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Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students

Program & Abstracts Booklet

Thursday, March 22, 2012 Jeb Bush, Former Florida Governor ACES 2012 Keynote Speaker

Events with Mr. Bush

Faculty Round Table 3:00-4:00 p.m. Carlisle Suite, Academy Room, E.H. Hereford University Center

Keynote Address Friday, March 23, 2012 8:00 p.m., College Park Center

Free and open to the public (ticket required)

Jeb Bush was the 43rd governor of the state of Florida, serving from 1999 through 2006. He was the third Republican elected to the state's highest office and the only Republican in the state's history to be reelected. During his two terms, Bush championed major reform of government programs in education and Medicaid. The state also launched and accelerated restoration of America's Everglades, the largest project of its kind in the world, to save the habitat of 60 threatened and endangered species and provide a long-term supply of drinking water for 8 million people in South Florida. Bush served as Florida's secretary of commerce under Bob Martinez, Florida's 40th governor. He also co-authored Profiles in Character, a book profiling 14 of Florida's civic heroes – people making a difference without claiming a single news headline. Bush earned a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He moved to Florida in 1981, where he started a real estate development company with partner Armando Codina. Currently, Bush is the president of the consulting firm Jeb Bush and Associates and is on the boards of CNL Bancshares and Tenet Healthcare Corporation. In civic and charitable affairs, Bush serves on the boards of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, the Foundation of Florida's Future, CASEnergy, Volunteer USA, and Our Pledge. He and his wife, Columba, live in Miami and have three grown children.

The ACES keynote speaker is included in the Maverick Speakers series and is generously funded by the Office of the President, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Education and Health Professions, the School of Urban and Public Affairs, and the Office of Graduate Studies.

Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarly Activities

March 22 - 23, 2012

Acknowledgments

Generous financial support for ACES 2012 was provided by the Office of the President.

Additional financial support was provided by the Offices of the Provost, Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, Development and by all the University’s Colleges and Schools.

Members of the ACES 2012 Steering Committee

Lisa Berry, Coordinator, Office of Graduate Studies Philip Cohen, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies Dana Dunn, Associate Professor, Department Sociology, Coordinator of ACES Judges Rebekah Karth, Graduate Student Senate Representative Daniel Levine, Professor, Psychology Laura Mydlarz, Assistant Professor, Biology Mario Romero-Ortega, Associate Professor, Bioengineering Jennifer Knight, Executive Assistant to the Dean, Office of Graduate Studies Joslyn Krismer, Assistant Director, Office of Graduate Studies, ACES Steering Committee Chair Mark LaVelle, Assistant Vice President, Office of Development James Perry, Coordinator, Honors College, ACES Webmaster Michael Saenz, Student Support Specialist, Office of Graduate Studies David Silva, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost

ACES Additional Support

Stephen “Bear” Lunce, II, Conference Coordinator, E. H. Hereford University Center Graduate Student Senate Phi Kappa Phi Alpha Phi Sigma Maverick Speakers Series Jeanne Gerlach, Dean, College of Education and Health Professions Barbara Becker, Dean, School of Urban and Public Affairs Beth Wright, Dean, College of Liberal Arts President’s Sustainability Committee Joan Reinhardt, Associate Director, SOAR Raymond L. Jackson, Associate Dean, Office of Graduate Studies Office of Graduate Studies Staff

Faculty, Alumni and Friends of the University Judges

DR. PHILIP COHEN, VICE PROVOST FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES

CORDIALLY INVITES

ACES PRESENTERS, THEIR FRIENDS AND FACULTY MENTORS TO THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE BY STUDENTS (ACES) IN THE E.E. HEREFORD UNIVERSITY CENTER MARCH 22-23, 2012

WELCOME!

On behalf of President Jim Spaniolo, Provost Ron Elsenbaumer, and Interim Vice President for Research Carolyn Cason, I am delighted to welcome you to UT Arlington's eighth Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES). Research and creative activity are matters of the highest importance to all of us here at the university, in part because education is such a strenuously interactive enterprise. The ACES Symposium highlights some of the many research and creative projects that our undergraduate and graduate students are involved in across the entire campus. Students in the undergraduate and graduate competitions prepare original research and creative activity in the form of oral or poster presentations. Students work with faculty mentors in their disciplines, and faculty members and graduate alumni judge all the submissions. I trust you will enjoy the day and learn much about the interesting and exciting work going on in UT Arlington's many undergraduate and graduate programs. I also hope you will agree with me that our students are some of today’s best young scholars.

The keynote speaker for ACES 2012 is former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who heads his own successful consulting business and is chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. He will be both a Maverick Speaker and the ACES keynote speaker and will participate in a faculty roundtable discussion of his work. His visit is being made possible by funding primarily from President Spaniolo, the Office of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts, College of Education and Health Professions, and the School of Urban and Public Affairs.

I want to express my gratitude to the faculty mentors, both on and off campus, who have enriched the educational experiences of our students and have helped prepare the ACES participants for today's symposium. The time and attention that you have devoted to involve students in your research programs and creative endeavors have shaped the scholars of tomorrow. I also want to thank Dr. David Silva, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Linguistics, and Dr. Raymond Jackson, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, for the workshops on enhancing poster and presentation effectiveness that they presented for ACES participants.

Finally, I gratefully acknowledge the many efforts of the members of the ACES Steering Committee, the Office of Graduate Studies staff, our faculty and alumni judges, and our student moderators from Graduate Student Senate. I know that all of them have worked hard to make the eighth Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students a memorable one.

For more information about this year’s ACES event or to read about past ACES events and winners, please visit our website at www.uta.edu/aces. a Annual Celebration of

Oral Presentation Schedule (Morning sessions) Concho Neches Palo Pinto Pedernales Red River San Saba Guadalupe San Jacinto Undergraduate Undergraduate 8:20 Justin Dellinger - Sali Asih – Debanjana Shuai Chen _ Adnan Khan - Amarnath Abigail Allen - Bhavin Mistry - HIST PSYC Roy - BIOL CHEM CSE Yennu - BME ENGL CSE 8:40 Mylynka Kilgore Samara Jayme Samuel Yang Azade Nazi - Benjamin Amy Tuttle - Sean Pierce - CSE Cardona-HIST Morris Walton - - CHEM CSE Johnston - BME ENGL Bobzean – BIOL PSYC 9:00 Nathan Kogan- Meredith Katrina Nelli Bodiford - Giacomo Jyothi Menon - Katelyn Jaynes - Thaddeus Madison HIST Hartzell – Pound - CHEM Ghidini - CSE BME ENGL - CSE PSYC BIOL 9:20 Jacqueline Colin Lee Subhash S M Taiabul Lee-Chun Su - Sean Farrell - Ayomide Longe- Zeledon - HIST Jenney – Jaszlics - Chand - Haque - CSE BME ENGL EE PSYC BIOL CHEM 9:40 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK 10:00 Bahar Zarin - Jessica Matthew Munuve Harsha Michael Palmer Lindsey Crystal Jamaica - URPA Buckles – Steffenson Mwania - Doreswamy - - BME Anderson - HIST CE SCIE - BIOL CHEM CSE 10:20 Scott Price - Lucina Nisita Mohammad Mahdi Al Sonia Thomas Foster - Erica Castillo - URPA Marcia Obulareddy Shawkat Ameen - CSE Santimano - HIST MAE Kuusisto – - BIOL Hossain - BME SCIE CHEM 10:40 Steven Rogers - Zhiye Gao – Shweta Li Li - CHEM Md Mehrab Tejaswi Leslie Rice - UAC John Black - MAE URPA SCIE Panchal - Shahriar - Kadapure - BME BIOL CSE 11:00 Matthew Hui Fan - Md Monjurul Vikrant Sharma Y. Monica Hew - Moseley - CHEM Hasan - CSE - BME MAE BIOL 11:20 Matthew Vaibhav Landge BREAK BREAK Rich - BIOL BREAK BREAK - BME BREAK BREAK

Oral Presentation Schedule (Afternoon Sessions)

Concho Neches Palo Pinto Pedernales Red River San Saba Guadalupe San Jacinto Undergraduate Undergraduate

1:00 Adrian Rodriguez Bryan Black Daoying Doug Carlton - Rasool Fakoor April Young - Nicolas Miranda - Joshuah Beach- - MAE - PHYS Lin - MATH CHEM - CSE MODL MUSI Letendre - BIOL 1:20 Agat Hirachan - Cheng Denise Andra Carter - Sajib Datta - J. Aaron Mark Jackson - Merin Philip - MAE Sheng – Rangel - CHEM CSE Lansford - MATH CHEM PHYS MATH MODL 1:40 Ghassan Atmeh - Hee Kim – Ashley David Boston - Sk. Kajal John R. Brian Hull - Patricia Wong - MAE PHYS Wendell CHEM Arefin Imon - Gallagher - MATH CHEM Kranjac - CSE SOCW ANTH 2:00 Hakki Erhan Sevil Kamal James Bishnu Subedi Subhasish Kingsley Chigbu Danrae Pray - Athula Pudhiyidath - MAE Dhakal – Dunning – - CHEM Dutta - SOCW PHYS - PSYC PHYS COMM Chowdhuri - CSE 2:20 BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

2:40 Irshad Last Jennifer Smriti Neogi - Pamela James Bourbeau Daisy Garza - Mohammad - Feremenga Omaña - LING IE Hancock - - PHYS PSYC MAE - PHYS SOCW 3:00 Sheikh Fahad Pranab Mohamed Soumitro Johansen Drue Baker - LaQruishia Gill - Ferdous - MAE Sarker – Mwamzandi - Swapan Quijano - ENGL KINE PSYC PHYS LING Auddy - EE 3:20 Wendy Okolo - Ryan Hall – Vitaly Voinov - Uday Tata - Brian Daniels - MAE PHYS LING EE EDCI 3:40 Mohammadreza Yanshi Young-Sik Brian Martinson Mehdizadeh - Huang – Seo - EE - BUSA MSE PHYS Graduate Student Posters

Poster Number Student name 37 Mahashweta Das 1 Ailing Li 38 Md Islam 2 Ali Behseresht 39 Michael Natishyn 3 Alice Lubbe 40 Mohamm Jahangir Moghadam 4 Amanda Martinez 41 Nagham Alatrash 5 Amber Harris 42 Nesreen Alsmadi 6 Arati Maleku 43 Pavitra Kavya 7 Arpita Bhatt 44 Payap Sirinam 8 Arunoday Bhan 45 Priscila Martinez 9 Athena Jagdish 46 Priyanka Prashar 10 Bipin Joshi 47 Md Sarker 11 Cara Wallace 48 Rafael Granja-Vazquez 12 Catherine Spann 49 Rebecca L. Robinson 13 Cedric Mayfield 50 Rebecca Vanmeter 14 Celeste Sanders 51 Yanfei Liu 15 Chang Zhang 52 Roshni Iyer 16 Christopher Hagains 53 Runa Korde 17 Cuong Quang Le 54 Samantha Cornelius 18 David Baker 55 Sanjay Anand 19 Denise Cauble 56 Anna Park 20 Derek Main 57 Somdutta Chakraborty 21 Ajal Patel 58 Sumit Bhawal 22 Christian Bufi Paras 59 Vijayalakshmi Murali 23 Diego A. Lopez 60 Wei Li 24 Eric Watson 61 Wyn E. Taylor 25 Fred Mckee 62 Mohammed Mahmood 26 Gladys Chow 63 Yi Zhang 27 Jose Velarde 64 Michael Neeper 28 Joshua Crowell 29 Joshua M. Jensen 30 Kara Lorduy 31 Kenneth Abayan 32 Kishan Kumar Bhongale 33 Lauren Coursey 34 LeAnne Hutson 35 Leila Ahmadi 36 Lori McLain Pierce Undergraduate Student Posters

Poster Number Student name 71 Alexandra Schiller 72 Aparna Alavalapadu 73 Beatriz Garcia-Barboza 74 Brittany Palumbo 75 Christopher Hendrix 76 Felicia Wallace 77 Houda El Fakir 78 Jennifer Farley 79 Jessica Hines 80 Jiny Sibi 81 Jonathan Bobbitt 82 Kara Edgerton 83 Kelly Bullock 84 Lauren Tedmon 85 Lindsey Dornberger 86 Asha Jassani 87 Mahwish Yasin 88 Micah Holden 89 Miguel A. Ramirez, Jr. 90 Nour Hussein 91 Alyssa Allen 92 Omobonike Osunloye 93 Prashant Khatri 94 Robert Rayford 95 Sarah E. Hardee 96 Sarah Gauntt 97 Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana 98 Sarah Hussein 99 Steven Nunez 100 Uyen Dang 101 Amy Truong 102 Tijani Osumah 103 Gabriel Olivas 104 Tony Nguyen 105 Vanessa Romero 106 Veronica B. Waybright 2012 ACES Awards

Graduate Dean's Outstanding Doctoral Student Mentor Award

Kenneth Roemer, English

Outstanding ACES Faculty Mentor

Kevin Schug, Chemistry

Vice Provost's Award for Excellence in Abstract Writing

Vice Provost's Award for Excellence in Abstract Writing Name: Mohammadreza Mehdizadeh (Material Science Engineering) Title: Facile Preparation of a Novel Family of Strong Surgical Adhesives Faculty Mentor(s): Jian Yang

Graduate Sustainability Award

Graduate Sustainability Award Name: Jayme Walton (Biology) Title: The Effects of Mineland Reclamation on Turtle and Frog Communities in North Central Texas Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Laura Gough (BIOL)

Undergraduate Sustainability Award

Undergraduate Sustainability Award Name: Steven Nunez (Architecture) Title: Harvesting the Rain; A Proposal for Storm Water Management and its Re-Use on the University of Texas at Arlington Campus Faculty Mentor(s): Professor Donald del Cid (Architecture)

Women's and Gender Studies Student Excellence Awards

Women's & Gender Studies - Graduate Name: Mylynka Kilgore Cardona (History) Title: Alexine Tinné: a Dutch Lady in Search for the Source of the Nile Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Imre J. Demhardt (HIST)

Women's & Gender Studies - Undergraduate Name: Alexandra Schiller (Psychology) Title: Influence of estrogen on cocaine reward Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Linda Perrotti (PSYCH) Women's and Gender Studies Student Excellence Awards (conʼt)

Women's & Gender Studies - Undergraduate Name: Katelyn Jaynes (English) Title: Textual Ambiguities in William Dunbar's "Tretis of the Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo" Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. K. Gustafson (ENGL)

Women's & Gender Studies - Undergraduate Name: Amy Tuttle (English) Title: “Do You Think I May One Day Escape?”: The Symbolic Order and the Production of the Ambivalent Mother As Represented In Stephen Daldryʼs The Hours Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Penelope Ingram

Undergraduate Poster Presentation

President's Poster Award Name: Alexandra Schiller (Psychology) Title: Influence of estrogen on cocaine reward Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Linda Perrotti (PSYCH)

Provost's Poster Award Name: Lindsey Dornberger (Biology) Title: Colony Collapse Disorder Dynamics in Apis mellifera Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Kojouharov (MATH), Dr. Grover (BIOL), Dr. Kribs-Zaleta (MATH)

Graduate Dean's Poster Award Name: Sarah E. Hardee (Biology) Title: Learning to Survive: Learning Outcomes-Based Assessment of the Emerging Scholars Program in Freshmen Chemistry Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Kevin A. Schug (CHEM)

Honorable Mention Name: Tony Nguyen (Chemistry) Title: Preliminary Studies on a Conserved Mutant Variant, E109N in F420-Cofactor Dependent Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Kayunta Johnson-WInters

Honorable Mention Name: Felicia Wallace (Linguistics) Title: Chain Devoicing in Cayuga Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald (Linguistics)

Undergraduate Morning Oral Presentation

President's Award Name: Crystal Jamaica (Civil Engineering) Title: Harvesting Seismic Energy for Emergent Use after Major Earthquakes Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Shih-Ho (Simon) Chao

Provost's Award Name: Leslie Rice (Undeclared) Title: Reproductively Disabled: An Examination of Infertility as a Disability, 1990-2008 Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Sarah Rose

Graduate Dean's Award Name: Sean Pierce (Computer Science Engineering) Title: Malware Configuration Protection Mechanisms Faculty Mentor(s): (Matt Wright CSE)

Undergraduate Afternoon Oral Presentation

President's Award Name: Joshuah Beach-Letendre (Biology) Title: Are increasing global temperatures allowing fungi to devastate sea fan corals? Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Laura Mydlarz (BIOL)

Provost's Award Name: James Bourbeau (Physics) Title: Developing of a Fast Timing System for the ATLAS Forward Proton Detector Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Andrew Brandt (PHYS)

Graduate Dean's Award Name: Nicolas Miranda (Music) Title: The Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. George Chave (Music)

Graduate Poster Presentation President's Poster Award Name: Denise Cauble (Nursing) Title: Pediatric Tonsils: Potential Window on Pollution Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Patricia Newcomb (NURS), Dr. Andrew Hunt (GEO)

Provost's Poster Award Name: Lori McLain Pierce (Linguistics) Title: Improving Spanish Diphthongs through Syllabification Instruction Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Cynthia Kilpatrick (Linguistics & TESOL) Graduate Poster Presentation (conʼt)

Graduate Dean's Poster Award Name: Catherine Spann (Psychology) Title: Whereʼs My Car? Brain Activity Predicts Successful Memory for Car-Parking Location Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Heekyeong Park (Psychology)

Honorable Mention Name: Roshni Iyer (Biomedical Engineering) Title: Novel drug delivery strategies for Atherosclerosis treatment via Angioplasty balloons Faculty Mentor(s): Dr.K.T.Nguyen(BE), Dr.S.Banerjee(Cardiology)

Honorable Mention Name: Vijayalakshmi Murali (Biomedical Engineering) Title: Multi-layer Microparticles as Diagnostic tools for Prostate Cancer Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. K.T. Nguyen (BE)

Graduate Morning Oral Presentation

President's Award Name: Benjamin Johnston (Biomedical Engineering) Title: Bridging the gap: biosynthetic nerve implant (BNI) for regeneration of nervous tissue following peripheral nerve injury. Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Mario I. Romero-Ortega (Biomedical Engineering)

Provost's Award Name: Samuel Yang (Chemistry) Title: Mesh Screen Affinity Materials for Drug Discovery Using Transmission Mode Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Faculty Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Graduate Dean's Award Name: Colin Jenney (Psychology) Title: Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Risk Factors of Weight Gain and Obesity Among Undergraduate Students Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. A. Liegey Dougall (PSYC)

Honorable Mention Name: Giacomo Ghidini (Computer Science Engineering) Title: Improving the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks: A Markov chain-based duty cycling scheme Faculty Mentor(s): Prof. Sajal K. Das (CSE)

Honorable Mention Name: Matthew Steffenson (Biology) Title: Size and behavior mechanisms that affect predation ability in wolf spiders (Hogna helluo) Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Dan Formanowicz (BIOL) Graduate Afternoon Oral Presentation

President's Award Name: Wendy Okolo (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering) Title: Aircraft Lateral Trim Using Internal Fuel Transfer & Differential Thrust in Formation Flight Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Atilla Dogan (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)

Provost's Award Name: Ryan Hall (Physics) Title: Nano-Crystal Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet for Radiation Detection Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Wei Chen (PHYS)

Graduate Dean's Award Name: Young-Sik Seo (Electrical Engineering) Title: A Design of Integrated Circuit and Batteryless Wireless Sensing Platform for Biomedical Applications Faculty Mentor(s): Jung-Chih Chiao

Honorable Mention Name: Uday Tata (Electrical Engineering) Title: A microfluidic system to assess cancer metastasis risks Faculty Mentor(s): Dr.J.C Chiao (EE)

Honorable Mention Name: James Dunning (Communications) Title: When 'Oops, Sorry' Isn't Enough: Tiger Woods and Image Repair Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. T. Christie (COMM)

Anthropology Burger Cultures: McDonaldization and De-McDonaldization in Croatia and the U.S. Ashley Wendell Kranjac ...... 105

Architecture Harvesting the Rain; A Proposal for Storm Water Management and its Re-Use on the University of Texas at Arlington Campus Steven Nunez ...... 75

Art Inspiring Cultural Awareness in Canadian-Born Chinese Gladys Chow ...... 19

Biology Naturally occurring malformations in lizard skeletons Aparna Alavalapadu ...... 3

Are increasing global temperatures allowing fungi to devastate sea fan corals? Joshuah Beach-Letendre ...... 8

Role of the Primary Somatosensory Cortex in Pain Perception Kelly Bullock ...... 15

Colony Collapse Disorder Dynamics in Apis mellifera Lindsey Dornberger ...... 25

Evaluation of Fictive Locomotion as a Method to discriminate motor-related activity in peripheral nerve interfaces Rafael Granja-Vazquez ...... 34

Learning to Survive: Learning Outcomes-Based Assessment of the Emerging Scholars Program in Freshmen Chemistry Sarah E. Hardee ...... 37

MORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND CONVERGENCE IN ARBOREAL VIPERS Jessica Hines ...... 40

Optimization of novel multifunctional nanoscaffold for re-endothelialization in situ Micah Holden ...... 41

Transposition Mechanism of Non-LTR retrotransposons: Functional Analysis of Conserved C- terminal Domains in the R2 Non-LTR retrotransposon by Mutagenesis. Athena Jagdish ...... 46

Patterns of development and diversity in the crocodilian skull Lee Jaszlics ...... 48

Testing the Effects of the Arlington Undergraduate Research-based Achievement for STEM (AURAS) on the Performance of Engineering Students in Chemistry Courses Priscila Martinez ...... 64

The Edwards plateau serves as a geographic barrier for the four-lined skink, Plestiodon tetragrammus Matthew Moseley ...... 70

ROLE OF N-TERMINUS OF JAZ9 IN ARABIDOPSIS INNATE IMMUNITY Nisita Obulareddy ...... 75

Bioynthesis of phytotoxin coronatine by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is activated on the surface of Arabidopsis leaf Shweta Panchal ...... 79

SEASONAL PATTERNS IN BETA DIVERSITY OF STREAM DIATOMS IN THE ADIRONDACK REGION OF NEW YORK Katrina Pound ...... 82

Arthropod Communities of Arctic Alaska: Comparisons between Vegetation Types of Differing Shrub Abundance Matthew Rich ...... 87

High Relative Humidity has differential effect on stomatal immunity against human and plant pathogenic bacteria Debanjana Roy ...... 90

Size and behavior mechanisms that affect predation ability in wolf spiders (Hogna helluo) Matthew Steffenson ...... 97

The Effects of Mineland Reclamation on Turtle and Frog Communities in North Central Texas Jayme Walton ...... 103

Haldane’s Rule in Marsupials: What Happens When Both Sexes Are Functionally Hemizygous? Eric Watson ...... 104

Biomedical Engineering ESTABLISHEMENT OF NERVE GROWTH FACTOR GRADIENTS THROUGH POLYMERIC BIODEGRADABLE COILS Nesreen Alsmadi ...... 4

Modality Specific Peripheral Nerve Interface Sanjay Anand ...... 5

Macrophage polarization alters fibrocyte interaction at biomaterial interface David Baker ...... 7

Role of MLL in DNA damage repair Somdutta Chakraborty ...... 17

Novel drug delivery strategies for Atherosclerosis treatment via Angioplasty balloons Roshni Iyer ...... 45

Bridging the gap: biosynthetic nerve implant (BNI) for regeneration of nervous tissue following peripheral nerve injury. Benjamin Johnston ...... 50

Optical stimulation leading to ATP release Bipin Joshi ...... 51

Prostate Cancer Cell-selective Dual-imaging Enabled Nanoparticles Tejaswi Kadapure ...... 51

A Wireless Strain Sensor System for Bladder Volume Monitoring Vaibhav Landge ...... 56

In vivo evaluation of tripolymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles Jyothi Menon ...... 67

Multi-layer Microparticles as Diagnostic tools for Prostate Cancer Vijayalakshmi Murali ...... 70

Separation of thin tissues with a citric acid based elastomer to prevent perforation. Michael Palmer ...... 78

Nanofibers with Embedded Nanoparticles for Complex Wound Healing Christian Bufi Paras ...... 80

Magnetic-based Multi-layer Microparticles for Stem Cell Isolation, Enrichment, and Detachment Sonia Santimano ...... 91

Fiber based fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy: a novel approach towards prostate cancer detection Vikrant Sharma ...... 94

In situ Re-endothelization via Multifunctional Nano- Scaffolds Lee-Chun Su ...... 97

Investigation of frontopolar cortex under noxious pain stimuli using functional near infrared spectroscopy Amarnath Yennu ...... 107

Osterix-Up-Regulating Citrate-Based Osteoinductive Composites for Orthopedic Applications Chang Zhang ...... 109

Biodegradable photoluminescent polymer as a novel fluorescent material for bioimaging Yi Zhang ...... 109

Business Administration And the winner is! Corporate lifecycle stage as an antecedent to CEO selection characteristics Brian Martinson ...... 65

Generation Y’s Ethical Ideology and Its Impact on Servant Leadership, Teamwork and Judgments of Ethical Violations Rebecca Vanmeter ...... 101

Civil Engineering Development of Regression Equations for Predicting Leachate Parameters from Landfills Arpita Bhatt ...... 10

Harvesting Seismic Energy for Emergent Use after Major Earthquakes Crystal Jamaica ...... 47

Chemistry Stoichiometry: Is there a better way? Kenneth Abayan ...... 1

Increasing Lipophilicity of Redox Active Ruthenium Complexes as a Means to Enhance Cytotoxicity and Reduce Animal toxicity Nagham Alatrash ...... 2

Histone methylase MLL1 and MLL3 coordinate with estrogen receptors in estrogen-mediated HOXB9 expression Arunoday Bhan ...... 9

Synthesis of small molecule probes to target enzymes of thiamin biosynthesis and their potential use as novel anti-infective agents. Sumit Bhawal ...... 10

Evaluation of Tripeptide Stereodiscrimination by a Novel Class of Chiral Selectors using Mass Spectrometry Jonathan Bobbitt ...... 12

Crystalline approximants of SiCO:Implications on structure and thermochemistry of ternary silicon oxycarbide Nelli Bodiford ...... 13

Ruthenium photocatalytic systems for carbon dioxide reduction David Boston ...... 13

"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink?": Quantitating Barium Contamination in Private Well Water Samples from the Barnett Shale Region Doug D. Carlton Jr...... 15

Development of natural product analogs for mechanistic and spectroscopic characterization of the O2-dependent tRNA modifying MiaE Andra Carter ...... 16

Genetically Engineered Protein Mimics for Bioremediation Subhash Chand ...... 18

Green Biomimic Organocatalysis: Flavin Mimics and the Dakin Oxidation Shuai Chen ...... 18

The Gating Mechanism of Cysteine Dioxygenase Joshua Crowell ...... 21

Mechanism of resistance and associated fitness costs to Rifaximin in Clostridium difficile Uyen Dang ...... 21

SYNTHESIS OF QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALTS FOR APPLICATION AS ANTIFOULING AGENTS Houda El Fakir ...... 27

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assay for Estrogen Measurement in Blood Plasma Hui Fan ...... 28

Total synthesis of Leucetta-alkaloids: Isonaamine C, isonaamidine E and related compounds Beatriz Garcia-Barboza ...... 32

HPLC-Based Kinetic Study of the Dakin Oxidation With Flavin Mimics as Organocatalysts Mohammad Shawkat Hossain ...... 41

Mixed Mode Retention of Dyes on a Chenille String Nour Hussein ...... 43

Mutagenesis, Expression and Purification of F420H2: NADP+ Oxidoreductase from Archeoglobus fulgidus Cuong Quang Le ...... 57

Analysis of Important Molecules from "non-ESI-friendly" solvents by Continuous-Flow Extractive Desorption Electrospray Ionization (CF-EDESI) LI Li ...... 58

Oxygen/cysteine coupling efficiency in Cysteine Dioxygenase (CDO) and C93-Y157 cross- link formation within the active site Wei Li ...... 58

Synthesis and Evaluation of HMP Analogs in the Vitamin B1 Pathway Diego A. Lopez ...... 60

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Silicon Carbide Quantum Dots Munuve Mwania ...... 71

Preliminary Studies on a Conserved Mutant Variant, E109N in F420-Cofactor Dependent Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Tony Nguyen ...... 74

Synthesis and characterization of Zinc (II) and Gold (III) complexes with fluorinated chelators Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana ...... 74

Expression, Purification and Kinetic Characterization of F420-dependent Glucose-6- Phosphate Dehydrogenase(FGD) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Tijani Osumah ...... 77

SYNTHESIS OF ANTI-MICROBIAL AGENTS FROM POSS COMPOUNDS Omobonike Osunloye ...... 78

BiInO3 is attainable at High Pressure Merin Philip ...... 81

Spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of non-heme diiron YtfE metalloprotein Priyanka Prashar ...... 83

Investigating Affinity-Dependent Shifts in Peptide - Metal Binding Systems using Reversed Phase - Liquid Chromatography Robert Rayford ...... 86

Biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of MiaE; an oxygen dependent tRNA monooxygenase Bishnu Subedi ...... 98

Fundamental Investigations of Thread-Based Separaions Lauren Tedmon ...... 99

Characterization of a Novel Continuous Flow Device for Monitoring Drug-Target Interactions Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Veronica B. Waybright ...... 104

Cysteine Derivation for Enhanced Detectability and its Quantification with CDO-Related Compounds Patricia Wong ...... 105

Mesh Screen Affinity Materials for Drug Discovery Using Transmission Mode Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Samuel Yang ...... 106

Synthesis & Purification of Small Peptides: A. Bacterical Cell Walls B. Proline Cis/Trans Isomerism in Signaling Mahwish Yasin ...... 106

Communications When 'Oops, Sorry' Isn't Enough: Tiger Woods and Image Repair James Dunning ...... 25

Computer Science Engineering Sybil Resistant DHT on the top of Social Network Mahdi Al Ameen ...... 2

Control Framework for Dynamic Walking of a Biped Robot. Kishan Kumar Bhongale ...... 11

User Feedback Mining of Collaborative Social Content Mahashweta Das ...... 22

An Accurate Mathematical Model for Performance Analysis of IEEE 802.11e WLAN Sajib Datta ...... 23

Maintaining and Shaping Network Topology for Privacy and Performance Harsha Doreswamy ...... 24

Performing measurements in anonymity systems for improving their performance Subhasish Dutta Chowdhuri ...... 26

Learning joint information integration and control decision strategies Rasool Fakoor ...... 27

Improving the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks: A Markov chain-based duty cycling scheme Giacomo Ghidini ...... 33

A study of user password behavior for multiple accounts. Haque, S M Taiabul ...... 36

Shaping Network Topology for Privacy and Performance Md Monjurul Hasan ...... 38

A Randomized Approach for Maximizing Lifetime in Tree-based Wireless Sensor Networks Sk. Kajal Arefin Imon ...... 44

PeerCloud: A Distributed System for Reliable and Secure Data Storage Adnan Khan ...... 52

Marker-Based Localization of Robots in Simulation Thaddeus Madison ...... 62

Jamming in WSN Bhavin Mistry ...... 68

Secure Query Answering in Peer Data Management Systems Azade Nazi ...... 72

Malware Configuration Protection Mechanisms Sean Pierce ...... 82

Time and Space Efficient Algorithm for Consumer’s Priority Product Management in Online Markets Md Mehrab Shahriar ...... 94

AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF TIMING ANALYSIS ATTACKS AND DEFENSES IN ANONYMITY SYSTEMS Payap Sirinam ...... 96

Education and Curriculum Instruction Repurposing in the English Language Brian Daniels ...... 22

Electrical Engineering Coil Propelled Magnetic Trains-Using Sequentially Activated Electromagnetic Coils to Generate Motion Soumitro Swapan Auddy ...... 7

High speed Infrared imaging method for thermographic investigation of high intensity focused Ultrasound devices Mohamm Jahangir Moghadam ...... 47

Duty Cycling in Wireless Sensor Networks. Experimental Analysis of an Energy-efficient Randomized Scheme on Crossbow TelosB sensor nodes. Ayomide Longe ...... 60

Aptamer Functionalized Chips show Distinct Behavior of Metastatic Tumor Cells Mohammed Mahmood ...... 62

A Design of Integrated Circuit and Batteryless Wireless Sensing Platform for Biomedical Applications Young-Sik Seo ...... 93

A microfluidic system to assess cancer metastasis risks Uday Tata ...... 98

English A Change Will Do You Good: Setting Complicating Sex on the Stage and Screen Abigail Allen ...... 3

Capitalist Transformations in the Wake of Apocalypse: Akira and The Last of the O-Forms Sean Farrell ...... 29

Textual Ambiguities in William Dunbar's "Tretis of the Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo" Katelyn Jaynes ...... 49

The Psychology of Catherine - Representations of Relationship Fears in Videogame Form Johansen Quijano ...... 85

“Do You Think I May One Day Escape?”: The Symbolic Order and the Production of the Ambivalent Mother As Represented In Stephen Daldry’s The Hours Amy Tuttle ...... 100

Geology Immediate Effects of Accelerated Snowmelt on Arctic Arthropod Communities Christopher Hendrix ...... 39

History Uranium Mining and Nuclear Radiation: Poisoning of the Navajo People from 1940-2012 Lindsey Anderson ...... 5

Constructing Louisiana - The Role of the Balize in Perpetuating French Identity Justin T. Dellinger ...... 23

People of Tall Stature and Spatial Accommodation Thomas Foster ...... 30

Alexine Tinné: a Dutch Lady in Search for the Source of the Nile Mylynka Kilgore Cardona ...... 53

Spaces of Reform: Transatlantic Quakerism, the ’Insane,’ and Publicizing Humanitarian Advocacy Nathaniel Kogan ...... 54

The Pilates Movement: Transfer and Adaptation Jacqueline Zeledon ...... 108

Industrial Engineering Implementing sustainable processes at a local hat manufacturing company-A case Study Smriti Neogi ...... 73

Kinesiology The Effects of Three Exercise Interventions on Gait Characteristics in Older Adults. Drue Baker ...... 8

Is Cognitive Processing Speed a Parameter Of Gait? Kara Edgerton ...... 26

Aging and the ability to modulate peripersonal and extrapersonal reach space via tool use Amanda Martinez ...... 64

Reasoning in an Aging Population Fred Mckee ...... 66

Study On Incentives And Their Relation To Running Times In Children Brittany Palumbo ...... 79

SKILLED FOR LIFE: MOTOR PROFICIENCY OF DEVELOPING CHILDREN Vanessa Romero ...... 89

Leadership A Comparison of Public and Private Not-for-Profit Universities: Six-year Graduation Rate LeAnne Hutson ...... 44

Linguistics The Viability of WebDMDX as a tool for Psycholinguistic Experiments Samantha Cornelius ...... 20

Discovering the Phonology of Plains Indian Sign Language Jennifer Farley ...... 28

Intonation and optional wh-movement in Jarai Joshua M. Jensen ...... 50

Improving Spanish Diphthongs through Syllabification Instruction Lori McLain Pierce ...... 66

Metrically Driven Phonological Disruption in Swahili Verse Mohamed Mwamzandi ...... 71

Jicarilla Apache Loanwords Gabriel Olivas ...... 76

The New Testament of the Virgin Mary: An Evangelical Model for The Miracles of Our Lady by Gonzalo de Berceo Jennifer Omaña ...... 77

Upwards and onwards: Translating the Chronicles of Narnia into Tuvan Vitaly Voinov ...... 102

Chain Devoicing in Cayuga Felicia Wallace ...... 103

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering The Impact of Control Theory on Unmanned Airship Flight Regulation Ghassan Atmeh ...... 6

Experimental Investigation of Spring-in Behavior of Composite Materials John Black ...... 12

Wireless Interrogation of Microwave Transmission Line for Distributed Sensing Erica A. Castillo ...... 16

The effect of filler-matrix interface and filler dispersion on the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Sheikh Fahad Ferdous ...... 29

Red Blood Cell Dynamics in Shear Flow Y. Monica Hew ...... 39

Cooling of hot spots in IC using the heat pipe and thermoelectric cooler Agat Hirachan ...... 40

Statistical Analysis of Velocity Fluctuations in a Strong Detonation-Turbulence Interaction. Sarah Hussein ...... 43

Pitch Catch wireless ultrasound and Acoustic emission sensor technique Md Islam ...... 45

Detection of Plantar Pressure Distribution Using Loop Antenna Sensors Irshad Mohammad ...... 69

Aircraft Lateral Trim Using Internal Fuel Transfer & Differential Thrust in Formation Flight Wendy Okolo ...... 76

Analysis of Planar Multi-Point Impact Problems Adrian Rodriguez ...... 88

Multi-Scale Analysis for Characterizing Fracture Toughness of Osteoporotic Bone. Md Sarker ...... 91

Real-time Obstacle Avoidance and Autonomous Waypoint Navigation of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle Hakki Erhan Sevil ...... 93

Mathematics Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Quorum Sensing Interactions in Bacteria Sarah Gauntt ...... 33

Death of the Bees: A Mathematical Model of Colony Collapse Disorder Brian Hull ...... 42

Quorum Sensing Interaction and the Effect of Antibiotic on the Dynamics of Two Types of Bacteria Mark Jackson ...... 46

Statistical Inference for Population-Based Case-Control Studies with Complex Sample Designs in Haplotype-Based Genetic Association Studies Daoying Lin ...... 59

A Mathematical Study of the Transition from Chaotic to Periodic Neuron Burst Patterns Alice Lubbe ...... 61

Totally Reflexive Modules Denise Rangel ...... 86

Modern Languages Discoveries in the Formation of the Future Paradigm in the Verbal System of Chicahuaxtla Triqui J. Aaron Lansford ...... 56

Learning to be Mexican: Children, gender and citizenship in the Biblioteca del Nino Mexicano April Young ...... 107

Material Science Engineering Facile Preparation of a Novel Family of Strong Surgical Adhesives Mohammadreza Mehdizadeh ...... 67

Music The Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl Nicolas Miranda ...... 68

Nursing Pediatric Tonsils: Potential Window on Pollution Denise Cauble ...... 17

Physics Using wave-guided light to rotate microscopic objects Bryan Black ...... 11

Developing of a Fast Timing System for the ATLAS Forward Proton Detector James Bourbeau ...... 14

In-depth optogenetic stimulation of brain regions using fibre-optics Kamal Dhakal ...... 24

Measurement of properties of the Z and W bosons from the ATLAS experiment Last Feremenga ...... 30

Nano-Crystal Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet for Radiation Detection Ryan Hall ...... 35

Geomagnetic energy variation during last solar cycle and its influence on the upper atmosphere Yanshi Huang ...... 42

The Electronic Correlation Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Gallium Phosphide: A Study by DFT+U Prashant Khatri ...... 53

Study of systematic uncertainties for Higgs Boson Searches in H → γγ and H → W+W- →l+ν- l+ν- Final States in ATLAS Hee Kim ...... 54

Electronic and structural study of noble metal doping in Si nanocrystals using density functional theory Cedric Mayfield ...... 65

Beam Test Data Analysis of GEM Prototype Chambers Using One Bit Readout System Danrae Pray ...... 83

Determination of crystal structure and the study of electronic and optical properties of AgBi[WO_4 ]_2 by density functional theory. Pranab Sarker ...... 92

Variation of the Bz Component of Magnetic Field during the Front of Bursty Bulk Flows Cheng Sheng ...... 95

Psychology DOES PATIENT ATTITUDE OR THERAPIST SKILL PREDICT THE SUCCESS OF CBT FOR DEPRESSION? Alyssa Allen ...... 4

AN UNDER-EMPHASIZED SYMPTOM? ASSESSMENT OF INSOMNIA IN CHRONIC PAIN POPULATION Sali Asih ...... 6

The Relationship between Locus of Control, Religiosity, and Personality. Lauren Coursey ...... 20

Stories of Our Lives: How We Perceive Ourselves Across Time Daisy Garza ...... 32

Jury Decision-Making Based on Pretrial Publicity and Admissibility of Evidence LaQruishia Gill ...... 34

A digital wireless closed-loop system for inhibition of nociceptive signals Christopher Hagains ...... 35

Investigating the Influence of Memory and Learning in Repeated Escape Avoidance Testing Amber Harris ...... 37

Does Fibromyalgia Resolve with Functional Restoration Treatment? Prevalence and Treatment Responsiveness Meredith Hartzell ...... 38

The Effects of Outgroup Contant and Social Identity on Negative Outgroup Attitudes. Asha Jassani ...... 48

Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Risk Factors of Weight Gain and Obesity Among Undergraduate Students Colin Jenney ...... 49

The Use of Assessment Center as a Tool for Training & Promotion Pavitra Kavya ...... 52

Asynchronous Idea Generation Runa Korde ...... 55

Formalin Injection Does Not Increase Contralateral Cutaneous Blood Perfusion under Pre- inflammatory Condition Ailing Li ...... 57

Numeracy and Ratio Bias in Judgment under Specific Emotions Yanfei Liu ...... 59

Physical Symptoms in Patients with Acute TMJ: The Influence of Emotional Distress Kara Lorduy ...... 61

Influence of estrogen on morphine reward Samara Morris-Bobzean ...... 69

Examining gender-moderated relationships between victimization, depression, and substance use Michael Natishyn ...... 72

Examining Shared Cognition and Training Strategies for Virtual Teams Michael Neeper ...... 73

F#!%ing Rudeness: Predicting the Propensity to Verbally Abuse Strangers Anna Park ...... 80

Untangling Protégé Self-Reports of Mentoring Functions: Further Meta-Analytic Understanding Ajal Patel ...... 81

The effects of perceptual distinctiveness on recognition of words and numbers Athula Pudhiyidath ...... 84

Narrative Processing in Children and Young Adults Miguel A. Ramirez, Jr...... 85

Strength of Sense of Self and Influenceability Rebecca L. Robinson ...... 88

A Comparison of Whites and Blacks on official diagnostic categories of temporomandibular joint disorders and other related variables Celeste Sanders ...... 90

Influence of estrogen on cocaine reward Alexandra Schiller ...... 92

Stimulation of Ventral Tegmental Area Increases Mechanical and Thermal Pain Threshold in Rats Jiny Sibi ...... 95

Where’s My Car? Brain Activity Predicts Successful Memory for Car-Parking Location Catherine Spann ...... 96

Balance: Examining the Effects of Exercise on Performance and Confidence. Wyn E. Taylor ...... 99

Behind the Scenes of Academic Performance: Influence of Exercise, Stress, and Self-Esteem Amy Truong ...... 100

Sex Differences in Object Location Memory: Laboratory Simulation of a Naturalistic Object Array Jose Velarde ...... 101

Science The impact of urban sprawl on energy consumption and carbon emissions in large U.S. cities Leila Ahmadi ...... 1

Paleoclimate records from speleothems- a multi-proxy investigation of three coeval West Virginia speleothems spanning the Last Glacial Maximum to early Holocene Jessica Buckles ...... 14

The application of Spontaneous Water Imbibition and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry in Permeability Measurement. Zhiye Gao ...... 31

Development of a mathematical model, VUMP (Vinasse Utilization for Methane Production) Lucina Marcia Kuusisto ...... 55

A PRIMITIVE HADROSAUROID (DINOSAURIA: ORNITHISCHIA) FROM THE CRETACEOUS (CENOMANIAN:95 MYA) WOODBINE FORMATION AT THE ARLINGTON ARCHOSAUR SITE, NORTH TEXAS Derek Main ...... 63

Social Work RADICALIZATION AND SPREAD OF TERRORISM: THE CONTAGION AND SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES Kingsley Chigbu ...... 19

African American participants’ views on racial disparities in drug court outcomes John R. Gallagher ...... 31

Community Based Participatory Research and Youth Tobacco Control: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis Pamela Hancock ...... 36

Theorizing in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work: A Systematic Review Arati Maleku ...... 63

Applying Theoretical Perspectives to Care for the Dying Cara Wallace ...... 102

Undeclared Reproductively Disabled: An Examination of Infertility as a Disability, 1990-2008 Leslie Rice ...... 87

Urban & Public Affairs Application of Fuzzy Logic in Urban Land Use - Transportation Modeling Ali Behseresht ...... 9

Competition Among Cities and Influence of the Mass Media to Build Sports Facilities and Attract Tourism Scott M. Price ...... 84

Housing, Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Analysis of Sierra Leone's Housing market and its Developmental consequencies Steven Rogers ...... 89

Assessing Relationship between Land Use-Transportation and Energy Use(Case Study of Tehran, Iran) Bahar Zarin ...... 108

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Stoichiometry: Is there a better way? Presenter: Kenneth Abayan, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 31 Mentor(s): Kevin Schug

Abstract: Stoichiometry (the relationship between substances involved in a chemical reaction) is an essential concept in chemistry. General chemistry students often experience a decrease in exam performance when the topic of stoichiometry is introduced and assessed. Many instructors teach how to solve stoichiometry problems by using dimensional analysis, a mathematical method for unit cancelling, despite it having been shown to be a less effective means, compared to other methods. In our study, approximately 250 General Chemistry I students completed a series of activities which included three distinct modules, each featuring a different way of teaching stoichiometry. The methodologies were taken from science education literature and included: Dimensional analysis; use of ratios; and an operational method.1-3 The on-line experiment was conducted using a treatment-control model. Interestingly, preliminary results showed, students that were exposed to the ratio method of stoichiometry analysis scored lower overall (avg. 42% sd. 30) on examinations compared to the dimensional analysis, operational methods, and the control group (avg range. 70%, sd.30). However, in this limited analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. The data are currently being further analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to assess contributions of underlying variables in the data. While qualitative data revealed that students paid particular attention to the stoichiometry map provided (many agreed it helped them solve the particular stoichiometry problem regardless of the method that was presented), overall the evaluation of various methods is important to understand the best way of communicating this material to our student population.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation

The impact of urban sprawl on energy consumption and carbon emissions in large U.S. cities Presenter: Leila Ahmadi, Science Graduate Poster board: 35 Mentor(s): Ard Anjomani

Abstract: Improving energy efficiency through technological advances has been the focus of U.S. energy policy for decades. However, there is evidence that technology alone will be neither sufficient nor timely enough to solve looming crises associated with fossil fuel dependence and resulting greenhouse gas accumulation. Hence attention is shifting to demand-side measures (Fang Rong, 2006). The impact of urban sprawl on transport energy use has been studied for a few cities in U.S. and there is no comprehensive study for all metropolitan statistical area. The impact of sprawl on non- transport residential energy use represents a new area of inquiry. This dissertation is linking sprawl to transportation and residential energy use and carbon emissions in largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in U.S. and provides empirical support for compact land-use developments, which, as a demand-side measure, might play an important role in achieving sustainable residential energy consumption. This paper investigates the strength of the statistical relationship between various urban form characteristics and the Energy consumption and carbon emissions from housing and transportation. Using data from the largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, OLS regression methods are used to measure the correlations between energy use and carbon emissions and independent variables describing both housing form, transportation and urban sprawl. The research expectation is to find significantly higher energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with a greater sprawl index.

