Annual Student Research Poster Session

Follow

• 

  Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Furan Epoxide

  Yuhui Wei and Jeff Hansen PhD

  In this project, we are doing the Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Furan Epoxide. There are two main reactions we are trying to accomplish with the epoxide which are the Achmatowicz reaction with the furan ring, and the epoxide ring opening reaction with amine. During this summer, we are able to make the amino alcohol and the Achmatowicz product has been made from the previous semester. We were also trying to get Achmatowicz reaction happening with the amino alcohol product. However, the result doesn't show the expected structure and still needs further research. Besides organic chemistry synthesis, we also tested the bioactivity of our amino alcohol product since it was similar to another bioactive structure. We did both the Brian Shrimp Lethality Assay with our amino alcohol product.

• 

  Droplet Impact, Part 1: Controlling Skirting Velocity

  Ben Wilkerson, Nanami Mezaki, and Jacob Hale PhD

  Droplet skirting occurs when a fluid droplet rolls over a bath of the same fluid without merging. To achieve skirting, we introduced a ~0.6 mm-diameter droplet of 1 cSt silicone oil into a bath of the same fluid by bouncing it off an angled glass slide coated with 100,000 cSt silicone oil. Our work suggests that initial skirting velocity increases as a function of slide angle and, to a lesser degree, droplet generator height. Furthermore, we conclude that the droplet lifetimes (initiation of skirting until rupture) and corresponding �� values (rate of decay of motion) appear consistent with theoretical predictions for such droplets based on previous research (which did not address >0.75 mm-diameter droplets.

• 

  Analysis of Dynamical Systems for Synthesis of Phenobarbital

  Mishal Ali

  The use of mathematical methods for the analysis of chemical reaction systems is one of the useful tools. Phenobarbital (a barbiturate type medication also called phenobarb) is a prescription drug used to control seizures, relieve anxiety, treat epilepsy (in some countries), and prevent withdrawal symptoms in people dependent on other barbiture drugs. We approaches it with matrix analysis and ODE system. It helps us understand the chemical stoichiometry of these synthesis reactions.

  Supervisor: Prof. Seonguk Kim, PhD

• 

  A Preliminary Look into Regional Primary Succession in the DePauw University Nature Park Quarry

  Sophia Atkinson, Diana Borse, and Dana Dudle

  Quarries are anthropogenic landscapes that when abandoned, leave a blank slate in the environment for species to come in and repopulate the area. This gives way to primary succession, a process that re-vegetates areas devoid of soil. The goal of this research is to investigate where the abandoned limestone quarry at the DePauw University Nature Park is in terms of its successional phase since extraction stopped in 1977. Throughout the summer of 2020, plant species were identified along with the specific region and sub-habitat, the main sub-habitats being the temporary ponds, quarry spoils, talus slopes, flat limestone areas, and damp or low spots. Other information including plant form, life history, native and wetland status, and invasive rank was recorded for each species using the USDA website. Of the 98 species collected, 73% are native plants. Of the 27 non-native species, 7 have been identified as highly invasive, 2 are medium, and 1 is low. Nineteen of the 75 species with labeled wetland statuses are commonly found in wetlands, having facultative wetland and obligate wetland statuses. The majority of the species we identified are herbaceous in plant form and have perennial life history. According to an article by Girardelli et al. (2016) regarding assigning successional phases in limestone quarries, an area undergoing primary succession that is dominated by perennials is indicative of late phase succession while shrubs tend to replace herbaceous plants in later phases of succession. While the majority of the species are native, herbaceous, perennials, and have a facultative upland status, we do not yet know whether these species are representative of the total coverage on the quarry bottom. Moving forward with this information, a pilot study has been started as a basis for my research in the fall semester that will estimate species diversity in the quarry bottom as well as relate species diversity and composition to abiotic conditions.

