Graduate Research Posters

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  Children's Perceptions of Parent-Child Relationships: A Narrative, Inductive Approach

  Casey Burton M.Ed; Ariana Samuel; Hailie Suarez-Rivas; Sydney Sumrall; Robin S. Everhart, Ph.D; and Marcia A. Winter, Ph.D

  Background:

  Narrative methods can allow researchers to gather rich data from children regarding their perceptions of their relationship with parents that may not otherwise be captured using tasks, questionnaires, or structured interviews; however, existing coding systems have been established with samples that are largely White and middle class. The current study sought to establish child-inspired codes that would better reflect the sample.

  Methods:

  Children aged 5-12 years (M=8.82, 48.9% female) and their caregivers were recruited from high-poverty urban US areas. All participants identified as Black or African American. Children were audiotaped while speaking, uninterrupted, for three minutes about their relationship with their primary caregiver (TMSS; Marshall et al., 1990). A team of five researchers - diverse in race, ethnicity, and background - established a codebook using in-vivo methods, dually coded N=51 transcripts via thematic analysis, and analyzed codes for emergent themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

  Results:

  Coders identified N=671 codes from the transcripts, of which 332 (49.5%) were unique codeable units. Five themes emerged from the data: interactions, feelings about caregiver, emotional closeness, reciprocity, and insight.

  Conclusions:

  The use of open-ended speech sampling coupled with qualitative coding allowed cataloging of Black children’s own perceptions of the parent-child relationship. Children emphasized time spent together, mutual understanding, & reciprocity. Many children also showed insight into parents’ perspectives and motivations, including financial awareness. Previous work indicates this dyadic reciprocity may be one way families protect themselves against the negative consequences of financial difficulties (Wilhoit et al., 2021).

  References:

  Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

  Marshall, V.G., Longwell, L., Goldstein, M.J., & Swanson, J.M. (1990). Family factors associated with aggressive symptomatology in boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A research note. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 31(4), 629-636. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1990.tb00802.x

  Wilhoit, S.A., Trentacosta, C.J., Beeghly, M., Boeve, J.L., Lewis, T.L. and Thomason, M.E. (2021). Household chaos and early childhood behavior problems: The moderating role of mother–child reciprocity in lower-income families. Fam Relat, 70, 1040-1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12560

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  The Analysis of Commercially Available Kratom Products in Richmond, Virginia

  James H. Fleming Jr, Justin Poklis, Michelle R. Peace, and Emanuele A. Alves

  Kratom is a novel psychoactive substance that has gained popularity within the past ten years. Originating from Southeast Asia, the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree contain two principal alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, that play a key role in opioid-like effects. Twenty-nine kratom products were obtained from tobacco shops in the Richmond, Virginia area, including powders, teas, capsules, extracts, and a carbonated beverage. Samples were analyzed using Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) for kratom alkaloids, labeled ingredients, and other possible organic compounds. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to quantitate aluminum, arsenic, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel, and lead with yttrium as the internal standard. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine were present in every kratom sample. Kratom tea samples were found to have up to 20 times the tolerable upper intake of manganese. Overexposure to manganese can lead to Parkinsonian symptoms including tremors, dystonia, and facial muscle spasms. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to qualitatively confirm the presence of alkaloids and differentiate diastereomers. One non-kratom product was analyzed and was found to contain phenibut, an anxiolytic and nootropic substance. Phenibut was not listed on the label of this product. This work contributes to bring attention to the absence of quality control standards on kratom manufacturers as well as proper labeling of products sold at smoke and tobacco shops, prompting a public health concern due to the association of toxic metal levels in commercial kratom products.

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  Effects of the Selective GSK3B Inhibitor, Tideglusib, on Ethanol Consumption, Anxiety-like Behavior, Taste Preference, and Downstream Proteins

  Sam Gottlieb, Douglas Bledsoe, Jessica L. Maltman, Alanna Morgan, Jennifer T. Wolstenholme, and Michael F. Miles

  Background: We have shown modulations in glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B) abundance or activity regulate ethanol consumption, suggesting potential as a therapeutic target for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here we report the GSK3B inhibitor tideglusib’s actions on ethanol consumption, basal behaviors, and modulation of GSK3B targets.