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Sybil Resistant DHT on the top of Social Network Presenter: Mahdi Al Ameen, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 10:20 am, Red River Mentor(s): Dr.Matthew Wright

Abstract: Kademila is a distributed hash table for decentralized peer-to-peer computer networks that specifies the structure of the network and the exchange of information through node lookups. Sybil attack is one of the most detrimental attacks on kademlia and the current kademlia protocol makes the network vulnerable to such attack. We have addressed the issue and designed a protocol to make the system robust against sybil attacks that is compatible with kademlia protocol. In our protocol the joining node itself is no longer permitted to generate its own node ID; rather the node joins through an inviter node that assigns the joining node a node ID and a chunk of node IDs for further distribution. This hierarchical distribution of node IDs makes a large attacker bot confined in a considerably smaller region of the network. We have modified the replication mechanism of kademlia so that a keyword is stored in nodes that are evenly distributed over the network. So even if a certain a region is occupied by the attackers, the keyword of interest can be retrieved from other regions. In our system, we have applied the modified kademlia protocol on a network that is created based on the social relationships among nodes. Thus a joining node becomes a part of the social network as well as it gets a node ID in the DHT too. This multi-layered network model plays a momentous role to ensure the joining of trusted nodes of the already existing nodes in the DHT. We have simulated for around 7000 honest nodes where the number of honest edges is more than 100000. The social relationships among the nodes in our model have been maintained based on the real world social network data of wiki-vote. Our simulation results show that for more than 5000 attack edges when the percentage of attackers is more than 50%,around 80% lookups in DHT gets successful; that's considerably a huge improvement over the existing protocol where the percentage of lookup success is less than 40% in this case.

Increasing Lipophilicity of Redox Active Ruthenium Complexes as a Means to Enhance Cytotoxicity and Reduce Animal toxicity Presenter: Nagham Alatrash, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 41 Mentor(s): Macdonnell, Frederick M

Abstract: The dinuclear ruthenium(II) complex [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2][PF6]4 (P) has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in live mouse cancer models and is being persued as a potential anti-cancer drug. While effective in its current form, we are undertaking a structure-activity study to establish factors that modify both the malignant cell cytotoxicity and overall animal toxicity. We postulate that both cytotoxicity and animal toxicity will correlate with the complex lipophilicity. Towards this end, we have synthesized several new analogues with added lipophilic sidegroups. This paper will present the synthesis and characterization of these analogues and preliminary data on their biological activity.

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Naturally occurring malformations in lizard skeletons Presenter: Aparna Alavalapadu, Biology Senior Poster board: 72 Mentor(s): Andre Pires D'Silva Group members: Henry Tran, Elizabeth Nguyen

Abstract: Hox genes coordinate relative positioning of body structures during embryonic development. The function of these genes is highly conserved across vertebrate species, including humans. The goal of our research is to investigate whether Hox genes in lizards are more prone to mutations than other vertebrates. We hypothesize that this is the case, because lizard genomes contain a large number of natural mutagens close to genes that control development. These so called transposons are present in most other genomes, but their deleterious effects have been mostly neutralized or they are not close to developmental genes. We want to determine if transposons in Hox genes are causing a high number of malformations in two species of anole lizards, the green anole (A. carolinensis) and the brown anole (A. sagrei).We used X-ray imaging and skeleton preparations to catalog variations in bony structures of adult lizards. We found significant levels of pre-sacral vertebrae variation; ~14% in the green anole and ~31% for the brown anole show skeleton malformations that are typical of mutations in Hox genes. Interestingly, A. sagrei shows a higher number of defects in the sacral-caudal region when compared to A. carolinensis. We would like to correlate these variations with mutations caused by transposons in the Hox regions. The results of this research will lead us to understand how changes in genes that control development can cause the appearance of novel morphologies during evolution.

A Change Will Do You Good: Setting Complicating Sex on the Stage and Screen Presenter: Abigail Allen, English Senior 8:20 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Kevin Gustafson

Abstract: My project develops the idea that the production and reception of gender identity vary based on the culture and values of a given location. I will be focusing specifically on the use of the pastoral mode in literature and how this literary device affects perceptions of gender identity by characters. This will be done through analysis of two primary texts, William Shakespeare's As You Like It, and Stephan Elliott's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The plots of both the play and the film feature the movement of the characters from an urban setting into a pastoral setting, where their gender identity is seen as a threat to social values. I will contrast an early modern pastoral realm that describes a world of relative sexual freedom and flexibility to a modern pastoral narrative of intolerance and gender stability. My methodology in this project will be to research scholarly articles, first to establish a definition of such terms as "pastoral" and "drag" and then to provide an analysis of how representative texts from two periods use the pastoral mode to address the question of gender identity. This will allow for a dialogue between the pastoral voices in the texts and modern scholarship, to show how the pastoral mode addresses and complicates the question of gender biases. I will draw on two main bodies of research. First, I will give a background of the pastoral mode and how it has been used to discuss social issues in literature.

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DOES PATIENT ATTITUDE OR THERAPIST SKILL PREDICT THE SUCCESS OF CBT FOR DEPRESSION? Presenter: Alyssa Allen, Psychology Senior Poster board: 91 Mentor(s): Shannon Scielzo (PSYC), Monica Basco (PSYC)

Abstract: Consistent predictors of symptom improvement in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have yet to be pinpointed in the medical field. Researchers have attempted to examine variables such as patient demographics, but we have yet to identify any systematic factors that relate to CBT success. In this study, we examined patients' attitudes and intentions, and also therapists' adherence to CBT procedures. To assess patients' attitudes and intentions, we used Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior as a basis to create a self-report psychotherapy belief questionnaire. To assess therapists' adherence, the therapists were rated based on a CBT adherence scale as to how well they followed the procedures of CBT structure and CBT intervention. To test these variables, we performed multiple regression analyses with the number of therapy sessions the patients attended as a covariate. We found in each of our analyses that the number of sessions patients attended was the most important predictor of symptom improvement. The other variables examined related very little to patients' improvement. Therefore, it was concluded that as long as patients are attending sessions, they will experience improvement. However, it could be that patients may voluntarily drop out at the point that they feel the sessions are not helpful. Finally, several possible study limitations were noted, in addition to presenting ideas for future research analyzing the predictors of symptom improvement in CBT for patients with major depression.

ESTABLISHEMENT OF NERVE GROWTH FACTOR GRADIENTS THROUGH POLYMERIC BIODEGRADABLE COILS Presenter: Nesreen Alsmadi, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 42 Mentor(s): Mario Romero (Bioengineering) Group members: Parisa Lofti ,Joselito Razal

Abstract: Spinal cord injuries affect thousands of people every year and may result in permanent impairment. Growth factors are proteins that have wide ranging regenerative effects - including in the nervous system. Recently, it has been demonstrated that growth factor (GF) gradients guide regenerating axons as nerves repair themselves. In addition to establishing a gradient of GF, a sustained release of GF has been shown to be beneficial in enhancing nerve repair. However, current methods of establishing GF gradients have had limited success. We sought to develop a sustained- release method to reliably provide GF gradients for both in vitro and in vivo applications. Here we reported the fabrication of biodegradable fibers loaded with nerve growth factor (NGF) and used these fibers to construct a gradient. The gradient of the GFs was established by coiling the fiber around a needle and varying the coil density. The biological activity of the gradient was demonstrated through the neural differentiation assay. In this assay, PC12 cells were seeded into the lumen of microchannels in a hydrogel. At the low density of the coil (low GF concentration), no differentiation was present in the cells of interest. In contrast, cells located at areas of high coil density (high GF concentration) clear differentiation was present. Our study demonstrates that the NGF loaded-fibers can be used to establish GF concentration gradients and can deliver growth factor for several days. This approach may offer a viable improvement for axonal regeneration after injury.

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Modality Specific Peripheral Nerve Interface Presenter: Sanjay Anand, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 55 Mentor(s): M. Romero (BIOE) Group members: Aswini Kanneganti and Rafael Granja

Abstract: Modern robotic prosthetic devices closely mimic the human hand, but amputees struggle to control them using spare muscle activity, as they lack feedback information from these devices, which forcedthem to rely on visual information for control. Direct recording of intention of movement from the brain using multi-electrode arrays have been demonstrated, but conveying sensory information directly to the brain is both invasive and challenging. As an alternative, we developed a regenerative multi-electrode interface (REMI) that can record from mixed motor and sensory nerves in the peripheral nervous system. In this study, we report the fabrication of a 'Y' shaped multi-electrode array designed to segregate the mixed sciatic nerve into its natural sensory and motor branches. Motor and sensory subtypes were visualized in the normal nerve using cell-specific markers such as calcitonin-gene related peptide (sensory) and choline acetyltransferase (motor).We report the recording of neural activity in selective sensory and motor modalities and evaluated the feasibility of the REMIto selectively interface sensory neurons using skin deformation testing, and gait and kinematic analysis that measure hind limb function (angle and position). Despitethe expected gait deficits in step height and stance duration after REMI implantation, we were able to interface selective motor and sensory neuron types. The combination of the 'Y'-REMI and the advanced electrophysiology and behavioral testing here describe will allow further refinement of selective peripheral neuro-interfaces, which eventually will be able to provide natural control and sensation of robotic prosthesis to amputees.

This work is supported by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Uranium Mining and Nuclear Radiation: Poisoning of the Navajo People from 1940-2012 Presenter: Lindsey Anderson, History Junior 10:00 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Sara Rose (History)

Abstract: The Navajo tribe inhabiting the Four Corners area of New Mexico has endured life in a radioactive waste filled reservation since the beginning of the nuclear weapons industry in the 1940s and 1950s. From these decades until the present, Navajo tribe members have experienced social, physical, and economic challenges due to uranium extraction on the Navajo reservation, as well as the fallout of nuclear testing. Navajo citizens were employed in uranium extraction on the reservation land and lived near the area of the federal government's nuclear testing site in Alamogordo. The United States, however, kept the health risks hidden from the Navajo people and they have suffered greatly from uranium induced disabilities. This paper discusses Navajo standards of living prior to and after the beginning of uranium extraction, examines the changed conditions of Navajos living on the reservation once mining began, as well as safety conditions in the five hundred uranium mines, explores the reasons for and the effects of uranium exposure, the way in which the Navajo have perceived disabilities caused from uranium, and the actions both the United States government and Navajo tribe took in addressing uranium mining and radiation issues. Native American views and experiences of disability have rarely been explored thus, the purpose of the paper is to ascertain the way in which Navajo family structures have been affected by uranium extraction through the scope of disability.

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AN UNDER-EMPHASIZED SYMPTOM? ASSESSMENT OF INSOMNIA IN CHRONIC PAIN POPULATION Presenter: Sali Asih, Psychology Graduate 8:20 am, Neches Mentor(s): Robert J. Gatchel (PSY) Group members: Robert J Gatchel, Ph.D., ABPP., Emily Brede, R.N., M.S., Ph.D candidate, Randy Neblett, M.A., L.P.C., BCB., Tom G Mayer, M.D

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Insomnia is frequently experienced by patient suffering from chronic pain. However, insomnia is often seen as general symptom caused by pain or depression in this population. Current research findings highlight the reciprocal relationship between insomnia and pain; as well as between insomnia and depression (Sateia & Bussye, 2010). This implicates insomnia as factor independent, albeit correlated with pain and depression. AIMS and METHODS: This study aims to assess the prevalence of insomnia and its relationship to self-reported pain, depressive symptoms and perceived disability in chronic musculoskeletal pain population who were referred to a regional rehabilitation center. Measures in this study were the Insomnia Severity Index, the Pain Intensity Visual Analog Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Pain Disability Questionnaire. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Out of 174 participants, 69.5% met criteria for clinical insomnia, 23.1% had sub- threshold insomnia symptoms and 7.4% reported no insomnia, suggesting that insomnia is a significant problem. Although significant correlations were found, the shared variance of clinical insomnia and depressive symptoms was only 23% (r=.48, p<.01), shared variance between clinical insomnia and pain was 10% (r = .51, p<.01), and shared variance between clinical insomnia and perceived disability was 26% (r = .32, p<.01). These findings demonstrate that significant portion of insomnia is independent of pain, depression and disability, suggesting that insomnia needs to be assessed and treated separately from pain and depression in this population. Furthermore, treating one symptom does not necessarily resolve the other symptoms.

The Impact of Control Theory on Unmanned Airship Flight Regulation Presenter: Ghassan Atmeh, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 1:40 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Kamesh Subbarao

Abstract: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are aircraft that fly without pilots; the computer system on-board flies the aircraft. Unmanned airships are a special kind of UAV's. Airships are a specific class of Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) vehicles; these vehicles generate the required force for flight similar to how boats float on water. Archimedes was first to discuss this phenomenon as follows: An object in a fluid experiences an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. Since air is a fluid, everything inside the atmosphere experiences that force, but for objects more dense than air, the amount of force is negligible. Airships on the other hand house gases less dense than air, causing air to exert the force needed to lift them. This allows airships to hover, or float, in air which makes them ideal for applications where conventional UAV's are not a applicable. Control theory deals with the behavior of dynamic systems, where their behavior is regulated based on is expected of the system. In this work, an unmanned airship flight is simulated with computer software, afterwards a control algorithm is designed and implemented to that simulation. The controller is the brain of the airship, which, by performing various calculations is able to command the airship into specific maneuvers. This work is a foundation for research in the area of studying the impact of control theory on airships and in solving the problem of loss of GPS signal in high density urban areas and rugged terrains.

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Coil Propelled Magnetic Trains-Using Sequentially Activated Electromagnetic Coils to Generate Motion Presenter: Soumitro Swapan Auddy, Electrical Engineering Graduate 3:00 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Ganesh Wadmare, Dept. of Electronics Engg., K.J. Somaiya Institute of Engg. and Information Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Abstract: Current train and tram lines in unplanned cities utilize overhead electricity lines to supply power to the bogie. This system is highly inefficient, even when the voltage supply is switched from DC to AC. My proposed idea makes use of electromagnetic coils housed in the space between the two parallel tracks for propelling the bogie. The undercarriage of the bogie is fitted with either permanent magnets or electromagnets. The coils are controlled to generate a polarity either similar, or opposite to that of the magnets on the undercarriage of the bogie and this polarity is switched periodically. This will either push or pull the bogie forward due to the force of repulsion or attraction respectively and the switching speed of the coils will control the speed of the bogie. When the coils were placed angularly to the ground, maximum force was exerted on the bogie and hence, the system moved a large weight using minimum energy. This was further enhanced when the magnets were tilted complementary to the direction of the coils. However, this configuration did not allow the bogie to stop suddenly, thus posing obvious safety issues. When the coils were placed perpendicular to the surface, the forces acting on the chassis were moderate, resulting in lower speeds and load bearing capacity. This configuration however, allowed for a sudden stop of the bogie, by simply stopping the polarity of the electromagnet, to attract the magnets indefinitely. This helps overcome many safety issues, the earlier configuration could not deal with.

Macrophage polarization alters fibrocyte interaction at biomaterial interface Presenter: David Baker, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 18 Mentor(s): Liping Tang Group members: Hong Weng, Yi-Ting Tsai

Abstract: Fibrocytes have previously been identified as important mediators in several inflammatory and fibrotic diseases such as renal, hepatic, and pulmonary fibrosis. The interactions of these mediating cells with biomaterial implants however is mostly unknown. We have recently identified that fibrocytes are recruited to and reside within the fibrotic capsule at the implant interface. Additionally we have demonstrated that the fibrotic fibrocyte response is linked to the initial inflammatory mast cell reaction. Here we aim to elucidate the mechanisms of fibrocyte driven fibrosis around a biomaterial implant. We first show, through in vivo imaging, that cultured fibrocytes home to the site of the biomaterial implant and that this reaction may be altered, although not abrogated, through localized release of anti-inflammatory agents. As there is a close link to the inflammatory cascade, we hypothesized that macrophage polarization, resulting in increased inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-β, MCP-1) or wound healing (TGF-β, SDF-1α) signals, would determine and increase or reduced fibrocyte response. Indeed through macrophage depletion with antibodies we find a reduced fibrotic response and a substantial decrease in the fibrocyte population at the interface. By further blocking specific chemokine/ cytokine pathways, namely SDF-1α, TNF-α, IL-β, MCP-1, and TGF-β both in vitro and in vivo we show that the fibrocyte response may be stimulated by macrophage polarization. These results indicate that the extent of the inflammatory reaction and the degree of macrophage polarization can alter the fibrocyte interaction and degree of fibrosis at the biomaterial interface.

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The Effects of Three Exercise Interventions on Gait Characteristics in Older Adults. Presenter: Drue Baker, Kinesiology Senior 3:00 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): C. Ray (KINE) Group members: F. Melton, J. Biggan, P. Mehta

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: 1 in 3 older adults will experience a fall each year. Falls are the leading cause of accidental death in adults over 65 years, and are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Falls often lead to adverse changes in lifestyle that trigger a cyclical decline in health, balance, and gait. PURPOSE: To analyze the impact of exercise interventions (traditional group fitness program, a fitness program utilizing the Nintendo® Wii, and a modified group fitness program) on gait characteristics of older individual's. METHODS: 110 community dwelling seniors were randomized into 1 of 4 groups (Control, Wii, Traditional Group, Modified Group). Each group targeted a combination of strength, balance, flexibility, and/or cardiovascular training. Interventions were delivered 3 times (approximately 1 hour per session) per week, for 10 - 15 weeks. The GAITrite® Electronic Walkway was used to assess gait characteristics before and after each intervention. RESULTS: Significant differences were found for velocity, step length (right side), stride length (left side), stance of cycle (left side), double support time (right side), stride velocity (left & right side). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that these exercise interventions were successful at improving gait characteristics. Therefore, older adults should participate in exercise interventions targeting strength and coordination in order to improve gait.

Are increasing global temperatures allowing fungi to devastate sea fan corals? Presenter: Joshuah Beach-Letendre, Biology Senior 1:00 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Laura Mydlarz (BIOL) Group members: Whitney Mann

Abstract: Invertebrate-microbe interactions within coral reef communities are rapidly shifting out of equilibrium throughout the globe. Higher temperatures are believed to be responsible for this destabilization. One specific example is the increasing disease prevalence amount the Caribbean sea fan, Gorgonia ventalina. Aspergillosis is among the most common sea fan diseases and is associated with the pathogenic marine fungus, Aspergillus sydowii. The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of temperature increase on protease activity of the fungus in relation to this disease. Fungi produce proteases to obtain nutrients from their environment which can include living tissue as in the case of the sea fan. The sea fan can deactivate these proteases through secretion of protease inhibitors. Extracts from both the fungus and sea fan were tested against a fluorescent labeled protein that fluoresces when cleaved by a protease. A rise in temperature was found to correspond to a rise in protease activity of the marine fungus. Protease inhibition was significantly lowered in diseased sea fan colonies compared to healthy colonies. These data suggest that a temperature increase not only results in a higher fungal protease level but may hamper the sea fan's ability to neutralize these destructive enzymes. This project demonstrates the impact a rapidly changing climate can have on one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.

Dr. Laura Mydlarz 9

Application of Fuzzy Logic in Urban Land Use - Transportation Modeling Presenter: Ali Behseresht, Urban & Public Affairs Graduate Poster board: 2 Mentor(s): Ardeshir Anjomani; R. Rezazadeh

Abstract: Today, one of the major problems of the metropolitans is traffic congestion. This problem has been an issue for urban managers, urban planners and urban transportation engineers and planners. Despite attempts for solving this problem, the solutions proposed have not improved much in traffic jam. The main reason for the urban traffic problem is lack of appropriate planning for distribution of urban land uses. This article proposes a planning solution for urban traffic through application of fuzzy logic in urban land use-transportation modeling. In the other words this paper depicts the results of a conceptual model that applied in land use - transportation interaction. The results show that for solving the metropolitan traffic problems the idea of "centralized decentralization" must be employed. Based on this, the metropolitans are divided into hierarchical structure including neighborhoods, districts, regions and zones and the activities are also divided in a respective functional hierarchy. The placement of activities (land uses) would be based on appropriate distances from center of above hierarchical structure and hierarchy of streets.

Histone methylase MLL1 and MLL3 coordinate with estrogen receptors in estrogen- mediated HOXB9 expression Presenter: Arunoday Bhan, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 8 Mentor(s): Subhrangsu Mandal (Chemistry and biochemistry department) Group members: Khairul I. Ansari, Bishakha Shrestha, Imran Hussain, Sahba Kasiri

Abstract: Introduction: HOXB9 is a homeobox containing gene and is critical for development of mammary gland and sternum. It also plays an important role in regulation of Renin which is closely linked with blood pressure control. HOXB9 is also regulated by estrogen and critical for angiogenesis. Aims and methods: HOXB9 is also transcriptionally regulated by steroid hormone such as estrogen. Although, it is well recognized that MLLs are master players in HOX gene regulation, little is known about their roles in hormonal regulation of HOX genes. In this study we analyzed role of MLLs (Mixed lineage leukemia) on E2 induced HOXB9 expression via DAB staining, antisense treatment and chromatin immuno-precipitation using appropriate antibodies. Conclusion: The other objective of this study is to identify the importance of homeo-domain of HOXB9 in cell cycle regulation via western blotting using appropriate antibodies and FACS analysis (flow cytometry analysis). Our studies demonstrated that HOXB9 is overexpressed in breast cancer tissue. HOXB9 is also found to be an E2- responsive gene possessing several estrogen-response elements (ERE) that are estrogen-responsive and ERs coordinate with MLL1 and MLL3 in E2-mediated transcriptional regulation of HOXB9. Moreover, HOXB9 overexpression in HEK293F cells (Human embryonic kidney cells) severely affected the cell cycle progression in HEK293 cells and resulted in cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and ultimately resulted in apoptosis. Truncation of homeo-domain of HOXB9 rescued the cell cycle defects almost to the normal level indicating critical roles of HOXB9 homeo-domain in cell cycle regulation.

National Institute of Health, American Heart Association, Texas Advanced Research Program 10

Development of Regression Equations for Predicting Leachate Parameters from Landfills Presenter: Arpita Bhatt, Civil Engineering Graduate Poster board: 7 Mentor(s): Melanie Sattler (Civil);Sahadat Hossain (Civil) Group members: Richa Karanjekar,Said Altouqi

Abstract: Leachate, which is liquid waste from landfills, can cause major pollution problems to surrounding soil, ground water, and surface waters. In many developing countries, landfills are just beginning to be used for containing solid waste. Being able to predict leachate pollutant characteristics will be helpful in designing systems to treat leachate from these landfills. Accordingly, this research will develop models to predict leachate pollutant characteristics, based on temperature, rainfall, waste composition, and time. The models to be developed in this research will thus enable prediction of leachate quality from landfills worldwide, given information about the location’s temperature, rainfall, and waste composition.

The leachate quality models will be developed using laboratory data that has been collected over the past year. 27 16-L lab-scale landfill reactors were used to simulate temperatures (70°F, 85°F, 100°F), rainfall rates (2 , 6, 12 mm/day), and waste compositions (varying percents of food, paper, yard, and textile, as well as inorganic waste) of landfills around the globe. Leachate characteristics (biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, alkalinity, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solid, volatile fatty acids, ammonia-nitrogen, and chloride) were monitored regularly.

Preliminary results show that measured leachate parameters decrease over time and food waste reactors having the highest concentrations for all the leachate parameters. This was to be expected, as food waste is the most biodegradable component. The collected data is currently being used to develop the leachate quality models based on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR).

Synthesis of small molecule probes to target enzymes of thiamin biosynthesis and their potential use as novel anti-infective agents. Presenter: Sumit Bhawal, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 58 Mentor(s): F. W. Foss (Chemistry) Group members: Diego Lopez, F.W. Foss

Abstract: The effectiveness of antibiotic agents in current use is compromised by the prevalence of drug resistance. Novel class of antibiotic agents has greater potential to address the deficiencies of existing class of antibiotics. The current work is an effort to target the enzymes of vitamin biosynthesis, specifically the HMP kinase (a previously unexploited target) responsible for catalysis of two phosphorylation reaction within the same binding domain. No other kinase has been found to perform the second phosphorylation of HMP-P to HMP-PP. In addition, targeting enzymes of thiamin biosynthesis could lead to novel therapeutics without posing direct effect on human physiology. Analogues of HMP will be designed to target the first or the second phosphorylation step. The first generation compounds are being designed to investigate the chemical space in close proximity to the reaction site where in the hydroxyl group at the C-5 position of the pyrimidine ring gets mono-phosphorylated. Primarily we will check for a) Effect of chain branching b) Effect of conformational restriction c) Functional group tolerance, e) the synthesis of alcohol isosteres and anionic and phosphate mimics. Once the lead compound is identified, further fine tuning may be required as we gain better understanding of enzyme active site from the results of molecular modeling, enzyme activity and in vivo studies.

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Control Framework for Dynamic Walking of a Biped Robot. Presenter: Kishan Kumar Bhongale, Computer Science Engineering Graduate Poster board: 32 Mentor(s): Manfred Huber(Computer Science)

Abstract: Today's Humanoid robots are deficient of competence, sturdiness and lack in velocity in comparison to walking capabilities of human. The control of a humanoid encompasses observation, processing the observed data and reaction. To start it all, observation of environment is made possible using sensors that provide insight into the surroundings such as terrain characteristics, obstacles etc,. This key information is processed to calculate the appropriate signals to be fed to the actuators which in turn move and adjust the mechanical joints with respect to the environment. The goal of this project is to design a control frame to stabilize a humanoid robot that could walk on uneven terrain. There already exists several on line control systems designed to obtain a stabilized dynamic walking pattern. However, in these systems, in spite of providing vital information such as trajectory cycle or a pattern based on zero moment point, there exists some external disturbances in the actual condition that cannot be accounted for during the simulation stage. The objective of the paper is to derive a framework using the principles of velocity controller, position controller and walking gait cycle generator with simple trajectories to stabilize the humanoid and aid in dynamic walking on an uneven terrain. The controller is demonstrated using a simulated model taking into account the natural dynamics, torque limits and a model of the walking surface.

Using wave-guided light to rotate microscopic objects Presenter: Bryan Black, Physics Graduate 1:00 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Samarendra Mohanty (Physics)

Abstract: We demonstrate the rotation of optically trapped microscopic objects in a fiber optic spanner. The fiber optic spanner is realized by introducing a transverse offset between two counter-propagating beams emanating from single-mode optical fibers. This method of rotation does not require the object to exhibit special structural or optical properties in order to be rotated. The trapping and simultaneous rotation of microstructures as well as cells around an axis perpendicular to the fiber's optical axis are reported. The rotation of such objects in fluid media produces microfluidic flow, which could be controlled by rotation speed of the trapped object, which was subsequent to varied laser beam power. The fiber optic spanner offers potential applications ranging from three dimensional single cell tomography to optically-driven micromachines; for actuation of lab-on-a-chip devices and the generation of shear force on cellular structures for mechanotransduction and guidance applications.

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Experimental Investigation of Spring-in Behavior of Composite Materials Presenter: John Black, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Senior 10:40 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Wen Chan (MAE), Xinyuan Tan (MAE)

Abstract: Spring-in is a deformation that occurs in composites due to the thermally induced stresses that result from the curing process during fabrication. The purpose of this experimental investigation was to analyze several factors that contribute to spring-in for L-shaped composite laminates: symmetry, laminate thickness, ply orientation, and ply sequence. With a better understanding of the variables that influence spring-in comes the ability to better predict and control the amount of spring-in, and subsequently the ability to create composite beams that are stronger and have a longer fatigue life. Composites are being increasingly adopted as high performance materials in aircraft, automobiles, and many other structures due to their high specific strength and stiffness. The L-beam represents a basic corner, and fundamental building block, of larger and more complex beams. However, in order to study these phenomena the methods of manufacturing composites through the bag-molding process using an autoclave must be learned. Important skills gained in this experimental investigation include mold preparation, vacuum bagging techniques on both open and closed molds, the method for stacking individual layers of a laminate, measuring and adjusting the temperature of a curing cycle, and measuring curvature and spring-in. This study concludes that symmetry of laminate is an important factor for reducing the effect of spring-in, and that laminate thickness, ply orientation, and ply sequence are all different factors that contribute to bending stiffness, a significant component in reducing this effect.

Evaluation of Tripeptide Stereodiscrimination by a Novel Class of Chiral Selectors using Mass Spectrometry Presenter: Jonathan Bobbitt, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 81 Mentor(s): Kevin Schug (CHEM)

Abstract: Chiral, or handed, molecules make up the bulk of drug compounds, since these molecules must interact with other handed molecules in the body. Chiral selectors are molecules used by analytical chemists to selectively recognize and separate other chiral molecules into their different forms (e.g. right-hand (D) versus left-hand (L)). There is a continual need to develop and assess new chiral selectors, as they are constantly challenged by new developments in pharmaceutical and biological research. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has advanced the study of selective recognition by chiral selectors. Here, ESI-MS was used to study the recognition between a novel class of chiral selectors and biologically-relevant tripeptide stereoisomers. Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala (Kaa) is a peptide moiety present in the cell wall structure of Gram positive bacteria. Effective binders should be able to discriminate between the different isomers of this tripeptide. Nine novel chiral selectors were evaluated for their selectivity against four tripeptide isomers (KAa, KAA, Kaa, and KaA; where a capital letter indicates a residue in the L-configuration and a lower-case letter represents the D- configuration). The experiments were carried out in acidic and neutral solution conditions to better understand their recognition mechanism. It was hypothesized that different solution conditions would alter the recognition capabilities of the selectors because of their ionic nature. Data indicated significant changes in binding selectivity for some selector forms, but not others. Such information is important for further development and refining of this chiral selector class to make them commercially useful.

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Crystalline approximants of SiCO:Implications on structure and thermochemistry of ternary silicon oxycarbide Presenter: Nelli Bodiford, Chemistry Graduate 9:00 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Peter Kroll

Abstract: Recently it was proposed that silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) ceramics are thermodynamically stable. These ceramics form a particular class of compounds with remarkable structural and functional properties, among which are high mechanical strength, resistance to oxidation and corrosion, and high temperature stability. Models for the amorphous structure of SiCO did not support the claimed thermochemical properties. Thus, we set out to study the thermochemistry of this system using hypothetical crystal structures, so-called approximants, and compute their energy and structure, as well as their enthalpy of formation. The crystal models are generated using an ab-initio random structure search (AIRSS) and further optimized within density functional theory. We screened a wide range of compositions for stoichiometric SiCO on the tie-line between SiO2 and SiC, as well as the models which included an additional carbon or so-called "free" carbon. Excess energies of our ternary models were calculated with reference to crystalline β-SiC, α-quartz SiO2, and graphite. After screening more than 10,000 models, we find that all ternary structures exhibit positive enthalpy of formation. Overall, we do not find any indication for a thermodynamically stable SiCO ceramic despite the fact that all our models appear sound, exhibiting tetrahedrally coordinated Si and C with a two-fold coordinated O. Comparing models with and without "free" carbon, we find that the addition of carbon increases the enthalpy of formation, rendering these compounds to be even less stable. We contribute this to the creation of C-C-Si-O bonding interface.

TACC, NSF, Teledyne Technologies

Ruthenium photocatalytic systems for carbon dioxide reduction Presenter: David Boston, Chemistry Graduate 1:40 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Frederick M. MacDonnell Group members: Kai-Ling Huang

Abstract: The reduction of carbon dioxide to valuable product such as fuels by a photochemical means could potentially lead to a 'carbon-neutral' fuel cycle powered by solar energy. Recent advances by Bocarsly and coworkers have shown that carbon dioxide can be reduced by a 6 electron process to methanol using simple organic molecules, such as pyridine, as catalysts. Our lab is exploring the use of ruthenium polypyridyl chromophores to drive this 'pyridine-based' CO2 reduction process using light as the energy source. Photochemical conditions and product analysis by GC and GC-MS will be described. Preliminary data suggests the Bocarsly-type catalyst can be used successfully in a photochemical process.

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Developing of a Fast Timing System for the ATLAS Forward Proton Detector Presenter: James Bourbeau, Physics Senior 2:40 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Andrew Brandt (PHYS) Group members: Keith Gray, Ian Howley, Paul Pryor

Abstract: Currently, our group at UTA is developing the most accurate time of flight (TOF) detector in a collider experiment, with a resolution on the scale of 10 picosecond. In combination with several other universities, we have recently been approved to install a fast timing system as part of a proton detector upgrade to the main ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Precise measurement of the timing of proton tracks will allow the rejection of background events to the physics processes of interest, which include the elusive Higgs Boson. Laser-based tests here at UTA enable us to simulate the affects of a proton beam. This allows us to measure the response of our detector's electronics including constant fraction discriminators, amplifiers, a high performance time to digital converter (HPTDC), and most importantly the microchannel plate photomultiplier tubes, which are at the heart of this fast-timing system. By isolating individual components of the electronics, we can entirely characterize each device's response. My research is part of the ongoing data analysis using the CERN analysis package ROOT. By examining the pulse height, single channel time, and time difference distributions, we are be able to understand the performance of the detectors and electronics to better equip ourselves for future test beams and, ultimately, full scale installation and operation. I will present the most recent performance test results from data I have analyzed from a recent testbeam at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory.

Paleoclimate records from speleothems- a multi-proxy investigation of three coeval West Virginia speleothems spanning the Last Glacial Maximum to early Holocene Presenter: Jessica Buckles, Science Graduate 10:00 am, Neches Mentor(s): Harold Rowe (GEOL)

Abstract: Speleothems, which are secondary mineral deposits formed in caves, can provide a wealth of information about the climates of the areas in which they were formed. They are especially useful in that they contain multiple proxies for climate controls- stable isotope carbon and oxygen and trace metals (such as Sr). Additionally, they can be accurately dated using radiometric dating techniques, which is crucial in paleoclimate investigations. Three coeval stalagmites from Culverson Creek Cave, West Virginia, grew uninterrupted for approximately 15,000 years across the Last Glacial Maximum to early Holocene. High resolution stable isotope carbon and oxygen and trace element (Sr/Ca) chronologies are supported by 63 Th-230 age dates. The timing of distinct climate events are well-constrained by abrupt shifts in the high-frequency oscillations observed in multiple proxies, thereby providing an in-depth look into the climate of the mid-Appalachian region during this time. The oxygen isotope curves obtained for these speleothems are largely supported by the GRIP and GISP2 ice core records, as will be demonstrated by time-series comparison. The stable isotope chronology is, however, markedly different from many speleothem chronologies from other regions. A comparison will be presented of this mid-Appalachian record with those of other regions, as well as an interpretation of the various climatic mechanisms controlling speleothem deposition.

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Role of the Primary Somatosensory Cortex in Pain Perception Presenter: Kelly Bullock, Biology Junior Poster board: 83 Mentor(s): Yuan Bo Peng Group members: Ailing LiChristopher Hagains

Abstract: Previous imaging studies indicate that the primary somatosensory cortex is activated when a painful stimulus is applied. However, it is unknown whether direct stimulation of the primary somatosensory (S1) cortex can increase the sensitivity to mechanical and thermal pain in a freely moving animal. A stimulating electrode was implanted in the left S1 cortex, and a small electrical current delivered to that area. Carrageenan was injected into the left hind paw to create an inflammatory condition. Mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were measured by observing the mechanical pressure needed to elicit a reflexive paw withdrawal, and the latency time before the paw was withdrawn from a thermal stimulus. These thresholds were measured and statistically analyzed by mixed ANOVA , followed by the post hoc Fischer LSD test. Carrageenen induced hypersensitivity to both thermal and mechanical stimuli. Mechanical pain thresholds for the left and right paws were significantly lower (p<0.05) in animals that received stimulation compared to controls. This suggests that unilateral injection of an inflammatory agent can sensitize the S1 cortices bilaterally. However, no statistical difference was detected between cortically stimulated animals and controls in the normalized data for thermal latency. In conclusion, the results of this study partially support our hypothesis that stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex can cause hypersensitivity to mechanical pain. The results of this study provide insight into the mechanism of pain processing in the brain.

This project was supported by the Texas Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program (003656-0071-2009).

"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink?": Quantitating Barium Contamination in Private Well Water Samples from the Barnett Shale Region Presenter: Doug D. Carlton Jr., Chemistry Graduate 1:00 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): K. Schug (Chem/Biochem) Group members: Alexandra Robayo-Osorio, Laura R. Hunt, Hyppolite Oka, Brian E. Fontenot, Zacariah L. Hildenbrand, Bryan Bjorndal, Kevin A. Schug

Abstract: High quality drinking water is a universal standard of living. Governmental policy regulates surface and public drinking water quality, however, there is no authority monitoring groundwater cleanliness to private water wells, a resource received by approximately 15% of Americans. Recent expansion of natural gas extraction using hydraulic fracturing techniques from the Barnett Shale in North Texas has warranted an assessment of possible environmental impacts. Over 100 privately-owned water wells have been sampled in the Barnett Shale region and screened by multiple analytical techniques for an array of non-native compounds, possibly introduced by the hydraulic fracturing process. Barium is a species originating from bentonite which is currently used in high concentrations in drilling mud for various drilling applications. It is found naturally, but at much lower levels than that found in drilling mud or waters mixed with drilling mud. A precipitation method has been utilized to quantitate barium in the well water samples. A unique feature of the method is the use of a 96-well plate which greatly reduces analysis time for large sample populations. Experiments to examine contributions from the natural sample matrices have been necessarily addressed to maintain high accuracy and precision for the determinations. In general, the presence of a high concentration of barium in groundwater could hint to potential contamination by hydraulic fracturing processes. Here, we report these efforts, as well as general efforts to examine potential problems for private well water owners in the Barnett Shale region of North Texas.

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Development of natural product analogs for mechanistic and spectroscopic characterization of the O2-dependent tRNA modifying MiaE Presenter: Andra Carter, Chemistry Graduate 1:20 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Foss (Chemistry, Pierce (Chemistry)

Abstract: Post-translational modifications of transfer RNA (tRNA) are made to structurally diversify tRNA from the four primordial nucleoside building blocks, resulting in altered function and interactions with amino acids and the ribosomal machinery. Specifically, these alterations have been shown to affect tRNA function and specificity at the molecular level, which result in phenotypic changes related to cell survival, growth, and virulence in infective species. The enzymes that regulate these purine and pyrimidine biotransformations provide a rich area of enzymatic study, and have proven useful for anticancer, antibiotic, antiviral studies. A variety of enzymes are utilized to modify tRNA. MiaE, 2-methylthio-N-6-isopentenyl adenosine(37)-tRNA monooxygenase, is one such enzyme. E. coli, along with many other symbiotic bacteria, lack MiaE, while the more virulent pathogens, such as S. typhimurium, tend to bear MiaE. Little work has been done on fully characterizing the active site and binding interactions of MiaE, but with this knowledge, inhibitor production may be possible. To comprehend MiaE's enzymatic capacity, we focus on characterizing the active site of MiaE with the aid of small molecule mimics. Several small molecule substrates were synthesized and assayed, leading to the ascertainment of MiaE's enzymatic rate and binding efficiency.

