UNDERGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM FOR SCHOLARLY & CREATIVE WORK
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Symposium Judging 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Grand Ballroom at Tutor Campus Center (Judges only – closed to presenters and general public)
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
General Presentations, Exhibits, and Displays 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Grand Ballroom, Tommy’s Place, and Franklin Suite at Tutor Campus Center
Awards Ceremony & Dinner Reception 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 pm Town & Gown
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May 1, 2013
Dear Members of the USC Community:
It is my pleasure to welcome you to USC’s 15th Annual Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work. The Symposium is designed to provide USC undergraduates with the unique opportunity to exhibit and share examples of their significant research, scholarly and creative work with the university community. Although the Symposium is modeled on a professional conference poster session, students may exhibit their work in a variety of ways, such as through posters, art exhibits, and electronic media. All undergraduates are encouraged to participate. An award ceremony recognizing the most outstanding works will take place at the end of the Symposium and includes First Prize awards of $1000 and Second Prize awards of $500 in each of the following categories.
Arts Humanities Social Sciences Life Sciences Physical Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering
A panel of distinguished faculty will judge submissions in each category. After the judging, you are cordially invited to attend the Award Ceremony at Town & Gown at 7:00 p.m. where the winners will be announced.
We hope you enjoy USC’s Undergraduate Symposium, which promises to be a highlight of the semester this year and in many years to come.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Garrett Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
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The USC Undergraduate Symposium for Creative and Scholarly Work provides
undergraduates with the unique opportunity to exhibit and share examples of their
significant research and creativity with the university community. This year, we have received over 170 submissions with participation from over 240 students. Students
present work in a variety of ways, such as through poster/panel sessions, art exhibits, and
electronic media. All undergraduates are encouraged to participate. For some students,
the symposium serves as a culmination of work they have produced in partial fulfillment
of a senior honors project, or a research project with faculty, both individually and as part
of a program.
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS
On behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Programs and the Office of the Provost, we
graciously thank USC faculty and graduate judges for volunteering their time. The
success of the undergraduate symposium is largely due to the contribution of their
expertise in the judging process. We would like to give special thanks to the USC Trojan
Knights and the USC Helenes for their faithful service. Also, we would like to give a
warm thanks to the faculty advisors who have sponsored students in this year’s
Symposium. Your dedication to embrace teaching through inquiry-based learning has
made this event as successful as it has been. And finally, we would like to express our
gratitude to the USC Stevens Center for Innovation and the USC Schwarzenegger
Institute for State and Global Policy for their time, effort and commitment to this
extraordinary event.
THANK YOU!!!
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15th Annual Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work
Table of Contents
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ...... ii
LETTER FROM PROVOST ELIZABETH GARRETT ...... iii
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT ...... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v
ARTS ...... 1
HUMANITIES ...... 11
LIFE SCIENCES ...... 22
PHYSICAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING ...... 50
SOCIAL SCIENCES ...... 66
INDEX OF PARTICIPANTS ...... 97
INDEX OF PARTICIPANTS BY CATEGORY ...... 103
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Category: Arts Name(s): Mindy Curtis Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Andrew Liang, School of Architecture Arts Format: Creative Work Title: Architecture in the Margins: Urban Sensory Experience Abstract: The urban sensory experience exists as a byproduct—no one plans the roar of the freeway, nor the play of light and darkness walking between the shadows of skyscrapers. It is reduced to a homogenous blur—sounds of autos and the scent of pollution, cold mass of concrete and everywhere, hardness; and as with all blurs, all constancies, this sensory onslaught fades Category: Arts in our awareness to become a grating backdrop for urban life. Name(s): Andrew Sampson Submission Type: Individual Jane Jacobs proposes that in order to Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): romanticize nature, people need cities. It is Haven Lin-Kirk, Roski School of Fine Arts an idea as old as Paradise Lost, that people Format: Creative Work need evil to recognize good, darkness to Title: &sampson understand light. Differentiation, variation—these are the keys to noticing, Abstract: experiencing, living. Separating, This website is a portfolio of work in highlighting, re-ordering and remixing the design, film production, photography, and urban sensory experience will bring an marketing, I needed to create a cohesive awareness of what the city is. means of displaying my creative interests across a variety of mediums. Developing a But this sensory awareness of the city personal brand allowed me to divide my cannot happen within the closed container portfolio without losing focus and to of the automobile, where temperature and establish an identity on which to base music can be set and left unchanged. future collaborations. Instead it is the pedestrian who has the greatest potential to be aware of his §§§§ surroundings.
This is where Union Station comes in—as the new high-speed rail hub and future gateway to Los Angeles, it will become the generative point for foot traffic. The downtown area has attractors of its own to pull in the foot traffic, but the “Rust Belt” lying in the opposite direction does not. My
1 project uses that area as a counterpoint, §§§§ and develops in its wider spaces a car-less, pedestrian-centered park-city, like the Category: Arts centro storico of old-world cities but with Name(s): Debra Hakimi the dynamism and strategic densification that are fast becoming hallmarks of the Submission Type: Individual future city.. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Jennifer Siegal, Architecture §§§§ Format: Creative Work Title: The Densification of Los Angeles Category: Arts through Responsive Micro-Housing Name(s): Eve White Units: Using Alice as the Ideal Client Submission Type: Individual Abstract: Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): The densification of Los Angeles will lead to Ron Rizk, Roski School of Fine Arts the development of smaller properties and Format: Creative Work shorter daily commutes, which support short-term and long-term sustainable Title: Chaotic Focus practices. Increased square footages of Abstract: current single family homes have led to The series of paintings I made began as unaffordable mortgages and an overall distorted portraits inspired by pixilated housing crisis, so there is a need for more Skype stills, soon transformed into affordable and more responsive micro- complete abstraction. Chaos became the housing units. Alice from Alice in central focus of the work, rather than a Wonderland is the ideal client for these cohesive identity, as elements of figuration units because the storyline imagines a built disintegrated into a bold swarms of environment that is created through pigments. I started to recognize abstract constantly evolving interactions between painting as a means of expressing through the human body and space. The reflection energy, using its unbounded formations of of such a vision results in architecture that light and color to express my scattered is more dynamic and responsive to the non-linear thought process. Since returning user’s changing needs. from Australia, I have continued to develop a series of abstract paintings, exploring These micro-housing units will be inserted different ways to present chaos as a between existing buildings in an urban and harmonious central form. suburban context. This radical proposal goes against current city regulations, which In the United States, certain attributes of require setbacks on all four sides of a my personality are labeled as dyslexia and building. Different prototypes of these units ADHD, but in Australia these same qualities allow for customization based on the are not cast aside as different. I formed my inhabitant’s desires and specific site concept of self through my perception of conditions. The lower floor of these units is social stigmas surrounding these “learning more contained and it serves as the utility disabilities,” rejecting my own normalcy. In core; the major programmatic elements Australia, I was able to recognize the that require plumbing such as the kitchen systems I previously functioned under as a and the bathroom are located there. The social construction rather than a universal compressed atmosphere that is created truth. I had no innate deficiency, but rather within this narrow but long space had been struggling with an unseemly resembles the same atmosphere that Alice label, similar to abjection. experiences when she gets too big for the
2 room that she gets locked into. Above this Has the world envisioned in Filippo floor is a tent-like structure that expands Tommaso Marinetti artistic manifesto and contracts based on the user’s needs, become reality? Have we as society reached and the individual spaces are flexible the point where we no longer know how enough to meet any programmatic goal to live in the moment and enjoy the small that does not require plumbing. This details in life that brought joy to humanity portion of the building is capable of for thousands of years? What effects does becoming expansive so that the user feels this have on art and its future evolution? smaller in relationship to his or her Has the simple joy of enjoying the world surroundings. Overall, these schemes strive around us become an outdated and for a play on scale, the inclusion of various forgotten concept of the past? types of transformable spaces, and opposing interactions between humans §§§§ and the space around them. Category: Arts §§§§ Name(s): Seri Hieatt, Nicholas Murao Submission Type: Group Category: Arts Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Per-Gulbrand (Peter) Braathen David Gerber, School of Architecture Submission Type: Individual Format: Creative Work Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: Digital Bike Pavilion Meiling Cheng, School of Dramatic Arts Abstract: Format: Creative Work The Bike Pavilion displays the congestion Title: Devolution levels on bike paths through LED displays. Abstract: The exterior pleated skin undulates to The purpose of Devolution is to explore the reveal the data hidden beneath it. The concept of time in an audio-visual non- pavilion presents a interactive and dynamic narrative film format. In 1909 Filippo approach to data display changing the Tommaso Marinetti manifested the artistic notion of static infrastructure. movement Italian Futurism. The Italian Futurists wanted to abolish the traditional §§§§ arts of the past, and instead wanted to focus artistic expression on the concepts of Category: Arts high velocity and technological Name(s): Mayra Moran achievements. Merely a century later our society has come to the point where time Submission Type: Individual has becoming a rare commodity. It is Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): expected from our generation to be more Jennifer Phelps, Roski School of Fine Arts productive and efficient with our time than Format: Creative Work any predeceasing generation. While the Title: Forgotten Home attention span of our society as a whole Abstract: has become significantly reduced, we are rapidly learning the skill of multitasking. My piece communicates the state of We are no longer doing only one or two struggle and healing that the victims of tasks at the same time. We have reached Hurricane Katrina face today in different the point where we are taking in ways: materials used, imagery. The piece is information through several mediums at 5’x7’ on drawing paper. I chose to create the same time, while still feeling that we my art out of materials that are easily are not utilizing our time good enough. destructible, paper and chalk pastel, to
3 symbolize the idea that anything can be grid to host numerous interchangeable easily destroyed, nothing is guaranteed to attractions. Instead of being tied to a single last forever. The image is of two doors that city, Icelantis is carried by the currents of are located in New Orleans and are covered the North Atlantic Gyre as a traveling with artwork that was made before Katrina Disney experience. hit. Because this artwork indicates a part of New Orleans history, I want to bring to Icelantis is a reflection on multiple levels. As light the culture of the past and its a literally mirrored object, it is a reflection relationship to the rebuilding culture of the on the Imagineering heritage of the present. I also leave some information out mountain. The narrative is also developed of the image to represent the issue of as a reflection on the need for a sustainable whether victims will ever recuperate from relationship between humanity and the this natural disaster. environment, between artificial and organic. Icelantis is also a reflection on the §§§§ entrepreneurial strategies of the Disney company. Like the Walt Disney Company, Category: Arts the mountain is uniquely mobile and Name(s): Mark Acciari, Regina Teng transnational, both in its geographical movement and its internal modular Group Submission Type: strategy. It also parallels the business Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): strategy of utilizing existing Disney Laurel Broughton, Architecture; Brendan concepts and ventures, i.e.. Disney Cruise Muha, Architecture and Disney on Ice. Format: Creative Work Title: Icelantis: Disney's Mountain of the §§§§ Sea Abstract: Category: Arts The project responds to a fairly typical brief Name(s): Caleb Barnes with an unconventional twist. We were Submission Type: Individual asked to “pick one city in the world and Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): design an entertainment/recreational Veronika Krausas, Thornton School of experience for its citizens and tourists.” Music Taking cues from WALL-E and the Epcot Format: Creative Work theme park, Icelantis originates in a magical twist on nature and reality. In 2307, 500 Title: Lingua Musica years before WALL-E, global warming has Abstract: melted all the icebergs – except for In today’s economic climate, language and Icelantis. Recently rediscovered by climate music classes are being eliminated from scientists, Icelantis is the last iceberg on the schools. The exposure for children ages planet. 8-12 in music and language studies is minimal at best, and more commonly is From the Matterhorn to the latest Seven non-existent. Lingua Musica aims to help Dwarf Mine Train, there exists a rich legacy fill that gap that cuts to education have left of the Disney mountain. Icelantis: Disney’s in the areas of music, foreign language, Mountain of the Sea is playfully reflects and cultural studies. For the teachers, and this. Instead of arising from the earth, the parents, and any education group that mountain is crystallized and mirrored into wants to expose their students to the the ocean to form an iceberg. Instead of wonders of foreign languages, practice the containing one singular, static experience, basics of singing, engage in the world of the mountain is scaled and modulated by a classical music, and explore a new country,
4 Lingua Musica can do it all and give economic budget. In conjunction with the children that first experience that can grow Skid Row Housing Trust, a non-profit into a life-long passion. organization dedicated to the homeless population in Los Angeles, my research has Many schools, arts groups for children, helped develop the various programming after-school programs, and home and ideas in my design. This resulted in the education groups have trouble affording creation of stack-able, mold-able, and effective music and language programs due breakable spaces. One unit equals to the current economic situation. Lingua individual bedrooms. Two units equal Musica is an affordable, engaging, and fun communal kitchens. Three units equal DVD curriculum that requires no previous shared patio spaces. Four units knowledge of music or languages by encompasses the lobby, career center, and teachers or students. lounge area. These modular groupings within my project helps facilitate the goals This project is truly is an interdisciplinary of my project by allowing the flexibility work as many USC resources were used in design to cater to the needs of each the creation of this 35 minute DVD. Besides project, city, and state. my own studies in Vocal Performance, my faculty supervisor is a composition teacher §§§§ at Thornton, the theme music was composed by a Popular Music student, the Category: Arts Italian support came from various Name(s): Paulina Shahery professors in the Dornsife College of Submission Type: Individual Letters, Arts, and Sciences, and the cinematographers for this project came Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Douglas Noble, Architecture; Erik Mar, Architecture §§§§ Format: Field Research Title: Nordic Daylite + Daylife Category: Arts Abstract: Name(s): Lori Chen By traveling to Denmark, Sweden and Submission Type: Individual Norway, I experienced Nordic architecture Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): and urban design firsthand. In this way, I Valery Augustin, School of Architecture gained insight into the larger social implications that daylight has on daily life. Format: Creative Work All in all, I am inspired by Nordic designers Title: A Modular Solution to Skid Row for their sensitivity to the environment. Housing These studies permeate into my design Abstract: tenet: ways in which architecture could In 2011, the Los Angeles Homeless Services raise your soul to a higher level -- through Authority conducted a report that found innovative, sustainable yet beautiful uses of that there were over 51,000 homeless light. men, women, and children in Los Angeles County. A statistic for the entire United §§§§ States has that number closer to one and a half million. My project seeks to be an innovative solution to the homeless population – through providing housing and giving them tools to help them transition back into society at a feasible
5 Category: Arts sustainable and successful future that renders widespread disenfranchisement a Name(s): Candace Kao, Leen Katrib social and architectural artifact of the past. Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Our project culminates in a series of Warren Techentin, School of Architecture cartographic projects that envision the Format: Creative Work future of the Parisian suburb, alongside a Title: Paris 2060 research book that dissects contemporary statistics and developments in Parisian Abstract: architecture, urbanism, culture, and society. When we think of Paris, we picture the City of Lights, the City of Love, and its cultural, §§§§ educational, and economic superiority. Through our research, we concluded that Category: Arts metropolitan Paris is self-sustained as an artistic and cultural icon, but many of its Name(s): Andrea Monico suburban offshoots are not. Paris 2060 will Submission Type: Individual be an intervention with the Parisian Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): suburbs, or les banlieues, as a way to Helen Kim, Roski School of Fine Arts address the growing gap between the city Format: Creative Work center and the satellite suburbs. It proposes a means of bridging the gap and proposing Title: Respira Profundamente a plan for a more equal and symbiotic Abstract: center-periphery relationship. Through In “Respira Profundamente” I aim to research and analysis, we were able to explore the specific issue of my formulate an understanding of the grandfather’s mortality within the broad development patterns in Paris and its umbrella subject of the human condition. I suburbs. achieve this through the medium of documentary photography and voiceover. We chose the suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois My major aim in this series was to as our test case for research and design successfully explore the paradoxical idea of because it serves as a microcosm of Parisian presence in absence. suburbs stricken by riots of 2005, also because of its dominant population of Before I began shooting for this series in El historically marginalized communities who Salvador, I conducted research and planned live in ailing block housing as opposed to to shoot portraits of my family members the glamorous apartments of Paris proper. who reside in El Salvador. However, upon The city also recently lost a large my arrival, I was horribly shocked by the automobile production facility that feeble state my grandfather was in. I provided thousands of jobs to the local decided that my plans would be economy, and the emptying of factories inappropriate based upon his physical and warehouses now leaves the suburb’s condition. Therefore, in my attempt to identity and economic viability in question. keep the project alive, I began to seek an The second component identifies ways of ethically sound resolution. I came to the addressing the void and projects new conclusion to photograph my grandfather’s guidelines for future development in the home—his surroundings. social and built character within this neighborhood through urban and Through these photographs, I wanted to architectural intervention. Ultimately, we stress the idea of our inevitable demise as seek to develop a methodology to orient humans and our struggle to leave our this suburb, and others, towards a mark. Regardless of the space we occupy
6 and the people we impact, we cannot be Category: Arts permanent. I am essentially embracing Name(s): Evan Greenstone, Andrew decay. Hartwell, Anoop Kamboj, Travis §§§§ McLain, Christopher Oslund, Travis Primm Submission Type: Group Category: Arts Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Osama (Sam) Iqab Laird Malamed, Interactive Media, School Submission Type: Individual of Cinematic Arts Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Creative Work Lauren Matchison, Associate Professor, Title: Scrapyard Architecture; Master of Landscape Architecture Abstract: Format: Creative Work Scrapyard focuses on bringing the fun back into the living room. Having the sense of Title: Rising with Rubble playing against one of your friends sitting Abstract: next to you and allowing everyone to jump The town hall was a response to the in, regardless of skill level, and have a good 2007-2010 siege on Gaza Strip, which left time playing. The project focuses as a way more than 2600 buildings and homes in for our developers to show off the high ruin and rubble. Another crippling restraint quality of work they can produce in hopes was that the trade routes were blocked of allowing our developers to get jobs into between Gaza and Egypt to deter the the AAA games industry. This has caused smuggling of weapons, but that also every department to be pushed, in unison, deterred the shipment of building materials to be better than they were before. and other goods. Therefore the Gazans turned to the rubble and started to collect §§§§ and sell rubble to construction workers. The construction workers would then de- Category: Arts aggregate the rubble to create new Name(s): Zade Shakir aggregate for cement and concrete. Some Gazans went as far as destroying already Submission Type: Individual damaged homes to collect more rubble, Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): then used mud as mortar to bond rubble Jessica Peet, International Relations walls. The aim of the design was to reflect Format: Creative Work this resiliency of the Gazans by creating a Title: Speak town hall composed of gabions filled with Abstract: rubble. This entry is supposed to go beyond any political and cultural stance, it's Asking the question, "Is our speech truly supposed to convey the exaptation of free?" this poem aims to address issues of resources by humans in-times of need. freedom of speech. Too often we find Humans intrinsically thrive off disaster. ourselves hesitant to speak out against Therefore, what was once rubble, a social injustice out of fear of repercussions. physical reminder of termination and separation, becomes a reminder of §§§§ community. §§§§
7 Category: Arts demographics and living scenarios including young couples, single parents Name(s): Phuoc (Kai) Nguyen with children, extended families, Submission Type: Individual roommates, and live-work arrangements Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): can easily be accommodated by adaptable Gary Paige, School of Architecture zones and rooms with transformable Format: Creative Work furniture that could response to any type of Title: Sustainable Net-Zero Energy Home living situation or events. The design of the Net-Zero Home is a feasible alternative Abstract: solution to the suburban tract house with Sustainability is one of the important issues affordability and energy efficiency that our world is facing today and approach and it can be configured as a changing the way we engineer and design starter home for a young couple or building is an approach that we must rearranged for an extended family. consider to prevent global warming. In fact, our world is changing rapidly; climate, §§§§ social, technological, cultural, and change in the formation of the nuclear family are Category: Arts common not only in Southern California, but also as part of a global condition that Name(s): Ashley Armstrong defines life style in the 21st century. Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Upon research of the two most important Michael Patterson, Animation, School of regional precedents, the craftsman Cinematic Arts bungalow and the courtyard/patio house, Format: Creative Work spatially the house is both introverted and extroverted. In addition, Net-Zero Home Title: Swan Song also incorporates smart home technology Abstract: with mass customized elements to produce The film Swan Song takes root in some of an affordable, energy-efficient dynamic my greatest passions. Firstly, it’s mythical dwelling prototype. nature draws upon my love for lore and legend as the story is greatly inspired by The Sustainable Net-Zero Energy Home European swan myths. I adore creating emphasizes the idea of change with a stories, and it is my aspiration to be a story spatial strategy that is based on the idea of artist for animation. For this film, I labored openness, flexibility, and efficiency. Instead lovingly to create a charming, yet of the typical stucco boxes that populate bittersweet story and accompany it with a the Southern California suburban professional level “camera” to display my landscape, Net-Zero Home turns the mastery of cinema techniques. Secondly, I suburban tract house lot inside out in order have loved drawing and animation since to bring the outdoors in and indoors childhood. To meet the goals of this outside. Front, back and side yards are ambitious project, my artistic skills were conceived as courtyard, veranda, and porch pushed and grew exponentially. In addition space, literally connecting the house with to, showing evidence of my growth as an the landscape by capturing the horizon and artist, this project displays my growth as a sky, providing shade, and natural leader, for I collaborated with and directed ventilation. many talented artists. I believe that working together to create projects is quintessential While the initial homeowner profile is in animation, and I have learned that it is based on the nuclear family, Net-Zero incredibly rewarding. The artists who I Home’s design can adapt to various worked with have added so much
8 creativity, personality, and beauty to my design through physical craft rather than film. This has helped in the overall mere representation. Confronted with the expansion and betterment of my original material limitations inherent with brittle idea. Swan Song is the accumulation of my wax crayons, I was motivated by necessity extensive artistic studies at USC and at to find new ways to manipulate the extracurricular classes, as well as a material. testament to my professional network. With the help of my artistic friends and The addition of a flexible mesh substrate, peers it has been elevated to a higher and the creation of a custom mold tailored quality. specifically to the size and spacing of the mesh perforations, enabled me to §§§§ reconstitute more than 2,800 crayons into almost 21,000 cast units that accumulated Category: Arts to create a field effect in which the crayons Name(s): Devon Mott transcended their conventional functional and formal properties. As one approaches Individual Submission Type: the jacket, increasing layers of intricacy are Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): perceptible. It soon becomes apparent that Lee Olvera, Architecture the field effect is comprised of a multitude Format: Creative Work of pixels and the distinctive aroma of wax Title: Uniform without Uniformity: An crayons sparks a curiosity that entices one Architectural Inquiry of Craft to examine the jacket in detail. It is only Abstract: then, that the individual units and intricacies of the jacket’s construction can The assigned task was to construct a Mao be fully appreciated. jacket from a prescribed pattern utilizing a maximum of two unconventional materials. §§§§ The project presented a formidable challenge requiring much creativity and Category: Arts ingenuity. In a painstaking process, which was dominated my continuous Name(s): Seri Hieatt, Nicholas Murao experimentation, what began as a mere Submission Type: Group visceral fascination with a familiar Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): childhood experience – the pixelated David Gerber, Architecture gradient revealed by the accumulation of Format: Creative Work 120 uniform crayon tips encountered upon opening a fresh box of wax crayons – Title: URAP eventually transcended into a meticulously Abstract: crafted final product that exudes luxury. Interactive architecture is a growing field in architecture that aims to improve the The development of a creative and strategic experience and performance of buildings approach to problem solving that enables through the use of responsive technologies design flexibility is essential in a that enable a building to adapt its shape, contemporary society where the scope and form, color or character in reaction to scale of architectural projects has expanded computer or human stimuli. Conduct beyond previous conventional research that outlines the current landscape characterizations of the discipline. The of projects of interactive architecture and micro-exploration of materiality embodied the future capabilities of these emerging in this project compelled me to move technologies. A greater understanding in beyond the “paper architecture” mentality the field of interactive architecture will be that has plagued the profession, exploring found through a categorization of
9 precedent projects. The information gathered from this in-depth research will be utilized in the development of a unique new look at the potential of interactive architecture. URAP project is a collaborative effort that has resulted in a designed, modeled and prototyped interactive pavilion. The pavilion design is meant to inform its visitors through interactive technology. The outside of the pavilion will have a curtain like system that moves and adjusts to proximity or data stimuli. The inside of the pavilion will consist of a surface that is panelized with LED lights. These lights will create a swarm appearance that is controlled and change based on an informative data set. §§§§
10 they have influenced Buddhism in America. It was this shift that eventually led to the complexity of American Buddhism such that scholars sought a system of categorizing the varieties of Buddhism found in America, yet continuously found Humanities themselves unable to universalize any particular system.