  Methods: C57BL/6J males and females received i.g. 200mg/kg tideglusib, except drinking-in-the-dark (males;100mg/kg i.p.). Drinking-in-the-dark (DID): Mice given 20% ethanol 4-hours, 4-days/week x 3 weeks and then i.p. tideglusib or vehicle x 4 days in a Latin Square design with ethanol consumption measured daily. Light/Dark Box: Mice gavaged with tideglusib or vehicle and i.p. injected with 1.8g/kg ethanol or saline then tested for 10-min. Taste Preference: Mice received tideglusib x 6 days and then tested daily for saccharin or quinine taste preference. Western Blots: Mice received tideglusib or vehicle i.g. 3x/week for 2-weeks and mPFC assayed for phosphorylated and total GSK3B, Dynamin1, and PSD-95.

  Results: Tideglusib decreased ethanol DID consumption, transiently increased locomotion, and had no effect on anxiety-like behaviors or taste preference. Only total Dynamin1 showed tideglusib-induced modulation where females had increased Dynamin1 and decreased pDynamin1/total Dynamin1.

  Conclusion: Tideglusib is a promising AUD therapeutic, rapidly decreasing ethanol consumption in a binge-drinking model. Tideglusib is likely not reducing consumption by altering taste or anxiety-like behaviors. Dynamin1 is integral in activity-dependent bulk endocytosis and requires GSK3B-induced rephosphorylation. Tideglusib increased Dynamin1 levels likely represent a compensatory response to decreased GSK3B activity, providing insight to tideglusib’s mechanism in ethanol behaviors. Funded by NIAAA grant R01AA027581.

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  An Exploration of Factors Influencing Faculty Engagement With Open Practices at the School of Education: A Pilot Study

  Preeti Kamat, Jessica Kirschner, Hillary Miller, Sergio Chaparro, Jose Alcaine, and Nina Exner

  Background:

  Open practices in academia are emerging as affordable tools in widening research access by removing many barriers in the scholarly research and learning process. While faculty engagement with open practices is increasing, there remain some barriers to widespread participation. Though research to date suggests faculty perceptions about promotion and tenure (P&T) policies influence faculty engagement with open practices, many studies limit their focus on a few influencing factors. Answering calls for more research, this pilot study aims to explore the influence of various factors on faculty engagement with open practices, with a focus on promotion and tenure (P&T) policies based and their unique influence on faculty decisions through the lens of Social Exchange Theory.

  Methods:

  During the first phase, 15 faculty members completed the survey about their perceptions, engagement in open practices, and demographic data such as faculty classification. To better understand the quantitative data, we will conduct focus groups and individual interviews.

  Results:

  Most faculty members felt the importance and benefits of open practices. However, beliefs about the valuing of open practices in P&T and professional reputation did not show consensus. This implies group uncertainty about support for engaging in open practices in general.

  Conclusion:

  The quantitative results support the previous research (Lwoga & Questier 2014, Kim 2010, Kirschner, 2019). While refining the survey measures could be the next step for research, the preliminary implication for higher learning institutions could be increasing faculty awareness about the availability of resources for open practices faculty engagement.

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  Processing Equity Consciousness Through CRE Action Research PD During Times of Unrest, Uncertainty, and the Amplification of CRT Disinformation

  Robyn Lyn

  Equity initiatives, such as culturally responsive education (CRE), are under attack through local school board demonstrations and state legislatures across the U.S. These public attacks are becoming a barrier to equitable education. This study began before the public outcry against critical race theory and documents a timeline of events during a CRE 2-year action research professional development (PD). Though studies have examined the benefits of CRE, few investigate equity consciousness (EC), an awareness of systemic (in)equity. My study examines EC during a longitudinal CRE action research PD observing how equity consciousness presents in dialogue with veteran in-service teachers as they engaged with a PD to develop culturally responsive teaching/culturally relevant education.