Wireless Interrogation of Microwave Transmission Line for Distributed Sensing Presenter: Erica A. Castillo, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Senior 10:20 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Haiying Huang (MAE) Group members: Mohammad, Irshad Xu, Xiang

Abstract: My work consists of a technique to wirelessly interrogate microwave transmission lines and demonstrated that narrowband reflectometry can be exploited for distributed sensing purposes. This sensor could be deployed to monitor structural integrity. In order to validate the principle of operation, a SMA cable was used as the microwave transmission line. The normalized backscattered signal from 36 inch SMA cable, showed two clear reflected signals. The first pulse occurred at the switch terminal while the second pulse was due to the reflection at the cable cut. The cable cut serves as defect along the transmission line. The frequency spectrum of the reflected signal also matched very well with the resonant frequency of the receiving antenna. As the length of the cable was decreased, the two reflections started to merge due to the relatively long pulse durations. The results of the experiment demonstrated that narrowband reflectometry can be exploited for distributed sensing purposes. By converting the normalized backscattered signal into the time domain, the time between the two reflections can be correlated to a distance. Microwave transmission lines can serve as a distributed sensor for defect detection, characterization, and localization along its length. Currently, I am working on replacing the SMA cable with microstrip transmission lines and test them in a realistic scenario. In addition, the microwave switch will be replaced with a light-activated switch similar to the one described in Deshmukh's paper. The implementation of such as a switch will make the entire sensor wireless and batteryless.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. 17

Pediatric Tonsils: Potential Window on Pollution Presenter: Denise Cauble, Nursing Graduate Poster board: 19 Mentor(s): Patricia Newcomb (NURS), Andrew Hunt (GEO)

Abstract: Introduction: Air pollution, even at low levels, influences respiratory problems in children. Although tonsillar hyperplasia is responsible for significant respiratory morbidity in children, effects of pollution on tonsils have not been addressed. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of environment on respiratory health by demonstrating the feasibility of personal scanning electron microscopy (PSEM) in directly identifying exogenous pollution-related metals lodged in palatine tonsils. Method: A sample of 6 tonsil specimens was obtained from unidentified pediatric patients having tonsillectomy procedure. Slices of tonsil tissue were prepared on carbon planchettes. One hundred to 225 fields of view in each sample were examined by means of PSEM. Results: A wide range of exogenous metals were found embedded in tissue or macrophages, including iron, titanium, nickel, aluminum, copper, barium, zinc, silicates, and others. PSEM is a feasible, easily reproducible method of directly identifying metal particulates in tissue compared to previously documented methods of solubilizing tissue and analyzing the resulting liquid using spectrophotometry or other methods. Significance: Information regarding the identity of exogenous metals in pediatric tonsils will be instrumental in exploring associations between tonsillar hyperplasia and environmental exposures, such as proximity to roadways, urban drilling sites, manufacturing installations, and swimming pools. This is significant given that children are more vulnerable than adults to short and long-term effects of pollution, and children exposed to elevated levels of air pollution are those most likely to belong to groups that are vulnerable to adverse health disparities.

Role of MLL in DNA damage repair Presenter: Somdutta Chakraborty, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 57 Mentor(s): S. Mohanty (Department of Physics),S. Mandal (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry) Group members: L. Gu, S. Kasiri, A. Bhan,

Abstract: Proper recognition and repair of DNA damage is critical for the cell to protect its genomic integrity. Unrepaired damages in critical genes (such as tumor suppressor genes) can lead to failure of checkpoints, improper DNA replication, cell cycle progression, and enhanced likelihood of tumorigenesis and aging.Increasing amount of studies indicate that chromatin modifying factors participate in DNA damage recognition and repair, by modulating local chromatin structure and environment. MLLs are human histone H3 lysine-4 (H3K4) specific methyl-tranferases that play critical roles in gene expression. Because MLLs are associated with stress-response, genomic integrity, and cancer, we aim to examine if they are involved in DNA damage recognition and repair. In particular, MLL1 is also overexpressed upon exposure to mycotoxin stress (exposure deoxynivalenol or DON) that induces oxidative stress and DNA damage in cells. Laser micro- irradiation ranging in wavelength from UVA to NIR can be used to induce damage in a defined region of the cell nucleus, so as to effectively analyze the in vivo DNA DSB-damage recognition and repair process. In a preliminary study, we observed that, along with poly-ADP-ribosyl polymerase-1 (PARP1, a key player in DNA damage repair), MLL is enriched in some of the damaged DNA sites introduced by ultrafast near-IR laser micro-irradiation. The enrichment of MLL into the damaged DNA loci indicated that MLL may be potentially involved in DNA recognition/repair. Further studies are in progress to examine if MLL-interacting proteins are associated with DNA damage response.

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Genetically Engineered Protein Mimics for Bioremediation Presenter: Subhash Chand, Chemistry Graduate 9:20 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Roshan Perera Group members: Dr. S. Ray

Abstract: Toxic organic compounds have a devastating effect on human health. Oxidation of toxic organic compounds has become an area of huge interest in the field of bioremediation processes. Once oxidized, these compounds will be more water soluble and therefore, serve as a good carbon source for microorganisms. In order to achieve this remediation goal, it is important to design novel biocatalysts that are remarkably tolerant and accessible towards a wide array of toxic industrial byproducts. The powerful biotechnological technique, namely site directed mutagenesis, allows the incorporation of unnatural amino acids site-specifically into proteins inside living organisms and has given an effective biocatalyst for the detoxification of organic compounds. Furthermore insertion of a single oxygen atom into an inactivated substrate is an fascinating phenomenon in a variety of metalloenzymes, such as cytochrome P450. The mechanistic aspects of formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in oxygenation and peroxygenation reactions are not yet clearly understood, however the involvement of common ROS (Compound 0 and Compound I) have been proposed. Therefore, to understand proton transfer in monooxygenation, a holo-monooxygenase mimic have been generated using genetically incorporated redox- active 3-amino-L-tyrosine and dihydroxy-L-phenyl alanine into myoglobin active site. This mutant showed high turnover rates for thioanisole and benzaldehyde oxidation (reported for the first time with Mb) compared to wild-type. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide significant increase (9-fold to 81-fold) in activity have been observed. This study offers insight into the role of the active site protein environment in oxygen activation in heme proteins.

UTA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Green Biomimic Organocatalysis: Flavin Mimics and the Dakin Oxidation Presenter: Shuai Chen, Chemistry Graduate 8:20 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Frank W. Foss Jr

Abstract: Traditional Dakin Oxidation utilized harsh reaction condition such as heating, strong basic solution, dangerous oxidant, toxic heavy metals to convert aromatic aldehyde into phenol. Thus, a safer, greener and more efficient method is needed to tackle this problem. Flavin-derived organocatalysts are robust artificial mimics of enzymes that catalyze oxidation and reduction transformations in nature biological system. In this work, we applied flavin-derived organocatalysts in Dakin oxidation system. After optimization of the catalysts and reaction conditions, two simplified methodologies of performing Dakin Oxidation were developed. As a highlight, we showed the first example that using oxygen gas to conduct Dakin oxidation. These flavin catalyzed Dakin Oxidations provided solutions to improve Dakin Oxidation efficiency, reduce dangerous operation and hazard wastes production.

We would like to acknowledge the UT Arlington Research Enhancement Program (14-7488), the University of Texas at Arlington for generous funding of this program, and the NSF for a CRIF:MU grant (CHE-0840509). 19

RADICALIZATION AND SPREAD OF TERRORISM: THE CONTAGION AND SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES Presenter: Kingsley Chigbu, Social Work Graduate 2:00 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Alexa Smith-Osborne (Social Work)

Abstract: Terrorism is an imminent challenge to human existence. The ability of terrorists to have access to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)and other forms of strength including human capacity poses a danger to humanity. The radicalization and recruitment of young people and adults into terrorist groups has become a function of lack of efforts in addressing the phenomenon from a multi-theoretical perspective. This papare addresses radicalization and spread of terrorism, using the terroristic incidents in Nigeria (Boko Haram) as a focal point. The contagion theory and the social learning theories were evaluated in constructing a new model for understanding the process of radicalization and spread of terrorism. Implications for practice, human security, and sustainability are addressed.

Inspiring Cultural Awareness in Canadian-Born Chinese Presenter: Gladys Chow, Art Graduate Poster board: 26 Mentor(s): Robert Hower (ART)

Abstract: Although surrounded by influences from both the Canadian and Chinese cultures, individuals that are born in Canada and are of Chinese ethnicity, referred to as CBCs (Canadian-Born Chinese), show a decline in the understanding and practice of Chinese traditions, culture, and language. The purpose of this study is to create design deliverables to promote awareness of the decline of Chinese culture and traditions, as well as to inspire the CBC youth to practice their heritage language and deepen their heritage cultural understanding. Initial research related to the characteristics and upbringings of CBC youth were investigated to determine potential design aesthetics and considerations for the design deliverables in this study.

To encourage involvement of CBC youth with Chinese culture, a promotional display that integrates the use of Chinese and Canadian aesthetics and iconography will be placed in a large indoor, high-traffic environment in Canada. The display focuses on the celebration of Chinese New Year, and consists of a lattice design architecture where the audience can view engraved Chinese New Year greetings in Chinese and English, and a glass Chinese dragon structure that is illuminated when the audience interacts with the Chinese New Year icons designed on the maple-leaf shaped dragon scales.

While the results of this study are unknown, the significance of this display provides an educational and cultural opportunity for CBC youth to interact with their heritage culture and promote understanding of language and traditions to overcome potential communication and situational challenges they may encounter in a culturally diverse environment.

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The Viability of WebDMDX as a tool for Psycholinguistic Experiments Presenter: Samantha Cornelius, Linguistics Graduate Poster board: 54 Mentor(s): Jeffrey Witzel (LINGUISTICS)

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the viability of a web-based version of the DMDX software package, a program that displays stimuli and records participants' responses. In the original lab-based DMDX software package, display times are measured in screen refresh cycles, while the web version sets display durations in terms of milliseconds. It was unclear whether this new system allowed for the consistent and accurate display of experimental stimuli. To determine whether display times in web "DMDX" were comparable to those in "lab DMDX", identical experiments were conducted with each software package. The experiments consisted of two tasks; the first was a lexical decision task (LDT), in which the participant decided whether letter strings were words as quickly as possible. These letter strings were immediately preceded by briefly (for 33ms & 66ms) displayed related and unrelated words. The second task was an e-/a-detection task, in which the participant decided whether briefly presented (for 33, 50, 66, 83, 100, 150, & 250ms) words contained the letter 'e' or 'a'. Preliminary findings show that the two experiments yielded comparable levels of facilitation when letter strings were preceded by related words in the LDT and comparable e/a detection rates at each display duration. These findings indicate that display times are consistent and accurate in webDMDX and thus that this is a viable tool for conducting web-based cognitive/perceptual experiments involving tachistoscopic displays. A viable web-based software package affords the investigator more flexibility in participants and in gathering data outside of universities.

The Relationship between Locus of Control, Religiosity, and Personality. Presenter: Lauren Coursey, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 33 Mentor(s): J. Kenworthy (Psychology) Group members: Jared B. Kenworthy and Jenny Jones

Abstract: In this study, we examined the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and locus of control. A review of the literature indicated that results regarding the relationship between the two constructs have been mixed. We predicted that differences in personality could account for these inconsistent results. We used a multivariate approach to examine the relationship controlling for personality. In an online questionnaire participants completed scales for the Big-Five personality inventory, religious orientation, and locus of control. We found that one's religiosity significantly predicted their locus of control. Controlling for personality, those who were intrinsically religious exhibited an external locus of control, whereas those who were extrinsically religious exhibited an internal locus of control. Results highlight the need to account for personality differences in religiosity research and reveal the nuanced relationship between religious motivation and control beliefs.

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The Gating Mechanism of Cysteine Dioxygenase Presenter: Joshua Crowell, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 28 Mentor(s): Brad Pierce

Abstract: Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) is a non-heme mononuclear iron enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the catabolic dissimilation of L-cysteine (Cys) to produce cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA). As with most oxidase and oxygenase enzymes, activation of O2 in CDO is gated by substrate-binding. This behavior facilitates high catalytic efficiency and prevents enzymatic self-oxidation or production of potentially toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Two theories have been proposed to explain the substrate-gated O2 regulation exhibited by non-heme mononuclear iron enzymes; (1) thermodynamic gating of the FeII/FeIII redox couple and (2) Fe-site conformational changes which facilitate direct O2- coordination. We are investigating the mechanism of substrate-gated O2 activation employed by CDO using differential pulsed voltammetry (DPV) and stopped-flow UV-visible spectroscopy. DPV measurements on the as-isolated and substrate-bound CDO indicate only a modest decrease in the FeII/FeIII couple upon addition of substrate [DEp = -30 mV (Ag/AgCl) (2.9 kJ mol-1)]. This observation suggests that substrate-binding does not significantly perturb the redox couple of the active site and thus O2-activation does not appear to be thermodynamically gated. Sequential mixing stopped-flow UV-visible experiments are currently in progress in an effort to observe protein-dependent conformational changes upon complexation with substrate.

Mechanism of resistance and associated fitness costs to Rifaximin in Clostridium difficile Presenter: Uyen Dang, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 100 Mentor(s): Julian Hurdle (BIOL)

Abstract: Background: C. difficile infections (CDIs) are a leading cause of death in hospitalized elderly patients in the US. Due to limited treatment options, rifaximin (RFX), a semisynthetic derivative of rifampicin (RMP) that binds to RpoB, is undergoing development as a therapy for CDI. However, a high frequency of RMP-resistance is found among clinical isolates in some hospital centers. To explain this, we sought to determine if a fitness cost is associated with rifamycin resistance in C. difficile and define RFX resistance alleles. Methods: RFX-resistant mutants were selected at 4 and 32 x its MIC against C. difficile BAA-1875. The MICs of RFX were re-determined against mutants. The fitness cost was estimated by standard mixed-culture competition assays. Results: RFX-mutants arose at a frequency of 10-8, and had MICs ranging from 64 - >256 µg/mL. Point mutations were detected in RpoB at position 550 i.e. S550Y/F. This allelic site has been shown to confer RMP resistance in S. aureus. Our present studies indicate that RFX resistance did not impose a significant fitness cost for S550F mutants, but S550Y appears to affect fitness. Discussion: Mutations at position 550 also cause RFX resistance in C. difficile, without imposing a fitness burden. Future studies will need to evaluate additional RFX and RMP-selected resistance alleles for their fitness costs and impact on virulence.

This work was supported in party by the LSAMP and the department of Microbiology 22

Repurposing in the English Language Presenter: Brian Daniels, Education and Curriculum Instruction Graduate 3:20 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Stodnik (ENGL)

Abstract: Take a quick listen to the radio's Top 40 hits, and you will likely hear this small list of words that have all come to mean "drunk:" tipsy, hosed, crunk, hammered, and wasted. However, each of these words does not exclusively mean drunk. What changed? How did it change? When? These questions piqued my interest in the history of the English language and were the starting point at which I conducted a survey into the many synonyms of the word drunk. What resulted from my research and surveys were a total of 63 different synonyms and a new understanding and belief that the English language is, and has always been, characterized by the conversion of preexisting words, e.g., by the use of a metaphor. This study will explore the early occurrences of these conversions in Old English and will conclude with a detailed analysis of the obtained synonyms of drunk, citing their root definitions and clearly illustrating how and when this new definition came into being.

User Feedback Mining of Collaborative Social Content Presenter: Mahashweta Das, Computer Science Engineering Graduate Poster board: 37 Mentor(s): Gautam Das (CSE)

Abstract: The widespread use and growing popularity of online collaborative content sites (e.g., Yelp, Amazon, IMDB) has created rich resources for users to consult in order to make purchasing decisions on various items such as restaurants, e- commerce products, etc. It has also created new opportunities for content producers of such items to build new improved products that are likely to generate maximum positive response from users. My research concerns developing data mining algorithms for performing aggregate analytics over user feedback available from collaborative content sites in order to benefit experience and decision making of both content producers and consumers. The key challenges exist in the form of information explosion and overload, besides user-item interaction intractability. For example, a popular restaurant listed in Yelp can receive thousands of ratings and reviews, resulting in an overwhelming amount of information (information explosion) that users may find difficult to cope with (information explosion). My research develops a framework for aggregate analytics of user feedback on items that help content consumers make more informed judgment (e.g., if a user will enjoy eating at the restaurant [VLDB'11]) as well as content producers build more improved new items (e.g., a re- designed menu to draw more people [SIGKDD'11]). We model the correlation between user feedback and user, item attributes as an optimization task and design principled algorithms to solve the problems efficiently. We experiment on real datasets crawled from Amazon and IMDB to demonstrate the utility of our problem and effectiveness of our solutions.

- This work was partially supported by NSF grants 0812601, 0915834, 1018865, a NHARP grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and grants from Microsoft Research and Nokia Research. - VLDB'11: Mahashweta Das, Sihem Amer-Yahia, Gautam Das and Cong Yu. MRI: Meaningful Interpretation of Collaborative Ratings. 37th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB). 2011. - SIGKDD'11: Mahashweta Das, Gautam Das and Vagelis Hristidis. Leveraging Collaborative Tagging for Web Item Design. 17th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (SIGKDD). 2011

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An Accurate Mathematical Model for Performance Analysis of IEEE 802.11e WLAN Presenter: Sajib Datta, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 1:20 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Sajal K. Das (CSE)

Abstract: We propose an accurate mathematical model to compute the performance and to estimate the capacity of IEEE 802.11e EDCA (Enhanced Distributed Channel Access) WLAN. EDCA characterizes four access categories such as voice, video, best effort and background in terms of their quality of service (QoS) requirements. We derive the service rate of access point, voice call capacity, TCP throughput and bandwidth utilization using the proposed three dimensional Markov model. The results obtained from the analytical approach match well with simulation results. Results show that the proposed model outperforms most of the existing models.

Constructing Louisiana - The Role of the Balize in Perpetuating French Identity Presenter: Justin T. Dellinger, History Graduate 8:20 am, Concho Mentor(s): Christopher Morris (History)

Abstract: The Mississippi River Basin became a focal point of French colonial efforts in Louisiana during the first half of the eighteenth century. Louisiana's recognizable bird-foot delta, however, presented an incredibly unstable physical environment, making it difficult to sustain population centers. Despite the myriad of problems that the delta posed, French leaders maintained a consistent policy for colonizing and defense. Corresponding with commercial and imperial competition, the strong correlation between the Enlightenment and colonial settlement practices elucidates French plans in the Balize Delta during the early eighteenth century. Careful investigation of the manuals written by Vauban, the most renowned French military engineer, reveals his perceived universal models for suitable fortifications in specific environments. His ideas made the transatlantic journey to French colonies in North America, evidenced by the maps and plans for the establishment of a settlement called the Balize, located at the mouth of the Mississippi River. These documents epitomize the Western, and particularly French, ideas of a proper, fortified settlement. Evaluation of these French maps and plans, produced during the 1720s-1730s, reveals a desire to recreate and transplant European traditions in the foreign environment of North America by making reality match ideas written on paper. The French firmly believe that the mouth of the Mississippi could be subordinated and reconstructed in the image and traditions of France. By trying to make the river conform to their perceptions, the French ultimately failed. Conversely, it is the French economic and administration practices that truly shaped the societal space of Louisiana.

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In-depth optogenetic stimulation of brain regions using fibre-optics Presenter: Kamal Dhakal, Physics Graduate 2:00 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Mohanty (Physics) Group members: Rahul Patil, Ling Gu,Torry S Dennis, Dr. Mohanty

Abstract: Manipulation of brain function by stimulation of targeted neurons expressing opsins with blue light has proved optogenetics as a powerful tool in neuroscience. However, in in-vivo conditions, due to absorption and scattering, significant loss of light with increasing depth occurs. Therefore, in-depth stimulation of neurons in behaving animals is extremely invasive as it requires delivery of light in close proximity to the cells of interest. This also leads to difficulty in exciting spatially localized neurons with single (blue) photon at large depths. In contrast, use of near-infrared two-photon beams high spatial precision in optogenetic activation can be achieved by virtue of non-linear nature of ultrafast light- matter interaction. Here we report in-depth fiber-optic two-photon optogenetic stimulation (FO-TPOS) of neurons in-vivo in mouse models. The TPOS allows sub-cellular stimulation and enabled us to probe neuronal circuitry in central nervous system. Further, Monte Carlo simulation shows the in-depth stimulation efficiency of TPOS as compared to conventional single-photon source. Furthermore, we characterized two-photon activation efficacy at different near-infrared laser parameters (pulse width, wavelength, repetition rate, intensity etc) so as to optimize the deep-brain stimulation strategy. Manipulation of in-depth neuronal circuitry in ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain was achieved using FO-TPOS as confirmed by immuno-histochemistry. Analyzed data showed that FO-TPOS is temporally and spatially precise with grater-depth efficiency.FO-TPOS as demonstrated by us will lead to better understanding of the in-vivo neural circuitry because this technology permits noninvasive and more precise anatomical delivery of stimulation.

Maintaining and Shaping Network Topology for Privacy and Performance Presenter: Harsha Doreswamy, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 10:00 am, Red River Mentor(s): DR. Matthew Wright

Abstract: Anonymous communications systems provide an important privacy service by keeping passive eavesdroppers from linking communicating parties. This service can be beneficial to intelligence agencies and journalists across the globe. Tor, Anonymizer and MixMaster are few examples which provide anonymous communication services. Each of these systems uses network topologies, to achieve anonymity. In a system like Tor, the network topology is constructed at random. Constructing the network topology at random provides good anonymity, however the performance of this system may decrease. Two methods have been developed to improve the performance of Tor. The first method uses Expander graphs. The second method uses a scale-free graph using Barabási-Albert (BA) model, biased on bandwidth. Maintenance of the network topology proves to be a costly affair in an anonymous system. This paper mainly focuses on efficiently maintaining these network topologies. Expander graphs provide good anonymity at the same time it easy to maintain. However, expander does not consider the bandwidth of the nodes. To overcome this issue, a scale-free graph with Barabási-Albert (BA) model is used. We intend to perform experiments to compare the performance of both methods and compare it against the existing Tor system.

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Colony Collapse Disorder Dynamics in Apis mellifera Presenter: Lindsey Dornberger, Biology Senior Poster board: 85 Mentor(s): Kojouharov (MATH), Grover (BIOL), Kribs-Zaleta (MATH) Group members: Christopher Mitchell, Brian Hull

Abstract: A mysterious problem has developed within honey bee populations; in a worst case scenario, bee hives will spontaneously collapse as the entire population disappears from the hive. This phenomenon has been named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The problem is recent and has no known cause, though it is surmised to stem from one or multiple infections. Though the causative agent(s) of CCD remains unknown, there are several defining factors of an "infected" colony; disappearance of the majority of hive bees while the queen remains, and the avoidance of the abandoned hive by scavenging species. Absence of bee carcasses suggest the forager bees, whose job it is to obtain food for the colony, evacuate once affected. Adolescent hive bees, who care for the larval bees and the queen, are then drawn into premature foraging behavior. In order to gain insight into the possible dynamics of this phenomenon, we created a mathematical model that simulates the dynamics of a healthy hive. To this model we then add equations representing the disorder affecting the population. These equations account for the rapid exodus of forager bees from the hive; the loss of forager bees initiates the collapse of the entire colony. Our model predicts that the transition rate from hive bee to forager bee, along with the queen's reproductive rate, dictates the outcome of an affected colony.

This research is part of an undergraduate research training program at UT Arlington supported by an NSF UBM- Institutional grant DUE#0827136

When 'Oops, Sorry' Isn't Enough: Tiger Woods and Image Repair Presenter: James Dunning, Communications Graduate 2:00 pm, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): T. Christie (COMM) Group members: Michael Agee

Abstract: This paper studies media coverage of professional golfer Tiger Woods as allegations of extra-marital affairs in 2009 destroyed his image as a model family man and corporate pitchman and his use of image repair theory to restore that image. Thirty-four articles from sports columnists (sanctioning agents according to symbolic-convergence theory) writing for newspapers, tabloids, magazines and websites were chosen for content analysis. Content analysis determined columnists generally supported Woods and believed he needed to apologize and provide more details about his private indiscretions to fans and the media. In keeping with image repair theory, Woods used mortification, corrective action and transcendence in his communication efforts to repair his image.

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Performing measurements in anonymity systems for improving their performance Presenter: Subhasish Dutta Chowdhuri, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 2:00 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Matthew Wright

Abstract: Anonymous communication systems protect the privacy of their users by hiding who is communicating with whom. With the widespread use of the Internet, anonymous systems are all the more essential to support applications having strong privacy requirements such as intelligence gathering, military communications or e-voting protocols. Anonymity systems must optimally balance security and performance to remain popular with its users. The purpose of this work is to perform measurements on anonymity systems to improve their performance. We use an existing technique to map out the relative delays between hosts that saves a lot of communication overhead. Using this data, we create an overlay expander network topology which is biased towards performance. The experiments are performed on a deployment of Tor, a popular anonymity system, running on a network emulation platform. An estimate of the latency between the nodes beforehand will help us create an overlay network topology which is biased towards performance and hence build circuits in Tor which would improve its performance.

Is Cognitive Processing Speed a Parameter Of Gait? Presenter: Kara Edgerton, Kinesiology Senior Poster board: 82 Mentor(s): John Biggan, M.S.(PSYC), Forest Melton, M.S. (KINE), Vale Shannon (PSYC), Wyn Taylor (PSYC), Chris Ray, Ph.D.(KINE)

Abstract: Previous research suggests cognitive ability and gait are related. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between cognitive processing speed and gait. Specifically, we hypothesized that decreased speed on three cognitive processing tasks would be associated with abnormal locomotion. Twenty-nine older adults (18 females, 11 males), age 55 to 92 (M=75.54, SD=7.87) were recruited from a cohort of older individuals taking part in an exercise intervention through the Center for Healthy Living & Longevity at the University of Texas at Arlington. Spatial and temporal measurements of gait were collected using the GAITRite electronic walkway (CIR Systems Inc., NY). Three measures of mental processing speed (reaction time, letter comparison, and picture comparison) were employed to provide processing speed scores for the participants. Reaction time (RT) and letter comparison (LC) were not significantly correlated with any gait variables. However, the speed of response on the picture comparison (PC) task was significantly correlated with cadence (r=-0.50, p= 0.009), step time (L & R) (L; r=0.37, p=0.04 & R; r=0.50, p=0.008), and double stance time (L & R) (r=0.37, p=0.03). These findings indicate that those with reduced processing speed were taking slower, shorter steps (i.e. shuffling). Based on anecdotal self-report by the participants, the PC task was the most challenging. In this case, task difficultly may play a role in the relationship between gait and cognitive processing speed. Therefore, gait may be a valuable tool for assessing cognitive changes associated with aging, but only for more challenging cognitive domains.

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SYNTHESIS OF QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALTS FOR APPLICATION AS ANTIFOULING AGENTS Presenter: Houda El Fakir, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 77 Mentor(s): Carl J. Lovely (Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Abstract: Antifouling agents are used to prevent accumulation of marine fouling, which is the unwanted growth of marine inhabitants on the hulls of ships and other surfaces submerged in water. Removal of biofouling has come with an environmental and economic cost. Traditional antifouling paints release toxic chemicals, which can have a large impact on the marine environment near these coatings. There have been legal moratoriums limiting the utilization of these toxic chemicals. These chemicals include organometallic compounds, such as tributyltin, which have an environmental liability on aquatic organisms. Therefore, our objective was to find non-lethal chemical alternatives to the current compounds and to minimize the process of creating these coatings. Two classes of natural products investigated for deterrence were the cannabinoids and capsaicinoids, which demonstrate non-toxic antifouling efficacy against zebra mussel accumulation on marine surfaces (Angarano et. al, 2009). Our laboratory has made and tested the efficacy of these two natural products, and demonstrated the efficacy as antifouling agents. The objective of my research is to prepare smaller less complex molecules, not modified from natural products, which will have the same effect as the natural products, but require less chemical preparation to construct, thus limiting the environmental footprint of these marine coatings. My research has been divided into two parts; the identification of quaternary ammonium salts which have bioantifouling effects and the preparation of compounds suitable for surface attachment. Quaternary ammonium salts have a higher solubility in aqueous environments than normal amines, and could be more effective in the coating process.

Learning joint information integration and control decision strategies Presenter: Rasool Fakoor, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 1:00 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Manfred Huber (CSE),;Sajal K. Das (CSE)

Abstract: Most approaches used today treat information integration and decision as separate problems and either consider data integration as a passive process that happens but does not modify the decision process or deal with data integration as a the main problem, making decision a secondary task that only serves the data collection process. High complexity, inflexibility and ineffectiveness are the major problems of those methods. To address those, we are developing an integrated, adaptive approach to information collection and integration and decision making that allows to learn active sensing (information collection and integration) and task strategies that optimize the overall task performance using only sparse feedback about task performance. To reduce the complexity, we are handling the perceptual process locally which makes it easier to track statistics and simplify the process. Moreover, it gives the ability to have approximate learning process. The learning process in each step is improved by sensory information. We have applied this approach to Vision- based Robotics. In our setup, we have simulated a robot which a camera is installed on it. The robot keeps tracking of moving object meanwhile put the camera and himself in the direction that target is visible to robot. The decision part is moving camera/robot and information is targeting position. By using this method, the complexity of decision process has been decreased and it can be applied to problems in which exact methods are intractable. Moreover, the proposed method especially approximate decision process makes it possible to model the problem in compact representation which is computationally inexpensive.

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Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assay for Estrogen Measurement in Blood Plasma Presenter: Hui Fan, Chemistry Graduate 11:00 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug Group members: Samuel H. Yang

Abstract: Measurement of blood estrogen levels is essential for studying estrogen related diseases, which include but are not limited to various types of cancer (e.g. breast and ovarian cancer), osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases. A routine estrogen assay requires high sensitivity because of the low physiological concentrations of estrogens and the presence of endogenous interferences associated with analysis from blood plasma. Currently, immunoassays are primarily used for quantifying estrogens, however, they cannot achieve the required level of sensitivity in all cases. The proposed method takes advantage of highly sensitive mass spectrometric detection, providing 3-4 orders of magnitude more sensitive measurements than traditional immunoassays. Estrone, estradiol and estriol (endogenous estrogen hormones) were targeted and were chemically altered by reacting with a derivatizing agent to facilitate the detection. A novel trap-and-elute on-line sample cleanup procedure was used to accelerate the analysis. Blood plasma sample was loaded onto a size-exclusion column where the large endogenous compounds (e.g. proteins) were filtered out, and small molecules including estrogens retained and were backflushed onto a second analytical column for determination. This method provides low picogram level estrogen measurement, and is featured with simple and high throughput sample pretreatment, which is beneficial for routine measurement.

Discovering the Phonology of Plains Indian Sign Language Presenter: Jennifer Farley, Linguistics Senior Poster board: 78 Mentor(s): Colleen Fitzgerald (LING)

Abstract: Plains Indian Sign Language, or PISL, is a linguistic variety that once was widely used amongst Indians on the Great Plains to communicate within and between tribes. It is still used by some signers today. While Jeffery Davis has provided very useful information on PISL (Hand Talk 2010), little systematic research has been done in its phonology, or sound system. My study analyzes two aspects of PISL's phonology. I examined 27 minutes of film of PISL signers (Hand Talk www.pislresearch.com) and found a significant amount of two phonological transformations. All languages transform when spoken fluently, often unbeknownst to the speaker (Linguistics of American Sign Language 2000). Transformations in the basic parts of the language's phonology can distinguish languages from forms of communication with more limited function and linguistic structure, like pidgins. The transformations found in PISL involve the connections between signs. Much like the gaps between spoken words, the gaps between signs are hot spots for signs to be altered from their natural state. Analysis of PISL footage shows the signers adding connecting movements between signs, a process called movement epenthesis. Additionally, their hands maintain certain aspects of signs in transitioning between one and two-handed signs, processes called anticipation and perseveration. Documenting these two transformations provides preliminary evidence that PISL may indeed be a full language rather than a pidgin. PISL needs more research into its phonology, and this study provides insight into that structure, as well as into the properties of signed communication in general.

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Capitalist Transformations in the Wake of Apocalypse: Akira and The Last of the O-Forms Presenter: Sean Farrell, English Senior 9:20 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Barclay

Abstract: Akira, an anime directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, and The Last of the O-Forms, a short story written by James van Pelt, interrogate issues of capitalism and history through apocalypse in order to produce new historicities for Japan and America, respectively. Both texts incorporate themes of mutation and destruction/reconstruction in order to create new modes of production. Akira and O-Forms both question what it means to be human by producing humans that are not "normal," that have mutated into something "other." In Akira, Tetsuo is reborn into an amorphous monster, clearly signaling the point of departure from human to other, and destroying the city of Neo-Tokyo in his wake, entailing a mode of destruction that repeats the past destruction of the city that disallows the Japanese mindset of the "forgetting" of history. In O-Forms, on the other hand, exploitation of the past problematizes acceptance of the future, and ultimately makes money from it. Where Akira sees the past as something to be erased, O-Forms sees it as something to be exploited, and where Akira sees the future as a site for new modes of capitalist destruction, O-Forms sees it as a site for new modes of capitalist production. In the end, both texts engage with the ideas of how we manipulate and use history to create new modes of production that ultimately lead not just to apocalypse, but to the denial of history and of self, and the promise of a darker future should we not learn from the past.

The effect of filler-matrix interface and filler dispersion on the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Presenter: Sheikh Fahad Ferdous, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 3:00 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Ashfaq Adnan

Abstract: Polymer nanocomposite materials are built from the nanoscale through a hierarchical assembly of nano inclusions (spheres, nanotubes, platelets) into polymer matrix. The great advantage of nanocomposites is that their mechanical properties can be dramatically improved, without varying any overall weight, by altering some key process variables such as nanoparticle size, shape, volume fraction, degree of dispersion, characteristics of polymer matrix and interactions between filler and matrix at their interface.They have potential applications in defense, automotive, energy and many others. Experimental results on nanocomposite materials, however, showed a diverse pool of results. Processing difficulties, unavailability of characterization tools and techniques, and mostly our immature knowledge in this field are often considered as the reasons why there is such a disparity between prediction and reality.In this study, using classical molecular dynamics simulation approach, we have attempted to identify the key factors that control the structure-property relations of polymer nanocomposites. We have considered two key process variables - the effect of degree of dispersion and the intensity of filler and matrix interface interactions. Several molecular models of fullerene bucky-balls (C60) reinforced polyethylene (PE) nanocomposites were developed by varying the degree of C60 dispersion and PE-C60 interface strength. Virtual mechanical tests on these atomistic models were then performed using MD simulation. Our simulation results indicate that uniformly dispersed C60-PE nanocomposites exhibits enhanced properties than clustered C60-PE nanocomposites. The interface strength of the filler-matrix interface has diverse effect. As such, our study delivers key information regarding the structure-property relations of structural nanocomposites.

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Measurement of properties of the Z and W bosons from the ATLAS experiment Presenter: Last Feremenga, Physics Graduate 2:40 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Jaehoon Yu Group members: Heeyun Kim

Abstract: A good understanding of the properties of the W and the Z bosons offers many clues that may help particle physicists discover new elementary particles of nature. As this is one of the main objectives of particle physics, it becomes essential to explore every facet of these bosons. We present the results from a study of the kinematic properties of such bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Center for Nuclear and Particle physics, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. In particular, we present the measured mass distribution of these two particles from the most current data from the ATLAS experiment, and compare them with the theoretical predictions. Although the properties of the Z boson are very well known, those of the W boson are known to uncertainties of about ten times that of the Z bosons. Improved results of W and Z boson properties are presented.

People of Tall Stature and Spatial Accommodation Presenter: Thomas Foster, History Junior 10:20 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Sarah Rose(Hist),Hicks(Engl),

Abstract: Despite the positive reforms procured by the Americans with Disabilities Act, one group of disabled persons remain obscure and largely unrecognized. While the ADA makes laudable provisions for people of short stature based on their height, granting them status as persons with disabilities and the accommodations that accompany this status, such accommodations have yet to materialize for people of unusually tall stature. This paper investigates the lives of two humans, one a professional "giant" and the other the tallest human in recorded history. I will examine the exhibition of people as "freaks" in the American Side Show during twentieth century due to their height, as well as the effects on their self perception and well being and further demonstrate that in a highly standardized society individuals with bodies which are normative except in height are disabled due to the lack of spatial accommodations available to them within this societal framework. I will establish that "giant" is a social construction, and that people of tall stature are no different than anyone else except their bodies demand for more spatial accommodation than is usually required. I will also address the reasons as to why people of tall stature have not been viewed as disabled, such as positive stereotypes regarding people of tall stature from the marketing of the tall body associated with modern professional sports and the many other embedded positive stereotypes associated with tall stature. The argument will conclude by highlighting the need for spatial accommodation for people of tall stature.

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African American participants’ views on racial disparities in drug court outcomes Presenter: John R. Gallagher, Social Work Graduate 1:40 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Joan Rycraft (Social Work), Debra Woody (Social Work), Maria Scannapieco (Social Work), Rebecca Hegar (Social Work), Alejandro del Carmen (Criminology and Criminal Justice)

Abstract: Drug courts were developed to offer treatment as an alternative to incarceration for criminal offenders with a history of substance abuse. Drug courts appear to be meeting their goal of reducing criminal recidivism; however, the drug court literature has suggested that racial disparities exist in drug court outcomes. Specifically, Caucasians are more likely than other ethnicities to graduate drug court and not recidivate following graduation.

Based on the results of a systematic review of the drug court literature, no studies have used qualitative methods to explore the factors that may contribute to racial disparities in drug court outcomes. This qualitative study contributes to the drug court literature by asking African American participants of the Tarrant County, Texas drug court questions related to the factors that may contribute to racial disparities in drug court outcomes. Notable findings from the study are that African American participants felt that the program could be improved by not mandating attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, as the format of AA and NA is not consistent with their culture. Additionally, participants felt that African American participants were treated differently in court when they were on sanctions, as compared to Caucasian and Hispanic participants. The findings suggest that racial disparities may exist in drug court outcomes because some interventions are not implemented in a culturally competent, evidence-based manner, especially interventions provided to African American participants. Recommendations are discussed in relationship to social work practice, policy, and research.

The application of Spontaneous Water Imbibition and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry in Permeability Measurement. Presenter: Zhiye Gao, Science Graduate 10:40 am, Neches Mentor(s): Qinhong Hu (GEOL)

Abstract: Permeability is one of the most important properties in the research of porous media, such as building materials and gas/oil reservoir rocks. The first part of our work is to introduce a new approach to measuring the effective permeability of building materials by using spontaneous water imbibition. A new linear relationship between water imbibition rate and the reciprocal of air recovery is derived and used as the basic theory to obtain the permeability information. The impact of buoyant-force change on the imbibition results is taken into consideration, which makes our results more accurate and reliable. The calculated effective permeabilities of three building materials (limestone, concrete and brick) are reasonably compared with permeability data in the literature. The second part is the application of Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) in permeability measurement. Porosimetry is the measurements of pore size, volume, distribution, density, and other porosity-related characteristics of a material; this work is focuses on permeability. We have performed MIP measurements on several samples including Barnett shale, sandstone, concrete, limestone and brick. Considering the difficulty in measuring the permeability of tight rocks like shale, our results are comparable with permeability data in the literature.

This research was supported by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LNNL), Livermore, CA. LNNL is operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. 32

Total synthesis of Leucetta-alkaloids: Isonaamine C, isonaamidine E and related compounds Presenter: Beatriz Garcia-Barboza, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 73 Mentor(s): Carl J. Lovely (Chemistry and Biochemistry) Group members: Heather M. Lima, Carl J. Lovely

Abstract: The total synthesis of Leucetta-derived natural products has been an objective in our lab for several years. The total syntheses of two alkaloids, isonaamine C and isonaamidine E, were accomplished in 6 and 7 steps starting from 4,5- diiodoimidazole. The synthetic approach was based on successful work previously developed by our lab to access related natural products. Both compounds have been found to exhibit anti-cancer activity against stomach and liver cancer cell lines. Furthermore, a synthetic approach toward the total synthesis of kealiiquinone, a cyclic member of the Leucetta alkaloid family, has been an ongoing endeavor. An intramolecular Diels-Alder approach has proven successful in constructing the benzimidazole framework of our target compound. An investigation of various Diels-Alder substrates will be presented as a way of completing the total synthesis of kealiiquinone.

Stories of Our Lives: How We Perceive Ourselves Across Time Presenter: Daisy Garza, Psychology Senior 2:40 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): T. Odegard (PSYC)

Abstract: The sense of discontinuity of the self, as in the sense that one is not the same person he or she has always been, is diachronic disunity. The adoption of the discontituity metaphor of the self is the basis for diachronic disunity. It is proposed that social comparison theory, as well as theories of egocentric and change biases, provide validity for the adoption of the discontinuity metaphor of the self as a coping mechanism for individuals to deal with a not-so-desirable past. This study is comprised of a series of questionnaires, which will gather demographic information as well as a history of any mental health problems, and measure: current and past self-esteem, self continuity (in terms of how many times in their lives participants they can remember feeling as though they were no longer the same person), coping strategies, and number and quality of life-changing experiences. The focus of data analysis in this study will be on differences in current and past self-esteem between diachronically disunified individuals and diachronically unified individuals. It is expected that, as a result of egocentric and change bias, as well as the effect of downward social comparison employed upon one's past self by his or her current self, individuals experiencing diachronic disunity will have significantly lower scores for past self self- esteem than for current self self-esteem, in comparison with corresponding self-esteem scores of individuals that are diachronically unified. It is also expected that diachronically disunified individuals will report more life-changing experiences than unified individuals.