This paper seeks to do just that. By analyzing and critiquing the various systems of categorization that such scholars have developed over the past half century, this paper aims to identify the factors that a comprehensive system of categorization ought to exhibit and create a system of categorization based on those observations. The system of categorization developed in this paper seeks to correct for the problems found in other systems and Category: Humanities maintain the tools of categorization that Name(s): Jayme Tsutsuse have proven most useful. Furthermore, this Submission Type: Individual paper takes into consideration studies on race in America, with particular attention Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): paid to Asian American race relations, in Michael Jackson, Rossier School of order to develop a system of categorization Education that is sensitive to racial equity. In doing Format: Analytical Paper so, this paper aims to further scholarship Title: American Buddhism: Examining on American Religion by authenticating Systems of Categorization American Buddhism for all those whose Abstract: identity is predicated as such. Over the past half century, there has been §§§§ discussion amongst scholars as to who is authentically Buddhist in America. This inquiry has often analyzed belonging in Category: Humanities terms of source of authority and identity Name(s): Vellore Adithi formation by answering questions Submission Type: Individual regarding who belongs in Buddhist spaces Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): through a thorough investigation of who Lanita Jacobs, Anthropology has the authority to define American Buddhism and how Buddhist identities are Format: Senior Honors Thesis formed. Originally, the quest to define Title: American-Born: An Analysis of Race American Buddhism focused its attention Representation, Claims to on American convert Buddhists, who were Whiteness, and Ethnic Citizenship in typically of European descent. However, in Will Eisner’s The Spirit and A the 1990’s, the Buddhist practices of Asian Contract with God immigrants and their non-immigrant Abstract: descendants began to draw the attention I analyze key works by influential comics of scholars seeking to understand the artist Will Eisner—chiefly selections of the multiplicity of ethnic identities and how 1940s superhero comic, The Spirit, and the
11 1978 graphic novel, A Contract with subjectivities Eisner masterfully God—with respect to themes of White reconfigured, revised, and revisited racial formation, Jewish(-American) throughout his life, every time he applied citizenship, and racial/ethnic expression in ink to paper. twentieth century America. Building an interdisciplinary framework for my analysis §§§§ drawn from history, anthropology, American studies, and comics scholarship, I Category: Humanities perform close readings of The Spirit and A Name(s): Daniella Newman Contract with God to interrogate Eisner’s dynamic relationship to racial and ethnic Submission Type: Individual difference, Jewish identity, and artistic Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): expression. Lynn Swartz Dodd, Archaeology Format: Field Research My research is situated in dialogue with Title: Buried Deep: A study of the nascent scholarship on comic books, mausoleum of Esther and costumed heroes, and their creators, and I Mordechai, located in Hamadan, Iran attempt to fill gaps in the existing literature Abstract: on comics by drawing together cross- disciplinary discourses on racial formation, There has been a longstanding Jewish citizenship, and Jewish-American identity to presence in Hamadan. The earliest perform my analysis of Eisner’s work. reference of Jews in Hamadan is in the Bible, which claims that a group of Using archival analysis and micro-level Israelites were brought to the Persian readings of the imagery and language plateau by King Shalmaneser of Assyria contained in Eisner’s comics to perform my around 722 BCE. The local community research, I argue that Eisner’s oeuvre strongly identifies themselves as the represents a dynamic arc of immigrant decedents of Esther. As a direct descendent identity and American cultural citizenship. of the area, my father would share stories His early depictions of characters of color— with me of his pilgrimage to Hamadan to and Blackness, especially—as visually and visit the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, the linguistically alien contrast with the subtle protagonists of the story of Purim. The site coding of his ostensibly White hero as of continues to be used today by the Jewish/Southeastern European/immigrant community as a place of worship, stock, operating as a claim to Whiteness in particularly on the holiday of Purim. keeping with patterns of White racial Through personal interviews and academic formation and the twentieth century- research, I began to view the shrine as a expansion of American Whiteness. His later heritage site in a real world domain. work, however, published over three Despite the community’s unwavering claim decades later, suggests a dramatic shift in to be the children of Esther, the tomb’s Eisner’s relationship to ethnic identity and authenticity is heavily debated. Most Whiteness, engaging more explicitly with scholars claim that the site was constructed Jewish immigrant experiences and identities between the 14th-16th centuries CE; from an authoritative, ‘authentic’ American however, there is a strong religious belief Jewish positionality. that the site dates back to 5th century BCE. The site contains historical, cultural, and Ultimately, my research leverages Eisner’s religious significance to many, yet has work to examine the fluidity, multiplicity, never been added to UNESCO’s World and contradictions bound up in American Heritage List or the Tentative List. Iran did subjectivities and their expression— add the site to its own national list of protected sites on December 9, 2008. This
12 status was revoked two years later, Category: Humanities following protests by the Basij, hardline Name(s): Kalena Giessler Islamic militia, who were reacting to Israeli excavations in Jerusalem. The Mausoleum Submission Type: Individual of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): serves as a holy site, an icon in Jewish Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion, Dornsife tradition for the reversal of roles, and College; John Rick, Anthropology, Stanford salvation when it is least expected. University Format: Field Research §§§§ Title: Examining Trade Networks and Influence in Pre-Inca Peru: an XRF Category: Humanities Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts Found Name(s): Monica Valencia at Chavín de Huantar Submission Type: Individual Abstract: Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): The archaeological site of Chavín de Jody Vallejo, Sociology, Dornsife College Huantar, located in the north-central of Letters, Arts & Sciences Andes, was one of the most influential pre- Format: Field Research Incan ceremonial centers in Peru from ca. 1300-500 BCE. While it is known that the Title: Ethnic Supremacy: The Effects of Chavín culture was influential for later Transnational Prejudice on cultures, including the Inca, the Incorporation and Identity Formation geographical extent of influence that of Oaxacans in the U.S. Chavín de Huantar exhibited in Peru is still Abstract: somewhat unclear, along with the exact This research project is about the Oaxacan functioning of the site. As an important immigrant experience in the United States. ritual site, Chavín attracted pilgrims from Specifically, my study explores processes of multiple localities. Many materials, transnational prejudice experienced by including seashells, animal bones, and Oaxacans in Mexico and in the United obsidian, suggest that the residents of States, tracing how this prejudice shapes Chavín engaged in long-distance trade their pathways of incorporation and racial relationships, which may have existed for identity in the United States in both social economic, political, and social benefits. and labor sectors. The methodology for this study includes interviews of Oaxacan and One way to examine Chavín’s sphere of non-Oaxacan Mexican immigrant field influence is to perform an analysis on the laborers in southern California, as well as obsidian artifacts found at the site. My participant-observation of their interaction research aims to use X-Ray fluorescence with each other while working in the fields. spectrometry (XRF) to source 150 obsidian Findings indicate that indigenous Oaxacan artifacts found in Rocas Canal at Chavín to communities in the United States face their origins. As the major obsidian sources double marginalization – by Americans and in Peru are found hundreds of kilometers by their Mexican counterparts. This south of the site of Chavín, it is likely that research fills a gap in current immigration obsidian was brought to Chavín by visitors literature and points the way to a greater for multiple purposes, including trade. understanding of the heterogeneous Sourcing these obsidian artifacts will allow complexity of Mexican immigrants to the for a better understanding of the trade United States. networks existing at Chavín, providing archaeologists with clarification of the site’s §§§§ role in pre-Incan Peru. Through my initial phase of research, I create a context in
13 which these data will be understood and feminist platform. especially for people of evaluated. I am developing hypotheses color. Conclusions suggest that hip-hop has about the interregional interactions existing further utility in a variety of public and within pre-Incan Peru, including long- private educational settings. distance trade networks. As the quantitative data set from the XRF analyses §§§§ develops, I will test and adjust these hypotheses in order to better understand Category: Humanities the functioning and influence of the site of Name(s): Orli Robin Chavín de Huantar. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Dan Leshem, USC Shoah Foundation; Leah Category: Humanities Hochman, Judaic Studies Name(s): Rikiesha Pierce Format: Analytical Paper Submission Type: Individual Title: Global Polyphony in Fiction: A Quest Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): for Restorative Tolerance Sharon Hays, Dornsife College of Letters, Abstract: Arts, & Sciences; Amon Emeka, Dornsife This paper will analyze the power and College of Letters, Arts, & Sciences; Lanita potential of fictional narratives of prejudice Jacobs, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, & to transmit universal themes of threatened Sciences identity, social injustice, and captivity. This analysis investigates the reader’s ability to Format: Senior Honors Thesis experience intimately the suffering and loss Title: Gangsta Feminism?: A Pilot Study described by the authors through engaging Investigating the Feminist Potential with these “fictional” texts. I will weave of Big Rik Locc together three specific works in order to Abstract: present the interconnectedness of a series This is a multi-method and multi- of fictional narratives on a global level, disciplinary audience reception study each integrating threat and misfortune. I rooted in sociology, psychology, will explore an analogy with early musical anthropology, African American studies, polyphony of the sixteenth century in order and performance studies. Complementing to best illustrate this interconnectedness an investigation of hip-hop and gender among the stories of fiction of prejudice. studies, the research asks if hip-hop can be an effective protocol to use to teach urban In their writings, Moacyr Scliar, Zora Neale youth about feminism. Its innovation is a Hurston, and Aron Appelfeld undergo a highly reflective performance ethnography process of incorporation and reenactment piece starring the author, under the in order to recycle the emotion of the pseudonym “Big Rik Locc”, as a fourth- oppressed individual. I argue that fiction wave hip-hop feminist icon. The research integrates authentic experience in order to entails a music video that highlights force the reader to re-evaluate their moral unequal gender relationships and sexual principle, that of becoming more tolerant power relations in hip-hop musical culture. and compassionate towards fellow human Results and discussion suggest that college- beings. Narratives have the power to aged people of color without previous restore integrity to targeted groups exposure to gender studies can use hip-hop through the constant process of music videos to identify gender inequity. reenactment within fiction. Fiction allows The discussion suggests hip-hop’s vast readers to form an understanding of a utility both in the classroom, and as a universal cry for tolerance: when becoming
14 a targeted protagonist’s “confidant,” the did not die with the demise of Central reader is offered a glimpse into the new Avenue as a black district, but rather it perspective and angle of a threatened transmitted to Leimert Park. Currently, city individual. Preservation of real experience redevelopment programs threaten to embedded in fiction develops the readers’ change the identity of the Leimert Park realization of the injustice of prejudice, and community as a black cultural and business it is this awareness that contributes to a space without considering its vital role in desire for the restoration of tolerance. community development. Leimert Park is a self-sustaining black urban community that §§§§ has functioned and should be preserved as a continuation of traditions from Central Category: Humanities Avenue. Name(s): Charnan Williams §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Humanities Francille Rusan Wilson, American Studies & Name(s): Anneleise Azua Ethnicity; George Sanchez, American Studies & Ethnicity Submission Type: Individual Format: Analytical Paper Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: Lost in the City of Angels: A Alice Echols, English, Gender Studies Comparative Analysis of Central Format: Analytical Paper Avenue and Leimert Park as Black Title: Marginalized Beauty: Aesthetic Cultural Spaces Values in Second-Wave Feminism, Abstract: 1960-1975 This research examines two distinct black Abstract: business districts in Los Angeles: historic The purpose of this research is to reveal Central Avenue and contemporary Leimert how feminism’s second-wave politics and Park in order to understand the role of notions of beauty from 1960-1975 black entrepreneurship and the arts in excluded and marginalized women of sustaining black communities in Los color. Angeles. The height of Central Avenue was from 1920 to 1950 due to key institutions Currently, academic literature lacks an that served as anchors for African American understanding of how the deconstruction entrepreneurs and their customers. of beauty norms affected minority However, the decline of Central Avenue as participation in the second-wave a black cultural space due to desegregation movement. Therefore, the goal of this and migration allowed black enterprises project is to convey how white feminist and culture to relocate to a new location, stances against conventional notions of Leimert Park. Leimert Park, a community beauty specifically prevented participation southwest of Central Avenue located and reduced the interest of Black and within the Crenshaw Corridor, eventually Latina women in the feminist movement. emerged in the late 1960s as a black Furthermore, it provides new implications district. Black merchants in Leimert Park for the fractionalization of the second- incorporated visual and performance art wave. Evidence for this research stems from into their businesses, drawing in blacks an intersectional analysis of second-wave from all across Los Angeles and beyond. feminist theory and feminist organizations This research demonstrates that a sense of from 1960-1975, primary accounts from community predicated on spatial women who were active in Black, Chicana, togetherness and black enterprises and art and white second-wave organizations, and
15 secondary analyses from historical American sites continue to suffer from a viewpoints. dearth of adequate documentation. As a member of the Native American Cultural Though the second-wave movement from Landscapes (NACL) project, I am using an 1960-1975 was not a unitary cause to innovative, multidimensional approach to begin with, white feminist political stances preserving and documenting sites that against female aesthetics and beauty added involves “mobile light” images, literature to the already vast marginalization and research, and personal interaction with oppression of women of color, contributing local tribes. This research constitutes a further to the fractionalization of their significant advance in the way interested movement. Although white feminists parties approach the research and deemed beauty practices oppressive, these preservation of Native American culture. practices were important political works for women of color, as they integrated their Much of my research has focused on image as a valuable part of American writing a publicly accessible report about society. As indicated in my research, when the archaeology of Joshua Tree National Blacks and Latinas gained recognition for Park (JTNP). This report, written in beauty, they were making a name for collaboration with the USC School of themselves and gaining representation in Architecture, will be published in a book of the public eye. guidelines for building and development in and around the park. It is designed to This project sheds light on the value of provide context for these guidelines, as well positive cultural imagery through beauty as predictive information for future practices among underrepresented development projects, so architects are populations and how white feminists aware of cultural resources that need to be marginalized women of color by failing to considered when building. consider such issues through a proper intersectional analysis. The juxtaposition of Future research in JTNP includes creating findings presented in this analysis “mobile light” images of the park's concludes that white feminist notions of petroglyphs. In addition to aiding beauty proved to be an additional barrier preservation efforts, creating these images for a uniform and diverse movement, allows for enhanced understanding of the expediting the schisms present among the rock art, since by moving around the light second-wave. source, one is able to see things that might otherwise be obscured. The recent defacing §§§§ of petroglyphs illustrates the need for such documentation. Category: Humanities Name(s): Ruchika Tanna The geographic extent of the NACL project goes beyond JTNP. Along with my work on Submission Type: Individual the JTNP project, I am in training to redo Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): imagery of the Invisible Maze petroglyphs Lynn Swartz Dodd, School of Religion, in the San Bernardino area, using improved Dornsife College techniques that will also be applied in new Format: Laboratory-based Research research documentation in the desert Title: Native Americans Cultural mountains outside Indio. As these areas Landscapes continue to develop, visitors will Abstract: increasingly interact with Native American sites and artifacts. Through this innovative Archaeological research is inherently data- interdisciplinary effort, we hope to driven, but researchers studying Native
16 minimize the detrimental effects of such sentences, we asked them to indicate the interactions. point of view of the second sentence: is it the opinion/point-of-view of the subject §§§§ character, object character or narrator? The results showed that participants are able to Category: Humanities spontaneously recognize perspective shifts Name(s): Tyler Anne Isaman, Caitlin and are more likely to indicate the Subject’s Wilhelm POV in FID-triggered sentences than in unmarked sentences. Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): We are currently conducting two further Elsi Kaiser, Linguistics; Emily Fedele, experiments: a reaction-time study and an Linguistics eyetracking study. The reaction-time study Format: Laboratory-based Research will provide information about participants’ Title: Perspective-taking in language: speed at recognizing FID, showing whether Through someone else’s eyes people respond quickly and easily or whether they hesitate in their choice of Abstract: perspective. The eyetracking study will Humans are constantly interacting with one allow us to gain insights into on-line another in many ways, and in doing so processing of perspective-taking. need to consider the perspectives of others. This same ability to understand others’ §§§§ points of view is employed when reading, when the reader is asked to take the Category: Humanities perspective of a character, also known as Free Indirect Discourse (FID). This is in Name(s): Parin Patel contrast to Direct Discourse, or transcribed Submission Type: Individual speech, and Indirect Discourse, or reported Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): speech. James McHugh, Religion Format: Laboratory-based Research Previous research has noted cues to FID, including the presence of markers as Title: Remember What Siddhārtha Said adverbs of possibility (e.g., possibly, maybe) Under the Banyan Tree?: and evaluative adjectives (e.g., poor girl). Safeguarding Material Culture in We tested whether these cues have reliable Modern-Day Anti-Buddhist Gandhara effects on comprehension, and started to Abstract: explore the cognitive mechanisms that are The main question an archaeologist asks involved in processing FID. is, “Why?” Archaeology is simply the effort to understand the human past Extending earlier research at the USC through the analysis of material culture. Language Processing Lab, we asked Material culture pertains to any physical participants to read ‘plain’ sentences and remains that were used by humans and sentences that could be interpreted as FID can range from pottery and lithic artifacts (e.g. “Lisa looked at Mary. Poor girl, she to literary texts and human remains. was sick”: is the second sentence Lisa’s opinion/point-of-view?). Interpretation of the pronoun in the second sentence The aim of archaeology is to analyze depended on whether or not participants material culture in order to understand interpreted the sentence as FID. In addition, and preserve the legacy of past cultures. to test whether participants were actually The area of Gandhara, located in processing the perspective shifts in FID modern-day India, Afghanistan, and
17 Pakistan, is in urgent need of protection Category: Humanities and preservation. Due to the anti- Name(s): Eduardo Mollinedo-Pinon Buddhist regime in the region, Buddhist Submission Type: Individual material culture has been under attack for Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): the past few decades. The Afghani government, in particular, destroyed Roberto Diaz, Spanish and Comparative Literature many Buddhist artifacts in museums throughout the country. The most notable Format: Analytical Paper desecration of Buddhist material culture Title: The Rise of Classical Music in Multi- was the destruction of the Bamiyan Cultural Los Angeles ( 1992-2013) Buddha statues in 2001. These statues, Abstract: measuring 114 and 165 feet in height, This paper exams the rise of the Los were the largest known depictions of the Angeles Philharmonic, under the direction Buddha in the world. of former music director Esa-Pekka Salonen , as a driving force in the Over the course of the past three years, I international orchestra scene. There has have dedicated my research efforts to been an increased interest in the artistic analyze and understand the Gandharan contributions of Los Angeles and Southern California. For example the Getty Center in civilization. The aims of this project are to partnership with various Los Angeles art analyze the Gandharan Artifact institutions, led a city wide series called Collection, a group of about 60 individual Pacific Standard Time which examined the artifacts, in the USC Archaeological neglected history of Los Angeles artist. Research Center in order to decipher the While the series emphasized visual arts, meaning behind these artifacts and to there has also been a tradition of utilize Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTM) innovative performing arts with the LA Phil. technology to preserve and distribute Classical music more than other art forms is digital recreations of the objects in the often conceived as an elitist art. Salonen collection through the Inscriptifact Artifact and the LA Phil have been able to bring a Database. The digital PTMs will last long younger audience to the concert hall. after the physical artifacts are gone and Specifically I will look into Re-Rite, an will also provide an “online museum” to interactive video exhibit accompanying the anyone interested in Gandharan culture, music of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. free-of-charge. In addition, I will recreate Salonen and the LA Phil has made the a Buddhist stupā, a reliquary structure concert hall into a more welcoming place. used to house important Buddhist §§§§ artifacts and burial remain, by deciphering and incorporating actual Category: Humanities stupā fragments into the replica. Name(s): Alexandra Shokralla §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Lynn Swartz Dodd, Archaeology Format: Analytical Paper Title: The Rubinger Lion: A Study in Etruscan Jewelry and Creative Archaeology Abstract:
18 The Rubinger Lion, the jewel of the USC bite and a ruthless outlook. Amid tuition collection, is an exquisite example of rates that have doubled in the last decade, Etruscan workmanship, a golden pendant and the return on investment of a adorned with a repousse lion of fine bachelor’s degree continuously dropping, granulation. The story behind this the piece explains how it’s time universities astounding piece is surely as stunning as make the education finance sector work in the artifact itself, which likely came from for them, quite literally. the Regolini-Galassi tomb in Caere, Italy. My investigation centers on the origins of The mounting data on student loans in the this piece, as I seek to authenticate and United States paints a bleak picture. situate it chronologically and regionally. Defaults are on the rise and unfortunately, The Rubinger Lion has two sister pieces, so are the interest rates. Add in the The Mildenberg Lion and a remarkably housing market that is just now beginning similar pendant currently in the Vatican to stabilize and one realizes that students Museum Collection. The latter two pieces have fewer and fewer legs to stand on. The have been authenticated, and are known figures are staggering and even to have come from the Regolini-Galassi disheartening, but data is not enough. Six tomb, so by careful comparison it is Figures Under creates an entity dedicated believed that our piece must have come to pushing academia out of the red and from the same place. I work to sort arming it with a media presence. A through these assumptions and discover website, complete with graphic identity the true origin of this fabulous piece. and various academic and loan programs bestow a level of credibility that lets the §§§§ parody waiver between fiction and reality in a way that proves pointed, entertaining Category: Humanities and perhaps frighteningly close to a good Name(s): Timothy (Timo) Yates idea. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Virginia Kuhn, Ph.D., Institute for Category: Humanities Multimedia Literacy Name(s): Carrie Moore Format: Creative Work Submission Type: Individual Title: Six Figures Under Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Abstract: Michelle Gordon, English, Dornsife College Six Figures Under is a web-based parody in of Letters, Arts & Sciences which the principles of capitalism are Format: Analytical Paper applied to university management to make institutions of higher learning affordable Title: "The Skin I Learn In": Analyzing the and more financially fit than ever before. Discourse of African American The piece suggests innovative ways of Education combatting rising tuition costs by Abstract: repurposing students and thwarting their Scholars of education have long attempted inability to finance educations without high to explain achievement gaps between interest loans. white and minority students. Some researchers, such as John Ogbu and Although higher education has many Signithia Fordham, rely on the “acting aspects that would benefit from oversight white” theory, which claims that African and overhauls, Six Figures Under satirizes American students subconsciously the student loan situation using a sharp underperform in order to resist the
19 dominant culture. Others, such as Phillip Category: Humanities Cook, assert that African American Name(s): Grant Dixon students value education just as much as their white counterparts but have different Submission Type: Individual standards of academic success. These Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): scholars and other experts on education Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion have suggested everything from re- Format: Analytical Paper segregation to a reevaluation of black Title: What Is A King To Do: An culture in their attempts to solve the Investigation of Images of Kingship achievement gap between white and Abstract: African American students. In the worlds of national and international The language of these scholars, however, politics, nation states use physical goods to reveals much about the way we view reflect their ideals and the power of the academic performance in relation to state. Nations use buildings, currency, and minority cultural values. By drawing many types of imagery to display their statistical and ethnographical information power, and in many instances they adopt from South Central and Los Angeles and reuse images of power of other neighborhoods as well as critiquing major nations and societies. The Romans did just discourses on education, this project that and adapted them for their own explores the rhetoric behind scholarly purposes. One example of this practice is a explanations of achievement gaps. What is Roman-Egyptian terracotta figurine owned the logic behind the “acting white” by USC that shows a Roman emperor in theory? Why do some scholars advocate for military costume smiting a barbarian enemy re-segregation? By analyzing the language in the style of a classic, royal Egyptian behind these secondary sources, we can “smiting the enemies” image. The study of understand the nuanced ways we think this artifact required an interdisciplinary, about race and academic achievement. This collaborative effort to unlock the secrets of research references the works of scholars this rare, Roman image of power. Stuart Buck, Signithia Fordham, John Ogbu, Phillip Cook, Claude Steele, and Shelby Only four other examples of this type of Steele and follows the linguistic image of power exist in published development of phrases such as “acting collections anywhere in the world. To white” and “minority education” in order study this artifact, I worked closely with to trace their relevance to perceptions of USC professors Lynn Dodd and John Pollini blackness and educational responsibility. and Getty /UCLA Conservation Program Ultimately, the project explores the way we scientist David Scott to conduct a study of talk about race and questions the assertion the artifact’s form, content, and style in that education is largely absent from order to attribute the ancient object to its African American value systems. original time, place, and context. I worked with Lynn Dodd to identify and study the §§§§ Egyptian imagery. I also consulted with John Pollini about the representation of the Roman emperor and the barbarian figure. Finally, David Scott assisted me in conducting a scientific analysis of the preserved paint pigments using XRF analysis and polarized light microscopy. Based on the collaborative study, I determined that the artifact represents Hadrian defeating the Second Jewish Revolt
20 in 132 CE and created a digital §§§§ reconstruction of the artifact’s original appearance. I also created a 3D digital model of the artifact for use in digital publications and future presentations. This project is currently being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. §§§§
Category: Humanities Name(s): Sara Itkis Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s):
Format: Analytical Paper Title: Wings and Walls: Unison and Divisions in Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire Abstract: Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire presents a world seen from the perspective of angels: a world of flowing unison. Taking place in postwar Berlin, where separations define the culture, this perspective draws an unexpected contrast with the political reality of that world. Through his use of cinematic technique, Wenders expresses both the objective omniscience of the angels and the subjective isolation of the human perspective, ultimately fusing the two together. Visual design, sound design, and composition are some of the tools that Wenders utilizes to create different perspectives and to illustrate the themes of unison and division. Unlike the ever-present angels, humans face questions of individual identity, with separation and loneliness, with mortality, with beginnings and endings. Damiel, the protagonist angel, resolves to “take the plunge” and join the humans in their struggles, for he yearns for the viscerality of human experience. As he and Marion, the trapeze artist he has fallen in love with, unite in passion, their two worlds collide in an effort to overcome the boundaries that cause such isolation within each person.
21 Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Thalia Bajakian Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Ansgar Siemer, Keck School of Medicine; Life Rachel Service, Keck School of Medicine Format: Laboratory-based Research Sciences Title: Aggregation and Metal Binding Properties of Functional Amyloid Orb2A Abstract: Amyloid proteins which aggregate to form insoluble fibrils rich in β-sheet, are often linked to changes in protein function and in turn the causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike typical disease causing amyloids such as the amyloid β peptide, the functional amyloid Orb2A is known to be essential to synaptic plasticity in Drosophila. Early research of Orb2A Category: Life Sciences allowed for the optimization of its Name(s): Michael Mondheim recombinant expression and in turn its Submission Type: Individual purification. Both were found to be high Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): yielding. Primary structural determinations Lorraine Turcotte, Kinesiology using various biophysical methods such as Format: Laboratory-based Research solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ss-NMR) indicated that Title: The Acute Regulation of Potassium Orb2A was found to be predominantly Homeostasis oligomeric as opposed to in the fibril form Abstract: typically observed in amyloid proteins. I conducted Western Blots of the KCNMA1 Altering pH and temperature were found potassium large conductance calcium- to optimize aggregation of Orb2A with activated channel protein and KIR 6.2 mature fibrils forming after about a week. potassium inward rectifier protein in order SS-NMR spectroscopy displays proof of a to determine its role in the maintenance of static amyloid domain in Orb2A while potassium homeostasis in rat skeletal electron microscopy (EM) images indicate muscle. that Orb2A fibrils resemble aggregates of other amyloid proteins. In addition to §§§§ focusing on the aggregation kinetics of Orb2A, this study focuses on the influence of bivalent metal ions on the aggregation of Orb2A. The histidine rich domain of Orb2A is found to bind bivalent metal ions as indicated by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) experiments. Orb2A binds metal ions with specificity showing strongest binding to zinc and nickel ions in addition to weak binding to copper. The
22 presence of metal ions has a direct the development of neuropsychiatric influence on the structure of Orb2A as diseases. Using the Drosophila homologs circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that of these genes, we carried out a functional the addition of metal ions to the and morphological analysis to determine monomeric state leads the protein to whether they are also involved in synaptic undergo a rapid change in structure from homeostasis. Through electrophysiological one rich in α-helices to a structure approaches, defects in synaptic dominated by protein in random coil homeostasis were identified in two genes conformations. of interest; mutants of these genes failed to recover normal signal strength after §§§§ disturbance with philanthotoxin. Staining with pre- and post- synaptic markers Category: Life Sciences revealed that mutants of these genes also Name(s): Michelle Chee, Morgan Cheeks have irregularities in morphology. Because function and form are closely related, Submission Type: Group abnormal morphology in these synapses Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): could provide clues to the origin of Dion Dickman, Neurobiology functional defects. Since these two genes Format: Laboratory-based Research are already correlated with the Title: Characterization of Synapse development of neuropsychiatric diseases, Function and Morphology in they represent a direct genetic link Drosophila Psychiatric Disease between neuropsychiatric disorders and Mutants synaptic function and morphology. Abstract: §§§§ Synaptic homeostasis is the system that maintains the stability of nervous system Category: Life Sciences function. Because many neuronal mechanisms are conserved between Name(s): Derek Liu humans and Drosophila melanogaster, the Submission Type: Individual neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of this Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): animal is frequently used as a model for Jill McNitt-Gray, Human and Evolutionary examining homeostasis. When a wild type Biology (Kinesiology), Dornsife College; NMJ is perturbed, it is able to recover Korkut Brown, Viterbi School of normal function through synaptic Engineering; Ian Russell, Viterbi School of homeostasis. Recently, mutations in a few Engineering; Chris Ramos, Biomedical genes associated with psychiatric diseases Engineering; Antonia Zaferiou, Biomedical in humans have been found to cause a Engineering; Travi failure in homeostatic recovery, Format: Laboratory-based Research demonstrating a possible link between defects in this process and the etiology of Title: Core control and muscle activation neuropsychiatric diseases. However, the of punches and kicks in martial arts molecular mechanisms behind this process Abstract: and the genes that drive it are not fully Core strength is needed in many sports to known. In order to further explore the link achieve balance and generate power for between synaptic homeostasis and different motions, such as jumping or psychiatric diseases, it is necessary to changing directions quickly. In this study, identify more genes that are associated core muscles and their importance in the with these diseases and also result in field of martial arts will be explored. Forces homeostasis failure. We selected 100 generated and muscle activation genes that previous research has linked to attempting different types of punches and
23 kicks were measured to see if there would ethanol sensitivity. GABA’s delta loop (DL2) be any changes when the core was subunit is shown to have a uniquely high activated and when the core was not. A sensitivity to ethanol and so, earlier left jab, a right cross, a right roundhouse research in the lab placed this in a glycine aimed low, middle, and high, and stepping receptor’s homologous region, located in into the roundhouse were the techniques the alpha 1 subunit. This showed an of interest, as these are practical techniques increased sensitivity to ethanol, creating an in boxing and muay thai. The subject ultra sensitive ethanol receptor (USER) for would punch and kick a wavemaster glycine. Through this research, glycine training bag while standing on force plates receptors have been understood at a and wearing electrodes connected to an greater level in structure, molecular sites of EMG box. Force data measured by the importance, and mechanisms of action force plates were used to calculate with regards to ethanol. Although DL2 is impulses generated during the different found naturally in GABA receptors, it phases of the punches and kicks. To occurs as a minority. Since the gamma measure muscle activation and relative subunit has the greatest presence in human contribution to the motions, GABA receptors, current studies focus on electromyography data was collected from employing a procedure similar to the one the subject. The data would then allow us used with Glycine to develop GABA USERs. to see which muscles are more important Mutated versions of DL2 with particular for these tasks and if the need to more reversions to the original gamma loop actively utilize the core makes an impact on residues replace homologous regions in the performance. gamma subunit to optimize sensitivity to ethanol in GABA USERs. This will lead to §§§§ the formulation of GABA USERs that can then be expressed in vivo. Since these Category: Life Sciences USERs will be similarly sensitive to ambient Name(s): Pavitra Krishnamani neurotransmitter levels in the brain, but more sensitive to lower concentrations of Submission Type: Individual ethanol, an in vivo model will facilitate the Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): further understanding of cys-loop Ronald Alkana, School of Pharmacy; Daryl receptors’ roles in alcoholism. This could Davies, School of Pharmacy; Anna Naito, potentially lead to more effective receptor- School of Pharmacy based drug treatments for alcoholism in the Format: Laboratory-based Research future. Title: Developing Ultra-Sensitive Ethanol Receptors (USERs) to Define the §§§§ Molecular Mechanism of Alcoholism Abstract: Category: Life Sciences According to a study published in 2004, Name(s): Eddy Giang 17.6 million American adults meet the Submission Type: Individual criteria for the diagnosis of an alcohol use Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): disorder. Due to the lack of understanding Regina Wetzer, Biological Sciences of the molecular mechanism underlying Format: Laboratory-based Research alcohol addiction, current drug treatments have been unsuccessful in preventing Title: Development of Megaselia scalaris alcoholism. Research done in Dr. Ronald (Diptera: Phoridae) as a Model Alkana’s laboratory stresses the key role Organism for Circadian Rhythm glycine and GABA receptors play in parts of Experiments the central nervous system important for Abstract:
24 The study of biodiversity in an urban Category: Life Sciences environment is far too often Name(s): Pauline Huynh, Andres Park underappreciated despite its importance to the majority of humans living on Earth. Submission Type: Group Species of the model organism, Drosophila Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): have been used extensively as a model Laura Baker, Psychology and Neuroscience organism in the laboratory, but preliminary Format: Laboratory-based Research data has shown that flies of the family Title: The Effect of Body Mass Index on Phoridae is suitable as a laboratory Heart Rate in Response to organism. Its diversity and ease to rear in Experimental Stressors the laboratory environment allows for the Abstract: study of multi-species changes across an urban to non-urban environmental span. High heart rate has been associated with Understanding these flies better would increased risk of cardiovascular disease and provide greater insight to these urban obesity. A high heart rate is also indicative clines. To be able to fully utilize phorid flies of higher stress levels. With this as a model organism, rearing these flies connection, we used heart rate as a means must also be perfected in the same way as to measure the effects of obesity on stress has been previously undertaken for response. More specifically, we observed Drosophila melanogaster. In this how heart rate differs amongst individuals experiment, the species Megaselia scalaris of different body mass index (BMI) groups was raised on food prepared for Drosophila in a stressful situation. 370 subjects from at 22˚C and 26˚C. At 22˚C, it took 26.3 the Southern California Twins Study days on average to fully develop, while at between the ages of 14-16 were asked to perform a stressful arithmetic task 26˚C, it took 25.8 days on average. (subtraction by 13 from 1023) while their Preliminary studies on circadian cycle heart rates were recorded continuously showed a trend similar to Drosophila through a period of 3 minutes. Linear melanogaster in 12-hour light and dark regression with non-linear terms was used phases, with higher activity in light phases to assess the associations of BMI and heart than dark. Although developmental rates rate, adjusted for sex and age. Significant are longer than D. melanogaster, these group differences (p<0.05) were found results suggest that M. melanogaster is a among BMI groups, such that the highest promising organism to use in circadian heart rate was observed in the most experiments to study the effects of urban underweight subjects (i.e., BMI>25: HR light pollution. Future experiments can tests mean=82.32±11.99). The lowest heart rate various food mediums and temperature was found in the normal, healthy range ranges effects on developmental rates. The subjects (i.e., BMI 18.5-25: HR mean=80.25 effects of light pollution on activity can also ±12.23). Additionally, cubed, squared, and be tested to further explore how urban linear BMI terms were significant in a linear light pollution affects genetic and species regression model predicting heart rate from biodiversity. Finally, gene sequencing can BMI (p<0.01). Our findings imply that be done to compare known circadian having a lower BMI can be equally, if not genes. more detrimental to the cardiovascular §§§§ health of adolescents than high BMI's. Future studies would include the consideration of the long-term effects of low BMI or malnourishment on the stress response and cardiovascular health.
25 §§§§ condition. Thus, by specifying the bacteria’s response to an environmental change on a Category: Life Sciences genetic level, the resulting frequency can be used as a convenient assay to determine Name(s): Megan Bernstein, Stephan the real time status of the culture. This Genyk, Rachel Kohan system can be adapted to any organism Submission Type: Group with filamentous appendages including Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): eukaryotes such as Chlamydomonas Sean Curran, Davis School of Gerontology, reinhardtii, protists such as Euglena, and Dornsife College of Letters Arts & Science, even complex organisms that use cilia for Keck School of Medicine movement. E. musici is a versatile system Format: Laboratory-based Research that will have practical applications in the laboratory and the classroom as well as Title: E. Musici: facilitating communication function as a powerful system for between researcher and bacteria answering fundamental questions in through song biology. Abstract: The assessment of how comfortable a §§§§ bacterium feels in its current environment is a subjective measurement that requires Category: Life Sciences laborious analysis by the researcher. Our Name(s): Meaghan Sullivan project aims to quantify how environmental conditions affect the bacterium E. coli by Submission Type: Individual engineering a new system that produces a Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): predictable response in controlled Donald Arnold, Molecular Biology and environments. This system allows the Neuroscience research to listen to the organism and Format: Laboratory-based Research detect audible changes in tones that Title: Engineering of FingRs (Fibronectin correlate to the current physiologic state of Intrabodies) for Visualization of the bacterium. Many strains of E. coli Cytoplasmic Proteins possess flagella, a whip-like appendage that can be found protruding from both Abstract: eukaryotic and prokaryotic single-celled FingRs (Fibronectin intrabodies) are organisms. The assembly and motor control synthetic antibody mimetics that use the of E. coli flagella is under the control of a 10th domain of Fibronectin (10FnIII) as a key group of genetic factors primarily for scaffold for stable intracellular expression. flagella assembly and chemotactic control. Regions made variable in the 10FnIII Expression of these genes can be regulated scaffold can be selected through a directed by creating various combinations of genetic evolution process, known as mRNA display, promoters, which modulate the activity of to bind with high affinity and specificity to individual components of the flagella a target protein. Accordingly, FingRs can apparatus. By promoting the E. coli flagella serve a variety of purposes, such as genes under varying conditions, such as salt visualizing endogenous target proteins in concentration, nitrate concentration, pH, vivo or causing degradation of target and temperature, we can identify a proteins. When FingRs are fused with an significant change in flagella rotation and artificial transcription factor and a frequency. Ultimately, this frequency can transcriptional repressor domain, they are be translated into an audible range that capable of regulating their own expression can act as an indicator of the bacteria’s levels in cells. A FingR not bound to an distress based on the varied environmental anchored target, such as a membrane protein or cytoskeletal protein, is
26 translocated into the nucleus by binding of Abstract: its transcription factor’s nuclear localization For nearly two decades all voucher signal (NLS) by Importin alpha. Once inside specimens of the two California federally- the nucleus, a FingR binds to a sequence listed fairy shrimp species, Branchinecta inserted upstream of its gene’s promoter, sandiegonensis and Branchinecta lynchi leading to the repression of its own (Crustacea: Branchiopoda), have been expression. While this mechanism is useful deposited by California Fish and Wildlife for eliminating excess, unbound FingR mandate at one of two official depositories: outside the nucleus, it complicates the the California Academy of Sciences and the targeting of free-floating cytoplasmic Natural History Museum of Los Angeles proteins. In this experiment, the NLS County. Until now there has been little or binding domain from Importin alpha was no effort to use these tens of thousands of fused with a transcriptionally controlled samples to assess geographical distributions FingR to function as an additional for these two freshwater crustaceans. The regulatory unit. We hypothesized that main difficulties preventing the use of these when a FingR bound to its target protein, collections have been the unstandardized the fused NLS binding domain from preservation methods and preservatives Importin alpha would tightly bind to the used, and a lack of digitized collecting data NLS in its transcription factor, preventing pertaining to the samples. This makes it translocation of the FingR and its target impossible to efficiently determine where into the nucleus. When the FingR is collections were made or what unbound, the NLS binding domain from preservatives had been used (formalin, Importin alpha and the transcription acetone, isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, or other factor’s NLS should be too far apart to preservative). Without digitized records, interact, thereby permitting the searching the massive collections has been transcription factor’s NLS to be bound by prohibitive. endogenous Importin alpha for translocation into the nucleus. Once the Our work has focused on improving this construct was made, we tested this collection's usefulness in three ways. First, hypothesis by transfecting it into we digitized the collection data of dissociated cortical neurons. approximately 5,000 samples, making the resulting data available on the web, and §§§§ thereby exposing the collection to researchers. Second, the potential for Category: Life Sciences molecular genetic analysis of the current Name(s): Janie Chen, Mark Floro, Julia collection was checked by extracting DNA Garcia, Christina Li, Harleen and performing PCR amplifications for Marwah mitochondrial genes on a spot sampling Submission Type: Group from across the taxa. Third, by working with Fish and Wildlife Services, the Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): collection and preservation protocols for all Regina Wetzer, Biological Sciences, future collections of these endangered (and Dornsife College; Daniel Campo, other non-endangered) species have been Computational and Molecular Biology, improved and standardized. Dornsife College Format: Laboratory-based Research §§§§ Title: Evaluating Natural History Museum Collections: What Can They Tell Us About Endangered Fairy Shrimp Biogeography?