• 

  A Comparison of Invasive and Native Plants in an Abandoned Limestone Quarry

  Diana Borse, Sophia Atkinson, and Dana Dudle

  The abandoned limestone quarry in the DePauw Nature Park is a site of interest for research into plant community establishment due to the harsh, heterogenous, and fluctuating environment. Because the limestone floor of the quarry is a novel anthropogenic environment, every plant species in the quarry had to be introduced somehow. Perhaps native species that are able to establish populations in the quarry are more likely to share traits with invasive species. Using information collected from scientific articles, I compared traits of three pairs of plants with similar forms to compare their life history traits to see if any patterns emerge. I compared Erigeron annuus (native) to Pilosella caespitosa (invasive), Celastrus scandens (native) to Rosa multiflora (invasive), and Phragmites australis to Typha angustifolia which are both invasive, but Phragmites is more prevalent in the quarry. All six species exhibited traits that are associated with invasiveness. They all can reproduce asexually. All but two of the species have seeds that are wind dispersed. Rosa multiflora is the only one that lacks multiple distinct means of seed dispersal. Lastly, four of the species have high genetic and/or phenotypic plasticity. The initial comparisons indicate that species that establish on the quarry floor tend to exhibit traits associated with invasiveness, regardless of whether those species are native to Indiana. Future empirical research comparing the traits these three species groups taking into account other groups with which quarry plants could share traits such as natural calcareous and primary successional species would broaden our understanding of the intersection between natural calcareous, primary successional, invasive, and quarry species.

• 

  Long Term Gait, Mobility, and Daily Living Outcomes after Orthopedic Surgery for Youth with Cerebral Palsy: Influence of Rehabilitation Dose and Setting

  Christina Bourantas, Nancy Lennon, Tim Niller, Jason Beaman, and M Wade Shrader

  Background/Purpose: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a broad diagnostic description of early brain insult causing motor impairment. To help correct gait abnormalities, many children with CP undergo an orthopedic single event multi-level surgery (SEMLS). After surgery and most importantly SEMLS, rehabilitation is important to recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of post-op therapy setting and dose on functional mobility outcomes for youth with CP.

  Methods: Outcome measures included gait deviation index (GDI), walking speed, Pediatrics Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), Gross Motor Function Mobility-D (GMFM-D). Data on post-op rehab therapy were retrieved from electronic medical records. Multiple Regression, Two-Way ANOVA, and Welch’s t-tests were used.

  Patient Sample: 74 cases were eligible. Average age at baseline gait analysis was 11.5, at surgery was 12, and at post-op gait analysis was 13.3 years old, with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I (9%), II (53%), III (34%), and IV (4%).

  Results: There was variability in therapy setting, with 33 different therapy centers. Higher burden of surgery was associated with more therapy sessions. Patients with low burden surgeries tended to improve in PODCI scores, but patients with high burden surgeries did not. These trends were not related to therapy dose, however, patients receiving Nemours Outpatient therapy had a positive association with PODCI gains. Similarly, patients who had low burden surgery improved GMFM-D and those with high burden did not. A minimal threshold of therapy dose was identified for cases with low burden surgery. Patients who attended 46 sessions or more saw GMFM-D improvements and patients who attended 25 sessions or fewer did not improve.

  Conclusion: Clinical practice recommends rehab therapy after SEMLS, but implementation is inconsistent. Post-op therapy varied widely by setting and number of sessions. As expected, youth who had low-burden surgery had less post-op therapy. Those above a minimum threshold and those at Nemours settings tended to show improvement at one-year post-op. At one year post-op, youth with high burden surgery demonstrated less gains, which is likely related to ongoing recovery in year two.

• 

  Very High Energy Studies of the Crab Nebula

  Madeline Claus, Ashna Coondiah, and Omer Sajid

  The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a powerful stellar explosion first observed in 1054 AD and is the most studied object outside of our solar system. Our three-pronged research is focused on understanding the emission mechanisms responsible for energy range 100 MeV – 10 TeV. Our project consisted of 1) making light curves of Crab Nebula from Fermi-LAT’s data, 2) extending and investigating the pre-existing VERITAS light curve, and 3) phaseograms of the Crab Pulsar using VERITAS’s data.

  Supervisor: Prof. Avery Archer, PhD

  This research is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, and by NSERC in Canada. This research used resources provided by the Open Science Grid, which is supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, and resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. We acknowledge the excellent work of the technical support staff at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and at the collaborating institutions in the construction and operation of the instrument. Student research is funded through the Science Research Fellows (SRF) Program at DePauw.