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Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Quorum Sensing Interactions in Bacteria Presenter: Sarah Gauntt, Mathematics Senior Poster board: 96 Mentor(s): Hristo Kojouharov (Mathematics);James Grover (Biology) Group members: Mark Jackson, An Lu, Tina Vu, Stephanie Campos

Abstract: Quorum sensing is a mechanism used to regulate bacterial population density through the production of signal molecules or to initiate biofilm formation, which increases resistance against antibiotics. Signal molecules induce some bacteria to produce even more signal molecules, a phenomenon known as autoinduction. Fast and slow growing strains of the same bacterial species were investigated, in which four ordinary differential equations were used to model the dynamics of these strains, antibiotic, and the signal molecule in the system. Only the fast-growing strain was capable of producing signal molecules. These molecules induce some of the fast-growing strain to be converted to the slow-growing strain, which is more resistant to the antibiotic. Using numerical and analytical methods, equilibria and stability were analyzed with and without autoinduction. Three types of equilibrium were found: trivial, semi-trivial, and non-trivial. In the trivial case, both of the bacterial strains were eliminated by the antibiotic, and the slow-growing strain survived in the semi-trivial case. The stability of these two equilibria was fully analyzed. However, the non-trivial case, with both strains surviving, proved to be too complicated to prove stability analytically, and numerical simulations were utilized to show its stability. In the case with autoinduction, few differences were noted when compared to the data without autoinduction. However, autoinduction may still have profound effects on the dynamics when the antibiotic is dosed periodically or have an impact on the duration of the infection.

This research is part of an undergraduate research training program at UT Arlington (UTTER, http://www.uta.edu/math/utter/), supported by an NSF UBM-Institutional grant DUE#0827136.

Improving the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks: A Markov chain-based duty cycling scheme Presenter: Giacomo Ghidini, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 9:00 am, Red River Mentor(s): Sajal K. Das (CSE)

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks consists of small battery-powered devices sensing the environment and relaying the sensed data to a base station over a multi-hop wireless network. To extend the life time of a wireless sensor network, sensor nodes usually switch between dormant and active states according to a duty cycling scheme. In randomized schemes, sensors use only partial or no information about their neighbors, and rely on randomness to generate working schedules. Duty cycling schemes are often evaluated in terms of the connection delay, i.e., the time until two neighboring nodes are simultaneously active, and the connection duration, i.e., the time until at least one of them switches to the dormant state. In this presentation, we argue that duty cycling time (energy) efficiency, i.e., the ratio of time (energy) employed in ancillary operations when switching from and into deep sleep mode, is an important performance metric too. We propose a novel randomized duty cycling scheme based on Markov chains with the goals of (i) reducing the connection delay, while maintaining a given time (energy) efficiency, or (ii) keeping a constant connection delay, while increasing the time (energy) efficiency. Analytical results demonstrate that the Markov chain-based scheme can improve the performance in terms of connection delay by several percentage points without affecting the time efficiency, or vice versa, as opposed to the trade-off observed in traditional schemes. Experimental results using Sun SPOT sensor nodes confirm the mathematical analysis of the proposed Markov chain-based randomized scheme.

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Jury Decision-Making Based on Pretrial Publicity and Admissibility of Evidence Presenter: LaQruishia Gill, Psychology Senior 3:00 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Timothy Odegard

Abstract: A well-established issue within the judicial system in the United States concerns the measures necessary to insure a fair trial for the defendant. This study explores pretrial publicity and the admissibility of evidence in the court room; these two facets generate speculation concerning the ability to guarantee rights specified by the Sixth Amendment, especially when there is pretrial presentation of a specific piece of evidence in the media that may later prove inadmissible in a court of law. This research was performed using participants from the University of Texas at Arlington, and the study examined the impact of admissibility and pretrial presentation of evidence in various combinations, using a 2 (Pretrial Publicity: Evidence-Present, Evidence-Absent) x 3 (Admissibility: Evidence-Ruled-Admissible, Evidence-Ruled-Inadmissible, Evidence-Not-Introduced) between subjects design. Participants were exposed to a news reports, followed by a transcript of a court case and a brief survey exactly one week later. The assumption was that, when reinforced by pretrial publicity, a particular piece of evidence would result in a greater percentage of guilty verdicts especially when deemed inadmissible during trial. We discovered a significant number of participants who could not correctly remember the source of the information that they had based their verdict on. The implications of this and other findings are that there are more steps necessary to insure that the standards of the justice system are met when it comes to selecting jurors who have been exposed to extraneous information concerning a court case.

Evaluation of Fictive Locomotion as a Method to discriminate motor-related activity in peripheral nerve interfaces Presenter: Rafael Granja-Vazquez, Biology Graduate Poster board: 48 Mentor(s): Mario I. Romero-Ortega Group members: Sanjay Anand, Aswini Kanneganti

Abstract: Advanced robotic prosthetic limbs closely mimic the complex movement of a human hand. However, providing natural feel and control remains as one of the greatest challenges in bionics. Our lab has developed a regenerative multielectrode interface (REMI) that can interface the amputated peripheral nerve, and guide its regeneration through an 18-electrode array. The mixed nature of the regeneration process makes it difficult to determine the extent in which those recordings relate to motor or sensory related activities. To overcome this limitation we hypothesized that eliciting rhythmic locomotion through controlled electric stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region, known to recruit the central pattern generator, can produce rhythmic limb movement mimicking walking (ie., fictive locomotion), which in turn will be able to discriminate motor-related activity at the REMI. Here we report that while non-injured animals were able to engage in fictive locomotion, those with peripheral nerve interfaces in the sciatic nerve, failed to do so in the hind limbs. Possible explanations to this marked difference between normal and regenerated nerves will be presented.

This work is supported by DARPA 35

A digital wireless closed-loop system for inhibition of nociceptive signals Presenter: Christopher Hagains, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 16 Mentor(s): Y.B. Peng (PSYC), J.C. Chiao (EE) Group members: Chiao Zuo, Yang Wang, Ailing Li, Xiaofei Yang

Abstract: Neurostimulation has been used to inhibit nociceptive signals for pain management. A digital wireless system with real- time feedback between recording and stimulating modules was developed to achieve multi-channel communication. The system includes a wireless recording module, wireless stimulation module, and a transceiver connected to a computer. The recording module digitizes the neuronal signals with an analog-to-digital convertor (ADC) and the wireless communication utilizes the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bandwidth at 2.4GHz. In the recorder module, the neuronal signals pass through an analog filter with a pass band from 300 Hz to 10 kHz, and a two-stage amplifier with a total gain of 2200. The signals are digitized by an 8-bit ADC with a 10ksps sample rate and transmitted wirelessly to the computer. The stimulator module generates stimulation pulses upon reception of commands sent wirelessly from the control computer and a USB dongle. The frequency, duration and voltage of the pulses are adjustable. In the stimulator module, the radio chip receives control signals from the computer and the microcontroller generates stimulation pulses according to the commands. The stimulation parameters are adjustable for pulse frequency, duration and voltage. The feedback algorithm is implemented in custom-made software with recorded data displayed in a graphic user interface and stored for future analysis. The stimulation commands can be made during recording. To validate the working condition of the wireless modules, the device was tested in rats. In conclusion, a closed-loop digital wireless system has been developed and validated in anesthetized animals.

This study was supported in part by Texas Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program (003656-0071-2009) and Intel Corp.

Nano-Crystal Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet for Radiation Detection Presenter: Ryan Hall, Physics Graduate 3:20 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Wei Chen (PHYS) Group members: Dr. Marius Hossu, Dr. Andrew Brandt, Dr. Rasool Kenarangui

Abstract: With increased awareness concerning homeland security, preventing the transportation of unlicensed radioactive materials has remained a high-priority objective. Current portal-monitoring systems are sufficient to detect larger quantities of these dangerous materials, but negatively impact the flow rate of cargo imports and exports and have a notable rate of false-positive alarms. Our group seeks to improve the scintillation detector assemblies that comprise the majority of these installations by replacing plastic reactive material with nano-crystal products which maintain a high level of detection efficiency, but allow faster scanning speed at significantly reduced cost. This work focuses on the use of yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) doped with rare-earth elements to act as the scintillating medium, and examines its suitability for a typical portal-monitor installation. We consider a variety of synthesis methods, the use of additional components to permit different physical implementations (liquid or polymer suspension, etc), and compare the emission intensity and material cost with commercially available solutions. We also include measurements taken with calibrated radioactive sources to detect response to different nuclear decay modes, with the intent to increase energy resolution to the point where identification of a particular isotope is possible.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security. 36

Community Based Participatory Research and Youth Tobacco Control: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis Presenter: Pamela Hancock, Social Work Graduate 2:40 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Regina Aguirre, Social Work

Abstract: Researchers have long sought to document the best practices and effective measures in preventing youth from smoking as well as those related to smoking cessation. Numerous interventions have been operationalized across disciplines attempting to address, prevent, and cease tobacco use among youth (Lantz, Jacobson, Warner, Wasserman, Pollack, Berson & Ahlstrom, 2000). Community based participatory research (CBPR) has increasingly gained popularity in tobacco prevention and cessation. CBPR projects provide an empowering alternative to traditional intervention methods for youth tobacco control. Through the use of qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis, this article provides an analysis of qualitative studies that incorporated CBPR as an intervention approach involving youth and tobacco control. Several themes emerged including challenges, solutions, and opportunities. As these interventions continue to be implemented and the processes and outcomes assessed, academically trained researchers and their community partners can enhance the quality and effectiveness of such approaches. The results of this interpretive meta-synthesis indicate that further research is necessary to understand group implications of implementing CBPR projects tailored to tobacco interventions. Implications for social work practice, policy, and research include a greater need to document tobacco prevention CBPR projects in the scholarly forum and a need for clarity in documenting the impact, not just the process of a CBPR project utilized for tobacco prevention.

A study of user password behavior for multiple accounts. Presenter: Haque, S M Taiabul, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 9:20 am, Red River Mentor(s): Matthew Wright(CSE), Shannon Scielzo (PSYC)

Abstract: Despite advances in biometrics and other technologies, passwords remain the most commonly used means of authenticating users in computer systems. Users maintain different privacy levels for different passwords. They ensure maximum protection for passwords for banking websites whereas they voluntarily share passwords on online movie streaming sites. In our study, we try to find the correlations among multiple passwords of an individual user. We propose a hierarchy of user passwords in terms of privacy level and determine the likelihood of cracking a password of higher level in the hierarchy by compromising a password of lower level. We conducted a two-phase laboratory experiment on 80 UTA students. In the first phase, we asked them to construct new passwords for websites of different categories. In the second phase, we asked them to answer a survey regarding their password behaviors. We collected the lower level passwords constructed by the students in the first phase, combined them with a comprehensive wordlist, and performed dictionary attacks on their constructed passwords of higher level. We successfully cracked almost one-third of the higher level passwords in this method. We also analyzed the passwords in order to understand the underlying patterns. Our analysis and the responses of the students in the second phase reveal that users need to be more careful about managing multiple accounts because there exists a strong correlation among multiple passwords of an individual user.

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Learning to Survive: Learning Outcomes-Based Assessment of the Emerging Scholars Program in Freshmen Chemistry Presenter: Sarah E. Hardee, Biology Senior Poster board: 95 Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug (CHEM) Group members: Cody Fults, Kenneth Abayan

Abstract: General Chemistry is a course that often takes students by surprise; they think it is going to be like high school and are surprised when they find the course level and exams to be more challenging. Arlington Undergraduate Research-based Achievement for STEM (AURAS), an NSF-funded program, has devised a learning outcomes assessment strategy to track individual mastery of important concepts along the course trajectory. These learning outcomes allow the GTAs and the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) to break down the difficult topics into manageable blocks for the students to comprehend. The learning outcomes mastery is assessed on coded quizzes and exams that do not contribute to the course grade, but are presented during supplemental instruction. Overall, the learning outcomes approach has worked since 69% of the students that participated in the AURAS Emerging Scholar Program (ESP) supplemental instruction passed the general chemistry course while only 48% of the non-ESP students passed. In addition to the higher passing rate, the learning outcomes allow for a closer look at specific content mastery. For example, the students showed a 70 percentage point increase in their ability to correctly complete significant figures problems while there was only a 3 point increase in their ability to draw Lewis structures after the supplemental instruction. Some learning outcomes showed a significant increase while other remained constant throughout the instruction. The learning outcomes strategy will help to enhance the supplemental instruction offered to students as well as improve the retention efforts for the students within the STEM majors.

Investigating the Influence of Memory and Learning in Repeated Escape Avoidance Testing Presenter: Amber Harris, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 5 Mentor(s): Perry N. Fuchs (Department of Psychology Group members: Christopher T. McNabb

Abstract: The Place Escape Avoidance Paradigm (PEAP) has been utilized to test the aversive quality of pain in short-term assessments. However, it is imperative that long-term use of the PEAP is investigated due to the propensity of the engagement of memory and learning mechanisms. A series of experiments investigated the effects of repeated testing in the PEAP using inflammatory pain models of .05ml carrageenan or .15ml Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) in rodents. Methods for each experiment included baseline and daily mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MPWT) values to confirm hypersensitivity. Avoidance was measured using the PEAP which allowed rodents to indicate unpleasantness by choosing to go to the inherently preferred dark side of the chamber to be stimulated in a painful paw, or to the non-preferred light side to receive a neutral stimulation. For each pain model, two experiments were conducted. The first consisted of six days PEAP testing followed by a 7th day memory test which included no stimulation. The second experiment consisted of PEAP testing on test days one 1 and 5 only. Overall statistical analysis of the data indicated that carageenan and CFA were successful in lowering mechanical thresholds, saline control groups were not hypersensitive, and trends in learning and memory mechanisms were significantly different for the pain conditions and dependent on hypersensitivity levels, p<.05. In conclusion, learning and memory is dependent on the nature of the pain condition and future research should include investigation of pertinent brain areas and further clarification of mechanisms.

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Does Fibromyalgia Resolve with Functional Restoration Treatment? Prevalence and Treatment Responsiveness Presenter: Meredith Hartzell, Psychology Graduate 9:00 am, Neches Mentor(s): Robert Gatchel Group members: Tom G. MayerRandy NeblettYoheli PerezEmily BredeRobert J. Gatchel

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The chronic musculoskeletal syndrome of Fibromyalgia (FM) involves widespread bodily pain and tenderness to palpation. It is often highly debilitating and many patients never experience relief or recovery. Few studies have examined if an FM diagnosis can be eliminated with any treatment, and none have investigated FM responsiveness to interdisciplinary functional restoration (FR) rehabilitation. AIMS AND METHODS: To evaluate the impact of FR on FM diagnosis and compare FM subgroups to a lumbar Chronic Spinal Disorder (CSD) group on self-report and 1-year outcome measures. All patients entered a FR program consisting of quantitatively-directed exercise progression and multi-modal disability management, with 87 patients diagnosed with lumbar CSD (lacking FM) and 155 patients diagnosed with FM at pre-treatment. However, only 94 FM patients completed treatment. FM patients were further classified by post-treatment diagnosis: 48 retained the FM (RFM) diagnosis, and 46 lost the FM (LFM) diagnosis. RESULTS AND CONCULSIONS: A significantly higher percentage of FM patients (37%) failed to complete the program compared to non-FM patients (21%; p <.001). Non-completers did not differ demographically. Of completed FM patients, 49% lost the diagnosis at post-treatment (LFM) and lowered their self-report scores of pain and disability significantly (p ≤ .05) to lumbar CSD levels, while RFM patients showed little improvement. At 1 year follow-up, lumbar CSD patients demonstrated higher work return and retention rates than both FM groups (p<.03). Almost half of FM patients were no longer diagnosed with FM at post-treatment, demonstrating the high responsiveness of FM diagnosis to Functional Restoration.

Shaping Network Topology for Privacy and Performance Presenter: Md Monjurul Hasan, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 11:00 am, Red River Mentor(s): Matthew Wright Group members: Khandaker Moinur Rahman

Abstract: Low-latency anonymous communication systems such as Tor are now-a-days becoming popular because of restricted internet access in several countries. However the users experience slow internet because the network traffic is routed through additional servers to preserve privacy. Selection of a suitable network topology is significant to improve this privacy further and reduce traffic overhead. In our work, we propose an optimal network topology on top of Stratified networks by efficiently reducing the number of links while maximizing throughput. We consider Reduced Overhead Dependent Link Padding (RO-DLP) scheme and link based performance metrics, padding metrics and anonymity metrics. Our experiments show that our topology results considerable gain in performance with no loss in overhead but small loss in privacy. We further testify our results with several restricted topology based on greedy approach. Our main goal is to design a better anonymous communication system with improved privacy and performance.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation 39

Immediate Effects of Accelerated Snowmelt on Arctic Arthropod Communities Presenter: Christopher Hendrix, Geology Senior Poster board: 75 Mentor(s): Laura Gough (BIOL) Group members: Dr. Jennie McLaren, Matthew Rich

Abstract: Arctic ecosystems are undergoing greater increases in climate warming resulting from global change than southern latitudes, altering the timing of seasonal events such as snowmelt. Arthropods depend on seasonal change to cue their life processes, thus they may be vulnerable to these seasonal fluctuations. In the summer of 2011, we examined the effects of experimentally accelerated snowmelt on the arthropod community in an arctic tundra in Northern Alaska. We predicted greater arthropod abundance and an earlier peak in abundance as a result of earlier snowmelt. In addition, we predicted the earlier melt would result in the dominance of certain arthropod orders over others. The melting process was accelerated two weeks by laying shade cloth on the surface of the snow at experimental plots. We used pitfall traps, cups placed at the ground surface that contained preserving liquid, to collect arthropod samples over a 10-week period beginning on May 26, 2011. We identified eleven arthropod orders, and results suggested that earlier snowmelt did not increase cumulative abundance or result in an earlier peak in abundance. There was also no significant difference in community composition between the accelerated and control populations. These findings show little response to advanced snowmelt by the Arctic arthropod population. This poses the question of whether arthropod communities are especially equipped to cope with the fluctuation of seasonal events in the Arctic.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation.

Red Blood Cell Dynamics in Shear Flow Presenter: Y. Monica Hew, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Senior 11:00 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): YL Chen (Physics)

Abstract: Recent researches in diseased blood cell have identified correlations between red blood cell (RBC) shape change and diagnosis of high fatality diseases such as malaria. The changes of RBC shape and elasticity have significant impact on oxygen delivery, white blood cell dynamics, and immune functionality. Since RBC travels along the blood vessel, the shear forces acting on the RBC in micro-duct flow strongly influence RBC motion. Thus, studying how RBC shapes and mechanical properties change in shear flow will provide insights into blood cell and vascular disease diagnosis. In this presentation, the RBC will be simulated in a computation fluid dynamic model using the Lattice Boltzmann method. The RBC is modeled as a discretized mesh of a coarse-grained network of beads and springs. How the interaction between vessel walls and fluid shear impact RBC motion is investigated by matching real RBC elasticity with forces due to the mesh that includes bending, volume conservation, and membrane elasticity. As found in other studies of ellipsoidal vesicle motion in shear flow, there exist three types of RBC motion: tank treading, trembling, and tumbling. Transitions between different dynamic states occur under different membrane elasticity and flow conditions. Our model is capable of capturing all three types of motion, and it also predicts new dynamic states such as vertical tank treading. In addition, the transition states are quantified by frequency spectrum analysis using Fourier transform.

This work was supported by Academia SinicaóTaiwan research institute. 40

MORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND CONVERGENCE IN ARBOREAL VIPERS Presenter: Jessica Hines, Biology Senior Poster board: 79 Mentor(s): Jesse Meik (BIOLOGY)

Abstract: Partly owing to their medical relevance, the evolutionary relationships of dangerously venomous snakes of the family Viperidae are well known, allowing many opportunities for comparative analysis of aspects of their biology. Viperid snakes exhibit great variation in body size and form, ranging in size from about 20 grams to over 10 kilograms, with at least four independent invasions into arboreal habitats. Two of these radiations have occurred in the New World tropics, at least one radiation in the tropics of southeastern Asia, and one invasion in tropical central Africa. These vipers all exhibit morphological traits that may reflect adaptations to arboreality, including green coloration and long prehensile tails. However, to date, no phylogenetically-informed, quantitative analysis of convergence in arboreal vipers has been undertaken. Here we use multivariate analyses of morphometric data to examine patterns of variation across all major lineages and the majority of species of vipers, including each arboreal radiation and its sister terrestrial group. Our results indicate that while the arboreal lineages are more similar to each other morphologically than they are to closely related terrestrial groups, each arboreal group occupies unique morphospace. Our results illustrate the unique trajectories that some groups may take when invading novel habitats, and may reflect different selective regimes encountered in each of the world's major rainforest regions.

Cooling of hot spots in IC using the heat pipe and thermoelectric cooler Presenter: Agat Hirachan, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 1:20 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Dereje Agonafer

Abstract: Due to the localized high heat fluxes, hot spots are created in the silicon Chip. Cooling of the hot spots is one of the major thermal challenges in today's IC industry. Lot of research and has been done to find the way to cool hot spots using different techniques. This paper focused on cooling of hot spots using the regular size thermoelectric cooler (Melcor_CP1.0-31-05L.1). A chip package with conventional integrated heat spreader and heat sink was designed and hot pot was considered to be at the center of the silicon die. First the conductor was used to transfer heat from the hot spots of the silicon die to the other end of the conductor which was cooled using the thermoelectric cooler. Second the conductor was replaced by heat pipe and numerical analysis has been carried out for different air flow rates and varying the current in the thermoelectric cooler.

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Optimization of novel multifunctional nanoscaffold for re-endothelialization in situ Presenter: Micah Holden, Biology Senior Poster board: 88 Mentor(s): K. T. Nguyen (BE) Group members: Lee-Chun Su

Abstract: Angioplasty and stenting are common treatments for clogged arteries. Drawbacks to these treatments include damage to the arterial wall. Denudation of endothelial tissue allows the deposition of von Willebrand factor (vWF) which activates platelets and finally results in thrombosis and restenosis. A novel multifunctional nanoscaffold system for in situ re- endothelialization has been developed. The nanoscaffolds, made of novel polymer Urethane doped Polyester (UPE), are conjugated with 2 ligands (GP1B, and anti-CD34). The particles target the sub-endothelial tissue and prevent platelet deposition via GP1B, and recruit endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) from the blood stream via anti-CD34. The goal of this research is to optimize the functionality of this nanoscaffold system. Several factors were selected and studied in order to achieve optimal performance of the particle functionalities including desire size range, ligand density, monolayer deposition, and EPC capturing efficacy. Obtaining a monolayer deposition requires a certain size range and distribution. Thus far, we have evaluated the optimization procedure based on 200 nm particles and found out the optimal ligand density for these particles was 15 µg ligand/mg particles. Future work will focus on studying the effect of different particle size range to achieve mono-layer targeting, as well as enhancing cell capturing efficacy under a dynamic environment.

HPLC-Based Kinetic Study of the Dakin Oxidation With Flavin Mimics as Organocatalysts Presenter: Mohammad Shawkat Hossain, Chemistry Graduate 10:20 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Frank W. Foss Jr. Group members: Shuai Chen

Abstract: Biomimetic oxidation reactions are potentially safe, cheap, effective as well as green compared to conventional methods. A mechanistic study of organic oxidations is important to design effective biomimetic organocatalysts. The influence of a series of flavin mimics with different chemical substituents was studied on the Dakin oxidation. The initial rates of reaction were studied by High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The presence of electron withdrawing groups on the 7 and 8- position of the flavin mimic catalyst increased the rate of Dakin oxidation. A 7,8-difluorohydroperoxyflavin catalyst increases the rate about 16 times with minimum amount of oxidant than the control reaction. Temperature dependent kinetic study proved a high decrease in activation energy (Ea) by 50.4 kJmol-1. A greater negative entropy (ΔSá) compared to control reaction by -132 Jmol-1K-1 indicated the highly ordered activated complex. The influence of solvent and base was studied with a series of protic and aprotic solvents with strong and weak bases.

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Geomagnetic energy variation during last solar cycle and its influence on the upper atmosphere Presenter: Yanshi Huang, Physics Graduate 3:40 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Yue Deng (Physics) Group members: Cheng Sheng

Abstract: The record-low neutral density of thermosphere during last solar minimum 23/24 was reported and it has been mainly explained as the consequence of the anomalously low solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance. However, relative little attention has been paid to the variation of geomagnetic energy input into the upper atmosphere, which is mainly dissipated through Joule heating and particle precipitation. In this study, to understand and explain the anomalously low density during the solar minimum 23/24, we examine the energy budget to the Earth's upper atmosphere from solar EUV irradiance, Joule heating and particle precipitation from 1995 to 2009 using models and observations. The results show that the annual solar EUV irradiance decreased by 33GW comparing cycle 22/23 minimum in year 1996 with 23/24 minimum in 2008, while the geomagnetic energy decreased by around 30GW totally. This indicates that the contribution of geomagnetic energy decrease to the record-low thermosphere density is not negligible but comparable to that of solar EUV energy.

This work was supported by National Science Foundation ATM0955629.

Death of the Bees: A Mathematical Model of Colony Collapse Disorder Presenter: Brian Hull, Mathematics Senior 1:40 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Kojouharov (Math);Grover (Biology);Kribs-Zaleta (Math) Group members: Lindsey DornbergerChristopher Mitchell

Abstract: A mysterious problem has developed within honey bee populations; in a worst case scenario, bee hives will spontaneously collapse as the entire population disappears from the hive. This phenomenon has been named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The problem is recent and has no known cause, though it is surmised to stem from one or multiple infections. In order to gain insight into its dynamics and possible causes, we have attempted to create a mathematical model. First, we establish a baseline model for the population dynamics of a single healthy hive, using a system of ordinary differential equations. To this model we then add equations which account for the disease affecting the population. Here we must take some liberties regarding assumptions of the disease source given how little is known about CCD, but our model accommodates both direct (bee-to-bee) and indirect (via contaminated plants as vectors) transmission. An analysis of the model's six equilibria including disease-free, endemic, and extinction states develops criteria for distinguishing among several scenarios, including both survival and extinction due to CCD. These criteria identify several key parameters which could offer insight into the nature of the cause of this colony collapse. All theoretical results are supported by a set of numerical simulations and are consistent with raw data regarding the dynamics of the disorder.

This research is part of an undergraduate research training program at UT Arlington (UTTER, http://www.uta.edu/math/utter/), supported by an NSF UBM-Institutional grant DUE#0827136. 43

Mixed Mode Retention of Dyes on a Chenille String Presenter: Nour Hussein, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 90 Mentor(s): Kevin Schug (Chemistry and Biochemistry) Group members: Hui Fan, Evelyn Wang

Abstract: Chromatography is the separation of components present in a mixture by distribution of the components between two phases, one that is stationary and another that is mobile. The differential interaction of analytes between the stationary phase and a flowing mobile phase induces separation of analytes in the mixture. In this study, chenille thread is examined for its ability to generate a new chromatography system based on simple and inexpensive instrumentation. A 50 uL solution of purple ink analyte was injected to the top of a 30 cm chenille string. With a mobile phase of 50:50 H2O:IPA running through automated manual syringe pump on the thread, a blue band, on top, and a red band, on bottom, were separated from the initial purple ink. At an optimum flow rate of 2100 uL/hr the two colors, blue and red, separated generating two distinct bands. Interestingly, the retention characteristics of the dye components change in an opposing fashion when the mobile phase is changed to 100% IPA or 100% H2O. These results point to the presence of a mixed mode separation. Currently, efforts are aimed at understanding the differences between the two proprietary ink components and unraveling the reason for their respective changes in retention, which gives rise to interesting selectivity properties.

Eli lilly, National Science Foundation

Statistical Analysis of Velocity Fluctuations in a Strong Detonation-Turbulence Interaction. Presenter: Sarah Hussein, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Senior Poster board: 98 Mentor(s): Frank Lu(MAE), Luca Massa (MAE) Group members: Elizabeth Blaiszik

Abstract: Detonation-Turbulence Interaction (DTI) studies are a current research topic in the Aerodynamics Research Center. I conduct research in this field under the supervision of Dr. Frank Lu. The study is conducted through the experimental setup of a detonation tube. The shock wave is propagated through the tube first. Then, the shock wave is introduced to a generated turbulent flow. Combustion occurs at the interaction of the two. The coupled interface following the shock wave constitutes the detonation wave. The analysis is performed through the Direct Numerical Simulation of reactive Navier-Stokes equations using resources from the Texas Advanced Computing Center. Five-hundred data sets of flow velocity fluctuations are interpreted in three space dimensions and on three statistical levels; averages, root-mean-squares, and correlations. This analysis, combined with flow temperature and pressure fluctuations, reveals turbulence behavior and flow properties pre-shock and post- shock. The research results have shown that the pre-shock disturbances have remarkable influence on post-shock statistics, the detonation wave causes a rapid increase in longitudinal velocity fluctuations due to straining of the turbulence field, and the detonation wave is formed in a wrinkled shape. In application, this occurs in highly aerodynamic vehicles. The combustion's initial position, initiation time, propagation directions and propagation duration are unidentifiable which introduces a safety concern. DTI studies are employed to establish an understanding of the turbulence effects on the detonation wave stability; whose properties embody important turbulent flow characteristics. The understanding of this interaction is employed in disaster mitigation of incidents resulting from DTI occurrences.

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A Comparison of Public and Private Not-for-Profit Universities: Six-year Graduation Rate Presenter: LeAnne Hutson, Leadership Graduate Poster board: 34 Mentor(s): James Hardy (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) Group members: Erin FoglemanLynn Cope

Abstract: Leaders in higher education regularly make financial decisions and set academic goals in order to improve student retention and graduation rates. Therefore, a comparison was used to examine six-year graduation rates between public institutions and private not-for-profit institutions of higher education. Researchers focused on full-time student to faculty ratio and instructional expenditures at each institution by evaluating data displayed on the College Results Online (CRO) website, managed by The Education Trust Organization. This database contains information collected by U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and examines each institution of higher education in terms of 13 factors known to influence student success and graduation rates. Full-time faculty to student ratio, percent full-time faculty, and expenditures per full-time employee were utilized in a multiple regression analysis through SPSS procedures for this study. Findings reveal that these variables have more effect on the graduation rate at public universities versus private universities. Results of this study have profound implications for higher education leaders in regards to the allocation of funds.

A Randomized Approach for Maximizing Lifetime in Tree-based Wireless Sensor Networks Presenter: Sk. Kajal Arefin Imon, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 1:40 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Sajal K. Das Group members: Adnan Rahath KhanMario De Francesco

Abstract: In this paper, we address the problem of lifetime maximization for data collection trees in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Lifetime of a sensor network can be defined as the total time elapsed from the beginning of the WSN operations to the time the network first becomes disconnected. In data collection for monitoring applications, sensor nodes form a tree where the sink serves as the root node. Since sensor nodes are often randomly deployed, the initial tree such formed can not be guaranteed to be balanced in terms of the amount of data forwarded by the nodes at the same level in the tree. As a result, nodes at the same level experience different rates of energy loss. Thus some nodes deplete energy much faster than their siblings and consequently the sub-trees rooted at those exhausted nodes get disconnected from the sink. We investigate this issue and relate the lifetime maximization problem to optimal load balancing of the data collection tree. In particular, we define a class of load balanced trees, called bounded balanced trees and prove that finding optimal bounded balanced tree in WSNs is an NP-complete problem. We then propose a novel algorithm, called Randomized Switching for Maximizing Lifetime (RS-MLT). Our proposed algorithm takes an initial data collection tree formed by the sensors and randomly switches some nodes from their initial sub-tree rooted at a level, to some other sub-tree rooted at that level with lower energy depletion rate. RS-MLT aims at reducing the difference in the energy loss rate of nodes at a particular level below a given threshold.

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Pitch Catch wireless ultrasound and Acoustic emission sensor technique Presenter: Md Islam, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate Poster board: 38 Mentor(s): haiying Huang(Mechanical and Aerospace)

Abstract: Piezoelectric wafer acoustic sensor have been successfully used in structural health monitoring in recent years. However, Expensive experimental resources are required to monitor anomaly in the structures continuously which costs energy loss also. Nevertheless, The authors have developed a new technique that can transfer signal wirelessly through zero powered antenna and op amp that consumes approximately unit milliwatt only. Piezoelectric sensor was stimulated by signal generator and pencil lead break test. Signal derived from the structure by piezoelectric sensor coupled with op amp was validated and characterized. DC offset of the coupled op amp was obtained by adding a follower to the parent op amp and shunt resistance parallel with the impedance of the piezo. Pencil lead break test which mimics the actual fracture in the structure was performed to compute the resonance frequency of the lead. This paper also presents principle operation of wireless ultrasound communication at low cost by mixing ultrasound signal with microwave signal and then filtering out the ultrasound signal. The fracture test will be analyzed further to reveal further information about the location and extent of the severity of the fracture.

Novel drug delivery strategies for Atherosclerosis treatment via Angioplasty balloons Presenter: Roshni Iyer, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 52 Mentor(s): Dr.K.T.Nguyen(BE), Dr.S.Banerjee(Cardiology) Group members: Lee-Chun Su

Abstract: Millions of people worldwide suffer from cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is hardening of arteries due to buildup of plaque within the arterial lumen. As a result, this will lead to complications, like arterial blockage, that can lead to necrosis and aneurysms. Conventional treatments like angioplasty, stenting and drug eluting balloons though effective, can lead to inflammation and injury to the endothelium, followed by activation of platelets and reoccurrence of blockages. To overcome these limitations, we propose novel drug delivery strategies employing angioplasty balloons to deliver Paclitaxel loaded nanoparticles that prevent atherosclerosis reoccurrence. Our strategy is to instantaneously and locally deliver nanoparticles during the angioplasty procedure by coating the nanoparticles on balloons and delivery of these nanoparticles during the angioplasty procedure. Urethane Doped Polyester (UPE) nanoparticles were prepared by emulsion technique, having a size around 350nm and -28.5 mv zeta potential. GP1b and TAT-1 were conjugated on the nanoparticle surface to promote localized accumulation of nanoparticles at the injured arterial wall to prevent platelet accumulation and deliver drugs to targeted cells. Two coating techniques, hydrogel coating and layer by layer coating, were investigated and compared for their drug loading efficiency, nanoparticle transfer efficiency, and biocompatibility.

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Quorum Sensing Interaction and the Effect of Antibiotic on the Dynamics of Two Types of Bacteria

Presenter: Mark Jackson, Mathematics Junior 1:20 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Hristo Kojouharov (Mathematics);James Grover (Biology) Group members: Sarah GaunttAn LuTina VuStephanie Campos

Abstract: Quorum sensing regulates bacterial population density through the production of signal molecules or to initiate biofilm formation, which increases resistance against antibiotics. When this process occurs, signal molecules are produced and released into the surroundings. Signal molecules induce some bacteria to produce even more signal molecules, a phenomenon known as autoinduction. Fast and slow growing strains of the same bacterial species were investigated, in which four ordinary differential equations were used to model the dynamics of these strains, antibiotic, and the signal molecule in the system. Only the fast-growing strain was capable of producing signal molecules. These molecules induce some of the fast-growing strain to convert to the slow-growing strain, which is more resistant to the antibiotic. Using numerical and analytical methods, equilibria and stability were analyzed with and without autoinduction. Three types of equilibrium can occur depending on parameter values. In one case, both of the bacterial strains were completely eliminated by the antibiotic, indicating a successful therapeutic treatment. In a second case, only the slow-growing strain survived, and in a third case both strains survived. Even though the first two cases can be stable, they may not be desirable since microbial organisms still exist, which can potentially lead to a chronic and persistent infection. When autoinduction was present, few differences were noted when compared to the data without autoinduction. However, autoinduction may still have effects on the dynamics when the antibiotic is dosed periodically or may have an impact on the duration of the infection.

This research is part of an undergraduate research training program at UT Arlington (UTTER, http://www.uta.edu/math/utter/), supported by an NSF UBM-Institutional grant DUE#0827136.

Transposition Mechanism of Non-LTR retrotransposons: Functional Analysis of Conserved C-terminal Domains in the R2 Non-LTR retrotransposon by Mutagenesis. Presenter: Athena Jagdish, Biology Graduate Poster board: 9 Mentor(s): Shawn Christensen

Abstract: Although nearly 50% of the human genome is occupied by transposons, the currently active elements are retrotransposons. Their ability to replicate and move around in the genome gives them the potential to cause a wide range of genetic alterations in the host genome. A detailed investigation of insertion mechanism of these elements is required to gain insight on how they interact with the host genome. R2 elements are Non-LTR retrotransposons vertically inherited for 500 million years in arthropods. The rigid target site specificity of R2 elements has made it a model system to study the insertion mechanism used by Non-LTR elements. Highly conserved motifs of unknown functions in the C-terminal end have been identified. Our central hypothesis is that these motifs are involved in nucleic acid binding and related catalytic activities. Nucleic acid binding is a key step in transposition and significant in the evolution of novel target sites. In order to facilitate testing of these putative nucleic acid binding domains, non-conservative mutations have successfully been generated in all of them by site-directed mutagenesis. We have also optimized in vitro assays to test the mutants for loss activities like nucleic acid binding, DNA cleavage and reverse transcription. Biochemical assays on the mutants have revealed a difference in activity in comparison to the wild type. In this poster we provide evidence on how conserved domains in the C-terminal end enable successful element transposition. Electromobility shift assays reveal the role played by a highly conserved domain RH in DNA binding and cleavage.

National Science Foundation 47

High speed Infrared imaging method for thermographic investigation of high intensity focused Ultrasound devices Presenter: Mohamm Jahangir Moghadam, Electrical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 40 Mentor(s): Kambiz Alavi Group members: Naima Rivas, Jayanth Kandukuri

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the heating effect of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) devices , consequently improving the accuracy of focal point detection and better understanding of temperature distribution in the tissue. The result of such research can be used in Ultrasound tumor treatment and cancer therapy where the amplitude and accuracy of ultrasound wave at focal point is important. High intensity Ultrasound power can increase the tissue temperature up to 10 degrees with each short pulse duration, while focal point of 2.5 Mhz HIFU can be as small as 200 micro meters. Infrared camera is used to investigate the internal temperature of a VST50 silicone phantom as a tissue mimicking material. Different pulse amplitude and duration were applied and resulted temperature curves were measured with up to 1000 frames per second. Focal point HIFU device was measured with 200 microns accuracy, while temperature of the phantom was recorded after each high intensity pulse within one millisecond. The preliminary results showed that temperature measurement variation of 0.01 degrees can be achieved. The accuracy of focal point detection can be as small as 200 microns for the distance of 20 inches from camera to sample. Some temperature calibration was required especially with different phantom thicknesses in order to obtain the intensity versus temperature calibration. Different optical emissivity of materials also considered in calibration process. Obtaining a way to accurately measure the temperature variation in HIFU devices is crucial to providing a minimally invasive, non-toxic avenue for tumor treatment.

Harvesting Seismic Energy for Emergent Use after Major Earthquakes Presenter: Crystal Jamaica, Civil Engineering Senior 10:00 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Shih-Ho (Simon) Chao

Abstract: A major problem that many seismic-prone countries encounter after being struck by a major earthquake and its aftershocks is the electricity outage. As a consequence, essential facilities such as hospitals may lose their major functions. During a cold winter, people in residential homes could also suffer from a power shortage. Past experiences showed that the backup generators could also fail due to many reasons. How to find a power supply for emergent use after severe earthquakes in order to save lives is a critical topic. The motivation behind this research is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing earthquake energy from the main shock, as well as its numerous aftershocks, to generate electricity for urgent use. This concept could be realized by adapting existing technology such as hydraulic dampers. Specifically, part of the input energy from the earthquakes can be converted to electricity by using a damper turbine-battery system. In order for this concept to become successful, the transfer efficiencies from seismic energy to electricity should be as high as possible to provide sufficient energy transfer. Based on detailed investigation of the power usage of essential equipment in hospitals and residential houses, this preliminary study has shown that the potential of harvesting seismic energy for urgent use is feasible. However, future research to design a prototype system is needed to verify the conclusions of this study.

This work was supported in part by the McNair Scholars Program at the University of Texas at Arlington. 48

The Effects of Outgroup Contant and Social Identity on Negative Outgroup Attitudes. Presenter: Asha Jassani, Psychology Senior Poster board: 86 Mentor(s): J. Kenworthy (Psychology) Group members: Patricia Lyons

Abstract: Intergroup contact is almost unavoidable for the average citizen in multicultural America. Identification with social groups (such as nationality) can form the foundation for outgroup derogation and prejudice. The central issue of investigation in this research was to explore, for the first time, how contact with outgroup members and social identification combine to predict negative attitudes towards outgroup members. On one hand, strong social identification typically predicts negative outgroup attitudes. On the other hand, contact with outgroups tends to reduce negative attitudes. Participants (n=223) completed an online questionnaire assessing ingroup identification (as Americans), contact with Latinos, and attitudes toward undocumented Latino immigrants. Results showed that, as expected, outgroup contact acted as a moderator of the typical negative correlation seen between ingroup identification and negative outgroup attitudes. Specifically, ingroup identification did not predict outgroup attitudes for those participants with high quality of outgroup contact. However, for those participants with average or low quality of contact, ingroup identification significantly and negatively predicted outgroup attitudes. The findings of this research help to reveal how outgroup contact can actually trump a strong sense of social identity in impacting negative outgroup attitudes. The goal of such studies is to help better identify the thought processes and root causes of certain social behaviors in intergroup situations. In this particular study, both social identity and contact theories converge, and the role of contact is further developed to help explain negative outgroup attitudes.

Patterns of development and diversity in the crocodilian skull Presenter: Lee Jaszlics, Biology Graduate 9:20 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Paul Chippindale (BIOL) Group members: Jason Pardo

Abstract: Variation in patterns of growth and development can lead to large changes in both the structure and function of organisms. Living crocodilians are a potentially informative group in which to study this phenomenon, since they have a relatively high amount of shape diversity in their skulls, despite the fact that all twenty-three species occupy similar ecological niches. Additionally, the development of their skull must be adapted to the dramatic shifts in diet and ecology that crocodilians experience as they grow. Previous studies have shown that the majority of living crocodilians occupy a single shape space; variation in skull shape is strongly correlated with biomechanical pressure during feeding. In order to understand whether variation in patterns of growth and development contributes to the shape diversity observed in adult crocodilians, we sampled growth series (hatchlings through adults) from all of the major evolutionary lineages of crocodilians. We quantified the shape of these skulls by using a landmark-based approach. Statistical analyses show that in three crocodilian lineages (Crocodylidae, Alligatoridae and Tomistominae) the entire skull is tightly integrated, and variation along a relatively constrained developmental trajectory contributes to much of the observed shape variation in these crocodilian lineages. In the Indian gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), however, the jaw joint and associated musculature retain a juvenile morphology well into adulthood. This dissociation between the jaw muscles and the rest of the skull may be associated with the gharial's unique diet and ecology, and may contribute to its unique morphology.