27 Category: Life Sciences norepinephrine, will be measured using high pressure liquid chromatography, and Name(s): Wendiann Yamasaki htt aggregate pathology will be assayed Submission Type: Individual through immunohistochemistry. Findings of Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): this study will provide insight into the Mike Jakowec, Neurology; Giselle pathophysiology of HD as well as possible Petzinger, Neurology therapeutic targets. Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Exercise Ameliorates Depression-Like §§§§ Behavior Observed in a Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease Prior Category: Life Sciences to Motor Symptom Onset Name(s): Vivek Shah Abstract: Submission Type: Individual Huntington's disease (HD) is a rapidly Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): progressing and unremitting autosomal Mike Jakowec, Neurology; Giselle dominant neurodegenerative disorder Petzinger, Neurology; Ruth I Wood, Cell affecting 5-10 per 100,000 people and Neurobiology; Daniel Stefanko, worldwide. HD is characterized primarily by Neurology cortical and basal ganglia pathology. Format: Laboratory-based Research Accordingly, individuals with HD demonstrate motor impairment as well as Title: Experience-Dependent significant mood and cognitive dysfunction, Neuroplasticity in Dopamine-Linked ultimately leading to premature death. Models of Chronic Anabolic While HD is caused by a CAG trinucleotide Androgenic Steroid Use and repeat in exon 1 of the huntingtin protein Huntington’s Disease (htt) on chromosome 4, the underlying Abstract: etiology is unknown. In order to investigate Experience-Dependent neuroplasticity the molecular mechanisms by which httn refers to the ability of the brain to rewire causes mood and cognitive disturbances itself in response to stimuli such as exercise prior to motor symptom onset, we have and reward. Changes can be modulated acquired a mouse model that expresses by: formation of new synapses 140 CAG repeats in htt. (synaptogenesis) and change in synaptic transmission. This specific set of studies Given the role that high intensity forced focuses on understanding the molecular exercise plays in mitochondrial function and pathways behind changes in Dopamine our lab’s previous work on exercise in (DA)-linked synaptic transmission in two neural repair and plasticity, we will be experimental models (injured and normal examining its effect as a therapeutic brain). intervention to reduce intranuclear aggregate load and ameliorate motor, Studies have suggested that exercise has affective, and cognitive behavioral deficits. reparative effects in neurodegenerative One month old animals are undergoing diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, treadmill exercise 3 days a week until they leading to improved motor performance were either 4 or 6 months of age. At these and learning, but the mechanisms are time points, tissue is collected following the poorly understood. To test the effects of forced-swimming behavioral test. The exercise, a stimulus, on an injured brain, forced-swimming test is used to assess mice with the Huntington’s Disease (HD) depressive behavior based on total mutation underwent intensive treadmill immobility time. Changes in the exercise and behavioral tests. In order to neurochemistry, specifically dopamine and better understand these mechanisms, level
28 changes of the proteins involved in recently developed by Dr. Longo. He has Dopaminergic neurotransmission, D1- shown that short-term fasting leads to the Receptor and D2-Receptor as well as NR2B attenuation of cellular toxicity caused by were examined in the Dorsal Striatum (dSt) chemotherapeutic drugs by activating using Western Immunoblotting (WIB). Also, protective pathways that shield healthy High Pressure Liquid Chromatography cells selectively over tumor cells. We now (HPLC) was used to examine DA level believe that these protective pathways may changes. Preliminary data indicate guard normal cells from a variety of improved neurotransmission with exercise. stressors, not only chemotherapeutic drugs. For example, we have reason to believe We further examined changes in synaptic that fasting after a traumatic brain injury transmission in the normal brain by (TBI) may facilitate the healing process. stimulating aggression through chronic Data from previous fasting studies have Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) use. indicated that short-term starvation can These rats are given the chance to fight as help prevent oxidative damage and a reward, the stimulus, which causes attenuate inflammation, which would be alterations in the Mesolimbic Dopamine- critical in decreasing brain swelling. linked reward pathways. Modulations in this pathway are noted by changes (by To test this hypothesis, we induced TBI’s in WIB) in Tyrosine Hydroxylase, which is the mice. We used a Weight Drop Apparatus rate-limiting step in DA transmission. to accomplish this, which is comprised of a Regions involved in this pathway that are weighted rod and an adjustable aiming tested are the: Dorsal Striatum, contraption designed to control the length Accumbens, Ventral Tagmental Area, and of the drop and thus the force of impact. Pre-Frontal Cortex. Analyses indicate that The control group was fed normally modification of DA transmission with AAS throughout the experiment. The short- abuse lead to decreased impulsivity, term starvation (STS) group underwent a increased aggression, and stable motivation period of fasting (~3 days) after receiving for aggression. the TBI. We are looking at inflammatory markers in the brain, and we would expect These studies help to: identify proteins that to see lower levels in the STS mice. We are may serve as potential targets for new also monitoring the cognitive ability of both therapeutics and understand the groups of mice through behavioral tests mechanisms that exercise stimulates to and look for a discrepancy. This research ameliorate neurodegenerative diseases. could have implications for those at risk for TBI’s, including soldiers, athletes, §§§§ construction workers, etc.
Category: Life Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Michael Renteln Submission Type: Individual Category: Life Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Elizabeth Cutbirth Valter Longo, Gerontology, Biological Submission Type: Individual Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Laboratory-based Research Craig Stanford, Anthropology Title: Fasting: Potential Attenuation of Format: Field Research Traumatic Brain Injuries Title: Field Study of Howler Monkey Abstract: Vocalizations This work was based on a novel theory Abstract:
29 The purpose of this field research was to may be described in meiosis, helping to understand if there are observed uncover the molecular mechanism of their differences in the vocalizations of male and action. Thus far we have found that c- female howler monkeys and what terminal tags are not viable and have behaviors are occurring during recently constructed an N-terminal tag vocalizations. This study was conducted at containing version of Rev1 in a plasmid. the La Suerte field station in Costa Rica Once confirmed via sequencing and from June to July 2012 on the mantled microscopy, the tagged version will be howler monkey, Alouatta palliata. The confirmed to complement the null and the results of this study found that males promoter switch to the endogenous one. produce more total vocalizations than females and females produce more §§§§ vocalizations within groups than males. For both sexes, resting was the predominant Category: Life Sciences behavior found when vocalizations Name(s): Jessica Chen, Mishan occurred. Rambukwella, Clara Vu §§§§ Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Life Sciences Sergey Nuzhdin, Molecular and Computational Biology; Matthew Name(s): Yoona Jung Salomon, Molecular and Computational Submission Type: Individual Biology; Daniel Campo, Molecular and Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Computational Biology; Srna Vlaho, Susan Forsburg, Biological Science Molecular Biology; Jessica Gabrielian, (Molecular & Computational Biology); Tara Molecular Biology Mastro, Biological Sciences (Molecular & Format: Laboratory-based Research Computational Biology) Title: Genomic Sequences in Drosophila Format: Laboratory-based Research melanogaster That Regulate Title: Fluorescently tagging translesion Differential Susceptibility to synthesis polymerase in S. pombe Pesticide, Tetramethrin, and Abstract: Entomopathogenic Fungus, Translesion synthesis polymerases (TLS) Beauveria bassiana polymerases contribute to cell survival in Abstract: that they allow replication to progress in Pesticides are commonly used as a means the presence of DNA lesions. This, of controlling insect populations; however, however, comes at a cost in that they this widespread use has resulted in the create errors in the DNA. Thus, it is of continual progression of resistance in critical importance that these proteins be various insect species. Consequently, new strictly regulated to ensure a low mutation methods of pest control are being studied rate while still maintaining replication to counteract these developing resistances. through DNA damage. Recently, the TLS Previous research of insect exposure to the pols have been implicated in promoting entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria proper meiotic progression. The evidence bassiana, suggests that a separate for this is that they are transcriptionally immunological pathway might be used to induced during meiosis, and mutants suffer mediate an insect’s resistance to this loss of spore viability in the model system fungus than to various pesticides. This of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here I raises the possibility of using B. bassiana as have attempted to fluorescently tag these an alternative means of pest control. proteins so that their behavior and levels
30 Additionally, previous research has shown Category: Life Sciences that there is a statistically significant Name(s): Alyssa Zhou difference in survival rates between populations derived from temperate and Submission Type: Individual tropical climates. Nevertheless, none of Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): these studies involved any genetic analysis, David D'Argenio, Biomedical Engineering, when a thorough understanding of the Viterbi; Giovanni Pacini, Institute of underlying molecular mechanisms involved Biomedical Engineering, Padova, Italy; Bo in pathogenic and chemical resistance is Ahren, Department of Clinical Sciences, necessary. Lund University, Lund, Sweden Format: Laboratory-based Research In order to better understand the genetic Title: Glucagon clearance is impaired by underpinnings of an insect´s resistance, we fasting and excited by hi-fat diets in used Drosophila melanogaster as our animal modeled experiments model organism. We exposed flies from both temperate and tropical populations to Abstract: either the common household pesticide, Hyperglucagonemia found in some type 2 tetramethrin, or to an entomopathogenic diabetes is mainly due to an impaired ability fungus, B. bassiana, and assayed their of glucose to suppress glucagon secretion mortality rates. Whole genome sequences from islet alpha cells. Since no systematic are available for the fly genotypes chosen analysis of glucagon disposition has been for this experiment, allowing us to link reported, we conducted a dose-ranging differences in resistance to their underlying study to quantify the kinetics of glucagon genomic sequences. In agreement with in mice. previous studies, our preliminary results show a difference in resistance among Anesthetized fed normally, fed with a hi-fat temperate and tropical populations, as well diet, or 16hr fasted C57BL/6 mice as slight differences between the two (weighing ≈25 g) were injected in a tail forms of exposure, suggesting that there is vein with glucagon at doses of 0.1 (n=17), active selection for the genes involved in 0.3 (39), 1.0 (39), 10.0 (45) or 20 µg/kg (8); various resistance levels. With a thorough blood samples were withdrawn before understanding of the mechanisms that injection and at 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 min incur insect resistance, we may help refine thereafter for glucagon assay by the ELISA an alternative method to pest control, and technique. Glucagon kinetics was described thereby downsize the use of harsh by a linear two-compartment model, and pesticides in agriculture. parameters were estimated via population analysis using pooled measurements across §§§§ dose groups.
The population mean and between animal standard deviation of glucagon clearance in the normally fed mice were 5.2±2.4 ml/min, with a rapid elimination half-life of 4.9±2.1 min. The kinetics of glucagon in the fed group was linear across this large dose range. Fasting animals showed a lower glucagon clearance of 3.7±1.2 ml/min and an elimination half-life of 7.9± 1.8 min. The hi-fat dieted animals showed higher glucagon clearance of 7.3±2.9
31 ml/min with a half-life of 1.4±0.3 min. brief and downplayed incidences of Further analysis showed that the glucagon ischemia, much like a vaccination. Green kinetics in the hi-fat and fasted animals was tea has gained immense popularity in dose dependent. recent years due to research, which has shown its potential to prevent This first systematic dose-ranging study of cardiovascular and neurological diseases, as glucagon kinetics found that 1) a linear two well as cancer. Polyphenolic compounds compartment model describes glucagon found in green tea, primarily kinetics over a wide dose range in fed mice, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), have 2) fasted animals show levels of shown considerable promise in endogenous production and the rate of preconditioning against ischemic stroke in glucagon clearance in these animals is rat models. reduced, 3) hi-fat diets increased the overall clearance rate of glucagon but also Our research focuses on the displayed characteristics of saturable neuroprotective effects of green tea elimination. These results are important for polyphenols (GTPP), especially further studies on glucagon physiology and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). To do suggest still unaccounted fasting-related this, we used an in vitro oxygen-glucose mechanisms to fully explain glucagon’s deprivation (OGD)/re-oxygenation model plasma kinetics. on rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Using a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cell §§§§ viability assay, we showed that pretreatment of GTPP/EGCG 48 hours prior Category: Life Sciences to OGD/re-oxygenation preconditioned Name(s): Janet Barseghian, William Tzeng PC12 cells against cell injury and death. Submission Type: Group Using an LDH assay, we were also able to Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): show the role of the 67kDa laminin Rayudu Gopalakrishna , Cell and receptor in GTPP-induced preconditioning Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine as GTPP/EGCG failed to precondition cells Format: Laboratory-based Research when antibodies against the receptor were Title: Green Tea and its Effect on Stroke used. Lastly, we showed that protein Abstract: kinase C (PKC), in particular the ε isoenzyme, was activated by GTPP Stroke has become the third-leading cause treatments and by using an inhibitor of death and most common cause of adult peptide, we found that PKCε membrane neurological disability in America Ischemic translocation is necessary to confer GTPP- stroke can be divided into two stages: induced preconditioning. ischemia and reperfusion. Ischemia occurs when blood fails to reach nerve cells in the §§§§ brain, which causes cells to lose oxygen and glucose. Following ischemia is reperfusion, when cells regain their blood supply, in which nerve cells continue to experience cell death and injury due to harmful cellular mechanisms induced by the reintroduction of oxygen into the cell.
Ischemic preconditioning is a preventative measure that is able to protect cells from stroke-induced damage by exposing cells to
32 Category: Life Sciences concentrations of EGCG retained in the brain by a consumption of two to three Name(s): Helen Banh, Jessica Tran cups of green tea may be sufficient in Submission Type: Group potentiating NGF-induced neuritogenic Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): action. Rayudu Gopalakrishna , Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine §§§§ Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Green Tea Polyphenols Potentiate Category: Life Sciences the Action of Nerve Growth Factor Name(s): Angelica Fullerton to Induce Neuritogenesis Submission Type: Individual Abstract: Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Cases of neuronal injury require axonal Laura Baker, Neuroscience and Psychology regeneration of remaining neurons. Format: Laboratory-based Research Exogenous administration of nerve growth Head Injuries and Their Effect on factor (NGF) helps to repair the damaged Title: axons by stimulation of neuronal growth Executive Function and differentiation. However, clinical use of Abstract: NGF supplementation in treating brain Head injuries are an important concern injury has a drawback because NGF does among children and adolescents. Concern not readily cross the blood-brain barrier. stems from the uncertainty of how head The approach of NGF supplementation, injuries will affect the brain, and by therefore, requires administration of extension, life of the injured. This study exogenous potentiators to enhance examines how head injuries affect cognitive neuritogenic ability. We hypothesized that functioning via the Wisconsin Card Sorting green tea polyphenols (GTPP) have the Task (WCST). The WCST tests frontal lobe capability to interact with NGF to enhance function, specifically areas related to neurite outgrowth by up-regulating problem solving, organization, and common pathways linked to NGF signaling flexibility. People with frontal lobe lesions induction. We tested this hypothesis by score poorly on the WCST because lesions implementing a cell culture model destroy frontal lobe function; this study consisting of rat PC12 cells which, when intends to determine whether head injuries prompted by nerve growth factor (NGF), impair executive function the same way differentiate into neuronal-like cells with that lesions destroy it. The data analyzed neurite outgrowth. This experiment comes from the Southern California Twin demonstrates the ability of GTPP and EGCG Study when the twins were aged 14 and to potentiate NGF’s neuritogenic ability. 15. Twins answered a survey regarding any We discovered that unfractionated GTPP at head injuries that they had experienced, low concentrations potentiated the ability including cause, age at injury, and of low concentrations of NGF to induce description of severity. A classification neuritogenesis at a level comparable to that system for head injuries was then created induced by optimally high concentrations based on the severity of the head injury to of NGF alone. Among the polyphenols facilitate analysis. Linear regression analysis present in GTPP, EGCG alone appreciably with non-linear terms was used to assess potentiated NGF-induced neurite the association of age at first head injury outgrowth. Although other polyphenols with WCST tasks. Results from analysis of present in GTPP lack this ability, they the Wisconsin Card Sort scores indicate synergistically promoted the action of that a non-linear relationship exists such EGCG. Due to the synergistic interaction that injuries during the period around 8 and stability of EGCG in the GTPP mixture, years of age are most detrimental to
33 cognitive function, as evidenced by an analyzed via LC-MS/MS for identification of increase in total error score (p<0.05). This peptides and subsequently protein- can be useful in determining risk when a matched to the M. ferrooxydans proteome head injury has occurred, and therefore the database. The results indicate that a necessity of monitoring and treatment of membrane cytochrome c with homology to the injured. Furthermore, knowing scores the iron-oxidizing Cyt572 from on the WCST and how they are correlated leptospirillum Group II is expressed in M. to head injuries allows for measurement to ferrooxydans when it is active. Other determine severity of an injury and the proteins associated with the electron subsequent success of transport chain of M. ferroxydans such as cbb3-type cytochrome oxidase subunits §§§§ were identified and validated separately through reverse transcription followed by Category: Life Sciences PCR amplification. Name(s): John Zhong §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Life Sciences Roman Barco, Katrina Edwards Laboratory; Name(s): Carolyn Li Katrina Edwards, Katrina Edwards Laboratory Submission Type: Individual Format: Laboratory-based Research Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: Identification of a membrane Susan Forsburg, Molecular & cytochrome c from neutrophilic, iron- Computational Biology oxidizing Mariprofundus Format: Laboratory-based Research ferrooxydans, strain PV-1 Title: Identification of high copy Abstract: suppressors of XPF mutation using S. Neutrophilic-iron oxidizing bacteria are a pombe group of bacteria that can oxidize iron at/or Abstract: near neutral pH, making them relevant in Swi9 is a well conserved endonuclease habitats with naturally high levels of found in both yeast and humans, reduced iron such as hydrothermal vents. In commonly known for being the XPF the ocean, microorganisms in the endonuclease that functions in nucleotide Mariprofundus genus are the only known excision repair (NER). A loss of function stalk-producing organisms to mutation in humans result is Xeroderma chemolithoautotrophically oxidize iron. In pigmentosum variant F, which is order to identify the active bacterial characterized by severe sensitivity to UV oxidation of iron in the environment, light and early accumulation of skin biomarkers for this functionality are cancers. Recently, in our lab we looked at needed. The aim of this study is to confirm the role of XPF in meiotic progression the expression of potential functional through the characterization of an early biomarkers that are diagnostic of truncation mutation swi9-249 that neutrophilic bacterial iron-oxidation. To this phenocopies the null. This screen aimed to end, Mariprofundus ferrooxydans, strain find high copy suppressors of swi9-249 PV-1 was cultivated in large batches and its sensitivity to Hydroxyurea (HU) and Methyl proteins extracted via a methodology to Methanesulfonate (MMS) using a cDNA circumvent protein binding to filamentous library under a thiamine driven promoter material. Proteins were assayed for redox- that was transformed into the swi9-249. activity and for iron-oxidation activity. The Rescued cells were categorized into three bands of the gel that showed activity were categories: those that grow better with the
34 thiamine promoter on rather than off; ura4-D18 ade6-M210). Since the donor those that grow better in the presence of strain contains genes for fluorescently MMS with the promoter on rather than off, labeled Rad11 and Rad22, proteins and those that grow better in the presence involved in repairing damaged DNA in S. of HU with the promoter on rather than off pombe, the presence of either or both have are rescued. Plasmids from candidates proteins in the progeny of a cross would in each category are being extracted and implicate the “missing” gene in the sequenced to identify the gene responsible deletion mutant strain in the maintenance for the suppression. Thus, we can of DNA integrity. By analyzing images of elucidate novel pathways that swi9 acts in the progeny and evaluating them in several and interacts with uncovering and categories (fraction of nuclei with CFP foci, describing the pleiotropic nature of the fraction of nuclei with YFP foci, fraction of endonuclease. nuclei with more than one CFP focus, fraction of nuclei with more than one YFP §§§§ focus, intensity of CFP focus, intensity of YFP focus, and colocalization of CFP and Category: Life Sciences YFP), I identified 132 genes with roles in Name(s): Michelle Banh maintaining DNA integrity. Some of these genes had already been previously Submission Type: Individual implicated, but a majority of them had Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): never been associated with maintaining Susan Forsburg, Molecular and DNA integrity. Now, future research can be Computational Biology focused on these genes to better Format: Laboratory-based Research understand their role in maintain genome Title: Image analysis of Rad11 and Rad22 integrity. activity in Schizosaccharomyces pombe deletion mutant strains §§§§ Abstract: Category: Life Sciences Schizosaccharomyces pombe has proven to be a useful model system in molecular Name(s): Alexander Gregath, Jordan biology research as its facile genetics have Hoese, Kevin Kim, Elaine Krebs, made it possible to study cell cycle control, Dennis Su DNA replication and genome integrity on a Submission Type: Group practical scale with results that are still Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): applicable to more complex systems, Karla Heidelberg, Biological Sciences; including humans. Considering that Wiebke Ziebis, Biological Sciences disruption in the maintenance of such cell Format: Laboratory-based Research division processes is critical to the pathology of cancer, it is essential that Title: Impact of Human Activity on the scientific research take the lead in actively Water Quality of Avalon Bay off the identifying the genes responsible for these Coast of Catalina Island, CA processes. In doing so, we can begin to Abstract: characterize the function of these genes The human population increase on the and how they interact with the rest of the California Channel Islands is expected to genome. As part of the effort to identify have an adverse effect on the health of the novel genes involved in maintain genome surrounding marine ecosystem. Our integrity, I studied the progeny of crosses investigations took place in, and offshore between 3007 deletion mutant strains and near, Avalon Bay, Catalina Island, CA. This a donor strain (genotype: FY4743 h- rad11- study examines the impact of human CFP-hphMX6 rad22-YFP-natMX6 leu1-32 pollution at varying distances from the bay.
35 We hypothesized that waters closer to impact of light exposure during shore would exhibit stronger indications of embryogenesis on the development of contamination than those waters farther intralimb muscle activity indicative of from shore. Field measurements and stepping behaviors in chick embryos. sample collection from four locations at equal depths along the coast yielded data Fertile eggs were incubated in 1 of 3 light on light intensity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, conditions from day 0 to 19: 24 hours/day nitrate, ammonium, chlorophyll, plankton of very bright light (24L), 12 hours/day of abundance, fecal coliform bacteria levels, bright light (12L), or 24 hours/day of and total bacteria. Our findings indicate darkness (24D). Electromyography was that waters closer to the bay are more recorded on day 19 from pairs of negatively impacted by factors associated antagonistic ankle muscles in the right and with human influence than waters farther left leg of embryos from each condition. from the bay. Higher levels of biomass Results here report preliminary analyses for were found as the distance increased from 4 animals per light condition. the population center at Avalon, suggesting that depressed biomass near Sequences of repetitive antagonist ankle the bay was due to the human caused muscle activity were most frequently pollution. This conclusion was supported by observed in embryos incubated in 24L the increased levels of ammonium and high conditions (105-428 cycles/experiment) and abundances of fecal coliform bacteria. In least frequently observed in embryos future experiments we hope to include the incubated in 24D conditions (3-52 cycles). effects of local currents on environmental Extensor activity was more likely to parameters in the water column. symmetrically alternate with flexor activity (i.e., relative phase 0.4-0.6) during step §§§§ cycles for embryos incubated in 24L (36%-61% of cycles per embryo), and was Category: Life Sciences rare during step cycles for embryos Name(s): Kelli Thompson incubated in 24D (14%-33%). Interquartile ranges for relative phase data was smallest Submission Type: Individual for embryos incubated in 24L and largest Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): for those incubated in 24D. Nina Bradley, Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy Results thus far suggest that environmental Format: Laboratory-based Research factors, such as varied light conditions, Title: Impact of light exposure during during embryogenesis can impact embryogenesis on development of development of intralimb stepping for antagonist ankle muscle activity motor control. during stepping in the chick embryo §§§§ Abstract: Previous study has indicated embryogenesis is shortened by exposure to continuous bright light or lengthened by exposure to continuous darkness. Furthermore, recent results indicate control of alternating steps is accelerated by incubation in continuous light and delayed by incubation in continuous darkness.
The purpose of this study is to explore the
36 Category: Life Sciences differentiation into motor neurons efficiency of differentiation will be assessed Name(s): Kathleen Siswanto using immunofluorescence characterization Submission Type: Individual of ventral neural markers. This work will Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): provide a powerful tool to study Andrew McMahon, Stem Cell Biology and motoneuron and oligodendrocyte directed Regenerative Medicine differentiation in humans, which will also Format: Laboratory-based Research facilitate research on cell based therapy for Title: In Vitro Modeling of Neural the treatment of several neurological Progenitor Specification conditions, including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral Abstract: sclerosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are degenerative §§§§ diseases that cause significant physical disability, by affecting motor neurons and Category: Life Sciences myelin respectively. These diseases share a common link to deficiencies in the Name(s): William Liao, Matthew Moodie, descendants of the OLIG gene family Farn-Hsuan (Shelly) Tseng (OLIG1 and OLIG2) dependent populations. Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Aims: Sophia Allaf Shahin, Pathology, Keck 1) To generate a targeted OLIG2 allele for School of Medicine; Laureen Tran, studying protein-DNA and protein-protein Microbiology and Immunology, Keck interactions School of Medicine; Joseph Landolph, 2) To perform directed differentiate of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, motor neurons and perform in vitro Keck School of Medicine modeling of neural progenitor Format: Laboratory-based Research specifications Title: Induction of Cytotoxicity in Cultured Recent developments in genome editing C3H/10T½ C1 8 Mouse Embryo tools using engineered transcription Fibroblasts by Soluble Chromium VI) activator–like effector nucleases (TALENs) Compounds: Effects of Ascorbate have shown promise as facile and broadly and Dehydro-Ascorbate applicable method for genetic engineering Abstract: in human embryonic stem cells in human Compounds containing hexavalent embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced chromium [Cr(VI)] are well-documented pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Also, the human carcinogens that cause cancers in CRISPR system is used as an alternative in the respiratory system when inhaled, and genome modifications. With these that cause stomach cancers and other technologies, we hope to develop a system internal cancers when humans ingest them. in human ESC to complement ongoing The present study examined the ability of studies in the McMahon lab where the the soluble chromium compounds, sodium focus has been to characterize the chromate (Na2CrO4), calcium chromate developmental signaling pathways involved (CaCrO4) and potassium dichromate in ventral neural specification using neural (K2CrO4) to induce cytotoxicity of progenitors derived from mouse ESCs. C3H/10T½ Cl 8 mouse embryo cells. This Generating constructs for TALENs specific study sought to test the hypothesis that to the OLIG2 locus is the goal. Currently, I intracellular reductants, such as ascorbate am in the process of designing and building and dehydro-ascorbate, can reduce Cr(VI) the targeting construct. Directed
37 to Cr(V), Cr(IV), and Cr(III) intracellularly, Category: Life Sciences thereby making it a strong cytotoxin in Name(s): Nabil Esmail, Joanne Lin, mammalian cells. We postulated that the Sidharth Menon, Megan Trieu relatively weak responses for induction of morphological transformation of 10T½ cells Submission Type: Group we previously published by Cr(VI) Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): compounds in culture might be due to the Joseph Landolph, Molecular Microbiology small and insufficient amounts of ascorbate and Immunology, and Pathology, Keck in cultures of mammalian cells. Therefore, School of Medicine we investigated the cytotoxic effects of Format: Laboratory-based Research ascorbate on 10T½ mouse embryo cells, Title: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms and the effects of the highest non-cytotoxic of Cytotoxicity induced by insoluble concentrations of ascorbate on Cr(VI)- Chromium (VI) Compounds in induced cytotoxicity in 10T½ cells. Our cell C3H/10T1/2 Mouse Embryo Cells survival data showed that ascorbate can itself exert significant cytotoxic effects at Abstract: concentrations of 0.00625 millimolar and Exposure of humans and rodents to higher on 10T½ mouse embryo cells. insoluble chromate compounds in Furthermore, when 10T½ cells were occupational settings where chromate treated with both Cr(VI) and ascorbate, we pigments are manufactured induces nasal found that ascorbate played dual roles. and respiratory tumors. Past experiments Ascorbate serves as a pro-oxidant conducted by our laboratory showed lead (enhancer of cytotoxicity of chromate) at chromate particles induced a dose- concentrations up to 0.10 mM, and as an dependent cytotoxicity and a dose- anti-oxidant (reducer of cytotoxicity of dependent yield of chromate) at concentrations of 0.25 mM morphological/neoplastic transformation in and higher. For our future experiments, we 10T1/2 mouse embryo cells. However, the hypothesize that at concentrations of 0.10 yield of foci was low for such a strong mM and lower, ascorbate will enhance the carcinogen. Further investigation showed cell transforming activity of Cr(VI) that the average particle diameter, 80 compounds, and at concentrations of 0.25 microns, was likely too large to allow mM and higher, ascorbate will reduce the effective phagocytic uptake of particles. yield of transformed foci induced by Cr(VI) Therefore, we studied the effect of particle compounds. size on cytotoxicity of lead chromate in cultured 10T1/2 mouse embryo cells by §§§§ exposing cells to both sonicated and unsonicated lead chromate. Treating 10T1/2 cells with either unsonicated or sonicated particles of lead chromate resulted in dose dependent cytotoxicity. The cytotoxicity was greater in cells treated with sonicated particles of lead chromate. Treatment of 10T1/2 cells with unsonicated or sonicated particles of lead chromate caused an induction of apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, and disruption of actin filaments of cells. Thus, the cytotoxicity of lead chromate is particle size-dependent and mediated by apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, and disruption of actin filaments of cells.