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  Relationship between Religion and Native American Identity

  Gennaro W. Milo

  The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between religious affiliation and Native American Identity. Based on the findings of this study, a component of a Native American's Identity is their religious affiliation. To contribute to the research on Native American and Alaskan Native identity, this study targeted the teenage demographic of ages 12 to 19 years old. Over growing concern, expressed by tribal elders, about a loss of cultural identity amongst teens, this study investigates a connection between a teen’s sense of identity and their religious affiliation (Quigley, 2019). This study used a multiple-choice survey tool, that was filtered to only include Native American and Alaskan Native teens, where participants self-identified their cultural identity and their religious affiliation. This survey data comes from Swaim and Stanley (2021) who studied “substance use among American Indian youth” (Swaim & Stanley, 2021). The null hypothesis of this study is that religious affiliation has no effect on Native American Identity. The alternative hypothesis is that religious affiliation does influence Native American Identity. To test this cross tabulations and a Pearson’s R analysis were run. Further hypotheses were made concerning each religious preferences impact on Native American Identity. Another hypothesis was made that says not belonging to a religion reduces a person's Native American Identity. To test these hypotheses simple regressions were run. This study concluded that there is a positive correlation between Traditional Native American Spirituality and high level Native American Identity. Incidentally there is a correlation between no religious affiliation and low level Native American Identity. Lastly a moderated regression was done to see if gender had a moderating effect on the relationship between religious preference and Native American Identity. This study found that gender did not have a moderating effect.

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  A Marginal Identity Model for those in the "In-Between"

  Francine S. Singson, Sonia Meyer, and Christine A. Reid

  1. Background

  In existing models exploring the formation cultural identity, there is emphasis on development from the perspective of race or country of origin. While these models have made significant contributions to the study of identity development in the fields of counseling and psychology, research on the identity development of people who exist within the spectrum between traditionally acknowledged identities (Deaf/Hearing, LGBTQIA+, first/second generation) is lacking.

  1. Methods

  To explore the merit of establishing a distinct theory exploring development of individuals whose identities exist between the existing binaries of identity, a systematic review and analysis of current literature was performed. Subsequently, a framework for marginal identity to address present gaps in literature was developed. The information from the review was integrated, and a hypothesis based on the framework was formed. Data from recent studies on multicultural/marginal development was gathered to corroborate or refute this hypothesis.

  1. Results

  The Marginal/Multicultural Identity Model developed by Reid et al. addresses groups that exist in the “in between” of the continuum of identity. Building on previous models of identity development, this model addresses the fluid and nonlinear nature of identity, as well as the impact of environmental, personal, physical, and intersectional factors, while also considering the knowledge and skills required in a given culture.

  4. Conclusion

  This model has potential to address a missing element in counseling practice: addressing the needs of people who find themselves "between" different cultures. Further research is needed to test the effectiveness of the model in actual clinical trials.

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  Pathways to Belonging and Engagement: Testing a Tailored Social Belonging Intervention for University Students

  Molly L. Taylor, Danielle N. Berry, Kali A. Delay, Viyana Banjade, Jeen Joy, Korinthia D. Nicolai, Erica Ross, Navdeep Sekhon, Tanya Wineland, and Sharon K. Zumbrunn Dr.

  Background

  Prominent theories of motivation suggest that belonging plays a critical role in student success (Connell & Wellborn, 1991). Social-belonging interventions have been shown to improve student belonging, well-being, engagement, and more—especially those from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds (Walton & Brady, 2017). The current study aimed to explore the effects of a tailored social-belonging intervention delivered in introductory classes at VCU on students’ belonging, engagement, persistence, and achievement.

  Methods

  A diverse sample of first-year undergraduate students at VCU participated. To create authentic intervention materials, we collaborated with a diverse group of upper-level undergraduate student researchers who wrote narratives to present vivid stories of how they personally experienced and overcame struggles to belong. Prior to and following the intervention, students completed a survey that assessed student belonging, engagement, and social and academic fit. We also collected student demographics, achievement, and additional data from institutional records.