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Textual Ambiguities in William Dunbar's "Tretis of the Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo" Presenter: Katelyn Jaynes, English Senior 9:00 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): K. Gustafson (ENGL)

Abstract: The central issue of my presentation is the significance of William Dunbar's "“Tretis of the Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo" as a challenge to the anti-feminist tradition in medieval and early modern literature. I will examine the characterizations of the three women in action and appearance, as well as the ambiguities concerning the genre of the poem. In my research of the aforementioned issues, I discovered that the courtly appearance of the women often contrasts with their actions. However, while poets frequently engage in anti-feminist stereotypes, the degree to which they represent those characteristics varies. Additionally, complications arise regarding the genre of the "“Tretis." Rather than conforming to a known form, it fuses the traditions of Roy J. Pearcy's French juge and Ann Marie Rasmussen's German minnereden. Both genres contribute significant characteristics to Dunbar's poem, although neither fully embodies it. It is unusual for such complications to arise in anti-feminist poetry. Many anti-feminist tracts do not contain ambiguities; they usually contain wholly negative portrayals of the dangers of women. Dunbar's complication of his work by including ambiguities suggests that his participation in the tradition is not whole-hearted, a view that led me to conclude that Dunbar's work is a shrewd satire of the tradition and demonstrates its vacuity. While the faults of anti-feminism have been extensively discussed in relation to other authors, Dunbar's poems remain relatively unknown. My research demonstrates the importance of Dunbar's "Tretis" to the detriment of anti-feminism.

Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Risk Factors of Weight Gain and Obesity Among Undergraduate Students Presenter: Colin Jenney, Psychology Graduate 9:20 am, Neches Mentor(s): A. Liegey Dougall (PSYC) Group members: Jeff Swanson M.A., John Havens, Mark Frame Ph.D. & Angela Liegey Dougall Ph.D.

Abstract: Introduction: As the University of Texas at Arlington continues to provide support for student health, research on the influences of health outcomes continues to be of great importance. Understanding the relationships surrounding undergraduate obesity holds the potential to aid in the advancement of campus health initiatives. Aims/Methods: This study aimed to characterize risk factors of obesity among college students by examining first-year students (n = 167) over the course of one 16-week semester. Assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester measured student demographics (annual income, gender, hours worked), body mass index (BMI), changes in weight, perceived barriers to physical activity, absences from school and work, and drinking status (alcohol). Results/Conclusions: As expected, being overweight/obese was related to being of male gender, having lower annual family income, working increased hours, drinking alcohol, and perceiving greater barriers to physical activity. In partial support of expectations, participants who gained more than 5 pounds between the beginning and middle of the semester had significantly more absences than those whose weight was unchanged, suggesting that undergraduate weight gain is related to increased absences. These findings identify a group of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors that coincide with a higher risk for obesity in undergraduate students. Future research should attempt to further health initiatives to reduce obesity by providing resources to support healthy lifestyle choices among undergraduates, geared specifically towards those at risk.

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Intonation and optional wh-movement in Jarai Presenter: Joshua M. Jensen, Linguistics Graduate Poster board: 29 Mentor(s): Joseph Sabbagh (LING)

Abstract: This study investigates the intonation of who and what questions (wh-questions) in Jarai, a language of Vietnam. Richards (2010) proposes that in every language, wh-words need to move either to the left (beginning) of the sentence or to the right (the end). However, in some languages this movement is impossible, so instead, the wh-word simply changes the intonation of the sentence in the direction it would otherwise have moved, creating a "wh-domain" extending from the wh-word to the edge that the wh-word needs to be close to. Jarai is a good language for testing Richards' proposal, because wh-words are free to move to the front of the sentence (leftward) or to stay in the position where they started. Richards would thus predict that, because Jarai wh-words sometimes move to the left, then when they do not move, they should change the intonation of the sentence to their left. In this study I test that prediction using original recorded data elicited from a Jarai speaker. These data were subjected to acoustic analysis, with attention to fundamental frequency (pitch), a correlate of stress. The data show that wh-words do affect the sentence's intonation, but to their right rather than to their left, exactly the opposite of what Richards would predict. Jarai is consistent with Richards' proposal that wh-words create a wh-domain. However, Jarai undermines Richards' attempt to unify in-situ and wh-movement languages. In addition to challenging a particular theoretical proposal, this research adds new data to the linguistic study of wh-questions.

This work was supported by funding from the College of Liberal Arts at UT Arlington.

Bridging the gap: biosynthetic nerve implant (BNI) for regeneration of nervous tissue following peripheral nerve injury. Presenter: Benjamin Johnston, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 8:40 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Mario I. Romero-Ortega (Biomedical Engineering) Group members: Nesreen Alzoghoul, Swarup Dash, Princy Prasad, Rafael Granja

Abstract: Peripheral nerve injuries often occur in traumatic events - sometimes severing nerves completely. Car accidents, work- related injuries, and wars leave survivors with injuries that demand immediate medical attention, and often require long- term care. The aim of my research is to produce a readily deployable peripheral nerve repair system. This system will have a biodegradable tube, filled with biodegradable agarose and specific growth factors shown to increase nerve regeneration. The agarose will be formed with specific conduits or lumen that facilitate and support growth cone and axon elongation, and then full nerve regeneration. Our laboratory has constructed and patented a method for making a biosynthetic nerve implant (BNI) with optimal architecture, and I present here the architecture and our work to adequately incorporate growth factors. Research indicates that a lack of appropriate growth factors limit the length of nerve regeneration. Growth factors are proteins that trigger growth in varied tissues. Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a growth factor that has been shown to have peripheral nerve regeneration effects. We have preliminary data showing our work to incorporate PTN and we will be optimizing our implant to incorporate the right mix of nervous system growth factors. To be a clinically relevant treatment for long gap injuries, the span regenerated between severed nerve ends must be longer than 3 cm. We have successfully constructed and implanted a BNI with PTN that will ideally improve regeneration across a 5 cm gap in rabbits - a significant engineering achievement. I present our preliminary regeneration results here.

Work was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. 51

Optical stimulation leading to ATP release Presenter: Bipin Joshi, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 10 Mentor(s): Samarendra Mohanty Group members: Ling Gu, Matthew Lewis, Drew Feranchak, Samarendra Mohanty

Abstract: Release of ATP in response to both patho-physiologic conditions, and autocrine/paracrine activation of membrane purinergic receptors (P2) is an important pathway regulating cancer cell progression. Controlled release of ATP can be used for novel cancer treatment strategies and understanding of the extra-cellular purinergic signaling. While coarse mechanical forces and hypotonic-stimulation have been utilized in the past to initiate ATP release from cells, these methods are neither spatially-accurate nor temporarily precise. Further, these methods cannot be utilized in a highly cell- specific manner and therefore, in-vivo control of ATP release using the existing method has remote possibilities as a successful therapeutic strategy. To mitigate the uncertainties regarding cellular-specificity and spatio-temporal release of ATP, we herein use of optical stimulation, an optically-controlled non-invasive method, to modulate functions of cancer cells by induction of calcium. The most commonly used optogenetical tool, ChR2, a blue light-sensitive cation ion channel is transfected into HEK cells. Our result demonstrates repetitive release of calcium and ATP subsequent to optogenetic stimulation. Since calcium channels are coupled to vesicle-mediated ATP release, it is feasible that purinergic signaling can be directly detected via imaging if the stimulus can be confined to a single cell. This study opens new avenues for understanding of the mechanics of purinergic signaling and thus can lead to a potential therapeutic treatment for cancer.

Prostate Cancer Cell-selective Dual-imaging Enabled Nanoparticles Presenter: Tejaswi Kadapure, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 10:40 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Kytai T. Nguyen (BE) Group members: Aniket S. Wadajkar, Yi Zhang, Weina Cui, Jian Yang, Kytai T. Nguyen

Abstract: With increasing rate of cancers, the need for effective cancer management has lead to the development of theranostic systems that deliver therapy as well as diagnosis. The aim of this research was to develop prostate cancer cell-selective dual-imaging enabled-targeting theranostic nanoparticles (CDET NPs) based on newly developed biodegradable photoluminescent polymer and superparamagnetic iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The MNPs are useful for magnetic targeting, hyperthermia treatment, and as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging. The fluorescent polymer coating is useful for conjugating antibodies for active targeting to cancer, carrying chemotherapeutic payload, and optical imaging. CDET NPs address the concerns in theranostic nanomedicine where photobleaching organic dyes and cytotoxic quantum dots are usually adopted. These core-shell nanoparticles have a spherical morphology with diameters of about 230 nm. Our stable and well dispersed nanoparticles possess strong superparamagnetic properties. The nanoparticles exhibited bright fluorescence under UV light and excellent negative contrast in MRI. Our nanoparticles were cytocompatible with human dermal fibroblasts up to a concentration of 500µg/ml. Moreover, prostate cancer cells showed selective uptake of CDET NPs depending on the cancer cell type. Metastatic PSMA- PC3 cells engulfed hydrophilic CDET NPs more, while non-metastatic PSMA+ LNCaP cells engulfed hydrophobic CDET NPs more. The presence of magnetic field further reinforced the uptake of nanoparticles. Results show that CDET NPs possess unique capabilities for prostate cancer cell-selective uptake, magnetic targeting, and dual-imaging (magnetic resonance and optical imaging). In future, we will investigate the in vivo efficacy of CDET NPs using mice models.

This work was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD grant number W81XWH-09-1-0313), the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT grant number RP110412), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB grant numbers R21EB009795 and R01EB012575), and the National Science Foundation (NSF career award 0954109). 52

The Use of Assessment Center as a Tool for Training & Promotion Presenter: Pavitra Kavya, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 43 Mentor(s): Shannon Scielzo (PSYC)

Abstract: The current study identifies factors that enhance the effectiveness of an Assessment Center (AC) exercise for training and promotion for police officers. 50 police offers from around the United States attended an AC exercise and filled out a training effectiveness questionnaire. Participation in the AC workshop and exercise was completely voluntary. The results indicate that individuals who prepare for the AC exercises were more likely to have a higher chance of being promoted within their organization after going through the assessment center exercises. There were no significant differences found between men and women. The role of the assessor/instructor in the candidate's overview of the AC was also validated as highly influential. The study indicates support for the AC as a significant tool for helping in the promotion of police officers. Based on these results, implications of the study for future assessment center endeavors for the police force are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

PeerCloud: A Distributed System for Reliable and Secure Data Storage Presenter: Adnan Khan, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 8:20 am, Red River Mentor(s): Sajal K. Das Group members: Mehrab Shahriar, Sk Kajal Arefin Imon, Mario Di Francesco

Abstract: With the growing trend of digitization of information, large scale secured storage system has become a necessity. Due to this, a lot of research focus on server based secured storage systems in recent years, but only a few aim on peer based storage architecture, where personal computers can act as peers. Recent advancements in technology have equipped the personal computers with ever increasing storage capacity and network bandwidth. However, a significant amount of these resources remain unutilized in most of the cases. In our model, we introduce a peer-to-peer (p2p) based distributed and secured storage architecture which we call Peercloud. PeerCloud is a system where users, connected through the Internet, collaboratively provide a distributed and secure storage service. Each user voluntarily joins PeerCloud by providing some storage and bandwidth resources to store third-party data. In return, based on the quality of the offered service, they earn some credit to exploit to store their own data. This scheme also provides high reliability, and ensures the inaccessibility to the third-party data by unauthorized persons. We explicitly consider the case where peers are intermittently available and introduce a distributed monitoring scheme to improve the system reliability further. To evaluate our model, we simulate our system on 2000 synthetic peers, based on traces of existing popular p2p systems. Experimental results establishes our claim that reliable storage can be collaboratively offered on top of an even unreliable service provided by individual peers. It also ensures availability close to 100% in realistic deployment scenarios.

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The Electronic Correlation Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Gallium Phosphide: A Study by DFT+U Presenter: Prashant Khatri, Physics Senior Poster board: 93 Mentor(s): Muhammad N. Huda (PHYS) Group members: Brandon Butler

Abstract: The renewable energy technology is flourishing in recent time with many scientists actively participating in research of solar energy conversion to other useful forms of energy. Gallium phosphide (GaP) is among the materials that have the potential to be used in the solar technology. At the fundamental level, its use as a solar energy conversion material is affected by the mechanical and the electronic properties of GaP. Hence, the goal of this work is to study the effect of electron correlation on the mechanical stability of GaP and its electronic properties. The calculation of energy as a function of cell volume has been performed using density functional theory (DFT) with U-parameter (DFT+U). The Birch- Murnaghan equation of state is used to calculate equilibrium cell volume, total energy, bulk modulus, and its first pressure derivative. Different U-parameters on Ga-d and P-p orbitals have been employed separately and simultaneously to achieve better results. These results were then compared with different published experimental values where available.

This work is supported by National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Alexine Tinné: a Dutch Lady in Search for the Source of the Nile Presenter: Mylynka Kilgore Cardona, History Graduate 8:40 am, Concho Mentor(s): Imre J. Demhardt (HIST)

Abstract: This paper analyzes the role of Dutch explorer Alexine Tinné in Africa in the Victorian era. In examining Tinné's life and travels one can establish her status as a female explorer at a time when society did not think of women as explorers. Tinné occupied both the worlds of a woman traveler and that of an explorer. The problem with attempting to categorize Tinné as one or the other is that she does not easily fit into either category. She was not the typical woman traveler and she was most definitely not the typical nineteenth-century explorer of Africa. Tinné had the dual freedoms of disposable income and no husband, or family, to care for. These freedoms enabled her to travel as she wished with little regard to cost, schedule, or responsibilities of the home. Alexine reported her explorations to the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London, via her half-brother, and RGS Fellow, John Tinné. The RGS discussed her and her travels numerous times in their Journal as well as in the proceedings from their meetings. Other European geographical societies and newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic reported her explorations as well. Alexine ruffled feathers along the way, as this was "no place for a lady" according to her male counterparts. Taking several journeys on the Nile and its tributaries 1860-1865, Alexine filled the roles of noble lady, adventuress, explorer and that of Victorian lady traveler.

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Study of systematic uncertainties for Higgs Boson Searches in H → γγ and H → W+W- →l+ν-l+ν- Final States in ATLAS Presenter: Hee Kim, Physics Graduate 1:40 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Jae YU, Department of Physics

Abstract: This study focuses on the theoretical systematic uncertainties for Higgs particle searches in H -> γγ and H -> W+W− -> l+νl−ν channels at ATLAS and for background processes. The precision of Monte Carlo event generator predictions benefit dramatically from the inclusion of higher-order corrections in various ways in total and differential cross sections. In this study, two different combinations of Monte-Carlo tools, PowhegBox-Pythia and PowhegBox-Herwig, are used with various Parton Distribution Function sets in CTEQ6.6 and MSTW2008NLO for systematic uncertainties resulting from parton showering and PDF uncertainties. Large scale Monte-Carlo event simulations have been performed to estimate the background. Cut based analyses have been done and theoretical predictions have been compared to the 2011 ATLAS data. This enables us to understand the underlying parton dynamics in the processes, and to quantify the theoretical systematic uncertainties in background estimates and Higgs signal cross sections.

Spaces of Reform: Transatlantic Quakerism, the ’Insane,’ and Publicizing Humanitarian Advocacy Presenter: Nathaniel Kogan, History Graduate 9:00 am, Concho Mentor(s): Sarah Rose (HIST)

Abstract: Two Quakers-Englishman Samuel Tuke and American Thomas Eddy-were widely celebrated as the founders of the Retreat at York and the reformer of the New York State Prison, respectively. These institutions rejected harsh treatment methods that isolated and restrained inmates to cure or reform them. Rather, Eddy and Tuke's institutions used principles of "moral treatment": free movement, improved physical surroundings, and the cultivation of community, rationality, and moral strength. How did Eddy and Tuke's Quaker religious identity shape their humanitarian work? Standard histories of Quakers stress their faith - particularly their belief in the "inner light" - as the source of their humanitarian advocacy toward the imprisoned, enslaved, and insane. By contrast, I argue that Quaker reformers harnessed their religious identity as a publicity tool to gain credibility for their institutions and pioneering treatments. Tuke and Eddy took advantage of popular attitudes toward Quakers as being earnest, faith-driven, and selfless humanitarians. Subtle invocations of Quakerism permeated their descriptions of the governance and principles of their institutions and the treatment within those walls. Tuke and Eddy also employed Quakerism to publicize and fundraise for their institutions and challenge dominant paradigms regarding the medical treatment of insanity. Throughout the early eighteenth century Tuke and Eddy were in close dialogue, exchanging therapeutic strategies and methods of self-presentation, revealing the transatlantic connections between Quaker humanitarian reformers. This argument employs the burgeoning fields of transatlantic and disability history to shed new light on Quakers and their religiously-inflected reform activities during the antebellum era.

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Asynchronous Idea Generation Presenter: Runa Korde, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 53 Mentor(s): Paul Paulus

Abstract: Brainstorming is a commonly used in various settings to help generate creative solutions. Traditionally, brainstorming is done in groups. But research has shown that interactive groups with less than 8 members generate fewer ideas than nominal groups (e.g., Dennis & Williams, 2005). According to the SIAM model (Nijstad & Stroebe, 2006), the activation of one concept leads to the activation of other related concepts, like a chain reaction. Exposure to more ideas should lead to more stimulation should lead to more idea generation. Distraction can disrupt this chain reaction and inhibit further idea generation. The current study creates a new hybrid procedure that attempts to provide participants the advantage of stimulation as well as the lack of distraction during idea generation. Results show that participants in the hybrid condition generate significantly more ideas than those in the individual or dyad brainstorming condition.

Development of a mathematical model, VUMP (Vinasse Utilization for Methane Production) Presenter: Lucina Marcia Kuusisto, Science Graduate 10:20 am, Neches Mentor(s): Sattler, PE, (Civil Engineering);Chen, (Industrial Engineering);Hossain, PE, (Civil Engineering);Hunt, (Environmental and Earth Science);Rodrigues (Biology)

Abstract: Biofuels have received much attention as potential alternative fuels. Although biofuels are attractive energy sources, their manufacturing brings environmental pollution. One of the most prominent biofuels is ethanol. However, there are several disadvantages associated with its waste disposal, including the uncontrolled disposal of "raw" vinasse onto agricultural fields. The main goal of this research is to develop a mathematical model for predicting methane production rates from the anaerobic digestion of ethanol vinasse. This model is named VUMP (Vinasse Utilization for Methane Production). The effects of six parameters (thermophilic-range temperature, COD, N, P, K, and S) on methane generation in a batch bioreactor have been studied. Two response variables were measured for each vinasse formulation: oxygen and methane production. Methane generation vs. time was measured and used to develop a multiple linear regression model for predicting methane generation as a function of the 6 parameters. VUMP model estimates were compared with CH4 generation rates from actual vinasse. A strength 2 orthogonal array was developed for this model (V. Chen, 2011). The multiple response optimization (MRO) analysis method was applied to results. The effects of the vinasse parameters on each response variable were described by the developed mathematical model. The results show that the optimum conditions for obtaining methane production were reached when the COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus ratio was 350:5:1 and the temperature was 37.38°C. Environmental Scientists may use VUMP to predict the generation rates of a "by-product-biofuel", generated by a "Treatment-to-co-products" Wastewater Treatment Process.

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A Wireless Strain Sensor System for Bladder Volume Monitoring Presenter: Vaibhav Landge, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 11:20 am, San Saba Mentor(s): J.-C Chiao (EE) Group members: Hung Cao

Abstract: Urinary incontinence (UI) is the involuntary loss of urine due to bladder control dysfunctions. 25 million adult Americans experience transient or chronic UI and among whom 9 to13 million patients have severe symptoms according to the National Association for Continence. A wireless strain sensor system has been designed to monitor the bladder volume in patients suffering from urinary incontinence. An inter-digitated capacitive (IDC) strain sensor was micro-machined from a 127 µm thick brass shim with a laser system, followed by an encapsulation process to package the sensor in elastic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). A proof of concept passive telemetry platform was developed to employ the sensor in vivo and a commercial wireless module was utilized for networking and data recording. The entire system consists of three components: an implanted transponder; a wearable unit that transfers electromagnetic energy to the implant, receives the sensor signals from the implant and processes the signals in a microcontroller before sending out wirelessly; and a base station receiving and recording the wireless data. The implant harvests electromagnetic energy from the external unit, supplies power to operate the sensor and transduces the sensor data back. The wearable unit processes and transfers the signals to the base station connected to a computer which continuously displays and records the strain sensor data on the bladder. The sensor was calibrated and the entire system was tested with a bladder phantom model. Results demonstrated the feasibility of our passive wireless strain sensing system for urinary incontinence management.

Discoveries in the Formation of the Future Paradigm in the Verbal System of Chicahuaxtla Triqui Presenter: J. Aaron Lansford, Modern Languages Graduate 1:20 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): A. Raymond Elliott

Abstract: Chicahuaxlta Triqui is one of the three Triqui languages spoken in the mountainous northwestern region of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, part of the Mixtecan branch of the Oto-Manguean language tree. It is a tonal language with five tones and alters tones to create the difference between the past and future tenses. In the Triqui-Spanish dictionary he published in 1978, Claude Good describes that the same prefix is added to a present tense verb to form both the past and future and that the tone of the radical lowers one tone in the future while all other tones remain unaltered throughout the tenses. Contrarily, this study hypothesizes that the tone of the radical raises to form the past rather than lowers to form the future based on preliminary analysis of the verb a'mi32 'to talk/speak' in which this characteristic was observed. Through analyzing tones using PRAAT software, this study concludes that the future tense indeed involves lowering the tone of the radical as indicate by Good but also discovers additional characteristics of its formation including: a group of verbs that follow Good's description, a group of verbs in which all tones lower, two-tone level lowering in a monosyllabic verb to which no prefix is added to form the past and future, and a verb formed by a rising tonal contour in the present and past that inverts to a descending tonal contour in the future, suggesting that rising contours may not be able to exist in the future tense.

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Mutagenesis, Expression and Purification of F420H2: NADP+ Oxidoreductase from Archeoglobus fulgidus Presenter: Cuong Quang Le, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 17 Mentor(s): Johnson-Winters (Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Abstract: F420H2: NADP+ Oxidoreductase (Fno) is an F420 Cofactor-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of NADP+ through the transfer of a hydride from the reduced F420 cofactor (equation 1). Fno is found in both methanogenic and sulfate reducing organisms. We have recently expressed and purified recombinant wild-type Fno. Here, we will discuss the expression and purification protocol of Fno, along with preliminary enzyme activity assays. Equation 1: F420H2 + NADP <---> F420 + NADPH On a separate note, Isoleucine 135 is a conserved amino acid within the active site of fno that interacts with NADP+, anchoring this cofactor into the optimal position for hydride transfer. We have recently mutated I135 to a glycine, alanine and valine. My project focus is to study the hydride transfer reactivity wild-type Fno and also, the functionality of I135, using site-directed mutagenesis, steady-state and pre-steady state kinetic methods. Recent studies on Dihydroxyfolate Reductase (DHFR), a separate enzyme involved in hydride transfer reactions, have revealed that a conserved isoleucine residue, when mutated to a glycine, alanine or valine, displayed hydride tunneling with a temperature dependent kinetic isotope effect [1]. We would like to probe hydride tunneling within this system, in both wild type and mutant forms of Fno, using kinetic isotope effect methods. We will discuss plans future experiments here.

Formalin Injection Does Not Increase Contralateral Cutaneous Blood Perfusion under Pre- inflammatory Condition Presenter: Ailing Li, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 1 Mentor(s): Yuan Bo Peng

Abstract: Dorsal root reflex (DRR) is involved in neurogenic inflammation by promoting the release of vasodilators from peripheral terminals of sensory nerves, such as substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) (Willis, 1999; Lin, Wu & Willis, 1999). DRR has been shown to travel bilaterally and antidromically after unilateral electrical stimulation of either sciatic nerve or dorsal root (Bagust, Chen & Kerkut ,1993; Peng, Kenshalo & Richard, 2003 ). However, contralateral increase of blood perfusion after ipsilateral formalin injection, a noxious input more close to natural stimulus, was not observed in our pervious study, only ipsilateral blood flow increased significantly after injection. It was hypothesized that pre-inflammatory condition could promote the effect of DRRs on the increase of contralataral blood perfusion after noxious chemical stimulation by formalin injection. In this study, we pretreated the contralateral hind paw with formalin injection 24 hours before bilateral blood perfusion was measured (n=6) by using Laser Doppler Imager following ipsilateral formalin injection. The results showed (1) no increased blood perfusion for the contralateral side (p > 0.05); (2) a significant ipsilateral increase in blood perfusion (p < 0.05); (3) similar results when the contralateral paws were pretreated with saline (n=4) or no treatment (n=8). In addition, in a different group without formalin pre-treatment, there was no difference between the contralateral DRRs and baseline activity after ipsilateral formalin injection (21 fibers from 8 rats), when different time frames (30s, 60s or 120s) were used for calculation (p > 0.05).

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Analysis of Important Molecules from "non-ESI-friendly" solvents by Continuous-Flow Extractive Desorption Electrospray Ionization (CF-EDESI) Presenter: LI Li, Chemistry Graduate 10:40 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Dr.K.A.Schug (Chem) Group members: Samuel H. Yang; Karel Lemr; Vladimir Havlicek;Kevin A. Schug

Abstract: Fatty acids, vitamins and hormones are essential components that widely exist in humans, animals and plants. They play indispensable roles in regulating cellular function and growth, as well as in producing various metabolic effects in tissues. The significance in detection of these compounds is self-evident. Extraction of these compounds from the native sources has shown to be the most effective way for qualification and quantitation using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). However, fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins and hormones, which are readily recovered by less polar solvents such as ethyl acetate and chloroform (non-ESI-friendly solvents), are difficult to directly analyze. Normally, solvents with low conductivity, high volatility and low dielectric constant will cause significant or complete ion suppression in conventional ESI-MS. The reason is that non- or less polar solvents insulate the analyte from efficient ion formation, leading to poor signal quality. To address this problem, continuous flow extractive desorption electrospray ionization (CF- EDESI), a novel ambient ionization technique that was recently developed in our group, was used to successfully generate ions for these important compounds from non-ESI-friendly solvents. High signal intensity was obtained in solvents such as hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate. However, here we not only demonstrate its applicability for generating ions from non-ESI-friendly solvents, but also report results of experiments designed to glean information about the mechanistic basis for its efficient operation. With this information, CF-EDESI allows for efficient analysis of compounds in solvent solutions that previously were difficult to analyze.

Oxygen/cysteine coupling efficiency in Cysteine Dioxygenase (CDO) and C93-Y157 cross- link formation within the active site Presenter: Wei Li, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 60 Mentor(s): Brad Pierce Group members: Joshua A. CrawfordRoss M. WoodsQiaoyi Wang

Abstract: Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) is a non-heme mononuclear iron enzyme that catalyzes the oxygen-dependent oxidation of L-cysteine (Cys) to produce cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA). The crystal structures of the CDO active site reveals a mononuclear ferrous iron coordinated by three histidine residues. Additionally, a covalently crosslinked cysteine-tyrosine pair (C93-Y157) can be observed within 3.3 ≈ of the CDO active site. This covalent modification has only been observed in three other enzymes. In general, all O2-activating enzymes are highly regulated to prevent the formation of high valent [Fe-O] intermediates in the absence of substrate. The efficiency at which an oxygenase enzyme converts one mol of O2 into product is referred to as coupling. However, a variety of circumstances can conspire to uncouple O2-activation from substrate oxidation. Uncoupled catalysis in non-heme enzymes can result in the oxidation of amino acid resides adjacent to the active site, formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and enzymatic inactivation. In this study, we utilized HPLC and a standard clarke-type oxygen electrode to determine the coupling efficiency of CDO. For comparison, the rate of C93-Y157 formation was monitored by SDS PAGE. We find that oxidative coupling and C93-Y157 pair formation is indeed correlated. Moreover, formation of the C93-Y157 pair significantly increases the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. Interestingly, EPR spectroscopy of the oxidized cyanide-bound FeIII-CDO enzyme shows evidence of an interaction between the C93-Y157 pair and the CN-bound active site.

This work was supported by start-up funds provided by The University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 59

Statistical Inference for Population-Based Case-Control Studies with Complex Sample Designs in Haplotype-Based Genetic Association Studies Presenter: Daoying Lin, Mathematics Graduate 1:00 pm, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Li, Yan (MATH)

Abstract: The use of complex sampling (e.g. stratified multistage cluster sampling) for the selection of study subjects is becoming more common in population-based case-control or cross-sectional studies. This is prompted by the usual advantages of conducting complex sampling, such as time and cost efficiency. More importantly, the use of proper complex sample designs can also obtain representative samples from the target population and thus avoid the biased selection of controls and/or cases. However, two complications, 1) differential population weights and 2) intracluster correlation, are induced by the complex sampling. Although most single-nucleotide-polymorphism-based association studies with complex sampling account for these two complications, many recent haplotype-based genetic association studies with complex sampling tend to ignore them in the estimation of haplotype frequencies, regression coefficients or both, which can lead to invalid inferences and thus spurious association between genetic markers and a disease. Therefore there is a great need to develop statistical methods for taking into account the complications induced by complex sampling in haplotype-based genetic association studies. In this paper, we propose statistical methods that properly account for complex sample designs. Our methods are evaluated via Monte-Carlo simulation studies and illustrated using data from a case-control study, the U.S. Kidney Cancer Study. The results of this paper will contribute to the understanding on how the genetic susceptibility and environmental risk factors interactively affect the human diseases, and provide an important resource for designing future population-based case-control studies.

Numeracy and Ratio Bias in Judgment under Specific Emotions Presenter: Yanfei Liu, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 51 Mentor(s): Danial Levine (PSYC) Group members: Sriram Govindarajan; Danial Levine

Abstract: How does specific emotion influence ratio bias phenomenon? Previous studies suggested that sad mood seem to trigger a more systematic, and analytical form of reasoning consistent with logical rationality; positive mood individuals seem to rely on internal cues and judgmental heuristics. However studies regarding appraisal congruency effects demonstrated that information processing was independent on the valence of emotion. Instead, people with emotion associated with certainty showed higher confidence and heuristic processing, while people with emotion associated with uncertainty showed lower confidence and systematic processing. To explore the effect of specific emotions on numeracy and ratio bias in judgment, we conducted a 2 (positive vs. negative emotion) ◊2 (certainty vs. uncertainty emotion) between participants design, contributing to four conditions: happiness (positive, certainty), hope (positive, uncertainty), disgust (negative, certainty) and fear (negative, uncertainty). Four groups of participants were induced these four emotions and then completed a binary judgment task to make choice between two urns containing white and red marbles. Accuracy and confidence of each trail were recorded. There was main effect of emotion valence on the accuracy, F (1, 24) = 6.55, p = .017, ηp2 = .214. The performance of people with negative emotion was better than those with positive emotion (Mn = 7.45, Mp= 5.44). However, no effect of certainty of emotion showed on accuracy and confidence was found (p > .05). The results supported the former findings that negative emotion trigger systematic processing so that people will demonstrate smaller ratio bias than people with positive emotion.

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Duty Cycling in Wireless Sensor Networks. Experimental Analysis of an Energy-efficient Randomized Scheme on Crossbow TelosB sensor nodes. Presenter: Ayomide Longe, Electrical Engineering Senior 9:20 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Sajal Das (CSE) Group members: Giacomo GhidiniNa LiMario Di Francesco

Abstract: In wireless sensor networks, switching sensor nodes between active and dormant state according to a duty cycling scheme is used to prolong the network lifetime and allow for battery recharging in energy harvesting devices. Randomized schemes are adopted due to their simplicity and limited communication overhead. Operations performed by sensor nodes when switching between active and dormant states consume time and energy, thus reducing the overall efficiency of the scheme. A recently proposed Markov chain-based randomized scheme aims to improve the efficiency, while not affecting connection delay and duration. In this talk, we will present a TinyOS-based system to validate the Markov chain-based scheme on Crossbow (MEMSIC) TelosB sensor nodes. We introduce the architecture of the experimental testbed and describe the experiments to analyze the performance of the randomized scheme on TelosBs in terms of energy efficiency, connection delay and connection duration. We discuss the experimental results that validate the mathematical analysis and confirm the effectiveness of the Markov chain based scheme on TelosB sensor nodes.

Synthesis and Evaluation of HMP Analogs in the Vitamin B1 Pathway Presenter: Diego A. Lopez, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 23 Mentor(s): Frank W. Foss Jr. Group members: Sumit Bhawal

Abstract: Current R&D has been facing a significant innovation deficit as it struggles to manage with new and always increasing economic pressures. During the period of 1989 to 2000, only 15% of the one thousand new drug applications (NDAs) submitted to the FDA were categorized as new molecular entities (NMEs). On the other hand, current bacterial chemotherapy presents an overwhelming reduction in efficacy due to an increase in bacterial resistance; resulting in a higher clinical demand for novel therapeutics and the investigation for their respective targets. Vitamin pathways represent a promising area for antimicrobials, especially the ones exogenous to the human body. The proposed research aims for the expression and purification of HMPK, a member of the ribokinase family in charge of key phosphorylation steps in the thiamin biosynthetic pathway. In order to rationally design and synthesize HMP analogs, the evaluation of such species must be achieved with the development of high throughput spectroscopic assays. The expression, purification, and activity of HMPK were achieved. Efforts toward the development of three assays (UV, fluorescent, and in vivo) were completed to aid in the exploration of chemical space within the enzyme's active site.

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Physical Symptoms in Patients with Acute TMJ: The Influence of Emotional Distress Presenter: Kara Lorduy, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 30 Mentor(s): Gatchel Group members: Robbie Haggard & Celeste Sanders

Abstract: The economic burden of managing pain disorders, such as TMJ, equates to roughly $80 billion annually in the United States alone (Fricton & Schiffman, 1995). Comorbid physical conditions are a key concern in this population (Von Korff et al., 2005). The current study investigates the role of emotional distress and physical symptoms among those with TMJ. Individuals with an Axis I diagnosis (M= .003, SE= .08) had fewer physical symptoms than those without an Axis I diagnosis (M= .60, SE= .25), F(1, 302) = 5.24, p< .05, η2 = .02. Individuals with an Axis I diagnosis (M= -.01, SE= .09) had fewer symptoms of low back pain than those without an Axis I diagnosis (M= .81, SE= .27), F(1, 302) = 8.07, p< .05, η2 = .03. Those with an Axis I diagnosis (M= .06, SE= .08) had fewer symptoms for male pelvic disorder than those without an Axis I diagnosis (M= .55, SE= .26), F(1, 302) = 4.84, p< .05, η2 = .02. Emotional distress mediated these effects, mental SF-36, F(12, 291) = 3.03, p< .05, η2 = .11, and BDI, F(12, 291) = 3.68, p< .05, η2 = .13. Also, Individuals with an Axis I diagnosis (M= .46, SE= .05) reported more pain than those without an Axis I diagnosis (M= -.04, SE= .14), F(1, 326) = 10.60, p< .05, η2 = .03. In conclusion, the findings in this study support the biopsychosocial pain perspective.

A Mathematical Study of the Transition from Chaotic to Periodic Neuron Burst Patterns Presenter: Alice Lubbe, Mathematics Graduate Poster board: 3 Mentor(s): Jianzhong Su (Mathematics) Group members: Jianzhong SuFeng Zhang

Abstract: Some neurons exhibit bursting oscillations in order to regulate certain brain functions within the nervous system. Mathematical models are often employed to simulate such behavior. In this investigation, both mathematical analysis and numerical calculations were used to study the transition of the dynamic behavior in a system of two neurons coupled via synapse, using the Hindmarsh-Rose (HR) neuron model. The individual HR neuron model depicts square-wave type bursting that displays chaotic behavior. Specifically this refers to unpredictable variations in spike number during the active phase of a neuronal burst. However the burst period can be regularized (periodic) when the model is expanded via coupling with another neuron. A geometric analysis of the coupled neuron system shows that the transition from a chaotic to a periodic pattern of neuronal firings is due to changes in the model's underlying mathematical structure (called bifurcation). In both the analysis and the numerical simulations, it is shown that for each burst period, the number of spikes differs by at most one spike. The study provides the evidence that synaptic coupling is a mechanism for regularizing neuron firing, which results in more synchronous and regular brain wave patterns generated by the model.

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Marker-Based Localization of Robots in Simulation Presenter: Thaddeus Madison, Computer Science Engineering Senior 9:00 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Manfred Huber

Abstract: Localization is one of the key components of practical robotics. Localization is easy in an environment whose features are known a priori, as the agent does not have to simultaneously map the environment. One scheme for localization in a known environment is to use unique visual markers that denote specific coordinate positions. This paper details our implementation of a particular marker-based localization scheme. Our technique utilizes a simulated vision sensor to detect a robot's distance away from landmarks, and its relative direction to them. With the provision of at least two markers, we are able to triangulate the relative position of a robot. Finally, we will also describe the benefits of this approach when simulating a covering behavior in a multi-agent robotic simulation and detailing how this is applied to rescue robots thus lowering search-rescue times.

Aptamer Functionalized Chips show Distinct Behavior of Metastatic Tumor Cells Presenter: Mohammed Mahmood, Electrical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 62 Mentor(s): Young-Tae Kim, S. M. Iqbal Group members: Yuan Wan

Abstract: Cancer associated mortalities are primarily due to metastasis of malignant tumors, which results in the spread and invasion of mutant cells in organs/tissues distant from the primary tumor. These mutant cells travel to the distant sites through blood stream. Detection of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood can be a novel and effective tool for early cancer diagnosis. We have developed a new cytological tool to enumerate CTCs as well as to study morphology of caner cells on functionalized and nano-textured surfaces. It has potential to serve as an additional modality to support histological findings and to identify tumor cells based on their physical behavior. The analysis of real human brain tumor (glioblastoma) cells, overexpressing a receptor known as EGFR on the cell membrane, has been done on EGFR-specific glass surfaces functionalized with novel RNA aptamer molecules. The EGFR overexpressing tumor cells, when bound to aptamer functionalized surfaces, show distinct changes in cell shapes from spherical to semi-elliptical; depict very flat orientation while covering much more surface area; and grow rapidly than normal cells. A quantitative analysis of the cell behavior (motility, flattening, migration, shape changing, random pseudopod forming) on functionalized, as well as control substrates has been performed. A significant difference in the interactions of normal and diseased cells on the functionalized surface shows the power of this technique. Given commonality of EGFR overexpression in most of cancer types, the potential use of the aptamer-chip as a simple clinical laboratory testing device for early cancer diagnosis can dramatically change mortality and impact millions of patients, caregivers and families.

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A PRIMITIVE HADROSAUROID (DINOSAURIA: ORNITHISCHIA) FROM THE CRETACEOUS (CENOMANIAN:95 MYA) WOODBINE FORMATION AT THE ARLINGTON ARCHOSAUR SITE, NORTH TEXAS Presenter: Derek Main, Science Graduate Poster board: 20 Mentor(s): Christopher R. Scotese (Earth & Environmental Sciences) Group members: Christopher R. Noto (Biological Sciences)

Abstract: Primitive hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) fossils were recovered from a fossil locality in north Texas named the Arlington Archosaur Site (AAS). The AAS occurs in the Cretaceous (95-100 Mya) Woodbine Formation and represents a coastal ecosystem from an ancient delta plain situated along the southern margin of the Western Interior Seaway. The diverse biota recovered thus far includes lungfish, gar, turtle, dinosaur (ornithopod and theropod), and crocodyliform remains along with microvertebrates and carbonized logs. The taphonomy of the AAS indicates an attritional assemblage formed in a low-energy swamp environment. Fossils are disassociated with little evidence of abrasion or transport. Hadrosauroid fossils identified to date include a partial dentary and isolated teeth; cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae; a scapula and coracoid; and ilium, ischium and pubis. In addition two humeri and a femur are known from juvenile individuals. Based on the elements recovered, at least four individuals are represented from juvenile, subadult and adult growth stages. The dentary contains the close-packed alveolar grooves typical of hadrosaurid dental batteries. The teeth possess relatively straight roots with wide crowns that taper distally, also typical of hadrosauroids. The AAS ornithopod represents the most complete hadrosauroid postcrania recovered from this area and adds important insight into the evolutionary transition between iguanodontians and hadrosaurids in the Mid-Cretaceous. The postcrania demonstrate a mix of plesiomorphic hadrosaurid characters with derived iguanodontian features, suggesting that this may be the most basal hadrosauroid yet recovered. This unusual combination of characters suggests biogeographic isolation or endemism in the North Texas region.

This work was supported in part by grants from the Arlington Tommorrow Foundation and the Jurassic Foundation.

Theorizing in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work: A Systematic Review Presenter: Arati Maleku, Social Work Graduate Poster board: 6 Mentor(s): Alexa Smith-Osborne Group members: Tracey M. Barnett, Yi Jin Kim

Abstract: In social work, theories are conceptual tools used in the assessment of clients and their environments, and in the development of respective treatment and intervention plans. They are also imperative factors in directing social work research. Journal articles are regarded as the most common source of resource materials about theories and tests of theories. In order to examine the patterns of theoretical reinforcements guiding research articles in a well-respected social work journal, we conducted a systematic review of 198 journal articles published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work from 2004 (inception) to 2011. Results indicated that majority of the articles do not mention explicit theory showing a huge gap in connecting theory and research in the journal articles. Majority of the articles that did explicitly mention theory neglected to provide a clear link between theory, research, and interventions. This presentation will discuss the results of the systematic review, the frequency of explicit theoretical underpinnings that provide the basis for empirical research, and discuss the interplay between theory, research, and social work interventions. Future implications for research addressing the need to theorize evidenced-based social work practice and vice-versa will also be discussed. This study lends support to the growing emphasis on evidence-based social work, the importance of using theories to build research, develop effective interventions, and further construct a paradigm for the social work profession as a whole. The reiteration of this linkage between explicit theories and research in social work journal articles is the first step towards this endeavor.

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Aging and the ability to modulate peripersonal and extrapersonal reach space via tool use Presenter: Amanda Martinez, Kinesiology Graduate Poster board: 4 Mentor(s): Priscila CaÁola (Kinesiology)

Abstract: Research indicates that a tool can modulate borders between peripersonal space (within reach) and extrapersonal space (beyond maximum reach). The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of advanced age via tool use. Twenty-six participants (9 males, 17 females) between ages 55 and 92 were divided into two age groups, one between ages of 55 to 75 and the other after 76 years of age. Accuracy in estimation of reach was measured based on maximum reach to 7 targets. Participants were tested on two major blocks, one with the Hand and a Tool of 8in, and another with the Hand and a Tool of 16in. One condition was performed for 21 trials, and the switch-block with 7 trials. Results indicated a moderate negative correlation (-.484) for Tool 16 (21) and Age. ANOVA results for Condition (21) indicated significance (P=0.03), and post-hoc analysis showed that accuracy in Tool 8 was lower than in Hand 16. For the Switch- block, there was a significance (P=0.01) and the post-hoc analysis showed Hand 8 and Hand 16 had a significantly lower percentage of correct responses. In conclusion, accuracy decreased as age increased only with the longer tool, suggesting a cognitive decline. No significant differences between age groups are possibly due to the participants' active lifestyle, as fitness has been shown to minimize aging effects. In addition to gaining information about aging of the neuro- cognitive processes, these findings may have implications for physical safety and rehabilitation with older persons.