• 

  Predictors of Pathology Smartphone Use: Reward Processing, Depressive Symptoms, and Self-Control

  Ashley Dapore, Robert West, Carl Ash, Bridget Kirby, Kaitlyn Malley, and Shasha Zhu

  The widespread adoption of smartphones that allow us to work, engage with friends and family, and pursue leisure activities has been associated with the emergence of pathological smartphone use wherein individuals experience anxiety and depressive symptoms when separated from their devices and may be more likely to engage in risky behavior while using their phone. Consistent with the broader literature on behavioral addictions, smartphone pathology is associated with increased depressive symptoms and decreased self-control. The current study builds upon a foundation of evidence from studies of pathological technology use including video games, the Internet, and social media to explore the association between the neural correlates of reward processing and smartphone pathology, depressive symptoms, and self-control. Our findings reveal that greater levels of smartphone pathology are associated with decreased neural activity related to the processing of both gains and losses when the individual is the agent of choice in a simple gambling task. Additionally, we replicate the association between depressive symptoms, self-control and smartphone pathology; and further demonstrate that reward processing represents a unique predictor of pathology beyond any shared association with depressive symptoms and self-control.

• 

  Antibiotic resistance and variability in the physiological profiles of streambed bacterial communities: implication of wastewater treatment plant effluents

  Madeline Draper, Amerti Guta, and Philips Akinwole

  The effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) include a complex mixture of nutrients and toxic substances, thus, the potential exists for the effluent to significantly impact the biochemical characteristics and bacterial communities of the receiving freshwater ecosystem. Our findings highlight the worrisome impacts of WWTPs on microbial biomass, coliform forming units, bacterial metabolic diversity, and antibiotic resistance patterns on the receiving water. In this study, microbial biomass and coliform forming units were significantly higher at the WWTP outfall compared to the reference site. Furthermore, this report revealed significant differences in the composition of bacterial communities in the context of WWTP impact. High nutrient availability at the outfall increased bacterial metabolic diversity and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance bacteria. Exposure to effluents polluted water during recreational activities could pose a risk for human health due to ingesting those antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

• 

  A Brief Overview of Analyzing Testing Procedures in the Quality Control Lab at Elanco Animal Health

  Gina Fedrighi

  The study of testing procedures within the quality control lab was conducted at Elanco Animal Health through the summer internship program. The internship program focuses on the development of young professionals as research and manufacturing leaders in the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this project was to determine ways in which to save both time and money in the quality control lab through the study of various quality testing procedures. Quality Control plays a vital role in the manufacturing process in order to ensure quality of products and consistency between batches. It is important to improve upon the current testing procedures of products and raw materials, and is a common method in the pharmaceutical industry in order to create a more efficient manufacturing process while ensuring the highest standard of quality.

  Supervisors: Aaron Embree and Craig Dixon

• 

  Conceptualizing and Analyzing Metal-Organic Frameworks and the Role of the Ionic Liquid

  Sydney Forbes, Aaron Wills, and Hilary Eppley

  The synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks, or MOFs, can be easily changed or manipulated simply by changing the solvent medium. The research focused primarily on the role ionic liquids (ILs) had in MOF synthesis. ILs can be defined as salts that are liquid at room temperature. IL ligands were found one of three ways in the final structure; either acting as the anion, cation, or neither and just acting as a medium for a reaction. This research primarily revolved around Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). The purpose of CSD was a way to look more closely at these crystalline structures from previous research papers and create certain figures that are different from the ones used in the originals to formulate a better understanding of the role of the IL in the MOFs. Keywords to the research, searched in databases such as Scifinder Scholar, and Google Scholar to try and find research papers with a suitable structure that could be found via CSD. The suitable structures found in the research papers were searched in CSD, so they could be transferred to its associated software Mercury. By using Mercury, new structures were created to convey and highlight the role of the IL and differences in connections from structure to structure. One structure in particular was synthesized by Ribbeck et al. They were able to crystalize the 3D Frameworks of lanthanide ions with pentaflouroethyltricyanoborate with the ionic liquid ethyl-methyl-imidazolium or emim. In this specific case, the ionic liquid emim plays the role of the anion in the 3D crystalline structure; linking together the metal in an unique way. Another of the papers analyzed discussed the ionothermal synthesis of compounds [emim][Mn(btc)] and [pmim][Mn(btc)] with the latter having different structures dependent upon the IL. In the case of these compounds, the IL not only acted as a medium, but the IL’s anion was part of the final structure and contributed to the structural differences between compounds. Throughout the research in the final product, the IL could act as an anion, a cation, or not appear in the final product at all. However, no matter how the ionic liquid played into the final structure, every structure varied by bridging ligand, types of connections from ligand to metal (such as monodentate or bidentate, etc.), the metal coordination number, the metal geometry, the ligand plane, and the net of the centroids. After gathering the data together, this information was used to create structures and find similarities between each of the papers and the MOFs within them.