38 the Big Fisherman’s Cove area in regards to Having optimized uptake of lead chromate key foundation and invasive species, as well particles via sonication, we optimized as to continue to develop a long-term intracellular reduction of phagocytosed monitoring system for future data lead chromate particles. These experiments collection. Two different species of algae, are in progress. In addition, we are now Pacific surfgrass Phyllospadix sp. and the studying the effects of treating cells with invasive brown seaweed Sargassum sp., sonicated particles of lead chromate were regularly monitored underwater using (average diameter = 3 um), and SCUBA. Over a 1.5-year sampling period, subsequently adding reductants, such as we recorded a strong correlation among cysteine, glutathione, and ascorbate, the density of surfgrass and Sargassum separately and in combinations, to cells to with monthly changes in ocean achieve intracellular reductive activation of temperature. Mean density amongst both Cr(VI). Thus, the next stage of algal species was highest during the experimentation involves exposing 10T ½ summer months (July-September) when cells to sonicated insoluble particles of lead mean water temperatures reached their chromate in conjunction with the reducing peak (~70°F). These data will provide a agents ascorbate, glutathione, and better understanding of the characteristics cysteine, and determining whether this and stability of algal communities within results in enhanced cytotoxicity and Big Fisherman’s Cove, as well as provide morphological/neoplastic cell important information about the ecosystem transformation. health of the Blue Cavern State Marine Conservation Area at large. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Michele Felberg, Wendy Category: Life Sciences Whitcombe Name(s): Lauren Otaguro Submission Type: Group Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): David Ginsburg, Dornsife College of Sergey Nuzhdin, Biological sciences Letters, Arts, & Sciences Format: Field Research Format: Field Research Title: Morphological Variation in Title: Monitoring Surfgrass and Sargassum Medicago polymorpha Density in a Marine Protected Area Abstract: Off Santa Catalina Island This project aimed to study the seed pods Abstract: of Medicago polymorpha, a legume named Big Fisherman’s Cove off Santa Catalina for its various pod phenotypes, and in Island is listed as part of the Blue Cavern particular how spine length affects pod State Marine Conservation Area under the distribution and migration, and what genes California Marine Life Protection Act. It is a are responsible for it. Spine length could designated no take zone and provides potentially affect distribution by influencing habitat for numerous invertebrate and fish how much a pod sticks to animals. Pods species. Surprisingly, little is known about with long spines are more likely to travel the spatial patterns and variability of algal farther and grow in a different soil type communities found living in this area – than its parent plant, while smooth pods despite its designation as a no-take marine are more likely to stay in the same reserve nearly 25 years ago. This study environment. Understanding this will help aimed to examine the ecosystem health of to shed light on the adaptability of
39 Medicago and its ability to disperse to a given cell. TPO1, which is responsible effectively. This was studied by setting up for the regulation of polyamine transects and tracking pods, half with long homeostasis in the cell and promotion of spines and half without spines, to measure cell growth by the transport of spermine, the rate of migration. Although this is was among the many genes investigated. ongoing, preliminary results show that Mutants of TPO1 experienced low levels of spiny pods have a higher rate of migration. survival, indicating that the wild-type gene Soil salinity readings were taken to may play some role in controlling understand the heterogeneity of soils in chronological aging. The tpo1∆ mutants which Medicago grows. Results show that also displayed age-dependent growth on even in a single site there can be high the canavanine medium, suggesting that variation in soil type. RAD sequencing will one of the many functions of the gene is to be performed in the future to determine provide genomic stability. the genes and genetic mechanism for spine length. RAD sequencing uses restriction §§§§ enzymes to simplify complex genomes so that target genes can be effectively Category: Life Sciences sequenced. Name(s): Zara Butte §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Life Sciences Derek Sieburth, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute; Jason Chan, Zilkha Neurogenetic Name(s): Nahel Kapadia Institute Submission Type: Individual Format: Laboratory-based Research Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: Muscarinic Signaling and its Role in Valter Longo, David School of Gerontology the Behavioral Response in C. Format: Senior Honors Thesis elegans Title: Multidrug Resistance in Abstract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae Acetylcholine is one of the major Abstract: neurotransmitters found in living Multidrug resistance refers to the ability of organisms, and it drives behaviors such as ATP-binding cassette transporters to pump learning and memory, arousal, and out diverse groups of potentially harmful locomotive function. Altered cholinergic drugs and toxins such as toxic materials signaling can result in motor or memory accumulating during aging. It is known that deficits, such as in Alzheimer’s Disease or increased expression of ABC transporters Myasthenia Gravis. Using C. elegans, I will on the plasma membrane leads to greater evaluate the role of cholinergic signaling in drug efflux and resistance. In cells without mediating behavioral responses to stimuli. ABC transporter-encoding genes, there is In particular, sensory neurons influence increased sensitivity to drugs. This study motor neuron activity through the analyzes the functional importance of ATP- excitation and inhibition of interneurons, binding cassette (ABC) protein pumps in some of which are cholinergic. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Though ABC increased neuromuscular function driven by transporters are known to have several cholinergic interneurons depend on the roles, including pheromone secretion and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) the regulation of phospholipid composition GAR-3, which is a G-protein coupled in cell membranes, this study examines the receptor. GAR-3 has been shown to be importance of the protein pumps in necessary in motor neurons for modulating conferring multiple drug resistance (MDR) activity-dependent changes in
40 neuromuscular function as well as in the open ocean through its ability to fix of each synaptic recruitment of sphingosine kinase of those elements. Trichodesmium fixes (sphk-1), which is an important facilitator nitrogen during a short-lived peak in the of neurotransmission. However, on a larger middle of the day, at a well-documented scale, it is not well understood which cells rate. This cyanobacterium is known to are involved in the cholinergic signaling produce dense yet ephemeral blooms, and pathway. To address this question, I will the colonies are visible to the unaided eye, drive ACh secretion from different generally forming tufts (rafts) or puffs. cholinergic interneurons and evaluate the Historically, Trichodesmium nitrogen resulting changes in two ways; synaptic fixation rates have been measured only for sphk-1 recruitment and aldicarb sensitivity. a brief period in the middle of the day, and By observing the change in synaptic sphk-1 those rates have been extrapolated to recruitment, the change in the rate of quantify their total contribution to the neurotransmission can be quantified nitrogen budget. In 2010, in the molecularly. Aldicarb, an oligotrophic North Pacific, 75% of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, prevents the Trichodesmium puff colonies screened breakdown of ACh. An aldicarb assay were found to contain an epibiont, evaluates the behavioral change resulting morphologically identified as the from changes in ACh secretion, as worms heterocyctous diazotrophic cyanobacterium with increased ACh secretion from cells Calothrix. Our group was able to bring involved in the sensorimotor pathway these epibionts back to the laboratory for paralyze faster than wild type worms. To culture experiments. Here we present drive ACh secretion, I will overexpress evidence that these Calothrix epibionts fix unc-17, the gene for vesicular acetylcholine nitrogen on a diurnal cycle, maximally in transporter protein (VAChT), in specific the middle of the light cycle. We also cells. This strategy will narrow down which present evidence that these Calothrix have cells affect motor neuron function. These not been quantified in qPCR time series experiments will address the possible surveys using the nifH gene as a proxy for sources of acetylcholine and shed further diazotroph abundance. Therefore, this light on the sensorimotor pathway in C. previously unrecognized cohabitation, if it elegans as well as on muscarinic signaling reaches beyond the oligotrophic North in humans. Pacific, could potentially influence global nitrogen fixation and carbon export §§§§ budgets in the world ocean.
Category: Life Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Patrick Lee Submission Type: Individual Category: Life Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Hailey Gill Eric Webb, Biological Sciences; Lily Submission Type: Individual Momper, Biological Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Laboratory-based Research Lorraine Turcotte, Human and Evolutionary Title: A novel cohabitation between two Biology diazotrophic, filamentous Format: Field Research cyanobacteria in the North Pacific Title: Nutrition and Health: an analysis of Abstract: the relationships of local diet, The cyanobacterium Trichodesmium has physical activity, and age to health- long been known to play a significant role related indices in Hawaii-born in the cycling of nitrogen and carbon in the residents
41 Abstract: §§§§ Purpose: To determine relationships between components of the Hawaiian diet Category: Life Sciences and health-related indices of Hawaii-born Name(s): Haig Aintablian residents. Subjects: Adults (n = 28; 12 men Submission Type: Individual and 16 women) ages 18-79. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Measures: Health indices: derived from a Sergio Sanudo-Wilhelmy, Dornsife College of portable blood pressure monitor (Omron Letters, Arts, & Sciences BP652, Lake Forest, IL), a bioelectrical Format: Laboratory-based Research impedance device (for % fat assessment) Title: The Origin of Pterin: A Search into the (Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Lake Chemistry of Primordial Earth Forest, IL), and self-reported weight and height (for BMI calculation). Dietary indices Abstract: were derived from self-reported food-logs In order for life to exist, a multitude of and analyzed using a computer program biochemical reactions, genetically heritable (Food Processor, ESHA Research, Salem, OR) factors, and countless interactions must which provided the amount of total calories, exist, a reason why studying the origin of total fat calories, total cholesterol, sodium life is all the more complicated. Throughout and simple sugars. recent years, however, many crucial molecules which are essential to life as we Results: Age correlated positively with know it, have been found to be able to percent body fat (R2= 0.54, P<0.05) and exist in the primordial earth. Molecules as negatively with stress (R2= -0.13, P<0.05) prominent as adenosine triphosphate and and amount of weekly physical activity (R2= ribose have been synthesized in abiotic -0.38, P<0.05). Physical activity correlated conditions, paving the way for the negatively with percent body fat (R2= -0.17, possibility of RNA or other heritable P<0.05). BMI correlated positively with total molecules before life's existence. But the kilocalories (R2= 0.12, P<0.05), total fat presence of ATP has also paved the way for kilocalories (R2= 0.17, P<0.05), and total the presence of another molecule... pterin. cholesterol (R2= 0.11, P<0.05). Sodium Pterin, a heterocyclic molecule, is crucial for correlated positively with systolic and DNA, RNA, and other oligonucleotide diastolic blood pressure (R2= 0.16, P<0.05; synthesis reactions along with the modern R2= 0.19, P<0.05). Along with the statistic carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles. The results, the food-logs presented an importance of this enzymatic foundation in anecdotal profile of the unique types of food the many catalytic roles in the biological eaten in the islands. world is unfathomable. Many of life’s reactions would be many orders of Conclusion: This nutritional study revealed magnitude slower without the enzymes of that health indices of BP, BMI, % body fat, which pterin is associated. Pterin's and stress are related to age, physical activity association in the nitrogen and even carbon habits, and diet. A diet high in Calories or and sulfur cycles has long been known. In cholesterol is predictive of a high BMI and a these cycles, pterin is found in four major diet high in sodium is predictive of high oxidoreductase enzyme classes via the blood pressure. In addition, age is an molybdopterin moiety constituting the independent variable that can be predictive DMSO reductase, Xanthine oxidase, sulfite of stress, percent body fat, and amount of oxidase, and aldehyde ferredoxin weekly physical activity for Hawaiian oxidoreductase families, each of which residents. covers a multitude of essential enzymes. The integration of Mo over the evolutionary
42 timeline is not fully understood, but is protein. Retroviral vectors packed with the suggested to have come into play after the four OSKM factors were introduced into utilization of pterin some 3.7 billion years fibroblast cells. We found that after ago due to the necessity of pterin to form infection, long and thin fibroblast cells the molybdopterin moiety. The importance transformed into round ES cell-like colonies of molydopterin in the processes necessary after reprogramming. Using alkaline for life is hard to oversee, whether pterin phosphatase staining to mark ES cells, we was a key player in catalyzing the reactions identified ES-like colonies that were necessary for life abiotically is yet to be reprogrammed from fibroblast cells in determined. plates where OSKM factors were present and the Pitx2 gene was silenced. This study §§§§ demonstrated that it is possible to reprogram human dermal fibroblast cells to Category: Life Sciences a pluripotency state although further Name(s): Baotran Vo studies are needed using different reprogramming methods and other Individual Submission Type: pluripotency genes. A thorough Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): understanding of the Pitx2 gene will lead to Wange Lu, Keck School of Medicine; Wen- more efficient reprogramming strategies, Hsuan Chang, Chemical Engineering enabling large-scale production of iPSCs Format: Laboratory-based Research and produce an alternative to embryonic Title: Pitx2 Transcription Factor Inhibits stem cells for use in research and therapy Reprogramming of Human Dermal for diabetes, heart failure, Parkinson’s Fibroblast to Induced Pluripotent disease and other neurodegenerative Stem Cell (iPSCs) diseases. Abstract: §§§§ Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of embryos and they Category: Life Sciences have the capacity of self-renewal while maintaining pluripotency, differentiating Name(s): Derek Asserson into different cell types. Previous studies Submission Type: Individual have demonstrated successful Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): reprogramming of somatic cells into a John Tower, Biological Sciences pluripotent embryonic stem cell-like state Format: Laboratory-based Research via transduction. These induced pluripotent Predicting Lifespan in Drosophila stem cells (iPSCs) can be generated by Title: forced expression of the four transcription melanogaster by Expression of Heat factors, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc Shock Protein Gene Transgenic (OSKM). Expression profiling during ES cell Reporters Engineered with Green differentiation suggests that the gene, Fluorescent Protein Pitx2, is highly expressed in differentiating Abstract: cells, which are no longer in an ES cell-like The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is state. Therefore, we hypothesized that commonly used in the laboratory to study Pitx2 is a candidate gene for inhibiting aging mechanisms due to its strong pluripotency gene expression and that Pitx2 biological relationship to humans. knockdown might enhance reprogramming Transcription of heat shock protein (Hsp) in fibroblast cells. Preliminary genes is induced in response to both reprogramming was assessed by the oxidative (production of reactive oxygen detection of red fluorescent in cells infected species) and proteotoxic (accumulation of with the virus containing red fluorescent misfolded proteins) stress, and during
43 normal aging. In order to quantitatively Abstract: measure Hsp gene expression, transgenic In the retina, cells of the same type orderly reporters are engineered with green tile the retina (Wässle and Boycott, 1991, fluorescent protein (GFP). Using video Masland, 2001) forming regular mosaics camera software and subsequent computer (Wässle and Riemann, 1978, Cook and analysis that identifies pixel number and Chalupa, 2000), which sample the visual intensity, a fly's fluorescence is transformed space uniformly. The disease retinitis into numerical units. Therefore, pigmentosa (RP) disturbs the mosaic of fluorescence is hypothesized to be a cone photoreceptors, causing it to develop predictor of lifespan. Previous research holes in a regular array of rings. Here, we attempted to discern a correlation between propose to study the mechanisms the onset of expression and lifespan. It was controlling the transformation of the cone shown that a negative correlation exists. mosaics under RP and develop a tool to That is, if a fly has a large amount of return their geometry to a state as normal expression at an early stage in its life (ten to as possible. So far, our studies have shown thirty days), then it will die sooner. That that each ring surrounds a zone without study influenced the decision to try to rod photoreceptors. These zones are due to discover a correlation between expression progressive rod-photoreceptor death in over time and lifespan. We found that local hot spots. Processes of Müller cells during the middle portion of a fly's life, (MCs) simultaneously remodel to occupy there was no connection between these zones and interact with cones to expression and lifespan. However, at the “push” them outward. This study evaluates last time point (fifty-two days), a positive the efficacy of the drug DL-alpha- correlation was observed. We believe that aminoadipic acid (AAA) as a treatment of the negative correlation at young ages RP. AAA may restore the even coverage of represents onset of expression, whereas the the visual space by transiently disrupting positive correlation at older ages represents MCs, thus possibly allowing cones to form maximal expression level. A future study normal-looking mosaics again. Preliminary will seek stronger correlations while also results suggest that AAA works as focusing on possible mechanisms, including hypothesized and here we quantify its mitochondrial content in muscle tissue, effects in conjunction with Ciliary utilizing the myosin heavy chain promoter Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF). in a Gal4-UAS system. Overall, these experiments increase our understanding of §§§§ the regulation of Hsp gene expression during aging and confirm the utility of Category: Life Sciences these genes as biomarkers of aging. Name(s): Victoria Liang §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Life Sciences Ching Lien, Keck School of Medicine Name(s): Divya Nair Format: Laboratory-based Research Submission Type: Individual Title: The role of IGF signaling on heart Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): regeneration in zebrafish using a Eun Jin Lee, Visual Processing Laboratory cryoinjury model Format: Laboratory-based Research Abstract: According to the World Health Title: Re-Engineering Mosaics of Cone Organization, cardiovascular diseases are Photoreceptors in Retinas Affected the world’s leading causes of death and by Retinitis Pigmentosa
44 represent about 30% of all deaths globally. §§§§ For this reason, there is great urgency to develop an effective solution to either cure Category: Life Sciences it or prevent its onset. This research project Name(s): Alexander Yuen addresses this issue through the lens of cardiac regeneration and uses a zebrafish Submission Type: Individual cryoinjury model. This is because zebrafish Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): hearts are markedly similar to human Jayme Smith, Biological Sciences; David hearts and have been shown to exhibit Caron, Biological Sciences regenerative capabilities after a major heart Format: Field Research injury. Title: A study of environmental conditions that influence growth of the In a recent study conducted in Lien Lab, a microalga Pseudo-nitzschia, and graduate student, Ying Huang, examined domoic acid production the signaling pathway needed for heart development and regeneration on an Abstract: amputation model. Specifically, she looked Microbes play a key role in the marine at the effects of insulin-like growth factor ecosystem. Marine microalgae, in (IGF2) on the signaling pathway for both particular, contribute to the food web, heart development and heart regeneration providing nutrition for higher trophic levels in zebrafish. She did this by inhibiting IGF2 and nutrient cycling services. However, both pharmacologically with an IGF1 some microalgae are capable of producing receptor inhibitor and genetically through toxins that are harmful to both marine the use of transgenic zebrafish. She found animals and humans. Domoic acid, a that both methods of inhibition adversely neurotoxin causing amnesiac shellfish affected heart development in embryo poisoning in humans, is produced by zebrafish and cardiomyocyte proliferation Pseudo-nitzschia, a diatom genus that is required for heart regeneration. often present in springtime microalgal communities. Along the California coast, Based on these preliminary results, I will Pseudo-nitzschia sometimes blooms and also determine the effects of IGF2 on produces large quantities of domoic acid. cardiomyocyte proliferation in zebrafish this The toxins can bioacculmulate through the summer. However, I will examine if food web, causing the illness and possible enhancing IGF signaling can promote death of organisms high on the food chain cardiomyocyte proliferation using a such as marine mammals and birds. The cryoinjury model instead of an amputation environmental cues that cause these model. A cryoinjury differs from a regular harmful algal blooms are still not well amputation mainly because it doesn’t understood. My work in Dr. David Caron’s remove the damaged tissue from the heart. lab investigates possible influence of This allows it to more closely resemble an vitamins on growth of Pseudo-nitzschia and actual injury after a myocardial infarction. the importance of iron and nitrogen on Therefore, a cryoinjury model may have stimulation of domoic acid production. more clinical relevance and may provide Pseudo-nitzschia is believed to require groundbreaking insight into heart certain vitamins for growth; the addition of regeneration. I will test to see if inducing vitamins to the algal community may IGF signaling in the cryoinjury model will impact its composition, possibly leading to enhance regeneration by outcompeting increased growth of Pseudo-nitzschia. fibroblasts. This presentation aims to Domoic acid has an additional property of introduce my research design and plan for acting as an iron chelator, allowing cells to this topic. access trace metals in the environment.
45 Limiting the presence of iron in the sediments both showed distinct zones of environment is hypothesized to induce cells increased N2O production. Increases to produce domoic acid. Conversely, nutrients in the overlying waters led to because of domoic acid’s nitrogen rich multiple nitrous oxide peaks in both silty structure, limitation of nitrogen sources sand and mud and a much deeper single may reduce domoic acid production. peak of N2O in sand sediments. In the face of environmental changes predicted to §§§§ occur in coastal ecosystems it is critical to understand benthic N2O dynamics. Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Tijana Milinic §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Category: Life Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Beverly Tse Wiebke Ziebis, Marine Biology Submission Type: Individual Format: Field Research Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: A Study of Nitrous Oxide Producing Microbial Communities in Coastal Susan Forsburg, Molecular and Sediments Under Changing Computational Biology; Nimna Ranatunga, Environmental Conditions Molecular and Computational Biology Abstract: Format: Laboratory-based Research Atmospheric levels of nitrous oxide N2O, a Title: Study of the N-terminus of mcm4 in very potent greenhouse gas, are steadily fission yeast increasing. Production of N2O in the Abstract: environment is a challenging process to Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a fission study as complex interactions among yeast, is a species of interest in research of closely associated microbial groups leads to mammalian molecular biology and serves a high degree of variability. It remains as an excellent model eukaryote. In unclear how changing environmental particular, S. pombe can be easily conditions such as elevated temperature, molecularly manipulated and has DNA oxygen depletion, and nutrient loading features that are similar to higher affect benthic nitrifying and denitrifying eukaryotes. S. pombe has also been found microbial communities. Coastal regions are to organize its chromosomes similarly to extremely dynamic and are often exposed human chromosomes. to increased nutrient loading due to runoff events, as well as transient conditions of MCM4 is a helicase protein found in depleted oxygen. We performed simulation Schizosaccharomyces pombe that plays an experiments using intact sediment cores to essential role in DNA replication, especially expose different coastal sediment types to in replication fork integrity during the S low oxygen and increased nitrate phase of the cell cycle. MCM4 is a subunit conditions to follow the response of the in the hexameric MCM (MiniChromosome microbial communities to varying Maintenance defect) protein. While environmental conditions. The zones of typically a mutation would present a red N2O production and consumption were flag for the cell to stop replication, the identified by microprofiles of N2O and O2 MCM protein is of interest because a using amperometric microsensors and high- mutation in the MCM doesn’t necessarily resolution nutrient profiles. All 3 sediment block DNA replication, even though it plays types reacted differently as a response to an important role in the initiation of these environmental changes. Under low replication. Several instances of MCM4 oxygen conditions, the mud and silty sand mutations have been identified in humans
46 and these mutations have been associated outcomes, definitions of smoking, with adrenal insufficiency, short stature, measures of variability, risk ratios, and and NK cell deficiency. covariates. Studies were analyzed separately for each of the outcomes; The overall purpose of this study was to stillbirth, neonatal death, and perinatal study the effects of mutations in the NSD death. A random effects model adjusting region (N-terminal serine/threonine-rich for heterogeneity of study populations and domain) of the MCM4 protein in fission study designs was used to obtain summary yeast. In this study, amino acids 2-72 were risk ratios. Statistically significant deleted from the N-terminus. In order to associations between maternal cigarette determine the effects of the mutation on smoking and perinatal mortality were DNA replication, the MCM4 mutant were found. The risk ratio associated with any crossed with yeast strains with mutations at smoking for perinatal mortality was 1.35 their chk1 or cds1 checkpoint kinases. The (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-1.45, double mutants were then treated with 48 studies). For any smoking and stillbirth, hydroxyurea and MMS to study the cells the risk ratio was 1.44 (95% confidence response to these DNA damaging drugs. interval (CI):1.35-1.54, 59 studies). For any smoking and neonatal death, the risk ratio §§§§ was 1.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.27, 28 studies). A dose-response Category: Life Sciences relationship was also present; as women Name(s): Sarah Hsu, Edward Park smoked more cigarettes, there was a higher risk of perinatal mortality. The Submission Type: Group evidence shows a statistically significant Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): positive relationship between maternal Jonathan Samet, Preventive Medicine; Beth cigarette smoking and perinatal mortality. Pineles, Keck School of Medicine A greater emphasis on smoking in Format: Field Research pregnancy is needed. Title: Systematic Review and Meta Analysis on Maternal Cigarette §§§§ Smoking and Perinatal Mortality Abstract: Category: Life Sciences The association between maternal cigarette Name(s): Brandon Glousman, Jung-Gi smoking and perinatal death has been Min studied extensively, but this large body of Submission Type: Group research has not been compiled into a Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): single report. Between 5 and 35% of Changhan Lee, Davis School of pregnant women in each state smoke Gerontology (14% nationally), and many more are Format: Laboratory-based Research exposed to secondhand smoke. A systematic review and meta-analysis was Title: Targeting Cancer Metabolism: The conducted on the association between Effects of a Novel Mitochondrial maternal cigarette smoking and perinatal Derived Peptide on Breast Cancer mortality (stillbirth and neonatal death). Progression Relevant and eligible articles were found Abstract: through a search of the Pubmed database In the early 1920s, Nobel laureate Otto and references were also reviewed to Warburg hypothesized that cancer is a determine eligibility. Data was abstracted metabolic disease, specifically a from each eligible article such as number of mitochondrial dysfunction, based on his subjects, definitions of pregnancy observation that cancer cells consume
47 significantly more glucose; an observation affinity and specificity is essential for many now commonly referred to as the Warburg applications in biotechnology such as basic effect. It stands to reason then that a research and drug discovery. Here, we potential target for cancer treatment would sought to improve the affinity of a be related to the mitochondria, the previously discovered peptide ligand to its organelle central to a cell’s survival and target, Streptavidin. We used mRNA display proliferation through their generation of to affinity mature the peptide by using more than 90% of cellular energy as well biotin as a competitor during the selection. as biosynthetic precursors that serve as This process would specifically enrich the building blocks for a dividing cell. pool by selecting for peptides with very However, the precise metabolic regulatory slow off rates. We were able to improve mechanisms of this essential organelle are the off rate of the original peptide by a not fully understood. Most of current factor of 100 by searching the sequence biology has focused on how the cell space around it. In addition to providing communicates to the mitochondria to information about how to improve ligand modulate cellular metabolism, but relatively affinity, the peptide ligand we discovered little is known on how mitochondria has potential practical applications such as influence the cell. The recent discovery, protein purification, immobilization, and from our lab and that of others, of specific protein detection assays. mitochondria-derived peptides (MDP) positions mitochondria as a proactive and §§§§ influential organelle that regulates cellular metabolism. Category: Life Sciences Name(s): Jennifer Ko, Kathleen Roche In this study, we examined the effects of a Submission Type: Group particular MDP called MOTS-c on the progression of breast cancer in BALB-c Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): mice. 30 days after the palpable formation Daryl Davies, Titus Family Department of of tumors, Groups of MOTS-c treated and Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical control (n=10) showed significantly Economics & Policy, School of Pharmacy; different rates of growth in tumor size. This Megan Yardley, Alcohol and Brain study portrays the possibility of retarding Research Lab, School of Pharmacy the proliferation of cancer by targeting Format: Laboratory-based Research metabolism, as well as the potential role of Title: Using Ivermectin Analogue-Based the mitochondria as a significant Drug Discovery for Alcohol Use communicator in the progression of cancer. Disorders §§§§ Abstract: Ivermectin (IVM), an antiparasitic medication widely used in humans, also Category: Life Sciences acts as a selective in vitro modulator of Name(s): Jasmine Corbin purinergic P2X4 receptors (P2X4Rs). We Submission Type: Individual previously reported that IVM antagonized Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): the inhibitory effects of ethanol in P2X4Rs Richard Roberts, Chemical Engineering expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We Format: Laboratory-based Research constructed a molecular model based on the X-ray crystal structure of the zebrafish Title: Ultra High Affinity Peptide Ligands P2X4R that revealed a putative alcohol- for Streptavidin binding pocket that also appeared to be Abstract: important for IVM action in P2X4Rs and a Designing ligands for proteins with high target for drug development for
48 alcoholism. In support of this notion, we recently reported that IVM reduces alcohol intake and preference in male and female mice. To gain insight into structural motifs that may be important for IVM’s action, the current study tests two related macrocyclic lactones: abamectin (ABM) and the Pfizer compound selamectin (SEL). To help elucidate the structural characteristics that contribute to IVM’s efficacy in mice, we individually housed C57BL/6J female mice and gave them access to a 10% alcohol solution (10E). Two different drinking paradigms were used in our studies, one which mimics social drinking (24-h two bottle choice) and one that better mimics binge drinking (drinking in the dark [DID]). Upon reaching stable levels of alcohol intake, the mice were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with IVM, ABM, SEL, or vehicle. Using repeated measures ANOVA, we found that IVM and ABM, but not SEL, significantly reduced ethanol intake in mice when tested using the 24-h two bottle choice model. However, only IVM was found to be effective in reducing alcohol intake when tested using the DID paradigm. The findings support the central premise that IVM can be used as a platform in the development of new pharmaceutical treatments for AUDs. Moreover, the differences in drinking as identified by these related compounds should provide new insight into structural motifs that may be important for IVM’s action. §§§§
49 surface step produced positive lift at an angle α = 0°, had lower maximum lift coefficient, Cl,max, than the baseline and did not exhibit stall in the classical sense. For the same test case an airfoil with a lower Physical surface step had a higher Cl,max than the baseline and delayed stall by 1°. Time- averaged flow visualization images taken for Sciences & this Reynolds number revealed a region of step-induced vorticity, which caused the observed lift generation and no-stall Engineering phenomenon. Similarities between stepped airfoils and other passive-control mechanisms, in particular dragonfly airfoils, at comparable Reynolds numbers were observed. §§§§ Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Ethan Lillie, Sanjay Rajpoot Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Steve Nutt, Chemical Engineering and Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Materials Science, Viterbi; Andrea Armani, Chemical Engineering and Materials Name(s): Brendan Plecque, Awadi Science, Viterbi Rathugamage, Aditya Vaidyanathan Format: Laboratory-based Research Submission Type: Group Title: The Batman Material: Harnessing Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Nanoscale Effects Geoffrey Spedding, Viterbi School of Abstract: Engineering The essential process that we are concerned with in the design and Format: Laboratory-based Research fabrication of an actuator is the input Title: Aerodynamic Performance of Stepped energy, the conversion of it in some form Airfoils at Low Reynolds Numbers or another, and finally the output which is Abstract: the actuation. In the case of soft polymer Stepped airfoils are airfoils with a actuators moving due to magnetism the designated cut out and have been claimed general scheme is given by: (Conversion + to augment lift and delay the onset of stall. actuation) Electrical Magnetic The aerodynamic performance of such Mechanical1 airfoils was investigated at nominal chord- based Reynolds numbers of 30k, 40k, 50k, Magnetostrictive actuators normally 60k. A NACA 0012 was used as the capable of only very small Maximum baseline airfoil and two symmetric, stepped Strokes while producing high Maximum geometries were investigated. Force Output Force, less than 1mm max stroke balance measurements taken at Rec = 30k to 106 N max output force and have been showed that an airfoil with an upper shown to have very high work capacity relative to weight with other efficient
50 actuators1. There is potential for vast and linear and angular impulse generation improvements in actuation technology, during each phase of the turning task is higher power to weight ratio, actuator essential for improving turn performance. efficiency, and maximum frequency. Improvements in Magnetostrictive/smart In dance, as in gait, a dancer must push off material technology are based in materials of one leg onto a stance leg serving as the science and chemical engineering. base of support during the turn. In a pique Electromagnetic circuits9 can be designed if turn, the push leg generates reaction forces suitable new and novel arrangements and so that the CM translates onto a straight compositions of polymer can be made single turning leg. After the completion of which exhibit useful mechanical actuator the turn, the goal of the pique turning task attributes and which possess a lower is for the CM trajectory to continue in the driving force and or cost compared to same direction so that a second turn can be traditional electrical motor counterparts. initiated along the same CM trajectory. In this pilot project, we hypothesized that In the past, work has been done using successful and unsuccessful performance of magnet fillers and PVA as a hydrogel using pique turns involving progressive increases a thawing and freezing cycle15 which in degree of rotation would be embeds the magnetic filler into the polymer differentiated by a) the impulse generation matrix and filling holes where polymer does during the push phase and b) the degree to not exist, though these ferrogels do not which CM trajectory was maintained at the link the polymer to the particles. Others completion of the turn. This hypothesis was have been able to cross link polymers tested at the whole body level using directly to the nanoparticles by coating the biomechanical data (muscle activation surface of the particle with monomers by surface electromyography and kinetics exploiting acoustic cavitation effects in measured with forceplates) during pique ultrasonic synthesis4, this allows for the turns performed by an experienced ballet creation of a polymer matrix directly bound dancer. The degree of rotation during each to nanoparticles. pique was progressively increased to elevate the balance and impulse generation §§§§ control requirements. Turns were initiated with each foot supported by a forceplate Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering (Kistler, 1200Hz) and body segment Name(s): Divya Ramakrishnan kinematics were captured simultaneously in the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes. Submission Type: Individual The activation of lower extremity muscles Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): was monitored using electromyography Jill McNitt-Gray, Biomedical Engineering (Konigsberg, 1200Hz). We expected that and Biological Sciences; Antonia Zaferiou, there would be kinematic, kinetic, and Biomedical Engineering muscle activation differences between Format: Laboratory-based Research successful and unsuccessful pique turns. Title: Biomechanical Factors Contributing to Effective Turning §§§§ Abstract: Effective turning in both dance and activities of daily living involves both translation of the center of mass (CM) as well as control of the CM relative to the base of support. Understanding how each leg contributes to both balance regulation
51 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering reconstructed at a rate of 22.4 frames per second. Parallel acoustic data were also Name(s): Sara Brisbin collected, in the noisy audio environment Submission Type: Individual of the scanner, and subsequently denoised. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Subjects spoke the segments /s/ and /sh/ in Andrea Armani, Chemical Engineering symmetrical vowel contexts (e.g. ‘pa sap’ Format: Laboratory-based Research for English and ‘asa’ for Mandarin). Title: Cell Growth and Viability on Silica Articulation was analyzed using a semi- Microtoroid Resonators polar grid overlaid on the image plane and midsagittal distance functions are obtained Abstract: by measuring cross distances at ~0.5 cm The conventional method of studying cell intervals from the glottis to the lips. The behavior is to use fluorescence microscopy. analysis shows production variability across This process is time consuming, tedious and languages, speakers and tokens. can have negative effects on the studied Differences are observed in the place of cells. Microtoroid resonators show promise articulation, as expected, but also in terms for the application of monitoring cell of complex tongue shaping posterior to the function, eliminating the need for point of maximum constriction. fluorescence microscopy. This project will Differences can be explained by differences test the growth, viability and proliferation in phonology across languages but can also of HeLa cells on the microtoroids to test the be caused by individual differences in vocal functionality of the device. If successful, tract morphology. Results also show that this project has the potential to offer a less articulatory contrast between /s/ and /sh/ is expensive, quicker and more efficient way similar in English and Mandarin as to study cell behavior. compared to Serbian. §§§§ §§§§
Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Li Hsuan Lu Name(s): Aaron Henehan, Sheldon Kwok Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Group Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Shrikanth Narayanan, Electrical Rajiv Maheswaran, Computer Science; Yu- Engineering; Adam Lammert, Computer Han Chang, Computer Science Science; Vikram Ramanarayanan, Electrical Format: Analytical Paper Engineering Title: Constructing New Basketball Format: Analytical Paper Ranking Metrics with Big Data Title: A Comparative Study of Vocal Tract Analysis Shaping in Sibilant Fricatives in Abstract: English, Serbian and Mandarin Using Real-time MRI Basketball is a spatiotemporal game. At any second, eleven objects are moving in Abstract: various directions, at various speeds, and An articulatory study of sibilant fricatives is accelerations. Historically, our old described, with the goal of describing technology has limited us to analyzing the variability of lingual articulation across events that occur with a very limited sense languages. Real-time Magnetic Resonance of the spatial elements. Today, we have a Imaging (rtMRI) data were collected from full spatiotemporal breakdown of all the three speakers each of English and players on the court, the ball, and even the Mandarin and two speakers of Serbian and refs at 25 frames per second. In fact, the
52 amount of data we have no human could The dibrominated diphenyl-DPP possibly sit down and retrieve a coherent (diketopyrrolopyrrole) monomer 1,4- answer to a question from manually diketo-2,5-di(2-ethylhexyl)-3,6-bis(4- looking at the data. We turn to our bromophenyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]-pyrrole was computers and data visualization synthesized using reaction conditions techniques to solve this problem. reported in literature for dithienyl-DPP monomers. Relative to the efficient N- We used a variety of algorithms to alkylation of dithienyl-DPP, synthesis of this generate features that we could use to monomer was more complex than filter out types of field goals (e.g. distance anticipated and this reaction suffered from from the basket, or closest defender poor yields of less than 10%. Replacing distance). These features are vital to potassium carbonate with cesium helping us answer questions pertaining to carbonate or potassium tert-butoxide as what makes a good shooter. For example, the base did not drastically improve yield. we can ask how often does player X shoot With potassium carbonate as the base, three pointers with a defender one foot temperature and reaction time were also away and how often does he actually make varied independently, but yield remained these shots. With these metrics, we can get low. Subsequent synthetic attempts numerical results but those are still difficult involved the use of t-amyloxide sodium to analyze with just the human eye. This is with catalytic amount of ferric chloride for where visualizations come in. generation of the precursor and the use of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent Data visualizations allow the nontechnical in the alkylation step, as reported in individual to analyze large datasets without literature for non-halogenated diphenyl- knowledge of the underlying algorithms or DPP derivatives. This process resulted in being intimidated by the dataset. One our improved yields of around 20%. visualizations focuses on applying contour maps over one side of the basketball court The experience gained with the synthesis of based upon the frequency or accuracy of diphenyl-DPP served as a model for the shots. The filters discussed earlier can preparation of the dipyridil-DPP monomer then be applied to the contour maps to see 1,4-diketo-2,5-di(2-ethylhexyl)-3,6-bis(5- how it affects the depths of the contour bromo-2-pyridinyl) pyrrolo[3,4-c]-pyrrole. levels. With the tools available to us, you Here, the synthetic approach used reaction can help justify intuitions about a player’s conditions that worked for the synthesis of skill and even possibly discover hidden diphenyl-DPP but was modified as talent within the roster. necessary to improve yield. Interestingly, copolymerization of diphenyl-DPP was §§§§ achieved while that of the dipyridil-DPP monomer was not. The diphenyl-DPP will Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering then continue to serve as a model for the Name(s): Joahanna Macaranas copolymerization of the dipyridil-DPP monomer. The copolymerization of these Submission Type: Individual DPP-based monomers uses a semi-random Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): approach that allows the ability to fine- Barry Thompson, Chemistry; Alejandra tune the composition of the polymeric Beier, Chemistry backbone through control of the monomer Format: Laboratory-based Research feed ratios. Each polymer will specifically Title: Design of Conjugated Polymers for contain a large amount of 3- Ternary Blend Solar Cells hexylthiophene (P3HT) as a repeat unit in Abstract: order to achieve crystallinity levels and hole
53 mobility comparable to P3HT. In this way, films on toroids have been shown to the copolymer of the diphenyl-DPP confine light in the coating, so the majority monomer serves as a model for the of the circulating light interacts with the nitrogen-containing monomer, and both coating, rather than the entire device. monomers were then be directly compared Hence, instead of fabricating a completely to semi-random P3HT-analogues doped device, it is sufficient to only containing dithienyl-DPP. synthesize high-index doped coatings, allowing a much smaller concentration of §§§§ dopants to be used.
Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Microtoroids with high-index Nd-doped Name(s): Nishita Deka coatings are currently being fabricated and tested. If successful, this approach will not Submission Type: Individual only increase the efficiency of the Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): fabrication process, but also reduce the Andrea Armani, Mork Family Department concentration of rare-earth metals used of Chemical Engineering and Materials during microlaser development, which is Science; Ming Hsieh Department of vital given recent concerns about the Electrical Engineering availability of rare-earth metals in the Format: Laboratory-based Research future. Title: Doped Microlaser with High-Index Coatings §§§§ Abstract: Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Ultra-low threshold microlasers have applications in satellite communications, Name(s): Anton Schuetze-Coburn, Eric biodetection, and optical computing. Siryj Whispering gallery mode resonators are Submission Type: Group ideal for microlaser development because Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): of their high quality factors, small mode Veronica Eliasson, Aerospace & Mechanical volumes, and ease of fabrication into Engineering microlaser arrays. A microtoroid is a type Format: Laboratory-based Research of whispering gallery mode resonator that has been used to fabricate microlasers, Title: The Effect of Temperature on Crack normally from doped silica coatings on a Propagation silicon wafer. However, this method is Abstract: inefficient and often utilizes high Certain material properties can change concentrations of rare-earth metals, which based on the temperature of the material. are common dopants. One such property is crack propagation speed. When a material is cracked, it is Here, a new fabrication method is being susceptible to rapid and damaging crack investigated that utilizes high refractive- propagation when impacted. A series of index coatings as part of the fabrication experiments was conduction to explore the process. Microtoroids are first fabricated effect of temperature on crack propagation from thermally grown oxide on silicon through plexiglass. The plexiglass was wafers, a process that is much easier and machined with a small defect, then more efficient than fabricating toroids from impacted at high speeds. A high-speed doped silica films. The toroids are then camera was used to capture the impact coated with high refractive-index films that and track the resulting caustic. From include the desired dopants – in this case preliminary results, it was determined that Neodymium (Nd). High refractive-index temperature does indeed alter the speed of
54 the crack propagation. §§§§
§§§§ Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Zichen Xiao Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Lesley Chan Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Submission Type: Individual Douglas Hammond, Earth Sciences; Joshua Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): West, Earth Sciences; Gen Li, Earth Sciences Jongseung Yoon, Chemical Engineering Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Establishing Rate of Sediment Title: Enhanced Performance of Printed Accumulation in Zipingpu Reservoir Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Abstract: Microcells with Conformal, Graded In order to better understand the rate of Index Surface Nanostructures sediment accumulation in Zipingpu reservoir, we Abstract: count the activity of isotopes derived from the 7 210 137 Monocrystalline silicon derived from atmosphere ( Be, Excess Pb and Cs) from waferbased source materials represents a cores at different locations. Sediment traps were deployed at two places and gravity cores were promising materials platform for low cost, collected from a small boat at several places in high performance solar cells owing to their April 2011. Then each group of sediments was superior materials properties as well as dried and put in a plastic tube for gamma ability to form ultrathin, microscale devices counting. The strategy of this method is that that can accommodate unusual module because those isotopes will stick on the surface configurations. The performance of solar of sediments and decay, once we calculate the cells with ultrathin silicon, however, is decay rate, the amount of activity of isotopes intrinsically limited by optically thin active over depth will tell us how fast sediment materials resulting from low optical accumulates. Recently, we also measure the absorption of silicon, in which strategies for grain size of sediments from one of the cores. What we expect is an increase in sedimentation trapping the incident light and enhancing rate after the earthquake in 2008 and also a the absorption becomes critically important. correlation between grain size and isotope In this study, we developed ultrathin silicon activity. solar microcells implemented with conformal, graded-index nanostructures to So far, we have found some signs of annually significantly suppress surface reflection cycle of grain size change from our data but we losses and therefore to enhance their have not found any strong correlation between overall photovoltaic performance. The grain size and radioisotopes yet. graded-index, surface nanostructures were implemented on surfaces of microcells §§§§ through goldnanoparticle- catalyzed wet chemical etching, providing significant reduction of reflection losses at the front surface as well as sidewalls of microcells over a broad wavelength range and a wide acceptance angle, which directly translated into an increase of absorbed photon flux and enhanced photovoltaic efficiency of printed ultrathin silicon microcells.
55 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering and how they play. We have also explored the evaluation of various shooting Name(s): Sangmook (Johnny) Jung situations. By applying a similar technique Submission Type: Individual of modeling players and situations as Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): probability distributions, we can explore the Yu-Han Chang, Computer Science; Rajiv improvement in the expected value of a Maheswaran, Computer Science shot taken if a player adjusts his shot Format: Laboratory-based Research location after he receives the ball. Finally, Title: Evaluation of Spatiotemporal we have also explored the characterization Basketball Contexts Through The and modeling of rebounds, and how we Application of Statistical Data can compare and evaluate the rebounding Analysis Techniques profile of the shots that a given player takes. Abstract: The game of basketball is a complex §§§§ spatiotemporal game that features numerous underlying relationships and Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering truths that have been historically hard to explore. The box score statistics reveal Name(s): Simon Berman some insight into the game, but they often Submission Type: Individual cannot paint a full picture and accurately Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): describe the performance of NBA athletes. Shrikanth Narayanan, Electrical In this research, we dig deeper, and with Engineering; Adam Lammert, Computer NBA spatiotemporal optical tracking data Science provided by STATS LLC, we have applied Format: Laboratory-based Research statistical data analysis and data mining Impact of Palatal Structure on the techniques in an attempt to learn more Title: about various truths in basketball. More Coronal Flap specifically, we have explored methods to Abstract: better evaluate players and situations that The morphology of the human vocal tract occur in a given game. varies significantly from person to person. Varying morphology not only implies Much initial work was involved in parsing varying acoustical properties of the vocal and developing features from the optical tract between speakers; it also implies data set that we were provided. From varying physical constraints imposed on there, we were able to model the optical each speaker's articulators. Thus, inter- data in various representations and explore speaker morphological variation must, at several evaluation techniques. Evaluation least in part, account for inter-speaker methods are important from a basketball variation in the articulation of speech perspective, as they allow coaches and sounds. The focus of this work is to decision-makers to identify and compare analyze the role of hard palate morphology players at a deeper level. in the articulation of a particular speech sound: the coronal flap. Previous work has Some evaluation methods that we looked shown that the hard palate shape varies in into were optical-based player similarity three prominent ways: the height of the measures. Through statistical analysis palatal dome (closely related to the techniques, we can model players through curvature of the palate), the position of the various probability distributions of several dome's apex in the oral cavity, and the features. We can then apply f-divergence angularity of the dome around the apex of functions to compare these distributions the palate. It has been shown that the and as a result, gain insight into players palate's curvature has a substantial impact
56 on articulatory strategies, particularly for transducer consists of 64 active elements fricatives. Also, it has been demonstrated with an overall active dimension of 3.2 mm that articulatory variability in the × 2 mm. The system was tested on imaging production of certain vowels and front phantom and mouse ear in vivo. consonants is positively correlated with the Experiments showed a 15 dB increase of curvature of the palate. Using real time the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when magnetic resonance imaging data with beamforming was employed compared to synchronized audio of speakers of the images acquired with each single American English, we investigate the element. The experimental results variability in the place of articulation of the demonstrated that ultrasonic phased array coronal flap, a front consonant, in a variety can be a better candidate for LS-PAM in of vowel contexts, as well as its relationship high sensitivity applications like ophthalmic to the hard palate shape. We confirm the imaging. previously demonstrated correlation between palate curvature and the §§§§ variability of the place of articulation in coronal flaps. In addition, we predict that Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering the position of the apex of the palatal Name(s): Eduardo Aldana, Noe Brito, dome in the oral cavity will also impact the Pieter Kranenburg, Dhruv articulation of front consonants, particularly Monga, Michael Ortega, the place of articulation for coronal flaps. Carson Vogt As coarticulation due to varying vowel contexts also affects the place of Submission Type: Group articulation, we expect the impact to differ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): in different vowel contexts. Joseph Kunc, Astronautical Engineering Format: Laboratory-based Research §§§§ Title: LEAPFROG Generation-X Abstract: Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering The Lunar Entry and Approach Platform for Name(s): Bill Zhou Research on Ground (LEAPFROG) was Submission Type: Individual conceived as a solution to challenges Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): encountered in ground testing planetary Shuliang Jiao, Keck School of Medicine; landing technologies by utilizing low-cost, Aaron Hagedorn, Davis School of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Gerontology components. Gen-X is a vehicle designed to serve as a robotic precursor to human Format: Laboratory-based Research exploration of the Martian surface. The Title: Laser-Scanning Photoacoustic mission architecture that drove the design Microscopy with Ultrasonic Phased was the goal of delivering a capsule Array Transducer carrying multiple Gen-X landers, each with Abstract: slightly less capable instrumentation than At the conclusion of our research, we previous Mars landers, which would be report our latest progress on proving the disbursed across a wide swath of terrain to concept that ultrasonic phased array can carry out a surveying mission to prelude a improve the detection sensitivity and field human landing. The concept was a of view (FOV) in laser-scanning synthesis of small satellite constellation photoacoustic microscopy (LS-PAM). A LS- architectures with the large-scale NASA PAM system with a one-dimensional (1D) Mars Exploration Program. The result was ultrasonic phased array was built for the a lander design that fit within a 40x40x40 experiments. The 1D phased array inch envelope. Toward building a robust
57 flight and control system, this research will launcher and the projectile is a 40mm also leverage crowd-sourcing of experts caliber bullet with a 7˚ boat tail, tail ring, and hobbyists through internet blogs and and fins for stability. Three configurations forums. The primary research objective will (fins slanted at 0˚, 5˚, and 10˚) of the be to carry out a successful 10 minute, LREIDDS projectile were tested in the wind autonomous flight. To enable this open- tunnel to find the configuration with the source development, a BeagleBone board highest drag coefficient, to ensure computer will be used for flight and control minimum strike force, and the smallest systems. BeagleBone uses an ARM-based negative slope, CMα, of the pitching microprocessor with the open-source Linux moment coefficient versus angle of attack operating system. The microprocessor will plot, to establish stability. The 0˚ and 10˚ be programmed in C++ to control digital models, respectively, were determined to outputs for thruster activation and pulse be the most stable with corresponding width modulation for jet engine RPM CMαs of -0.004 and -0.0044, which were control. Since C++ is widely used and has considered optimum because they a large support community, the ability to represented the smallest amount of utilize crowd-sourcing will be maximized. expected pitch in flight and a tendency for This ‘democratization’ of access to space- the pitching moment to restore the technology will allow the internet projectile to level flight. The highest drag community to take part in the launching of coefficient at 0˚ angle of attack was 0.822 a Martian lander prototype. LEAPFROG for the 0˚ fin configuration. Live fire tests Generation X seeks to demonstrate the were not conducted to confirm these possibility of reducing cost and results due to schedule constraints. development time through the use of COTS components and by tapping into the open- §§§§ source community. §§§§ Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Peter Grasso, Kirsten Rice Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Submission Type: Group Name(s): Patrick Almqvist, Peter Cho, Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Patrick Gendotti, Hillary Stock Pirbazari, Sonny Astani Department of Submission Type: Group Civil and Environmental Engineering; Ryan Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Thacher, Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Rodney Yates, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Microbial Fuel Cell Technologies for Remediation of Hexavalent Title: Long Range IED Detection System Chromium in Groundwater and the Abstract: Effects of Natural Organic Matter The Long Range IED Detection System Abstract: (LRIEDDS) is a non-lethal weapons system Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an EPA designed, in response to the Army Small priority contaminant due to its high toxicity Business Innovation Research request for and prevalence in groundwater around the proposal A12-007, to fire a projectile filled United States as a result of numerous with IED detecting paint at a 0.6 meter anthropogenic sources. Current square target 100 meters down range with remediation approaches for Cr(VI) 66% strike accuracy. The LRIEDDS launcher contaminated groundwater are extremely is an air compressed cannon modeled after costly, energy intensive, and require the use the M-203 standard military grenade
58 of hazardous chemicals. Here we propose a Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering biological treatment method by use of Name(s): Sahar Elyahoodayan microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that is effective, requires no hazardous chemicals, and Submission Type: Individual produces energy. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Roya Sheybani, Biomedical Engineering; MFCs are bioelectrochemical devices that Ellis Meng, Biomedical Engineering exploit the natural behavior of bacteria to Format: Laboratory-based Research break down organic matter and release Title: Micro-electrochemical Drug Delivery chemical energy. The concept is similar to Pump that of traditional fuel cells, as they contain Abstract: an anode and cathode chamber separated by a specific membrane, however in this Chronic conditions (e.g. cancer, pain, application bacteria replace the precious diabetes or epilepsy) are predicted to affect metal catalysts usually required to drive approximately half of the U.S. population chemical reactions. Within the anode by 2013. Patients with chronic conditions chamber of an MFC, microorganisms are dependent on medication to manage metabolize organic matter and generate their condition. Unfortunately due to electrons, which they transfer to the anode. limitations of current drug delivery methods On the cathode side, bacteria facilitate the (e.g. oral, injection, or transcutaneous), transfer of the incoming electrons from the patients are subjected to many unwanted cathode to a terminal electron acceptor in side effects. In this project, a novel drug solution. This flow of electrons from anode delivery device capable of delivering a wide to cathode can be harnessed as electrical range of flow rates is developed. Using energy, and Cr(VI) can be used as a sensors, the system will allow for real-time terminal electron acceptor and be reduced tracking and confirming of the drug to Cr(III), a non-toxic oxidation state. quantity delivered directly to the region of interest in vivo. The system enables site- This study investigates the practical specific delivery, significantly reducing application of MFCs for groundwater systematic side effects and allowing for the remediation. MFC batch studies were use of more potent drugs. conducted initially to determine the capacity of MFCs for Cr(VI) reduction, and This drug delivery system consists of a to optimize MFC operation parameters. programmable electrochemical pump that Additionally, these studies were used to takes advantage of gas expansion from determine the effects of natural organic water hydrolysis to displace liquid drug matter, ubiquitous in all water systems, on formulations out of a reservoir to the MFC performance. Next, the MFCs were intended delivery site directed by a integrated with soil columns spiked with a catheter. Water hydrolysis is achieved by Cr(VI) solution to determine the feasibility applying constant current to a pair of and sustainability of such a groundwater electrodes in an actuation chamber treatment approach. The results of these separated from the reservoir by a Parylene studies as well as MFC scale-up bellows structure. Dosage is then tracked considerations and obstacles will be by measuring electrochemical impedance presented. across a second pair of electrodes placed in the drug reservoir via LabVIEW interface in §§§§ real-time. §§§§
59 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Tito Thomas Name(s): Diya Dwarakanath Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Zhe Zhang, Loker Hydrocarbon Research Heidi Gensler, Biomedical Engineering, Institute, Chemistry; Surya Prakash, Loker Viterbi; Ellis Meng, Biomedical Hydrocarbon Research Institute, Chemistry Engineering, Viterbi; Jonathan Kuo, Format: Laboratory-based Research Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi Title: Nucleophilic Trifluoromethylation Format: Laboratory-based Research Using (Trifluoromethyl)tributyltin Title: Optimization of Fabrication and Abstract: Experimental Methodologies for Among the pharmaceutical drugs used MEMS Drug Delivery Devices and today, about 30% contain fluorine. The Neural Probes presence of fluorine significantly increases Abstract: the biological and therapeutic activities of BioMEMS (Biomedical Micro Electro drugs. One of the effective methods for Mechanical Systems), an area of biomedical the introduction of fluorine in organic engineering applied to the microscale, has compounds is fluoromethylation. broad medical applications due to the (Trifluoromethyl)tributyltin has been versatility of engineered microsystems. This shown to be a good trifluoromethylating poster focuses on fabrication and agent at room temperatures by Prakash experimental techniques to enable et al. Aldehydes were found to readily implantable MEMS devices for drug delivery react with Bu3SnCF3 in the presence of and cortical neural recording. fluorides to give the corresponding trifluoromethylated alcohols. We found The implantable drug delivery device (DDD) that the treatment of Bu3SnCF3 with pumps drug via a flexible polymer bellows, carbonyl thiolate as a sulfur anion manufactured by molding with precursor also allows efficient polydimethylsiloxane (silicone rubber) and trifluoromethylation of aldehydes. polyethylene glycol. The bellows fabrication protocol was improved to create modular Mechanistic studies have been performed and reusable molds, which increased yield by treating (trifluoromethyl)tributyltin [0.6 4-fold and reduced fabrication time by mmol] with methanol [5 ml] and 50%. Reproducible bellows manufacturing monitoring via 19F NMR over a period of led to reliable delivered drug volumes when 60 minutes in intervals of 180 seconds. integrated with the DDD. Another critical DDD component is the catheter, which Trifluoromethylation of ketones is still directs drug to the target site. Several under investigation. techniques were evaluated for designing perfusionholed catheters, which were §§§§ attached to a syringe pump to evaluate flow rate performance. Lastly, I developed a protocol and viscosity calibration curve for binary glucose solutions to mimic drug solutions of varying viscosity. These test solutions were then used to evaluate pump performance. Fabrication and testing of DDD components were performed on the standard laboratory benchtop, whereas
60 neural recording probe manufacturing aftermath of global glaciation has broad employed clean room processes. Neural implications for understanding the probes are currently surface micromachined response of the Earth system to major on silicon wafers that can only be used perturbations in the carbon cycle. Here, we once, severely limiting throughput. Thus, a seek to test the hypothesis of supply limited sequential cleaning process was developed weathering after Snowball Earth events. If to reclaim silicon wafers. The weathering rates were supply-limited, the experimentally developed process involved sediments deposited during this time Microchem 90 soaking, solvent rinses, should be devoid of reactive minerals (e.g., reactive ion etching using oxygen plasma, feldspars), and therefore cation-depleted and the Piranha process (with sulfuric acid and quartz rich (West, 2011). In order to and hydrogen peroxide). Greater than determine if the weathering rates after the 90% of contaminants (photoresist, most recent snowball glaciation were in Parylene, platinum, organic and inorganic fact supply limited, the composition of particles) were removed with the developed postglacial sandstones in the Johnnie protocol. This optimized cleaning protocol Formation (southern Death Valley, facilitated further cost-efficient California) were investigated. Initial manufacturing of neural probes via wafer petrographic analyses reveal that the lower reuse. Johnnie Formation sandstones are entirely composed of quartz, supporting the idea By testing different parameters and that weathering at the time was indeed redesigning processes, successful probe supply limited. Further work will include micromachining, consistent DDD flow rate XRF to investigate the elemental performance, and improved bellows composition of the sandstones. fabrication were achieved. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Name(s): Russell Igarashi Name(s): Gregory Hufford Submission Type: Individual Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Chi Mak, Chemistry; Tyler Matossian, Joshua West, Earth Sciences; Frank Chemistry Corsetti, Earth Sciences Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Senior Honors Thesis Title: RETO Analysis of RNA Loops and Title: Post Snowball Earth Weathering Free Energy Abstract: Abstract: Glaciation occurred several times during The purpose of the CHEM-490 research I the late Neoproterozoic. Postglacial was involved in was to help look at RNA weathering rates are hypothesized to have loop structure. Using monte carlo influenced the duration between simulations of an RNA loop of glaciations (Mills 2011), where the long predetermined length and sequence, we duration between glacial intervals was are able to simulate and measure specific determined by the relatively low characteristics of an RNA sequence. Those weathering rates in the aftermath of are the radius (R), 2 dihedral angles (eta snowball glaciations, with global and tau, E and T), and torsion angle weathering at the time being limited by the (omega, O) that make up what we call supply of weatherable material (Mills RETO variables. We are looking at various 3 2011). Supply limited weathering in the nucleotide loops as a sample model of
61 more complex sequences to establish if a composition and fluorine content are connection between the various RETO prepared in order to test the effect of variables and free energy exists. If a architecture and RF content on self-healing connection between one (or a combination capability. of multiple) of the variables and the free energy exists, it would be possible to model §§§§ that free energy as a function that would allow for the simulation and simplification Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering of molecules that have far more complex Name(s): Alexsa Gormley, Kristina Rees, and lengthy sequences such as the Andrew Winthrop ribosome. Currently the ribosome molecule is far too large and complex to model in its Submission Type: Group entirety, and being able to model it instead Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): as several equations would allow it’s Veronica Eliasson, Aerospace & Mechanical possible permutations to be modeled in an Engineering efficient manner. Format: Laboratory-based Research Title: Shock Wave Impact on an Inclined §§§§ Liquid Surface Abstract: Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering This experiment analyzes the behavior of Name(s): Nancy Benner shock waves propagating through a low- Submission Type: Individual density medium of gas and impacting a Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): higher-density medium of liquid water in a Thieo Hogen-Esch, Chemistry; Janet Olsen, team of three undergraduate research Chemistry; Hayriye Yurdacan, Chemistry assistants to ultimately publish a journal in Format: Laboratory-based Research May 2013. From August of 2012, our team has designed, developed, manufactured, Title: Self-Healing Polymer Synthesis and tested a transparent shock tube to Abstract: analyze the behavior this a shock wave. Plastics that can “self-heal” after cracking Currently, previous research has studied the or deformation allow for longer lifetimes effects of shock waves refracting in water, and reduced costs in repair. Here, or shock waves propagating from water to perfluorocarbon (RF) functionalized air, but few have been conducted to study polystyrene graft copolymers with RF-rich the reflections of shock waves off an bristles are prepared and show to be inclined liquid surface, which will be capable of acting as spontaneously self- explored in this experiment. healing polymers. This is based on fluorophillic interactions, the strength of §§§§ which should be sufficient to allow for polymer re-association after mechanical damage.
