups promptly after a positive HIV diagnosis, especially for healthy youths, can effectively initiate life-saving medication regimens, as well as life-altering behaviors to promote an improved lifestyle. The purpose of this research, conducted at MetroHealth Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, was to identify the beneficial attributes as well as discrepancies in medical care and social support utilized within Cleveland’s HIV healthcare facilities, specifically with youths in mind. The results of this research study can further be utilized by healthcare facilities to troubleshoot problematic aspects of their HIV patient-resources in order to provide prompter, more effective and more beneficial care to HIV positive youths. Project Mentor: Dr. Ann Avery, Department of Infectious Disease of MetroHealth Hospital Faculty Sponsor: Professor Lawrence Greksa, Department of Anthropology *** A Single Institution’s Experience with Prostate Brachytherapy Seed Implants (1999-2009): Sexual Health Outcomes With and Without Dose Escalation to Biologic Target Volumes Shree Agrawal, B.S. Biological Sciences in the Department of Biology; Bryan J Traughber, Radiation Oncology University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center; Deborah A Kaminsky, Radiation Oncology University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center; Peter F Faulhaber, Radiology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center; Lee Ponsky, Urology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center; and Rodney J Ellis, Radiation Oncology University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center To evaluate sexual health outcomes following interstitial brachytherapy seed implant (SI) in a cohort of sexually active men treated for low-risk localized prostate cancer, for comparison of erectile dysfunction (ED) across two treatment methods: conventional peripheral loading versus with dose escalation to SPECT/CT defined biologic target volumes; a 10-year treatment history. We retrospectively reviewed SI records (12/1999-12/2009) at University Hospitals of Cleveland, analyzing outcomes for hormone therapy (HT) naïve and sexually active patients, surveyed by sexual health inventory for men (SHIM) prior to and following SI monotherapy, with ≥12-months follow-up (N=101). SI prescribed doses were either I-125 (145 Gy) or Pd-103 (125 Gy). As previously reported from our series of 239 patients, 42 (17.6%) HT naïve men were followed (range 24-48 months) by SHIM survey, having reported No ED (SHIM >21) prior to SI (12/1999-12/2002). All were treated by a single physician utilizing dose escalation to prostate regions of PSMA focal uptake identified by capromab pendetide on SPECT/CT, thus defining biologic target volumes for dose escalation (+150% prescribed dose, with minimal margins applied at noninvolved areas such as surrounding neurovascular bundles) during TRUS guided SI - defined here as molecular image guided radiotherapy (MIGRT). Subsequently (1/2003–12/2009) the UH brachytherapy service transitioned to conventional planning for uniform treatment of prostate volumes using TRUS guidance to achieve the commonly referenced peripheral loading schema (control). From this control group, 59 (49.2%) sexually active and HT naïve patients had ≥12-months SHIM follow-up (range 12-48 months). We analyzed sexual function following prostate SI, comparing ED outcomes between the two different treatment schemata. Project Mentor: Dr. Rodney Ellis, Radiation Oncology University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center Faculty Advisor: Robin Snyder, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 1 Patient attitudes towards smoking ces sation in an urban Midwestern ED Vidhushei Yogeswaran, Department of Biology; Vashti Aguilar, Department of Anthropology; Dr. Steven Suggs, University Hospitals- Case Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine; Dr. Ata Ulhaq, University Hospitals- Case Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine; Apoorva Chandar, Case Western School of Public Health; Dr. Vicken Totten, University Hospitals- Case Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine. The Emergency Department (ED) is critical to United States Health Care delivery. At only 2% of the nation’s health care budget, the ED cares for more than 100 million patients annually (CDC, 2008). Over 20.1% of the adult population in Ohio are smokers. Brief smoking cessation counseling may be effective (Cordeaux, 2005). An emergency department initiated tobacco intervention showed that 6% of those enrolled in the study quit smoking for more than 3 months, and 10% moved from stages in smoking. There are CPT codes (99406, 99407, and 305.1) for billing. The time required for smoking counseling ranges from three to ten minutes and more than ten minutes (99046, 99407). Therefore, brief, ED-based smoking-cessation counseling should be attempted. Smoking counseling is an ED-billable procedure, which may be sufficient to offset its costs. This research study is concerned with analyzing the stage of smoking cessation (according to the Trans Theoretical Model) patients in a Midwestern ED are in and will analyze the interest in smoking cessation counseling. The information obtained from this study can be used to implement an interventional study that will track the change in smoking cessation. Project Mentor: Dr. Vicken Totten, University Hospitals - Case Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine *** Identification of domain that promotes Na v 1.5 trafficking to the cell surface Mohiuddin Ahmed, Department of Biochemistry; Qiuyun Chen, Department of Molecular Cardiology Na v 1.5 is a 220 kD protein encoded in SCN5A on chromosome 3p21. It is essential for initiation of the cardiac action potential and plays a vital role in maintaining the conduction velocity of electrical impulses in the heart. It is the pore–forming α subunit of the major cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel, and it is composed of four homologous domains (DI – DIV), each containing six transmembrane segments. The four domains are linked to each other by cytoplasmic linker sequences and the linkages are loop I between DI and DII, loop II between DII and DIII, and loop III between DIII and DIV. The abundance of Na v 1.5 on the cell surface is one of the major determinants of the sodium channel activity. It is now clear that trafficking of Na v 1.5 to cell surface is regulated by Na v 1.5–interacting proteins. In order to identify these proteins, a yeast two-hybrid screening was performed and a 20 kD protein, MOG1, was identified. MOG1 interacts with Na v 1.5 at the cytoplasmic loop II and enhanced the cell surface expression of Na v 1.5. In order to identify a critical domain in loop II involved in Na v 1.5 surface expression, we are performing deletion analysis using loop II – CD8 reporter system. The CD8 in the reporter construct contains the extracellular and the transmembrane domains without its cytoplasmic domain. This construct does not express on cell surface. However, when loop II was fused to its C-terminal, the CD8 could be detected on the cell surface. We are using this construct to search for a critical domain in loop II that promotes cell surface expression. Project Mentor: Dr. Qiuyun Chen, Department of Molecular Cardiology *** Scaling properties of germ layers during evolution Priscilla Ambrosi1,2, Juan Sebastian Chahda1, Rui Sousa-Neves1, Hillel Chiel1, and Claudia Mieko Mizutani1 1 – Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biology, Cleveland, OH, USA 2 – Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Biomedicine, B.S. Biomedicine, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Drosophila dorsal-ventral (DV) axis development is governed by Dorsal (Dl) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp) morphogen gradients, which provide positional information for embryonic germ layer specification, establishing the borders of the mesoderm, neuroectoderm (NE) and ectoderm. Previous work indicated that the number and identity of NE cells is highly conserved within Drosophilids and divergent insects, independently of egg size or total number Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 2 of cells in the embryo. There is evidence that such conservation in the NE occurs in the absence of scaling of the Dl gradient or the mesodermal domain. We are interested in understanding the underlying factors responsible for the robustness of the NE domain, in order to uncover evolutionary mechanisms employed for germ layer specification. Our first aim was to establish whether or not the ectodermal layer scale to size in different Drosophila species. We show that while net numbers of cells expressing dpp increase with egg size, the percent of these cells in relation to the total number of cells along the DV axis is similar in all species. Furthermore, preliminary results indicate that the shape of the Dpp activity gradient varies among species. Our second aim was to investigate how the Dl gradient is modified in evolution. Previous results showed that D. melanogaster mutants with altered nuclear size and density have distorted Dl gradients. We reproduced a published mathematical model to predict testable hypotheses regarding the Dl gradient dynamics and discover the mechanism by which nuclear size and density can affect the overall shape of the Dl gradient. Our results suggest that the DV gradients Dl and Dpp lack scaling and affect the organization of the mesoderm and ectoderm, respectively, but the cross-talk between them allow for the conservation of the NE. Project Mentor and Faculty Sponsor: Claudia Mieko Mizutani, Department of Biology *** Developing Healthy Relationships in At-Risk Cleveland Youth at The National Youth Sports Program Denielle Anderson, Department of Nursing; Emma Cleary, Department of Nursing; Angelica Nieszczur, Department of Nursing Developing healthy relationships in at – risk Cleveland youth proved to be of vital importance to the population of adolescents involved with the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP). The National Youth Sports Program is a summer program held for five weeks for youth age 10 – 16. Frances Payne Bolton (FPB) School of Nursing has allowed students to participate in this program for the past six years for the Capstone experience. Nursing students are responsible for teaching health education classes to NYSP participants, as well as coach athletic workouts. This summer, FPB students analyzed statistical evidence and also observed the lack of healthy relationship development and maintenance among Cleveland youth. More specifically, research evidenced that the majority these youth were not taught the skills to manage stress and anger. FPB nursing students concluded that the skills and techniques for stress and anger management, as well as healthy relationship development and maintenance were vital skills to be taught to at – risk youth. FPB nursing students initiated a goal for the program: to initiate healthy relationship development classes two to three times per week for economically disadvantaged greater Cleveland youth, and to improve students’ ability to cope with anger and stress, improve communication and promote healthy relationships by 10% in five weeks according to analysis of a pre – education and post – education survey of the students. Upon post – education survey evaluation, the student’s scored 20% higher on their survey than in the pre – education survey. Additionally, improved behavior and coping strategies of NYSP participants were observed. Project Faculty: Dr. Sarah Gueldner, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Mechanisms by which Anurans Avoid Call Overlap To Influence Female Choice and Their Relationship with Call Length in Complex Acousitc Environments Olaide Grace Apapa, Department of Biology Male anurans chorus to compete with other males and to attract females. With many males signaling simultaneously, choruses can be of a large spatial scale as well as dense, resulting in a complex acoustical environment. Acoustic interference, such as call overlap, is not uncommon. Females have been found to prefer non-overlapped calls, and males use various methods to minimize non-overlapped calls. Here, I review the literature on the effects that call overlap, call timing, and being a leader in vocal competitions have on both female mate choice and male-male competition in anurans with pulsative calls. The relationship between these variables and call length is specifically explored. Long calls have been found to be strongly preferred Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 3 by females in two-choice laboratory experiments. Research has also shown that long calls are more energetically expensive to produce than short calls and are honest indicators of male genetic quality. Yet, despite multiple attempts, female mate choice for long calls has never been identified in the field. I therefore seek a mechanism for the role of long calls in male-male competition and female mate choice in the field, which will resolve this conflict in findings between acoustically simple laboratory environments and complex field environments. The region and amount of call overlap is crucial to its attractiveness. Hence males with long call length will be at an advantage of maintaining acoustic appeal. Project Mentor: Professor Hilary Walton, Department of Biology *** The Impact of Energy Expenditure and Maternal Nutrition on Reproductive Suppression in Humans Rumneek Bedi, Department of Biology The impact of energy expenditure and maternal nutrition on reproduction in humans is a topic of tremendous debate. Understanding the relationship of these two variables on female reproductive success is of general interest in any organism. Questions regarding the correlation between energy balance’s independence from the nutritional status of the mother in relation to increased or decreased fecundity are the central focus of current research on reproductive suppression. Two of the most prominent current hypotheses – the “preemptive ovarian hypothesis” and the “constrained down-regulation hypothesis” – of reproductive suppression will be examined here. Results from recent studies show that increased energy expenditure, independent of increased energy intake, can suppress female reproduction. However, no mechanisms have been proposed to underlie this suppression. Ongoing research is aimed at revealing these unknown mechanisms. Today’s debate lies in the disagreement between researchers on the mechanisms by which reproductive suppression occurs. The existing studies attempt to narrow the mechanism or mechanisms underlying ovarian suppression using varying methods. Results from studies presented here will include the effects of daily ecological stress on reproductive suppression. Other studies will correlate the intense physical activity of female athletes to the suppression of their reproductive physiology. Recent research has indicated leptin as the mediator in the physiological mechanisms of reproductive suppression. Furthermore, recent research also supports the “constrained down-regulation” hypothesis, indicating energy expenditure alone may suppress reproduction. The purpose of this literature research is to determine the significance of various published studies aimed at identifying the mechanisms by which reproductive suppression occur. Mentor: Dr. Mark Willis, Department of Biology *** Stormwater Management Master Plan at Case Western Reserve Michael Berger, Department of Civil Engineering Every year, nearly 5 billion gallons of sewage is dumped into the Lake Erie watershed in what are called combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently required the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, which serves Case Western Reserve, to reduce this volume to 537 million gallons through a combination of grey and green stormwater management infrastructure. With this background in mind, the stormwater management plan describes current stormwater management practices at Case Western and makes recommendations for future Best Management Practices (BMPs). The author addresses the university’s stormwater runoff contribution to CSOs in Doan Brook and suggests management solutions ranging from pervious pavement to green roof technology. Back-of-the-envelope cost analysis is included, giving estimated payback times on hypothetical stormwater projects, in addition to considering non-monetary benefits, such as educational value. Lastly, the author makes recommendations for at-home storm water management for community residents. Project Mentors: Stephanie Corbett, Director of Sustainability; Eugene Matthews, Director of Facilities Services Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 4 Collision Avoidance System for Recently Visually Impaired Individuals Andrew Blasius, Mathematics and Physics; Luc Bettaieb, Computer Science; Quinn Shue, Biomedical Engineering and Economics Many visually impaired individuals are dependent upon canes or seeing-eye dogs as a means of assistance. These tools can take years to master and can make the patient feel dependent and noticed. Our device offers a way to assist those patients that have become recently visually impaired and do not yet have the skills required to use tools such as canes for assistance. Our device is easy to use, lightweight, and non-intrusive. Our device provides feedback in the form of vibrations when the wearer approaches objects which may lead to collisions and can be easily shut off to prevent the device from intruding into the patient's daily person-to-person interactions. Project Mentor: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Design and Fabrication of a Discrete Puzzle Box Adam Gleichsner, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering; Aditi Bhanja, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Christopher Ryan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science The modern conventional safe, although effective and useful in caching valuables, is often bulky, obvious, and expensive, making them not ideal for consumers who lack free space or have a small budget. Considering that commonly stored items consist of important documents, such as passports, social security cards, and wills, the need for such an indiscrete, spacious storage method is miniscule. A feasible solution to this problem would be to create a puzzle box that is a smaller, cheaper, and more concealable way of hiding valuables than a safe. Using Creo Parametric 2.0, we will design a modern puzzle box that resembles a common object while still remaining unique and entertaining. This box will utilize one or more puzzles to secure its contents, and will also be able to withstand prying or picking methods of opening. Once designed, the device will be manufactured using a Fortus 250mc rapid prototyping printer located in the Think[box] facility. The final product will be a plastic locking container of approximately 7” x 4” x 1” with one or more moderately complex puzzles flush with its surfaces. The strength of its walls will be enough to resist breaking under moderate stress applied by human hands. This object will be significantly smaller and less noticeable than a typical safe, cost less in materials, and create a unique and interesting experience for every user. Faculty Advisor: Professor Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering Additional Advisors: Professor Malcolm Cooke, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Denna Iammarino, Department of English *** Exercise and Diabetes Management, What Do Children Know? Chavon Brent, FPB School of Nursing; Breana Freeman, FPB School of Nursing; Mary Friesz, FPB School of Nursing; Rachael Suchy, FPB School of Nursing In diabetes education, proper nutrition and carbohydrate regulation are strongly emphasized. However, exercise is equally important in regulating blood glucose levels for people with diabetes. The purpose of this project was to teach nine to twelve year olds attending Camp Ho Mita Koda (a summer camp for children with type-1 diabetes located in Newbury, Ohio) about exercise and the effects it has on diabetes management. While at camp, the children get more exercise than usual, and as a result their insulin regimens must be adjusted to account for this extra activity. The children do not always understand why this change must occur because of a lack of knowledge about exercise and diabetes management. In order to combat this problem, two 15 minute lesson plans were developed and taught to all nine to twelve year campers at each of the five sessions at Camp Ho Mita Koda Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 5 over the summer of 2012. A pre and post-test were utilized to evaluate if learning occurred. The project goal was to observe a 15% overall increase in test scores as a result of the teaching. Analysis of the results shows that the project was successful because this goal was not only met, but exceeded. Implications of this project include a need to place a stronger emphasis on exercise in diabetes education programs for elementary school aged children. Project Mentor: Dr. Faye Gary, FPB School of Nursing *** Integrative –omics Identifies Dysregulated Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer Douglas Brubaker, Department of Mathematics; Dr. Gurkan Bebek, Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project aims to improve understanding of how molecular abnormalities are expressed in cancer phenotypes through analysis of high throughput data types. Though these molecular alterations may vary between patients, common signaling pathways are often involved. This motivates the need for an understanding of how specific pathways are dysregulated in cancers as a means to develop therapeutic targets within those pathways. By enhancing the central dogma of molecular biology to include microRNA silencing of transcription, genomic data from patient tumor samples can be used to infer differential activities of pathways and their associated genes. This also permits the identification of microRNA molecules significant in either tumor growth or suppression. The present work integrates three –omic data types from TCGA, DNA copy number variations, messenger RNA expression, and microRNA expression, into a discrete factor graph model for 130 signaling pathways in 441 patients for ovarian cancer. Nodes in the graphs represent genes while the edges represent their interactions. Using the TCGA data, the nodes are scored and compared against a control sample to identify significantly altered genes and pathways. Each altered gene is then checked for microRNA activity. What results is a ranking of pathways and microRNA molecules significant in ovarian cancer. Project Mentor: Dr. Gurkan Bebek, Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Peter Thomas, Department of Mathematics, Biology, and Cognitive Science *** The Business of Food: Towards a More Sustainable Food Supply Network Morgan Bulger, Sustainability in Business Management As the debate over the ethics of what we eat rises in prominence and inclusivity, it is important to look at the complex problem from a whole systems approach. Through holistic exploration, the human food system presents externalities in the areas of human health, social equality, environmental degradation, and animal welfare. Most notably, by exploring the chain of interactions that occur from farm to fork, it becomes apparent that the current industrial design of food processing and distribution causes pressures on farmers to act unsustainably both in regards to the environment and in regards to their own economic well-being, while simultaneously creating pressures on consumers to eat in a manner that is detrimental to their personal health. The current human food chain creates a force working against both producers and consumers, benefitting only the most vertically and horizontally integrated and concentrated corporations in the supply chain. As a consumer, several alternatives have accelerated in prevalence and opportunity, offering proposed solutions to the network of negative externalities caused by the industrial agriculture system. However by discussing the validity of these alternatives, it becomes apparent that these movements alone may not bring forth transformative change to the system as a whole, but rather true sustainability requires action from key actors within the web of the current industrial system itself. Project Mentor: Bonnie Richley, Organizational Behavior Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 6 Nutrition Education in 6th Grade Students at Michael R. White STEM School Deborah Burstein, Thea Emmons, Kayla Lang, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University Routine health screening in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has documented levels of overweight and obesity well above the national and state averages. While the cause of this problem is multifactorial, one issue may be the lack of education of these students about healthy nutrition and diet choices. The goal of our research was to provide a group of 6th grade students from Michael R. White STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) School, a CMSD school, with education on nutrition, the science of food production, and nutritious food choices. With the collaboration of the faculty at the CWRU Squire Valleevue Farm and funding from the SAGES Capstone Resource Grant and the CCEL Civic Engagement Mini-Grant, two field trips were made to the farm in October and November. The curriculum at the farm included both didactic, laboratory and field experiences. The field trips aimed to introduce the students to healthy nutrition, help them understand the importance of lifelong good nutrition, and educate them on how and where their food grows. A pre-test was given to the students prior to the first field trip to assess their baseline knowledge. An identical assessment will be given to the students immediately after the second field trip. Our goal is to see a 25% increase in the scores—evidence that immersing the students within this environment and educating them with lesson plans designed specifically for this population is beneficial in developing their knowledge of health and nutrition. Faculty Mentor: Rita Sfiligoj, School of Nursing *** “Trich” or Treat: Reproductive Health in Cleveland-Area Teenagers Albert Canda, nursing; Leah Epstein, nursing; Elana Satin, nursing; Lucinda Farina, Cleveland Department of Public Health; Zahidah Tunkara, Cleveland Department of Public Health This community health project was conducted by senior nursing students at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) at the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH). The intervention focused on adolescent reproductive health. In the city of Cleveland alone, 42.1% of chlamydia and 36.6% of gonorrhea cases reported were those ages 15-19 (2011 STD Surveillance Report: Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, 2012). Using public-health nursing guidelines and the Problem Solving for Better Health (PSBH) Model, a “good question” was developed to form the foundation of the project. The good question asks, “Will holding a targeted reproductive health fair with Cleveland-area teenagers (aged 13-19) at McCafferty Health Center (in Ohio City) for one afternoon achieve an increase knowledge of 20% from pre-test scores to post-test scores?” The health fair was a “Halloween Party” with games, food, and sexual health education. The participants were nine female adolescents ranging in age from thirteen to nineteen. The evaluating pre- and post- tests gathered quantitative data about sexual health knowledge and demographics such as race and age. After going through the educational programs at the party, the participants collectively raised their score from a 5.7 out of seven on the pre-test to a 5.8 out of seven on the post-test. Even though, as a collective group there was only a modest increase in test score, every participant except one either raised their score or stayed the same after the intervention. Additionally, seven of the nine participants answered that their understanding of the topic was “better” than before and eight of the nine would like to see more teen health events in the future. Thus, it can be concluded that the intervention was successful. Faculty Mentor: Jesse Honsky, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Patient Education Models for Hypertension in an Outpatient Clinic Nicole Cantrell and Tracy Ruska Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing This project builds on a 2010 research study on the effectiveness of hypertension education that took place at Catholic Charities Free Healthcare Center (CCFHC) in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. A Case Western Reserve University nursing student, found that patient education by registered nurses (RNs), using take home handouts, Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 7 greatly increased patients’ knowledge about lifestyle modifications for hypertension risk reduction. The population at the clinic is comprised primarily of patients with chronic health problems, including hypertension, with the vast majority of patients meeting at least one risk factor for hypertension. At CCFHC patients do not qualify for medical assistance and have no access to health insurance. Despite the efforts of the RNs in 2010, we found that current patients were not consistently receiving any formal education about hypertension. Based on the previous study results, we set out to create a formal education protocol that not only will be effective at increasing patient knowledge, but will also be user friendly and time efficient for RNs. An effective patient education protocol was created though Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. The study protocol used RN feedback surveys, patient pre and post test results, chart review for RN teaching notes, and observations. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cheryl Killion, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Comparing Early Intervention Models for Children with Autism Ruth Chao, Communication Sciences & Psychology; Dr. Barbara Lewis, Department of Psychological Sciences Autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disorders that impairs social behavior and communication. If identified early, children with autism enter Early Intervention (EI) programs specifically designed for individuals with developmental delays from ages birth to three. EI implements a multi-pronged approach to therapy, targeting physical, cognitive, communicative, and social development. While all types of EI seek to improve a child’s functioning, not all approaches to EI are the same. Two differing EI models are Applied Behavior Analysis and the Hanen Program. Through literature review, interviews, and shadowing experiences with speech-language pathologists, I will analyze these two forms of EI. During my observations, I will collect data centered around three points of comparison: positive reinforcement from the therapist to the patient, therapist initiation versus patient initiation, and parental involvement during treatment. Through my study, I will portray a clear distinction between Applied Behavior Analysis and the Hanen Program while emphasizing that both therapies teach patients how to overcome their developmental limitations. Project Mentor: Dr. Barbara Lewis, Department of Psychological Sciences *** Engineering viral nanoparticles for application in medicine: Developing CPMV as a platform for efficient intracellular delivery of therapeutics Kevin Chen, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Karin Lee, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Ibrahim Yildiz, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering, School of Medicine Viral nanoparticles (VNPs), such as the plant virus Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), have been used for various biomedical applications. The nanoparticles formed by CPMV are a robust scaffold for various chemical conjugation methods, and this allows decoration of the nanoparticle platform with targeting ligands and therapeutics. We have demonstrated the tissue-specific delivery of VNPs in preclinical mouse models, laying the foundation for targeted drug delivery. In this study, we describe the loading of therapeutic cargo through infusion into the VNP carrier. Cargo delivery into cancer cells is studied in vitro. In proof-of concept experiment, fluorescent dyes were loaded inside the VNPs through infusion/interactions with the encapsulated nucleic acid. In addition, N-hydroxysuccinimide and hydrazone chemistries were employed to modify the particle surface with different dyes to allow tracking of the VNPs in cells. In these studies, we showed that chemotherapeutic drugs could be loaded into CPMV. Confocal microscopy allowed to follow trafficking of the VNPs in cells and to visualize cargo delivery. Further, cell killing was confirmed in vitro. For future studies, we hope to further engineer CPMV particles for targeted drug delivery. This is accomplished by surface modification of CPMV with antibodies or peptide ligands that bind to specific receptors overexpressed on cancer cells. Target drug delivery has potential to increase patient survival while decreasing undesired side effects. Project Mentor: Professor Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 8 Identification of Actin-Binding Protein 5 as a Component of the Zebrafish Inner Hair Cell Xi Chen1, Carol A. Fernando2, Brian M. McDermott, Jr. 1,2 1 Department of Biology; 2Deparment of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106 Inner ear hair cells have ordered arrays of stereocilia, which are responsible for sensing auditory stimuli for the process of mechanotransduction. Hair cells convert sound vibrations into electrical signals, and transmit these signals to neurons that connect to the brain, which results in hearing and balance. It is suggested that various genes may be involved in the function of auditory hair cells. To identify candidate genes involved in hair cell cytoskeletal function, we determined the hair cell transcriptome. Among the hair cell expressed genes is actin-binding protein 5. In order to determine all of the tissues that express actin-binding protein 5 mRNA, whole-mount zebrafish RNA in situ hybridization experiments were performed. Here we demonstrate that actin-binding protein 5 expression is highly specific for the ear of zebrafish, suggesting that the cognate protein is highly relevant to hair cell morphology. Project Mentor: Dr. Brian McDermott, Department of Otolaryngology Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Brian McDermott, Department of Otolaryngology *** The influence of the level of expression of a long non-protein-coding RNA on differentiation Xin Chen, Department of Biology; Bing Zhang, Department of Biochemistry; Dr. Saba Valadkhan, Center for RNA Molecular Biology Previous research performed in the lab suggested that the expression of long non-coding RNAs was critical to neuronal differentiation. However, how the level of expression of a long non-protein-coding RNA affects differentiation is unknown. My project is to investigate the relationship between the expression level of a long non-coding RNA, “BORG”, and the level of change in the pattern of neuronal differentiation. A plasmid vector containing the long non-coding RNA BORG was introduced into retroviral packaging cell lines via viral transfection. Then the produced viral particles were collected and used to transduce the BORG gene to deliver the long non-coding RNA into mouse myoblast cell lines that can be reprogrammed into neurons using the BORG RNA. As the expression of BORG RNA can change myoblasts into neurons, the changes in the expression pattern of both myoblast and neuron-specific genes was monitored in addition to the level of BORG RNA itself using RTPCR. The cycle of viral transduction was repeated five times to obtain five cell populations that had a gradually increasing level of BORG expression. Finally a comparison of the level of expression of BORG in each cell population and the expression pattern of neuronal and myoblast genes was made. The finding of the relationship between the amount of long non-coding RNAs and the change of the pattern of gene expression can help future research on understanding the mechanism of function of long non-coding RNAs in general and BORG RNA in particular in addition to the developmental and differentiation processes of higher eukaryotes. Project Mentor: Dr. Saba Valadkhan, Center for RNA Molecular Biology Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephen Haynesworth, Department of Biology *** ThinkSphere: A Collaborative Data Analytics Environment Rajesh Cherukuri, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science We introduce ThinkSphere, a research tool for Big Data analytics intended to enable real-time collaboration, data exploration, user-friendly workspace, and data analysis. ThinkSphere achieves these goals by focusing on the flow of data and providing a user-friendly interface to interact with the data. It allows users to perform data analysis tasks without having to have prior programming experience, provide insights Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 9 into the dataset to fellow researchers, and lower the barrier of entry for others who wish to understand their datasets. These features are achieved by connecting the application to the desired data source, after which ThinkSphere indexes the data and related assets to create a living data dictionary. This data dictionary can be utilized by the user by performing operations on the data, sharing the results of the analysis, utilizing the built-in federated search, etc. Researchers can rapidly create visual representations of their information from the data dictionary such as heatmaps, histograms, and time series without the use of R or other tools. These visualizations and associated information can be readily shared with fellow collaborators. While the spirit of ThinkSphere is to be a collaborative workspace, users can control who views/manipulates their datasets via permissions. To enable personalization, developers can use ThinkSphere’s REST-API to create their own user interfaces or modify the existing interface, available as an MIT-license open source project on Github.com. Comprehensively, ThinkSphere delivers a fast, efficient & secure workspace environment with an emphasis on enabling the freedom to collaborate with anyone and create their own personalized workspaces. Project Mentor: Professor GQ Zhang, Biomedical Informatics Core, CTSC *** Practicality of Consumer GPS for Positioning of Autonomous Lawn Mower David Chrzanowski, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering The CWRU Cutter robot is a self-guided lawn mower with the ability to drive a pre-determined path laid on a global reference frame. The robot is also capable of robustly avoiding both stationary and moving obstacles and then returning to its course. CWRU Cutter is an attempt to improve upon commercially available automatic mowers that use difficult-to-install techniques such as a buried wire (think invisible-fence) to identify yard boundaries. Accomplishing this requires that the robot be aware of its position globally. Historically this is been achieved using a Kalman filter with data inputs from wheel encoders, a Christa IMU, and most importantly, a Novatel Differential GPS system. With a price tag around $20k, the Novatel system is not use in a commercial lawnmower. The focus of this project was to determine if a cheaper alternative was feasible. Real Time Kinematic techniques are a recent advance in the field of GNSS technology and provide for the possibility of cheap high-accuracy systems. Open source software utilizing this technology was implemented on data received from two $300 Ublox GPS units. The position solution was implemented into the positioning algorithm and the lawnmower was allowed to run. Various antennae were also tested. Though our current positioning algorithm provided a much lower accuracy with the new system, the level of performance was promising. Our new platform will be developed to switch back and forth between the two GPS systems for further development. Project Mentor: Professer Roger D. Quinn, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering *** Creating and Manufacturing a Revolutionary Flashlight: Using 3-D Design Software CREO Parametric and Case Western Reserve’s Think[box] Jacob Cogar: Department of Chemical Engineering, Alec David: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Richard Lee: Department of Mathematics Flashlights are defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as “small, battery-operated portable electric lights;” however, our design group believes that flashlights should include more than simply light to appeal to varied consumer preferences. Our design group wishes to provide consumers with a “revolutionary” flashlight that includes extra tools that would appeal to engineers, construction workers, and average patrons: screwdriver bits, scissors/pocket knife, and a small compartment for storage of screws or extra batteries. To create this contemporary design, our group will be using three-dimensional AutoCAD computer software called CREO Parametric to outline the shell of the flashlight. The computer model will exclude volumes of material from the flashlight in accordance to a space in the side for the scissors/pocket knife, a compartment in the bottom for storage, and a hexagonal hole in the top for the screwdriver bits, which will include a magnet to secure the metal bit. After the computerized model is complete, our design group will fabricate the flashlight in Think[box] using the three-dimensional printer which Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 10 utilizes ABS plastic as its primary material of construction. After fabricating the flashlight, our design group will utilize Sears Electronics Design Lab to acquire LED lights and condensed circuitry to fit the design. Ultimately, this “revolutionary” fabrication is meant to improve the overall design of flashlights so that it has additional uses and appeals to more users. Ideally, its aesthetic design and additional functions will revolutionize the design of a standard flashlight. Project Mentors: Malcolm Cooke: Department of Mechanical Engineering; Patrick Crago: Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Teacher Resource for Health Education Hanna Collins, Nursing; Angela Wootan, Nursing; Arelis Roman, Nursing The Prentiss Grant is a collaboration between the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). One purpose of the grant is to contribute to the development of a healthier school day in one demonstration school. One strategy identified is to strengthen health education in the schools. Health education is a recommended but not required part of the curriculum and at the elementary level is the responsibility of the K-8 science teachers. Because of competing demands for their time, the science teachers are frequently unable to include the health curriculum in their classes. Both teachers and administrators identified resources for the health curriculum as a need in the CMSD. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to create six health modules accessible to the CMSD grades K-2 teachers via the CMSD teacher resource website. These resources will include lesson plans, content information, online resources and interactive activity ideas for each grade level. These easy to access resources will enhance teachers’ ability to teach the recommended K-2 health curriculum. Teachers will be asked to evaluate the modules which can then be revised as necessary. We will then provide feedback and suggestions for future nursing students to build upon these modules, to provide lessons correlated to the health curriculum for all grades K-8. Project Mentors: Kathleen Davis RN, BS, Nursing; Patricia Breslin RN BSN, Nursing; Dr. Marilyn Lotas PhD RN, Nursing *** Inhibition of superoxide production in mouse retina under hyperglycemic conditions Megan Cramer, Biology and Spanish at CWRU; Yupeng Du, Div. of Molecular Endocrinology/Medicine at CWRU School of Medicine; and Timothy Kern, Div. of Molecular Endocrinology/Medicine at CWRU School of Medicine Oxidative stress is one of the symptoms of diabetes that contributes to the condition of diabetic retinopathy. To better understand the signaling pathways behind this symptom, this research investigated the possible mechanism of superoxide production in mouse retina and, more specifically, the photoreceptors cells under hyperglycemic conditions. One proposed pathway is that the high blood glucose levels due to diabetes cause the production of superoxide and signal the photoreceptors to also produce superoxide. One possible signaling mechanism between the white blood cells and the photoreceptors is that diabetes increases G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activity, which leads to an increase in protein lipase C (PLC) activity, which causes an increase in nicatinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) activity, which leads to an increased production of superoxide. Increased superoxide production has also been linked to malfunction of the electron transport chain in the mitochondria, and it has been suggested that there could be possible interactions between the two pathways. These proposals were tested in vivo and in vitro in both hyperglycemic conditions and “normal” conditions. In vitro 661 W cells (photoreceptor-derived cells) were treated with an α 1 -adrenergic inhibitor, an α 2 -adrenergic inhibitor, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, or with mitochondrial therapy. These same treatments were used in vivo on streptozotocin-diabetic mice (2 months). In both, the superoxide levels were measured using a superoxide assay. Project Mentor: Timothy Kern, Div. of Molecular Endocrinology/Medicine at CWRU School of Medicine Faculty Sponsor: Arnold Caplan, Department of Biology at CWRU Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 11 Engage Cleveland Capstone Experience Alexis Crosby, Department of English and Department of Sociology; Kathleen Evers, Department of Psychology; Andrew Schriver, Department of Biology This community-based capstone provided a unique opportunity for students to learn about and become involved in community issues in greater Cleveland. Over the summer, students participated in an 8-week internship at a local organization for at least 20 hours per week to gain hands-on experience. During the fall, the group met in seminar to discuss and investigate issues that relate to the community and their individual sites. Each student chose a topic to explore and research, utilizing their summer experience at their partner organization to further their understanding and analysis of the issue. • • • Alexis Crosby interned with the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, working with the Foundation's Good Samaritan Grant Program. Alexis's project entails a program evaluation of the Good Samaritan Grant Program and significant research on high impact grant-making and funding of basic needs. Kathleen Evers served at Inner City Tennis Clinics (ICTC), a five-component recreational summer camp that includes tennis, wellness, fitness, literacy, and poetry. These components work together to form an interactive program designed specifically for urban youth in Cleveland. Her project investigates the design of summer recreation programs to discover which aspects are vital in yielding positive results. She will use this research to address ICTC's program structure and their ability to provide the most secure and enjoyable experience for their participants. Andrew Schriver worked with the Ohio Democratic Party on the Senator Sherrod Brown re-election campaign. Some of his responsibilities included organizing canvass efforts and community meetings, along with "get out the vote" efforts and voter registration. His capstone project consists of a research paper focused on the motivations of young voters across the country. Project Mentor: Elizabeth “Betsy” Banks, Center for Civic Engagement & Learning *** Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Edge-Functionalized Graphene Quanbin Dai, Department of Biology Carbon is an essential part of living organisms. From an engineering perspective, carbon is of great importance because of its ability to exist in many structural forms (e.g., graphite, diamond, carbon nanotubes). The Noble-Prize-winning discovery of graphene created a great interest in the research and development of water-soluble graphene derivatives for biomedical applications (e.g., bio-sensing, drug delivery, biomedical imaging). Although the widely reported acid oxidation of graphite allows the mass production of watersoluble graphene oxide, exfoliating the solution requires the involvement of hazardous strong oxidizing reagents (e.g., HNO 3 , KMnO 4 and/or H 2 SO 4 ) that often cause severe damage to the carbon basal plane and can introduce a large number of chemical and topological defects. By ball milling graphite in the presence of dry ice (solid phase of carbon dioxide), a new method for a simple, but effective and eco-friendly, mass production of edge-functionalized graphene sheets without the basal plane oxidation has recently been developed. The resultant edge-carboxylated graphene (ECG) was shown to be highly dispersible in water, which is very useful for biomedical applications. For this purpose, it is essential to ascertain the potential hazards of ECG to humans and other biological systems at both the cellular and molecular levels. Certain carbon nanomaterials have been demonstrated to cause DNA damage (genotoxicity) even though they exhibited limited or no toxicity at the cellular level. In this project, I will carry out studies on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of ECG. Faculty Sponsor: Professor Mei Zhang Department of Biomedical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 12 Diabetes and You: Sharing Education for Better Outcomes Taylor Daiello, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing; Toia Sylvester¸ Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing; Loni Wilkes, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Diabetes management is a constant challenge for healthcare practitioners and their patients. Evidence has shown that patients experience improved outcomes when educated about their chronic disease in a shared medical appointment (SMA). A SMA is an appointment which involves several patients learning together about a condition they all have in common. In this group meeting, patients are allowed the opportunity to provide input and encouragement to others with the same condition. A three part diabetes education course was offered at the Otis Moss Jr. Health Center to approximately 20 African American participants ages 30 and older, who were primarily women. Patients were selected for the class by their Hemoglobin A1C level. All participants had a Hemoglobin A1C level of 5.7% or greater. Before and after each of the hour long meetings, patient knowledge was measured through the administration of pretests and posttests. This research analyzes whether a 10% increase in knowledge was obtained after each course. Project Mentor: Dr. Cheryl Killion, PhD, RN, FAAN, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Immune Response to Tobacco Mosaic Virus Nanoparticles as a Vaccine Platform Christine DeBaz1, Sourabh Shukla2 , and Nicole F. Steinmetz 2,3,4* Department of Chemistry, 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, 3Radiology, 4Materials Science and Engineering, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA *correspondence: [email protected] 1 Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) derived from plant viruses are promising platforms for vaccine applications resulting from their highly repetitive proteinaceous architecture and particulate nature. VNP coat protein subunits can be modified chemically or genetically to present multiple copies of antigenic epitopes resulting in an enhanced epitopespecific immune response. This study deals with evaluation of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a potential antigen carrier. As a first step towards developing TMV based vaccine platforms, we have characterized the immune response to TMV itself using a series of immunization of C57BL/6 mice via subcutaneous and intraperitoneal administrations in presence or absence of adjuvants. Post-immunization, mouse sera were evaluated for IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies titers. Also, livers and spleens from immunized animals were harvested at the end of immunization schedules and immunofluorescence analysis were carried out on these tissue sections to observe stimulation and colocalization of TMV with different classes of immune effector cells. Serum titers indicate a predominantly IgM response in the immunized mice and a minimal IgG response which is consistent with a thymus independent immune response. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrates sequestering of TMV within the B220+ B-cell follicles in the spleen while no T cell response was observed. Further studies involving multiple booster doses and various other adjuvants will be undertaken for detailed analysis of TMV-specific immune response. Project Mentor: Nicole Steinmetz PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Defining the expression profile of the Candida albicans HYR1 and IFF4 proteins in pathogenesis during oropharyngeal candidiasis Nicholas DeFelice, Center for Global Health and Disease; Hema P. Narra, Center for Global Health and Disease; Jeffrey Tomalka, Center for Global Health and Disease The goal of this project was to define the expression profile of the Candida albicans HYR1 and IFF4 GPI anchored cell wall proteins in pathogenesis during oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC). C. albicans is an opportunistic dimorphic fungus causing painful mucosal infections and is a leading cause of hospital acquired blood Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 13 infections due to biofilm formation on catheters and implanted medical devices. Previous studies indicate that GPI proteins such as HYR1 and IFF4 may play an important role in both adhesion and the carrying of important antigenic determinants required for virulence and colonization. My project, conducted in the lab of Dr. Amy Hise in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine’s Center for Global Health and Disease, aimed to design and optimize gene specific primer pairs for the HYR1 and IFF4 genes to study their expression during (a) biofilm formation and (b) interaction with immune cells in vitro, using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Preliminary data indicates a positive relationship between the gene expressions of IFF4 as the fungus changes into its hyphal form. Once the results from my project are fully obtained, they will provide crucial data in the understanding of the role of the HYR1 and IFF4 genes during morphogenesis and host-fungal interaction and will contribute towards the development of therapies designed to limit fungal infections. Project Mentor: Dr. Amy Hise, CWRU School of Medicine Center for Global Health and Disease *** Limiting the Number of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Increasing the Number of Applicants at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center Carli DeKeyser, Senior Nursing Student; Grant Pignatiello, Senior Nursing Student; Ethan Smith, Senior Nursing Student; Kate Thomas, Senior Nursing Student According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cuyahoga County reported the 17th highest national incidence of Chlamydia infections in 2010. Several factors contributing to this condition include an insufficient community knowledge base and a scarce supply of treatment options for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In an attempt to improve community awareness of available treatment and educational resources, we have partnered with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to promote, utilizing the widespread distribution of flyers, pamphlets, and business cards, Cuyahoga County’s Title X Family Planning Clinic. We targeted our promotional efforts towards Brooklyn, Ohio and other nearby Cleveland suburbs. When patients visit the Family Planning Clinic, a portion of their educational dialogue involves governmental health and service benefit application consultation. The clinic then refers appropriate individuals to visit the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center for the application process. To measure the success of our outreach, we plan to compare 2011 and 2012 Medicaid application rates at the Old Brooklyn Family Service Center. In addition to increasing the number of applicants for government beneficiary services, the long-term goals of this project are to increase awareness of the Family Planning Clinic, decrease community health disparities, and to increase utilization of the Family Planning Clinic which will lead to increased government funding. Project Mentor: Jesse Honsky, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Effect of Environmental Heterogeneity and Soil Origin on Phenotypic Plasticity in Perennial Weeds Gaston del Pino1, Angela J. Brandt2, Xiaoni Zhao2 and Jean H. Burns2. SPUR Fellow, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 2 Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 1 Community assembly, which is defined as the process of filtering and competition that leads to the realized biodiversity in a community, in plants is dependent on individual’s responses to their environment. These responses, which are crucial due to the sessile nature of plants, can include phenotypic plasticity, which is the variation amongst individuals of the same genotype. This plasticity may be generated in response to heterogeneity in light and soil conditions, as well as the origin and conditioning of the soil that the individual grows in. In the current experiment, two congeneric pairs of perennial weeds were grown in a factorial design that included soil heterogeneity, light heterogeneity and soils of various origins. Using roots-to-shoots (RS) ratio and specific leaf area (SLA) as a measure of resource allocation, this experiment attempted to discern the relative effects of these factors Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 14 on plant traits. For Rumex species, RS ratio was significantly influenced by the origin of the soil in which they grew. SLA for the Rumex congeners was significantly affected by the light treatment. This leads to some interesting possibilities of community coexistence, either from nutrient competition or through microbe conditioning in the soil, as well as the impact of shading an light heterogeneity in a system. Advisor: Jean H. Burns, Department of Biology *** Effects of childhood obesity, pre-hypertension and lack of knowledge on Cleveland’s Youth at the National Youth Sports Program LaShanita DeVese, FPB School of Nursing; Bryanna Mayes, FPB School of Nursing; Caitlin Rudge, FPB School of Nursing; Haley Treier, FPB School of Nursing This poster explores our public health nursing project in which we wished to positively impact obesity, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition in Cleveland, Ohio, among the participants of the National Youth Sports Program. The program includes boys and girls ranging in age from 10 to 16, most of who are living in the University Circle and East Cleveland areas. We worked with the children to broaden their health and nutritional education, and improve upon their overall wellness, while concurrently assessing the public health status of Cuyahoga County. In targeting health education, particularly the importance of exercise and proper nutrition, we aimed to show the participants how important it is that they begin to take initiative and improve upon their own health status. Our overarching goal for this project was to increase the participants’ knowledge of how to lead a healthier lifestyle. We attempted to accomplish this through daily lessons over a 2.5-week period, and various sports activities over the duration of the 5-week camp. We measured our success by administering a pre and posttest to students, as well as evaluating them while participating in their sports activities. Our data indicated that we were able to positively impact the participants’ health knowledge, and that the children grew to be more interested in their overall wellness, as well as more comfortable with completing physical activities. Project Mentor: Dr. Sarah Gueldner, FPB School of Nursing *** Critical Evaluation of the Prevalence of Human PAapillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil Joao Henrique Fonseca do Nascimento, Center for Global Health and Diseases; Diana Matos Matos Viana Soares, Graduate Student (Brazil). Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted pathogens associated to malignancy, infecting 12% of sexually active women worldwide and responsible for 99.7% of cervical cancers. Cytology and colposcopy are the recommended diagnostic methods by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and are the most frequently tests done during routine screening exams. In this regard, it was performed a critical evaluation of HPV prevalence in women in the southern region of the state of Bahia, correlating with results of meta-analysis of data shown by DataSUS. In addition, the virus was detected by PCR. It was analyzed 195 samples from March, 2011 to March, 2012, in the Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics and Molecular Epidemiology (LAFEM) of the State University of Santa Cruz - Ilheus/BA (Brazil). The proposal was developed in partnership with ongoing research in the Basic Health Units and in the Family Health Program. The statistical analyses were performed using the MetaAnalyst Beta 3.13 software. Data of literature showed that the estimate of the overall prevalence of HPV infection in Brazilian women is 36.1%. South, southeast and northeast presented prevalence of 43.9%, 32.2% and 29.9%, respectively. The prevalence in Bahia is 43.9%. Besides that, we had detected a prevalence of 47.7% by PCR. Importantly cervical cancer mortality has increased by 2.15% per year. The use of molecular diagnostic can increase the sensitivity and specificity when applied with cytology. In the absence of strategies for surveillance, deploying relevant public actions in control and early detection of cervical cancer remain compromised. Project Mentor: Professor Sandra Rocha Gadelha Mello, Department of Biology, State University of Santa Cruz (Brazil). Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 15 3D Puzzle Design Isaac Shyu, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Keith Dodd, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Kunal Patel, Department of Chemical Engineering A puzzle box offers a form of concealment for an object and a method of secure storage. To create the box, a series of puzzles must be designed and each moving part needs to be made separately and assembled into a finished product. The method of producing such a product includes the use of Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD) programs and the 3D printer in Think[box] to create a prototype. As a result, in order for the user to access an inner compartment, a series of steps must be taken to open the box properly. This involves removing parts from the box itself to access another puzzle. These removable parts contain holes in which an additional combination lock can be attached. Under these parts is a cube shape that only be opened after a rotating certain parts. Finally, inside is a sphere that can open and reveal a secret compartment. By successfully designing and constructing the puzzle box, our team has created a mentally stimulating and entertaining process of hiding items. Project Mentors: Professor Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Professor Iammarino, Department of English *** Polymers were ranked for potential materials of construction for medical device development based on comparing candidates thermal analytical properties with that of Poly ether ether ketone [PEEK]. Daniel Doherty, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Anna Gawlik, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Matthew Gwin, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Previn Kumar, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Michelle Song, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Thermal analytical properties are quality signatures values when compared directly with the gold standard of device polymers Polyether ether ketone, PEEK. This polymer has a high Tg [170oC] and melting peak temperature [345oC] that are necessary for device construction and durability. The following polymers were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry [DSC] and Thermogravimetric Analysis/Differential TGA [TGA/DTGA]: PEEK, High and Low Density Polyethylene, Homopolymer and Copolymer Acetal, Nylon 6 and Transparent Nylon 6, High Impact and Transparent Styrene-Acrylonitrile Butadiene [ABS] as well as an ASTM HDPE Dynamic Mechanical Analysis standard. Fundamental thermal analytical properties were determined along with the Oxidative Onset Property [OOT] ASTM E2009 and/or Oxidative Induction Time [OIT] ASTM E1859 in air. The maximum peak in the Derivative Thermogravimetric Analysis [DTGA] is the maximum rate of volatilization of degradation, or the relative stability. We observed that the SPE HDPE and the DMA ASTM HDPE were the same quality polymers. The DMA HDPE standard is known to be a very high molecular weight HDPE and was 3 to 5oC more stable than the SPE sample by DTGA. The acetal crystalline polymers after heat cycling at high temperatures maintained their thermal melting crystallization properties. The Acetals were thermally stable maintaining their crystalline structure. The literature melting and fusion values for LDPE and HDPE were repeatability measured. ‘Nylon 6 transparent’ was in fact an amorphous polymer with a predominant Nylon 6 phase. These observations maintain that the SPE Resin kit is a quality source for 50 different polymers. Thermal Analysis is a quality characterization tool for defining polymers for medical devices. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alan Riga, Macromolecular Science and Engineering *** Variation in Vegetation Composition among Ohio’s NWCA Wetlands Alayna Dorobek, Department of Biology The National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) project was developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine the ecological integrity of our nation’s wetlands as Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 16 an effort to improve, protect, sustain, and restore the health of natural habitats and ecosystems. Ohio EPA conducted this study for two field seasons obtaining data on soil properties, vegetation, bryophytes, water chemistry, and characteristics of the habitat in or surrounding the wetland. While the data collected in the field under the NWCA project might provide some indication of wetland health, the qualitative data is limiting. The observations made in the field lack an accurate measure of disturbance, especially when considering adjacent land-use characteristics. Through the use of pre-existing, freely accessible data sets, I developed a set of attributes in order to look for correlations of wetland hydrology and land-use features with different vegetative indices. The aim of this study is to determine some of the major factors impacting wetland condition. The results suggest that wetland vegetation is affected by land-use characteristics at varying spatial scales. Anthropogenic disturbance is negatively impacting the biological community comprised of the wetlands. This research further demonstrates that remote geospatial analyses can provide further insights into ecosystem health. Using mapping and modeling techniques must be incorporated into ecological monitoring and assessment programs because they allow us to obtain information of important factors affecting condition that cannot be measured directly in the field. Having a better picture of how a wetland functions among varying land-use practices will assist in the development of informed and effective management practices. Project Mentor: Dr. Joseph Koonce, Department of Biology Project Sponsor: Dr. Jean Burns, Department of Biology *** Phenotypic Plasticity of Helisoma trivolvis in Response to Chemical Alarm Cues Across Taxonomic Levels Phoebe Edwards, Departments of Anthropology and Evolutionary Biology, Dr. Mike Benard, Department of Biology Prey use a wide range of cues to detect predation risk and alter their behavior and morphology advantageously in response. These include two types of general cue: (1) chemical cues generated by predators (kairomones) and (2) alarm cues released by injured or consumed prey in their environment. Many studies focus on the adaptive responses of prey to alarm cues released by members of their own species. However, this raises a question: do prey respond to alarm cues originating only from members of their species, or can prey respond to alarm cues generated by other prey species? We focused our research on the freshwater snail Helisoma trivolvis, which is known to develop behavioral and developmental responses to the presence of different predator’s kairomones and conspecific alarm cues, and is an ideal study organism to test this question. We aim to determine whether H. trivolvis will respond only to alarm cues from conspecifics or whether it will also pick up on alarm cues from more distantly related taxa. This will be done by examining behavioral, morphological, and reproductive changes in H. trivolvis exposed to H. trivolvis alarm cues, cues from other snails, insect alarm cues, and no alarm or predator cues. If H. trivolvis is only able to receive alarm cues from members of their own species, we would expect a difference in response between the conspecific treatment and all others. Conversely, if H. trivolvis can receive cues from other species of snails, we would expect a difference in response between both snail treatments and the insect and no predator treatments. Project Mentor: Professor Michael Benard, Department of Biology *** Patient Sexual Health Education Resources Shaylinn Emery, Department of Nursing, Sheneka Gregory, Department of Nursing This paper reviews 100 surveys that measure the effectiveness of the educational methods on sexually transmitted diseases and prevention at Cleveland Department of Public Health’s Thomas McCafferty Reproductive Health Clinic in the Detroit-Shoreway district of Cleveland, Ohio. It also analyzes the current educational methods used at T. McCafferty, which includes verbal, written, and video education. We wished to achieve a goal of 10% increase in post-test scores to evaluate the effectiveness of the education provided. We thought that education was important, due to the frequency of patients returning to the clinic with re-infection. In the state of Ohio, the total number of diagnosed STD cases for one year is 65,632. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 19 million new infections every year in the Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 17 United States. After researching these statistics, we designed tests and they were implemented over the course of 6 weeks to any patients that came to the clinic with STD-related ailments. We did not achieve the goal of 10%, though there was an 8% increase in post-test scores. This is reflective of the educational methods at the clinic and the need for change. With further research through implementing a variety of new educational methods and continuing the survey, it may provide further insight to what intervention should be utilized. Faculty Mentor: Faye Gary, Medical Mutual of Ohio Kent W. Clapp Chair and Professor in Nursing *** Analyzing Obesity Rates in Ward 11 of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Identifying Health Risk Factors Dale English, School of Nursing; Michael Koopman, School of Nursing; Jacqueline Molchan, School of Nursing; Shannon O’Shea, School of Nursing The Prentiss Grant is a collaboration between the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). The purpose of this grant is to improve the health of school-aged children by the creation of a healthier school day in one demonstration school and by the identification of health risk factors through a district wide health screening program. The purpose of this project was to complete a secondary analysis of the 2011 health screening data to identify social, ethnic and/or environmental correlates to the incidence of overweight and obesity in CMSD children. An analysis of these data determined that Cleveland’s Ward 11 has the highest percentage of overweight and obese Kindergarten and Third Graders. Further analysis investigated the factors within Ward 11 that could contribute to the increased rates in obesity in this particular ward. These factors include a lack of healthy food choices, and little to no recreation centers the school-aged children can take advantage of. This data will be presented to the CMSD faculty and staff in each of the schools in Ward 11, to the CMSD Administration and to the CMSD Wellness Committee. In addition, the information will be made generally available through a link to the CMSD health education website. The report will include statistical information regarding the demographic data that could potentially be impacting the students' wellbeing. This website will include information on nutrition, health habits, hygiene, and the immune system and other topics related to analysis findings. Project Mentor: Doctor Marilyn Lotas, School of Nursing *** Wind Flow Modeling of the Area Surrounding the Case Western Reserve University Wind Turbine Matheus Fernandes, Department of Mechanical Engineering The Case Western Reserve University Wind Turbine (NorthWind 100kW) is a research turbine located in the heart of a large urban campus in Cleveland, Ohio. Due to the tall surrounding buildings, this location may create turbulence, resulting in a possible loss in energy generation. This research attempts to answer the question of whether the wind flow into the wind turbine is affected by the buildings or not. Depending upon the direction of the wind, the surrounding buildings, which vary in height from 20 to 40 meters, may affect the wind patterns at the hub height of the turbine that is 37 meters from ground. In order to investigate this issue, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model using COMSOL Multiphysics of the immediate area was generated. The analysis which used a CFD model included prevailing wind directions and analyzed the outcomes of the wind flow around the turbine. The model also took into account building heights, locations, and dimensions. Reasonable agreement was found when the validity of the model was tested and compared against real wind measurements. These measurements were made using cup anemometers placed at three different locations and heights throughout the surrounding area. Project Mentor: Professor David H. Matthiesen PhD, Department of Material Sciences and Engineering Faculty Sponsor: Professor David H. Matthiesen PhD, Department of Material Sciences and Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 18 Predictors and outcomes of Clostridium difficile infections in cardiac surgery patients utilizing the 2004-2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database Andrew Flagg, Department of Biology The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes and prevalence of Clostridium difficile among different groups following cardiac surgery, and determine predictors. The impacts on mortality, length of stay, and cost by C. difficile on these patients was examined. The Nationalwide Impatient Sample from 2004-2008 was examined, and records were identified from patients receiving coronary bypass, aortic or valvular surgery over these five years. Various demographic, preoperative, and outcome variables were analyzed. Logistic analysis were run to determine the influence of each variable, and various Elixhauser comorbidity measures were examined in detail. Over the five years that were studied, 349,122 records were found from patients on which coronary bypass, thoracic aortic surgery, or valve surgery were performed. Of these patients, 2,581 (0.7%) were diagnosed with C. difficile. Patients with C. difficile were significantly more likely to be female (40% vs. 31.5%, p<0.01), black (7.6% vs. 6.3%, p<0.015), on Medicare of Medicaid instead of private insurance (75.2% vs. 56.6%, p<0.01). In-hospital mortality rates, average length of stay and hospital charges were all more than doubled in patients with C. difficile. Significantly higher rates of congestive heart failure (17.3% vs. 6.3%, p<0.01), valvular disease (9.4% vs. 4.6%, p<0.01), coagulopathy (17.8% vs. 10.9% p<0.01), and fluid and electrolyte disorders (33.1% vs. 17.8%, p<0.01) were found among surgery patients with C. difficile, among others. C. difficile affects a relatively small number of cardiac surgery patients, but significantly increases mortality, length of stay, hospital charges, and complications in those patients. Further investigation into ways to curb the spread of C. difficile in surgery could be beneficial to both patient health and hospital systems. Project Mentor: Edward Soltesz, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Faculty Sponsor: Professor Jean Burns, Department of Biology *** Strategies for Improving Nutrition in School Aged Children Tony Vehovec, FPB School of Nursing; Carrie Foster, FPB School of Nursing Health screenings at the Cleveland Metropolitan school district (CMSD) have shown levels of overweight and obesity well above the national and state averages. To address this issue, this project, a part of the Prentiss Foundation funded project, “Nurses in Cleveland Schools”, has developed and piloted three main interventions designed to improve nutrition in CMSD children at the Michael R. White Elementary School. The first strategy implemented was to increase healthy food choice marketing throughout the school. This was achieved through the addition of healthy food posters in the each class room and lunch room. The second strategy was a healthy food demonstration by Bon Appetit open to the parents and members in the Michael R. White Stem School community. The demonstration will provide simple and healthy versions of dishes commonly made. A cookbook of the recipes was provided to everyone who attended. The effectiveness of the demonstration was evaluated by a post survey asking the parents about the current frequency of healthy cooking in their household and the likeliness of incorporating the new healthy recipes. The third strategy was to conduct a plate-waste study. The aim of this study is to see what types of foods the children enjoy eating by assessing how much of each type of food is wasted. Evaluation of these strategies will provide the bases for recommendations to the CMSD school board on ways to improve the nutrition of the children in the schools. Faculty Mentor: Rita Sfiligoj, FPB School of Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 19 A Puzzling Storage Box Greg Mercier, Math and Physics; Parker Fowler, Economics and Theater; Billy Littlefield, Undecided Most storage boxes are boring and do not incorporate an effective locking feature. By designing a puzzle box we not only satisfy the objective to store objects, but we incorporate an entertaining locking feature and a storage box with multiple and sometimes hidden compartments that can only be unlocked through the proper sequence of moves. We are going to construct a “puzzle box,” as to enhance the aesthetic value of a container and add a mechanical locking feature. By incorporating a standard storage box into our design we can further hide the puzzle box inside. The unique design will be a compilation of various puzzle box designs to contain multiple hidden compartments. We do not want the puzzle to be too complicated and to avoid this, we will limit moving parts and the number of moves needed to solve the entire puzzle or unlock every compartment. Our completed puzzle box will have the illusion of being a normal storage box, while it will contain an internal puzzle which contains multiple compartments and some hidden compartments. We will construct this puzzle box using the available machinery in Think[Box]. The puzzle box will contain wooden and thermoplastic materials fabricated using the Laser Cutter, Shop Bot and the 3D Printer. The completed storage box will give someone a place to keep regular items that one wants to be immediately accessible, while also safely locking items one wants to keep safe or invisible from wandering eyes inside. Project Mentor: Dr. Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical Engineering *** Enhancing Smoking Education at Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice Ashley Franklin, FPB School of Nursing, Paulina Kauzljar, FPB School of Nursing Our research and clinical experience have revealed that cigarette smoking is a significant problem among the population of patients receiving home health care in Erie, Pennsylvania. The aim of our project was to implement an intervention with the goal of improving patient knowledge regarding the harmful effects of smoking, inhaling second-hand smoke, and smoking while receiving oxygen therapy. Research has shown that smokers with a higher education level were more likely to intend to quit, to make an attempt to quit, and to be abstinent for at least one to six months as compared to those who have less education and are not well-informed about smoking. To address this problem, we created educational pamphlets that consisted of information outlining the harmful health effects of tobacco and second-hand smoke. Theses pamphlets provided information, written in “patients’ language” that should help them to understand the dangers of smoking cigarettes. The focus of the information was community-based, and presented from the perspective of promoting the health of the entire community. A pre-survey to measure baseline knowledge of the health effects of smoking was administered to patients at the first home visit. The pamphlet was then given to the patients to review and study. During their subsequent home visit, the same survey was administered to the patients. Our goal was to demonstrate a 25 percent increase in knowledge regarding the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. The goal was achieved with 73.33 percent of the patients reporting enhanced knowledge about smoking and health. Project Mentor: Dr. Faye Gary, FPB School of Nursing *** Wetting Properties and Electrochromic Behavior of PVK Nanofibers Rebecca Frederick, Department of Chemical Engineering; Brylee David B. Tiu, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Conjugated poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) nanofibers with superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity have been fabricated via electrospinning. Due to the random stacking of micrometer-thick fibers, the microscale roughness of the material complemented the inherent hydrophobicity of the polymer to improve overall wetting properties. The resulting superhydrophobic film also demonstrates high adhesion towards the water droplet, which has potential Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 20 applications for non-loss fluid transportation, in-situ localized chemical reactions or oil-water separation. Moreover, the electrochromic behavior of PVK was demonstrated by crosslinking its carbazole moieties via solid-state oxidative crosslinking and electrochemically switching between oxidized and neutral states. Project Mentor: Dr. Rigoberto Advincula, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering *** Regulation of pre-miRNA processing in B-cell lymphoma Charles Fulco, Case Western Reserve University, Departments of Biology and Biochemistry; Erich Sabio, Virginie Olive, Ph.D., and Lin He, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Cancer is characterized by the corruption of normal cellular growth control towards uncontrolled proliferation. In many human cancers, particularly B-cell lymphomas, the polycistronic microRNA (miRNA) cluster mir-17-92 is overexpressed and contains both oncogenic miRNAs (mir-19a and -19b) and a miRNA that antagonizes the oncogenic character of the rest of the cluster (mir-92). Though the entire cluster is transcribed together, levels of the mature miRNAs differ markedly, with the oncogene-antagonist miRNA especially lowly expressed in lymphoma cells. Thus, the rate of miRNA maturation through processing by the enzymes Drosha and Dicer is likely an important regulatory step in the abundance of each miRNA. Two approaches were used in parallel to characterize the regulation and functional outcome of post-transcriptional processing in the mir-17-92 cluster. First, the gene expression regulation due to mir-92 was determined by quantitative-PCR of cells virally infected with strongly expressed mir-92, and mir-92 was found to upregulate cell cycle and proliferative genes, leading to induction of tumor suppression. Second, to localize the sequence elements responsible for differential processing, hybrid premiRNAs combining parts of multiple miRNA were constructed and the loop region of the miRNA was found to predict Dicer processing kinetics. Together, these approaches seek potentially drugable targets to return the balance from cancer to normalcy in diseased tissues, as well as to shed light on the regulation of miRNA processing. Project Mentor: Lin He, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Faculty Sponsor: Robin Snyder, Department of Biology *** Genomewide analysis of polyadenylation status in Drosophila using RNA sequencing Charles Fulco, Case Western Reserve University Departments of Biology and Biochemistry; Trinh Tat, Patricia Maroney, Timothy Nilsen, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University Center for RNA Molecular Biology The poly(A) tail is a long stretch of adenosine nucleosides at the end of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) important for stability and efficient translation. Prior work identified a small set of messenger RNAs in Drosophila that lack a normal poly(A) tail. The two examples of under-adenylated transcripts (reaper and hid) characterized thus far are both involved in the regulation of apoptosis; it is intriguing to think that under-adenylation has regulatory functions for cellular death controls or stress responses, but more data from more genes are needed. Assuming under-adenylation is induced by an RNA binding protein, knowing which transcripts are likely under-adenylated will also aid in identifying the consensus sequence(s) necessary for binding. To identify most (or all) such under-adenylated transcripts, I analyzed data generated by sequencing of Drosophila cell poly(A)-plus and -minus RNA separated physically by oligo-dT column (which preferentially binds long stretches of adenine). Using the “Cufflinks” algorithm to quantify individual transcripts produced mixed results. The histone messenger-RNAs known to be poly(A)-minus were identified as such, and a new poly(A) minus transcript (arc1) predicted from the data has been validated experimentally. However, the two poly(A)-minus messages that instigated this study were not identified as poly(A)-minus. One possible source of error is a sequencing bias toward the 5’ end of transcripts in the poly(A)-minus fraction, likely indicative of an artifact arising in the separation of poly(A)-plus and –minus mRNAs by oligo-dT column. Moving forward, I am using a machine learning based algorithm to computationally correct the biases along each transcript. This will allow more accurate identification of poly(A)-minus messages for use in further biochemical and bioinformatic studies. Project Mentor: Timothy Nilsen, Center for RNA Molecular Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 21 Investigating the Correlation Between Environmental Self-Regulation and Pollution Output Anthony Gatti, Economics, Mathematics, and Political Science Firms in various industries have over time attempted to signal the degree to which they produce in an environmentally sustainable manner by subjecting themselves to review by an independent auditing agency. I attempt to analyze whether receiving a certification from such an agency really leads to lower levels of pollution at the firm level. In particular, I investigate whether controlling for industry and geographic location has any effect on the amount of pollution observed at the plant level. If these effects are not significant, it is more likely that the resultant profit margins for sustainable firms are directly the product of demand-side factors, and the certification itself is more important than the actual production process. I use data from firms certified through the ISO 14001 review board, and cross-reference these firms against the general list of pollution data provided by the Toxics Release Inventory, an agency of the Environmental Protection Agency. I find that after controlling for the overalldownward time trend in total pollution, having ISO certification correlates positively with pollution output, while attaining the certification has no effect. Thus environmental self-regulation is more likely to occur among larger firms that are attempting to gain profit margin through certification, and certification is not actually leading to lower pollution output. Mentor: Justin Gallagher, Department of Economics *** De-stress Express: Educating Women on How Stress and Menopause Affect Health Elizabeth Gibbemeyer, FPB School of Nursing; Deena Levey, FPB School of Nursing; Patricia Bacchus, Good Samaritan Hospital Health is greatly affected by both menopause and stress as shown in the Madisonville community of Cincinnati, Ohio. Research has shown that stress increases one’s risk for cardiovascular health problems, depression, obesity, lung and liver damage, and more (Rozanski, Blumenthal, & Kaplan, 1999). The aim of the project was to increase the participants’ ability to list physical signs or symptoms of stress and signs or symptoms of menopause, identify daily life stressors, list ways to relieve or cope with stress, and identify ways that stress negatively impacts their health. It was decided that the objectives would be accomplished through a program for 20 premenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal women with a presentation focused on defining stress, defining menopause, and how stress and menopause both affect women’s health. The presentation consisted of a 30-minute interactive PowerPoint lesson in addition to two proven stress-relieving activities, guided imagery and yoga. A presurvey was distributed before the presentation to measure the participant’s prior knowledge of stress, menopause, and how each affects women’s health. Following the presentation and exercises, a post-survey, identical to the presurvey, was handed-out and collected. The goal was to have a 20% increase in knowledge and a 10% decrease in reported stress levels. Faculty Mentor: Sarah Gueldner, FPB School of Nursing *** An Analysis of the Effect of Plasma Injection on Flame Stabilization in Jet Engine Combustors Felipe Gomez del Campo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Gas turbines obtain their propulsive force by extracting work from the combustion of hydrocarbons; the efficiency of this process is dependent on the speed of the combustion reaction and the ignition delay time of the fuel. Previous research has shown that the kinetics of a flame can be influenced via the interaction with non-equilibrium plasma. The aim of the current research was to ascertain if plasma could be used practically to extend flammability limits and increase the efficiency of combustion within a jet engine combustor. A jet engine combustor was constructed and a 17 KHz plasma with an amplitude of 15 KV was generated within the combustor and used to ionize the fuel. Industry standard parameters used to measure the performance of jet engines such as the dynamic exhaust gas pressure, Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) and the efficiency of combustion were monitored while the power Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 22 delivered to the plasma exciter circuit was varied. Recording EGT as a function of time, it was experimentally determined that in a cold air flow of 5 m/s a lean flame without the addition plasma extinguished immediately (manifested by immediate drop in EGT). However, when plasma was injected into the combustion chamber, no flow rate possible with the set up could extinguish the flame. Moreover, at the maximum plasma discharge power, a flame was stabilized at an equivalence ratio of 0.5 as compared to 0.6 for the control without the addition of plasma. It was additionally shown that with plasma power less than 3% of the power of the combustion chamber, there was up to a 62.5% increase in heat evolved at the highest flow rates, and up to a 5% increase in heat evolved at the flow rate where the maximum value of heat evolved occurred. Faculty Sponsor: Professor Iwan Alexander, Department of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering *** Impact of Sterilization on Antibiotic Release and Bioactivity from Affinity-Based Drug Delivery Systems Catherine A. Gormley, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Jeffery M. Halpern, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Horst A. von Recum, Department of Biomedical Engineering Our lab and others have previously shown that cyclodextrin polymers can be used for affinity-based drug delivery, providing a prolonged release compared to that from traditional diffusion only materials. Recently, our group has studied how sterilization of the polymers affects the release and activity of antibiotics. We compared the release rate and microbicidal activity of non-sterilized gels (control) to three different forms of sterilization: autoclave, gamma radiation, ethylene oxide sterilization. We tested these parameters with three different antibiotics: rifampicin, vancomycin, and erythromycin in parallel. We found that autoclaving the cyclodextrin-based polymers had a noticeable impact on drug release, with reduced drug burst and longer release time. We also saw a statically significant increase in the autoclaved microbicidal activity of drug released from autoclave polymers as compared to non-sterilized controls. We saw no statistical difference in the release rate or microbicidal activity in polymers sterilized by gamma radiation and ethylene oxide. Project Mentor: Professor Horst von Recum, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Fabrication of a Puzzle Box in a 3D Printer Juliana Gregor, Department of Engineering; Alexis Schilf, Department of Engineering; Christopher Weddle, Department of Physics. The goal of our team was to hide a possession from others in a way that was both easy and mentally stimulating. Ultimately, the object would be not only useful but fun. Our design team decided that the best method of storing small possessions was with a puzzle box. This puzzle box must have a hidden compartment with the ability to 1) store small objects 2) open easily, and 3) remain hidden from others when closed. With such a device, a user could easily gain access, while others could not. The team drafted a design using the CAD software CREO. The puzzle box was then fabricated in Think[box] using the 3-D printing machine. The final product will be small enough to fit in the user’s hands, but large enough for the user to safely store small items in the compartment. A puzzle box is useful to a user who wishes to securely store small objects and enjoys solving puzzles. Project Mentors: Professor Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Cooke, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and Professor Iammarino, Department of English. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 23 Endotoxin Levels Facilitate Device-Associated Neuroinflammation Daniel J Hageman,1,2 Madhumitha Ravikumar, 1,2 Gabriella Chandra, 1 Jeffrey R. Capadona, 1,2 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering; Case Western Reserve University 2 Rehabilitation Research and Development, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Intracortical microelectrodes can communicate with neuronal populations translating one’s ‘thoughts’ into functional outputs. Arguably, the most accepted hypothesis for loss of chronic recordings from intracortical microelectrodes is attributed to the inflammatory response at the tissue-electrode interface. We hypothesize that one possible source for this discrepancy between the inflammatory response and recording data, as well as the variability within an in vivo setup, may be attributed to endotoxin contamination of the device prior to implantation. Hence, we evaluated endotoxin levels for three commonly used sterilization methods and analyzed the inflammatory response that results at two and sixteen-weeks post-implantation. Briefly, a kinetic endotoxin assay was run to determine the endotoxin concentration that corresponds to each method of sterilization. The three methods of sterilization used for the microelectrodes were autoclaving, dry heating, and ethylene oxide. C57/BL6 mice were implanted with chronic electrodes and allowed to survive for 2 or 16 weeks. Tissue sections were then stained using immunohistochemistry for each of the major cellular markers to quantify the extent of the inflammatory response at the interface. Our results show a correlation at two weeks between the extent of endotoxin removal from the surface and the inflammatory response around the microelectrode. These data suggests that removal of endotoxins from the microelectrode surface may be crucial in attenuating neuroinflammatory events at early time points. At sixteen weeks, however, there was no correlation between the level of endotoxins and the inflammatory response, indicating that endotoxins may be removed by the body’s immune response by 16 weeks. Faculty Mentor: Jeffrey R. Capadona, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Does Behavioral Inhibition Affect Emotion Regulation Abilities? Christine Hale, Psychology Major, Kimberly Dunbeck, (Graduate Student, College of Arts and Science) Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament construct which is characterized by the predisposition to be irritable as an infant, unusually shy and fearful as a toddler, and quiet, cautious, and withdrawn in the preschool and early school age years, with marked behavioral restraint and physiological arousal in unfamiliar situations (Kagan, Reznick, & Snidman,1987). BI has been widely studied over the past 20 years, and numerous studies have found BI to relate to poor social experiences and poor peer relationship (Shamir-Essakaow, Ungerer & Rapee, 2005). Emotion regulation is defined as the process in which individuals influence their emotional experiences and expressions (Gross and Oliver, 2003). Studies have shown that poor emotion regulation skills are also related to difficulties in social relationships (Gross, 2002). A considerable body of research has identified emotional competence, the ability to act efficaciously in emotionally arousing situations, as a crucial component in children’s adaptive social functioning and psychological adjustment. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet examined the relationship between behavioral inhibition and the ability to regulate emotions. This study aims to examine the association between BI and emotion regulation skills in children by using parent responses about their child’s emotion regulation abilities and behavioral inhibition on both the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) and the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ). It is hypothesized BI will be inversely related to poor emotion regulation. This hypothesis will be tested using a correlational analysis. Mentor: Amy Przeworski, Ph.D., Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 24 HDAC6 Mediated Regulation of Inflammatory Signaling in Cystic Fibrosis Alyssa Harker, Department of Chemistry; Deborah Corey, Department of Pediatrics, Sharon Rymut, Department of Pharmacology Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease caused by genetic mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Phenotypes of the mutation include poor lung clearance, increased inflammation, and increased infection. The cellular manifestation of the disease leads to phenotypes including exaggerated inflammatory signaling within cystic fibrosis cells. Previous work in the lab has shown there are modifications of microtubules that impact intercellular transport. One such modification is the acetylation of microtubules, which has been shown to affect the transport and accumulation of cholesterol in CF cells. Based on this previous data, the hypothesis of this study is that acetylation of microtubules impacts inflammatory signaling. Measuring both the activity of the transcription factor NF-κB and the stimulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 promoter is used to monitor inflammatory signaling. To test the hypothesis that microtubule acetylation is a regulator of CF inflammatory signaling, activity of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which specifically deacetylates microtubules was manipulated in two ways. First, the impact of pharmacological inhibition of HDC6 activity with tubastatin A was examined. Secondly, to overcome possible non-specific interactions of tubastatin A, HDAC6 expression was knocked-down in wild type and CF cell models by siRNA. The results showed that HDAC6 inhibition by both processes decreased both NF-κB activation and IL-8 promoter expression in both wild type and CF cells. These results are consistent with other findings in the lab which allows us to conclude that HDAC6 is an important modulator in inflammatory signaling and a potential target for intervention. Project Mentor: Dr. Thomas Kelley, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology *** Health Education About the Transmission and Prevention of STDs in a High Risk Populations: Southcentral, Alaska Courtney Hawk, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Every year there are more than 19 million new sexually transmitted disease (STDs) cases in the United States with nearly half of these cases among people aged 15-24. Chlamydia (CT) and Gonorrhea (GC) are the two most common reported STDs. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Alaska had the highest Chlamydia infection rates per capita in the United States in 2010 and 2011. Knowledge deficit and limited access to resources are contributing factors to this overwhelming statistic. At the MatanuskaSusitna (Mat-Su) Public Health Center, the percent of positive CT tests doubled from 2007 to 2011. A survey conducted by the Public Health Center (PHC) found that, although 60% of young people aged 14-19 would benefit from health counseling/education classes, they are not consistently available. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to implement an STD educational program within this vulnerable population and observe an improvement of 15% in test scores from pre-test to post-test. The methods included an icebreaker activity, a pre-test, a PowerPoint presentation, brief video clip, poster, and a post-test. At the end of the hour session, each student was given a take home packet with condoms, resources list, the Mat-Su PHC brochure, and information on different STDs. There was an improvement in test scores despite the small amount of students present. The educational program developed will be available for ongoing efforts to decrease STD infection rates throughout Alaska. Project Mentor: Sandra Woods, RN MSN, Nurse Manager at Mat-Su Public Health Center Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marilyn Lotas, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 25 Increasing New Family Planning Clinic Visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Steven Leusch, Jennifer Kim, Evan Hayden, and Claire Vidalon - BSN candidates This project examines the efficacy of selected county-wide community outreach activities aimed at increasing new Family Planning Clinic visits at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH). Under Title X of the Public Health Services Act, Family Planning Clinics provide individuals with access to numerous sexual health services, including diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In Cuyahoga County, rates of two STDs, specifically chlamydia and gonorrhea, increased each year since 2008, suggesting a need for increased sexual health awareness, education, and promotion. Lakewood Municipality was the primary focus of intervention because of a demonstrated rate of 416.26 per 100,000 population documented chlamydial infections and a rate of 105.50 per 100,000 population documented gonorrheal infections, both the highest of any west-side municipality from 2010 to 2011. The intervention portion of this project, which spanned from June 2012 to August 2012, included county-wide community outreach activities, in the forms of monthly electronic social media publications and daily conventional flyer and “My Life, My Body” card distributions and postings. Data were collected from tallies of new Family Planning Clinic visits. The effectiveness of county-wide community outreach activities was measured by a survey, distributed to each new client during the intervention phase. The primary result of this investigation revealed a decrease of new Family Planning Clinic visits by 6.7% (n=42). However, survey data collected suggests that electronic social media publications were more effective than conventional flyer postings and “My Life, My Body” card distributions. Of the total surveys collected (n=19), 10 responded hearing about Family Planning Clinic services online; 5 responded hearing about Family Planning Clinic services via word of mouth; 2 responded hearing about Family Planning Clinic services from other capacities at the CCBH; 1 cited a knowledge about public health; 0 stated hearing about Family Planning Clinic services from a flyer or “My, Life, My Body” card. Future projects may be aimed at identifying individual barriers limiting sexual health maintenance and exploring how such barriers may be dismantled. Gayle Petty, Project Advisor – Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Flashlight for the Future Robert Minkebige, Chemical Engineering; Mary Hazlett, Mechanical Engenering; Jonah Pregulman, Nursing The widespread use of flashlights has helped many people who work in dark or confined spaces in need of a light source. Flashlights have become an integral solution to any low light work dilemma. However, the problem that has not been addressed is the need for hands-free illumination of one’s workspace. Our design combines a lightweight plastic material, white and red LEDs and a battery to power the LEDs to form the components for a sturdy flashlight that is also portable. A switch has been installed to limit the amount of battery life wasted. Our flashlight design was modeled using a 3D software suite and successfully prototyped using the 3D printer in Think[box]. We also used the circuit lab to hand solder the necessary circuit. To address the growing need for a sturdy hands-free flashlight, we added a set of foldout legs to the body of our flashlight. Our innovative flashlight design would enable many professionals to utilize this device while maintaining the full use of both of their hands. Such an advantage could increase the user’s productivity and efficiency. The distribution of our flashlight could provide a critical new way to light ones workspace, using a cheap, sturdy, and practical design in one complete package. Project Mentor: Dr. Malcolm Cooke, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 26 Relationship between frailty status and response to the influenza vaccine in older adults Sarah Hoffman, Departments of Biology and Anthropology; Leola Jones, Division of Infectious Disease; Htin Aung, Division of Infectious Disease; and David Canaday, Division of Infectious Disease Past studies have established a relationship between age and response to the influenza vaccine, but this study takes a new approach by hypothesizing that frailty status is a better predictor of older adults’ immunologic response to the influenza vaccine. Frailty is measured by five tests including weak grip strength, low activity level, unintended weight loss, exhaustion, and slow walking speed. My role in the project is to measure each person’s immunological response to influenza vaccine using samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from before and after vaccination. I will use the enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay to measure the proportion of cells secreting interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) when exposed to influenza vaccine. Virus-specific cells release IFN-γ when exposed to influenza and can directly inhibit viral replication and can also indirectly activate the immune system through activation of natural killer cells and macrophages and by increasing antigen presentation to T-cells. Quantifying the frequency of IFN-γ secreting cells through the ELISPOT assay provides a way to measure T-cell activity in response to the influenza vaccine. Subjects who have already been exposed to influenza antigens, such as those given the vaccine, should show a greater response in the ELISPOT by having more cells that produce IFN-γ. The degree to which the response changes in samples from pre- and post-vaccination will indicate the efficacy of the vaccine in that individual. The results will then be matched to results of anti-influenza titers, flow cytometry, and, measures of frailty to determine any relationships. Project Mentor: David Canaday, Division of Infectious Disease Faculty Sponsor: Emmitt Jolly, Department of Biology *** Anti-oxidant Releasing Mechanically-Adaptive Materials Improve Neural Device Tissue Integration Kyle T. Householder1,2, Kelsey A. Potter1,2, Mehdi Jorfi3, Christoph Weder3 and Jeffrey R. Capadona1,2 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 2 Advanced Platform Technology Center, Rehabilitation R&D, L. Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 3 Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland Penetrating microelectrodes, capable of providing an intimate level of interaction with neural tissue, show promise in restoring ‘natural’ function for those suffering from neurological deficits. Long term however, the recording capability of these electrodes decrease in large part, due to neuron degeneration and foreign body encapsulation; termed neuroinflammation. There are many elements that contribute to neuroinflammation following device implantation. Two factors we have separately shown to contribute to this inflammatory response are the mechanical mismatch between the implanted material and the native tissue, and also the oxidative stress state that forms around the implant as a result of inflammation. It is hypothesized that each of these pathways plays a unique role at different time-points post implantation. This study explored the potential for synergistic neuroprotection from antioxidant releasing compliant electrodes. Specifically we utilized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mechanically adaptive materials capable of releasing curcumin, an anti-oxidant known to reduce oxidative stress and promote blood-brain barrier (BBB) stability. The most prominent result we found was that curcumin-loaded PVA materials offered significant neuro- and BBB protection 2 weeks post-implantation. These results support the hypothesis that reduced oxidative stress helps maintain a more stable BBB and provides localized neuroprotection at the electrode-brain interface at acute time-points. Future work aims to investigate the ability of our anti-oxidant releasing dynamic material to provide protection at later time-points. Mentor: Jeffrey Capadona- Department of Biomedical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 27 Deleterious Effects of Mdm2 Deletion in Adult Mice Sophia Hu, Department of Biochemistry; Yun Zhang, Department of Genetics; Shunbin Xiong, Department of Genetics; Guillermina Lozano, Department of Genetics More than half of human cancers are characterized by the inactivation of p53, a tumor suppressor that is inactivated by its negative regulator, mdm2. In cancers expressing wild-type p53 and high levels of mdm2, clinical therapy aimed at restoring p53 expression and activity in tumor cells by inhibiting mdm2 represents a novel and potentially effective cancer treatment. However, mdm-2-inhibitory drugs present an inherent risk of activating the tumor suppressing and apoptotic functions p53 in normal tissues, events that possess potentially harmful repercussions. It was previously shown that in a mouse model that sequestered p53 in the nucleus, p53 was constitutively active only in classically radiosensitive tissues that are susceptible to the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. In contrast, we hypothesized that using a conditional Mdm2FM allele mouse model that allows for rapid and reversible switching between p53 wild-type and null states will induce harmful responses in classically radio-insensitive tissues as well. As such, the objective of our study was to determine if further p53 activation induced by the deletion of the mdm2FM allele can in fact elicit deleterious pathologies in radio-insensitive tissues. It was demonstrated that p53 is spontaneously active in all tested tissues of mdm-2-deficient mice, as seen from immunohistostaining for p53 and the activation of PUMA and p21, downstream targets of p53. In addition, apoptotic lesions were observed in the kidney, a classically radio-insensitive tissue. Due to the potent impact of p53 in the absence of its negative inhibitor, mdm2, careful dosage and delivery of mdm-2 inhibitory drugs will be essential for optimizing their use as novel anticancer agents. Project Mentor: Dr. Guillermina Lozano, Department of Genetics at University of Texas MD Anderson Center Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Yun Zhang, Department of Genetics at University of Texas MD Anderson Center *** Engineering Innovation and Design: Integrating a Puzzle into a Flashlight Interface Zuyan Huang, Department of Biology, Nabhan Karim, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jacob Schimelman, Department of Biomedical Engineering In today’s market, flashlights are solely designed based on functionality. There is a need for a flashlight that serves to entertain its user while still maintaining its primary function: providing light. Our design aims to create a device that duals as both a flashlight and a puzzle. To seamlessly combine these two inventions, our team will make a flashlight that turns on through the use of a puzzle mechanism on the shaft of the flashlight. The puzzle will be a series of rings that must be arranged in a specific letter combination, with the solution possibly being the word light. When the rings are rotated into the correct position, the circuit will complete itself, turning on the flashlight. Our team plans to design the infrastructure for the flashlight using Creo Parametric software and the tools available in think[box]. To manufacture the inner tube of the flashlight, our team will design it in Creo and upload the design for fabrication to the 3-D printer. The movable rings that comprise the puzzle aspect of the device will either be manufactured out of wood using ShopBot or fabricated using the 3-D printer. That decision will come from the feasibility and specifications of using either method. The flashlight, by the end of the design process, will produce a high quality beam of light once the unique combination is inputted. This flashlight will provide both entertainment and an efficient light source for the user. Faculty Sponsor: Professor Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Professor Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 28 Plasticity in the Motor Cortices of the Brain Resulting from Muscle Fatigue - A Brain Stimulation Study Daniel Janini1, Department of Biology; David Cunningham1; Alexandria Wyant1; Corin Bonnett1; Vlodek Siemionow1,2; Guang Yue1,2,3; Ela Plow1,2 1.Departments of Biomedical Engineering and 2.Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; 3.Kessler Foundation Research Center, West Orange, NJ Muscle fatigue emerges in part due to changes in central neural networks. It remains unknown, however, how fatigue affects the map of the motor cortex (M1) controlling the contracting muscle. This experiment examined the effects of muscle fatigue on M1 excitability using a noninvasive method of brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Fifteen healthy, right-handed, young adults participated. Subjects underwent three fatiguing conditions of a hand muscle: low-level (sustaining 30% of maximal contraction until exhaustion), highlevel (100% of maximal contraction transiently), and no-fatigue. Before and after each condition, TMS was delivered to M1 sites in a 7×5 grid of 1 cm resolution, while evoked electromyographic (EMG) responses were collected from the muscle. Variables included: 1) area of M1 that evoked EMG in the muscle, 2) map volume, a measure of excitability given by the sum of normalized EMG, and 3) Center of Gravity (CoG), a measure of location weighted by size of evoked EMG. Our results suggest that changes in motor map area, volume, and location due to muscle fatigue are task dependent. Low fatigue resulted in a decrease in map area and volume, supporting previous conjectures that fatigue reduces neural output, reflecting maladaptive plasticity. Low fatigue also caused a lateral shift in CoG, suggesting the compensatory recruitment of the muscles of the thumb. High fatigue did not cause a significant change to motor map area, volume, or center of gravity. This study provides an empirical model that enables us to clinically test fatigue; our current work is exploring how low- and high-fatigue elicits plasticity in cancer-related fatigue, the most debilitating post-chemotherapy symptom. Project Mentor: Dr. Radhika Atit, Department of Biology *** Chemical Biology at CWRU—A Trial Run Hannah Shimko, Department of Chemistry; Sarah Jawhari, Department of Chemistry; Dmytro Vykhovanets, Department of Chemistry; Brittney Bunn, Department of Chemistry; Nipun Sodhi, Department of Chemistry; Dr. Blanton Tolbert, Department of Chemistry Chemistry and biology must no longer adhere to traditional disciplinary boundaries. Recently, the interface of these fields has been recognized as its own unique specialty. Knowledge on how to use chemical techniques to manipulate biological systems is highly desirable for today’s scientist—with many exciting scientific advances being made by those well versed in both chemistry and biology. The Chemistry Department at Case Western Reserve University will soon offer a major in this integrative field, with a chemical biology laboratory course at the core of the curriculum. Such a course was developed, but needed to be evaluated for its efficiency and effectiveness. This study determined if the proposed chemical biology experiments were feasible for students to complete in a timely manner, while gaining a proper understanding of the subject matter. Project Mentor: Brittney Bunn, Department of Chemistry Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Kenney, Department of Chemistry *** Multi-Functional Stimuli Responsive Materials Using Dynamic Covalent Bonds Colin A. Jaye, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research in stimuli responsive ‘smart’ materials is a rapidly growing field and has yielded materials that elicit responses including changes in stiffness, fluorescence, shape, and healing properties in response to a stimulus. For the most part researchers have only developed materials which exhibit a single response and that have less than desirable mechanical properties due to the use of weak, intermolecular bonding and hydrogen bonding. The goal of Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 29 this project is to create and study a covalently cross linked polymer with multiple stimuli responsive properties and robust mechanical properties. The semi crystalline nature of the polymer allows for shape memory properties and the presence of dynamic disulfide bonds allows for healing, reprogramming of its permanent shape, and strong mechanical properties. Project Mentor: Brian T. Michal, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Faculty Sponsor: Stuart J. Rowan, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering *** Effects of Secondhand Smoke and Use of Smoking Cessation Websites among Adolescents in Hong Kong Rachel Johnson, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Nita Kopan, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Jessica Parker, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Kevin Shui, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing During the last 30 years, Hong Kong has implemented numerous anti-smoking laws which have reduced the prevalence of smoking from 23.3% in 1982 to 11.1%. The purpose of this project was twofold: 1) To explore the effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during adolescence on current smoking status and attitudes towards anti-smoking legislation, and 2) To assess students’ perceptions of the usefulness of smoking cessation websites in order to produce recommendations for the creation of a more effective web based anti-smoking intervention. A literature search revealed that 1) Adolescents exposed to SHS in the home were more likely to smoke as adults, and 2) an effective smoking cessation website involved four main resources, one of which is a social support component. Two surveys were distributed to students at the University of Hong Kong: 1) SHS Exposure During Adolescence, and 2) Components of Web-Based Smoking Cessation Interventions. Survey analysis showed that 1) students who were exposed to SHS in the home during adolescence were no more likely to be current smokers than those who were not exposed, and among local students who stated that they were “almost never” bothered by SHS, 100% perceived Hong Kong anti-smoking legislation to be effective in reducing their exposure to SHS, and 2) Hong Kong smokers are more likely to use a web-based intervention than smokers of other countries, and they did not consider a social component to be crucial to the efficacy of the website. These results will be used to further improve the smoking cessation website maintained by the School of Nursing at the University of Hong Kong. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between SHS exposure and current smoking behavior and attitudes towards anti-smoking legislation. Project Mentors: Dr. Mary T. Quinn Griffin, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing; Dr. Sophia Chan, School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong *** Engineering a Puzzle Box Robert Reed, Civil Engineering; Julia Johnson, Biomedical Engineering; and Adriana Marrero, Biomedical Engineering Nowadays, it is evident that problem-solving skills and a good imagination are essential to tackle most daily-life situations. In order to promote these skills in a fun and useful manner, the design team will create a puzzle-box. The puzzle box will serve several purposes: a) to put one’s small sized personal belongings (e.g. jewelry, money and other small items), b) to promote problem solving skills, and c) to serve as an aesthetically appealing accessory. In order to bring this idea to life the design team will first use Creo Parametric to make a design of the puzzle box from scratch. Then the team will proceed to use the 3D printer in Think[box] to fabricate the design. To open the finished puzzle box, the user must use trial and error to decipher the combination. We plan to test the success of our puzzle box by letting Case students try to solve it. A random sample of students will try to open the puzzle box, and their comments will be taken into consideration. This will allow us to gage the success of the project. The exterior of the puzzle box, is meant to be creative and eye-catching, thus it may have patterns and engravings; while the interior might have several visible and hidden compartments. This product should be fun to use and it will also keep the user’s problem solving skills active. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 30 Project Mentors: Professor Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Professor Iammarino, Department of English. Utilizing 3D CAD Software and Think[box] to Produce a Puzzle Box: Creation, Manufacture, and Design of a Complicated, Useful, and Intriguing Puzzle Box Colleen Kennedy, Department of Chemical Engineering; Eric Sullivan, Department of Chemical Engineering; Raymond Yang, Department of Biomedical Engineering Puzzle boxes are a valuable source of intrigue, serving as useful storage containers shrouded behind an intricate maze of clever designs that must be overcome to be opened. Our group strives to design and create a puzzle box that embodies these ideals. The box should be unique, suitably large, and engaging. A deep understanding of CAD software will be necessary for the creation of the puzzle box, especially in Adobe Illustrator and Creo to create 2D and 3D models. Through the use of Think[box], we will manufacture and assemble our design using the 3D printer, woodcutter or laser cutter, depending on the material deemed most appropriate for the construction of the product. Ideally, the puzzle box will succeed in being functional, useful, and interesting, showcasing the innovative techniques and problem-solving abilities of our group. The final artifact will be the perfect puzzle box, fulfilling its role with both reasonable, practical storage space and a complex structural design that will be challenging and engaging. Mentors: Dr. Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Dr. Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Religious beliefs and practices in mother-child dyads: Dyadic flexibility and mutual positivity and negativity in light of religious disparities Michaela Klco, Department of Psychology, Dr. Arin Connell, Department of Psychology, Abigail Hughes-Scalise, Department of Psychology, Susan Klostermann, Department of Psychology, Emily Patton, Department of Psychology The present study examined the link between familial interpersonal relationships and religious beliefs and practices. Specifically, mother-child dyads were the focus. Data from a family study was used to compare dyadic flexibility and mutual positivity and negativity across three discussion tasks against teen and parent scores in religiosity and the difference between the scores. Based on the literature, hypotheses expected to see more mutual positivity and dyadic flexibility across tasks in dyads where both teen and parent were highly religious. Preliminary correlation analysis and analysis of variance showed that dyads where both parent and teen tended to be more religious showed the greatest amount of dyadic flexibility but only in the conflict discussion task. These dyads also demonstrated more mutual positivity within the conflict discussion task. Teens also self reported more perceived positive family interactions if they tended to be more religious. As correlations are not strong evidence for connections, data other than self report, like the types used in this study, are quite strong and lend further support to the proposed hypotheses. Further directions for these findings are discussed. Project Mentor: Dr. Arin Connell, Department of Psychology *** Documentation at the Lorain County Health Department Adult Health Clinics Emily Kreiner, Department of Nursing; Brianna Parks, Department of Nursing The Lorain County Health Department runs eight Adult Health Clinics that deliver care to county residents aged 55 years and older, free of charge. Currently the clinics utilize two forms, a self-health history form filled out by first-time clients and an initial nursing assessment form filled out by health department nurses on the initial appointment. Both forms were created and last updated in 1975. According to Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 31 nursing surveys and record audits of current client charts, the forms are repetitive, lengthy, often left incomplete, not easily utilized by the served age group, and lack evidence-based content. These form failures deleteriously affect nursing care plan formulation and patient health outcomes. Thus, this research focused on the effects of creating a combination form updated with evidence-based practice specifically in relation to form return, overall record completeness, and section completeness in order to increase the effectiveness of care provided at the Lorain County Adult Health Clinics. Project Mentor: Gayle Petty, Department of Nursing *** The Importance of Visual Acuity Screenings in the Geriatric Population Victoria Krogg, Department of Nursing; Shannon Liauw, Department of Nursing As individuals age, their visual function may undergo physical change influenced by natural causes, environment, or eye conditions (i.e. cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes retinopathy, trauma). Loss in visual function can impact how they drive, read, ambulate, and how they maintain personal safety. This research is focused on identifying if there is a vision problem within the Fairfax community and to increase the number of patients who take the appropriate measures to maintain ocular health. Visual acuity screenings were administered to the randomly selected geriatric patients using a questionnaire and hand-held Rosenbaum chart. An informational sheet regarding visual acuity patient education was also distributed to the patient post- examination. The results showed that vision quality in the patients is not being properly treated or screened. Many patients had health conditions (i.e. diabetes) that impacted their vision quality. Patients also lacked the means to receive optometry care and did not attend regular check-ups. The functional status of vision is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in our elderly population. Faculty Mentor: Gayle Petty, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Lemarchand’s Box Matthew Zembas, Department of Chemical Engineering; McFerran Landis, Department of Computer Engineering; Austin Mak, Case School of Engineering As thieves constantly adapt to innovations in security with more creative ways of stealing, there is an everincreasing need for secure and reliable storage. Many people turn to safe deposit boxes or giant safes, but both of these resources are incredibly inconvenient for holding items of moderate value. We aim to design a small box that can be easily transported, conveniently opened with the known combination, and nearly impossible to break into without destruction of all materials. The title, Lemarchand’s Box, is derived from a mythical puzzle box which supposedly had such unique craftsmanship that it was impossible to break into without the true configuration. In order to duplicate this clever configuration, our design implements the use of multiple unlocking mechanisms, at least one of which is dependent on an outside object such as a magnet. The use of these unique design aspects leaves our puzzle box with an infinite number of possible unlocking methods. This puzzle box will primarily be constructed using plywood, superglue, and a laser cutter. These materials allow for easy transportation and storage, a quality that most other safes lack. With the Lemarchand’s Box, it is no longer necessary to sacrifice convenience, accessibility, or transportability when it comes to ensuring the safety of the things you care for most. Project Mentor: Professor Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 32 Isonitrile Synthases (WwisnA and WwisnB) of Terrestrial Cyanobacteria: Mechanistic Insights from Homology-Based Three Dimensional Structures William R. Lang, Department of Chemistry; Brittney M. Bunn, Department of Chemistry; and Rajesh Viswanathan, Department of Chemistry Natural products (secondary metabolites, e. g. penicillin and vinca alkaloids) continue to revolutionize modern medicine. Marine photosynthetic bacteria (blue green, cyanobacteria) recently have shown promise as fruitful sources of lead molecules in drug discovery efforts. Filamentous soil cyanobacteria, however, have remained underexplored for their biosynthetic potential. We report the first collective genomic analysis and cluster identification for isonitrile biosynthesis in four distinct soil cyanobacterial strains. Specifically, a new sub-cluster of genes encoding for biosynthesis of tryptophan isonitriles (WwisnA and WwisnB) have been identified and functionally studied for the biosynthesis of terpene indole alkaloids. These alkaloids have a unique biosynthetic pathway and lead to 65 individual natural products. Selected members of these terpene indole alkaloids inhibit P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux, thus possessing resistance-reversal activity. The specific goal of this study is to create an ensemble of three-dimensional models based on structure and sequence homology for the isonitrile synthases from various prokaryotic systems. Using bioinformatics three-dimensional models of newly identified cyanobacterial WwisnA and WwisnB were created and compared to proteobacterial (IsnA and B) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PvcA and PvcB, PDB IDs: 3E59 and 3EAT) isonitrile synthases. In the absence of an X-ray crystallographic data for WwisnA and WwisnB, this ensemble will serve to delineate the mechanism of isonitrile biosynthesis in cyanobacteria. Recent results from heterologous expression, stereoselective substrate synthesis, and a mechanistic hypothesis for isonitrile biosynthesis will be highlighted in this presentation. Isonitriles are biologically active molecules and a brief review of their medicinal potential will be highlighted. Our laboratory employs combinatorial biosynthesis strategies to create unnatural analogs with better biological profiles as well as the ability to employ genetic manipulations to create biologically active small molecules. Graphical abstract: C COOH N H C N NH2 WIsnA N COOH N H WIsnB N H Figure: Homologs PvcA and PvcB are shown on the left and right of the equation describing biosynthesis of antibiotic isonitrile. Faculty Sponsor: Rajesh Viswanathan, Department of Chemistry. *** Craniofacial C57BL/6 Mouse Index Linda Le, Department of Biology; Bin Yang, Department of Otolaryngology, Post-Doctoral Fellow C57BL/6 is among one of the most commonly used strains of laboratory mice. However, no craniofacial index has been established for this strain. A craniofacial index will potentially help many researchers compare craniofacial data without the need to sacrifice numerous mice and would save researchers the time and resources needed to perform these tedious measurements. Additionally, a simple, low-cost method for measuring mouse craniofacial morphology is introduced here using a combination of techniques from other research papers. Craniofacial measurements of control C57BL/6 mice from multiple experiments are compiled and analyzed. These control mice display no mutational phenotypes, but may harbor various recessive mutations. This project aims to establish a craniofacial index for C57BL/6 mice and to introduce an effective method for performing mouse craniofacial measurements. Project mentor: Dr. Qing Y. Zheng, Department of Otolaryngology-HNS Faculty sponsor: Professor Barbara Kuemerle, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 33 Describing the Perceived Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Cupping for Treatment of Orthopedic Pain Among Geriatric individuals in Wuhan China Erika Lim, Sophie Malamut, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University; HOPE School of Nursing; Qing Shan Community Health Center Musculoskeletal disease is a major health problem among geriatric individuals living in Wuhan, China. Pain is the most common symptom of musculoskeletal disease and it is often inadequately treated. The Qing Shan Community Health Center in Wuhan, China treats orthopedic pain using a combination of acupuncture and cupping. This research describes the perceived effectiveness of traditional Chinese acupuncture and cupping to reduce orthopedic pain among 30 individuals 65 years of age or older both immediately after treatment with acupuncture and cupping and the change in perceived effectiveness based on treatment duration. The comparison groups were 1) patients receiving treatment for 2 weeks or less; 2) patients receiving treatment for 1 to 2 months; and 3) patients receiving treatment for over 1 year. A numeric pain scale was used to assess patient pain. Perception of pain relief was measured by comparing a patient’s perceived pain before treatment with a patient’s perceived pain immediately after treatment. Immediately after treatment 30 of 30 patients reported a decrease in pain levels. The mean reported decrease in pain levels were 1) 22.5 percent for patients receiving treatment for 2 weeks or less; 2) 54.5 percent for patients receiving treatment for 1 to 2 months; and 3) 54 percent for patients receiving treatment for over 1 year. The findings revealed a direct relationship between perceived treatment effectiveness and treatment duration. Treatment effectiveness increases as treatment duration increases, however, when treatment exceeds one year the effect of treatment plateaus. Project Mentor: Dr. Marilyn Lotas, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University *** Twenty-year evolution of the gp120 envelope protein of HIV-1 in Belgium and Cameroon with respect to fitness and neutralizing antibody sensitivity. Joseph Liu, Department of Biology and Department of Philosophy; Denis Tebit, Ph.D., Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Eric J. Arts, Ph.D., Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, and Crystal Carpenter. The historic treatment of HIV-1has employed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to eradicate the virus, but only suppressed the progression of the virus in vivo and revealed the ability of the virus to evolve through recombination and generation of novel recombinant forms. The recent emergence of HIV-1 specific neutralizing antibodies for vaccine development has offered new possibilities in combating the pandemic. This study intends to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic evolution of the gp120 envelope protein of HIV-1 in Belgium and Cameroon over a twenty year period of the HIV pandemic, with respect to fitness and neutralizing antibody sensitivity. In particular, we propose that non-subtype B viruses from Cameroon might have attenuated and progressively evolved towards resistance to neutralizing antibodies, due to non-specific mutations in the hypervariable regions of the gp120 region of the env gene caused by the immune system. Understanding these evolutionary dynamics between long-term attenuation of HIV-1 and viral responses to neutralizing antibodies, and humoral immune responses as a whole, can greatly contribute to the development of effective vaccine treatments. Project Mentor: Denis Tebit, Ph.D., Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine Faculty Sponsor: Emmitt Jolly, Ph.D., Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 34 Promoting Awareness of the Components of Healthy Relationships in St. Thomas, USVI Madeline McMorrow, Nursing; Kaitlyn Roudebush, Nursing; Dr. Maxine Nunez, Professor of Nursing, St. Thomas According to The Virgin Islands Department of Public Health, domestic violence is increasing in St. Thomas. Domestic violence is defined as patterns of abuse against an individual to gain control over them. Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal. Domestic violence is becoming an epidemic throughout the United States as nearly 1/3 of American women reported of being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend during their life with higher rates in some Caribbean cultures. The objective of our project in the US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas was to bring awareness to women about what factors constitute a healthy relationship and to empower them to take self-protective actions. We created a seven week lesson plan geared towards woman ages 18 to 45 about topics that relate to healthy relationships. We provided our teaching interventions for one hour once a week at two locations: The Family Resource Center and The Family Planning Clinic. At each location, we taught lessons about self-esteem, STDs, domestic violence, conflict resolution and other topics that are related to healthy relationships. We incorporated different methods into our teaching including verbal instruction, demonstration, worksheets, pamphlets, posters, and interactive power point presentations. There was an average of three to eight people in each class. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our teaching, we used post-survey questions directly related to the lesson that was just taught. It was expected that the women would have an increased knowledge of 20% by the end of the lesson. Dr. Lynn Lotas, Associate Professor; Director of the BSN Program, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Green your Lab at CWRU – “Treat your lab like your second home.” Jenna Millemaci, BA Candidate English, BA Candidate Environmental Studies There are 1300 laboratories at Case Western Reserve University. According to Duke University, research labs can require five times more energy to operate than classrooms and office spaces on a per square foot basis. As part of CWRU’s Climate Action Plan, the Department of Campus Planning and Facilities is working toward significantly reducing the university’s utility usage and carbon footprint. Campus labs have been identified as areas of particular concern for their enormous output, prompting the launch of the “Green your Lab” Campaign this fall of 2012. The campaign will introduce the Green Lab Certification Program, an incentivized certification system created to encourage lab personnel to make small changes for an overall larger benefit to their lab and the university as a whole. The system was modeled after accomplished green lab programs at other universities, such as Yale, MIT, Harvard, and Duke. The benefits of practicing sustainability in the lab environment are both tangible and conceptual, promoting unity, monetary savings, a better professional lifestyle within the lab, and advancement in the overall success of the university. Lab managers, PIs, or an appointed “green liaison” will be in charge of keeping track of the lab’s sustainable actions through an interactive checklist, featuring categories such as Energy, Procurement, and Waste Management. The green liaison will then report back to the Office for Sustainability with the purpose of earning a corresponding green certification level. Labs will be encouraged to participate on a voluntary basis. Project Mentors: Stephanie Corbett, Director of Sustainability, Gene Matthews, Director of Facilities, Department of Campus Planning and Facilities Office for Sustainability *** Impact of a Transition Nursing Program on Patient Satisfaction and Long-Term Readmission Rates in Individuals with Congestive Heart Failure Melissa Moore, BSN; Brandon Pach, BSN Starting in October, 2012, hospitals with above-average readmission rates for heart failure will be financially penalized by Medicare. Therefore, hospitals across the nation have developed programs to improve the process of transition from hospital to home in order to minimize hospital re-admissions and subsequent Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 35 revenue loss. Between the years of 2006-2009, Southwest General Health Center (SWGHC) had a rate of readmission for heart failure patients of 29%, which was significantly worse than the U.S. rate of 24.7%. In May, 2011, a transition-nursing program (TNP) was implemented by the community-nursing department at SWGHC. A home visit and telephone follow up calls were conducted for each individual for one-month post discharge. After one year, the 30-day readmission rate for the 185 heart failure patients enrolled in the program was 4.86%. The objective of this project was to identify the incidence of re-admissions after that 30-day period, to evaluate the effectiveness of the TNP in reducing long-term readmission rates. Readmissions were recorded for the 30-60 and 60-90 day periods following discharge, and the cause of readmission was documented. A survey was conducted to determine patient satisfaction with the program and their level of comprehension regarding the education they received during the program. The survey demonstrated high patient satisfaction with moderate content retention. Faculty Sponsor: Marilyn J. Lotas, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing BSN program director *** Puzzle Box Fabrication Joe Plazek, Case School of Engineering; Marla Vaughn, Department of Biochemistry; Zachary Mufti, Case School of Engineering Most storage boxes are straightforward and mundane. For this project, we will create an intricate, useful, and entertaining puzzle box that incorporates a secret compartment. This puzzle box should not only serve the purpose of storage, but should also become a toy in itself for the user to enjoy. To build the puzzle box, the group will brainstorm different alternative designs and from these, we will create the final design. We will utilize the Creo Parametric CAD Software to build a model of the final design and will print out the final product with the threedimensional fabrication machinery in Think[box]. This product will be a storage box with a locking mechanism that will open when the puzzle is solved, revealing its internal compartment. To be successful, this box must fulfill a set of requirements that will make it effective and alluring. The box must, first and foremost, fulfill the storage space requirement, or else no user would desire it as a box. However, the box must also be a challenging puzzle for almost no user, except the owner, to be able to open the box. Therefore, it would provide a safe place to house valuables. Last, the solution to the box cannot require too many steps, or else it would be too inconvenient to access the hidden storage. Project Mentors: Dr. Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Dr. Iammarino, Department of English. *** Medication Assessment and Documentation in the Public Health Setting Patrick Murphy, School of Nursing; Morgan Redenshek, School of Nursing Patient medication management and adherence are problems that healthcare professionals are faced with every day. The population at the Adult Health Clinic, a nurse operated free clinic for individuals 55 years of age and older, was previously identified as having a medication adherence issue. After 50 face to face surveys were completed, findings revealed that clients were actually medication adherent. Informal interviews with staff and 50 random chart reviews concluded that documentation did not reflect the clients’ compliance and the medication assessments completed at the Adult Health Clinics. In this project evidence-based practice solutions and methods were developed to refine assessments of patient medication management for this particular public health service. Revised guidelines, updated forms and a seasonal “brown bag” assessment were proposed. The goal of this project was to refine the Adult Health Clinic guidelines and facilitate a comprehensive and sustainable medication assessment and documentation system for future implementation. Project Mentor: Cheryl Killion, PhD, RN, FAAN, School of Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 36 The Role of Soil Heterogeneity on the Competition and Coexistence of Invasive Species Elizabeth Odil, Department of Biology; Dr. Angela J. Brandt, Department of Biology; Ryan Eldridge, Department of Biology at OSU; Gaston Del Pino, Department of Biology; Dr. Jean H. Burns, Department of Biology Both soil heterogeneity and competition have been shown to affect the growth of plants. This suggests that there is a relationship between soil heterogeneity and competition but this has not been studied, particularly the mechanism. Plant-soil feedbacks, how microbes in the soil affect plant growth, are known to play a role in the coexistence of plants. This research seeks to investigate the relationship between soil heterogeneity and coexistence of two closely related invasive species, Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata. Each plant is grown by itself, with its conspecific, and with its congener. Each competition combination is grown in a homogeneous soil mixture, and in two heterogeneous mixtures, one in its own soil and another in its congener soil. Preliminary nondestructive data suggests that P. lanceolata performs better in its home soil than in its congener soil or in a homogeneous mixture due to plant-soil feedbacks or local adaptation. Further investigations will look at the role and mechanism of root foraging of these two species. Using the same setup and after being given enough time to grow, the biomass of plants will be taken and the roots will be dyed in order to tell them apart between the two plants. This may further our understanding of coexistence and community assembly. Project Mentor: Dr. Jean H. Burns, Department of Biology *** Mimicking Platelet-Cancer Cell Interactions for Targeted Drug Delivery in Metastatic Breast Cancer C. Modery1, V. Pan1, G. Howard1, A. Master1, and A. Sen Gupta1 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH Platelets have been implicated to play important roles in hematologic metastasis of breast cancer, by (i) facilitating intravasion of tumor cells by secreting chemokines, cytokines, and proteases, (ii) binding to circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to form microthrombi “cloaks” that allow evasion of immune-surveillance, (iii) promoting adhesion of the CTCs to secondary site vascular wall under hemodynamic flow, and (iv) facilitating tumor cell extravasation and inflammatory microenvironment development for metastatic colonies. We hypothesize that identifying molecular mechanisms of platelet-cancer cell interactions and mimicking them on synthetic particles may provide effective ways of actively targeted drug delivery to metastatic breast cancers. To test this, we first quantified expression of platelet-relevant receptors on two human breast cancer cell lines, namely, MCF-7 (non-metastatic) and MDA-MB231 (pro-metastatic), using immunofluorescence techniques. Next, we studied interactions of platelets with these cancer cells under hemodynamically relevant flow, by allowing fluorescently pre-stained platelets to flow over the cancer cells for 30 min at 5 dynes/cm2, in a parallel-plate flow chamber. The platelet-binding was quantified using fluorescence intensity analysis. Utilizing this insight, we engineered fluorescently-labeled, ligand-decorated plateletmimetic liposomes and allowed them to flow over the cancer cells and quantified the liposome-binding using fluorescence intensity analysis. Our results show enhanced expression of certain platelet-relevant receptors on MDA-MB-231 compared to MCF-7 cells, facilitating their higher interactions with platelets. Mimicking these interactions with the platelet-mimetic liposomal constructs enabled enhanced binding to MDA-MB-231 compared to MCF-7 cells. These studies can lead to effective ways of creating drug-loaded vehicles that specifically target metastatic breast cancers. Project Mentor: Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta, Department of Biomedical Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 37 Characterization of the Immune Response to Plant Viral Nanoparticle Tobacco Mosaic Virus for HIV Vaccine Platform Application Pooja Rambhia1, Sourabh Shukla3, Neil Greenspan2* and Nicole F. Steinmetz3,4,5* Department of Biochemistry1, Department of Pathology2, Department of Biomedical Engineering3, Radiology4, Materials Science and Engineering5, School of Medicine Introduction: A major goal of current efforts directed at developing an HIV-1 vaccine is to determine how to elicit durable titers of potent broadly-neutralizing antibodies. The hypothesis we ultimately wish to test is that highly-ordered multivalent display of a relevant HIV-1 antigen will facilitate the above goal. Traditional approaches to generating multivalent antigens yield variable inter-epitope spacing and geometry. With these methods, the best that can be accomplished is a pre-determined average spacing. In contrast, creating a deterministic epitope array, in which interepitope spacing and geometry are more uniform, is a major challenge. To address this challenge, we embraced a bioinspired approach, specifically the plant pathogen tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). TMV is a 300 by 18 nm rod-like, helical structure composed of 2130 identical coat proteins. We are assessing it as a platform for deterministic multivalent epitope display of HIV-1 antigens capable of eliciting potent broadly-neutralizing antibodies. Modification of TMV can be performed by either genetic or chemical means, thereby transforming the viral particle into a scaffold for multivalent ligand display. In order to use TMV as a platform for the multivalent presentation and delivery of the HIV-1 surface antigen, gp41, it is imperative to understand and thoroughly characterize the immunogenicity of TMV in vivo. Materials and Methods: Immunogenic characterization of TMV involved immunizing C57BL/6J mice with TMV using subcutaneous and intraperitoneal administrations. Solid-phase ELISA assays were subsequently employed to evaluate the antigen-specific serum antibody titer, relative to IgG, IgM and IgA responses. Results and Discussion: Preliminary results indicate no immunogenicity of TMV in eliciting an IgA response, minimal IgG reponse, and a substantial IgM response, all of which are consistent with a thymus-independent immune response. Future experiments will involve immunizing mice with a higher dose of TMV and over longer periods of time. Subsequent experimentation will include conjugating peptides from the gp41 coat protein of HIV-1 to TMV in order to evaluate the immune response of TMV-gp41 conjugates. Acknowledgements: Pooja Rambhia acknowledges support from a Provost - Summer Undergraduate Research Grant at Case Western Reserve University, as well as the Greenspan and Steinmetz labs. Faculty Mentor: Neil Greenspan M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology, and Nicole F. Steinmetz Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering *** ERK Signaling in ASD Associated with Copy Number Variation of 16p11.2 Vibha Ramesh, Department of Biology; Colleen Karlo, Department of Neurosciences, Dr. Joanna Pucilowska, Department of Neurosciences, and Dr. Gary Landreth, Department of Neurosciences Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be characterized by changes in the genetic sequence like deletions, duplications and mutations. The 16p deletion/duplication represents just one of these, and in fact is the most common genetic linkage present in 1% of all individuals with ASD. Two extracellular signal-related kinases that are known to control brain development are ERK1 and ERK2. The ERK1 gene is located on the 16p11.2 locus on chromosome 16. Altered expression of one or more genes in the 16p11.2 chromosomal region leads to deregulation of the ERK/MAP kinase-signaling pathway and may result in pathological and cognitive defects commonly associated with ASD. Western blot assays were run and analyzed to provide information on the different protein levels between the wild type mice and the mice that harbor the 16p11.2 deletion. These deletion mice are heterozygous and have only one copy of the ERK1 gene. By looking for changes in the ERK1/ERK2 levels and the ERK 1/2 phosphorylation activity, we can prove that changes in the ERK activity may contribute to the deficits observed in mouse models of Autism and ASD patients. Project Mentor: Dr. Gary Landreth, Department of Neurosciences Faculty Sponsor: Professor Emmitt Jolly, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 38 Signaling through the HGF receptor c-Met stimulates oligodendrocyte proliferation and inhibits astrocyte proliferation Lahiru Ranasinghe, Department of Biology; Jordan Hecker, Department of Neuroscience; and Dr. Robert H. Miller, Department of Neuroscience Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is produced by mesenchymal cells and acts on epithelial and endothelial cells. Recent studies have shown however, that HGF also plays a role in the fate of neural cells that develop into astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes are myelinating cells of the central nervous system and astrocytes form the blood-brain barrier. An oncogene known as c-Met codes for a tyrosine kinase receptor called Hepatocyte Growth Factor Receptor (HGFR). A previous study showed that when c-Met was blocked by an antibody in Multiple Sclerosis mouse models, oligodendrocyte and oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) proliferation were inhibited and astrocyte proliferation was stimulated. The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of c-Met of neural cell proliferation in development. Using CreloxP technology, mice were genetically modified to knock out the c-Met oncogene, thus removing HGFR. When mice are age P3, their spinal cords were cultured using a dissociated cell culture protocol. Four and seven days after the cultures were established, they were stained with antibody markers that identified oligodendrocytes (O4), OPC’s (A2B5) and astrocytes (GFAP). C-Met knockout mice showed markedly decreased concentrations of both OPC’s and oligodendrocytes, up to %50, whereas astrocyte concentrations in these same animals increased by over %400. These data show that signaling through c-Met stimulates oligodendrocyte development and inhibits astrocyte development. Project Mentor: Dr. Robert H. Miller, Department of Neuroscience Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Roy Ritzmann, Department of Biology *** Biodistribution of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Rods and Spheres Lauren Randolph, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Michael Bruckman, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Stephen Hern, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Allen VanMeter, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Prof. Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering Nanotechnology has the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment of cancer or cardiovascular disease. Nanoparticles are well suited for this purpose; they can simultaneously display several different molecules, such as targeting ligands and imaging molecules, providing increased imaging sensitivity and tissue specificity. Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) from plants are ideal for the development of tissue-specific imaging devices. Naturally occurring, VNPs are well characterized with known structures that can be engineered with atomic resolution. For clinical application, a detailed understanding of the in vivo biodistribution, clearance and potential toxicity of these particles is required. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a hollow, rod shaped virus with different interior and exterior surface functionalities. TMV spheres were generated through heat-mediated shape switching methods. TMV rods and spheres were labeled with PEG and near-infrared fluorophores using bioconjugate chemistries. TMV-based nanoparticle formulations were injected into Balb/c mice intravenously. Time course studies were conducted; all major organs were collected and analyzed: i) quantitative assays were developed to determine the amount of TMV in each tissue at each time point (4, 24, 96 hrs), and ii) immunofluorescence studies were performed to gain understanding of where within the tissues TMV localizes. TMV rods and spheres were found to have comparable biodistribution and clearance profiles: the nanorods and spheres accumulate in liver and spleen indicating clearance by the reticuloendothelial system. Immunofluorescence studies revealed co-localization with macrophages in both the spleen and liver at early time points, and later time points showed B-cell particle uptake in the spleen. Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 39 The stream drift paradox: How are Northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) populations maintained? Jeremy Rayl, Department of Biology, Mike Benard, Department of Biology Animals that live in streams face continual pressure to move downstream due to water flow (i.e., “drift”), yet are still able to maintain upstream populations; this is known as the paradox of stream drift. Several hypotheses have been proposed to describe how these populations are maintained while drift occurs. The colonization hypothesis states that an upstream movement bias of later life-stages, typically adults, is necessary to maintain stable populations. Alternatively, the production hypothesis states that drift is density-dependent and no upstream movement bias is necessary to maintain stable populations. We sought to answer these questions in Northern Two-Lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata) by performing a capture-mark-recapture study on these salamanders in a stream at Squire Valleevue Farm. Northern Two-Lined salamanders have two life stages: two to three years as fully aquatic larvae, and sexually mature adults that are primarily terrestrial but remain close to the stream. Over the course of six weeks, adult salamanders were marked with unique color combinations of Visible Implant Elastomer to identify their original stream section. We estimated population size and tested if salamanders were more likely to move upstream or downstream. Additionally, we designed larval traps to observe upstream and downstream movement bias of the aquatic larval-stage. These data are important to understand movement dynamics of organisms in the two-dimensional stream environment. If the colonization hypothesis is correct, we expect upstream bias in the adults to compensate for downstream larval movement. Conversely, if the production hypothesis is correct, we’d expect no adult movement bias along with downstream larval movement. Project Mentor: Dr. Mike Benard, Department of Biology *** The Influence of Religion and Geography on the Rituals of Papua New Guinea and Aboriginal Australia Sarah Richmond, Department of Anthropology Anthropological research often reveals connections between seemingly unrelated aspects of a culture. This paper will examine the relationship between societal behavior and nature as well as the interactions between religion and nature and draw connections between the two. It will examine the indigenous groups of New Guinea and Australia, comparing and contrasting both the rituals in which they participate and their daily activities in order to find connections between them. In particular, it will examine rituals and behaviors involving food and the specifics of each region’s physical characteristics. Finally, the paper will argue that all of these aspects are interconnected and affect each other in a variety of ways. Essentially, the rituals performed by a particular society, in these cases indigenous groups, are influenced by both the religion of the group as well as the geography of the region. Faculty Advisor: Lawrence Greksa, Department of Anthropology *** Optimization of Indium-Limited Transparent Conductive Oxides for use in Organic Photovoltaics Shawn Rupp, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering; Ken Singer, Department of Physics; Ina Martin, MORE Center Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) has received significant attention in recent years for its potential application as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) to be used in organic photovoltaics. AZO has a large enough bandgap to allow optical transparency, can achieve fairly high levels of conductivity via doping, is processable at room temperature via sputter deposition, and comprises abundant materials. In this study, AZO thin films were prepared via DC magnetron sputtering. Films comprising only AZO were prepared under a variety of conditions in order to optimize the transparency and conductivity. In order to determine optimal deposition parameters, factors including Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 40 deposition pressure, oxygen concentration in the gas flow, deposition rate and film thickness were varied. The transmission, surface roughness, film thickness, and conductivity were measured for each film. The optical transmission increased as the deposition pressure decreased, with the film deposited under 5 mTorr having the highest degree of transparency, ~87% in the visible range. The resistivity of the films decreased as the film thickness increased, and the most conductive film deposited had a volume resistivity of 7.45 x 10-3 Ω-cm. Further optimization is needed in order to achieve a resistivity comparable to an indium tin oxide (ITO) film, which is typically at least 10-4 Ω-cm. Project Mentor: Ina Martin, MORE Center *** Quantitative Comparison of Gated and Real-Time Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Srijita Sarkar, Department of Biochemistry; Victoria Yeh, Medical Student; Vidya Nadig, Cardiac Fellow; Nicole Seiberlich, Department of Biomedical Engineering Cardiac MRI plays a vital role in the diagnosis, treatment, and assessment of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the state-of-the art-cardiac MR examination requires the patient to perform multiple breathholds and have a steady ECG. Often one or both of these requirements are not met by the cardiac patient, leading to poor image quality, long scan times, and inaccurate functional parameter estimation. Recently, our lab has developed a fast MR imaging technique, which makes real-time cardiac imaging possible. This technique uses novel data acquisition strategies along with advanced MRI signal processing algorithms, which allows data to be acquired in less than 50ms per frame. With this high frame rate, ECG gating and breathholding are not necessary for the cardiac MRI scan. Our research is concerned with validating the real-time cardiac scanning against the clinical gold standard to determine if the image quality is sufficient for the determination of cardiac functional parameters. We have collected data from volunteers and patients using both the real-time scan and the gold standard methods. The data is reconstructed using computer software, and relevant functional parameters are compared. The images are then rated by a cardiologist to determine whether key anatomical features are visible in the real-time images. The ability to acquire cardiac images and accurately calculate cardiac functional parameters without relying on breathholding or ECG triggering would lead to enhanced images, fewer repeated scans, shorter scan time, and improved patient comfort. Project Mentor: Dr. Nicole Seiberlich, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Synthesis of Anode Material for Lithium-ion Polymer Batteries via a Two Phase Synthetic Method Dhruv Seshadri, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering In this study, different weight percent’s of 750 molecular weight purified Poly(ethylene-oxide) (PEO) were tested to determine which percent would yield a stable cycling capacity. PEO was cross-linked and uniformly coated via the free radical initiator AIBN onto the graphite surface via a two-phase synthesis. Different amounts of PEO were added to determine an optimum PEO amount to yield stable cycling. The goal of this project was to determine the amount of PEO needed to minimize the irreversible capacity related to both the molecular weight and the surface area of graphite (carbonaceous material). Slurry consisting of the PEO coated graphite mixture and other materials were applied as a laminate onto a copper foil to form the electrode. 