• 

  De Novo Molecular Design Using 3D Molecular Structure Information

  Gillian Hughes

  Predicting small molecule potency against a target receptor is critically important in the drug discovery process. By evaluating literature and associated GitHub repositories, we developed a deep learning model based on 3-D molecule and protein structure information to generate new small molecules and predict their binding affinity with protein receptors.

  Supervisor: Hongzhou Zhang, PhD

• 

  Visualizing and Analyzing Structures of Coordination Polymers Synthesized in Ionic Liquids

  Natalie Husby, Akane Inoue, and Hilary Eppley

  Synthesis of metal organic frameworks can result in different products based on the solvent that is used. One option is to use ionic liquids (ILs, or room temperature molten salts) to create novel metal organic coordination polymers. Our group analyzed metal organic polymers synthesized in ILs with the goal of cataloging the topology of the structures, the connectivity of the organic ligands, and the roles of the ILs in the syntheses. We used Sci-Finder Scholar to find papers where compounds were synthesized using ILs, and determined whether the IL played the role as the cation, anion, or neither in the resulting structures. We used the program Conquest to search databases for structures we identified through SciFinder and then created custom figures using the program Mercury that we could then analyze and manipulate. With each paper that we analyzed, our goal was to create figures that highlight the structural features, and analyze them to understand the connections between the metal ions and the ligands. One of the structures worked on this summer was the molecule [BMIm]2[Nb6Cl12(NCS)6]. Pigorsch and coworkers synthesized the 3D bridged compound with an ionic liquid playing a unique role. In the synthesis, the ionic liquid [BMIm][PF6], is used as a crystallization medium, but also as a cation source to allow for the synthesis to occur. The final structure is a 3D structure that has metal-metal bonding, and is connected by weak H-bonds. In this paper, the ionic liquid played the role as a ‘medium’, but we looked at papers where the ionic liquid played a role in the formation of cations and anions as well. Another structure worked on this summer was [Mn2(ptptp)(suc)0.5(H2O)3] • Br • 0.5H2O synthesized by Qin et al. The structure is a 1D helical structure that forms 3D supramolecular networks through intermolecular forces. The ionic liquid, [RMI]Br (R= ethyl, propyl, butyl), acted as an anion source and a structure regulator that allowed for the formation of the helix with a ladder structure. After this summer, we plan to write a review paper incorporating these and other metal organic polymer syntheses using ionic liquids, using the figures we created to visualize our work.

  Supervisor: Prof. Hilary Eppley, PhD

• 

  Tools for Genotyping of Nicotine-Seeking Zebrafish

  Emma Kennedy, Aziza Shemet Pitcher, Sabrina Krause, Autumn McDaniel, Molly Ruggles, and Henning Schneider

  Smoking is one of the main causes of preventable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Helping people quit using nicotine products is a main goal of our projects. Developing a zebrafish model for nicotine use behavior could provide a tool for studying the underlying genetic risks and neuronal elements of nicotine use behavior. The availability of large numbers of larval zebrafish, relatively short generation time and genetic tools present a major advantage for studying the genetic causes of nicotine use behavior. Here, we present our approach to test whether identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with smoking behavior in humans have SNP homologs in nicotine-seeking zebrafish. Our major focus has been on genes that appear to increase the risk for nicotine-use behavior in humans. A zebrafish behavioral test allows us to separate nicotine-seeking from non-seeking larval zebrafish. Fin or scale tissue can be used to isolate genomic DNA. We have developed tools and protocols to detect SNPs in zebrafish genes for acetylcholine receptors type alpha 3, alpha 5, as well as nol4b2, opiate receptor oprm1 and the zebrafish homolog to human cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6). The genetic analysis of nicotine-seeking zebrafish could lead to the identification of genes and gene modifications that facilitate nicotine-use behavior.