The copolymer ‘brushes” are prepared by copolymerization of styrene and 4-(2- bromoisobutyloylmethyl)-styrene via free radical polymerization. The bromine sites act as radical initiators that copolymerize 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecylacrylate and butyl acrylate via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Polymers of varying
62 Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering resulting symmetric and asymmetric parameters were compared, linear Name(s): Brendan Colvert, Nicholas regression analysis was performed, and the Foster resulting parameters were compared with Submission Type: Group solar activity. New signatures in the Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): frequency shifts, shifts in the widths of the Veronica Eliasson, Aerospace & Mechanical oscillations, changes in the asymmetries of Engineering the peaks, and an unexpected signature of Format: Laboratory-based Research the shifts in the amplitudes of solar Title: Shock Wave Propagation In and pressure oscillations were discovered. Blast Mitigation Properties of Fluid Curtains §§§§ Abstract: Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering The goal of this research is to understand how shock waves initially traveling in air Name(s): Bridget Hellige behave as they impact a water interface. Submission Type: Individual We will examine how the waves propagate Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): through an area of water droplets. Joshua West, Earth Science Additionally, we will make conclusions on Format: Senior Honors Thesis any waves that are generated through Title: Trace Metal Sources and Transport contact with the shock tube walls. The experimental results will then be compared After Fires in Southern California to accepted theory and conclusions will be Abstract: drawn about the effect the water has from Fires in Southern California increase trace measurements made using shock sensors metal concentrations in stream channels. and schlieren photography. Initial results Concentrations above Maximum are expected by the end of April 2013. Contaminant Levels (MCL) can be toxic to humans. Forest fires occur annually in §§§§ Southern California, and this study aims to understand the source of trace metals and Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering the mechanisms that release trace metals into streams post-fire. Two neighboring Name(s): Daniel Campbell, Shawn catchments are being studied in the San Rhoads, John Rising Gabriel Mountains; one was recently Submission Type: Group affected by the September 2012 Williams Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Fire and the other is a control, unaffected Edward Rhodes, Physics & Astronomy by the fire. Water and soil samples will be Format: Laboratory-based Research collected from both sites pre-rain season Title: Temporal Changes in the Solar and during several storms. A pressure Pressure Oscillations transducer has been placed in the control catchment to measure flow. Water Abstract: samples will be filtered in the lab and trace We present a study of the sensitivity of metal concentrations will be determined solar p-mode oscillations to solar activity using an ICP-MS (inductively-coupled changes during Solar Cycles 23 and 24. By plasma mass spectrometry). Trace metals comparing 'm'-averaged power spectra will also be leached from sediment samples from NASA MDI, NASA HMI, and GONG+, during a series of experiments. It is we have fit over 5 million peaks using our expected that trace metal concentrations WMLTP fitting code and compared them will be higher in the fire affected with an updated version of our code. The catchment than the control catchment and
63 that burned vegetation plays a key role in techniques. The devices are then coated the rapid release of trace metals post-fire. with a ultraviolet (UV) sensitive polymer. Results from this study can be compared Exposure to UV light cleaves part of the with trace metal content from urban runoff attached polymer, converting it from to gauge the pertinence of post-fire hydrophobic to hydrophilic. As optical contamination. Water quality control properties are dependent on the material facilities can also use these results to plan properties, exposure to UV light will create for post-fire water supply. a detectable shift in the frequency of light circulating within the microtoroid - §§§§ allowing me to track this change as a function of UV intensity. Ideally, these Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering devices could be used as individual Name(s): Audrey Harker detectors to prevent extensive harmful UV exposure. Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): §§§§ Andrea Armani, Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering; Simin Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering Mehrabani, Mork Family Department of Name(s): Jay Todd (JT) Max, Avril Chemical Engineering (Viveka) Pitter Format: Laboratory-based Research Submission Type: Group Title: UV Microtoroid Detector Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Abstract: Professor Pirbazari, Sonny Astani One application of optical resonators is in Department of Civil and Environmental the field of sensing. In order to be effective Engineering sensors, these devices must: 1) efficiently Format: Field Research confine light in order to amplify and transmit signals; and 2) have an Title: Water Treatment Design and appropriate response when introduced to Implementation for Rural Regions of stimuli. The Armani Research Group has Developing Nations developed optical micro-toroid resonators Abstract: that fulfill both of these requirements. The For seven weeks last summer I lived with a microtoroid confines light via total internal homestay family in rural Rwanda. I learned reflection at a specific frequency, called the to live as they do, sleeping in their mud- resonant frequency. This resonant brick house, waking up at dawn, eating frequency is dependent on the geometry their food and using the same water. They and material properties of the device and exposed me to the realities of rural poverty, its environment. The photon (light) lifetime particularly regarding the inaccessibility of within the cavity is characterized by a clean water. They talked about struggling quality factor, or Q of the cavity. As the Q to grow enough crops when a waterborne increases, the resonant frequency becomes illness would have them bedridden for a increasingly sensitive to changes in the week. They talked about children getting environment. Therefore, one can create an dehydrated because of not wanting to ultra-sensitive detector by tracking this drink bad tasting water. resonant wavelength shift in response to environmental stimuli. I wanted to help solve this problem, so I went out and performed field research in In this project, silica microtoroids are my community of Bwana, in the Eastern fabricated in the USC Keck Photonics Province, as well as in neighboring Cleanroom via standard photolithography communities, to gather information. I
64 asked questions, made observations, and can ease clinician decisions and reduce recorded insights that I hoped one day paper clutter. For multiple sclerosis would help these people live a life without patients, MS lesion characteristics such as the troubles of unclean water. lesion volume, contour, location and size can be drawn from brain MRI studies. This Upon returning to USC, Viv and I partnered eFolder could integrate the patient’s clinical up so that we could take the field research data with imaging studies, and these and turn it into a solution for Bwana, and characteristics drawn from a computer- for other rural communities like it in the aided detection algorithm. These developing world. We designed a water quantitative CAD results (lesion treatment system tailored to such characteristics), developed through Matlab, communities, with the intent that our would need to be converted to DICOM-SR instructions would be easily understood by format (in line with IHE integration government agencies and NGO’s in protocols) for long-term storage and Rwanda. queries in a DICOM-compliant clinical setting. After we have designed a web- The research includes a database of the based DICOM-SR viewer based on the most common and dangerous waterborne IPILab’s existing DICOM wado viewer, the pathogens of the developing world, and CAD results in DICOM-SR format can be detailed instructions for water treatment displayed in the eFolder via a web-based design systems. Treatment systems include graphical user interface. Other components the Horizontal Roughing Filter, which can that can be displayed are items such as the effectively remove turbidity from source- referenced images in a viewer and lesion water, and the Bio-sand Filter, which uses a segmentation results in DICOM format; all biolayer called the Smutzdecke to in a tabulated manner. biologically treat unsafe source-water. We hope to take these designs to Rwanda and The conversion of the lesion data from partner with our contact organizations in Matlab to DICOM-SR is done using the an effort to implement the designs in rural open source DCMTK software after Matlab communities. coding of the data to XML format. However there is currently no standardized §§§§ format for DICOM-SR files, so the XML formatting must be customized here to fit Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering the medical setting for multiple sclerosis. Name(s): Jeffrey Zhang, Alyssa Zhou The DCMTK software which is used to convert XML to DICOM-SR can only convert Submission Type: Group to a limited type of SR formatting so the Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): challenge here has been devising a method Brent Liu, Biomedical Engineering; Kevin to fit the lesion data within the limited Ma, Biomedical Engineering DICOM-SR architecture which it uses. The Format: Laboratory-based Research SRs format will be validated with an expert, Title: Web-Based DICOM-SR Viewer for and we can check the DICOM compliance data compilation of multiple by verifying sending and receiving SRs sclerosis lesions in an imagin using DICOM storage protocols. informatics-based eFolder §§§§ Abstract: With clinicians dealing with waves of pertinent data when drawing conclusions, developing an eFolder with data storage, data analysis, and data mining solutions
65 hours or average frequency of contact) in volunteer, employment, support giving, social interaction, and physical activities at the baseline and follow-up waves were used to construct 10-year activity patterns for each activity domain. ADL impairment Social was measured as average level of impairment (1-not at all to 4-a lot) in basic ADLs (e.g., walking, bending/stooping, Sciences bathing, dressing, carrying) at the baseline and the 10-year follow-up. Each domain of activity engagement was examined as a predictor of ADL impairment at the follow- up, controlling for age, sex, race, and baseline levels of ADL impairment.
Results: Greater volunteerism (baseline β = -.11, p < .05, 10-year change β = -.18, p < .001), more physical activity (baseline β = -.17, p<.01), and engagement in paid employment (10-year β = -.14, p > < .001) were associated with lower levels of ADL Category: Social Sciences impairment at the 10-year follow-up. Name(s): Kezia Rusli Findings suggest that greater social, physical, and productive activity Submission Type: Individual engagement may promote better Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): functioning as older adults age into their Tara Gruenewald, Davis School of 70s and 80s. The encouragement of Gerontology continued activity engagement may be an Format: Senior Honors Thesis important focus for health promotion Title: Activity Engagement and Functional programs in later life. Health in Later Life §§§§ Abstract: Objective: Greater social, physical, and Category: Social Sciences productive activity has been linked to more favorable functioning and health in later Name(s): Vahan Bedelian, Kalena life. The objective of the current research Giessler, Parin Patel was to examine whether patterns of social, Submission Type: Group physical, and productive activity Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): engagement over a 10-year period Lynn Swartz Dodd, Religion predicted levels of impairment of activities Format: Field Research of daily living (ADL) at a 10-year follow-up in older adults. Title: ARC You Smarter Than A 6th Grader? Method: Analyses examined individuals Abstract: aged 65 and older (n=384) who ARC Smart is a standards-based curriculum participated in the baseline and 10-year enrichment program partnership between follow-up waves of the Study of Midlife in Los Angeles Unified School District and the the United States (MIDUS). Data on USC Archaeology Research Center. In five frequency of engagement (e.g., monthly weekly classroom meetings, undergraduate
66 student volunteers from USC provide sixth §§§§ graders with the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities which engage them Category: Social Sciences in problem-solving, close observation, and Name(s): Christopher Robinson analytical skills, while they learn about the importance of conservation and distinctions Submission Type: Individual and similarities between modern and Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): ancient societies. Sixth grade students view, John Barnes, Political Science and physically interact with, ancient Format: Senior Honors Thesis artifacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Title: Bagging the Bottom-Line: Mesopotamia and India. Through the use Pervasiveness of the Socio-Legal of small-group activities the students Model at the Local Level engage in interactive learning and acquire deductive reasoning and critical thinking Abstract: skills that will prepare them for the Grade When does law or formal mandates make a Six California Content Standards in Social difference at the local level? This rather Studies. simple question is actually quite complex. Part of this complexity stems from the Our pre- and post-program assessments conflicting nature of the law and the track student progress. The results from scholarly debate over how to study it. Part past sessions show significant growth in of the complexity also arises from the fact learning and clear retention. During the that so many disciplines--law, economics, first session, USC student volunteers bring sociology, public administration and real ancient artifacts that students can political science--offer useful insights into independently handle in order to gain how and why law matters. firsthand knowledge about ancient cultures. In the next session, students learn This thesis will address the complexity of to use InscriptiFact, a 21st century image law in several stages. First, I organize the database that contains high resolution, diverse literature into two general models mobile light digital images that enables of change: the law and economics model students to closely examine the artifacts and the socio-legal model. Then, I apply they handled previously. In addition, these these models to a case study involving state images are accessible online at no charge, environmental law and the emergence of so the students can view them from any bag bans at the local level. I found that computer with internet access. The third there has been a statewide convergence on session utilizes another online tool readily environmental stewardship, especially with available to the students, Google Earth, to regard to protecting coastal waterways show them where these civilizations were from land base pollution. I also found wide geographically located in relation to variation among individual ordinances. themselves and to introduce the Despite statewide convergence, cities had environmental diversity in which these avoided common learning biases associated civilizations developed. In the fourth with the law and economics model. session, students simulate an archaeological excavation in order to learn To develop these findings, this thesis (1) about deductive reasoning, hypothesis provides an overview of the models and testing, stratigraphy, and artifact analysis. their observable implications, (2) discusses The final session is a Jeopardy-style the case selection and methods; (3) sets question-and-answer game combining forth the findings; and (4) discusses them. everything that the students learned and In conclusion, I consider the broader helps gauge information retention. theoretical and policy implications of the
67 data from my thesis. account for 33% of the variance in individuals’ BMIs from their perceptions of §§§§ conflict/facilitation of important life goals, which substantiated our predictions that Category: Social Sciences life goals are associated with weight, Name(s): Grace Lee however this is did exceed our value for our previous study. Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): §§§§ David Walsh, Psychology Format: Senior Honors Thesis Category: Social Sciences Title: Can goals predict weight?: The Role Name(s): Christopher Kim of Goal Perceptions in Weight Submission Type: Individual Management Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Abstract: Juliana Wang, Environmental Studies, East The purpose of this study was to examine Asian Studies Center how much of the variance in people’s Format: Analytical Paper weight can be predicted by their perception of the amount of conflict and facilitation in Title: The Changing Relationship Between their important life goals. This study was a the Chinese Communist Party and replication of a previous study that its National Oil Companies: How examined the same questions, but we used Chinese-Brazilian Oil Deals Now a smaller taxonomy of goals in the Counteract Traditional Principal- methodology in order to determine if more Agent Theory power was gained in the results by Abstract: imposing a smaller cognitive load upon the With the recent economic boom in China, participants. The participants were the nation faces a new challenge of recruited from Mechanical Turk (MTurk). securing oil to meet significantly increasing They completed an online survey that demand for the natural resource. To obtain included a demographic questionnaire, a such large amounts of oil reserves, China report of their Body Mass Indices (BMIs), has been forced to look outside its borders and items that measured self-regulation, in various other nations to strike lucrative self-monitoring, and self-efficacy in diet oil security deals vis-à-vis its national oil and physical activity. They also organized a companies (NOCs). As state-owned set of 14 goals from their most important enterprises (SOE), NOCs have traditionally to least important goals, after which they been viewed as direct extensions of China’s reported their perceptions of the conflict or central government and its political facilitation of these goals at a weight agenda. However, the true nature of the corresponding to a healthy BMI of 22.5 and relationship between the Chinese a BMI of 30. This set of goals was taken Communist Party (CCP) and NOCs actually from our previous study that originally remains ambiguous. NOCs as state-owned contained a 36-goal taxonomy. We enterprises are unique in that their industry hypothesized that with 14-goals, is considered a pillar industry and are individuals would perceive even more granted a level of autonomy much greater facilitation of their respective important life than their SOEs in other sectors. The focus goals with being at a healthy BMI (22.5), of this paper is to draw conclusions on the and even more conflict of their respective current relationship between the two important life goals with being at an parties by examining recent oil deals in unhealthy BMI (30) than they did in the Brazil who recently became China’s largest previous study. We found that we could trading partner. First, I analyze the current
68 5–Year Economic Plan, outward foreign Transportation Scale (Green & Brock, direct investment (OFDI) policies and 2000), a measure of the feeling of historical development of institutions in immersion into the story. Additionally, place between the CCP and NOCs. I then participants completed two attitudinal utilize the principal-agent framework measures: a comparative optimism scale for commonly used to analyze the relationship environmental catastrophes and the New between the CCP and NOCs and Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, which demonstrate how current transactions in measures environmentalist beliefs. Brazil contradict previous conclusions that there exists a principal-agent problem. I §§§§ conclude that the symbiotic nature of motives and intent of the two parties Category: Social Sciences indicate opportunities for cooperation, Name(s): Brian Benjamin increased efficiency and transparency to move both parties towards their respective Submission Type: Individual goals. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Wendy Wood, Psychology, Dornsife §§§§ College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; JoAnn Farver, Psychology, Dornsife College Category: Social Sciences of Letters, Arts and Sciences Name(s): Robert Rosencrans Format: Senior Honors Thesis Submission Type: Individual Title: Consumer Predictors: Habits & The Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Five-Factor Model Viviane Seyranian, Psychology Abstract: Format: Senior Honors Thesis Habits play a key part in our everyday lives, and personality traits have been associated Title: Cognitive and Behavioral Responses with the behaviors or habits we tend to to Disaster Narratives carry out. However, current research has Abstract: not explicitly examined the relation Although narratives are widely employed as between these two psychological a method of persuasion, only a single study constructs of habit and personality. The has examined the link between narrative proposed study examines the relation of exposure and behavior in a controlled the Big Five-Factor Model of personality setting, representing a serious gap in the and habit formation processes with regard field of narrative persuasion. To evaluate to a consumer hair product. Participants the connection between narratives and were 118 female undergraduate students. behavior, the current study examined the Participants completed the Ten Item effects of exposure to stories about Personality Index (TIPI) and were assigned environmental disasters on donations to to a habit formation / habit inhibition the Red Cross. 147 USC undergraduates experimental condition. Subsequently they were recruited via the psychology were exposed to several habit indicator department subject pool in exchange for measures including the Go/No-go Task extra-credit and a small cash payment. The (GNAT), Self Report Habit Index (SRHI) and participants were randomly assigned to product switching opportunities. read one of four versions of a narrative Regression analysis was used to assess the depicting an earthquake, which varied by strength of Big Five Personality traits and the pronoun in which it was narrated and experimental conditions as predictors of the degree of trauma the earthquake multiple habit indicators. caused. After reading the narrative, participants completed the Narrative
69 §§§§ select hour and minute of each survey.
Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Zachary Timm Category: Social Sciences Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Nicole Kashani Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Submission Type: Individual William Breland, Psychology Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Senior Honors Thesis Dr. Jeffrey I. Gold, Keck School of Title: The Creative Mood Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Los Abstract: Angeles; Dr. Lara Nelson, Children’s The purpose of this study is to examine the Hospital of Los Angeles relationship between mood and creativity. Format: Field Research Previous research has yielded mixed results, Title: Effects of Opiates and finding both negative and positive associations. The reasons for these contrary Benzodiazepines on Acute Stress in findings have yet to be fully resolved. The Patients in the Pediatric Intensive importance of creativity in society is Care Unit becoming ever more apparent due to rapid Abstract: global changes and a resulting need to Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an identify individuals with flexible, adaptive anxiety disorder characterized by the styles of thinking. Our rapidly changing witnessing of a traumatic event, which world has generated an increasing demand then manifests itself in recurring images, for creative individuals across both thoughts, dreams, and intense academic and non-academic sectors of psychological reactivity. The duration of society. It has generated a need to better these symptoms, must exceed 1 month to understand how the processes of creativity be diagnosed as PTSD. In the PICU, it was operate within individuals. Mood is an reported that 28% of patients were important trait known to affect cognitive diagnosed with PTSD, while the rates of processes and behavior. As of today, there posttraumatic stress symptoms were have been no direct, longitudinal, intra- significantly higher as 35% to 62% of individual studies conducted to examine patients presented with some sort of stress the dynamic change between mood and symptom at the time of admittance. Thus, creativity. This study utilizes what is it is necessary to address patients who typically termed “p-technique” to examine exhibit particular acute stress symptoms as intra-individual data. It is designed to well. This study follows the reported data examine the question of dynamic change in from a burn unit, in which patients that mood and creativity across time. The were administered morphine resulted in participants were three USC psychology less posttraumatic stress symptoms, than students with no history of previous controls, 3-6 months after the admittance psychological or emotional problems. into the burn unit. Participants were studied using an experiential sampling method twice daily Patients filled out the BASC-2, ASC-Kids, for 5 weeks. They were sent a link to an PedsQL, and BPI measures at the point of internet survey containing items that admittance. One month later, the patients measured both mood and creativity, once filled out the PedsQL, ASC-Kids, and the in the morning and once in the evening. BPI measures. These measures along with The exact times of measurement were interviews were used to diagnose PTSD and randomly selected at the beginning of each acute stress symptoms. We had also week by pulling numbers out of a hat to obtained the opiate and benzodiazepine
70 dosages of each patient from the case anxiety scale. Sex, race, and age covariates report forms. were used in the analysis as well as moderating effects of these variables Because the use of the opiate, morphine, in explored. A moderating effect of sex on young children has shown to significantly the heart rate and anxiety association was decrease posttraumatic stress symptoms found (p<0.05) such that there is a positive with acute burns, in this study, we association of heart rate and Zung anxiety hypothesize that the use of the opiates, in scale scores in females (p<0.05) while there addition to benzodiazepines, lead to is a negative association of heart rate and impairment of memory consolidation. More Zung anxiety rating scale scores in males specifically, leading to a decrease in acute (p=0.06). These findings are perhaps an stress symptoms in patients of the PICU. initial indicator of the later in life differences in cardiovascular response §§§§ patterns between men and women, such that women demonstrate a greater Category: Social Sciences response to social anxiety. Name(s): Peter Jerome Paulino §§§§ Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Social Sciences Laura Baker, Psychology Name(s): Kali Staniec, Madison Swayne Format: Laboratory-based Research Submission Type: Group Title: The effects of social anxiety on heart Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): rate during embarrassment Juliana Wang, Environmental Studies, Abstract: Dornsife College Heart rate has been shown to lead to a Format: Field Research higher chance of acquiring cardiovascular- related disease such as hypertension. Title: Environmental Resources and Similarly, research studies have suggested Economic Growth: A Cost-Benefit that high level of emotional state of anxiety Analysis of Ecotourism in Palau is generally linked to physiological Abstract: activation such as having high heart rate. Palau, more formally known as the Therefore heart rate of socially anxious Republic of Palau, has long been a popular individuals while doing an embarrassing travel destination and home to some of the task is the measure of interest. A series of world’s most pristine coral reefs and embarrassing questions were asked to SCUBA diving. Because of this, Palau’s teenage subjects (age 14-16) of the economy is based mostly on tourism, with Southern California Twin study. Some of fishing and agriculture existing as smaller the questions asked were: “have you ever industries. In this project, we examine the smoked a cigarette?” and “have you ever monetary incentives for both unobstructed masturbated?” Responses were recorded ecotourism and oftentimes conflicting long- via a button press to answer “yes” or “no” term environmental protection in the to each question. Additionally, subjects Republic of Palau. Palau was the first state were administered the Zung anxiety scale, a to ever declare an official shark sanctuary-- 13 item validated scale used to measure a no finning zone. However, contrary to subjects’ anxiety. A randomly selected co- this short-term initiative, efforts must be twin was used in these analyses. Multiple continued. Drawing on data from the linear regression analyses were used to test government of Palau, published journal the association of heart rate during articles, and field dive research of our own, embarrassing questions and the Zung we conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the
71 Palauan shark sanctuary. Bridging our the United States, approximately 50% comparative analysis and the use of graduate from high school. Of those different valuation tools through students, only 10% to 20% enroll in international and cross-sectional lens on college and less than 5% graduate marine protection, we make concrete (Corwin, 2008). This in-progress study aims recommendations on what the budding at examining the role of institutional agents nation can learn from other dive and social networks in the lives of former destinations around the world in terms of foster youth transitioning from foster care tourism and environmental best practices. into the college environment in Los Since Palau is home to beautiful coral reefs Angeles. (Los Angeles currently has the and attracts so many SCUBA divers, this largest foster care system in the nation) research can help shed light on ecosystem (LAHSA, 2011). Drawing from sociologist and coastal management in Palau, a nation Dr. Stanton- Salazar's research on social now on par with widely recognized places capital theory and institutional agents in such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef after the lives of working class minority youth having been named a United Nations and its effect on social mobility and Educational, Scientific and Cultural educational attainment, this study aims at Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site understanding how institutional agents-and in June of 2012. This research is significant specifically- empowerment agents, can also with Palau currently resting at a watershed similarly assist foster youth connect to moment for the economic and institutional support and concrete resources environmental prosperity or diminution. that can make the difference between a student staying in college or dropping out §§§§ (Stanton-Salazar, 2010). These resources can come as internships, employment, Category: Social Sciences emotional/psychological services, study Name(s): Jasmine Torres abroad opportunities, year-round housing, networking opportunities, and individual Submission Type: Individual mentorship. This research project focuses Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): on understanding the relationships Zoe Corwin, Pullias Center for Higher between agent and student and how is Education, Rossier School of Education affects the student's college experience. Format: Analytical Paper Title: Examining Institutional agents: §§§§ Understanding the support systems of students transitioning from Category: Social Sciences Foster Care into the College Name(s): Julia Mangione Environment Submission Type: Individual Abstract: Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): The transition from high school to college is Dr. Robert English, International Relations; a difficult transition for most adolescents; Dr. Steven Lamy, International Relations however, foster youth are also entering Format: Senior Honors Thesis college having experienced severe An Exploratory Study of the instability, trauma, childhood abuse, and Title: abandonment. Lacking stable social Experience of the Arctic Council’s relationships and social networks, majority Permanent Participants: of foster youth are unsuccessful in Opportunities, Constraints, and the navigating the responsibilities of the college Future of Permanent Participation environment without support. Of the over Abstract: 500,000 youth currently in foster care in Permanent Participation as a category in
72 the Arctic Council was created to provide Participation will continue to be an for “active participation and full important concern of those working to consultation with the Arctic indigenous improve opportunities for Indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council” participation in international policy-making. at the establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996 (Ottawa Declaration). The §§§§ academic community agrees that the category of Permanent Participation Category: Social Sciences generally has been a successful innovation Name(s): Marina Tolchinsky in Arctic regional governance, but critics suggest that serious challenges still need to Submission Type: Individual be addressed. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Patrick James, School of International This paper presents a comparative analysis Relations, Dornsife College of the qualitative experiences of the six Format: Analytical Paper indigenous peoples’ organizations (IPOs) in Title: Faith-Based Organizations and Public the Arctic Council with one another and Health: The National Health Systems with the obligations of the Arctic Council of Mali and Uganda set forth in the Ottawa Declaration. The Abstract: paper presents a reevaluation of the literature on Permanent Participation and Research on the role of faith-based an analysis of qualitative data on the recent organizations (FBOs) in public health in experience of the Permanent Participants Africa has increased in the past years; themselves, both through in-depth however, the extent of FBO influence is not interviews with representatives of the six yet understood. This paper seeks to explore IPOs currently in office, and by use of the role of FBOs in the public health system available data. of Mali; a country that previous literature has found to have minimal FBO This paper shows that the benefits and involvement. The efforts of international opportunities of Permanent Participation FBOs in public health will be discussed and are many, though the category is not placed in the context of Mali’s public health without challenges and limitations that system. Additionally, the case of Uganda’s must be addressed by the Arctic Council to national health system, which heavily ensure the effective carrying out of the integrates FBOs, will be used as a category of Permanent Participation. comparison point to Mali. Although exploratory in nature, the findings warrant further study. This paper This paper employs an exploratory case suggests that, if the specific challenges and study method with the purpose of limitations of current Permanent hypothesis generation. Through mainly Participation are addressed, the Arctic qualitative research I analyze the role of Council could feasibly fulfill its obligations several FBOs in Mali, looking at operational to the Permanent Participants, and that the strategies, funding, quality of care, and category of Permanent Participation may interactions with government. The single- become a viable model to increase the unit design allows for descriptive depth of representation and participation of IPOs in the Mali case, while the Uganda case other intergovernmental forums or provides for cross-unit evaluation in the organizations around the globe. scope of national public health systems. Furthermore, the ability of the Arctic Within Mali, there are numerous Council to respond to future challenges international FBOs working with health. while preserving the integrity of Permanent Analysis showed that operational strategies of these FBOs were similar in building local
73 capacity by training and employing and nutritious food, rich in protein to Malians. Additionally, funding sources by people across the globe. However, Veta La and large came from church fundraising in Palma wasn’t always the great the FBO country of origin. Upon inspection, environmental success story it is today. Mali’s national public health system does Prior to its renaissance, the once pristine not distinguish between private and private marshlands in Spain were drained and used not for profit (PNPF) health facilities as does to raise cattle radically changing the local Uganda’s. While the context of Uganda is environment, creating harsh degraded very different from that of Mali, it land. We can’t help but look at an represents a “successor” case to Mali in environmental disaster like the Salton Sea terms of public-private partnerships and and wonder if something similar to Veta La provides several lessons to be learned for Palma could be done here. A major Mali’s emerging Joint Public-Private Action roadblock however would be US Plan. regulations on aquaculture, known to be the strictest in the world. While we §§§§ understand that such regulations are required to ensure the health of the Category: Social Sciences environment, there should be better policy Name(s): Justin Pearce, Amanda Camille alternatives to streamline aquaculture Ungco operations. This research contributes to the literature and policy debate by serving as a Submission Type: Group tool for the future expansion of Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): sustainability in aquaculture, as well as the Juliana Wang, Environmental Studies, reduction of bureaucratic red tape that will Dornsife College make it easier for environmental wrongs to Format: Analytical Paper be righted. Title: Fish for Thought: Diving into Sustainable Aquaculture §§§§ Abstract: Category: Social Sciences As demand for lean protein has increased, challenges have emerged in balancing Name(s): Oscar Chang economic development with sustainable Submission Type: Individual fishery management and environmental Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): protection. Aquaculture has presented Patrick Henry, Greif Center of itself as a potential solution to the Entrepreneurial Studies, Marshall School of challenges in many areas of the world. But Business not all practices were conducted in a way Format: Creative Work that benefits the environment as well as people's economic welfare. A specific case Title: Future of Storage that we focus on in this project swims in Abstract: the waters of the Guadalquivir River in Haumana in Hawaiian means “student.” Spain. After analyzing the factors Our goal is to make storage easier and contributing to the economic and cheaper for your average college student. environmental success through aquaculture Haumana storage turns the rooms of at Veta La Palma, we examine the students who cannot find a sublease and applicability of such programs in the United turn it into a storage unit. From this, we States. Veta La Palma has successfully create a win-win situation where the become a source of high quality food and student with an extra room does not have an integral force in the economy of the to lose money from an empty room during local area. Veta La Palma has provided jobs summer months and the students storing