0.3% PEO coated graphite showed the best adhesion to the copper foil and highest cycling capacity for PEO containing sample. Microscopy analysis concluded that there was no evidence of segregation or aggregation of the PEO thus indicative of uniform PEO coating on the graphite surface. We conclude that a two-phase synthesis is an effective process to modify the electrode. Project Mentor: Dr. Sang Jae Park and Dr. Gao Liu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gary Wnek, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 41 Behavioral Inhibition as a Predictor of Social Competence in Children Tosin Shenbanjo, Department of Psychological Sciences; Kimberly Dunbeck, Department of Psychological Sciences; Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of Psychological Sciences Behavioral inhibition presently describes the tendency for one to exhibit fear and withdrawal in new or unknown situations (Rosenbaum et al., 2000), while social competence refers to the extent to which a person is socially accepted by his peers (Cohn, 1990). Current research exploring both behavioral inhibition and social competence in children is predominantly limited to separate analyses of the psychopathological implications of each construct. In an effort to broaden the understanding of the processes by which children’s peer relationships may be affected by both behavioral inhibition and social competence, the present study aims to explore the possible effects of behavioral inhibition on a child’s parent-perceived social skills. The parents of a sample of young children ages four to seven, selected to participate in an interactive play study, will complete the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire and the Social Competence Scale-Parent, from which a correlation analysis will be executed. It is hypothesized that a child’s level of behavioral inhibition will predict his or her level of social competence. From this, results may serve as a base upon which early social training initiatives for children, serving to promote more positive schema of social interactions by enhancing social competence and reducing the expression of behavioral inhibition, may be conceived. Project Mentor: Kimberly Dunbeck, Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of Psychological Sciences Cohn, D.A. (1990). Child-mother attachment of six-year-olds and social competence at school. Child Development, 61, 152-162. Rosenbaum, J.F., Biederman, J., Hirshfeld-Becker, D.R., Kagan, J., Snidman, N., Friedman, D…Faraone, S.V. (2000). A controlled study of behavioral inhibition in children of parents with panic disorder and depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 2002-2010. *** Determining the efficiency of antibody specificity against FadA protein of Fusobacterium nucleatum using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay Yong Mi Shin, Department of Biology; Yiping W. Han, Department of Periodontics; Mara Guichon Rubenstein, Department of Periodontics Fusobacterium nucleatum is a gram-negative oral anaerobe that has been linked to preterm birth through mother’s periodontal infections. Continuous research elucidating the pathway of infection from mother’s oral cavity to the compromise of uterus health has suggested a particular protein to be involved in an invasion mechanism of F. nucleatum called, Fusobacterium adhesin A (FadA). FadA, known to have 129 amino acid residues with 18 amino acid signal peptide, has two recombinant forms, pre-FadA and mFadA that form a complex significant in structural and functional purposes. Pre-FadA anchors the FadA complex in the inner membrane and mFadA is secreted in the outer membrane, which suggests that mFadA adheres specifically to host epithelial cells. FadA, considered highly conserved among closely related oral Fusobacterium species, opened up the possibilities of building FadA - specific vaccines. The purpose of the present study was to test various monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies raised against FadA using ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). The antibodies were tested against different strains of Fusobacterium and Escherichia coli expressing FadA to determine their efficiency and specificity for the purpose of building vaccines against FadA protein. Project Mentor: Dr. Yiping W. Han, Department of Periodontics Faculty Sponsor: Professor Dianne Kube, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 42 Costa Rican Health Care System and Ethical Principles: A Comparison with the United States’ System Kendra Simmons, Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University With the standards of four key ethical principles in mind: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, Costa Rica developed a comprehensive health care system that focuses on effective care and total coverage for all citizens. La Caja is the main form of public health insurance in the country which is run through the government and driven by the community paying regular premiums. This sector dominates the overall health care system offering a wide variety of inexpensive services. The private health care, on the other hand, is more specialized and offers treatments at higher costs for citizens. This project discusses the detailed features and history of the Costa Rican health care system while tying in aspects of the United States’ system for comparison. In order to relate how the ethical principles are utilized in the system, euthanasia and end of life practices are also explained. Is life always viewed as inviolable and sacred? Does the physician always guard the patient’s life and choose the option that is most beneficial? Overall, health care and underlying principles in Costa Rica continue to mature. Despite difficulties with quality of treatments, accessibility to resources, and response time for care, the system effectively operates as it was originally designed. Project Mentor – Dr. Lawrence Greksa, Department of Anthropology *** Cost and Benefits of Friendship in Non-Human Primates Sara Sines, Department of Anthropology, Department of Psychology Are humans the only primates who form friendships? This presentation reviews the reasons for and benefits of friendship in non-human primates. It is based on a literature review. I defined "friendship" as preferential interaction or proximity; that is, two non-human primates prefer or choose to be around each other or interact with each other. Evidence for primate friendship was found throughout the Primate Order; in Old World Monkeys, New World Monkeys, and Apes. Non-human primates form friendships that may last for years. These friendships may be formed between males, between females, and even between males and females. For example, in some baboon species friendships will be formed between a female with an infant and an adult male that is not the father. What leads this male to befriend this female even though he did not father the infant? What benefits and costs does friendship provide for both the female and the male? Research indicated there were many more benefits to nonhuman primate friendship than costs and generally, these benefits outweigh them. Project Mentor: Professor Cynthia M. Beall, Department of Anthropology *** Observed stress-induced genetic changes in Linum usitatissimum and how they are related to Turkish Linum bienne Kyle Bryant Smith, Department of Biology; Nasmah Bastaki, Department of Biology; and Margaret Cullis, Department of Biology Numerous species of flax can be induced by stressful environmental pressures to adapt and pass along these adaptations to their offspring. This has been shown in previous experiments to be a genetic change and not just a phenotypic change. Our new focus is taking the discoveries found in Linum usitatissimum and relating them to Linum bienne. L. bienne is the uncultivated ancestor of L. usitatissimum and also passes on genetic adaptations to its offspring when grown in stressful environments. Thus it stands to reason that L. bienne has a genetic sequence that allows stress-induced adaptations to be passed on to the offspring, such as Linum Insertion Sequence 1 (LIS-1) in L. usitatissimum. The next logical step is to determine whether LIS-1 is present in L. bienne. This is achieved by comparing L. usitatissimum and L. bienne using polymer chain reactions (PCRs) and gel electrophoresis. Project Mentor: Dr. Christopher Cullis, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 43 Comfortable and Adjustable 3D Movie Glasses Samuel Sprawls, Physics Department; Kaveh Varghai, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Zaiqian Zhang, Department of Chemical Engineering With 3D movies and television becoming more popular and advanced, the glasses we use in order to watch them have become out of date and unpopular. The discomfort of the one-size-fits-all glasses has become a major reason why some people avoid 3D movies. Our team hopes to design glasses that will be comfortable to wear for all viewers. This may be achieved in one of two ways: first making the frame dimensions adjustable and second incorporating softer materials into the frame. Currently the frames must fit both small children and adults. With an adjustable frame, less pressure will be exerted on contact points. By using softer material in the main contact zones above the ears and on the bridge of the nose, the glasses will be less noticeable to the wearer. While comfort will be the design’s main goal, the design must not forget the importance of the cheap cost of manufacturing and the durability these glasses rely on. To go about designing these glasses, our team will design and fabricate a prototype of the glasses using the Reinberger Design Studio and the Think[box] lab. If our design is able to meet all of our criteria, comfortable while still affordable and durable, 3D movies and television would again become something to look forward to and perhaps even make 3D technology the standard way of viewing entertainment. Project Mentors: Professor Patrick Crago, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Malcolm Cooke, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Dr. Iammarino, Department of English. *** Network Effects of TP53 and PTEN Mutations in Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Elena Svenson, Department of Systems Biology, Giri Gokulrangan, PhD, Gurkan Bebek, PhD, Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and also the most fatal of all primary brain cancers. This cancer displays high heterogeneity in gene and protein expression levels amongst patients. Mutational status is also noted to be quite heterogenous. This makes it hard to determine which mutations are “drivers” in the cancer, as opposed to “passengers” and it also makes it challenging to see whether variance in mRNA levels correlates to a proteomic impact. Utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) patient dataset, this project studies two of the top mutated genes in GBM – TP53 and PTEN - and traces differences in their mRNA levels through to differential patterns in their respective proteomic sub-networks. This allows a connection to be made between mutational genomic data and functional proteomic data, by considering an integrated approach to mutational effects on protein pathways. Project Mentor: Mark Chance, Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case School Of Medicine *** Hyaluronan Oligomer Delivering Nanoparticles for Localized In Vivo Elastic Matrix Regenerative Therapies Andrew Sylvester, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, ND 20, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are localized expansions of the abdominal aortic wall which weaken over time and can eventually rupture fatally. Small AAAs grow at a slow rate (~10% per year) and can take 5 or more years to rupture. This period of passive growth monitoring is ideal for drug therapy to slow, arrest or even reverse AAA growth via regenerative repair of enzymatically disrupted matrix structures within AAAs. PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated with varying percent loadings of HA-o were synthesized and were shown to exhibit mean hydrodynamic sizes of ~350 nm which is appropriate for exclusion by cells in the extracellular space Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 44 where elastic matrix assembly occurs. These NPs were formed using 0.25% PVA to impart a negative charge of 30 mV which does not effect cell viability when used at 0.5 mg/mL. The NPs were found to maintain HA-o release over an extended period (>30 days) at steady-state levels. The NPs and released HA-o induced dose dependent increases in elastic matrix synthesis, and increases in LOX and Fibrillin-1 production important to elastic matrix crosslinking and fiber formation respectively. In addition the HA-o NPs provide no activation of MMPs or their activity based on western blots and gel zymography. Future studies will focus on targeted delivery of these optimized PLGA HA - o NP formulations using a catheter to the site of induced AAAs within a rat model. This will be studied in vivo with a rat model with elastase perfusion induced AAAs. Project Mentor: Balakrishnan Sivaraman, Principal Investigator: Anand Ramamurthi Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, ND 20, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA *** Effects of modulation of energy expenditure on body weight in mice with cystic fibrosis Erica Tangney, Department of Biology; Mitchell Drumm, Department of Pediatrics; and Ilya Bederman, Department of Pediatrics Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a congenital lethal disease caused by a mutation in the gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Humans with CF typically exhibit retarded growth resulting in low body weight, length and BMI for age. Since low BMI positively correlates with pulmonary function and survival in patients with CF, achieving healthy body weight and BMI are important clinical goals. Despite high-fat high-energy diets, CF patients struggle to meet these goals. Elevated energy expenditure (EE) reported in CF patients independent of lung disease maybe contributing to low growth and inability to achieve growth targets. Causes for elevated EE are not known but likely multifactorial. Mice with cystic fibrosis also exhibit reduced growth and low body weight. We hypothesized that like CF humans, CF mice also have elevated energy expenditure. To elucidate some of the factors that could be causing altered energy expenditure, we determined correlation between energy expenditure and body weight in severe (F508del) and mild (R117H) CF genotypes. To investigate whether CFTR dysfunction in the gut (gut specific inflammation) leads to elevated energy expenditure we used gut-corrected CFTR mouse (fatty acid binding protein, FABP) and tissue-specific gut-corrected mouse where CFTR can be modulated using CRE-Lox system. The latter model is particularly advantageous since we are able to turn CFTR expression “on” or “off” specifically in the gut. Project Mentor: Ilya Bederman, Department of Pediatrics *** Selecting Polymers for Medical Applications and Devices Based on Standard PEEK Matt Tedesco and Amanda Tong, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering Polymers were selected for medical devices according to thermal analytical properties derived from Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). These properties determine the viability of these polymers as materials for medical applications. DSC measured fundamental properties including melting temperatures ™, crystallization temperatures (T c ) and the heat of fusion and crystallization. The glass transition temperature (T g ), oxidative induction time (OIT ASTM E1859) and oxidation onset temperature (OOT ASTM E2009) were also determined by DSC. From TGA, the thermal (N 2 ) or oxidative (O 2 ) stability at a fixed temperature as a function of time yielded the weight percent loss as a function of time. The derivative TGA peak temperatures (maximum volatilization temperature) were found by analyzing the DTGA curves. The polymers were ranked for their oxidative stability based on the collected thermal analytical data. The polymers used in this experiment came from the SPE Resin kit. Various polyolefins with and without fillers, Nylon 6 and a Nylon alloy were used. Oxygenated polymers including polycarbonate and poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) were run on both Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 45 DSC and TGA. This study validated PEEK as a gold standard for determining the quality and stability of medical plastics. Based on thermal stability tests, polycarbonate was also a viable candidate due to its amorphous properties which allow it to be easily molded and manufactured. According to the time-temperature superposition principle, higher decomposition temperatures correspond with longer polymer longevity at room temperature. The results showed that PEEK had the highest OIT. The crystalline and melting properties of PEEK distinguished it as a standard medical polymer. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alan Riga, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering *** Infancy Babbling: and relating it to the acquisition of speech Arleen Truitt, Department of Psychological Sciences, Program of Communication Sciences; Patrizia Bonaventura, Department of Psychological Sciences, Program of Communication Sciences Speech and language is essential in connectively relating one to another; but how is it acquired? Most people acquire speech and language during infancy. Babbling sounds are the first utterances made by young babies. Once an infant begins to babble, many diverse sounds, called protophones, emerge. These protophones are the beginnings of the framework for speech acquisition. Babbling sounds can be canonical (duplicated) or variegated (non-duplicated) utterances. Ultimately, babbled utterances will become well-shaped vocalizations necessary to develop words for language. Most infants are born with an amazing range of sensory perceptions allowing them to recognize the rudimentary characteristics that are communal to their own cultural language. These characteristics help the infant to discriminate, fine-tune, and transition the phonological skills needed to formulate sounds involved in acquiring language. The infant’s progression from language-general (vegetative, cooing, and babbling) to language-specific (CV/VC, syllable, word, phrase, and sentence) speech happens in the first year, and encourages the child to formulate speech sounds for learning how to communicate. Over a period of six months, the babbled utterances of two infants were observed, recorded, analyzed, and documented. Specifically studied, were those utterances relating to vowel and consonant emergence, and subsequent transition into adult speech and language realization. Project Special Consult and Mentor: Patrizia Bonaventura, PhD., Department of Psychological Sciences, Program of Communication Sciences; Project Advisor and Mentor: Barbara Lewis, PhD., Department of Psychological Sciences, Program of Communication Sciences; and Mentor: Elliot Zinner, PhD., Associate Professor, Speech Communications, Cuyahoga Community College—Metropolitan Campus. *** Emergency Preparedness Within the Shaker Heights Community Kent Turner, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing The federal government has stated a goal of 80% preparedness for an emergency response for situations that may arise (natural disaster, manmade disaster, etc). Events in recent years have shown the importance of emergency preparedness and response. The events such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic and Hurricane Sandy show how unprepared the public can be if an emergency were to arise. Upon conducting a survey, it was deemed that the community of Shaker Heights was under that goal. The survey showed there was a lack of knowledge in how to prepare for disasters such as fires or loss of power. The residents who took the survey also expressed an interest in learning about fires, snowstorms and loss of power. Very few people reported having an emergency preparedness kit for such disasters. I created and taught a class to a family center group of parents with young children. I targeted this group specifically because they have young families and might not have thought about the emergency preparedness in the house and how to protect their children. Further education can include preparing residents’ houses for wind and snow storms. Project Mentor: Sandi Hurley, Shaker Heights Health Department Faculty Mentor: Jesse Honsky, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 46 Identifying long noncoding RNAs associated with the pluripotency factor Oct4 in human embryonic stem cells Katarina Velickovic, Department of Biology; Callie Merry, Department of Biochemistry; Dr. Ahmad Khalil, Ph.D, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences In addition to the thousands of protein-coding genes present in the mammalian genome, there are many more non protein-coding transcripts that are proving to be instrumental in mammalian genetics. In the past, these were often considered background noise compared to their protein coding counterparts, but due to advances in technology their role in regulation and genetics is becoming apparent. Often, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) work through a molecular scaffold mechanism and bridge together multiple proteins into a ribonucleoprotein complex to function as chromatin modifiers. In this study, we attempted to identify if any lncRNAs are associated with the pluripotency factor Oct4, a transcription factor that is highly active in maintaining the undifferentiated state of embryonic stem cells. By using techniques such as RNA Co-Immunoprecipitation, the protein of interest (Oct4) can be isolated and the associated RNA can be examined via RNA sequencing to determine if any lncRNAs are present in the complex. Further experimentation will be necessary to determine the role that the lncRNA will play. In examining this aspect of both RNA molecular biology and developmental biology, the understanding of stem cell pluripotency can become more illuminated and potentially aid scientists in fighting debilitating diseases and disorders. Mentor: Dr. Ahmad Khalil, Ph.D, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences *** Victimization and the Late Positive Potential Alexander Vu, Department of Psychology, Arin Connell, Department of Psychology This study investigates the effect and influence that prior victimization has on an event-related potential, the late positive potential, (LPP) and how victimization may affect the LPP. The LPP refers to a several hundred millisecond period in which the brain devotes attentional resources in response to an emotional stimulus, an event which can be recorded by an electroencephalography device (EEG). The study used was the Emotional Responses and Reactivity Study (ERR) in which participants undertook three tasks while hooked up to an EEG cap. The task in particular used for this presentation is a passive picture viewing task, in which participants were shown emotionally arousing stimuli of three categories: positive, neutral, and negative. Positive stimuli were pictures that elicited positive moods such as happiness. Negative stimuli showed pictures that might elicit anger or sadness, while neutral pictures were emotionally neutral. The EEG recorded brain activity as the participant was exposed to the different positive, negative, and neutral stimuli, including the LPP for all participants for each emotional stimulus. The LPP in past studies, measured in the parietal electrodes in particular, was shown to be elevated when participants with symptoms of depression and anxiety were exposed to threatening and fearful faces. Results from the ERR study in particular suggest that depression is associated with the timing and magnitude of emotional processing. Further analysing of the effects of victimization, separate from the typically comorbid effects of depression and anxiety, may further develop the LPP as a clinical tool to screen for certain disorders. Project Mentor: Arin Connell, PhD, Department of Psychology *** Targeted protein knockdown as an ocular therapeutic Kelli Watson, Biochemistry major; Sonia Merritt, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Horst von Recum, Department of Biomedical Engineering Caveolin-1 is a scaffolding protein found in the plasma membrane of most cell types, with a high abundance in endothelial cells. It is known to cause the opening of endothelial junctions and promote neovascularization, which is the abnormal growth of blood vessels. When neovascularization occurs in the retina, the vessels interfere with retinal attachment and alignment to the choroid. Because the retina requires oxygen, nutrients, and proper alignment Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 47 to the choroid in order to function for proper vision, this detachment can lead to irreparable vision loss. We hypothesize that decreasing caveolin-1 expression in retinal endothelial cells will strengthen the blood-retinal barrier and inhibit neovascularization. This knockdown can be achieved using small hairpin RNA (shRNA), which will incorporate into the genome of a cell for long-term RNA interference. As a pilot study, endothelial cells stably expressing green fluorescent protein were used to investigate protein knockdown by shRNA. The knockdown results show a delivery method for ocular therapeutics, as many ocular diseases, such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy, are characterized by retinal neovascularization. This transferable technique can be used to downregulate Caveolin-1 production in retinal endothelial cells. Project Mentor: Sonia Merritt, Department of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Mentor: Dr. Horst von Recum, Department of Biomedical Engineering *** Nutrition Education and Goal Setting with High School Students in Southeast, Alaska Mary Wingert, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Currently, more than one-third of adults in the United States are categorized as obese and over 60% are above a normal weight. In data collected from 2005-2007 in Alaska, 65% of adults and 27% of high school students were identified as overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. The goal of this project was to assess the effectiveness of a two-part intervention with high school students to increase their ability to make healthy nutrition choices. The first part of the intervention entailed educating students on basic, easy to understand, nutrition facts and tips. This was followed by a workshop on goal setting, which included: SMART goals and giving them an opportunity to set two realistic goals on how they could improve their own diet and identifying two appropriate interventions. The intervention was assessed for effectiveness using a pre and post test to identify student’s interest in changing their diet, as well as, their confidence in their ability to do so. This project was completed through the Juneau Public Health Center and reached all high school students, in Juneau, enrolled in health class during the fall of 2012. Faculty Mentor: Marilyn Lotas, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing *** Determining the inflammatory response profile of macrophages exposed to the Fenton reaction and bacterial antigens Melinda Wolboldt, Department of Chemistry We aimed to reproduce a recent study which showed uncontrolled activation of iron-overloaded macrophages in chronic venous leg ulcers, and demonstrated that similar activation could be induced in vitro when macrophages were cultured under Fenton reaction-mimicking conditions in the presence of Fe(III) chloride/ascorbate and H 2 O 2 (Sindrilaru et al. JCI 2011). Using in vitro macrophages exposed to the Fenton reaction as well as bacterial antigens (lipopolysaccharide), we will fully evaluate the macrophage response using qPCR, including pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and antiinflammatory/tissue repair factors arginase1, and FIZZ1. Mentor: Dr. Marie Tuttle, Dermatology Department Faculty adviser: Dr. Dianne Kube, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 48 Probing the connection between molecular motion and enzyme catalysis of hepatitis delta virus ribozyme Yuchen Yang, Department of Biochemistry; Daniel L. Kellerman, Department of Biochemistry; and Michael E. Harris, Department of Biochemistry Ribozymes are enzymes that utilize the four fundamental ribonucleotides through the catalysis of biochemical reactions. The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme is particularly interesting due to its