• 

  Cardiac Neuroanatomy and Chronotropic Modulation of the Adult Giant Danio Heart

  Alyssa Koch, Emma Nelson, and Pascal Lafontant

  Studies in non-mammalian models species have contributed significantly to our understanding of the biology and the nature of innervation in the heart. The giant danio (D. malabaricus) is a teleost fish species closely related to zebrafish, that is also capable of heart regeneration. We previously described the development and maturation of the giant danio (GD) heart. However, little is known about its innervation. We hypothesized that the pattern of innervation in the GD heart is anatomically and physiologically complex, and that the heart is responsive to physiological modulation similar to that seen in cyprinid fish and mammals. Using various neuronal markers and electron microcopy, we described the presence, distribution, and nature of nerves in the GD heart. Our study shows first that fine intrinsic cardiac nerve fibers are present throughout the heart chambers. Second, nerve soma and ganglia are highly concentrated at nerve plexuses located near the sinoatrial (SA) and atrioventricular (AV) junctions. However, the volume density of axonal processes located over the ventral aorta_ is highest over the corpus of the bulbus arteriosus. Third, using an ex vivo GD heart preparation, we found that the GD heart responded to both adrenergic and cholinergic agonists, in a manner that mirrors mammalian and teleost hearts. Taken together, our studies show that the GD heart displays complex patterns of innervation, and conserved cardiac physiological responses, and strongly suggest that the GD could be used as a viable model for investigating cardiac biology.

• 

  A Highly-Parameterized Ensemble To Play Gin Rummy

  Masayuki Nagai, Kavya Shrivastava, Kien Ta, Chad Byers, and Steven Bogaerts

  In this work we describe the development and tuning of a computer Gin Rummy player. The system includes three main components to make decisions about drawing cards, discarding, and ending the game, with numerous hyperparameters controlling behavior. After the components are described, three sets of hyperparameter tuning and performance experiments are analyzed.

• 

  Pattern of health behavior and its association with self-rated health: evidence from the 2018 behavioral risk factor surveillance system in the United States

  Linh Nguyen, Mamunur Rashid, and M Mazharul Islam

  Physical inactivity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption are linked with increased morbidity and mortality. To improve public health services, we need to keep policymakers updated with health-related issues. Yet, there are limited numbers of recent research on the combination of those lifestyle behaviors as the determinants of self-rated health (SRH) in the US. Therefore, this study (1) examines the pattern of physical activities, smoking, alcohol consumption, and SRH, and (2) investigates the association between the behaviors and SRH status among US citizens. We extracted data from the latest state-based survey of the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which provides a nationally representative sample of 437,436 American adults. We analyzed the data mainly employing chi-square tests and logistic regression models. Results indicate that physical inactivity and smoking are more common among participants with lower education and household income. Normal-weight individuals or those with higher education and income level are associated with drinking and optimal SRH. Younger ages smoke and report optimal SRH more often, whereas older adults tend to be more physically inactive. Women and people with chronic diseases tend to be less physically inactive, drink, and report optimal SRH than those in the same categories. Optimal SRH is less common among people who smoke and are physically inactive. People who have at least one drink monthly report optimal SRH more often than those who do not. We encourage policy formulators to maintain the public space, increase taxes on tobacco products, and make educational campaigns targeting the youth.

• 

  Hsa-miR-4520-2-3p: A Potential Modulator of COVID-related ACE2

  Molly Ruggles and Nipun Chopra

  ACE2 is a transmembrane receptor located in cells in various tissues around the body. Its normal role is the conversion of Angiotensin II to Angiotensin 1-7 leading to vasodilation and a subsequent reduction in blood pressure via the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. ACE2 also plays a pivotal role in the infection of COVID-19 as it determines entry of virus into human cells. SARS-CoV-2 uses one of its four structural proteins, the spike (S) glycoprotein, to bind to the ACE2 receptor. This entry into the cell begins the process of infection and spread of the disease; because of the abundance of ACE2 throughout the body, viruses are able to enter a number of different organs. This multi-cell-entry via ACE2 is why COVID-19 affects multiple organ systems in the human body. Currently, therapies targeting ACE2 expression are limited. MicroRNA (miRNA)s are short non-coding RNA that downregulate the expression of a variety of proteins, and therefore offer a mechanism by which to inhibit the expression of ACE2. MiRNAs can potentially downregulate ACE2 protein synthesis by binding to the mRNA of ACE2 at a seed sequence. This binding results in mRNA degradation or inhibition of translation. Thus, our goal was to identify miRNA that may potentially target and downregulate ACE2. TargetScan, DIANA-MicroT, and PicTar are three algorithms that predict miRNAs that can bind to the mRNA of ACE2 and downregulate its expression. Together, the prediction tools resulted in 57 shared human miRNAs that target ACE2. We then utilized self-defined parameters to narrow down our list and identified hsa-miR-4520-2-3p as our predicted miRNA to target ACE2. This miRNA will be experimentally verified in the future.