Testing the Effects of the Arlington Undergraduate Research-based Achievement for STEM (AURAS) on the Performance of Engineering Students in Chemistry Courses Presenter: Priscila Martinez, Biology Graduate Poster board: 45 Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug Group members: Emmanuel Varona, Abegayl Thomas,and Doug D. Carlton,

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that students who opt to major in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have a higher drop-out rate from their major. Based on these findings, The University of Texas at Arlington has developed a retention program to support STEM students. One component of the Arlington Undergraduate Research-based Achievement for STEM (AURAS) is the implementation of an Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) to support students in required chemistry courses. ESP provides a support structure that fosters an environment of collaboration between students during a four-hour supplemental classroom instruction session, in addition to regular lecture and laboratory requirements. A teaching method involving a learning outcomes-based assessment was developed to measure the individual progress of students and to reinforce the topics with calculated poor performance. The material taught at each session was divided into chapter topics and subdivided into a detailed list of learning objectives. At each AURAS session a quiz was administered to assess mastery of topics. Quiz grades and test grades were aligned with learning outcomes to measure individual mastery of course material by each ESP students. The results of the learning outcomes-based assessment showed an upward learning trend in topics mastered by the students, and a high retention rate of the material. Overall, there was a significantly higher performance on tests scores and course pass rates by students in ESP courses-- 83% of ESP students earned a C or better in the course, as opposed to 57% of non-ESP students.

This study was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) 65

And the winner is! Corporate lifecycle stage as an antecedent to CEO selection characteristics Presenter: Brian Martinson, Business Administration Graduate 3:40 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Gary McMahan (Management), Deepak Datta (Management)

Abstract: One of the most critical tasks performed by a corporation's board of directors is to hire the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A corporation's CEO is responsible for identifying and implementing corporate level strategies as well as selecting key members of the top management team. Practitioners and scholars alike, believing that a corporation's overall performance is highly attributable to the decisions and actions of the CEO, are keenly interested in understanding how and why new CEOs are selected given a corporation's set of operating conditions, and what, if any, characteristics newly hired CEOs have in common. This study investigates the relationship between corporate lifecycle stage as a measure of the key strategic decisions facing a newly hired CEO, and the selected CEO's demographic and biographic characteristics. Using corporate financial data from the COMPUSTAT database to measure corporate lifecycle stage, and CEO profiles published in the Forbes list of top paid CEOs, we tested our hypotheses regarding the relationship between corporate lifecycle stage and newly hired CEOs' age, experience, and level of education. Surprisingly, and contrary to our predictions, we found a significant and negative relationship between newly hired CEOs' levels of education and corporations in the growth and mature lifecycle stages. Furthermore, growth stage firms, on average, selected CEOs with lower levels of education than mature stage firms. Our results suggest that corporate lifecycle stage and its associated strategic challenges can be used to predict CEO education characteristics.

Electronic and structural study of noble metal doping in Si nanocrystals using density functional theory Presenter: Cedric Mayfield, Physics Graduate Poster board: 13 Mentor(s): Muhammad N. Huda

Abstract: We report on a first principle study of the structural and electronic properties of noble metal dopants in Si nanocrystals. We show that structural preference deviates from the bulk behavior at the nanoscale as does the electronic structure. Their dependence on impurity position and nanocrystal size are discussed in detail. The surface states typical in nanocrystals are considered too. Specifically, we calculate the changes in total energy of doped Si nanocrystals with respect to position and size for Cu, Ag, and Au. Then we passivate the surface states with H and calculate the changes in total energy again. Irrespective of passivation or size, we find these impurities exhibit different variations in formation energy, spin state, and HOMO LUMO gap as the impurity is moved from the center to the surface of the nanocrystals. Fundamental understandings of these properties are necessary for the development of energy conversion materials, thermoelectric devices, and nano-particle sensors.

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Reasoning in an Aging Population Presenter: Fred Mckee, Kinesiology Graduate Poster board: 25 Mentor(s): Jodi Tommerdahl (MBE), Evguenia Malaia (MBE) Group members: Monica Nesbitt

Abstract: Reasoning is critical to human survival. However, logic-based (deductive) reasoning has received much attention recently, while much less is known about the probabilistic system, which allows humans to operate in situations with incomplete information by drawing experience-based conclusions. In this innovative study, responses to probabilistic and deductive reasoning problems were recorded while the participant's brain function was being measured via EEG. In each problem, a premise was given and possible inferences were provided. The participants had to indicate whether the inference was absolutely correct or incorrect, or if it was probably correct or incorrect. Participants responded with significantly higher accuracy (F(1, 14)=34.249; p<.001, ep2=.710) to deductive reasoning questions than probabilistic. Participants responded faster to stimuli requiring deductive reasoning, but response times in the deductive reasoning condition were more affected by the valency of the correct response. Preliminary analysis of EEG data indicates that reasoning conditions elicited a widely distributed positivity at 400-500ms after the stimulus, as compared to the control condition. Participants relied more on the deductive system , as evidenced by faster and more accurate responses. A prior study of EEG on reasoning demonstrated N2 in response to non-reasoning conditions (Bonnefond & der Henst, 2009); our data suggests that this component might indicate a shift from analytic to heuristic system use.The results suggest that deductive and probabilistic reasoning systems rely on distinctly different neural networks. If the two types of reasoning do rely on different networks, then they may also develop and decline at different rates in each individual.

Improving Spanish Diphthongs through Syllabification Instruction Presenter: Lori McLain Pierce, Linguistics Graduate Poster board: 36 Mentor(s): Cynthia Kilpatrick (Linguistics & TESOL) Group members: Justin Fuller

Abstract: The production of diphthongs by second language Spanish speakers has long been known as problematic. Previous research either suggests syllable structure instruction could be beneficial without empirical support (Bowen 1963) or provides empirical evidence of effective pronunciation instruction without methodology (Lord 2005). Recent work in second language speech perception (Dupoux et al. 1999, among others) indicates that perception of sound sequences in the second language (L2) may be subject to interference from the first language (L1) phonology. Little research exists on the perception of diphthongs in Spanish. Previous research focuses on native speaker perception (Hualde and Prieto 2002, Face and Alvord 2004) or non-native speaker without attempts to improve perception (Kilpatrick and Scarpace 2010, Kilpatrick submitted). However, focused instruction on syllabification and the perception of diphthongs may improve not only perception, but also production. We tested the efficacy of syllabification instruction on perception and production of diphthongs through test~retest methodology. L2 Spanish learners listened to bisyllabic forms with diphthongs and gave syllable judgments. Participants received a training comparing syllabification Spanish and English words, such as 2-syllable Spanish [pja-no] versus 3- syllable English [pi-jæ-no], and then repeated the test. Results indicate judgments of syllable counts were significantly different for the pre- and post-tests. 2-syllable judgments indicated perception of a diphthong ([fja-fo]), while 3-syllable judgments indicated perception of vowels in hiatus ([fi-a-fo]). While participants performed at chance levels on the pre-test, they judged the same forms as diphthongs over 90% of the time on the post-test.

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Facile Preparation of a Novel Family of Strong Surgical Adhesives Presenter: Mohammadreza Mehdizadeh, Material Science Engineering Graduate 3:40 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Jian Yang Group members: Hong Weng, Liping Tang, Jian Yang

Abstract: Surgical adhesive are increasingly gaining more popularity in various areas of clinical applications as a replacement or adjunct to conventional wound closure and bleeding control techniques such as suturing. However, the development of surgical adhesives is significantly limited by the availability of materials with suitable properties, including sufficient wet tissue adhesion strength, controlled degradability, soft tissue-like mechanical properties, cost-effective preparation, and biocompatibility. Herein, learning from nature, we report a facile one-step synthesis of a novel family of tissue adhesives, which is inspired by sea mussel strategy for adhering to various surfaces in wet condition. These injectable citric acid- based mussel-inspired bioadhesives (iCMBAs) showed at least 2-fold stronger adhesion to wet tissues over the clinically used fibrin glue, controlled degradability and tissue-like elastomeric mechanical properties, and excellent cell/tissue- compatibility both in vitro and in vivo. iCMBAs were able to close wound in a few minutes without a need of using sutures, stop bleeding instantly, facilitate wound healing, and completely degrade without eliciting significant inflammatory response on an open-wound rat model. Our results support that iCMBA technology is highly translational and could have broad impact on surgeries where surgical tissue adhesives, sealants, and hemostatic agents are used.

This work was supported in part by a R21 award (EB009795) (to J.Y.) and R01 awards (EB012575 (to J.Y.) and EB007271 (to L.T.)) from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award 0954109 (to J.Y.).

In vivo evaluation of tripolymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles Presenter: Jyothi Menon, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 9:00 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Kytai T. Nguyen Group members: Aniket S. Wadajkar, J.T. Hsieh, Kytai T. Nguyen

Abstract: Prostate cancer will be accountable for 241,749 new cancer cases and 28,170 deaths in the United States this year. Conventional cancer treatments have severe side effects and cannot overcome drug resistance in cancer cells. The National Cancer Institute has identified nanomedicine as an emerging field capable of overcoming obstacles of existing cancer treatments. Thermo-responsive polymer-coated nanoparticles are gaining prominence as they release drugs in a temperature-dependent manner. In this work, thermo-responsive polymer (poly([N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylamide-allylamine), PNIPAAm-AAm-AH) coated magnetic nanoparticles were formulated to perform dual functions of diagnosis and treatment. The temperature-sensitive polymers would allow these nanoparticles to shrink and release the encapsulated drugs at temperature above 39oC so that combined therapies, hyperthermia and controlled drug delivery, can be possible. These nanoparticles were also conjugated with prostate-specific peptides/ligands including R11, RGD-4C, and folic acid for targeted delivery application. The magnetic nanoparticles within the core of these nanoparticles serve as contrast agents for MRI and also destroy cancer cells in hyperthermia treatment. Prostate-specific R11, RGD-4C, or folic acid-conjugated nanoparticles had diameters of 147, 133, and 141 nm, respectively. All nanoparticle types showed biocompatibility up to a concentration of 500 µg/ml. There was higher uptake of folic acid and R11-tagged nanoparticles than RGD-4C-tagged particles. Preliminary in vivo studies showed that R11- tagged nanoparticles accumulated more in the tumor region following injection into tumor-implanted mice, than untagged nanoparticles. Successful completion of this project can thus potentially provide a more effective alternate treatment for cancer management.

This work is supported by the Department of Defense (DoD)W81XWH-09-1-0313 68

The Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl Presenter: Nicolas Miranda, Music Senior 1:00 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): George Chave; Dr. Elizabeth Morrow

Abstract: I have composed a musical duet for cello and piano to represent the Native American myth of two adjacent volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, from the viewpoint of the Aztecs and the Tlaxcaltecas. One version of the myth is as follows: The princess of Tlaxcala, Iztaccíhuatl, fell in love with the brave warrior Popocatépetl. However, in order to have Iztaccíhuatl's hand in marriage, Popocatépetl had to be victorious in battle against the Aztecs. A jealous warrior named Citlaltépetl coveted their love, and sent false news of Popocatépetl's death in battle. Upon hearing this news Iztaccíhuatl refuses to eat and dies of grief. When Popocatépetl returns triumphant from battle,he takes his lover's remains to the top of a hill and begins to grieve. The Gods are so touched that they cover the lovers in snow until they become volcanoes. The first movement portrays Popocatépetl's struggle in battle through rapidly moving asymmetrical rhythms to represent his sprinting and the heat of conflict. As this first part climaxes, there is a pensive passage, almost lacking rhythm, introducing the musical theme of his love Itaccíhuatl, and builds to return to the driving (almost aggressive rhythms of battle. The second movement portrays the stages of Iztaccíhuatl's grief through a variety of changes in texture and tonality, highlighting her death and the return of Popocatépetl. My goal is to perform this composition to depict the mythological story behind these two volcanoes.

Jamming in WSN Presenter: Bhavin Mistry, Computer Science Engineering Senior 8:20 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Matthew Wright

Abstract: Our profject presents modified and improved idea on mapping jammed nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN). We are focusing on detecting a jammed region in a network. We want faster technique to map out the jammed nodes and make it efficient from the similar previous projects. Experiments were composed of changing the network size and number of nodes included in the area. Changing the size and number of nodes lets us analyze how effective our algorithm is. Simulation was created in C++ and using the libraries to get clear graphs to view network and jammed regions. From our results, we reduced the time and improved the detection of jammed region in a network. Ran multiple simulations in order to achieve the best results possible. So we were successful in making jamming detection technique successful.

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Detection of Plantar Pressure Distribution Using Loop Antenna Sensors Presenter: Irshad Mohammad, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 2:40 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Haiying Huang (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)

Abstract: A foot ulcer is an initiating factor in 85% of all diabetic amputations. The formation of ulcers is believed to be contributed by the plantar pressure and shear distribution. The amount of pressure and shear being applied on the foot has to be continuously monitored in real-time for foot ulcer evaluation. Many different sensors are available to evaluate the pressure applied over the foot. However, most of these sensors are either expensive or have a low resolution. We proposed a sensor based on the principle of a loop antenna to detect plantar pressure distribution. This flexible, inexpensive, high resolution in-shoe sensor monitors the frequency of the loop to evaluate the pressure applied on the foot. Since the magnitude of pressure can be directly obtained from the resonant frequencies of the sensor, no data processing or calibration is required once the pressure sensitivity of the antenna sensor is established. With a simple antenna sensor, we were able to measure pressures as small as 1 pound per square inch (psi) over a span of 180 psi. Moreover, we also demonstrated a wireless technique that can interrogate the sensor from a distance of 1.5 meters away. The absence of wiring allows us to potentially use multiple sensors inside the shoe to measure the pressure below the entire foot, all in real-time. The presentation will include the principle of operation of the loop antenna sensor, discussion of antenna design, and experimental results. A detailed analysis of the results will also be presented.

This project is partially supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under contract No. FA9550-08-1-0317 and the National Science Foundation CAREER award CMMI-0846074. The support and encouragement of the program managers, Dr. David Stargel at the AFOSR and Dr. Shih-Chi Liu at the NSF, are greatly appreciated.

Influence of estrogen on morphine reward Presenter: Samara Morris-Bobzean, Psychology Graduate 8:40 am, Neches Mentor(s): Linda Perrotti Group members: D. Christian Chance, Cam Liu, Torry Scott Dennis, Linda Perrotti

Abstract: In clinical studies, females report greater sensitivity to the rewarding properties of opiates compared to males. To date, only a few studies have directly examined the effects of estradiol on morphine reward. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the influence of estradiol on morphine reward related learning in female rats. Ovariectomized (OVX) adult female Long Evans rats were tested for morphine conditioned place preference (CPP). Thirty minutes prior to each day of conditioning or the preference test, rats received a subcutaneous (s.c) injection of 5µg 17β-Estradiol 3 benzoate in 0.1mL of peanut oil (OVX+EB) or peanut oil (OVX). On each of the six conditioning days, animals received either a 1ml/kg s.c. injection of 0.9% saline or 10mg/kg morphine sulfate and were confined to one of the two conditioning chambers for one hour. On the day of the preference test, rats were allowed free access to all chambers for 30 minutes. Although both OVX+EB and OVX rats acquired CPP to 10mg/kg morphine (p<0.05), OVX+EB animals had significantly lower morphine CPP compared to OVX rats (p<0.05). These results suggest that estradiol affects important processes necessary to form associations between environmental cues and the rewarding properties of opiates. Experiments are currently underway to examine some of the molecular mechanisms underlying these behavioral differences.

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The Edwards plateau serves as a geographic barrier for the four-lined skink, Plestiodon tetragrammus Presenter: Matthew Moseley, Biology Graduate 11:00 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Chippindale, Paul T.(BIOL) Group members: Cox, Cristian L. (BIOL)

Abstract: The Edward's Plateau is a sandstone uplift in central Texas that possesses a remarkable number of unique local species and functions as a geographic barrier for many species (Richardson and Gold 1995). Notably, lizards of the Plestiodon tetragrammus species group are distributed across this potential geographic barrier. This species group is composed of 3 taxa, P. tetragrammus tetragrammus, P. t. brevilineatus, and P. multivirgatus. P. multivirgatus is distrubted in western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico, while P. t. tetragrammus and P. t. brevilineatus are found in Texas and northern Mexico and are separated by the Edwards Plateau. We sequenced both mitochondrial and nuclear genes and reconstructed evolutionary relationships using various statistical methods. We found notable genetic variation across the geographic range of the P. tetragrammus species group. All analyses found that this species group is monophyletic, and that P. t. tetragrammus and P. t. brevilineatus are genetically divergent and form distinct evolutionary groups. Our results demonstrate the importance of the Edwards Plateau as a geographic barrier that promotes genetic diversity in southwestern animal species.

Multi-layer Microparticles as Diagnostic tools for Prostate Cancer Presenter: Vijayalakshmi Murali, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 59 Mentor(s): K.T. Nguyen (BE) Group members: Aniket S. Wadajkar,Sonia Santimano

Abstract: Circulating tumor cells or cancer stem cells can be indicators of cancer development, metastasis and progression-free survival in patients. These cells can be studied extensively to understand the mechanism of cancer metastasis, screening of anticancer drugs, perfecting therapies and personalizing effective cancer medication. However, number of these cells in the peripheral blood is very low, which makes it difficult to isolate them using conventional cell isolation methods. The aim of this research was to fabricate magnetic-based multi-layer microparticles (MLMP) for (1) isolation of cancer stem cells via magnetic separation (prostate cancer stem cell like LAPC-4 cells in cell mixtures were used as a proof-of-concept), (2) enrichment of isolated cells under in vitro conditions, and (3) detach cells without the use of toxic chemicals such as Trypsin by changing surrounding temperature (made possible by the presence of temperature-sensitive poly(N- isopropylacrylamide-allylamine) (PNIPAAm-AH) shell). The MLMPs were synthesized and characterized for their physicochemical properties with an average diameter of 60 µm. Immunofluorescence and H&E staining showed excellent cell viability, no changes in the cell morphology, and antibody conjugation efficiency of 25% over PNIPAAm-AH surfaces. Cell adhesion and isolation experiments were performed to optimize incubation time, MLMP concentration, and CD117 antibody concentration. The cells showed 64% attachment efficiency after two hours of incubation with 1 mg MLMPs conjugated with 10 µg/ml antibodies. The results prove the potential of MLMPs for cancer stem cell isolation for future use as diagnostic tool.

Research funded by American Heart Association (Predoctoral Fellowship award, A.S.W), Department of Defense (DoD grant number W81XWH-09-1-0313) 71

Metrically Driven Phonological Disruption in Swahili Verse Presenter: Mohamed Mwamzandi, Linguistics Graduate 3:00 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Colleen Fitzgerald (Linguistics)

Abstract: Studies in English poetry show that poetic requirements can disrupt ordinary language forms, for example, changing typical word order in sentences for better stress patterns in meter (Youmans 1983). This study provides additional evidence from Swahili verse, which requires an eight-syllable poetic line. That line requirement results in insertions and deletions of ordinary language forms to produce precisely eight syllables per line. The data source is a collection of poems by Muyaka wa Muhaji, a 19th century Swahili poet (Abdulaziz 1979). All poems in the collection belong to the shairi genre which requires precisely eight-syllable poetic lines. Linguistic forms in ordinary language re-adjust via deletion and insertion. To avoid a subminimal line, as many as three syllables can be added via insertion of vowels between consonant-glide clusters, and insertion of redundant morphemes. The ordinary form shwa-ri "calm", for example, may occur as mi-shu-wa-ri, where mi, a redundant plural morpheme, and vowel /u/ insertion, add two syllables to a subminimal poetic line. For lines with more than eight syllables, the first of a two vowel sequence and nasal syllables delete to reduce the syllable count to eight. This study has implications for the understanding of generative metrical theory from the perspective of a non-western tradition. Few similar studies exist, and aside from a brief discussion in Park (2000), Swahili poetry is otherwise untreated in generative phonology. Additionally, this study shows that the deletions and insertions are of a systematic nature, driven to satisfy an "eight syllable per line" poetic requirement.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Silicon Carbide Quantum Dots Presenter: Munuve Mwania, Chemistry Graduate 10:00 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Peter Kroll (Chemistry and Biochemistry).

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) is an excellent biocompatible material, less toxic than any other inorganic compound used for applications in life science. Very small SiC nanoparticles (particles with a size of 1-100 nm, where 1 nm = 1 x 10-9 meters), thus, may enter cells and can be used for cell imaging and drug delivery providing they exhibit useful optical properties and can be functionalized with chemical groups on their surface. Here, we report the synthesis and optical properties of beta SiC (b-SiC) nanoparticles (also called quantum dots - QDs). Colloidal suspensions of b-SiC QDs with diameters between 5 - 50 nm are synthesized through a two-step route - electrochemical etching followed by ultrasonic dispersion in polar and non-polar solvents. SiC QDs of different sizes are then separated through ultra-centrifugation and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Optical properties of b-SiC QDs are analyzed using absorption spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and emission spectroscopy (fluorescence). Absorption and emission spectra of SiC QDs - characterizing the color of particles - depend on the size of the particles. UV-VIS spectroscopy of b-SiC QDs with diameter < 5 nm exhibit sharp absorption features characteristic of discrete energy levels. Being predicted in theoretical studies, we measured these features for the first time. Fluorescence spectra indicate excitations in b-SiC QDs have lifetimes of several nanoseconds, depending - once again - on size. Our results expand the fundamental understanding of b-SiC QDs, necessary to exploit their applications in photonics and life sciences.

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Examining gender-moderated relationships between victimization, depression, and substance use Presenter: Michael Natishyn, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 39 Mentor(s): Linda I. Perrotti (Psychology), Lauri Jensen-Campbell (Psychology), Angela Liegey Dougall (Psychology)

Abstract: Multiple studies have documented the associations between victimization and depression, victimization and substance use, as well as depression and substance use. A small but growing body of research suggests that use of alcohol and drugs in adolescents is associated with victimization and bullying behavior. Further, substance use in victimized adolescents has been found to exhibit gender specific patterns of use, such as victimized males being more prone to use marijuana and consume alcohol (Ford et al., 2010; Kilpatrick et al., 2000). To continue the investigation into the role of victimization and substance use, data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control (2009) were analyzed using logistic regression models in adolescents aged 15 years. Additional variables of interest were added into the models to identify how depression and gender influence substance use. Results indicated that depressed males were at greatest odds of substance use, and further classification of drugs (stimulants, tobacco products, etc.) revealed unique patterns of likelihood based on victimization, depression and gender. A moderated-mediated model was created from these findings that indicate that overall substance use in victimized adolescents is partially mediated by depression, and completely mediated in specific drug types. Additionally, these findings also indicate that females are more likely to exhibit depression from victimization, and males are more likely to exhibit substance use (either completely or in part through depression). Studies are currently underway to test these models in other databases and incorporate bullying perpetration to account for further maladaptive behaviors.

Secure Query Answering in Peer Data Management Systems Presenter: Azade Nazi, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 8:40 am, Red River Mentor(s): Donggang Liu;Sajal K.Das

Abstract: Peer Data Management Systems (PDMS) is a decentralized data integration system which is an extension of the classical data integration where heterogeneous databases are accessible through a central mediator. Peers are able to communicate, if they have common language as schema mapping. In this paper, we address privacy management, as an important challenge in PDMSs. When two peers in a PDMS desire to share data, their queries and related answers might need to go through intermediate peers as translators. This information could be highly sensitive in many applications such as healthcare, and should not be revealed publicly. In healthcare, hospitals may need to exchange the medical records of patients for the purpose of consultancy or patient transfer. Three issues should take into consideration in privacy management of PDMS, privacy of the exchanged query, privacy of the result, and privacy of the mapping schemas. We present a novel secure query answering protocol in PDMSs to address these challenges. The idea behind the new approach is to preserve privacy of the query in order to implicitly protect the privacy of the result. The protocol use special format to send the translators, there is no logic and sensitive information in this format. Next we apply a clustering technique to add noises to query and result to preserve the mapping privacy. Security analysis shows that, it is resilient to replay and collusion attack. The experimental study on healthcare domain shows secure answering protocol preserves the privacy of the query, result as well as mapping.

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Examining Shared Cognition and Training Strategies for Virtual Teams Presenter: Michael Neeper, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 64 Mentor(s): Shannon A. Scielzo (Psychology) Group members: Shannon A. Scielzo, Ph.D, Brandi M. Cavener

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to help gain a more in-depth understanding of shared cognition in virtual teams and how training can increase the effectiveness of these types of teams. Specifically, we are examining the effects of training on team performance and the extent to which various other antecedents relate to successful communication processes, as well as looking at ways to decrease virtual team miscommunications. Participants either received no training, teamwork training, computer-based mediated communication (CMC) training. The results showed that CMC training increases team communication, which is one of the most common problems within virtual teams. Teams are becoming more ubiquitous in organizations; in turn, this research has the potential to create more effective teams within organizations.

Implementing sustainable processes at a local hat manufacturing company-A case Study Presenter: Smriti Neogi, Industrial Engineering Graduate 2:40 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Kurt Middelkoop (TMAC)

Abstract: In this era of information technology and globalization, the market is not a producer's market anymore. The selling price of a product is determined by the customer. In order to run the business, manufacturers today are forced to keep their cost price low in order to make a profit and keep the business running. In such a situation sometimes the delicate balance between cost, quality and time (delivery) is difficult to maintain. Lean manufacturing was a breakthrough technology in the past decade. "Sustainable manufacturing" is a combination of lean and clean processes and is one step ahead of lean manufacturing. Sustainability not only helps the manufacturer by surviving in this economy but also helps mother-nature by keeping the carbon emissions low. Traditional ways of manufacturing can have many pitfalls in the process. These pitfalls are identified as the 7 wastes in lean manufacturing. In this paper a case study is discussed where a local hat manufacturer was helped to identify and eliminate wastes from its processes. The analysis of the process was carried out by doing time studies, process flow analysis, statistical analysis and value stream analysis. As a result of the studies the manufacturer increased production capacity, achieved production goals and reduced the carbon emissions by more than 180,000 pounds annually.

This work was supported by TMAC (Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center). 74

Preliminary Studies on a Conserved Mutant Variant, E109N in F420-Cofactor Dependent Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Presenter: Tony Nguyen, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 104 Mentor(s): Kayunta Johnson-WInters

Abstract: Our studies are directed towards the hydride transfer reaction of F420-Cofactor Dependent Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (FGD) from Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). Ten million new cases of tuberculosis are reported each year around the world (Endang, 2212). Many of which, are in developing countries. A third of the reported cases of tuberculosis lead to death. Because FGD is not found in humans, makes it a likely target for drug treatment. Studying the reaction and mechanism of FGD could lead to effective drug treatments of TB. FGD catalyzes the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phosphogluconolactone. Currently, we are undertaking expression and purification of recombinant wild-type FGD along with FGD variants. The focus of this poster is on the conserved glutamate in the 109 position of FGD. We have converted glutamate 109 to an asparagine, forming the E109N variant. The glutamate within the 109 position of FGD is located within active site and interact with the substrate and cofactor. Our future goal is to probe the functionality of the E109 residue, using steady-state and pre-steady state kinetic methods. Here, we will discuss the site-directed mutagenesis and expression of this variant.

Synthesis and characterization of Zinc (II) and Gold (III) complexes with fluorinated chelators Presenter: Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 97 Mentor(s): Rasika Dias (Chemistry and Biochemistry) Group members: Chandrakanta Dash, Venkata Adiraju, Omobonike Osunloye, Animesh Das, Naleen Jayaratna, and Abhijit Pramanik

Abstract: The primary motive of my investigation is mainly due to the multiple oxidation states of transition metals and their reactivity with fluorinated chelators. The acidic nitrogen-hydrogen bond makes the ligands very attractive for coordinating a wide variety of metals [1]. Research has shown significant progress in utilization of transition metal complexes as drugs with promising pharmacological application and may offer therapeutic opportunities due to their different oxiation states. Zinc (II) compounds are under development as insulin-enhancing drugs with potential use in the treatment of diabetes. Gold (III) complexes manifest cytotoxic effects against selected human tumor cell lines, making them good candidates for pharmacological testing as antitumor agents. During my investigation, a highly fluorinated chelator was used for synthesizing zinc (II) and gold (III) complexes in a two-step sequence. At the completion of my investigation, I hope to obtain satisfactory results which can contribute to the further pharmacological investigations and mechanism of zinc (II) and gold (III) complexes.

[1]. Pucci, D.; Aiello, I.; Aprea, A.; Bellusci, A.; Crispini, A.; Ghedini, M. Chem. Commun. 2009, 1550-1552. [2]. Messori, L.; Abbate, F.; Marcon, G.; Orioli, P.; Fontani, M.; Mini, E.; Carroti, S. J. Med. Chem. 2000.43: 3541-3548 75

Harvesting the Rain; A Proposal for Storm Water Management and its Re-Use on the University of Texas at Arlington Campus Presenter: Steven Nunez, Architecture Senior Poster board: 99 Mentor(s): Professor Donald del Cid (Architecture)

Abstract: Fresh water scarcities and/or related crisis are and will increasingly become common occurrences worldwide. Since the University of Texas at Arlington is located in an arid, drought-prone region, it is extremely important to begin addressing this problem by implementing Storm Water Management and develop reusable tactics. This study consists of a Conceptual Design Proposal for the implementation of campus-wide water management, by creating multiple water reservoirs that will allow to construct new parking/educational edifices throughout the UTA Campus, thus, creating a new concept. The water reservoirs will harvest the rain water run-off for future re-uses on the campus, primarily for non-potable uses such as landscape irrigation, flushing toilets, maintenance/construction purposes, etc. This will reduce the amount of potable water that the university purchases for non-potable uses. The construction of the reservoirs will require for the inundation of multiple parking lots and thoroughfares. The proposal includes recommendations for replacing those parking lots with parking edifices, and elevating the existing thoroughfares in the form of raised earth berms and low-altitude bridges. Over the past few years, UTA has made great progress towards embracing sustainability as an important mission for the university. In adopting this proposal, UTA will create a campus-wide laboratory that will benefit the research capabilities of the university and further establish itself as a leader in sustainability and storm water management.

ROLE OF N-TERMINUS OF JAZ9 IN ARABIDOPSIS INNATE IMMUNITY Presenter: Nisita Obulareddy, Biology Graduate 10:20 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Dr.Maeli Melotto

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that stomatal pores in the leaf epidermis close as a part of the plant innate immune response against bacterial invasion of plant tissues. Counteracting this response, the plant pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 has evolved the virulence factor coronatine, an important strategy contributing to pathogenesis. The mode of action of coronatine in plant cells has beginning to be elucidated. Two components of the coronatine receptor complex have been identified, namely COI1 (the F-box subunit of E3 ligase) and JAZ (a repressor of jasmonic acid pathway) proteins, suggesting that coronatine acts in the plant by inducing the degradation of proteins and hijacking the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway. In this study we focused on determining the function of the JAZ9 protein in mediating plant immunity at early stages of bacterial infection. Using a combination of approaches, including gene expression analysis, ectopic expression of truncated proteins, and gene knockout we have determined the N- terminus of JAZ9 is essential for plant's defense against Pst DC3000. This study will contribute to refining the current model of the coronatine action in the plant cell and to discerning the molecular function of JAZ9 during infection.

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Aircraft Lateral Trim Using Internal Fuel Transfer & Differential Thrust in Formation Flight Presenter: Wendy Okolo, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 3:20 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Atilla Dogan (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)

Abstract: Aircraft flight generates wake vortices that induce a nonuniform wind distribution in the wake of the aircraft. A follower aircraft, flying in the wake of a leader, can experience induced wind components and gradients with various magnitudes and directions, depending on the location within the induced wind field. It has been shown that there is a location within the wake of the leader where the follower aircraft experiences upwash, which leads to drag reduction. When an aircraft flying in formation flight is at that location, the aircraft experiences lower drag but also experiences induced aerodynamic moments. The deflections of control effectors required for trimming the aircraft under the effect of these moments induce additional drag, which reduce the benefits of fuel efficiency. This report investigates two mechanisms of moment generation for alleviating the drag induced by the deflection of the control effectors: (1) internal fuel transfer among fuel tanks and (2) differential thrust. It was seen that an elimination of the control effector deflections led to a reduction in the thrust and thus savings in fuel. Internal fuel transfer reduced the aileron deflection of the follower and differential thrusting reduced the rudder deflection, both by generating rolling and yawing moments respectively. Furthermore, the combination of the two techniques provided the highest fuel savings of 11 percent by reducing the need for the aileron and rudder deflections. The results of this analysis will allow for further studies ultimately leading to the development of a fuel-saving method of flight with various applications.

This work was supported in part by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base

Jicarilla Apache Loanwords Presenter: Gabriel Olivas, Linguistics Senior Poster board: 103 Mentor(s): Colleen Fitzgerald (Linguistics)

Abstract: Jicarilla Apache is one of two living members of the Eastern branch of Apachean languages. Its vocabulary includes words adopted from Spanish and incorporated into the Jicarilla language. Though Jicarilla has been studied linguistically, there has been no systematic phonological treatment of loanwords present in the language. This poster addresses this gap in the linguistic studies and perhaps sheds some more light on a language that still remains somewhat underdocumented. The data includes over 100 loanwords from a wordlist (Pono, et al., 1976), analyzed in terms of their phonological changes from the source language (Spanish). When loanwords are taken into a recipient language they undergo an array of processes to fit the phonology and phonotactics of that recipient language. Jicarilla interestingly changes rhotics (r-like sounds) - which do not exist in Jicarilla phonology - into lateral liquids (l-like sounds) - which do exist. Additionally, other consonants are affected in different ways. Jicarilla restrictions on permissible consonants (phonotactics) also determine whether consonants from the original are deleted or whether a vowel is inserted. Stressed vowels in Spanish source words lengthen in the Jicarilla counterpart, with vowels getting low tones. Implications from processes affecting loanwords give further insight to the phonology and phonotactics of the Jicarilla language. The implications of phonological changes from Spanish to Jicarilla also provide some preliminary data about Jicarilla speakers' second language (L2) phonology. The speakers' L2 phonology is important because it suggests the differences between syllable structure in Spanish and Jicarilla underlies the changes from source language in borrowed words.

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The New Testament of the Virgin Mary: An Evangelical Model for The Miracles of Our Lady by Gonzalo de Berceo Presenter: Jennifer Omaña, Linguistics Graduate 2:40 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Amy Austin

Abstract: Gonzalo de Berceo, the first poet in the Spanish language, wrote The Miracles of Our Lady in the mid-13th century during the pinnacle of the cult of the Virgin Mary, at a time when the Iberian Peninsula was under Christian rule for the first time since 711. His work is a collection of twenty-five miracle stories through which Berceo reveals 13th century Christian beliefs regarding the Virgin and her role in humanity's salvation. Critics have historically considered contemporary French poetry as the model for Berceo's metric form, as they have regarded the Latin retellings of the miracles to be his origin for the content. However, my research reveals the need to consider a third and distinctive source for Berceo's narrative model. I will show how Berceo utilized the New Testament gospel accounts of the life of Jesus and their narrative structure to recreate a gospel with the Virgin Mary as the heroine, and himself as a gospel writer in order to develop his protagonist and her theology. Far from a simple retelling of the miracle stories that were well known throughout Europe during the medieval period, Berceo's work shares more than just Christian themes and images with the evangelical accounts of the New Testament. For this reason, I argue that this work dialogues with the genre of evangelical literature created by the apostle Mark. Reading Berceo’s work in this way allows critics to appreciate the sophisticated rhetorical choices that guided Berceo's writing.

Expression, Purification and Kinetic Characterization of F420-dependent Glucose-6- Phosphate Dehydrogenase(FGD) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Presenter: Tijani Osumah, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 102 Mentor(s): Kayunta Johnson-Winters (CHEM) Group members: Jonathan Xu, Brittany Ballard, Cuong Le and Danny Nguyen

Abstract: F420-dependent Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (FGD) is an F420 Cofactor (7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy-5- deazariboflavin) dependent enzyme found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis remains a major cause of illness and death worldwide. It is estimated that one third of the world's population carries this organism and that there are about 9 million new cases per year. By understanding the mechanism of the FGD hydride transfer reaction in detail, we can aid in the further drug development for the treatment of TB. FGD catalyzes the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phosophogluconolactone. My project focus is the expression, purification and characterization of recombinant FGD using steady-state and pre-steady state kinetic methods. A concurrent goal is to probe the functionality of conserved active site residues that are involved in the hydride transfer reaction. Based upon crystallographic data, it is believed that Histidine 140 acts as an active site base, abstracting a proton from the substrate, glucose-6-phosphate, facilitating the hydride transfer from the substrate to the F420 cofactor. A separate active site amino acid, Tryptophan 44 is believed to stabilize an active site intermediate during turnover. We have mutated these conserved residues, making the following FGD variants, H140A, W44F and W44A. Here, we present preliminary data from initial expression and purification trials of both wild type and variants of FGD.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the University of Texas at Arlington Research Enhancement Program (UTA-REP). 78

SYNTHESIS OF ANTI-MICROBIAL AGENTS FROM POSS COMPOUNDS Presenter: Omobonike Osunloye, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 92 Mentor(s): DR. RASIKA DIAS (CHEMISTRY), DR. JULIAN G. HURDLE (BIOLOGY)

Abstract: The study of organisms such as bacteria and viruses has increasingly developed over the years. Researchers are on a quest to perfectly understand the existence of microbes, mode of survival, usefulness, how to eradicate harmful ones and their effects on life as we know it. The basis of my research work is synthesizing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes commonly called POSS compounds. These cube like structures serve as a backbone for all the ligands I have made to fight microbes; targeting bacteria cell walls. Starting from synthesized POSS polymer and various imidazoles, new water soluble compounds were synthesized. In addition, a silver (I) complex was also formed using this ligand system. I hope to present a summary of my work in a poster at the ACES symposium. This research work is important to groundbreaking development of anti-microbial studies with hopeful synthesis of a novel worthy compound that effectively attacks harmful bacteria.

Separation of thin tissues with a citric acid based elastomer to prevent perforation. Presenter: Michael Palmer, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 10:00 am, San Saba Mentor(s): J. Yang (BE) Group members: Dr. R. Tran

Abstract: When cancers are removed from the gastrointestinal tract via endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), perforation of the underlying tissues during surgery is a frequent danger. An ideal compound that is cyto-compatible, easily injectable and creates an immediate, long lasting cushion to protect underlying tissue remains a challenge. Published data from our lab suggests that a citric acid based polymer, poly-(polyethylene glycol-maleate-citrate) (PEGMC) can meet these requirements, though the injection pressure is still relatively high. We hypothesized that the incorporation of a positively charged component would provide greater ease of injection than our previously studied PEGMC. Herein, we report that a co-polymer (PEGMC-MDEA) containing methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) is easily injected, and solidifies quickly to form a solid, long lasting cushion between the surgeon's knife and the underlying thin tissue. The injection pressure of PEGMC decreased 6 fold with increasing amounts of MDEA (Figure 1). PEGMC-MDEA is less viscous than sodium hyaluronate and can be injected quickly and easily to reduce operation time. PEGMC-MDEA forms a solid cushion within 12 minutes, as determined by increased viscosity (Figure 2). This is an ideal crosslinking time, allowing the surgeon enough time to inject in multiple sites before crosslinking occurs. PEGMC was compared in fibroblasts and gastric epithelial cells, from 10mg/mL to 10ug/mL, with a metabolic assay (MTT) (Figure 3) and found to be minimally toxic. This study demonstrates that a cytocompatible, co-polymer , PEGMC-MDEA, can quickly harden into a solid cushion and is easily injected to prevent thin tissue tearing.

This work was supported in part by funding from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. 79

Study On Incentives And Their Relation To Running Times In Children Presenter: Brittany Palumbo, Kinesiology Senior Poster board: 74 Mentor(s): Priscila Cacola (KINE) Group members: Michael Smith, Brian Zitt, Ashley Hackney

Abstract: Physical activity habits are very important during childhood, as well as during adulthood. The purpose of this study was to determine if young children (ages 6 to 9) are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to do physical activity. More specifically, to determine if an incentive will get a child to put forth more effort in physical activity than simply just being asked to participate with no purpose or reward. 53 children participated in a running activity for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Arlington, TX. This activity had them run a short distance twice while being timed. The children ran the short distance again after being offered an incentive to run faster. Children ran individually and the average non-incentive running time was compared to the average running time with incentives being offered, for two age groups (6-7 years; 8-9 years). Repeated measures ANOVA results indicated that children run significantly faster when incentives are offered when compared to running without incentives, no differences between age groups were found. Children tend to put forth more effort in physical activity when they are given an incentive, because it increases their extrinsic motivation. If we can get children motivated to be physically active and help them reach healthy lifestyle goals, then these children should have higher self-esteem and a greater possibility of having a healthy lifestyle as an adult.