74 can save a lot of money from storing at an Combining this knowledge with data on expensive public storage company. Our current infrastructure, technology, and storage is guaranteed to be safe as we are consumer preference, we selected an the only ones who have access to the electric vehicle which we determined to be room, which will be locked up for the appropriately positive in all categories: an entire summer. In addition, we provide all economically feasibility and environmentally the boxes and tape for our customers responsible option for the average making their storage procedures a lot consumer. smoother. As consumers, the most effective change §§§§ we can enact is making informed choices. This research seeks to provide a framework Category: Social Sciences for informed decision making at both Name(s): Meghan Heneghan, Kaitlin personal and political levels as an addition Mogentale, Caroline Smith to available information. Submission Type: Group §§§§ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Juliana Wang, Environmental Studies Category: Social Sciences Format: Analytical Paper Name(s): Ryan Lee Title: The Future of Transportation in the Submission Type: Individual U.S.: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Abstract: Richard John, Psychology Environmental issues and economic stability Format: Senior Honors Thesis are primary concerns of both the U.S. government and of many of its citizens. Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The nation’s transportation sector plays an Quantifying Presumption of enormous role in both: it is the second Innocence In Relation to Criminal largest producer of greenhouse gas Stereotypes and Types of Crimes emissions yet also provides roughly 3.5% Abstract: of yearly GDP (U.S. Department of The purpose of this study is to assess the Transport, Center for Automotive Research extent to which criminal stereotypes and statistics). The industry plays a social role as types of the crimes will affect the juror’s well, as trends indicate American citizens quantification of the presumption of are extremely fond of private vehicle innocence, (i.e., the principle that the ownership, as recent World Bank statistics defendant is innocent until sufficient show an average of 797 vehicles per every evidence satisfies the burden of proof). It is 1,000 U.S. citizens, the third highest quantified by assessing the prior odds of ownership percentage internationally. How guilt, or how likely the defendant is to be then, our research explores, can consumer guilty before any evidence is presented. choices play a role in mitigating This study is significant, because jurors environmental concerns while ensuring cannot be completely impartial decision- financial security? makers and often hold a presumption of innocence ratio at 1:1. A defendant is just Using a variety of data we holistically as likely to be guilty as he is not guilty. The evaluated alternative sources to study will acquire 100 participants with an petroleum--including propane, natural gas, even distribution of gender to play through biofuels, diesel, hydrogen, and electricity-- several gambling situations in order to and conducted a cost-benefit analysis for quantify the presumption of innocence the respective life-cycle carbon emissions. through the odds of guilt. Depending on
75 the probabilities, a prior odds of guilt will team after a loss than a win. Active fans be established, which in turn, will reflect also tend to use more first person pronouns the quantification of presumed innocence. to identify with the team after losses compared to wins. The created Sports IAT §§§§ test has been evaluated as effective since the incompatible pairings (positive terms Category: Social Sciences with a rival) take significantly longer to Name(s): Kassandra Rosales complete than compatible pairings (positive terms with USC). These results suggest Submission Type: Individual that like highly identified fans, fans with a Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): participatory role in the game are too Jonas Kaplan, Brain and Creativity Institute; closely identified to escape affiliation after Ryan Essex, Brain and Creativity Institute a loss, and instead bolster association with Format: Senior Honors Thesis the team. Title: The greatest band in the history of the universe: A look inside the §§§§ emotions and behaviors of highly identified active sports fans Category: Social Sciences Abstract: Name(s): David Agdashian, James The purpose of the study is to investigate Michael Bell, Sheena Khanna the fluctuations in sports fan identification Submission Type: Group based on the levels of the fan’s Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): participation in the game over the season. Erin Quinn, Keck School of Medicine The study focused on the mediating effects Format: Analytical Paper of the amount of responsibility or blame the fan accepts for the game’s outcome on Title: Healthcare Systems of Europe the fan’s resulting behavior. The study also Abstract: utilizes a newly created sports focused This paper details the healthcare systems of Implicit Association Test. Implicit attitudes eight European countries, including the of sports fans have never been measured, origins and structure of the current rather explicit measures have been systems, the organization and use of assumed accurate due to the overtness of financial resources, and the successes and identification expressed amongst sports shortcomings of each system. The most fans. This Sports IAT empirically assesses effective qualities are then considered for whether any difference between explicitly possible future healthcare policies in the expressed fan identification and actuarial United States. fan attitudes exists. Considering the special population of the USC Trojan Marching The countries explored are Spain, the Band, these implicit and explicit attitude United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, discrepancies might be more prevalent as Greece, Germany, and Russia. levels of band participation vary within Consideration is mostly given to mandatory game attendance. Participants developments within the past ten years, are a total of 112 males and females in the with limited attention paid to current USC Trojan Marching Band. Participants’ developments as overall historical trends in acceptance of responsibility or blame for comparative healthcare were determined to game outcomes is expected to be mediated be more important for the scope of this by their level of identification with the USC work. Special attention is paid to the football team over the 2012 season. collection and organization of funds that Preliminary results show that the active fans constitute each healthcare system. tend to be more highly identified with the
76 European healthcare systems overall lend attitudes around the college hook up themselves well to nationalized, universal culture. Participants were asked about their policies with an increasing trend of personal experiences and motivations for privatization. The economic status of the hooking up, as well as they general attitude nation, the culture and expectations of the towards hooking up and dating. This study people, and historical trends influence the hypothesize that there will be significant healthcare systems. While the United gender differences in attitudes with and States’ healthcare system has a history that motivations for hooking up. The hypothesis is very different from European systems, it is based on the current biosocial model, is gradually moving towards the European which discusses parental investment, media ideal that healthcare is a right rather than a influences, and evolving social scripts. The privilege. Based on the European systems, it participants were 416 college students who is suggested that implementing a completed an online survey asking for government option for health insurance, demographic information, Sociosexual increasing the workforce of general Orientation Inventory (Simpson and practitioners, and centralizing and Gangestad, 1991), Rosenberg Self-Esteem streamlining electronic medical records (Rosenberg, 1965), and a section asking could make the United States’ healthcare about their personal, emotional experience system much more efficient and effective. with uncommitted sexual relationships in college. §§§§ §§§§ Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Megan Lambert Category: Social Sciences Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Austin Quinn, Stephanie Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Sekimura Miranda Barone, Psychology; JoAnn Farver, Submission Type: Group Psychology Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Senior Honors Thesis Adam Leventhal, Preventive Medicine and Title: Hooking Up and Getting Hooked: Psychology Examining the Attitudes About the Format: Laboratory-based Research USC Hook Up Culture Title: Hostility as a Predictor of Affective Abstract: Changes During Tobacco Withdrawal Research has shown that casual, Abstract: uncommitted sex has largely replaced Introduction: Hostility—a personality trait traditional dating on US college campuses reflective of cynical attitudes and a general over the past 15 years. While hooking up mistrust of others—is associated with has been researched as purely sexual smoking status and relapse risk. Yet, the without an expectation of future mechanisms linking hostility and smoking involvement, this study counters that there are not entirely clear. In this lab study, we may be more complex emotions involved tested a socio-affective model that purports than previous researchers have proposed. that high-hostility individuals smoke to Hooking up is defined in this study as “a cope with maladaptive social emotions (i.e., physically intimate encounter with a person anger and low friendliness), which become with whom you are not in an official, expressed and exacerbated during acute committed relationship. This can include tobacco withdrawal. any range of physical intimacy from kissing to sexual intercourse”. The purpose of this Methods: Following a baseline visit at study is to examine gender differences in which trait hostility was assessed, adult
77 smokers (n = 153, ≥ 10 cig/day) attended commonality between all these cities is the two counterbalanced lab visits: (a) a close proximity between high-income deprived session following 16 hours of housing developments and low-income abstinence; and (b) a nondeprived session. communities. So when our study abroad At both lab visits, affect and withdrawal program anchored in Shanghai, I focused symptoms were assessed at a single time my research on Yongkang Lu and Jiashan point. Lu area where the contrast between high and low income families are apparent and Results: Higher trait hostility predicted looked into how the intended future larger deprivation-induced increases in developments will impact its current state. several forms of negative affect (anxiety, depression, confusion; βs ≥ .20, ps ≤ .01) During my two-month investigation, I and a composite tobacco withdrawal found that most of the residents were symptom index (β=.16 , p =.04), but did unaware of redevelopment plans between not predict changes in positive emotions. developers and the government. My These effects persisted after statistically inquiries prompted them to begin asking controlling for gender, nicotine questions about the government’s dependence, and depression. Other redevelopment plans and urged them to aspects of trait aggression (i.e., verbal find solutions to their residential problems. aggression, physical aggression, anger) did not predict deprivation-induced changes in Through interviews and research, I learned affect and withdrawal. that the government's redevelopment strategies have been displacing residents Discussion: High-hostility individuals appear and would be excluding 30% of the to experience generalized exacerbations in Shanghainese residents from their several negative affective states during development considerations. Their main acute tobacco withdrawal. Increases in goal is to increase the skillsets of the negative affect during tobacco withdrawal working class, but they are ignoring the may motivate negative reinforcement- lower income communities and their need mediated smoking and could underlie for a place for them within the city. tobacco addiction in high-hostility smokers. Negative affect coping strategies may be §§§§ particularly beneficial cessation interventions for high-hostility smokers. Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Marco Valadez Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Social Sciences Manuel Pastor, Sociology and American Name(s): Jui Pai (Angie) Chen Studies & Ethnicity ; Arely Zimmerman, Submission Type: Individual American Studies & Ethnicity Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Field Research Andrew Liang, School of Architecture Title: How Social Normative Behaviors in Format: Field Research the Undocumented Day Labor Title: Housing Matters: How Population in Los Angeles Redevelopment Strategies Affect the CHALLENGE Neoclassical Economics New Shanghai(nese) Theory, Post 2009 Abstract: Abstract: After traveling to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Although Neoclassical Economic Theory Beijing, and Shanghai, I saw that the allows dominant notions of self-
78 maximization and competition to be “rationality” can be explained and explained amongst groups of individuals in challenged from a different perspective. the marketplace, be it formal or informal sectors of the economy, social norms in the §§§§ day labor population contradict these notions. Because day laborers display Category: Social Sciences collaboration and group participation and Name(s): Christen Philips not only competition in the labor force, it is important to understand how social Submission Type: Individual normative behaviors in day labor Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): population of Los Angeles challenge the Karen Hennigan, Psychology idea the all people seek individualistic gain. Format: Senior Honors Thesis Title: In too deep: How embeddedness While the 2009 financial crisis in the United within a gang relates to individual States created awareness of the dominant involvement in criminal and violent structure of Neoclassical Economic theory, activities it is at the same time important to not only Abstract: critique but explore other economic ideologies that can explain economic In an attempt to lower levels of gang behavior in various populations across the activity in the city of Los Angeles, Mayor nation. One of these economic ideologies Villaraigosa created the Gang Reduction points to Identity Economics, how people’s and Youth Development (GRYD) Program, choices are shaped by their identities and which aims to help gang-involved youth not only the pursuits to maximize their transfer out of the gang and assimilate individual self-interests. back into society. This study analyzes factors relating to an individual’s overall This paper explores how social normative embeddedness within the gang, behaviors in the undocumented day labor understood as their degree of involvement population of Los Angeles CHALLENGE in and connection to the gang. Eighty-four Neoclassical Economics Theory. It also puts participants in the GRYD program into question ideas of economic completed questionnaires administered by “rationality” and competition. I used GRYD staff, in which they assessed their grounded field research methods to behavioral and emotional connections to interview ten foreign-born male day the gang, characteristics of their gang, and laborers between the ages of 18 and 70 their own involvement in criminal and years of age living in the metropolitan violent activities. Results suggest that social community areas of Los Angeles that identity and centrality within the gang are participate in the work center of the useful predictors of criminal and violent Central American Resource Center. activity. Further analyses also suggest that organization of the gang may be a I found that social normative behaviors DO predictor of criminal and violent activity as challenge Neoclassical Economic Theory. well. This study also aims to do a These social norms are as follows: preliminary analysis on the effectiveness of collaboration, networking, organization, using self-differentiation, a concept from civic action, spirituality, in-group mentality, marriage and family therapy, in the context accountability, citizenship, and wage of gangs. However, further research is agreements all provide examples of how necessary to determine the best way to day laborers contradict neoclassical transform the Differentiation of Self economics. These findings are significant Inventory (DSI) for use with gang involved because they demonstrate how economic youth. Ultimately, the findings of this study, as well as those from the larger
79 study, will help Mayor Villaraigosa’s Gang the consequences of the event more Reduction and Youth Development salient. However, when the agent and program develop measures which may be patient were together in one panel, the implemented in an effort to better assist participants tended to emphasize their gang-involved youth leave gangs and interaction. effectively re-enter society. In Experiment 2, participants completed the §§§§ same task, but they produced continuation sentences orally while their eye-movements Category: Social Sciences were recorded. This allows us to see if Name(s): Josephine Lim, Michal Meyers participants were looking at the agent or patient while speaking. Experiment 3 will Submission Type: Group involve the same task as Exp1 - participants Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): will write continuation sentences while Elsi Kaiser, Linguistics, Dornsife College; viewing comics. However, we will use ‘real’ David Li, Linguistics, Dornsife College comics (e.g. Peanuts) instead of comics Format: Laboratory-based Research created specifically for the experiment. Title: Investigating visuospatial cues to narrative relations: What comics can Our results so far suggest that depicting tell us agent and patient together in one panel emphasizes their interaction (the pictured Abstract: event). Depicting them in separate panels Understanding our world involves taking a makes an event's consequences more continuous 'stream of events' and salient (more likely to be mentioned). segmenting it into meaningful events. In our project, we presented participants with §§§§ comics depicting transitive events with an agent (person doing the action) and a Category: Social Sciences patient (person acted upon). Our question was whether and how depicting a transitive Name(s): Gounah Choi event (e.g. tickling, punching) in one vs. Submission Type: Individual two panels influences readers’ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): conceptualizations of the event. We made Stanley Huey, Jr., Psychology comics that showed the agent and patient Format: Senior Honors Thesis in the same panel or separated them into two panels, without changing the physical Title: Language Coherence and Health distance between them. Experiments 1 and during East Asian Americans' 2 use comics created specifically for the Trauma Disclosure experiments; Experiment 3 uses real Abstract: comics. This is an ongoing study and as of The purpose of this study was to explore now, we have three studies that test the effects and the trajectory of language different aspects of participants' coherence among East Asian Americans conceptualizations. participating in a series of trauma disclosure tasks, and to examine the In Experiment 1, participants viewed comics differences in the language coherence in and completed the fragment “and the two modes of disclosure (i.e. writing then…”, which a character was saying in versus talking). Experimental disclosure, the closing panel. After that initial which is a process of writing or talking sentence, participants wrote two more about emotional events without receiving continuation sentences. We found that any feedback, has been found to positively isolating the patient in its own panel makes affect individual’s physical and
80 psychological health (Pennebaker & Chung, Category: Social Sciences 2007). Although benefits of experimental Name(s): Kim Vu, Carin Wong disclosure have been extensively studied, only a handful of research has studied the Submission Type: Group mechanisms through which disclosure has Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): positive effects on our health. This study Joohong Min, Davis School of explored the mechanism of experimental Gerontology; Roseann Giarrusso, Davis disclosure by analyzing the existing data of School of Gerontology a pilot study in which East Asian American Format: Field Research participants wrote or talked about stressful Title: Language Use in Adulthood as a events and reported their physical and Predictor of Cognitive Decline Thirty- mental health. Given that thinking out loud Five Years Later could impair East Asian’s thinking (Kim, 2002), this study predicted that coherence Abstract: (i.e. causal and insight words) would be Alzheimer’s disease, the most common higher in the writing condition than in the form of dementia, is one of the nation’s talking condition. Additionally, based on greatest social, medical and fiscal Cognitive-Processing Theory, the study challenges. Given the toll this disease is hypothesized that higher coherence would taking on individuals and families, it is lead to a greater psychological and physical important to find innovative ways to well-being at post-treatment. Lastly, writing measure cognitive decline, the precursor to was expected to elicit greater coherence dementia, in community samples as than talking for individuals with high Asian opposed to clinical samples. In this study, identification. Results of multiple regression we use data from over 100 individuals who analyses indicated that coherence was not participated in the Longitudinal Study of significantly higher in the writing condition Generations, a long-term longitudinal than in the talking condition, and there survey study that collected over eight was no significant relationship between waves of data on the same individuals from coherence and mental and physical health. 1971 to 2006. We examine language use Nevertheless, interaction term for in 1971, when the individuals were 30-50 treatment condition and Asian values years of age, and compare this to their supported that individuals with higher scores on the Telephone Interview of Asian identification showed more Cognitive Status, collected in 2006, when coherence in the writing condition than the they were 65-85 years of age. Language talking condition. These results suggest use was measured with the use of the that traumatic disclosure may elicit Twenty Statements Test (TST), which asks different levels of coherence depending on individuals to respond to the question East Asian American’s acculturation status “Who Are You?” twenty times. The and the modes of disclosure. number of statements given on the TST and the number of words used in each §§§§ statement, as well as overall, were counted. Language use was then compared to scores of cognitive status while controlling for age (young old, middle old, and oldest old), gender, and education. The results revealed that language use may be a promising method for predicting later cognitive decline. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of finding methods for detecting cognitive decline in non-clinical samples through the use of
81 population surveys in order to maximize Category: Social Sciences early intervention. Name(s): Moemoe Chaee, Matthew §§§§ Prusak Submission Type: Group Category: Social Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Ashley Harlow Jonathan Aronson, School of International Relations, Annenberg School for Individual Submission Type: Communication & Journalism Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Analytical Paper Elaine Kaplan, Sociology Title: The Macroeconomic Trajectory of Format: Senior Honors Thesis Myanmar Title: The Latino First Generation College Abstract: Experience Myanmar (formerly Burma) is an economic Abstract: enigma from the Western perspective. The study conducted interviewed 15 Latino Once the gem in the string of British first generation college students from the colonies stretching across Asia, the country universities of USC and UCLA. From these has since fallen upon hard times. However, interviews three themes emerged. Firstly, in recent months a national shift in policy the Latino first generation college students has occurred with crucial economic either clung to the Latino aspect of their implications. As Myanmar breaks with its identity entirely or set it aside and tried to authoritarian tradition and endeavors to explore other aspects of college life besides simultaneously achieve both a vibrant those involving the Latino community. The market economy and true democracy, the second trend involved the males who financial effects of these changes remain interviewed and how their perspective of nebulous. This paper aims to examine the being a man involved not expressing economy of Myanmar and its future as it vulnerability or weakness causing them to stands on the threshold of a new era of feel additionally overwhelmed by being development. After a brief introduction, unable to discuss their experiences and the paper first addresses the history of culture shock while in college. Finally, the Myanmar’s economy. The paper then third aspect found was that the majority of delves into the nation-state’s status quo the students conveyed intense emotional and how the past informs the present state reactions when discussing their college of affairs. A case study of post-colonial experiences. This particularly occurred Botswana is included to parallel much of when discussing familial changes and issues Myanmar’s predicament today and of guilt while attending college. Analyzing illustrate a possible outcome. This the themes of identity and how Latino transitions into an evaluation of three students either clung to or stepped away scenarios for Myanmar’s economic future from their identities, creating support in the coming decades before concluding programs for these students can lead to why Myanmar may become an economic less of an identity crisis and the ability to powerhouse for decades to come. not have to choose between their Latino identity and becoming a part of the §§§§ dominant culture at universities and an overall more successful transition into higher education. §§§§
82 Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Ariana Stobaugh Submission Type: Individual Category: Social Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Andrea Porter Amon Emeka, Sociology; Michael Messner, Submission Type: Individual Sociology, Gender Studies Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Senior Honors Thesis Katie Hasson, Sociology Title: Misperceptions and Gender Format: Senior Honors Thesis Differences in the Understanding of Title: Modern Day Saviors: An Analysis of Acquaintance Rape and Sexual Organizational Culture & Volunteer Assault Behavior in Response to Local Abstract: Prostitution As roughly 25% of female college students Abstract: report having experienced rape and up to The researcher spent 6 weeks as a 78% of female college students having volunteer with a religious based experienced sexual assault, this paper seeks organization engage in outreach toward to understand the misperceptions, as well prostitutes. The study was conducted as the differences in perception between primarily on the streets of Figueroa and male and female college students as Western. An explanation of the study’s possible explanations for the prevalence of methodology and the particular problems campus rape and sexual assault. To this of ethnography in a Christian atmosphere end, this paper examined the results of within an urban setting precede a surveys completed by 169 college students description of the organization. Detailed at the University of Southern California to portrayals of the interactions between determine the perception of acquaintance volunteers and prostitutes provide a means rape and sexual assault, as well as whether of analyzing perceptions by the volunteers this perception is contingent upon gender and construction of the issue of by comparing female responses to male prostitution by the organization. Analyzed responses, including questions about the are assumptions of character and role alcohol plays in the attribution of credibility, group internalization of the responsibility and the labeling campus rape mission of the organization, and sexual assault. The findings from this overgeneralizations of the local study suggest that (1) college students have neighborhood, and the disconnectedness a distorted perception of acquaintance rape between volunteers and the population and sexual assault, and (2) distinct gender served. Rhetoric in conjunction with body differences exist in the perception of language throughout observed encounters campus rape and sexual assault, with male heavily reflect the ideology promoted by perception unilaterally more distorted. the organization regarding prostitution and More specifically, the results highlighted the women involved through heavy two key problematic themes: (1) students regulation. The concluding discussion deals tend to derogate the characteristics of the with the generality of the study findings victim or mislabel the woman’s causal role and their implications of volunteer work in acquaintance rape and sexual assault, with sensitive populations. and (2) students tend to cite alcohol as a justification in the assignment of §§§§ responsibility as well as to negate the label of rape or sexual assault.
83 Category: Social Sciences respectively, p’s < .001) and higher levels of positive affect at the follow-up (β = .37 and Name(s): Ramy Rashad β =.24, respectively, p’s < .001). Age did Submission Type: Individual not moderate these associations, indicating Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): that greater, and increasing, perceptions of Tara Gruenewald, Davis School of generativity predict better mental health Gerontology across adulthood. Potential psychosocial Format: Analytical Paper and behavioral factors underlying these Title: More Favorable Perceptions of associations will be discussed. Generativity with Advancing Age Predicts Better Mental Health §§§§ Abstract: Category: Social Sciences Background: Favorable perceptions of generativity (contributing to others), and Name(s): Alison Walensky maintenance of these feelings over time, Submission Type: Individual predict better physical functioning and Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): longevity in middle and older age. Miranda Barone, Psychology Objective: The current analyses examine Format: Senior Honors Thesis whether these benefits extend to mental My Son’s New Boyfriend: LGB health outcomes, such as depression. Title: Method: Perceptions of generativity at the Relationship Stability and Perceived baseline survey, and 10-year change in Parental Support these perceptions, were examined as Abstract: predictors of mental health (depressed This study examines the self-esteem, mood, positive affect) at the 10-year sociosexual orientation, and outness of follow-up survey in a subset of participants lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students (n = 1,1014, mean age = 58, 45% male, as a result of parental support of the LGB 92% Caucasian) from the national Study of community prior to students coming out. Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS). Perceptions of Previous research has only focused on a generativity were assessed with a single- wider age range and specifically the item rating (0-worst possible to 10-best experience of coming out. This study possible) of generative contributions and a focused on college students and parental modified version of the Loyola Generativity views of the LGB community while their Scale. Depressed mood was assessed with children were growing up. The participants the Center for Epidemiologic Studies included 102 students from a variety of Depression (CES-D) scale and positive affect universities across the United States. The with the Mood and Symptom participants completed online surveys that Questionnaire (MASQ). Results and included the Rosenberg-Self Esteem Scale, Conclusions: Greater baseline perceptions Sociosexual Orientation Inventory Revised, of generative contributions and more and the Outness Inventory. Results showed positive change in these perceptions that a male's self-esteem is affected by predicted lower levels of depression (β their father's attitudes towards the LGB = -.21 and β = -.16, respectively, p’s community, but not by their mother's < .001) and higher levels of positive affect attitudes. A female's self-esteem is not (β = .26 and β = .20, respectively, p’s affected by their mother's or father's < .001) at the 10-year follow-up in age- attitude. The amount of time a person has adjusted models. Greater perceptions of been out does not affect their self-esteem, generativity and more positive change in which deviates from the current literature. these perceptions also predicted lower In the Outness Inventory subscales in the levels of depression (β = -.21 and β = -.15, LGIS have been renamed to reflect a more
84 positive view of the LGB community. This §§§§ was due to low scores on internalized homonegativity. This subscale's title was Category: Social Sciences changed to Community Pride. SOI-R does Name(s): Martha Zimmermann not correlate with self-esteem or outness. Submission Type: Individual §§§§ Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Amon Emeka, Sociology; Leland Saito, Category: Social Sciences Sociology Name(s): Molly Loewen Format: Senior Honors Thesis Submission Type: Individual Title: Patterns of Attribution In Academic Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Achievement Contexts JoAnn Farver, Psychology; Julie Abstract: Cederbaum, School of Social Work This study explores the impact of sex, race, Format: Senior Honors Thesis and education on how students make attributions of locus, stability and control of Title: Name, Rank, and Parentification: (1) their own academic achievement (2) The occurrence and impact of racial disparities in academic achievement parentification in military dependents and (3) the relationship between these two Abstract: assessments. 126 USC students were The purpose of this study is to examine the administered a survey using the CDSII and occurrence of parentification in military open response questions. The results families and whether parentification showed sex differences in attributions of mediates the relationship between military personal academic achievement, and race status and tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol and major concentration differences in use for their children. Parentification explanations of racial disparities in occurs when a child assumes adult or academic achievement. There was little parental roles and responsibilities to a relationship between attributions of degree that is not age appropriate. For this personal academic achievement and study, military status is divided into three explanations for racial disparities. The groups: nondependent, dependent, and results suggest that social position within deployed. Outcome behaviors of interest societal structure combined with in-group, include the use of tobacco, alcohol, and out-group dynamics are important in marijuana. Military deployment is attributions of both one’s own and others’ commonly associated with parentification achievement. because of the absence of a parent due to work or death. Military status and §§§§ parentification have also been linked to both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. This study is a secondary data analysis which will examine data collected from the 2011 California Healthy Kids Survey. Using logistic regression models, the relationship between military status on tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana will be examined. A logistical regression model will be used to examine mediating effects of parentification on military status and tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol use.
85 Category: Social Sciences Males reported higher rates of physical and Name(s): Arielle Gillman, Kristene verbal aggression than females. Females Hossepian were more likely than males to talk Submission Type: Group negatively about their peer group. Youth Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): who engaged in higher electronic Gayla Margolin, Psychology; Estibaliz aggression were more likely to report Iturralde, Psychology; Ilana Kellerman, verbal aggression if they used more Psychology negative talk about the peer group with Format: Laboratory-based Research their friend (Exp(B) of interaction term = Title: Peer Aggression Online and Off: 2.37, p < .01). A similar interactive effect Links with How Adolescents Talk was found for putdowns (Exp(B) = 1.59, p Face-to-Face with Close Friends < .01). Initial results suggest that conversation behaviors with friends offer Abstract: additional information about individual Recently, psychologists have directed their factors predicting peer aggression. attention towards a key question: what distinguishes electronically aggressive youth §§§§ from the physically and verbally aggressive? One possibility is that online Category: Social Sciences communication disinhibits many youth who otherwise do not engage in aggression, Name(s): Jacob Flores whereas youth with weaker peer ties Submission Type: Individual aggress both online and offline. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Rossier A total of 109 pairs of same-sex friends School of Education aged 15 to 19 (n = 48 female pairs) were Format: Analytical Paper recruited from the Los Angeles area. Youth Title: The Psychophysiology of Dreaming were ethnically diverse (33.5% Hispanic/Latino; 33.0% non-Hispanic Abstract: Caucasian; 14.3% African-American; 5.8% As advances are made in cognitive Asian-American; 12.9% multiracial). Each neuroscience by way of functional imaging pair engaged in a laboratory-based and the computational modeling of mental conversation about eight topics (five systems, the opportunity is ripe for a novel minutes each; e.g., interpersonal problems, understanding of the dreaming mind and peer activities; based on Piehler & Dishion, its underlying physiology. Over the past 2007). Behaviors were scored by two raters year, I have made a review of the literature (0 to 3 scale). Negative talk about peer in this burgeoning field, investigating group included generalized low content analysis methods used by expectations or distrust of peers (“All my psychologists, the chemistry of conscious friends are prudes and weirdos.”). states as documented by psychiatrists, and Putdowns were ridicule directed at the development of brain decoding individuals discussed by the dyad (“He’s technology by neural engineers. such a baby. He’s so clingy.”). In addition, each youth self-rated aggression with §§§§ friends in physical (Cronbach’s α = .67), verbal (α = .80), and electronic domains (α = .76), first as a victim and then as a perpetrator. Electronic aggression items included, “posted an insulting comment on a social networking site such as Facebook.”