  Supervisor: Prof Nipun Chopra, PhD

• 

  Mapping Disparities in COVID-19: Determining the Demographic, Economic, Educational, Housing, Quality of Life, and Health Factors that Relate to Disparities in COVID-19 infections and Deaths

  Kate Stanley and Naima Shifa

  Background: Throughout the pandemic, minority groups, particularly African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans have experienced disproportionately high infection and death rates as compared to their white and Asian counterparts. Though this phenomenon could be attributed to high rates of pre-existing conditions in black and Hispanic communities, there are other underlying factors that cause such disparity. We set out to determine whether or not various demographic, economic, educational, health, housing, and quality of life indicators were correlated with higher rates of COVID-19 infection.

  Methods: We used USAFacts COVID-19 data to select the 150 United States counties with the highest infection rates. We then collected a series of data, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, for each of those counties. While useful, county-level analysis failed to reveal inequality within counties (i.e. low-income areas nested inside a high-income county). In order to further understand minority health, we used Policy Map to collect a series of data for Chicago and New York City, and performed zip-code level analyses for each city. In order to explore societal indicators of minority health, we used descriptive statistics and statistical t-tests to compare the counties and zip codes with the highest white population to the counties and zip codes with the highest percentages of African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Finally, we created a series of scatterplots, studying the correlation between zip code level variables and COVID-19 infection rates.

  Results: Compared to the predominantly white counties and zip codes, areas with higher rates of African Americans and Hispanics demonstrated lower income levels, lower educational attainment, higher rates of certain pre-existing conditions (namely obesity and diabetes), lower rates of flu vaccination, lower self-rated health, lower insurance coverage, and minimal physical activity. Furthermore, larger household size, lower rates of yearly doctor’s visits, homeownership, and computer/internet access, and higher rates of unemployment, multiple jobholders, and public transport use were all related to higher COVID-19 rates among minority communities.

  Discussion: Underlying economic, educational, housing, and quality of life factors are associated with higher rates of COVID-19. Mitigating these underlying social determinants of disease could improve the health of minority groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Future research can work to further understand how these social indicators cause disease and should seek to uncover potential interventions to address these disparities.

• 

  Visualizing Income Distribution in the United States

  Sang T. Truong and Humberto Barreto

  Background: Visit https://sites.google.com/depauw.edu/incomedistributionviz/home to see a novel, eye-catching visual display of the income distribution in the United States that conveys fundamental information about the evolution and current level of income inequality to a wide audience. We use IPUMS CPS data to create household income deciles adjusted for price level and household size for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1976 to 2018. We adjust for state price differences from 2008 to 2018. Plotting these data gives a 3D chart that provides a startling picture of income differences within and across states over time. Those interested in further customization can use our Python visualization toolbox, incomevis, available at pypi.org/project/incomevis.

• 

  Ultra-high vibrational and rotational motion of the HF molecule via Infrared (IR) laser excitation

  Toria Tucker, Jingwei (Mike) Ling, and Bridget Gourley

  Our goals this summer were to build on previous work in our group modeling ultra-high vibrational and rotational excitation in small molecules via unique pulse sequencing of an infrared (IR) laser. The system was modeled both using Fortran and Mathematica as programming languages. We were able to demonstrate that different numerical techniques for propagating coupled differential equations forward in time led to equivalent levels of vibrational excitation and allowed for identical visualization of molecular state probabilities as a function of time. Work including the rotational motion progressed to the point of being able to see both significant excitation when rotations are included as well as leaking into neighboring rotational states as expected. Much work remains to be done before a full analysis of the rotational excitation can be completed.