  Results

  Following the implementation of the belonging intervention, data was collected on students’ sense of belonging, their social and academic fit at the university, and other related outcomes. While most students felt as though they belonged at VCU and had the potential to succeed, there were still some students who worried whether they belonged in college.

  Conclusions

  From students’ responses, faculty and advisors of first-year students were given an overview on students’ current states of belonging at VCU. As an implication for future research, we argue that including diverse upper-level students as fellow researchers in this work strengthens the authenticity and effectiveness of the belonging intervention.

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  Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Risk of Drug Overdose in Adulthood

  Samantha E. Wright

  Background

  Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) encompass a variety of traumatic events that occur during one’s youth. ACEs may be physical, mental, emotional, or sexual in nature, and they are often associated with long-term negative consequences such as alcoholism, substance abuse, and criminal justice involvement. The global rise of the opioid epidemic has intensified the need to better understand and address factors associated with illicit substance use. The current study will investigate the relationship between exposure to ACEs, onset of drug use, and history of drug overdose.

  Methods

  This study will utilize an observational design in which participants will be asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. The sample will comprise of male and female individuals housed in a local suburban jail. The study aims to recruit 350 participants. The survey will collect data regarding childhood experiences, age at first drug use, history of drug use, and drug overdose. Gender, race, and age differences will be examined.

  Results

  The current study is part of an ongoing research project. Using descriptive and explanatory statistics, preliminary results will be presented.

  Conclusions

  While prior literature has explored the relationship between ACEs, morbidity, and mortality, the current study aims to explore whether ACEs are associated with onset of drug use and drug overdose. ACEs and substance abuse issues are prevalent amongst incarcerated people, and risk of overdose is particularly high in this population. Findings may lend insight into the need for trauma-informed interventions within the community and the criminal justice system.

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  Collisions or Adsorption: An Electrochemical Random Walk Decides

  Junaid U. Ahmed and Julio C. Alvarez

  Current-time recordings of toluene microdroplets emulsified in water and containing 20 mM Ferrocene (Fc), show multiple electrochemical peaks from oxidation of Fc on disk microelectrodes (5μm-diameter). The average droplet diameter (~0.7 μm) determined from area integration of the peaks was close to Dynamic Light Scattering measurements (~1 μm). Random walk simulations were performed deriving equations to simulate droplet electrolysis using the diffusion and thermal velocity expressions established by Einstein. The simulations show that multiple droplet-electrode collisions, lasting ~0.11 μs each, occur before a droplet wanders away. Updating the Fc-concentration at every collision shows that a droplet only oxidizes ~0.58 % of its content in one collisional journey. In fact, it would take ~5.45 x 10⁶ collisions and ~1.26 h to electrolyze the Fc in one droplet with the collision frequency derived from the thermal velocity (~0.52 cm/s) of a 1μm-droplet. To simulate adsorption, the droplet was immobilized at first contact with the electrode while the electrolysis current continued to be iteratively computed until the end of the simulation. This approach along with modeling of instrumental filtering produced the best match of experimental peaks, which were attributed to electrolysis from single adsorption events instead of elastic collisions. These results point to a heightened sensitivity and speed when relying on adsorption instead of elastic collisions. The electrochemical current for the former is limited by the probability of adsorption per collision, whereas for the latter, the current depends on the collision frequency and the probability of electron transfer per collision.

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  Peptidomimetic and Non- Peptidomimetic Derivatives as Possible SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) Inhibitors

  Mohammed A. Al Awadh, Mohini S. Ghatge Ph.D, Mona A. Al Khairi, Faik N. Musayev, Akua K. Donkor, Mohammed H. AL Mughram, Abdelsattar M. Omar Ph.D, Moustafa M. El-Araby Ph.D, and Martin K. Safo Ph.D