Bioynthesis of phytotoxin coronatine by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is activated on the surface of Arabidopsis leaf Presenter: Shweta Panchal, Biology Graduate 10:40 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Maeli Melotto (Biology)

Abstract: Coronatine is a non-host specific phytotoxin produced by several pathovars of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. This toxin contributes to disease developments in plants at both early and late stages of infection. A prominent role of coronatine is to facilitate penetration of bacteria into leaves by overcoming stomatal immunity. Specifically, coronatine re-opens pathogen-triggered stomatal closure. Coronatine production by the bacteria is regulated at various levels. It has been reported previously that coronatine production is induced in a minimal medium and inside the leaf apoplast. In this study, we observed that coronatine genes are activated on the surface of the leaf indicating possible recognition of the leaf surface by the bacteria. An intriguing question was whether coronatine can open dark-closed stomata as a virulence strategy to allow for bacterial penetration even during the night. We observed that the production of coronatine occurs in light as well as darkness, indicating that this virulence strategy can be adopted by the bacteria to penetrate the leaf at night, when most stomata naturally close. These findings suggest one possible mechanism by which bacteria gain entry to the plant interior and also elucidate functional attributes of coronatine.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 80

Nanofibers with Embedded Nanoparticles for Complex Wound Healing Presenter: Christian Bufi Paras, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 22 Mentor(s): Kytai T. Nguyen (BME) Group members: Dr. Zhiwei Xie

Abstract: Deep wound regeneration is delayed when levels of cell signaling factors are too low to promote angiogenesis and skin remodeling. Although modern dressings have been explored to improve wound recovery by topical application of growth agents, weakness lies in this mode of delivery including short half-life and quick release leading to mild improvement and dose-independency. A prolonged and stable localization of drug bioactivity is practical in wound repair. In this work, the aim is to fabricate antibacterial nanofibers with embedded drug-releasing nanoparticles for a potential wound-healing device. Two key elements of this system are Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) drug loaded nanoparticles, which provide a controlled release upon hydration as the nanoparticle degrades, and Chitosan co-electrospun with Polyethylene oxide (PEO) to inhibit bacterial growth and mimic the Extracellular Matrix. Chitosan within the nanofibers would inhibit growth of bacteria including Escherichia Coli. Protein release kinetic profiles were determined using the Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a protein model. Results show that BSA was released in a controlled manner for a prolonged period. The meshes were also characterized using Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscope to observe fiber diameter, porosity, and morphology. Cell viability and proliferation studies were performed with Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) seeded onto the mesh to investigate the interaction of cells and cytotoxicity of the nanofibers. Future work includes studying of detailed mesh properties including degradation and implanting nanofibers mesh on the wounds of rats in-vivo. Our results suggested that embedded nanoparticles on antibacterial nanofibers would provide a sustained drug release, which enhanced cell growth while preventing infection, showing potential use for treatments of complex wounds.

F#!%ing Rudeness: Predicting the Propensity to Verbally Abuse Strangers Presenter: Anna Park, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 56 Mentor(s): William Ickes (Psychology) Group members: Dr. William Ickes and Rebecca Robinson

Abstract: In an online survey study (n = 275), several demographic and personality variables were used to predict scores on the Rudeness Scale, a new measure of the propensity to verbally abuse strangers. The results of a series of multiple regression analyses revealed that the persons in our sample who reported the greatest propensity to verbally abuse strangers were Hispanic/Latino or Black individuals and scored low in adherence to the standards of conventional morality but high in ego-defensiveness (refusal to accept criticism or correction from others) and affect intensity for anger and/or frustration. Once the unique effects of these defining variables were accounted for, there were no significant residual effects for the variables of gender, age, SES, social desirability, impulsivity or aggression/hostility. Our interpretation of the findings combines insights derived from Swann's (1981, 1983, 1999) self-verification theory, contrasting views of ego- defensiveness, and Larsen et al.'s (1986) work on affect intensity with a dispositional view of verbal rudeness that emphasizes its use as a weapon in interpersonal struggles for power, status, and "face".

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Untangling Protégé Self-Reports of Mentoring Functions: Further Meta-Analytic Understanding Presenter: Ajal Patel, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 21 Mentor(s): Shannon Scielzo (PSYC) Group members: Jubilee Dickson

Abstract: The current study attempted to broaden our understanding of the mentor-protégé relationship. More specifically we were looking at overall effects of psychosocial support (help boost a sense of competency/identity in a protégé), career development (help advance a protégé in academic/work environment), and role modeling (protégés emulating their mentors) on various mentor relationship outcome variables (promotions, turnover, salary, satisfaction). Previous research had combined role modeling within psychosocial support; however, recent research has shown role modeling as an effective mentor function and should be evaluated on its own. In order to look at overall effects, a meta-analysis procedure was used. A meta-analysis goes beyond a simple literature review; it is an objective analysis of the literature. Because a meta-analysis is objective, and uses data taken from each study in the form of correlations, a true relationship between variables can be revealed. Results of this meta-analysis revealed strongest relationships with role modeling and the outcome variables followed by career development then psychosocial support. Further investigation of the data revealed relationships to be stronger when in a workplace environment versus an academic environment, when the mentor-protégé relationship was formal versus informal, and when mentor-protégé relationships lasted longer. Overall, results showed that indeed role modeling should be considered as a separate mentor function. Also, setting of the relationship, type of relationship, and length of relationship can affect the mentor-protégé relationship. By providing overall effects of mentor functions and how strength of relationships can differ, mentor-protégé programs can be structured more effectively and maximize potential successes.

BiInO3 is attainable at High Pressure Presenter: Merin Philip, Chemistry Senior 1:20 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Peter Kroll (Chemistry and Biochemistry Department)

Abstract: Recently, a non-centrosymmetric structure of BiInO3 with symmetry Pna21 was synthesized at a pressure of 6 GPa. Using Density Functional theory calculations, we investigate the high pressure crystallography of ternary BiInO3 and elucidate its formation from the binary oxides In2O3 and Bi2O3. We find five different structures of BiInO3 to be relevant. A LiNbO3-type constitutes the ground state structure. At 3 GPa it will transform to the centrosymmetric GdFeO3-type, which at 16 GPa transforms into the post-perovskite CaIrO3- modification. Above 25 GPa, yet another orthorhombic structure becomes the most stable polymorph of BiInO3. The synthesized Pna21 modification is a distortion of the GdFeO3-type and not the ground state structure, since the LiNbO3- type is lower in energy at ambient conditions. We also considered the formation of BiInO3 from the binaries at high pressures according to the reaction Ω In2O3 + Ω Bi2O3 --> BiInO3. At ambient pressure, the formation energy of BiInO3 is indeed positive. Formation of the ternary oxide from the binary compounds will not proceed, as evidenced in experiment. Above 7 GPa, the enthalpy of formation of BiInO3 becomes negative to at least 50 GPa despite several structural transformation of In2O3 and Bi2O3. Therefore, we show that at the reported conditions, the centrosymmetric GdFeO3-type is produced, which upon quenching distorts into the non-centrosymmetric Pna21-structure. While this modification can be recovered at ambient conditions, it is nevertheless metastable. The ground state LiNbO3-type of BiInO3 still awaits its realization.

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Malware Configuration Protection Mechanisms Presenter: Sean Pierce, Computer Science Engineering Senior 8:40 am, San Jacinto Mentor(s): (Matt Wright CSE)

Abstract: Anti-Virus software scans for unique "signatures" to identify malicious programs, or malware, and attempt to remove the malware by deleting the infected file. While this is effective at removing the threat, it doesn’t do so in a very clean manner. In particular, anti-virus programs do not always undo the changes to the system caused by the malware, thereby creating potential instability and misconfiguration that is hard to diagnose and fix later. Most programs can uninstall themselves in a safe and clean manner. I propose to make uninstalling possible in malware, too. Uninstalling can be activated in malware by editing the configuration file that is responsible for defining how the malware behaves. In this study, I identify six families of malware and their mechanisms for protecting their configuration files. Further, I explore the viability of altering those files to trigger the clean and safe removal of the malware. Among my findings, I discovered that one family of malware simply denies access to anyone attempting to read any of its components, while each of the other families use basic encryption to hide the file contents. These forms of protection provide limited confidentiality of the information in the files but offer little in the way of file integrity from alteration or authentication with which to verify the files origin. Provoking self-termination by inserting the uninstall command into the configuration file and has been shown to be effective in three of the six families of examined malware.

SEASONAL PATTERNS IN BETA DIVERSITY OF STREAM DIATOMS IN THE ADIRONDACK REGION OF NEW YORK Presenter: Katrina Pound, Biology Graduate 9:00 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Sophia I. Passy (Biology)

Abstract: Anthropogenic impacts reduce beta diversity (BD), or the turnover in species composition among localities, but the effects of acidification on this meta-community property are unknown. Therefore, I examined diatom BD in the Adirondack region of New York where, depending on the level of precipitation and buffering capacity, streams undergo acidification by inorganic acid deposition, by organic acids from natural watershed inputs, or remain non-acidified. Species accumulation curves, which plot the accumulated number of species with each additional site sampled, were used to assess BD across 88 Adirondack streams during periods of high inorganic acidity, high organic acidity, and low acidity. I observed the highest BD when streams were least acidified and the lowest, when they were acidified by inorganic acids. Streams had significantly higher BD when the source of acidity was organic vs. inorganic. Previous studies have demonstrated higher species richness associated with naturally acidified streams when compared to anthropogenically acidified streams. This study is the largest investigation to demonstrate that anthropogenic acidification has more severe impacts on BD, confirming the necessity of considering the source of acidity in bioassessments of streams in acid sensitive regions, such as the Adirondacks.

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Spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of non-heme diiron YtfE metalloprotein Presenter: Priyanka Prashar, Chemistry Graduate Poster board: 46 Mentor(s): Brad S. Pierce

Abstract: Non-heme iron enzymes have historically attracted considerable interest in the realm of bioinorganic chemistry. This intense focus of research efforts can largely be explained by the vast number of functionally (and structurally) diverse non- heme iron enzymes identified throughout the biological kingdom and the incredible versatility exhibited in chemical oxidations they initiate (mono- and dioxygenations, aliphatic desaturation, halogenations, and oxidative ring cyclizations). Recently, an unusual non-heme diiron protein (YtfE) has been identified in Escherichia coli which is up-regulated upon oxidative and nitrosative stress. Indirect evidence suggests that YtfE may play a role in the repair of iron-sulfur containing proteins which are particularly sensitive to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). In this work, we utilize UV- visible and EPR spectroscopy to characterize the diiron cluster within recombinant YtfE its resting diferric (FeIIIFeIII), fully reduced, diferrous (FeIIFeII), and partially reduced, mixed valent (FeIIFeIII) states. Interestingly, while likely not physiologically relevant, YtfE exhibits both catalase and apparent nitric oxide reductase activity in vitro.

Beam Test Data Analysis of GEM Prototype Chambers Using One Bit Readout System Presenter: Danrae Pray, Physics Senior 2:00 pm, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Jae Yu (Department of Physics) Group members: Dr. Jae Yu, Dr. Seongtae Park, Safat Khaled

Abstract: Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology is currently a strong candidate for a Digital Hadron Calorimeter to be implemented in an experiment in future accelerators such as the International Linear Collider. The University of Texas at Arlington High Energy Physics team has been developing prototype GEM detectors which contain two layers of GEM foils. The team performed a two week long beam test of four prototype chambers with dimensions 30cm x 30cm. Three of these chambers were equipped with the one bit DCAL chip readout system jointly developed by Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory teams. In this talk, we report the results of the test beam data analysis of GEM prototype detector responses and efficiency dependence on threshold and high voltage of these three DCAL chambers.

This research was supported in part by the United States Department of Energy. 84

Competition Among Cities and Influence of the Mass Media to Build Sports Facilities and Attract Tourism Presenter: Scott M. Price, Urban & Public Affairs Graduate 10:20 am, Concho Mentor(s): Enid Arvidson (School of Urban and Public Affairs);Ard Anjomani (School of Urban and Public Affairs)

Abstract: News media influence public opinion in support of construction of sports facilities, which are often publicly subsidized. Public officials and private industry also influence the news media to get these multimillion-dollar projects approved with public financing. Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (2002) found that news media does not provide truth, but instead defend the social, economic, and political agendas of the privileged groups that dominate society and governments. The construction of sports stadiums has become a top priority in many cities in North America in the global economy despite economic uncertainties. Post-industrial cities want sports facilities to attract tourism and encourage economic development. The urban "growth model" has been used to justify stadium construction and public subsidies, although economic studies cast doubt on the economic growth potential of stadiums. Despite this, Robert C. Trumpbour (2006) found that news media and public relations efforts report on sponsor-funded feasibility studies that espouse the economic benefits of stadiums rather than more balanced or even critical reports. Mass media, a beneficiary of pro-growth strategies, almost always support stadium construction, which calls into question mass media's bias, Trumpbour (2006) found. This study looks at newspaper reporting, particularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, and finds that mass media is more often supportive of the construction of sports facilities. This is significant because people may not be told through mass media that they will receive little if any benefits from a new sports facility, even when their tax dollars will be used to build it.

The effects of perceptual distinctiveness on recognition of words and numbers Presenter: Athula Pudhiyidath, Psychology Senior 2:00 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Heekyeong Park (PSYC) Group members: Heekyeong Park

Abstract: The distinctiveness of an item affects later recognition of the item. Previous studies have used words or objects for investigating distinctiveness effects. In the present study, we investigated the effect of font on recognition of words and numbers to examine whether perceptual distinctiveness effects hold with both words and numbers. Participants were presented word and number lists at study. In the study list, half of items were presented in a conventional font while other half were presented in unique fonts. In the test list, studied items were intermixed with new items. Participants were asked to indicate the study status of a test item with one of three responses: Remember, Know or New. Words were better recognized than numbers. However, perceptual distinctiveness of font demonstrated memorial advantage for both words and numbers: items paired with distinctive fonts were better recognized than items in the conventional font, with more Remember responses. There was no difference between Remember versus Know for items studied with the conventional font. Additionally, new numbers were more mistakenly accepted as studied when they were tested in the conventional font, with more Know responses. There was no such trend with new words. In sum, perceptual distinctiveness has its effect on recognition of both words and numbers. The memorial advantage of perceptual distinctiveness and its dissociations found in the study can be accounted by the dual process theory of recognition, which assumes that recognition is based on both recollection and familiarity.

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The Psychology of Catherine - Representations of Relationship Fears in Videogame Form Presenter: Johansen Quijano, English Graduate 3:00 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Jim Warren

Abstract: Art and literature serves as a mirror that reflects the fears, values, and concerns of the generation that produces it. This is also true of videogames, which - despite Ebert's comments - were recognized as a legitimate form of art by the U.S. Supreme Court. Several commentators have also written about videogames as literary experiences and literary genres. If videogames are a form of literature for the 21st century, then it becomes a worthwhile endeavor to analyze them and unlock their meaning. In this paper I will analyze the narrative presented in Catherine through a socio-psychological lens. I will discuss how Vincent's fear of relationships potentially reflect growing trends in our culture and how the title enables readers/players to identify with - and think about - Vincent's situation and apply lessons learned to their own lives. I will also discuss how the videogame format, because of their interactive nature, empowers readers/players more than any other form of media and allows them to better react to the perceived fears, values, and concerns presented in the text. This study is relevant and timely to English studies. With a growing interest in digital media texts, a new scholarly frontier has become visible. Videogames can be studied from sociological, anthropological, narrative, and rhetorical perspectives. With universities dedicating millions of dollars in funding to videogame research, and with videogames quickly becoming the mainstream form of literature for the 21st century, English departments cannot afford to fall behind, and neither can UTA.

Narrative Processing in Children and Young Adults Presenter: Miguel A. Ramirez, Jr., Psychology Senior Poster board: 89 Mentor(s): Timothy Odegard (PSYC) Group members: Heather A. Nichols, Haylie L. Miller

Abstract: According to Fuzzy Trace Theory, remembering relies on effective encoding and retrieval of gist and verbatim memory traces. The Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm was developed to examine influence of gist processing on recognition memory. The original paradigm presented participants with a list of words to study and measured true and false memory in a recognition memory test. This study used a modified DRM procedure to measure gist processing in children (ages 5, 7, 9, 11) and young adults. Participants watched a puppet show video with two puppets (Mary the Monkey, Franny the Frog) who presented DRM word sets in a list one day and a narrative on another day. Presentation orders were randomized and counterbalanced. Participants' recognition memory for targets, critical lures, and related distracters was tested, as well as memory for the source of each item judged as "old" (Mary vs. Franny). A series of 2 (Presentations: Narrative, List) x 3 (Items: Critical Lure, Target, Related Distracter) x 5 (Ages: 5, 7, 9, 11, Young Adult) repeated measures ANOVAs confirmed predicted main effects of Item Type on "old" recognition judgments and Presentation Type on correct and gist-consistent source judgments. However, contrary to other studies of gist-processing development, our results revealed that 5 year olds may process gist more effectively than previously thought, and that narrative scaffolding may not exert as strong of an effect on gist processing as hypothesized. Results will be discussed in terms of implications for future research on memory development in children and applications to atypical development.

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Totally Reflexive Modules Presenter: Denise Rangel, Mathematics Graduate 1:20 pm, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): D. Jorgensen (Math)

Abstract: Modules are an algebraic construct that determine solutions of systems of equations. The special type of modules known as totally reflexive modules was introduced by Auslander and Bridger in 1969 as a generalization of maximal Cohen- Macaulay modules. These modules have many nice properties such as exhibiting infinite resolutions, and are of particular importance in solving systems of equations. However, their existence is rather mysterious. The goal of this research is to describe their representations. Specifically, over how many different totally reflexive modules are there, and how do they relate to one another? We'll show that standard methods do not work for these modules and that a more advanced technique yields results.

Investigating Affinity-Dependent Shifts in Peptide - Metal Binding Systems using Reversed Phase - Liquid Chromatography Presenter: Robert Rayford, Chemistry Sophomore Poster board: 94 Mentor(s): K. Schug (CHEM) Group members: Doug Carlton Jr.

Abstract: Interactions between peptides and metals are of interest in many research fields, ranging from biochemistry to nanotechnology, for various applications. One technique that has been developed for studying noncovalent binding is reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC). Chromatographic techniques such as RP-LC are widely used for separations and analysis of complex mixtures by differentially distributing the constituents of the mixture along two phases of contrasting chemical properties. Our goal is to use RP-LC methodology for investigating peptide - metal interactions to expand what is known about the metalloproteome (proteins that involve metals in their structure and/or function). In this work, nine short histidine-containing peptides and Bradykinin, a non-binding control, with metal additive in the mobile phase to assess their binding capabilities were evaluated. The peptides chosen for this study coordinate transition metal cations through the imidazole nitrogen of histidine amino acid residues. Experimental conditions favoring binding and non- binding scenarios were optimized and monitored by recording changes in the retention of the peptide on the column. Non- binding peptides showed very little deviation in their retention when metal salts were added to the mobile phase, while binding peptides experienced a noticeable change in retention, depending upon their binding affinities for metals. As more researchers are using binding related information to identify structures of proteins, this approach could be used to identify binding sites in unknown proteins. Furthermore, the lessons learned from this study could provide a new way to analyze peptide-metal interactions and to resolve coeluting peptides through the addition of metal salts.

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Reproductively Disabled: An Examination of Infertility as a Disability, 1990-2008 Presenter: Leslie Rice, Undeclared Sophomore 10:40 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Sarah Rose

Abstract: The ability to easily conceive a biological child is commonly considered an entitlement in the United States, but for the ten to fifteen percent of all U.S. citizens of reproductive age diagnosed with infertility this privilege cannot be assumed. Though infertility affects more Americans than breast and colorectal cancers combined, it lacks societal acknowledgement and little support is available for those diagnosed. While the inability to conceive a child has not historically fallen within the societal scope of what is considered a disability, infertility should be considered as such because it renders a person incapable of reproduction, notably classified as a major life function under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA.) This paper therefore explores social perceptions of the involuntarily childless, including morality debates regarding the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies such as in-vitro fertilization and embryonic genetic screening; court cases and legislation that have inadvertently begun to define infertility and disability; and the ways in which the exclusion of infertility coverage from group health insurance can result in financial hardship for those diagnosed with infertility and the creation of unnecessary disability for both the mother and her offspring. Viewing infertility as a disability connects to historical scholars ongoing efforts to expand the definition of disability while highlighting the social construction of both gender and disability and creating an avenue of societal recognition and change for those diagnosed with infertility.

Arthropod Communities of Arctic Alaska: Comparisons between Vegetation Types of Differing Shrub Abundance Presenter: Matthew Rich, Biology Graduate 11:20 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Laura Gough (BIOL)

Abstract: Recent global warming, which has been severe in the Arctic, has caused advancement in the timing of snowmelt and expansion of shrubs into open tundra. Such an altered climate may directly and indirectly (via effects on vegetation) affect arctic arthropod populations. We conducted research at four sites in the vicinity of the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site at Toolik Lake Field Station in northern Alaska in the summer of 2011 to determine how vegetation type affects arthropod abundance and diversity. We hypothesized that sites dominated by shrubs have higher abundance and taxa richness of arthropods as a result of a more favorable microclimate compared with more exposed open tundra with few shrubs. Shrubs are known to reduce wind speeds and thus may keep temperatures warmer underneath their canopies. Arthropod abundance was significantly greater in shrub plots than open plots, the most dramatic difference occurring in the most southern site. Additionally, taxa richness and diversity were significantly greater in shrub plots than open plots. Advantages of greater shrub height and complexity, including favorable weather conditions and higher plant temperatures, are likely determining these patterns. As climate warming continues to increase over the coming decades, and with further shrub expansion likely to occur, ensuing changes in arthropod communities may play an important ecological role in arctic food webs as they are a major food source for migratory songbirds.

Funding provided by the National Science Foundation (OPP 0908602 to L. Gough). 88

Strength of Sense of Self and Influenceability Presenter: Rebecca L. Robinson, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 49 Mentor(s): William Ickes Group members: Hui-Ying Chen

Abstract: We sought to determine whether individual differences in the strength of one's sense of self were related to influenceability, such that if people with a weaker sense of self were more easily influenced. A total of 319 undergraduate students participated in an online study that included the following potential predictor measures: Self-Concept Clarity, Self-Monitoring, Locus of Control, Inner-other Directedness, and Strength of Sense of Self. Following these measures in the study were two measures intended to gauge influenceability, i.e., the susceptibility to be persuaded to act against one's own self-interest and to accept a generic personality report as being an accurate appraisal of one's own personality. As predicted, the results revealed that after controlling for other measures pertaining to the self, the Sense of Self Scale (SOSS; Flury & Ickes, 2007) was a significant predictor of influenceability (b = .176, sr^2 = .04, p < .001). The data revealed that people with a weaker sense of self were more influenceable. These results are in accord with those of a previous study which also suggested a link between sense of self and influenceability, specifically a study by Cuperman and Ickes (2009), who demonstrated that, during a social interaction, the person with a weaker sense of self tended to "take on" the personality of the partner with a stronger sense of self. Future research will investigate if the SOSS is also predictive of other forms of influenceability, specifically the tendencies to conform to others and to experience emotional contagion.

This work was supported in part by the UT Arlington Office of Graduate Studies I Engage Mentoring Program.

Analysis of Planar Multi-Point Impact Problems Presenter: Adrian Rodriguez, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 1:00 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Alan Bowling (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

Abstract: This work presents an analysis of planar systems experiencing multiple, simultaneous impacts with friction. An analytic approach based on the principles of work-energy theory is developed which leads to a closed-form solution to the system's post impact dynamic behavior. These systems often yield equations of motion which are indeterminate with respect to the impact forces. This indeterminacy was addressed in a previous work with the derivation and implementation of a constraint equation. The proposed analytic approach uses an energetic restitution coefficient which leads to a reinterpretation of Stronge's hypothesis for the generalized treatment of multiple point impact problems. Three planar examples are considered to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed work: (1) simple ball, (2) double pendulum, (3) rocking block problem. The analysis included a plot of the normal work vs. normal impulse and impact velocities vs. normal impulse during the collision, and total system energy vs. time throughout the simulation. This analysis revealed the robustness of this approach for handling different example problems. The result of the simulations showed a decrease in computation time and energetically consistent solutions. The developments made in this work resulted in an analytic solution for the post impact dynamic behavior of planar multi-point impact problems, which does not exist in the literature for rigid body impact mechanics.

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Housing, Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Analysis of Sierra Leone's Housing market and its Developmental consequencies Presenter: Steven Rogers, Urban & Public Affairs Graduate 10:40 am, Concho Mentor(s): Enid Arvidson ( School of Urban and Public Affairs) Group members: Dr. Coleen Casey ( shool of Urban and Public Affairs)Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez ( School of Urban and Public Affairs)

Abstract: Until recently, not many policy-makers in advanced economies would have envisaged that local communities that have undergone sustained economic hardships will sort out their own problems. Scholars in urban studies, urban geography, and political economy have argued that the current planning prescriptions have elevated disenfranchisement, promoted economic oppression and jeopardized democracy in developing countries. Despite these concerns, housing policies in developing countries increasingly paralleled the West's emphasis on "enablement", as housing productions shift from ambitious schemes of state intervention to an increasing emphasis on the private market. Through a fieldwork research that includes interviews of various local housing officials and forty Low-Cost households, this research shows that on the supply side, the quest for urban entrepreneurialism, the proliferation of "expert sense" and a misleading interpretation of the private market's potential, have led to displacement, uneven development and conflict over competing use-value. On the demand side however, the low-income residents of Low-Cost, demonstrate that through tenancy welfare associations, urban fortunes can be influenced by previously marginalized inhabitants through political opportunities despite power asymmetries, providing a framework for previously marginalized local communities to overcome displacement and restore "substantial" citizenship rights. Showing the relationship between housing supply and housing demand, which reflects the particular nature of housing provision in underdeveloped capitalist societies, these results highlight not only the challenges faced by new homeowners, but argue for a class compromise (state and private market) as the pre-condition for effective market-based housing policies in developing countries ‚Ä“ an important element ignored by many scholarships.

SKILLED FOR LIFE: MOTOR PROFICIENCY OF DEVELOPING CHILDREN Presenter: Vanessa Romero, Kinesiology Senior Poster board: 105 Mentor(s): Dr.Pricilla Cacola

Abstract: Early motor proficiency development holds significant implications for a child's future success. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare motor proficiency levels of children attending an after school program in Arlington. We tested forty-six 7 to 13-year-olds (25 M/ 21 F) with the Bruninks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - 2nd ed. (BOT-2), a standardized tool that assesses fine and gross movement skill development in individuals aged 4 to 21. The BOT-2 assesses proficiency in four motor-area composites and yields one total motor composite score. Test administration lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. The majority of the sample was categorized as "Average" or "Above Average" for motor proficiency. Notable differences were found among males and females, with 36% of males falling into the "Above Average" category compared to only 9.5% of females. Additionally 19% of the females fell in the "Below Average" category and no females scored in the "Well Above Average" category. Gender differences in motor skills have been well established for years with research showing boys as outperforming girls. With no biological foundation to account for this discrepancy prior to puberty, differences between males and females are suspected to reflect environmental influences. If equal opportunities were provided, those differences could probably be eliminated. Due to the importance of motor development for cognitive, social, and emotional development, as well as physical activity levels, we believe that assessment and intervention of motor skills across childhood and adolescence is both important and extremely necessary, especially for females.

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High Relative Humidity has differential effect on stomatal immunity against human and plant pathogenic bacteria Presenter: Debanjana Roy, Biology Graduate 8:20 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Maeli Melotto Group members: SHWETA PANCHAL, DR. MAELI MELOTTO

Abstract: Stomata, the natural openings present in the aerial parts of the plants, not only allow connection between the internal and the external environment but also provide a port of entry for bacteria during plant microbe interaction. Recent studies have shown that stomatal closure is a functional output of the plant's innate immunity that minimizes bacterial invasion. It is not known, however, how guard cells prioritize their response to multiple stimuli. In this study, we focused on the effect of relative humidity on stomatal immunity of both Arabidopsis thaliana and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) against the human pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) strain SL1334 and the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3118. Our study shows reduced stomatal closure under >95% relative humidity (RH) in the presence of Pst DC3118 and STM SL1334 allowing for increased bacterial penetration and survival inside Arabidopsis as well as lettuce. However, O157:H7-triggered stomatal closure, and bacterial penetration and survival inside the plant does not change significantly under >95% RH. Furthermore, these three bacteria induce differential transcriptional responses in plant cells. These results suggest that some human pathogens may be more adapted to the plant environment than others. The understanding of the initial contamination process is paramount in preventing losses in crop yield and with major implications to both crop diseases and food safety.

This work is funded by National Institutes of Health and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds

A Comparison of Whites and Blacks on official diagnostic categories of temporomandibular joint disorders and other related variables Presenter: Celeste Sanders, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 14 Mentor(s): R. Gatchel (PSYC) Group members: Kara Lorduy, Cameron Dodd, Jessica Bonner, Robbie Haggard

Abstract: Approximately 65 to 85% of Americans experience symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD; Fricton & Schiffman, 1995), and there is evidence suggesting racial differences in TMD diagnoses (Plesh, Adams, & Gansky, 2010). The Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) is considered the most objective method for diagnosing TMD in part because of the comprehensiveness of its two axes: Axis I, which measures physical symptoms, and Axis II, which measures psychosocial symptoms. The major goal of the present study was to evaluate racial disparities in TMD diagnoses between Blacks and Whites. This is the first study to make such a comparison. Subjects were recruited from dental clinics in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and were included on the basis of age (18 and older) and duration of oral facial pain (6 months or less). They were excluded if they had an existing co-morbid chronic pain condition. There were 374 participants in the study of which 265 were Whites and 49 were Blacks. Chi square analyses and t tests were conducted, and the results revealed that Blacks (M = .92, SE = .06) displayed more pain-related somatization tendencies (Axis II) than Whites (M = .78, SE = .02), t(307) = -2.73, p = .02, d = -.36. Additionally, there was a trend towards significance in the relationship between race and somatization tendencies, pain excluded (Axis II). These results have implications for more effective treatments. All other findings revealed no significant differences between race and the remaining Axis I and Axis II diagnoses.

This work was supported in part by a grant from NIH-NIDCR. 91

Magnetic-based Multi-layer Microparticles for Stem Cell Isolation, Enrichment, and Detachment Presenter: Sonia Santimano, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 10:20 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Kytai T. Nguyen Group members: Aniket S. Wadajkar

Abstract: Stem cells, like endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), have been studied as novel cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine to treat various cardiovascular diseases. For instance, EPCs have shown great extensive therapeutic potential in treatment of ischemic heart disease, in-stent restenosis, and peripheral arterial occlusive disease and to seed in engineered tissues. Several techniques have been developed to isolate and expand these stem cells. However, limitations include a low number of isolated stem cells from blood and other sources, use of harmful chemicals such as Ficoll and Trypsin, and the difficulty in ex vivo expansion of these cells. The aim of this research is to develop magnetic- based multi-layer microparticles (MLMPs) that can subsequently isolate EPCs without the use of Ficoll, provide sequential release of proliferation and differentiation growth factors, and finally detach EPCs (without the use of trypsin) in response to temperature changes. MLMPs were formulated via layer-by-layer synthesis and characterized for their physiochemical properties. Further, bioconjugation and growth factor release profiles were evaluated. Finally, the ability of polymer surface to support EPC cell adhesion, isolation and detachment capabilities were tested. The MLMPs had core-shell structure with spherical morphology of 50-75 µm. FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of various chemicals in the structure of MLMPs. 25% (2.5 µg) CD34-antibody was conjugated to MLMPs as observed under an optical microscope. Growth factors were released in sequential manner. Further, EPCs were attached to polymer surface while maintaining their morphology as observed from LDL and H&E staining. Moreover, EPCs were successfully isolated from cell mixtures and detached from particle surface by lowering surrounding temperature. Results indicated the potential of MLMPs for EPC isolation, enrichment, and detachment for cell-based therapies.

This work is supported by the American Heart Association (Predoctoral Fellowship award, A.S.W.).

Multi-Scale Analysis for Characterizing Fracture Toughness of Osteoporotic Bone. Presenter: Md Sarker, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate Poster board: 47 Mentor(s): Ashfaq Adnan

Abstract: Bone is a dynamic tissue that constantly remodels by simultaneous action of bone-forming osteoblast and bone- destroying osteoclast cells. Bone starts to degrade and eventually fracture when osteoclasts become more active than osteoblasts and the degradation is known as Osteoporosis. Surprisingly, the precise nature of bone degradation and its relation to fracture resistance is still not well understood. Nevertheless, it has been often observed that mechanical stimuli can dramatically enhance fracture toughness of diseased bone. The objective this study is to determine the multiscale fracture process of osteoporotic bone so that the critical bone fracture parameters can be identified. The long term goal is to enhance fracture resistance of diseased bones via mechanical stimuli. Since bone is a hierarchical material, five distinctive microstructures of bone (nano, submicro, micro, macro and trabeculae) were analyzed to determine material properties. Halpin-Tsai Relation for discontinuous fiber reinforced composites was used to find the mechanical properties of “nano” level. From level 2 to level 5, a self similar approach was used to determine the mechanical properties and were applied on a 2D model. Trabeculae were approximated by Tetrakaidecahedral unit cells. Results from ANSYS were used to calculate fracture toughness. The effects of trabecular thickness on fracture toughness were studied with models of different thickness. We found that bone fracture toughness depends on the bone microstructural geometry and nanoscale mechanics of bone components. Our future work is to investigate how properties of nanoscale bone components can be improved by physical exercise.

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Determination of crystal structure and the study of electronic and optical properties of AgBi[WO_4 ]_2 by density functional theory. Presenter: Pranab Sarker, Physics Graduate 3:00 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Krishnan Rajeshwar(Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry),Muhammad N. Huda (Department of Physics)

Abstract: AgBi[WO_4 ]_2 exhibits promising features in solar-to-hydrogen conversion technology through photoelectrochemical (PEC) approach because of suitable band gap and band edge positions. However, to date, there is not much study available to determine its crystal structure and electronic properties. Our density functional theory (DFT) total energy calculation using mineral database of relevant oxides determines the crystal structures of AgBi[WO_4 ]_2 to be a wolframite structure. The band structure calculation reveals that AgBi[WO_4 ]_2 has indirect band gap. In addition to this, partial DOS plot calculation shows how Ag plays a major role in band gap reduction and why favorable p-d electron transition is likely. Finally, we find this material is optically anisotropic. Our both theoretical electronic structure and optical properties calculations agree well with the recent experimental result.

This work is supported by NREL and NSF.

Influence of estrogen on cocaine reward Presenter: Alexandra Schiller, Psychology Junior Poster board: 71 Mentor(s): Linda Perrotti (PSYCH) Group members: A. Samuel, A. Schiller, T.S. Dennis, S.A. Morris Bobzean, L.I. Perrotti

Abstract: Previous research indicates that women are more susceptible to the reinforcing properties of cocaine than men. However, few studies have directly examined the effects of gonadal hormones on the ability to form conditioned responses to environmental stimuli associated with cocaine reward. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of estradiol on cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. Adult female rats were OVX and assigned to receive subcutaneous injections of 5µg 17β-Estradiol 3 benzoate dissolved in 0.1mL of peanut oil (EB) or peanut oil (PO). All rats underwent a preconditioning test prior to assignment to saline/cocaine conditioning chambers. On each of the three saline conditioning days, animals received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 0.9% saline and were confined to the saline-paired chamber for 30 minutes. For each of the three cocaine conditioning days, animals received an i.p. injection of cocaine hydrochloride and were placed in the drug-paired chamber for 30 minutes. On the day of the Preference Test, rats were allowed free access to all chambers for 15 minutes. While all OVX rats acquired cocaine-induced CPP (p<0.05), the magnitude of CPP was significantly higher for EB-treated animals compared with PO- treated females (p<0.05). These results suggest a role for estradiol in cocaine reward in females. Experiments are currently underway to examine a wider range of cocaine doses as well as some of the molecular mechanisms underlying these behavioral differences.

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A Design of Integrated Circuit and Batteryless Wireless Sensing Platform for Biomedical Applications Presenter: Young-Sik Seo, Electrical Engineering Graduate 3:40 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Jung-Chih Chiao Group members: Zachariah B. Hughes, Smitha Rao

Abstract: Surgically implantable devices are widely used for treating or monitoring biological signals. To facilitate the doctor's work and increase the patient's comfort, it is important to minimize the size and maximize the lifetime of these implants. Currently, battery-operated implants are bulky with limited operating life. Furthermore, surgery is required to replace the batteries over time leading to repeated hospitalizations and increased costs. This research presents an alternative technology using a batteryless wireless sensing platform. The system consists of inductively coupled wireless power coils and a multi-functional miniature IC designed to operate with multiple sensors. The implant has the capability to measure capacitive, resistive, or amperometric analog signals. These could in turn represent physiological parameters such as temperature. The signals are wirelessly transmitted to an external receiver. Simultaneously, magnetic coupling between a transmitter coil and a coil in the implanted device wirelessly transfers power to the implant. To demonstrate the feasibility, the device was integrated with impedance and pH sensors for use as a wireless and batteryless implant for gastro- esophageal reflux detection (GERD). The implantable device size was 1cm by 3.5cm including the coil antenna. This device was successfully tested in bench-top experiments for up to distances of 14cm from the reader. The dual sensors simultaneously transmitted information indicating reflux episodes in terms of pH and impedance changes from the stomach. The batteryless operation combined with the wireless sensing mechanism provides a true implant device. This enables long-term monitoring for diagnosis and therapeutic applications.

Texas Instruments, Intel

Real-time Obstacle Avoidance and Autonomous Waypoint Navigation of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle Presenter: Hakki Erhan Sevil, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Graduate 2:00 pm, Concho Mentor(s): Atilla Dogan

Abstract: Real-time obstacle avoidance and navigation are key fields of research in the area of autonomous vehicles. The primary requirements of autonomy are to detect or sense changes and react to them without human intervention in a safe and efficient manner. The objective of this research is to develop and implement an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) control system utilizing embedded micro-controllers. This control system must enable the UGV to autonomously navigate to the specified waypoints while avoiding obstacles discovered in its path. This research consists of developing and implementing an environment mapping system capable of detecting and localizing potential obstacles from real-time sensor data. The real-time obstacle mapping system developed in this work automatically generates the Probabilistic Threat Exposure Map (PTEM). The PTEM construction algorithm successfully constructs a probabilistic obstacle map both in simulation and real-time. Furthermore, autonomous waypoint navigation is achieved, again in both simulation and real-time platforms. These activities are a part of a larger effort to establish a theoretical foundation for autonomous and cooperative multi-UxV guidance solutions in adversarial environments.

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Time and Space Efficient Algorithm for Consumer’s Priority Product Management in Online Markets Presenter: Md Mehrab Shahriar, Computer Science Engineering Graduate 10:40 am, Red River Mentor(s): Sajal Das Group members: Mahdi Nasruallah Al-Ameen

Abstract: In this highly competitive free market economy, the test or interest of a certain consumer plays a momentous role for the business organizations to select appropriate products to be advertised to him through the online store or their website. In other words, business organizations need to be proficient in advertising their products to attract the potential consumers. To achieve the goal, organizations have to keep track of the consumers' buying habit to figure out their priority products.Each organization has limited resource to manage or purchase digital storage to store information of millions of consumers all over the world. So, they must pay attention to store the consumers' priority products with minimum disk space requirement.In every second, a significant number of consumers may visit the online store of an organization. They expect a faster response from the server to get their desired products displayed. Thus the consumers' priority product management is a candidate for high degree of attention. In this project, we have developed and analyzed the algorithm for consumers' priority product management with minimum time and space requirement. We use the concept of balanced binary search tree in this case to attain efficient searching time. For reducing space requirement, we have proposed merging algorithm that incorporates with the balanced binary search tree, to achieve the optimal performances. We have simulated for 1 million testcases and our results show that the algorithm achieves a high memory saving index with efficient logarithmic time complexity in each working round.

Fiber based fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy: a novel approach towards prostate cancer detection Presenter: Vikrant Sharma, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 11:00 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Hanli Liu (Bioengineering) Group members: E. Olweny (M.D.), P. Kapur (M.D.), C. G. Roehrborn (M.D.), J. A. Cadeddu (M.D.), H. Liu (Ph.D.)

Abstract: Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in men. Trans-rectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy, which is the current gold standard of detection, misses clinically significant prostate cancer in 20-30% of cases. This is because ultrasound can only provide anatomical contrast, and cannot differentiate cancer from benign tissue leading to pseudo-random sampling of prostate tissue. Therefore, a better procedure is needed to reduce the randomness of detection and to improve the accuracy, while reducing the damage to the tissue due to excessive sampling. Novel techniques such as 3T MRI-guided biopsy improve detection rates with increased sensitivity, but are limited by expense, procedure time and motion artifacts. In this research, a novel optical fiber technology (autofluorescence lifetime) based system was designed and evaluated on human ex vivo prostate samples for detection of prostate cancer. Data from 23 prostates having intermediate to high grade cancer, Gleason Score (GS) 7 to 9, were acquired soon after the gland removal. The histopathology results were utilized as 'gold standard' to obtain optical signatures of cancer and normal prostate tissues. The optical method provided 20 distinct parameters at each measured location. Statistical analysis revealed that 16/20 parameters were significantly different between cancerous and normal prostate tissue for all three grade levels of cancer. Using a mathematical model based on the significant parameters, the overall accuracy of the technique was 80%, 91% and 94% for GS 7, 8 and 9, respectively. These results are highly encouraging and suggestive towards the clinical implementation of our novel technique.

This work was sponsored by Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. 95

Variation of the Bz Component of Magnetic Field during the Front of Bursty Bulk Flows Presenter: Cheng Sheng, Physics Graduate 1:20 pm, Neches Mentor(s): Yue Deng(PHYS) Group members: Yanshi Huang

Abstract: Bursty Bulk Flows(BBFs) play a major role in the mass and energy transport in the magnetotail. The formation mechanism of BBFs and the interactions between BBFs and ambient plasma have become important research subjects in the magnetospheric physics. Based on the observations of Cluster during the periods July to October 2001 and July to October 2002, the variations of magnetic field during the passage of BBFs are statistically analyzed. Superposed epoch analyses show that there is a sharp change in the Bz component as the bulk speed of the flow begins to increase during the front of BBFs: a sharp increase preceded by a transient decrease. This change in Bz was found in most of the BBFs events observed by Cluster after inspecting every single event, agreed with the result by using GEOTAIL observations. However, the Bz component is not always symmetry, and the decease of Bz is usually not strong enough to lead to a negative value. This indicates that magnetic structure doesn't always appear in the front of BBFs, the interaction between BBFs and ambient plasma is responsible for the change in Bz more often. After the Dipolarization Front is formed the diamagnetic effect due to the hot ions bouncing from the boundary may contribute to the decrease in Bz and the pile-up of the magnetic flux carried by BBFs may be the reason for the increase right after.

Stimulation of Ventral Tegmental Area Increases Mechanical and Thermal Pain Threshold in Rats Presenter: Jiny Sibi, Psychology Senior Poster board: 80 Mentor(s): Yuan B Peng (Psychology) Group members: Chao Zuo and Yang Wang

Abstract: Pain is a major clinical problem for the health care industry. Along the neuroanatomical pathways, there are ascending nociceptive and descending inhibitory systems that can be modulated and targeted for pain relief. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been shown to play a role in the mediation of pain. The purpose of this project was to determine whether electrical stimulation of VTA can have an analgesic effect. Female rats were implanted with electrodes in the VTA (5.8 from bregma, 2 mm from midline, 8.3 mm deep, at an angle of 10 degrees). After recovery, animals were injected with .05 ml of 01% carrageenan, an inflammatory agent, in the left paw. The Von Frey testing was used to measure the mechanical pain level and the Hargreave test was used to measure the thermal pain level. Control group received no stimulation while the experimental group received VTA stimulation before mechanical and thermal threshold tests were conducted for four consecutive days. The results show that the rats that received electrical stimulation of VTA had significantly higher mechanical threshold and longer thermal withdrawal latency, suggesting a lower level of pain than the rats that did not receive stimulation. By the fourth day, the stimulated rats were back to baseline while the control rats were still below threshold. It is concluded that electrical stimulation of VTA can elicit antinociceptive effects and this technique could possibly be used as a therapeutic treatment in patients with chronic pain.