• 

  Effects of Mono- and Di- Saccharide Osmolytes on the Stability and Folding Dynamics of src SH3

  Mahmoud Abouelkheir and Emily Guinn

  Osmolytes are small molecules that stabilize protein’s native structures in living systems. In order to better understand this process, we investigate how changes in specific structural properties of osmolytes affect folding dynamics and stability of proteins. This study focuses on one common structural property that varies in quantity, linkage, and arrangement amongst some osmolytes: glucose subunits. Comparing the effects of osmolytes with varying quantities of cyclic glucose subunits, varying types of glycosidic linkages of cyclic glucose subunits, and a linear glucose analogue on the stability and folding dynamics of proteins may reveal the potential role of these structures on osmolyte-protein interactions. We characterize the effects of mono- and di-saccharide osmolytes on the stability and folding kinetics of the srcSH3 model protein using sorbitol, glucose, and maltose solutions with chemical denaturant.

• 

  Mass Cytometry Immune Profiling of T1D Patients

  Layla Ahmadi

  Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an autoimmune condition in which pancreatic islet cells are mistaken for foreign invaders and killed by T cells. B lymphocytes present autoantigens to T lymphocytes, activating them. Islet cells are responsible for the production of insulin, which is used to maintain glucose homeostasis. Hence, those with T1D present with severe hyperglycemia accompanied by polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria at diagnosis. The condition is chronic and incurable, affecting over 1.25 million Americans. If the condition is not well managed, patients face complications such as blindness, amputation, diabetic neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease. Currently, there is limited understanding of the risk for onset of T1D and the development of the disorder. We hypothesize that there are differences in the frequency and activation status of autoimmune-prone B and T lymphocyte subsets present in T1D patients, and that these can be identified among recirculating peripheral blood monocytes. Our goal is to compare the circulating immune profiles of T1D patients to healthy controls using mass cytometry in conjunction with cutting-edge unsupervised analysis algorithms to establish each patient’s immunophenotype. Populations and frequencies of live white blood cells in patients with T1D from the T1D Exchange living biobank (n=29) will be analyzed in comparison to healthy donors (n=9). The analysis of the differences in immunophenotype in those with T1D aims to elucidate potential pharmacological targets to implement mechanisms for the prevention of T1D.

• 

  Does Urbanization Drive Evolution in White Clover?

  Victor Alfonso, Seika Shiba, Yangjie Tan, and Philips Akinwole

  Urban areas are functioning ecosystems with profound effects on the ecology and evolution of organisms. Systematic investigations of species interactions in urban versus rural environments can improve our understanding of the mechanisms through which urbanization drives natural selection on populations. To facilitate our understanding of the selective factors driving adaptation in cities, we examined adaptive phenotypic changes by quantifying the relative frequency of cyanogenesis (hydrogen cyanide production after tissue damage) in 180 white clover (Trifolium repens) populations along urbanization gradients in six Midwest (USA) cities. White clover, a perennial plant is naturally polymorphic for cyanogenesis; a chemical defense against herbivores. We found that the frequency of cyanogenic plants within populations decreased towards the urban centers in three of six cities, but no consistent pattern in genetic diversity in three cities. The population density strongly predicted the average cyanogenic frequencies across Midwest cities. Our study supports the notion that insect herbivory is higher in rural environments, hence, higher frequency of cyanogenesis in rural area indicated a defense mechanism against herbivores. Nonetheless, our findings partly illustrate the complex nature of urbanization effects on plant‐herbivore interactions which requires accounting for direct or indirect mechanisms involving other biotic or abiotic factors. We suggest that plant populations are adapting to urbanization gradients, but more studies are needed to assess whether the capacity of this species to adapt to urban ecosystems is a general phenomenon.

• 

  Synthesis and Characterization of silver complexes of mercaptosuccinic acid in aqueous and ionic liquid solvents

  Mohamed Berbich and Gina Federighi

  A procedure to synthesize silver complexes of mercaptosuccinic acid in an ionic liquid solvent was developed based on the literature synthesis of similar complexes in aqueous solution (Nomiya et.al). We successfully synthesized crystalline product using both water and ionic liquids as solvents. Modifications to the synthesis resulted in the formation of pure yellow crystals, and they were analyzed by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), an ionic compound that is liquid at room temperature, provided a different reaction environment from the aqueous solution reaction, resulting in a different coordination complex. The EAN system resulted in a lighter yellow product, with more limited solubility in water. Crystallography and elemental analysis are planned this fall to confirm the structures.