necessity for the viral replications and its lethal effects as a human pathogen. The Hepatitis delta virus ribozyme is critical during the replication stages of the virus, and does so through a rolling-circle transcription reaction that self-cleavages itself. The HDV ribozyme is around 85 nucleotides long and is cut into unit-length monomers after going through a ciscleaving reaction that results in a 2’, 3’-cyclic phosphate and a 5’ hydroxyl-terminus. Researches have shown the role of C75, and when protonated, serves as a general acid during the transition states of the HDV ribozyme. Despite the numerous researches conducted on the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme, the actual mechanism behind its catalytic role is still blurry. This project aims to dig deeper into the understanding of how the HDV ribozyme works by looking at the kinetics of the cleaving reactions. Because the ribozyme serves as a catalyst that cut the substrates in a particular order, it can be used to cleave any RNA. By modifying the ribozymes and looking at the kinetics between the HDV ribozyme and its 9nt RNA substrate, the rate constant can then be found. Experiments are currently being conducted in an attempt to further verify the kinetic data. Determining the rate constants takes us one step closer to understand the overall mechanism behind the ribozyme. Project Mentor: Professor Michael E. Harris, Department of Biochemistry *** Aquatic calcium concentration and predatory cues alter the behavior and morphology of freshwater snails Kristen Zozulin, Department of Biology, Mike Benard, Department of Biology Many species alter their behavior and morphology in the presence of predators. These responses are strongly influenced by environmental factors such as population density and food availability. Chemical components of freshwater systems may also dictate the degree to which these adaptive responses are expressed. Freshwater snails are known to produce thicker shells in the presence of high calcium levels due to the increased uptake of calcium from the water, and they also alter their behavior and morphology in the presence of predators. Since shells play a key role in snails’ defense against predation, the amount of calcium available in the environment could drastically impact their ability to modify their shells since the snails rely on the uptake of calcium to form the shell. We examined the combined effects of calcium concentration and predatory cues on behavior as well as snail height, width, aperture height and width, and crushing resistance. We exposed Helisoma trivolvis snails to high (~52 mg L1 ) and low (~11 mg L-1) calcium levels as well as the presence and absence of the predatory water bug Belostoma flumineum. We predict that snails will generate more crush-resistant shells in response to both high calcium and predation. Limited calcium may also elicit metabolic costs to the snails, inhibiting them from generating the complete range of both behavioral and morphological defenses against predators. Project Mentor: Professor Michael Benard, Department of Biology Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 49 CELEBRATION OF STUDENT WRITING DECEMBER 7, 2012 The Celebration of Student Writing, coordinated by the Writing Resource Center, showcases undergraduate student writing projects from across the university. The celebration encourages students to (re-)present and display their research and writing in formats other than conventional word-processed documents. Some students create video projects; others produce poster presentations or read aloud portions of their writing; still others design models or digital illustrations that present their writing projects in new media. The Center for the Study of Writing, established in 2008 to facilitate research and scholarship on writing at the University and in the world, serves three distinct but interrelated roles at the University: to support writing and research by resident and visiting students and scholars; to facilitate exciting new courses and curricula on writing; and to provide an array of practical writing and publishing support services to the University and University Circle communities. For more information, see http://www.case.edu/writing/csw. Since 2009, the Center for the Study of Writing has been sustained by generous gifts from Marilyn McCulloch (FSM ’50); from Edward S. Sadar, M.D. (ADL ’64, SOM ’68) and Melinda Melton Sadar (FSM ’66); from Sharon Schnall (MBA ‘87) and Dr. R. Drew Sellers (EMBA ‘08); from Eric Winter, M.D. (CWR ‘98, GRS ‘91, MD ‘98); from Jackson McHenry (ADL ‘52); and from an anonymous donor. The Celebration of Student Writing is also supported by SAGES and the Department of English. The Writing Resource Center coordinates the Celebration of Student Writing. The Writing Resource Center (WRC) at Case Western Reserve University provides writing consultation to students across the university in six campus locations and online. More than 30 consultants staff our center. Consultants are English graduate students or full-time writing program faculty. Each year, WRC consultants conduct about 3,000 individual sessions with more than 1,000 individual students ranging from first-year writers to graduate students and faculty. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 50 ENGL 148: INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSITION Course Instructor: Cara Byrne Students: Dong Tony An, Pablo Griggio, Zefeng Fang, Yenhsuan Lee, Xi Li, YuHung Lin, Cheuk Yin Luu, Jia Na Peng, Tianming Peng, Yun Tang, Kristina Zeinstra, Fange Zhang This section of English 148 focused on exploring the meanings behind pictures. Throughout the semester, we have studied the visual rhetoric of graphic novels, famous pieces of art, photographs, political cartoons, and advertisements, and students have written papers providing summaries and critiques of academic arguments about visual culture. For their final essay assignment, they used all of these skills to write a research essay in which they analyze the visual rhetoric of a print advertisement. Today, the students will share their final independent projects. ENGL 380: SERENDIPITY: ACCIDENT MET WITH SAGACITY Course Instructor: Sarah Gridley Students: Alex Aloi, Bryden Spevak, Andrin Foster, Bethany Wisinski, Martin O'Brien, Caelyn Rosch, Joe Sossi, Emily Wixted Students from Professor Gridley's ENGL 380, a topical seminar/workshop focused on serendipity, will present abstracts from their research papers. The individual research topics range from Nietzsche's Zarathustra to Warner Brothers' Road Runner--but hold in common the consideration of happenstance in relation to meaning, both in the subject matters they address, and in the spirit in which they approached the task of research. Students will also engage interested participants in interactive "chance poetics" activities. FSTS 100-100: WHAT IS A MUSEUM? Course Instructor: Susan Dominguez Students: Ahn Phan, Will Federkie, Connie Min, Salam Taraben, Sarah Ialacci Nichole Moomaw, Marina Mijic, Ella Mravec, Lexie Li, Alyssa Batiancela Students will present their final museum exhibit projects using the University Circle Institutions as the foundation for their own designs. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 51 FSTS 100-101: WHAT IS A MUSEUM? Course Instructor: Susan Dominguez Students: Alison McKim, Alex Smick, Lex Martin, Cartier Reed, Maria Madison, Rudolf Merick, Ashia Lewis, Rosa Katz, Sammy Alton, J.P. Choi, Marmeny Infante, Dan Farnsworth, Julie Murray, Joey Arko Students will present their final museum design projects that used University Circle Institutions as their foundation and inspiration. FSSO 119: PHILANTHROPY IN AMERICA Course Instructor: Barbara Burgess-Van Aken Students: Jane Amusat, Daniel Bai, Victoria Bouillion, John Boykin, Aria Bredt, Alex Cao, Leah Castelaz, Alyssa Daniels, Ellie Elston, Samantha Fernandez, Jesse Ferrigno, Keniece Gray, Suneil Kamath, Kait Kennedy, Josh Rogers, Sean Leonard, Emma Steele This course introduces various dimensions of philanthropy and volunteerism, conducting a broad but intellectual inquiry into the systems and ethics of giving time and money to charitable causes. For the final project in this class, students have worked in groups to design their own nonprofit organization. In doing so they have research a social need, put together a mission and vision statement for an organization that will address that need. In developing their programs, they have put together budgets, websites, and collateral materials for their organization. The results of these projects are on display today. FSSY 146: DOC TALK: LANGUAGE AND MEDICINE Course Instructors: Kimberly Emmons Students: Samantha Buddeymeyer, Yuna Choi, Steffen Christoffersen, Sei Cole, Nicole Episalla, Dimitris Gazgalis, Nathan Gilbert, Chandler Holcomb, Daniel Mason, Nana Afia Mensa, Victoria Robinson, Daniel Ryave, Alan Thomas, Adam Vianna, Abby Walker, Maryam Zeinomar, Brook Zhang, Diana Zhou This course has explored the role of language in constructing, experiencing, treating, and understanding the states we call “health” and “illness.” Over the course of the semester, our seminar discussions have explored a wide array of questions: How do metaphors shape illnesses? How do particular illnesses become cultural/political metaphors? How can narrative practices facilitate ethical medicine (and reform medical ethics)? How do our own illness stories fit into (and challenge) scholarly taxonomies? What do medical genres tell us about the ways medicine is practiced and experienced? How do doctors and patients communicate (and fail to communicate)? In addition to our discussions, each seminar member joined a group that chose a medical object from the Dittrick Medical History Center’s collection. This object then served as Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 52 the catalyst for a series of discussions with CWRU scholars in a variety of disciplines. In their poster presentations, the groups display the range of possible questions and research projects inspired by the objects they selected. The groups’ objects include: the pill (birth control), the syringe, obstetrical forceps, and the inhaler. As the posters will demonstrate, these common medical objects provide us with an opportunity to interrogate forms of disciplinary inquiry and to consider opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. FSSY 144: THINKING THROUGH LITERATURE Course Instructor: Paul Jaussen Students: Stefan Klek, Becky Olson, Cole Thrush The participants in "Thinking Through Literature," a SAGES First Seminar, have been studying the intellectual, imaginative, social, and ethical potential of literature and literary education. A fundamental hypothesis in this discussion, which we have tested throughout the semester, is that literature is something we think with, not simply something we think about. Out of this inquiry, students have written essays analyzing the role of literary education in today's university. These pieces have been collected in an electronic anthology. Our display functions as a visual introduction to the book, laying out the critical conversation both in contemporary and historical terms. The anthology itself will also be a part of our display, which audience members will be able to browse at leisure. ENGL 180: WRITING TUTORIAL Course Instructor: Kate Dunning Students: Yiqing Jiang, Ning-Yuen Li Coordinated though the Writing Resource Center, English 180 is a course designed to help students work intensively on their writing skills. For their final projects this semester, this group of 180 students are researching different versions of well-known stories. They will be presenting not only the different versions, but also some critical commentary about the development of the story. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 53 FSNA 143: MATERIALS AND ENERGY Course Instructors: Susan Dominguez and Mark DeGuire Students: Gaby Cage, Kyle Deal, Tom Dietrick, Josh Hall, Daniel Kernan, Arty Krishnan, Ketav Majumbar, Mary Manspeaker, James Marsh, Ling Neoh, Kafre Petiri, Megan Quinlan, Matt Randall, Philip Sheahan, Tom Shkurti, Drake Sweet, Alex Williams Students will present group projects that reflect social aspects and environmental effects of society's current usage of materials, resources, and energy through critical analysis Topics include: health, server farms, Mississippi River run-off, air, auto and freight transportation. FSCC 100: POSTCOLONIALISM AND LITERATURE Course Instructor: Greg Weiss Students: Sewon Min, Ja'nae Morris, William Qu, Galilea Sanchez, Alexis Attinoto, Kari Floyd, Basirat Rosenje, Angela Donajkowski, and Caitlynn Weston We have been examining the historical and ongoing relationship between France and its former colonies through the lens of Francophone literature. Students will present work treating different aspects of those relationships. FSCC 100-131: FICTION WITH A NEW FACE: ADAPTATION ACROSS MEDIA, TIME AND CULTURE Course Instructor: Rachel Kapelle Students: Sparsh Agarwal, Yvonne Chueh, Jin Young Kim, Eric Ma, Annabelle Park, Jingze Sun, Margo Suryanaga, Iris Tsai The three main units of our class address adaptation across media, adaptation over time, and transcultural adaptation. What changes does the story of an alien invasion undergo when it passes from the novel form to radio to film? How do television programs update detective fiction from previous centuries? What happens when the American company Disney retells an ancient Chinese legend? At the Celebration of Student Writing, we would be happy to discuss our insights into the process of adaptation, as well as our final writing projects, in which each of us has selected an “original”/adaptation pair to explore. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 54 FSSO 116: WORKING-CLASS HEROES Course Instructor: Megan Swihart Jewell Students: Gabrielle Brown, Malcolm Perkins, Rachel Horetzky, Margo Schmiederer, Paige Klopfenstein, Satvika Mikkilineni, Tarik Akyuz, Camille Paladino, James Yang, Thekkethalackal Mammen Kurien, Sun-Mee Kasper In her volume, _Silences_ (1978), writer Tillie Olson refers to the relationship between social class and literature as “the great unexamined.” This statement still largely rings true, despite the continued production of novels, films, and poems depicting the working-class – and despite the unprecedented growth in recent years of America’s working class. In this course, we examined the relationship between social class and literature, reading narratives written by and about laborers in the hopes of understanding the complexities of working-class life in America. For their final projects, students independently researched issues in working-class literature and produced mini-anthologies on particular topics that they felt were indispensible to closely understanding class conditions and their representation in literature and culture. Our presentation today consists of these student anthologies as well as a generalized poster presentation depicting important issues on class in America. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 55 Senior Capstone Award The Senior Capstone Award, provided by the Case Women’s Club, is open to all seniors presenting their senior capstone projects. The Senior Capstone is the culmination of our SAGES, Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship, program. The senior capstone allows students to gain experience in defining a problem and then developing a response to that problem, whether this involves research or artistic creation. Students work individually or in small groups under the guidance of faculty mentors. SOURCE congratulates the following students who are presenting their senior capstone projects today: Quetzi Abramovitz Olaide Apapa Denielle Anderson Chavon Brent Douglas Brubaker Deborah Burstein Albert Canda Nicole Cantrell Ruth Chao Xi Chen Xin Chen Rajesh Cherukuri Emma Cleary Hanna Collins Megan Cramer Alexis Crosby Quanbin Dai Taylor Daiello Nicholas DeFelice Carli Dekeyser Gaston del Pino LaShanita Devese Alayna Dorobek Thea Emmons Shaylinn Emery Dale English Leah Epstein Kathleen Evers Andrew Flagg Carrie Foster Ashley Franklin Breanna Freeman Mary Friesz Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session Elizabeth Gibbemeyer Sheneka Gregory Christine Hale Alyssa Harker Courtney Hawk Evan Hayden Sarah Jawhari Rachel Johnson Paulina Kauzljar Jennifer Kim Michaela Klco Michael Koopman Nita Kopan Emily Kreiner Victoria Krogg Kayla Lang William Lang Steven Leusch Deena Levey Erika Lim Shannaon Liauw Sophie Malamut Bryanna Mayes Madeline McMorrow Jacqueline Molchan Melissa Moore Patrick Murphy Angelica Nieszczur Elizabeth Odil Shannon O’Shea Brandon Pach Jessica Parker Grant Pignatiello Lahiru Ranasinghe Vibha Ramesh Jeremy Rayl Morgan Redenshek Kaitlyn Roudebush Arelis Roman Caitlin Rudge Tracy Ruska Elena Satin Andres Schriver Oluwatosi Shenbanjo Hannah Shimko Yong Mi Shin Kevin Shui Ethan Smith Rachel Suchy Elena Svenson Toia Sylvester Erica Tangney Katherine Thomas Haley Treier Kent Turner Tony Vehovec Katarina Velickovic Claire Vidalon Alexander Vu Dmytro Vykhovanets Loni Wilkes Mary Wingert Melinda Woldboldt Angela Wootan 56 SOURCE Summer Programs SOURCE Summer Programs provides financial support for Case Western Reserve University students from all academic majors to take part in research and creative endeavor projects. The programs are very generously supported by the Case Alumni Association, the Dominion Foundation and the University. 2012 SOURCE Summer Program Participants Student Project Title Mentor Mohiuddin Ahmed Identification of domain that promotes Nav1.5 trafficking to the cell surface Qiuyun Chen, Cardiology Department Zachary Arace Gendered Recruitment in Parliaments and Cabinets Karen Beckwith, Political Science Department Anthony Castellaneta Philosophy of Mathematics in Ancient Indian Traditions Deepak Sarma, Religion Department Parker Castleberry Characterizing Water-Rock Interactions in a Simulated Martian Aquifer Ralph Harvey, Biochemistry Department Kathryn D'Angelo Understanding Common Trends of Gratitude of Patients and Caregivers Affected by Cancer Maryjo Prince-Paul, Nursing Department Christine DeBaz Immune Response to Tobacco Mosaic Virus Nanoparticles as a Vaccine Platform Nicole Steinmetz, Biomedical Engineering Department Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 57 Timothy Filla Currency Interdependence and War Elliot Posner, Political Science Department Jared Friedman Intelligence, empathy, and religious/spiritual beliefs: How much would the doctor prescribe? Tony Jack, Cognitive Science Department Marqell Jackson Prevalence of Skin to Skin Care in the NICU Susan Ludington, Nursing Department Joseph Kachovec City Land Development and City Flood Risk Justin Gallagher, Economics Department Julie O'Brien Adherence to Sickle Cell Anemia Medications in a Sample of the Greater Cleveland Population Polly Mazanec, Nursing Department Youngmin Park Analysis of the Phase Response of the Morris-Lecar System Peter Thomas, Mathematics Department Grant Pignatiello Assessing Patient Exposure to Transport Andrew Reimer, Nursing Department Lusai Qiu Role of Cdc42 in hair cell development Brian McDermott, Biology Department 2012 SOURCE Summer P-SURG Program Provost’s Summer Undergraduate Research Grant Summer Participants Student Project Title: Mentor Keegan Conry Discovery of Quorum Sensing Inhibitors of Plant Bacterial Diseases - an Alternative to Antibiotics Menachem Shoham, Biochemistry Department Nicholas DeFelice Defining the expression profile of the Candida albicans HYR1 and IFF4 proteins in pathogenesis during oropharyngeal candidiasis Amy Hise, Center for Global Health and Disease Daniel Hageman Endotoxin Levels Facilitate Device-Associated Neuroinflammation Jeffrey Capadona, Biomedical Engineering Department Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 58 Michael Hill Electrospun Polysaccharides for Gene Delivery Eben Alsberg, Biomedical Engineering Department Kyle Householder Anti-oxidant Releasing Mechanically-Adaptive Materials Improve Neural Device Tissue Integration Jeffrey Capadona, Biomedical Engineering Department Anouva Kalra-Lall Design of an Ultra-Long Acting Insulin: Structural Drug Design Principles Applied to Proteins Michael Weiss, Biochemistry Department Veronica Laos Oxidation of DNA by Folic Acid and 6-Carboxypterin upon Exposure of Ultraviolet-A Radiation Carlos Crespo-Hernandez, Chemistry Department Samantha Marek Optimization of Combination Reporter Viruses for Microscopy and Cell Sorting John Tilton, The Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics Victor Pan In vitro evaluation of specific cell-surface biointeration mechanisms between natural platelets and metostatic breast cancer cells Anirban Sen Gupta, Biomedical Engineering Department Janaki Patel Validation of Cooking-Based Nutrition Education Among Low-Income, Low-Literacy Cleveland Residents Jessica Kelley-Moore, Sociology Department Ryan Puccia Defining a structure-function relationship in DNA binding for a prototypical HMG box Michael Weiss, Biochemistry Department Nasiha Rahim Using Fluorescent Probes to Characterize Glioma Stem Cell Biology Jeremy Rich, Cell Biology Department Pooja Rambhia Characterization of the Immune Response to Plant Viral Nanoparticle Tobacco Mosaic Virus for HIV Vaccine Platform Application Neil Greenspan, Pathology Department Fernando Recio Molecular Regulation of KLF4 by Local Drug Delivery to Inhibit Melanoma Growth Anne Hamik, Cardiology Department Stephen Redford The effect of embedding beta-tricalcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite crystals in poly(propylene fumarate) tissue engineered scaffolds on canine mesenchymal stem cell attachment and proliferation David Dean, Surgery Department Katarina Velickovic Identifying long noncoding RNAs associated with the pluripotency factor Oct4 in human embryonic stem cells Ahmad Khalil, Biology Department Kelli Watson Targeted protein knockdown as an ocular therapeutic Horst von Recum, Biomedical Engineering Department Yuchen Yang Probing the connection between molecular motion and enzyme catalysis of hepatitis delta virus ribozyme Michael Harris, Biochemistry Department Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 59 2012 SOURCE Summer SURES Program Summer Undergraduate Research in Energy Studies Summer Participants Student Project Title Mentor Michael Berger Stormwater Management Master Plan at Case Western Reserve Stephanie Corbett, Office of Sustainability Mona Breslau Engineering Interfaces for Improved Control in Photovoltaic Applications Kenneth Singer, Physics Department Gavin Brown Theoretically guided design of efficient polymer dielectrics for energy storage in capacitors Philip Taylor, Physics Department Morgan Bulger The Business of Food: Towards a More Sustainable Food Supply Network Bonnie Richley, Organizational Behavior Department David Dixon Wind Turbine Yaw Brake Analysis David Matthiesen, Materials Science and Engineering Department Abigail Dwornik Identifying Factors that Influence Recycling Levels in University Settings Justin Gallagher, Economics Department Grace Eder Brief Proposal for SURES Funding Genevieve Sauve, Chemistry Department Matheus Fernandes Wind Flow Modeling of the Area Surrounding the Case Western Reserve University Wind Turbine David Matthiesen, Materials Science and Engineering Department Anthony Gatti Investigating the Correlation Between Environmental Self-Regulation and Pollution Output Justin Gallagher, Economics Department Ian Kidd Optimization of Solar Testing Chamber Roger French, Materials Science and Engineering Department Matthew McGoogan Increasing Efficiency in III-Nitride-based LEDs Hongping Zhao, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department Kristen McKee Designing New Optical Materials Using Inverse Scattering Theory Harsh Mathur, Physics Department Jenna Millemaci Green your Lab at CWRU – “Treat your lab like your second home.” Stephanie Corbett, Office of Sustainability Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 60 Shawn Rupp Optimization of Indium-Limited Transparent Conductive Oxides for use in Organic Photovoltaics Ina Martin, Physics Department Elena Stachew Development of Accelerated PV Backsheet Testing and Evaluation Roger French, Materials Science and Engineering Department The Case School of Engineering – Alcoa Campus Partnership Program Academic Year Undergraduate Research Internship Spring 2012 Participants Student Name, Project Title, Faculty Mentor, Department Nadia Ayat, Modifying Potato Virus X by Genetic Engineering Techniques, Prof. Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering Aaron Keith, Ultrasonically assisted crystallization processes, Dr. Donald Feke, Department of Chemical Engineering Lauren Randolph, Targeting cancer cells in vitro using engineered tobacco mosaic virus nanoparticles, Prof. Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering Alice Yang, Modifying Qβ with C 60 for Use in Photodynamic Therapy, Prof. Nicole F. Steinmetz, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, Materials Science and Engineering Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 61 Case Western Reserve University Formal Summer Programs Research & Creative Endeavors CWRU has a number of formal programs across campus. Information about these and other programs can be linked from the SOURCE website: http://www.case.edu/provost/source/opp/funding.htm Academic Careers in Engineering & Science (ACES+) Biomedical Engineering National Science Foundation REU Program (BME-REU) Case’s Rising Engineers and Technological Entrepreneurs (CREATE) Center for AIDS Research Minority HIV Research Training Program (MHRTP) Center for Layered Polymeric Systems (CLiPS) Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Undergraduate Student Summer Program (ENGAGE) Experiential Learning Fellowships – College of Arts and Sciences Heart, Lung & Blood Minority Research Training Program Physiology & Biophysics NSF-REU in Protein Dynamics Summer Undergraduate Research Program Provost’s Summer Undergraduate Research Grant (P-SURG) Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital SOURCE Summer Research Program The Summer Medical & Dental Education Program Summer Undergraduate Research in Energy Studies (SURES) Summer Undergraduate Research in Pharmacology (SURP) Summer Undergraduate Research in Physiology (SURP) The Wellman Hill Political Science Internship Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 62 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many to thank for making this day happen. Obviously, the student presenters and their faculty mentors for making the day possible and allowing all of us to see some of the great work being done by our undergraduates with our faculty. I also appreciate our many judges who are noted elsewhere in this program. Students request to be judged and we cannot provide this educational experience without the assistance of many from all over the University. There are many others who have contributed, some more visibly than others, but all in needed ways. I apologize ahead of time for leaving anyone out but I must list Megan Swihart Jewell and the Center for the Study of Writing for allowing Intersections to serve as the host for The Celebration of Student Writing, Vice Provost Don Feke, Carol Stark and our campus movers: Henry Hill and Rico Mixon. Our student workers also have helped tremendously: Gerardo Ortega, Devon Bobulsky, Jennifer Brucken, Miranda Huiting, Eve Lanyi, Ruipeng Li, Baixue Ma, Sagar Rambhia, and Jiyuan Zhang. Finally, Bethany Pope contributes to Intersections (and SOURCE in general) in so many ways that I won’t begin to detail here, but I will say thank you very much. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 63 Please note: Research project titles, student names, mentor names and abstracts were submitted by the student researcher. The SOURCE office cannot ensure the accuracy or omission of information submitted for publication. Intersections: Symposium and Poster Session 64 S O U R C E support of undergraduate research and creative endeavors CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SEARS 451 10900 eUCLID AVENUE CLEVELAND, OHIO 44106-7212 WWW.CASE.EDU/SOURCE/SYMPOSIUM