  To design novel inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), we investigated the binding mode of the recently reported α-ketoamide inhibitors of this enzyme. Following, we utilized in-silico screening to identify 168 peptidomimetic and non-peptidomimetic compounds that are high probability Mpro binding candidates. The compounds were synthesized in 5 to 10 mg for initial screening for their potential inhibition of Mpro using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) assay. The study was conducted using the main protease, MBP-tagged (SARS-CoV-2) Assay Kit (BPS Bioscience, #79955-2), and the fluorescence due to enzymatic cleavage of substrate measured using BMG LABTECH CLARIOstar™, a fluorescent microplate reader, with an excited/emission wavelength of 360 nm/460 nm, respectively. The FRET assay showed 29 compounds to exhibit lower fluorescence compared to the positive control, indicating inhibitory activity, with three of the compounds exhibiting over 50% enzymatic inhibition. The assay average scores were plotted as dose inhibition curves using variable parameter nonlinear regression to calculate the IC50 values. To design more potent inhibitors, an in-silico molecular docking simulation using the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro crystal structure was conducted to investigate on a molecular level the key binding residues at the active site, as well as the possible binding modes and affinity of the lead inhibitors. Additionally, an in-silico study of the compounds' molecular properties and physicochemical profiles was performed to predict their pharmacokinetic properties and assess their suitability as potential orally active drug candidates.

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  Frequency of Genetic Polymorphisms of CYP2C19 in Native Hawaiian, and Asian and Pacific Islander Subgroups: Implications for Personalized Medicine

  Khalifa Y. Alrajeh and Youssef Roman Dr

  Pharmacogenetic testing, where prescriptions are tailored to the individual patient based on his/her genetic makeup, increases the ability to predict individual drug response. However, little is known about the prevalence of clinically actionable pharmacogenes in diverse populations. This study seeks to assess the prevalence of select drug-gene alleles that are implicated in the metabolism of commonly prescribed drugs, so-called Very Important Pharmacogenes (VIPs). The results of this study will fill in the gaps of knowledge of VIPs in underrepresented populations and characterize their potential risk for drug adverse events or due to their underlying genetic polymorphisms, especially in patients of Asian, Hawaiian or Marshallese, or Samoan descent.

  The Ensemble genome browser was used to compare the frequencies of three major single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cytochrome P450 subfamily 2 class 19 (CYP2C19) in European (EUR) with our studied populations. Specially, SNPs of interest included rs4244285 G>A, rs4986893 G>A, and rs12248560 C>T, for CYP2C19*2, *3, and *17, respectively. In this cross-sectional study, chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used, when appropriate, with P < 0.05 for significance.

  Biobank DNA samples of 1064 participants were used to calculate genotype and allele frequencies for our population groups. The sample was distributed across six self-reported ethnicities; Filipino (21.61%), Japanese (19.73%), Korean (9.77%), Hawaiian (14.84%), Marshallese (15.13%), and Samoan (18.89%). In each ethnicity from our population, the distributions of allele and genotype frequencies of the CYP2C19 *2 (rs4244285 G>A), *3 (rs4986893 G>A), and *17 (rs12248560 C>T) variants were significantly different from EUR.

  The overall loss-of-function allele (A) frequencies of *2 (rs4244285 G>A) and *3 (rs4986893 G>A) were significantly higher in our population groups (25%-36% and 2.5%-10%, respectively) than EUR (15%, and 0%, respectively). In contrast, the overall increased function allele (T) frequencies of *17 (rs12248560 C>T) were significantly higher in EUR (22.5%) than in our population (1%-6%). In conclusion, our results are consistent with published reports of Asian populations are enriched with the reduced or loss of function alleles of CYP2C19 compared with EUR.

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  Development of an online warfarin dosing platform using R programming language to facilitate healthcare professional duties and limit medication related errors.

  Monther Alsultan

  Development of an online warfarin dosing platform using R programming language to facilitate healthcare professional duties and limit medication related errors.

  Monther Alsultan, Joshua M. Morriss, Daniel Contaifer Jr, Suad Alshammari; Silas Contaifer, Rachel W Flurie, Dayanjan S. Wijesinghe^#

  Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcome Sciences

  Objective: 1) Gain experience in developing platform agnostic, fully operational and clinically relevant web applications for effective pharmacist led patient care. 2) Create a decision- support tool using open source software to facilitate evidence-based management therapy of warfarin in clinical settings where it is available for everyone to use at anytime and anywhere.