This project was supported by the National Science Foundation ECS-0601229, Texas Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program (003656-0071-2009) and Intel Corp. 96

AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF TIMING ANALYSIS ATTACKS AND DEFENSES IN ANONYMITY SYSTEMS Presenter: Payap Sirinam, Computer Science Engineering Graduate Poster board: 44 Mentor(s): Matthew K. Wright (CSE)

Abstract: A circuit-based low-latency anonymous communication service such as Tor is provided to Internet users to hide their identities in the form of their IPs. However, this kind of service is vulnerable to a timing analysis attack that can discern the relationship between incoming and outgoing messages. We have developed the Tor-like evaluation platform for studying timing analysis of this real-time anonymity system and applying dependent link padding(DLP) as a defense to prevent the timing analysis attack. We present the results on experiments on a real distributed network by using the DeterLab testbed, which is a public facility for medium-scale repeatable experiment in computer security. With this experiment, we showed that the experiment implementing the dependent link padding(DLP) could substantially prevent the timing analysis attack.

Where’s My Car? Brain Activity Predicts Successful Memory for Car-Parking Location Presenter: Catherine Spann, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 12 Mentor(s): Heekyeong Park (Psychology) Group members: Fernando Leal, Zafina Ahsan, Kara Moore, & Heekyeong Park

Abstract: Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that successful memory for an item is predicted by neural activity specific to a study task. However, it has been reported that successful memory for item-context associations (i.e. car-parking location) recruits brain activity in the medial temporal lobe. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated whether neural correlates of item-context associative memory varied depending on study material while study task was kept constant. Twenty-three young, healthy participants were scanned while performing a semantic judgment task on either a word or picture presented in one of four background colors. In a later memory test, participants indicated whether they had seen the item and, if so, they were subsequently asked to indicate in which background color the item was initially presented. In accordance with previous findings, the words and pictures correctly paired with its context elicited greater activity in the medial temporal lobe, inferior/middle frontal lobe, and extensive occipital areas. For words correctly paired with its context, enhanced activity during encoding was found in the right parahippocampal gyrus and bilateral fusiform area. For pictures correctly paired with its context, enhanced activity during encoding was found in the parahippocampal and middle occipital regions. The findings suggest that successful memory for item-context associations is predicted by common neural activity in the medial temporal lobe for both material types.

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Size and behavior mechanisms that affect predation ability in wolf spiders (Hogna helluo) Presenter: Matthew Steffenson, Biology Graduate 10:00 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Dan Formanowicz (BIOL)

Abstract: Spiders play an important role in the environment. As predators, they control the population size of many different types of agricultural pests. Most spiders exhibit large differences in behavior and size between males and females. As a result, males and females may have vastly different impacts on prey populations. The objectives of this study were to identify differences in size between sexes in Hogna helluo (a ground-dwelling wolf spider with an extensive geographic range), as well as to examine differences in anatomy and behavior associated with prey capture. Males, gravid females, and non- gravid females were introduced into experimental chambers with varying numbers of prey in order to identify differences in foraging strategies and predation ability. My analysis shows a significant difference in size between males and females, but not between gravid and non-gravid females. At low prey densities, no differences in predation ability were detected among the three groups. At mid-level prey densities, gravid females captured the highest proportion of available prey, while males captured the lowest proportion; non-gravid females fell between the two. No differences were found at the highest prey densities. Results indicate that gravid females may be capturing higher proportions of prey due to an increased need for energy in order to produce and develop offspring.

American Arachnological Society

In situ Re-endothelization via Multifunctional Nano- Scaffolds Presenter: Lee-Chun Su, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 9:20 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Kytai T. Nguyen;J. Yang

Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of deaths in the Western World, and commonly treatments to open blocked arteries include angioplasty and stenting. However, these treatments often cause injury to the arterial wall, especially to the endothelialium that serves as a natural anti-thrombotic barrier. Damaging/Activation of endothelial cells would later cause thrombosis, inflammatory, and atherosclerosis. In order to re-build endothelium monolayer on the damaged vessel wall in situ, novel urethane-doped polyester (UPE) nanoparticle scaffolds modified with dual ligands, GPIb ligands and anti-CD34 antibodies, are developed. These nanoparticle scaffolds will target the site of injured arterial wall and further prevent platelet deposition via GPIb ligands as well as will recruit endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) from the blood stream through anti-CD34 antibodies. These nanoparticle scaffolds can also provide an optimized substrate to maturate the tethered EPCs to the sub-endothelial lumen via UPE nano-scaffolds by controlled-releasing various growth factors. The spherical UPE scaffolds are fabricated using a nano-precipitation technique. The preliminary results have shown some promising progresses to support our hypothesis. SEM images revealed that modified nanoparticle scaffolds adhere onto vWF-coated surfaces, which is resemble to the damaged subendothelium, more efficiently compared to non- conjugated nanoparticles (control) as well as to plasma platelets. Future work includes dynamic capturing of EPC, hemocompatibility and in vivo animal study.

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Biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of MiaE; an oxygen dependent tRNA monooxygenase Presenter: Bishnu Subedi, Chemistry Graduate 2:00 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Brad S. Pierce (CHEM)

Abstract: MiaE is a carboxylate-bridged non-heme diiron protein which catalyzes the regioselective posttranscriptional allylic hydroxylation of 2-methylthio N-6 isopentenyl adenosine (A37) of tRNA. By analogy to other members of the class II family of diiron enzymes, we hypothesize that specific protein-tRNA interactions are involved in gating delivery of electrons to the substrate-bound diiron cluster of MiaE. In principle, the modulation of the O2-reactvity at the active site is thought to be a function of protein-substrate interactions and thus will be an important additional area of investigation. In this work, we utilize Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to monitor the binding of the anti-stem codon loop (ASL) of tRNA(Phe) to the reduced Salmonella typhimurium MiaE recombinant enzyme. EPR microwave power saturation and temperature dependent experiments indicate that ASL-binding significantly alters the electronic relaxations rates of the diferrous MiaE active site but does not affect the Heisenberg exchange interactions (H = JS1:S2) between adjacent iron-atoms. This observation suggests that binding of ASL to MiaE induces a conformational change at the diiron site but does not alter the Fe-Fe distance. Additionally, the ASL-binding constant (KD of 24 ± 5 µM) to the reduced MiaE enzyme was measured by EPR titration experiments.

A microfluidic system to assess cancer metastasis risks Presenter: Uday Tata, Electrical Engineering Graduate 3:20 pm, Red River Mentor(s): Dr.J.C Chiao (EE)

Abstract: Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly found cancers in men. As per American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2011, approximately 250000 cases are found in United States alone. The five year survival rate for a patient with prostate cancer is 100%. The survival rate tremendously drops down to 30% in the case of prostate cancer metastasize to secondary organs such as bone, lung or lymph nodes. Hence there is need for easy, fast, cost efficient and high throughput solution to assess the metastatic potential in various patients suffering from prostate cancer. Conventional migration assay methods such as Boyden chamber only gives end point results and does not allow real time cell monitoring. A microfluidic device was designed for high throughput assaying of prostate cancer cell migration to different growth factors. The device design was created with PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS) and featured two wells named cell-well and attractant-well connected by 10 micro-channels. The device was placed on a culture dish and primed with growth media. The PC3 cells in suspension of media supplemented with 2% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) were seeded in the cell wells and patient serum with protein concentrations normalized to 2% FBS were added to the attractant cells. The attractant wells with 2% FBS and healthy subjects serum acted as a control. Fluorescent time lapse imaging was performed every day for a period of 6 days. Average number of cells migrating through channels and average migration distance travelled by the cells inside the channel for each experimental condition were calculated. The results revealed that the cancer cells exposed to serum from metastatic patients had greatest cell numbers as well as migrated ahead in the microfluidics migration assay devices compared to cancer cells exposed to serum from controls. In future the device can be directly used for clinical applications to detect metastatic risks in cancer patients.

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Balance: Examining the Effects of Exercise on Performance and Confidence. Presenter: Wyn E. Taylor, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 61 Mentor(s): D. Levine (Psychology), C. Ray (Kinesiology) Group members: Shannon, V., Biggan, J.R., Melton, F.

Abstract: One in three adults over the age of 65, fall each year. Falls can be devastating, physically, emotionally and financially. Simple assessment tools and solutions for balance problems would clearly benefit aging adults and strained healthcare systems. Research has found significant links between exercise, balance performance and balance confidence. The purpose of this study was to examine these links in older adults. We hypothesized that an 11 week exercise intervention would increase both balance performance and balance confidence. Twenty-nine older adults (18 females, 11 males), age 55 to 92 (M=75.54, SD=7.87) were recruited from a cohort of individuals taking part in an exercise intervention program at University of Texas at Arlington. Participants completed the Balance Efficacy Scale (BES) and underwent postural control testing using the NeuroCom¬Æ Equitest at 4 time points during the exercise program. As expected, balance performance increased significantly over time, F(3,25) = 6.43, p < .002, ŋp2 = .44. However counter to expectation, balance efficacy did not change significantly, and the two measures showed no significant correlation. The lack of a significant correlation between balance and balance confidence may be due to a ceiling effect as participants in this study were highly confident at the start of the study (M=88.19%, SD=13.14) and maintained that confidence until the end of the study (M=90.80%, SD=9.99). In addition to gaining information about the effects of exercise on balance over time, these findings may have practical implications for fall prevention and rehabilitation initiatives for older adults.

Fundamental Investigations of Thread-Based Separaions Presenter: Lauren Tedmon, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 84 Mentor(s): Kevin Schug (Chem) Group members: Sulak Sumitsawan, Richard B. Timmons

Abstract: Thread-based microfluidics is an emerging concept that shows great promise for its applications as an inexpensive, portable chemical separations technology. The kinds of thread used in this study are low-cost, low-volume, and widely available. The design is simple. A cotton thread can transport and separate mixtures via capillary action; no external power source is need for pumping. Threads with different water affinity are used in an effort to optimize and understand fundamental separation parameters in the system. The hydrophobicity of the threads was altered by changing levels of exposure to an oxygen plasma. Simple mixtures of dyes, for which separations can be visually observed, have been used as analytes. Creating these thread-based devices required consideration of the mobile phase which dictates the rate at which fluids wick along the thread, introduction of reagents and sample mixtures onto the thread, and defining an easily readable end point for the chromatography. Preliminary results show that the best separations occur when threads are both soaked in and separated with a solution of 90% water and 10% isopropyl alcohol. Further separations are needed to determine the optimum chromatographic parameters. Once optimized, these microfluidic devices have potential applications in diagnostics, purity analysis, and are particularly applicable for remote areas of the developing world.

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry 100

Behind the Scenes of Academic Performance: Influence of Exercise, Stress, and Self- Esteem Presenter: Amy Truong, Psychology Senior Poster board: 101 Mentor(s): Angela Liegey Dougall (PSYC) Group members: Jeffrey Swanson

Abstract: Researchers have shown that higher state self-esteem (a modifiable form of self-esteem that one has at a particular moment) is related to better academic performance. In addition, physical activity positively predicts academic performance while perceived stress negatively predicts academic performance. Because it is plausible that physical activity and perceived stress may influence state self-esteem, we attempted to understand whether state self-esteem mediates these relationships. It was hypothesized that more physical activity and less perceived stress would be related to higher levels of academic performance, and that this relationship would be mediated by measures of state self-esteem. In total, 128 students were assessed for their perceived stress, amount of leisure time physical activity, use of the University fitness center, state self-esteem, and measures of academic performance. As predicted, higher levels of state self-esteem, higher levels of physical activity, and lower amounts of perceived stress predicted better academic performance. Although there was no support for state self-esteem as a mediator between physical activity and academic performance, we did find support for our hypothesis that state self-esteem mediates the relationship between perceived stress and academic performance. Specifically, state self-esteem was a significant mediator between perceived stress and all measures of academic performance. These findings support the need for the development and promotion of programs to decrease stress, increase physical activity, and increase self-esteem among college students. Such programs may improve physical and mental health of college students, and have long-term beneficial effects on academic success.

“Do You Think I May One Day Escape?”: The Symbolic Order and the Production of the Ambivalent Mother As Represented In Stephen Daldry’s The Hours Presenter: Amy Tuttle, English Senior 8:40 am, Guadalupe Mentor(s): Penelope Ingram

Abstract: During the middle of the 20th century, the image of the ideal woman became permanently etched in the collective mind of the American people by early television shows such as Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best. Furthermore, the culture of America in the 1950s regarded women as the possessions of their husbands; the prevailing mindset was one of male superiority. French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan observes that power structures like these "are determined by the Symbolic order, a linguistically encoded network of meaning and signification that is internalized with the acquisition of language." However, Stephen Daldry's 2002 film The Hours offers a critique of the traditional viewpoint of man as center (of the home, of language, of cinema, etc.) through the narrative of a day in the life of 1950s housewife, Laura Brown. The film is quick to point out that Laura is far from happy. She is dissatisfied with her sense of self, and she feels as if her life is pointless. Laura is an aloof wife and detached mother, but the audience sees that she sacrificially performs her "duties" in the true maternal fashion of the 1950s - by giving up her individual autonomy and personal identity. By exposing the nature of language, the film implicates Lacan's Symbolic order in the construction of mothers as objects, and by examining Laura's compromised subjectivity, The Hours takes away the taboo of ambivalence toward motherhood, revealing that patriarchal linguistic structures preclude maternal autonomy.

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Generation Y’s Ethical Ideology and Its Impact on Servant Leadership, Teamwork and Judgments of Ethical Violations Presenter: Rebecca Vanmeter, Business Administration Graduate Poster board: 50 Mentor(s): D. Grisaffe (Mark), L. Chonko (Mark) Group members: Dr. D. Grisaffe (Mark), Dr. L. Chonko (Mark)

Abstract: Generation Y is a cohort of the population larger than the baby boom generation. Consisting of approximately 80 million people born between 1981 and 2000, Generation Y is the most recent cohort to enter the workforce. Workplaces are being redefined and organizations are being pressed to adapt as this new wave of workers is infused into business environments. One critical aspect of this phenomenon not receiving sufficient research attention is the impact of Gen Y ethical beliefs and ethical conduct in workplace contexts. It is widely accepted that distinct generational experiences shape ethical ideologies and ethical ideologies in turn affect the way people function in the workplace. Thus, Gen Y's unique cohort experiences are likely to shape their ethical ideologies and consequent workplace judgments and actions. In this paper we examine Gen Y's ethical ideology and study its impact on workplace functioning regarding leadership style, teamwork, and judgments about ethical violations. Our analyses indicate that Gen Y'ers tend toward situationalism (high idealism and high relativism), and their socially-connected orientation produces more lenient judgments of collective versus unilateral ethical violations. However, Gen Y'ers do exhibit individual variation. Relativist Gen Y'ers are more tolerant of ethical violations, whereas, Gen Y Idealists are less tolerant of ethical violations. High Idealists also show stronger teamwork and leadership characteristics. In addition, Gen Y'ers possessing servant leader traits exhibit incrementally better teamwork, and less ethical violations. We conclude by discussing implications of these findings for managing ethical climates and conduct.

Sex Differences in Object Location Memory: Laboratory Simulation of a Naturalistic Object Array Presenter: Jose Velarde, Psychology Graduate Poster board: 27 Mentor(s): Mellgren Group members: Laila Kahn, Amy Truong

Abstract: Previous research investigating evolutionary hypotheses based on the division of foraging and hunting have demonstrated female's superior object location memory (OLM). The present study investigates the female advantage in OLM by presenting an array of naturalistic objects to participants. Following this procedure participants were asked to replicate the previously viewed array by physically manipulating the objects. Additionally, participants were surveyed on sense of direction (SOD), ability to find misplaced items (AFMI), one-trial directional memory (OTDM), and navigation preference (NP). A total of 101 college students from Tarrant County College participated in the study. Data, from two prior studies, was consolidated for the survey analysis. Consistent with the main hypothesis, females (M=12.96) correctly located significantly more objects than males (M=11.24), F(1, 84) = 6.50, p < .01. As predicted, males (M=3.37) reported significantly higher SOD than females (M=2.66), t(300) = 5.82, p <.001. Additionally, males (M=3.78) reported statistically higher OTDM than females (M=3.48), t(300) = 2.65, p <.01. AFMI showed no significant sex differences. The survey also showed a noteworthy relationship between sex and NP. Females showed a significant preference for a landmark based directions and males preferred maps c2(1, N = 301) = 12.08, p = .001.

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Upwards and onwards: Translating the Chronicles of Narnia into Tuvan Presenter: Vitaly Voinov, Linguistics Graduate 3:20 pm, Pedernales Mentor(s): Jason Kandybowicz

Abstract: Although the minority Tuvan language of south Siberia has a literary tradition dating back to the 1930s, not much children's literature has been published in Tuvan to this day. This paper presents a joint project between the author and Tuvan writers to translate and publish literature for Tuvan children to read, thereby strengthening the language's vitality at a time when most native Siberian languages are facing extinction due to the dominance of Russian (Vajda 2008). The paper focuses on the translation of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia into Tuvan. It describes both linguistic challenges to translating this material, such as incommensurate mythological/worldview systems in the source and receptor language, and practical obstacles to getting the books to their intended readers, such as the lack of a socioeconomic infrastructure for distributing books in post-Soviet Tuva. The attempted solutions to these problems as detailed in the paper may be instructive for other efforts to translate literature as part of minority language preservation efforts around the world (as described, for example, in Hinton and Hale 2001).

Applying Theoretical Perspectives to Care for the Dying Presenter: Cara Wallace, Social Work Graduate Poster board: 11 Mentor(s): Alexa Smith-Osborne (Social Work)

Abstract: An analysis of the current climate of care for the dying through the lens of symbolic interactionism (SI) and general systems theory (GST) can assist in our understanding of ongoing concerns, as well as provide thought for improvement, intervention, and future research. SI focuses on how meanings and symbols are developed through social interactions and how a person interacts with others based upon those meanings. Hospice and palliative care are two movements that came about in attempts to address the needs of the dying, yet evidence shows that efforts still fall short. One practice model attempting to bridge the gap in care for the dying is the Compassionate Care program. This program offers “comprehensive case management and expanded insurance benefits on use of hospice and acute health care services among enrollees in a national health plan” (Journal of Palliative Medicine, 12, pp. 827-832). Analyzing the program through the lens of GST, can help us look at how the program might be successful in addressing the barriers to end-of-life care outlined through the lens of symbolic interactionism. It is through the systems focus on both the individual and the environment, that a practice model can be successful at producing change within multiple levels of systems. Overall, these theories provide relevant insight to the current challenges in end of life care, as well as point to areas of needed research to address them. With the growing population of the aging, the time to address these challenges is upon us.

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Chain Devoicing in Cayuga Presenter: Felicia Wallace, Linguistics Junior Poster board: 76 Mentor(s): Colleen Fitzgerald (Linguistics)

Abstract: Cayuga is a Northern Iroquoian language spoken Canada, New York and Northeastern Oklahoma. This study is about the phonological process of devoicing in Cayuga. Voicing is when the vocal chords vibrate when a sound is produced. Normally, all vowels are voiced, as well as many consonants. But, in Cayuga, under certain conditions, a vowel can become devoiced. This is important because this devoiced vowel then triggers devoicing of consonants in Cayuga. The data from this study comes solely from the English-Cayuga Dictionary (Froman et al. 2002). Using the Cayuga dictionary, I found examples of syllabic structure and the [h] sound as being the triggers for vowel devoicing. Additionally, consonants (specifically glides and liquids) devoiced following the devoiced vowel. This begins a cycle of devoicing ongoing throughout the entire language. Consequently, the devoicing of vowels sets up the environment for other rules to trigger the further devoicing of consonants. After testing out the rules on different words found in the Cayuga dictionary, I found that the order of the rules is crucial to correctly predict how this language behaves. When the vowel rule applies, it produces a devoiced vowel that becomes a trigger in another rule which creates devoiced consonants as output. The implication of this study is a better understanding of the linguistic system of Cayuga and other Iroquoian languages. This can serve as the foundation for further predictions of the sounds of the language. This also helps phonologists better understand the rule interactions of related processes, specifically devoicing processes.

The Effects of Mineland Reclamation on Turtle and Frog Communities in North Central Texas Presenter: Jayme Walton, Biology Graduate 8:40 am, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Laura Gough (BIOL)

Abstract: The goal of mining reclamation is to restore land and water features scarred by the mining process to their former natural state. One way of gauging whether reclamation was successful is to compare floral and faunal communities of reclaimed land with that of nearby land that was not mined. Most studies have focused on plant and bird species, but few have looked at the effects of reclamation on reptiles and amphibians. In north central Texas, I studied ponds on land reclaimed following strip mining and compared them with reference ponds that have never been mined in a nearby state-run wildlife management area. From July 2010-October 2011, turtles were captured, marked, measured, sexed, and released. The presence of frog species was determined by listening to breeding calls. Several environmental variables were recorded for each pond. While there was no significant difference in number of frog and turtle species, certain species occurred more often in reclaimed or reference ponds. Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) were found in all ponds while common snappers (Chelydra serpentina) were found almost exclusively in reference ponds. The Gulf Coast toad (Incilius nebulifer), a species known to be tolerant of human disturbance, was found only at reclaimed ponds. Hyla chrysoscelis, the gray tree frog, was found only at reference ponds. These frogs thrive near trees, which surround reference ponds significantly more often than reclaimed ponds. This suggests that reclamation returns the land to a state that supports some, but not all of the local turtle and frog species.

This work was funded by Luminant LLC as well as the University of Texas at Arlington College of Science and Office of Graduate Studies. 104

Haldane’s Rule in Marsupials: What Happens When Both Sexes Are Functionally Hemizygous? Presenter: Eric Watson, Biology Graduate Poster board: 24 Mentor(s): Jeffery Demuth

Abstract: Despite the title of his famous book, Charles Darwin spoke little of the origin of the species. While his book focused mainly on how selection acts on natural variation, it wasn't until the modern evolutionary synthesis in the mid 1930's that we began to understand the evolutionary process that gives rise to new species, speciation. During the process of speciation, diverging taxa often hybridize and produce offspring wherein the heterogametic sex (i.e., XY or ZW) is unfit (Haldane's rule). Dominance theory seeks to explain Haldane's rule in terms of the difference in X-linked dominance regimes experienced by the sexes. However, X inactivation in female mammals extends the effects of hemizygosity to both sexes. Here, we highlight where the assumptions of dominance theory are particularly problematic in marsupials, where X inactivation uniformly results in silencing the paternal X. We then present evidence of Haldane's rule for sterility but not for viability in marsupials, as well as the first violations of Haldane's rule for these traits among all mammals. Marsupials represent a large taxonomic group possessing heteromorphic sex chromosomes, where the dominance theory cannot explain Haldane's rule. In this light, we can turn to alternative explanations for the preponderance of male sterility in interspecific hybrids, including faster male evolution, X-Y interactions, and genomic conflict hypotheses.

Characterization of a Novel Continuous Flow Device for Monitoring Drug-Target Interactions Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Presenter: Veronica B. Waybright, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 106 Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug Group members: Sabra Ramirez, Hui Fan, Petr Frycak

Abstract: A critical step in drug discovery is determination of the binding strength of a drug to its target. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has been successfully applied to monitoring the interactions of drugs and their target due to its capability of preserving solution interactions and differentiating them in the gas phase based on their masses. The challenge, however, is to obtain accurate concentration information of the drug-target complex in ESI-MS, since the detector readout (i.e. intensity) is a combination of the concentration and response factor of the complex. In this work, ESI-MS coupled with a new flow-injection analysis (FIA) device was evaluated to begin to address this problem. A defined amount of analyte was injected into a stream of solvent, and diluted in a continuous flow stirred vessel prior to ESI-MS analysis. The change in concentration of the analyte over time was recorded in the mass spectrometer as an exponential decay curve. In-house software was developed to fit the curve and extract response factors. Tetramethylammonium acetate, tetraethylammonium acetate and tetrabutylammonium acetate were injected at different concentrations (50, 100 and 200 mM) while keeping the flow rate constant (200, 250, 300, 350 µL/min), in order to study the relation of the response factors to the shape of the decay curve. This method is currently being validated and it has shown great potential in directly monitoring the drug-target interaction and obtaining the binding strength in a high throughput manner.

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Burger Cultures: McDonaldization and De-McDonaldization in Croatia and the U.S. Presenter: Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Anthropology Graduate 1:40 pm, Palo Pinto Mentor(s): Ben Agger (Sociology), Robert M. Kunovich (Sociology), Heather Jacobson (Sociology)

Abstract: I offer a glimpse into the merging of two worlds: on one side of the Atlantic is a historically Socialist country that is a recent crossover to Capitalism, a war ravaged country that is looking to modernize in every sense of the word. On the other side, is a country where some of the individuals that comprise the population are beginning to recognize the negative aspects of modernity and are seeking to de-construct those parts of their life. To this end, I examine two phenomena-the spread of McDonald's in Zagreb, Croatia and the introduction of slow-food in Dallas, Texas-in other words, the struggles induced by globalization within both worlds. Zagreb, being deeply grounded in local food culture may be heading toward McDonaldization (process wherein fast-food industries dominate more sectors of society), whereas slow-food in Dallas de-McDonaldizes an essentially rationalized food culture. I suggest the predictability of McDonald's food items might lure Croat consumers in increasing quantities, as the unpredictability of the 1990s conflicts may have left Croats craving predictability and willing to accept standardization in their food to fill this void. Alternatively, in the United States a movement toward slow-food is transpiring. This is exemplified in the foodeisim of local, fresh cuisine becoming more valued, people buying locally-grown produce, seeking grass-fed cattle, and flocking to less assembly-like fast-food restaurants such as In-N-Out Burger. The novel findings of Americans attempt to De-McDonaldize will add to the existing literature of food cultural studies and globalism.

Cysteine Derivation for Enhanced Detectability and its Quantification with CDO-Related Compounds Presenter: Patricia Wong, Chemistry Senior 1:40 pm, San Jacinto Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug (CHEM), Brad S. Pierce Group members: Li Li, Wei Li, Sandra Spencer

Abstract: Cysteine is an amino acid that plays a crucial role in the human body. The most critical role of cysteine is its conversion to cysteinesulfinic acid by the enzyme cyteinedioxygenase, or CDO. This process catalyzes the production of many other important compounds in the body. Recently, poor function of CDO has been linked to neurological diseases such as autism and Parkinson's. Patients with these conditions often show low levels of cysteine and its by-products. The major challenge in measuring cysteine in the human body is its ability to be detected. Our research focuses on improving the detectability of cysteine and producing a method that can simultaneously detect and quantify the concentration of cysteine and its CDO by-products in the body. By reacting cysteine with 2-Iodo-1-methylpryridium, we were able to detect and quantify cysteine at concentrations over 100 times less than previous detection methods. Further development of our research could deepen the understanding of CDO and its effect on major diseases.

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Mesh Screen Affinity Materials for Drug Discovery Using Transmission Mode Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Presenter: Samuel Yang, Chemistry Graduate 8:40 am, Pedernales Mentor(s): Kevin A. Schug (Chemistry & Biochemistry) Group members: Aruna B. Wijeratne, Sumit Bhawal, Rajendrasing Deshmukh Brian L. Edwards, Frank W. Foss, Jr., Richard B. Timmons

Abstract: Many well-known and widely-used antibacterial compounds have lost their effectiveness due to resistances that certain bacteria strains have acquired over the passing decades. This provides an impetus to seek new antibiotics, in hopes of circumventing bacterial resistance mechanisms. Extraction of active compounds from natural sources has shown to be one effective approach for drug discovery. Isolation and subsequent identification of such natural products from complex extracts, however, can be an arduous task. Here, a novel approach towards drug discovery is presented through the use of a carboxy-functionalized poly(propylene) screen, onto which an L-Lysine-D-alanine-D-alanine (Kaa) peptide sequence was covalently attached. The Kaa peptide sequence has been well characterized as a critical binding site for antibiotics that inhibit cell wall synthesis in Gram positive bacteria. The screens are designed to selectively bind compounds which recognize this peptide motif. The goal of this work was to optimize selective binding of model compounds to the functionalized screens, an effort that will be crucial for their eventual use to extract bioactive compounds from natural product extracts. Importantly, compounds captured by the screens can be rapidly assessed with transmission-mode desorption electrospray ionization (TM-DESI)-mass spectrometry. With TM-DESI, electrosprayed solvent droplets can desorb bound analytes from the surface of the screen and transform them into ionic compounds by virtue of the electrospray process. The ions can then be characterized by mass spectrometry. This method provides a rapid screening technique for new antibacterial compounds, particularly those which must be extracted from natural product sources of limited quantity.

Synthesis & Purification of Small Peptides: A. Bacterical Cell Walls B. Proline Cis/Trans Isomerism in Signaling Presenter: Mahwish Yasin, Chemistry Senior Poster board: 87 Mentor(s): F. Foss (CHEM) Group members: Mohammad S. Hossain, Sam Yang, Dr. Richard Timmons, Dr. Kevin A. Schug, Dr. Frank W. Foss

Abstract: Amino acids are molecules composed of an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH) and a side chain, which defines the specific amino acid and its properties. Amino acids are combined to form short peptides and proteins. This research looks at the synthesis and purification of short peptides found in artificial prokaryotic bacterial cell walls and also the physiological affects of different isomers (chemically different mirror images) of the proline amino acid. A. This research focuses on the development of devices that mimic bacterial cell walls with the use of short peptides. With these devices we hope to investigate the intermolecular forces between antibacterial agents and the artificial cell wall. Because cell wall synthesis is important for bacterial infections, these devices may be tools for discovering new antibacterial agents. We synthesized and purified the L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala peptide, which is found on the cell wall surface. With this material in hand, we plan to optimize the non-covalent binding of vancomycin, a known cell wall inhibitor, to the artificial cell wall. B. We have used related chemistry to synthesize and isolate pure proline and phenylalanine containing peptides for the study of the cis/trans proline isomerism. Proline is a signaling agent in natural proteins and small molecules. Collaborators will use these materials to quantitatively analyze and aid our understanding of isomerization events in enzymes and medicines.

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Investigation of frontopolar cortex under noxious pain stimuli using functional near infrared spectroscopy Presenter: Amarnath Yennu, Biomedical Engineering Graduate 8:20 am, San Saba Mentor(s): Hanli Liu (Bio-engineering) Group members: Sabin Khadka, Pritam Gautam, Pamela A. Tebebi, Fenghua Tian and Hanli Liu

Abstract: Assessment of pain in patients who lack communication ability (Infants, Coma) is challenging. Thus, the ability to qualitatively assess pain would help patients suffering from chronic pain and patients who cannot communicate. We used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a tool to investigate the hemodynamic responses in human frontopolar cortex under two different levels of noxious pain stimuli. Seven healthy right-handed male volunteers with age range of 23 to 28 years were recruited for this study. The instrument used to measure hemodynamic signals was a multi-wavelength, continuous-wave, fNIRS brain imager. For generating mechanical pain stimuli, a custom-built pneumatic pain generator was used. The experimental protocol was a blocked design with each block consisting of 5-second mechanical pain stimulus applied on subject's right volar forearm followed by a 35-55 sec variable resting period. Statistical analysis of temporal changes in oxy-hemoglobin concentration (HbO) shows significant deactivation (decrease in HbO) in contralateral frontopolar cortex in response to both low level (LLPS) and moderate level (MLPS) pain stimuli. Furthermore, t-statistic maps obtained by using NIRS-SPM and by group level one- sample t-tests of HbO confirm significant deactivation in response to both LLPS and MLPS in contra-lateral frontopolar cortex. Correlation analysis between subjective pain rating and extent of decrease in HbO show a substantial correlation in response to MLPS; however, a weak correlation is observed in response to LLPS. The results suggest that the frontopolar cortex is responsible for processing of cognitive evaluation of pain and can be measurable by fNIRS.

Learning to be Mexican: Children, gender and citizenship in the Biblioteca del Nino Mexicano Presenter: April Young, Modern Languages Graduate 1:00 pm, San Saba Mentor(s): Christopher Conway (MODL)

Abstract: Heriberto Frías established himself as a major contributor to Mexican literature through his novel Tomochic (1893-95) which was critical of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. Between 1899 and 1901, Frías published a series of over one hundred children's books called Biblioteca del niño mexicano which detailed the history of Mexico from pre-Columbian times to the beginning of the Twentieth Century. These colorful historical lessons were designed for parents to read to their children for the purpose of teaching them good citizenship. While much of Frías' work in children's publications has been forgotten by modern scholars, his children's literature is significant and deserving of further study because it serves as a window into how children were educated in late nineteenth-century Mexico. My presentation specifically focuses on how Biblioteca teaches children gender roles and social hierarchies associated with different classes of men and women. I argue that the readers of the Biblioteca are taught that women are generally inferior than men, but that there are some classes of women (middle class women) that are over other classes of women (peasants or indians). My methodology in examining these children's books is informed by contemporary literary criticism and theory, specifically Gender Studies, Psychoanalysis and New Historicism. The intersection of gender, race and class in Biblioteca can teach us different ways of reading Frías' masterpiece, Tomochic, and also provide insight into the cultural indoctrination of children in the late 19th Century Mexico.

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Assessing Relationship between Land Use-Transportation and Energy Use(Case Study of Tehran, Iran) Presenter: Bahar Zarin, Urban & Public Affairs Graduate 10:00 am, Concho Mentor(s): Ardeshir (Ard) Anjomani(UPPP)

Abstract: Growth of the cities in the late 19th and the early 20th century and flowingly overuse of the energy, made the cities face energy crisis, which might cause lack of nonrenewable energy in the future. Transportation is one of the sectors with highest quota of energy use. Although counting on new technology and using new energy could be effective, it could not lead to the suitable results if they are the only approach. A series of changes in the cities' patterns are needed to prompt less energy use. Objective of this research is assessing the relationship between land use-transportation and energy consumption. In doing so, comprehensive research in the literature is done. The effective factors of land use are extracted and assessed in the local case study. The case study of this research is Tehran because of its unique characteristic. Tehran is composed of various districts with different characteristic which make the comparison possible. In order to assess this relationship, different statistical techniques and software and Regression and SPSS have been used. The outcomes indicate that residential density, mixed use, job/housing equivalence, access by transportation, access to transportation, and density of X intersection correlate with Vehicle Kilometer Traveled (VKT) and mode choice and therefore energy use.

The Pilates Movement: Transfer and Adaptation Presenter: Jacqueline Zeledon, History Graduate 9:20 am, Concho Mentor(s): Thomas Adam (History Dept.)

Abstract: Joseph Pilates developed and implemented a namesake exercise system that spanned nearly the entire twentieth century. 'Pilates,' as his method became known, evolved from a specialized tool for injured dancers to a celebrity favorite to a mainstream fitness and physical rehabilitation staple. Today, it is practiced worldwide, while it continues to attract followers and grow in popularity and size. Pilates is also an outstanding example of intercultural transfer, as it has traveled from Europe to the United States, and ultimately, to many international destinations. Intercultural transfer is a relatively new concept that studies how ideas can be shared by a 'lending' society and customized and utilized by a 'borrowing' society. Thus, as the Pilates system was adopted by different populations on this global journey, it transformed to fulfill the needs of its various participants. This adaptation is one of the hallmarks of intercultural transfer, in which an idea or institution is never transplanted in a wholly identical fashion, but rather always altered, as it is received and implemented by humans, who all have different life experiences, desires, and requirements. This project, the topic of my dissertation, endeavors to offer a historical treatment of Joseph Pilates and his work, as most of the available literature focuses on the technique and practice of the method, largely in an instructional or scientific style. Also, by analyzing the creation and expansion of the Pilates system, I will provide a study on intercultural transfer, which offers a historical viewpoint from a global perspective.

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Osterix-Up-Regulating Citrate-Based Osteoinductive Composites for Orthopedic Applications Presenter: Chang Zhang, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 15 Mentor(s): Dr.Jian Yang

Abstract: Apatite crystals found in native bone are highly rich in citrate molecules. These citrate molecules are highly important in the mediation of bone development and overall bone load-bearing function. However, such understanding has not been translated into bone biomaterial design and bone stem cell culture. In this work, we developed osterix-up-regulating, biodegradable, and mechanically strong citrate-based polymer blend/hydroxyapatite (CBPBHA) composites for orthopedic tissue engineering applications. The role of citrate supplements in culture medium for stem cell culture was also investigated. CBPBHA composites consist of our newly developed osteoinductive citrate-based polymers, crosslinked urethane-doped polyester (CUPE), poly (octanediol citrate) (POC), and hydroxyapatite (HA). The results showed that a 10 wt% addition of POC into the mechanically strong CUPE/HA network produced materials similar in strength to that of human cortical bone with a compressive strength of 116.23 ± 5.37 MPa. CBPBHA composites promoted in vitro mineralization, and greatly up-regulate C2C12 osterix (OSX) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) gene expression in vitro. Composite samples implanted for 6 weeks in a rabbit lateral femoral condyle defect model demonstrated impressive complete osteointegration, no fibrous tissue encapsulation, and promoted bone remodeling. Another exciting finding was that citrate supplemented in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) culture medium promoted calcium matrix formation in a dose-dependent manner. The discovery of CBPBHA composites and the exciting preliminary understanding on the role of citrate on stem cell differentiation bridges the gap in previous bone biomaterial designs and bone stem cell culture.

This work was supported in part by a R21 award EB009795 and a R01 award EB012575-01A1 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) (to J.Y.), a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award 0954109 (to J.Y.), and a High Impact/High Risk grant RP110412 (to J.Y.) from Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Work in Bone Research Laboratory is supported by Research Grant from Arthritis Foundation (to C.Z) and RAP01 Grant from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (to C.Z). The authors also would like to thank Kermit Beird and Dr. Stefan Dancila at the Department of Mechanical Engineering department of University of Texas at Arlington for their help on sample mold fabrication and compressive mechanical tests.

Biodegradable photoluminescent polymer as a novel fluorescent material for bioimaging Presenter: Yi Zhang, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Poster board: 63 Mentor(s): Jian Yang (Department of Bioengineering)

Abstract: Biodegradable polymers have been fabricated into various biomedical implants such as drug delivery nanoparticles, tissue engineering scaffold, and orthopedic devices. Using biodegradable polymers as implant materials is beneficial as the implants may be degraded and cleared by the body once the missions are completed. On the other hand, rapid growth of fluorescent imaging in the field of life science and medical research brings great challenges for material scientists to develop unique fluorescent materials. The commonly used fluorescent materials for bioimaging (organic dyes, quantum dots, and GFP) have suffered from all manner of problems, such as toxicity, photobleaching, and most importantly, not directly implantable. Herein, we developed a family of biodegradable photoluminescent polymers (BPLP) to address above issues. Unlike conventional biodegradable polymers encapsulation/conjugation with organic dye or quantum dots (QDs), BPLP are free of dye or QDs due to its intrinsically superior photoluminescent properties. It has a tunable emission up to near infrared range, high quantum yield as 62.3%, and photobleaching resistance. Meanwhile, it has a comparable cytocompatibility to PLGA, a FDA approved material, which makes it safe for in vitro and in vivo. The controlled mechanical (up to 6.5MPa tensile strength and 240% elongation) and degradable properties make them suitable for biodegradable implant. These unique fluorescent polymers are promising for biological and biomedical applications based on fluorescence labeling and imaging, exemplified in non-invasive cancer detection on a mouse model in the present work.

ACES NSF GK-12 PROGRAM SPECIAL SESSION UNIVERSITY CENTER - GUADALUPE ROOM University of Texas at Arlington

March 21, 2012

TIME SPEAKER TITLE OF TALK

8:30-8:45 CATHERINE ROGERS CHAGAS DISEASE

8:50-9:05 ALICE LUBBE A MATHEMATICAL STUDY OF THE TRANSITION FROM CHAOTIC TO PERIODIC NEURON BURST PATTERNS

9:10-9:25 BEN HILDEBRAND NUMERICAL GRID GENERATION IN MEDICAL IMAGING

9:30-9:40 BREAK

9:40-9:55 CHARLES NGUYEN MODELING STUDY OF HUMAN ADIPOSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

10:00- JASON GILGENBACH JOINT MODELING OF SURVIVAL AND LONGITUDINAL DATA 10:15

10:20- SCOTT LACY COLLINEATIONS OF PROJECTIVE PLANES 10:35

10:40- BREAK 10:50

10:50- CARL LOONEY NON-LINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 11:05

11:10- ANTONIO LOPEZ SOLITONS AND NONLINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 11:25

11:30- DENISE RANGEL TOTALLY REFLEXIVE MODULES 11:45

Women's & Gender Studies Mini-Conference 9am - 1pm 6th Floor Central Library Wednesday, March 21, 2012

This half-day event is intended to showcase the outstanding research being conducted on women's and gender studies topics by undergraduate and graduate students across the UTA campus. Student presenters will be considered for the new Women's and Gender Studies Student Excellence Awards, which will be distributed during the ACES Awards Ceremony the following day. This event also provides an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff who are interested in, working on, or passionate about women's and gender studies issues to meet and exchange ideas.

All events in the UTA Central Library 6th floor parlor. Coffee and snacks served.

9-10am Graduate Panel: Hui Fan, Mylynka Kilgore-Cardona, Samara Morris-Bobzean, and April Young.

10-11am Poster Session: Claire Dunn and Alexandra Schiller.

11-12pm Undergraduate Panel: Abigail Allen, Katelyn Jaynes, Leslie Rice, and Amy Tuttle.

12-1pm Lunch: Join us for a light lunch and conversation.

Sponsored by the Women's & Gender Studies Program, the Dean of Liberal Arts, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the UTA Central Library.

ACES Program and Events

Thursday, March 22, 2012

8:00am – 12:00pm Graduate and Undergraduate Oral Presentations

12:00pm - 1:00pm Break

1:00pm - 4:00pm Graduate and Undergraduate Oral Presentations

1:00pm - 2:30pm Poster presentations

2:30pm - 3:30pm Poster area closed for judging review

4:00pm - 4:30pm Break

5:00pm - 5:30pm Reception

5:30pm - 6:30pm Awards Ceremony

Friday, March 23, 2012

3:00pm – 4:00pm Jeb Bush Faculty Roundtable (Carlisle Suite, 2nd floor, University Center)

8:00pm Jeb Bush Keynote Address (College Park Center)