86 Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Sahar Edalati Submission Type: Individual Category: Social Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Nathaniel Schermerhorn Aaron Hagedorn, Gerontology Submission Type: Individual Format: Field Research Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Title: Reducing Readmissions for High Risk Jennifer Overbeck, Utah School of Populations Business; JoAnn Farver, Dornsife College of Abstract: Letters, Arts, & Sciences Health care costs are a major issue at the Format: Senior Honors Thesis heart of many current economic problems. Title: Relationship Orientation as a In both the private and public insurance Predictor of Influence Between sectors, costs are high and rising faster Superiors and Subordinates than inflation. In response to the Abstract: announcement of new Federal legislation Influence is a crucial aspect of eliciting that would penalize hospitals for compliance in the workplace and the readmissions within 30-days, I worked on a relation between superior and subordinate program evaluation that involved collecting within a group will determine the efficiency data at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and of the organization. In this study, we analyzing that data to show the effects of examine how relationship type predicts an intervention designed to reduce hospital both the type of influence that one would readmissions. use (for superiors) and the type of influence that one would prefer (subordinates). Heart failure was chosen as the focus area Participants recruited through Amazon’s to target improvements because it was the Mechanical Turk system completed the number one Diagnostic Related Group Communal Orientation Scale, the Exchange associated with 30-day readmissions at Orientation Scale, and responded to Harbor and accounted for almost 15% of workplace scenarios using the expanded all readmissions. A four-prong approach model of French and Raven’s bases of focusing on early patient identification, the power. Regression analysis showed that a discharge process, improving care higher Communal Orientation led to using transitions and maximizing outpatient the soft bases of power, higher Exchange resources was implemented to address the Orientation led to using the harsh bases of challenge and to reduce avoidable 30-day power, and higher power led to using the readmission rates for HF patients. harsh bases of power. Implementation of the approach reduced HF 30-day readmissions from 16.25% to §§§§ 9.48%, a 6.7% absolute (42% relative) reduction for this high-risk population by Category: Social Sciences June 2012. This above average Name(s): Giovanni Conte improvement was statistically significant (P= .01). The study is very timely given Submission Type: Individual budget cuts and the need to save costs. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Each readmission can save hundreds of Robert English, School of International thousands of dollars, and the study shows Relations; Carol Wise, School of that nearly half of all avoidable International Relations readmissions can be prevented in a high- Format: Field Research risk population. Title: Report on North Korea
87 Abstract: (Lareau 2000). Additionally, variables of The present report follows a research trip class and race have been used quite to North Korea that took place last March extensively as predictors of parents’ 2012, from the 22nd until the 29th. We involvement in schools. Such research show were therefore in Pyongyang during the that compared to U.S. born parents, 100 days anniversary of the ‘Dear Leader’ working-class and immigrant parents tend Kim Jong Il’s death. Over the same period to participate less in their children's the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit schools. These parents often lack the (March 23rd-24th) took place across the cultural capital to intervene on behalf of 38th parallel. their children (Lareau 2000) or they encounter language and institutional With the following report I have attempted barriers that limit their involvement in to sum up the findings that my exploration schools (Turney and Kao 2009). However, and research on the field has lead to research shows that organizations, such as regarding the socio-economic conditions of labor unions, can provide working-class North Korea 100 days after the death of its and immigrant parents with tools such as Dear Leader Kim Jong-il. information, communication, problem- solving skills, and other civic skills (Putnam Our group was composed of fifteen 1995; Wong 2006) needed to incorporate students, both undergraduate and themselves in their children’s school. graduate, from the London School of Therefore, through the use of both semi- Economics and Political Science with a deep structured interviews with union parents interest and knowledge in the geo-political and survey data from the Los Angeles situation of the Korean peninsula. We were Parent suggest that active union parents the first official delegation under the new are more engaged in their children's leader Kim Jong Un. education than non-union or inactive union parents. Interviews demonstrate that active §§§§ union parents incorporate the skills they learn from their union in schools especially Category: Social Sciences immigrant parents. Among Latino immigrant union parents these skills help Name(s): Evelyn Larios them navigate their children's school Submission Type: Individual systems by allowing them to overcome Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): barriers that may have otherwise hindered Veronica Terriquez, Sociology their participation in schools. Format: Field Research §§§§ Title: The Role of Non-School Based Organizational Membership in Developing Civic Skills for Parental Participation Abstract: Considerable research has looked at how well students fare in the U.S. education system. Therefore, less attention has been focused on parents and their involvement in schools. The research on parental involvement has assumed that parents are isolated people, who do not interact actively with institutions such as schools
88 Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Bettina Lopez Mendoza Submission Type: Individual Category: Social Sciences Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Name(s): Victoria Shao, Xizi Wang JoAnn Farver, Psychology Department, Submission Type: Group Dornsife College of Letter, Arts, & Sciences; Scott Wiltermuth, Marshall Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): School of Business Angeline Sangalang, Annenberg School for Format: Senior Honors Thesis Communication and Journalism ; Michael Cody, Annenberg School for The Root of Rebellion: Analyzing Title: Communication and Journalism Sources of Ideological Differences between Students and Parents Format: Laboratory-based Research Abstract: Title: “She’s the Wittiest Person You’ll Ever Meet”: Predictors of Audience The purpose of this study was to find the Thoughts about Media Figures underlying Personality traits and Moral Foundation concerns of students who Abstract: “rebel” (stray) from their parent’s ideology. Media characters are often central to our Little empirical research has compared enjoyment of stories. Affective disposition parent and children ideologies, even theory suggests that enjoyment of though the foundations that propel greater mediated content often involves becoming social rebellions and movements may be emotionally attached to characters and rooted within this relationship. This study being invested in what happens to these is significant in that it not only compared individuals (Raney, 2006). Character students to their parents, but also involvement has been associated with not compared underlying traits between only enjoyment of media content, but also “rebels” and “conformists”. The persuasion (e.g., Moyer-Gusé, 2008; participants were 141 University of Murphy, Frank, Moran & Patnoe-Woodley, Southern California students and their 2011), indicating the importance of parents. Participants were asked to understanding the nature of this complete an online survey consisting of the involvement. Big Five Inventory, the Moral Foundations Questionnaire and the Core-Conservatism Scholars have long attempted to elucidate Scale. It is important to note that the study how audience members evaluate media dealt with non-extreme rebellion, therefore characters. Past work found that media when rebellion is addressed, it does not enjoyment was associated with good imply that the student has actively “risen characters achieving goals and bad against” their parent, but simply that the characters facing consequences (Zillman, student’s ideology is different from that of 2000); however, the nature of our media the parent. It was predicted that if student content has become increasingly complex, divergence from parent ideology existed, it character morality is becoming increasingly would be related to high Personality scores ambiguous, and understanding how and in Openness to Experience and a low why we enjoy characters is increasingly concern for the Binding Moral Foundations complicated (Krakowiak & Oliver, 2012; (Ingroup, Authority and Sanctity). Shafer & Raney, 2012). Few characters However, results showed that remain infallibly good. Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism are stronger predictors of The purpose of the present investigation is student departure from parent’s ideology to explore how individuals think about and moral concerns. media characters. How might this inform
89 their evaluations of complex characters? In hazardous materials, unsafe living this study, we analyze open-ended conditions and infestations. A healthy responses audience members make about home is the start to a healthy life and their favorite media figures. We explore because these minority groups are the degree to which audiences list constantly exposed to these negative descriptive or evaluative thoughts. environments, they can face detrimental Additionally, we explore whether individual health consequences. Development is a differences such as need for cognition and major contributor to displacement and with need for affect predict the types of USC's expansion plans, this is becoming thoughts that audience members generate more evident. when thinking of their favorite media figures. Finally, we discuss implications for §§§§ character involvement and enjoyment. Need for cognition predicted thoughts Category: Social Sciences about personality, intelligence, and Name(s): Uriel Kim competence. Submission Type: Individual Need for cognition was also associated Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): with evaluative thoughts, but not with Hortensia Amaro, School of Social Work descriptive or demographic thoughts. Format: Field Research Need for affect, however, did not Title: A study of communities surrounding significantly predict number of thoughts or the University of Southern California type of thoughts. Thus, individuals with and food desertification high in need for cognition elicit more Abstract: thoughtful responses and elaborate on media content. Food access research has received renewed interest because of the prevalence of diet- §§§§ related illnesses. This study adds to the body of research with a localized perspective, examining the accessibility of Category: Social Sciences healthy, affordable food in the Name(s): Ryan Kieffer, Shane Ryan communities surrounding USC using a Submission Type: Group geographic, area-based approach. Using Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): existing guidelines, current conditions are Elaine Kaplan, Sociology positive. However when only examining the Format: Field Research supermarkets that are financially accessible to community members, a consideration Title: Slum Housing and Displacement particular to this experiment, multiple Within South Los Angeles census tracts are converted into “food Abstract: deserts.” Furthermore, the loss of a low- Displacement and slum housing are major cost supermarket, due to factors like problems affecting the residents within economic downturns or redevelopment, South Los Angeles. The majority of people could further destabilize the food facing these problems come from minority landscape. The implications are troubling groups; mainly African American and because these communities are Latino families. The problems associated overwhelmingly poor, racially segregated, with Slum Housing go further than and are home to many fast food outlets, inadequate housing, it includes detrimental compounding the damage caused by the health hazards and economic injustices. loss of a healthy food source. Remediation People who are forced to live in these efforts should focus on retaining existing conditions are constantly exposed to supermarkets, while simultaneously
90 supporting efforts that improve each subject and correlating these values transportation to and from these stores. with subjects’ scores on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), we found that the §§§§ functional connectivity of the anterior cingulate-amygdala network during the Category: Social Sciences passive emotion perception task and Name(s): Katherine Fu affective emotion perception task were most strongly correlated with measures of Submission Type: Individual affective empathy. These findings Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): demonstrate a functional network-level Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, Neuroscience; Tong basis for understanding individual Sheng, Neuroscience differences in empathy while also Format: Senior Honors Thesis highlighting the task-dependent Title: Task-specific changes in anterior relationship between brain activity and cingulate-amygdala network behavior. functional connectivity are correlated with individual differences §§§§ in affective empathy Abstract: Category: Social Sciences Empathy is an important aspect of social Name(s): Tori Hirata cognition and refers to the ability to Submission Type: Individual recognize and understand the emotional Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): and mental experiences of others. Laura Baker, Psychology Encompassing affective and cognitive Format: Laboratory-based Research components, empathy also involves the Title: Threshold Effect of Stressful Life perception of emotional stimuli and the Experience on Anxiety Levels simulation of others’ emotions. The anterior cingulate and amygdala have been Abstract: implicated in the processing of emotional Stressful life events have been shown to stimuli and are therefore likely to be affect anxiety. Research demonstrates that involved in empathic processing as well. people with a lower number of stressful life Previous studies have suggested that the experiences are at a lower risk of anterior cingulate may regulate or developing disorders associated with modulate amygdala activity during emotion anxiety than those who experience more perception tasks, so we are interested in 1) stress. Furthermore, stressful situations that how anterior cingulate-amygdala functional involve danger are implicated as causal connectivity, or the way in which the agents of stress states. This study activity of two or more brain regions is investigated the direct relationship between correlated, changes across different task stressful experiences and anticipatory conditions, and 2) how this functional anxiety of further stress. 351 subjects connectivity correlates with different between the ages of 14 and 15 aspects of empathy. Using functional participated in wave 3 of the Southern magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), California Twin Study, an ongoing subjects were scanned during 1) resting longitudinal study of the moral state, 2) a passive auditory emotion development of twins. Anticipatory skin perception task, 3) an affective, auditory conductance levels from a Countdown task emotion perception task, and 4) a were used as a measure of anxiety. In the cognitive, auditory emotion perception Countdown task, subjects were told that task. After calculating the functional they would hear multiple auditory connectivity for the network of interest for countdowns that terminate with a loud
91 noise. Additionally, information on stressful hierarchies and gender roles. Next, they life events was collected using an adapted watched a short video clip from a television form of the Holmes and Rahe stress scale show corresponding to their condition. for children. Linear regression analysis with Lastly, they completed a post-test quadratic terms was used to determine the measuring their gender identity and nonlinear associations of skin conductance attitudes toward gender roles. It was and life events. Stressful life events were hypothesized that for most women, additionally categorized as quartiles (<4, exposure to stereotypical media would lead 4-6, 7-10, >10) and used in regression to more negative attitudes toward other models adjusting for age, gender, and race. women. Gender identity and Social A significant non-linear relationship was Dominance Orientation (i.e., belief in a seen such that those in the third quartile clear social hierarchy) were expected to had the highest skin conductance level mediate these effects. While preliminary (1.58 +- 4.92) compared to the fourth data analysis does not support these quartile (.12 +- 4.02, p<0.05). Associations predictions, significant results have been with the first (.82 +-6.02) and second (1.41 found for a separate dependent variable. +-4.92) were non-significant. The results The video manipulation had a significant indicated that the previously studied effect women's investment in gender relationship between number of stressful ideals. This finding suggests that when life events and anxiety levels was not exposed to counterstereotypical women in directly related for the fourth quartile. This the media, women were less invested in implies that there is a threshold, that when being similar to society's ideal woman. reached, attenuates a person’s anxiety levels in response to anticipating stressful §§§§
§§§§ Category: Social Sciences Name(s): Marissa Roy Category: Social Sciences Submission Type: Individual Name(s): Susanna Stone Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Submission Type: Individual Alison Renteln, Political Science Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Format: Analytical Paper Jesse Graham, Psychology, Dornsife College Title: The UN's 8 Millennium Development Format: Senior Honors Thesis Goals and the Unpopularity of Title: To Stereotype or to Global Distributive Justice Counterstereotype: The Effect of Abstract: Media on Gender Ideology In 2000, the UN unveiled its eight millennial Abstract: development goals, a platform for The present study examined the degree to transnational collaboration to aid which gender ideology (i.e., attitudes developing countries and raise the quality toward gender roles and stereotypes) is of living for all global citizens. These eight influenced by depictions of women in the goals stand as the most prominent modern media. The study compared the effects of experiment in global distributive justice. stereotypical and counterstereotypical While some of the millennium goals are on depictions. In the experiment, participants track to be met, the final goal was notably were randomly assigned to one of three far from being met: the goal of global conditions: stereotypical, partnership and contribution of requested counterstereotypical, or control. All Official Development Assistance (ODA). participants first completed a pre-test This failure suggests a troubling setback: measuring various attitudes including social that many governments may feel little or
92 no duty to support global distributive undocumented queer youth, queerness is a justice, an obstacle that, if real, would leave secondary coming out process. Specifically, significant global aid efforts at an they gain the tools and support to come insurmountable impasse. This paper puts out as undocumented first, which then forth the argument that global distributive empowers them to come out as lesbian, justice is an obligation inherent in gay, bisexual, or queer. Third, rather than international law. Rejecting claims of viewing their experiences as undocumented international relations realists, this paper and queer-identified folks through additive follows the ethical thought of Kant, Singer, oppression models, my respondents and Pogge, suggesting that societies have verbalized their experiences through an inherent ethical duty to aid the global intersectional lenses. The findings of this community. Though societies feel indebted research have implications for broader to their citizens first, borders are foreign to discussions of identity, civic engagement, ethics. The failure of the eighth MDG social movements, and sexuality. doesn’t prove a failure of global distributive justice, but rather a failure to emphasize §§§§ the reality and responsibilities of a global community. Category: Social Sciences §§§§ Name(s): Nicholas Farmer Submission Type: Individual Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Category: Social Sciences Marientina Gotsis, IMGD, School of Name(s): Angela Ross Cinematic Arts; Yasaman Hashemian, Submission Type: Individual IMGD, School of Cinematic Arts; David Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Turpin, IMGD, School of Cinematic Arts Veronica Terriquez, Sociology Format: Laboratory-based Research Format: Senior Honors Thesis Title: Virtual Sprouts Title: Undocu-Queer: Queer Identity Abstract: Development Among Virtual Sprouts, an extension of the widely Undocumented Queer Youth successful LA Sprouts program, brings the Abstract: garden and its many fruits and vegetables This paper utilizes theories from sexuality, quite literally into the palm of our players' social movement, and immigration research hands teaching young players the joys of to pinpoint some of the patterns of queer nature and its produce. We strive to push identity development among the boundaries of interactive education for undocumented immigrant youth involved inner city elementary and middle school in campus- or community-based AB 540 children by creating a wildly fun foodie organizations. In conducting ten in-depth experience which also acts as an important interviews with undocumented queer- obesity prevention intervention. Specifically identified young adults involved in AB 540 designed for both Android and iOS mobile organizations, three distinctive patterns tablets, our adorable and enriching garden emerged. First, consistent with the theories game uses the latest mobile platforms to of “familism” within immigrant their fullest capacity. We've designed the households, I find that undocumented mobile application to utilize the internal youth perceive augmented family tensions gyroscope, accelerometer, and ambient upon disclosure of their queer identity light sensor found within these devices as because they rely on the social and well as their vast multi-touch gesture financial networks their families provide. libraries to create a unique immersive Second, I find that for many experience that will capture the attention
93 of and engage young players. a larger study that utilized the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations (ATSS) As we strive to find humorous and sincerely paradigm to examine how individuals react innovative game mechanics to to unfavorable choice outcomes. Think- communicate our health message to kids, aloud responses from 103 younger adults we are excited to present Virtual Sprouts in and 79 older adults were content-analyzed the USC Family of Schools, community using two common methods: 1) the use of point-of-care clinics, and at the California both transcript and audio-recorded Science Center. After months of planning, responses, and 2) the use of transcript only paper prototyping, and preliminary market (no audio provided). We predicted that and demographic research, Virtual Sprouts listening to the audio-recorded responses is now entering its intervention digital would influence coders to rate expressions design and production development phase of anger and sadness higher than when where I and our Interactive Design Team, rated using transcripts alone. Results headed by Prof. Marientina Gotsis, have revealed no significant effects of coding the responsibility of producing and condition on ratings of anger at others or finalizing the main narrative for this virtual anger at the self. Interestingly however, gardening app, digitally prototyping participants were rated significantly higher essential game mechanics, and debugging on expressions of sadness in the transcript the didactic tools that will eventually form plus audio coding condition compared to the multifaceted scholastic game. the transcript only condition. Post-hoc analyses revealed that when split by age §§§§ group, this main effect of condition was significant only for older adults, with no Category: Social Sciences differences found for younger adults in Name(s): Brittany Frederick sadness ratings between the transcript and audio condition and the transcript only Submission Type: Individual condition. Findings from the current study Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): suggest that the manner in which data are Gerald Davison, Psychology, Dornsife coded and analyzed can influence coders’ College, and David School of Gerontology; ratings of emotion; however the amount of Michelle Feng, Psychology, Dornsife College influence appears to depend on the type of Format: Senior Honors Thesis variable measured as well as the population Title: What’s in a Voice? An Evaluation of of interest. Two Coding Methods for the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated §§§§ Situations (ATSS) Paradigm Abstract: Category: Social Sciences The process of turning qualitative Name(s): Karina Casillas information into quantitative units of Submission Type: Individual measurement is a commonly conducted Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): procedure within psychological research; Gisele Ragusa, Rossier School of Education however, oftentimes the way in which data Format: Field Research are coded is not carefully considered. The Title: Workforce Prep: Student present study investigated the potential effects of content-analysis methodology on Perceptions of Education ratings of verbally expressed anger at Abstract: others, anger at the self, and sadness. Although the reasoning for having a These emotions were coded using subject-centered education model made qualitative data, which were obtained from sense during the industrial age the same
94 reasoning does not apply for today. This Category: Social Sciences paper explores an alternative and new Name(s): Ashley Huggins replacement of the industrial age education model – the multidisciplinary program. The Submission Type: Individual only dissuasion to nationwide Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): implementation is that we do not yet know Stanley Huey, Jr., Psychology, Dornsife enough about multidisciplinary majors in College college, since the type of program is new Format: Senior Honors Thesis within the educational structure. This study Title: Yoga for the Head and Heart: explores how students define and think Effects of Yoga Therapy on about such programs in relation to their Depression and Cardiac Functioning workforce preparation. Two groups of Abstract: students were surveyed and interviewed for this project. One group consisted of The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduates within a subject-centered whether a ten-week yoga intervention can or single major program, while the other elicit significant changes in outcomes of group was comprised of students within a depression, heart rate, and heart rate double major program or one that is variability (HRV). Previous research has multidisciplinary in nature. Findings indicate shown that depressed individuals that whereas self-identified single majors experience negative physiological thought a double major would take longer symptoms, including elevated heart rate to complete than a single major, double and decreased HRV. Research has also majors did not think this difference existed. shown that yoga has demonstrated Regardless of type of program, students effectiveness as an alternative treatment for perceived a difference in the range of skills depression. Furthermore, there is also some required and those they learned as students evidence that yoga has the ability to in their respective programs. Students also significantly reduce resting heart rate and perceived a difference in whether it was up increase HRV. However, many of these to them to learn certain skills or up to the studies have focused on the immediate program to teach them those skills. Finally, effects of a single yoga session for also irrespective of program, students felt producing these physiological changes, more prepared for the workforce when thus it is important to examine possible they participated in extracurricular prolonged effects following a longer activities. The practical implication of this intervention period to determine if yoga research is that to best implement a can be effectively utilized as an alternative multidisciplinary program of study we treatment method for depression, while should pay close attention to how students also combating negative physiological interpret and think about such programs, issues associated with depression. The especially considering they are the ones study used data from seven mildly to taking and evaluating such programs. moderately depressed undergraduate students in the yoga-based experimental §§§§ condition of a pilot study. Analysis indicates that from pre- to post-treatment, the study's participants experienced significant reductions in depression and resting heart rate, however there were no significant changes in HRV. These results suggest that a yoga-based intervention may be an effective practice to treat depression and positively affect physiological functioning.
95 option for all groups by a wide margin. For §§§§ all three groups, the most utilized tactic to initiate or curb a behavior was vigilant Category: Social Sciences monitoring. Furthermore, older adults Name(s): Adam Freeman, Dustin Stanton were more successful at curbing unwanted Submission Type: Group behaviors than middle aged and young individuals. Project Sponsor(s) and Collaborator(s): Margaret Gatz, Psychology §§§§ Format: Senior Honors Thesis Title: You Can’t Always Get What You Want: Examining the Relation Between Age and Habit Abstract: The purpose of this study is to see if there is a relation between age and habits- both cessation of unwanted habits and initiation of desirable habits. The study analyzes how depression affects the ability to stop or initiate habits and how self-control levels impact the persistence of unwanted habits in younger adults. While much research has been performed on the subject of habit formation in general, very little has been done in the area of habit formation in regards to older adults. This study will be significant because it will not only analyze this ability in older adults, but also compare it to the habit formation ability of middle aged and young adults. This is a two part study. In the first part, older, middle aged, and young adults all filled out questionnaires inquiring about their unwanted as well as desired habits and what strategies they utilize to prevent or initiate them. In the second part, the young adults completed the Brief Self- Control Scale to explore how levels of self control correlated to their habit formation. The results indicated that for all three groups, the most common initiated behaviors were eating healthy and exercising. For the middle and old aged individuals, these two habits were the only options that were chosen more than ten percent of the time. For young adults, finishing tasks was another desirable habit, also chosen close to ten percent of the time. In terms of unwanted behaviors, eating unhealthy was the most common
96 Symposium Participant Index
A Barseghian, Janet 32 Bedelian, Vahan 66 Acciari, Mark 4 Bell, James Michael 76 Adithi, Vellore 11 Benjamin, Brian 69 Agdashian, David 76 Benner, Nancy 62 Aintablian, Haig 42 Berman, Simon 56 Aldana, Eduardo 57 Bernstein, Megan 26 Almqvist, Patrick 58 Braathen, Per-Gulbrand 3 Armstrong, Ashley 8 (Peter) Asserson, Derek 43 Brisbin, Sara 52 Azua, Anneleise 15 Brito, Noe 57 Butte, Zara 40 B Bajakian, Thalia 22 C Banh, Helen 33 Campbell, Daniel 63 Banh, Michelle 35 Casillas, Karina 94 Barnes, Caleb 4 Chaee, Moemoe 82
97 Chan, Lesley 55 Floro, Mark 27 Chang, Oscar 74 Foster, Nicholas 63 Chee, Michelle 23 Frederick, Brittany 94 Cheeks, Morgan 23 Freeman, Adam 96 Chen, Janie 27 Fu, Katherine 91 Chen, Jessica 30 Fullerton, Angelica 33 Chen, Jui Pai (Angie) 78 Chen, Lori 5 G Cho, Peter 58 Choi, Gounah 80 Garcia, Julia 27 Colvert, Brendan 63 Gendotti, Patrick 58 Conte, Giovanni 87 Genyk, Stephan 26 Corbin, Jasmine 48 Giang, Eddy 24 Curtis, Mindy 1 Giessler, Kalena 13 Cutbirth, Elizabeth 29 66 Gill, Hailey 41 Gillman, Arielle 86 D Glousman, Brandon 47 Deka, Nishita 54 Gormley, Alexsa 62 Dixon, Grant 20 Grasso, Peter 58 Dwarakanath, Diya 60 Greenstone, Evan 7 Gregath, Alexander 35 E Edalati, Sahar 87 H Elyahoodayan, Sahar 59 Hakimi, Debra 2 Esmail, Nabil 38 Harker, Audrey 64 Harlow, Ashley 82 F Hartwell, Andrew 7 Hellige, Bridget 63 Farmer, Nicholas 93 Heneghan, Meghan 75 Felberg, Michele 39 Henehan, Aaron 52 Flores, Jacob 86 Hieatt, Seri 3
98 Hieatt, Seri 9 Kim, Uriel 90 Hirata, Tori 91 Ko, Jennifer 48 Hoese, Jordan 35 Kohan, Rachel 26 Hossepian, Kristene 86 Kranenburg, Pieter 57 Hsu, Sarah 47 Krebs, Elaine 35 Hufford, Gregory 61 Krishnamani, Pavitra 24 Huggins, Ashley 95 Kwok, Sheldon 52 Huynh, Pauline 25 L I Lambert, Megan 77 Igarashi, Russell 61 Larios, Evelyn 88 Iqab, Osama (Sam) 7 Lee, Grace 68 Isaman, Tyler Anne 17 Lee, Patrick 41 Itkis, Sara 21 Lee, Ryan 75 Li, Carolyn 34 J Li, Christina 27 Liang, Victoria 44 Jung, Sangmook (Johnny) 56 Liao, William 37 Jung, Yoona 30 Lillie, Ethan 50 Lim, Josephine 80 K Lin, Joanne 38 Liu, Derek 23 Kamboj, Anoop 7 Loewen, Molly 85 Kao, Candace 6 Lopez Mendoza, Bettina 89 Kapadia, Nahel 40 Lu, Li Hsuan 52 Kashani, Nicole 70 Katrib, Leen 6 Khanna, Sheena 76 M Kieffer, Ryan 90 Macaranas, Joahanna 53 Kim, Christopher 68 Mangione, Julia 72 Kim, Kevin 35 Marwah, Harleen 27 Kim, Noel 90 Max, Jay Todd (JT) 64
99 McLain, Travis 7 Patel, Parin 17 Menon, Sidharth 38 66 Meyers, Michal 80 Paulino, Peter Jerome 71 Milinic, Tijana 46 Pearce, Justin 74 Min, Jung-Gi 47 Philips, Christen 79 Mogentale, Kaitlin 75 Pierce, Rikiesha 14 Mollinedo-Pinon, Eduardo 18 Pitter, Avril (Viveka) 64 Mondheim, Michael 22 Plecque, Brendan 50 Monga, Dhruv 57 Porter, Andrea 83 Monico, Andrea 6 Primm, Travis 7 Moodie, Matthew 37 Prusak, Matthew 82 Moore, Carrie 19 Moran, Mayra 3 Q Mott, Devon 9 Murao, Nicholas 3 Quinn, Austin 77 9 R N Rajpoot, Sanjay 50 Nair, Divya 44 Ramakrishnan, Divya 51 Newman, Daniella 12 Rambukwella, Mishan 30 Nguyen, Phuoc (Kai) 8 Rashad, Ramy 84 Rathugamage, Awadi 50 Rees, Kristina 62 O Renteln, Michael 29 Ortega, Michael 57 Rhoads, Shawn 63 Oslund, Christopher 7 Rice, Kirsten 58 Otaguro, Lauren 39 Rising, John 63 Robin, Orli 14 P Robinson, Alexander 33 Robinson, Christopher 67 Park, Andres 25 Roche, Kathleen 48 Park, Edward 47 Rosales, Kassandra 76
100 Rosencrans, Robert 69 Thomas, Tito 60 Ross, Angela 93 Thompson, Kelli 36 Roy, Marissa 92 Timm, Zachary 70 Rusli, Kezia 66 Tolchinsky, Marina 73 Ryan, Shane 90 Torres, Jasmine 72 Tran, Jessica 33 S Trieu, Megan 38 Tse, Beverly 46 Sampson, Andrew 1 Tseng, Farn-Hsuan (Shelly) 37 Schermerhorn, Nathaniel 87 Tsutsuse, Jayme 11 Schuetze-Coburn, Anton 54 Tzeng, William 32 Sekimura, Stephanie 77 Shah, Vivek 28 Shahery, Paulina 5 U Shakir, Zade 7 Ungco, Amanda Camille 74 Shao, Victoria 89 Shokralla, Alexandra 18 V Siryj, Eric 54 Siswanto, Kathleen 37 Vaidyanathan, Aditya 50 Smith, Caroline 75 Valadez, Marco 78 Staniec, Kali 71 Valencia, Monica 13 Stanton, Dustin 96 Vo, Baotran 43 Stobaugh, Ariana 83 Vogt, Carson 57 Stock, Hillary 58 Vu, Clara 30 Stone, Susanna 92 Vu, Kim 81 Su, Dennis 35 Sullivan, Meaghan 26 W Swayne, Madison 71 Walensky, Alison 84 Wang, Xizi 89 T Whitcombe, Wendy 39 Tanna, Ruchika 16 White, Eve 2 Teng, Regina 4 Wilhelm, Caitlin 17
101 Williams, Charnan 15 Winthrop, Andrew 62 Wong, Carin 81 X Xiao, Zichen 55 Y Yamasaki, Wendiann 28 Yates, Timothy (Timo) 19 Yuen, Alexander 45 Z Zhang, Jeffrey 65 Zhong, John 34 Zhou, Alyssa 31 65 Zhou, Bill 57 Zimmermann, Martha 85
102 Symposium Participants by Category
Arts Monico, Andrea 6 Moran, Mayra 3 Acciari, Mark 4 Mott, Devon 9 Armstrong, Ashley 8 Murao, Nicholas 3 Barnes, Caleb 4 9 Braathen, Per-Gulbrand 3 Nguyen, Phuoc (Kai) 8 (Peter) Oslund, Christopher 7 Chen, Lori 5 Primm, Travis 7 Curtis, Mindy 1 Sampson, Andrew 1 Greenstone, Evan 7 Shahery, Paulina 5 Hakimi, Debra 2 Shakir, Zade 7 Hartwell, Andrew 7 Teng, Regina 4 Hieatt, Seri 3 White, Eve 2 9 Iqab, Osama (Sam) 7 Kamboj, Anoop 7 Humanities Kao, Candace 6 Adithi, Vellore 11 Katrib, Leen 6 Azua, Anneleise 15 McLain, Travis 7 Dixon, Grant 20
103 Giessler, Kalena 13 Felberg, Michele 39 Isaman, Tyler Anne 17 Floro, Mark 27 Itkis, Sara 21 Fullerton, Angelica 33 Mollinedo-Pinon, Eduardo 18 Garcia, Julia 27 Moore, Carrie 19 Genyk, Stephan 26 Newman, Daniella 12 Giang, Eddy 24 Patel, Parin 17 Gill, Hailey 41 Pierce, Rikiesha 14 Glousman, Brandon 47 Robin, Orli 14 Gregath, Alexander 35 Shokralla, Alexandra 18 Hoese, Jordan 35 Tanna, Ruchika 16 Hsu, Sarah 47 Tsutsuse, Jayme 11 Huynh, Pauline 25 Valencia, Monica 13 Jung, Yoona 30 Wilhelm, Caitlin 17 Kapadia, Nahel 40 Williams, Charnan 15 Kim, Kevin 35 Yates, Timothy (Timo) 19 Ko, Jennifer 48 Kohan, Rachel 26 Life Sciences Krebs, Elaine 35 Krishnamani, Pavitra 24 Aintablian, Haig 42 Lee, Patrick 41 Asserson, Derek 43 Li, Carolyn 34 Bajakian, Thalia 22 Li, Christina 27 Banh, Helen 33 Liang, Victoria 44 Banh, Michelle 35 Liao, William 37 Barseghian, Janet 32 Lin, Joanne 38 Bernstein, Megan 26 Liu, Derek 23 Butte, Zara 40 Marwah, Harleen 27 Chee, Michelle 23 Menon, Sidharth 38 Cheeks, Morgan 23 Milinic, Tijana 46 Chen, Janie 27 Min, Jung-Gi 47 Chen, Jessica 30 Mondheim, Michael 22 Corbin, Jasmine 48 Moodie, Matthew 37 Cutbirth, Elizabeth 29 Nair, Divya 44 Esmail, Nabil 38 Otaguro, Lauren 39
104 Park, Andres 25 Campbell, Daniel 63 Park, Edward 47 Chan, Lesley 55 Rambukwella, Mishan 30 Cho, Peter 58 Renteln, Michael 29 Colvert, Brendan 63 Robinson, Alexander 33 Deka, Nishita 54 Roche, Kathleen 48 Dwarakanath, Diya 60 Shah, Vivek 28 Elyahoodayan, Sahar 59 Siswanto, Kathleen 37 Foster, Nicholas 63 Su, Dennis 35 Gendotti, Patrick 58 Sullivan, Meaghan 26 Gormley, Alexsa 62 Thompson, Kelli 36 Grasso, Peter 58 Tran, Jessica 33 Harker, Audrey 64 Trieu, Megan 38 Hellige, Bridget 63 Tse, Beverly 46 Henehan, Aaron 52 Tseng, Farn-Hsuan (Shelly) 37 Hufford, Gregory 61 Tzeng, William 32 Igarashi, Russell 61 Vo, Baotran 43 Jung, Sangmook (Johnny) 56 Vu, Clara 30 Kranenburg, Pieter 57 Whitcombe, Wendy 39 Kwok, Sheldon 52 Yamasaki, Wendiann 28 Lillie, Ethan 50 Yuen, Alexander 45 Lu, Li Hsuan 52 Zhong, John 34 Macaranas, Joahanna 53 Zhou, Alyssa 31 Max, Jay Todd (JT) 64 Monga, Dhruv 57 Physical Sciences Ortega, Michael 57 Pitter, Avril (Viveka) 64 & Engineering Plecque, Brendan 50 Aldana, Eduardo 57 Rajpoot, Sanjay 50 Almqvist, Patrick 58 Ramakrishnan, Divya 51 Benner, Nancy 62 Rathugamage, Awadi 50 Berman, Simon 56 Rees, Kristina 62 Brisbin, Sara 52 Rhoads, Shawn 63 Brito, Noe 57 Rice, Kirsten 58 Rising, John 63
105 Schuetze-Coburn, Anton 54 Hirata, Tori 91 Siryj, Eric 54 Hossepian, Kristene 86 Stock, Hillary 58 Huggins, Ashley 95 Thomas, Tito 60 Kashani, Nicole 70 Vaidyanathan, Aditya 50 Khanna, Sheena 76 Vogt, Carson 57 Kieffer, Ryan 90 Winthrop, Andrew 62 Kim, Christopher 68 Xiao, Zichen 55 Kim, Noel 90 Zhang, Jeffrey 65 Kim, Uriel 90 Zhou, Alyssa 65 Lambert, Megan 77 Zhou, Bill 57 Larios, Evelyn 88 Lee, Grace 68 Social Sciences Lee, Ryan 75 Lim, Josephine 80 Agdashian, David 76 Loewen, Molly 85 Bedelian, Vahan 66 Lopez Mendoza, Bettina 89 Bell, James Michael 76 Mangione, Julia 72 Benjamin, Brian 69 Meyers, Michal 80 Casillas, Karina 94 Mogentale, Kaitlin 75 Chaee, Moemoe 82 Patel, Parin 66 Chang, Oscar 74 Paulino, Peter Jerome 71 Chen, Jui Pai (Angie) 78 Pearce, Justin 74 Choi, Gounah 80 Philips, Christen 79 Conte, Giovanni 87 Porter, Andrea 83 Edalati, Sahar 87 Prusak, Matthew 82 Farmer, Nicholas 93 Quinn, Austin 77 Flores, Jacob 86 Rashad, Ramy 84 Frederick, Brittany 94 Robinson, Christopher 67 Freeman, Adam 96 Rosales, Kassandra 76 Fu, Katherine 91 Rosencrans, Robert 69 Giessler, Kalena 66 Ross, Angela 93 Gillman, Arielle 86 Roy, Marissa 92 Harlow, Ashley 82 Rusli, Kezia 66 Heneghan, Meghan 75 Ryan, Shane 90
106 Schermerhorn, Nathaniel 87 Sekimura, Stephanie 77 Shao, Victoria 89 Smith, Caroline 75 Staniec, Kali 71 Stanton, Dustin 96 Stobaugh, Ariana 83 Stone, Susanna 92 Swayne, Madison 71 Timm, Zachary 70 Tolchinsky, Marina 73 Torres, Jasmine 72 Ungco, Amanda Camille 74 Valadez, Marco 78 Vu, Kim 81 Walensky, Alison 84 Wang, Xizi 89 Wong, Carin 81 Zimmermann, Martha 85
107