  Introduction: Healthcare is continuously growing and modern technologies provide opportunities for the creation of effective tools to manage multiple diseases. Mobile devices such as smartphones enable easy access to a variety of websites remotely and make data and information readily available for use. Additionally, mobile devices can offer healthcare providers with fast and easy access to essential medical information to support patient care. The profession of pharmacy is fast changing from one primarily focused on dispensing medicinal goods to one intensely focused on the delivery of patient care. This has led pharmacists to be involved in a diverse clinical service such as patient's education, Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and medications dose adjustment. Implementing such services often place additional stress on the daily routine of pharmacists. Therefore, there is a high need to find efficient ways to support healthcare related clinical services. One of the widely used anticoagulant medications is warfarin. Warfarin has been available on the market as effective therapy in management of thrombotic disorders. However, warfarin is frequently associated with medications errors which may lead to serious adverse events. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate this fact fully via warfarin dosing web application to help support healthcare professionals in clinical settings.

  Methods: Open-source programming language R in conjunction with RStudio version 1.2.5033 were used to develop and implement our warfarin dosing platform. Shiny packages for R with other packages were used to create our platform as a web-based app. We based our calculations and function of our platform on the UW health warfarin management- adult- ambulatory clinical practice guidelines.

  Results: The platform contains three tools users can use:1) Calculating the warfarin maintenance dose,2) Selecting INR goals and duration of therapy,3) Assessment of Bleeding risk. Additionally, the app has a hyperlink to direct the users to the resource used in this app. On the first page of the app, the user can select their INR target and input a patients INR and weekly dose. Then, the app will immediately display the results. On the second page of the app, there is a feature for users helps to choose the INR target recommended based on patient conditions; There is a drop down menu contains different type of antithrombotic indications. Additionally, on the third page of the app, there is a feature for users helps to calculate the bleeding risk using HAS-BLED score. The users can answer “Yes” or “No” on multiple risk factors to stratify patients’ risk into low, moderate or high.

  Conclusion: Our warfarin dosing platform demonstrates the feasibility of creating a free-tool for healthcare professionals to facilitate their daily practice and potential for reducing medication related errors. Additionally, we demonstrate that pharmacists can take advantage of open-sources resources available to develop any health-related application suitable to their needs.

  Future Directions: The skills gained in the implementation of this full stack web application development will be further improved upon to develop additional clinical support tools for pharmacists. Further implementations will also incorporate fully or partially trained machine learning models. Our ultimate goal is to allow pharmacists to utilize data driven decision making strategies to implement fast and effective patient care.

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  Transcriptional Repressor Protein based Macrolide Biosensor Development with Improved Sensitivity

  Jayani A. Christopher

  Macrolide antibiotics are in high demand for clinical applications. Macrolides are biosynthesized via giant assembly line polyketide synthases (PKS) which are arranged in a modular fashion. Combinatorial biosynthetic methods have been used to produce diversified macrolides by reprograming these modules and modifying tailoring enzymes required for post synthetic modifications. However it is challenging due to the size and complexity of PKSs. To overcome this challenge, new enzymes for macrolide diversification could be obtained by directed evolution where a large number of enzyme variants need to be screened. Therefore it is important to develop high throughput screening methods to identify the enzyme variants. MphR is a promiscuous macrolide sensing transcriptional repressor protein which regulates a gene cassette where Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) is expressed upon binding of the macrolide antibiotic ligand to MphR. A system of two plasmids contains the genes required for the sensing process. This research is basically an insight of improving the sensitivity of MphR biosensor using a gene knockout approach where a gene expressing a protein related to antibiotic resistance is knocked out from the E.coli chromosome to obtain higher sensitivity of the biosensor.

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  World Wide Wake: A look into digital wake work in response to the murder of Breonna Taylor

  KaLyn T. Coghill

  In Christina Sharpe's, In the Wake, she refers to "wake work" as conscious work. Wake work makes a conscious and intentional effort to celebrate one's life as they are passing and after they have transitioned on. Wake work includes grief, sadness, reminiscing, happiness, laughter, and many more emotions. We think of wake work happening in the physical, but I want to look at how weight work exists in the digital. This paper will discuss how wake work is done in digital spaces such as social media platforms. I will also be looking at how social movements such as black lives matter can act as a place for wake work to begin. I have created four sections that will talk about wake work in digital spaces. Hashtag activism, memorializing death, Fugitivity, and Black Dignity are ways that wake work is done in these virtual communities. I will investigate and provide examples of how each aligns with wake work, particularly to the death of Breonna Taylor.

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  “Food is Last on My List”: Understanding Food Insecurity on an Urban College Campus

  Kaija Craft, Jennifer Murphy, and Youngmi Kim

  Food insecurity among college students has become an increasing concern on campuses nationwide. The average rate of food insecurity among college students is estimated to be 32.9%, with students often experiencing the compounding effects of food, financial, and housing insecurities (Bruening et al., 2017; Leung et al., 2020). Furthermore, college students of traditionally marginalized racial groups, such as Black, Latino/a, and Native American students, are more likely to report experiencing food insecurity (Baker-Smith et al., 2020; El Zein et al., 2019). While there is a growing body of knowledge concerning quantitative data, qualitative research is needed to illuminate the full experience of college students living with food insecurity. This study aims to discover the barriers to food access, the impact of experiencing food insecurity, and coping strategies among college students. As part of a larger mixed-methods study, three focus groups were held at a large, urban university in the Southeastern United States. Findings present that barriers to food access included limited healthy options, limited kitchen access, a lack of transportation, insufficient time, and financial hardship. Students stressed the physical, mental, and emotional toll of living with food insecurity. Finally, various coping strategies were described, such as changes in eating habits, prioritizing other expenses, and participating in research. These findings contribute to the broader research on student basic needs and can help inform universities and policymakers to mitigate food insecurity on campus.

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  COVID-10, Healthcare Interior Design + Provider Experience - How does your space work for you?

  Ruth E.P. Deibler

  The lack of research on healthcare staff experience and interior design of the spaces they work in is evident. A focus on staff perspective is needed, particularly staff who navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. This research seeks to capture those stories to develop further research in order to improve staff experience. The initial phase of this mixed-methods approach is a survey. Hypothetically, by placing providers at the center of qualitative research related to healthcare interior design, we can better understand existing healthcare spaces. Ideally, we can develop additional evidence-based, human-centered solutions to transform interior environments in healthcare.

  The 20-year Women’s Health Study generated essential data on women’s health, but most importantly, the initial research has snowballed into 600+ research reports and continues to feed research that has made an indelible impact on women’s health (About the Women’s Health Study, n.d.).

  In the same vein as the Women’s Health Study, this research documents provider experience with interior space and may lead to new healthcare design research. In the long term, the qualitative, grounded-theory approach may lead to remediation of our healthcare spaces by applying transdisciplinary design solutions developed through the research.

  Grounded theory research “sets out to discover or construct theory from data” (Chun et al., 2008). This grounded-theory survey is entitled, “COVID-19, Healthcare Interior Design + Provider Experience – How does your space work for you?” Participants are providers working in any level of healthcare with any level of experience. The survey questions allow the provider to identify specific components of their space. Additionally, they were offered the opportunity to share a story about their relationship with their interior work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare staff’s ability to write about their interior environment experiences will offer additional clues about healthcare space and future research.

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  Attitudes and Opinions About Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing in Undergraduate Science Students

  Morgan N. Driver, Sally I-Chun Kuo, Olivia Nayeri, Chloe J. Walker, Chelsea Derlan Willians, Tricia Smith, Amy E. Adkins, and Danielle M. Dick

  Background: There has been exponential growth in the number of direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits sold in the past decade. Consumers utilize direct-to-consumer genetic tests for a number of reasons which include learning about one’s ancestry and potential ways to manage health. Emerging adults tend to be early adopters of new technologies; however, there has been little research regarding the opinions about direct-to-consumer genetic testing in emerging adults.

  Methods: Data came from a study conducted in an upper-level biology course focusing on understanding undergraduate science students’ overall experiences with receiving personalized genetic testing results from 23andMe. The present study used data collected at the baseline assessment which assessed their opinions and attitudes about direct-to-consumer genetic testing (N=133).

  Results: Over 80% of participants would recommend direct-to-consumer genetic testing options including carrier status reports, DNA ancestry reports, wellness reports, and trait reports to others. However, participants were not as confident that others would be able to accurately interpret their test results. Additionally, more than two-thirds of the participants stated that they would ask a healthcare provider to help interpret their personalized genetic test results.

  Conclusions: Participants lack confidence in both their ability to interpret their own results and others to interpret their results. It is important for direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to educate consumers before providing results in order to minimize potential harms due to misinterpretation of results. Further research is needed to assess motivations to participate in direct-to-consumer genetic testing, impact of testing, and understanding of genetic testing results in emerging adults.

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  The Critical Role of Dynamic Surface Tension of Surfactants on The Impact Dynamics of Water Droplets

  Amir Esmaeili and Reza Mohammadi

  Due to their time-dependent surface tension, the addition of surface-active agents or surfactants to water for specific applications has made controlling the impact dynamics of these droplets a complex phenomenon. This work investigates the influence of the molecular weight, concentration, and ionic nature of the surfactants as well as the substrate surface characteristics on the impact dynamics of surfactant-laden droplets using a high-speed camera at 10000 frames per second. Sodium dodecyl sulfate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and n-decanoyl-n-methylglucamine were used as anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants, respectively. We used hydrophilic glass slides, hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene, and superhydrophobic alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) as substrates. The results show that the efficiency of the surfactant addition in increasing the maximum spreading diameter is significantly influenced by the molecular weight and ionic nature of the solutions as well as the nonwettability of the substrate. Among all of the surfaces examined, the concentration and ionic nature of the solutions were found to be more dominant parameters in determining the energy dissipation in the retraction phase of the droplet impact on the superhydrophobic AKD surfaces. As the concentration decreases or positive charges are present in the solution, it is more likely to observe a similar retraction dynamic to pure water when the droplet hits the superhydrophobic AKD having negatively charged surface sites. Finally, in terms of the impact outcomes of the surfactant-laden droplets on the superhydrophobic AKD, it is shown that the influence of the surfactant addition is more noticeable at lower Weber numbers, where the droplet tries to rebound by overcoming the energy loss that occurred in the spreading.

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  Selective GSK3B Deletion in Camk2a+ Forebrain Neurons or Inhibition Via Tideglusib, Decreases Ethanol Consumption in C57BL/6J Mice

  Sam Gottlieb, Andrew D. van der Vaart, Brennen O'Rourke, and Michael F. Miles

  Purpose: We previously identified glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (Gsk3b) as a central member of a gene network highly regulated by acute ethanol in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and associated with risk for alcohol dependence in humans. Further, we have demonstrated modulation of Gsk3b alters ethanol consumption in rodent models. GSK3B could thus represent a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here, we investigate the mechanisms of Gsk3b action in ethanol consumption and report preclinical evidence for the selective GSK3B inhibitor, tideglusib, as a therapeutic agent for AUD.

  Methods: (1) Selective Cre-induced Gsk3b deletion in Camk2a-neurons within the forebrain using transgenic Camk2a-CreER/Gsk3b floxed mice bred with Gsk3b fl/fl mice to produce Cre/Gsk3b fl/fl mice, which were injected with tamoxifen to induce Gsk3b deletion or (2) selective pharmacological antagonism of GSK3B using Tideglusib delivered via gavage in a corn oil vehicle. Actions on drinking behavior were measured using mouse intermittent ethanol, two-bottle choice self-administration models in C57BL/6J mice.

  Results: Deletion of Gsk3b in Camk2a-neurons decreased ethanol consumption and preference. There was no significant effects of sex or sex*genotype on either consumption or preference, so sexes were pooled. Gsk3b deletion did not alter basal locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior (light-dark box), taste preference for quinine or saccharin, or ethanol pharmacokinetics. Initial administration of tideglusib (100mg/kg twice daily) or corn oil vehicle via gavage decreased total fluid consumption in all groups, regardless of ethanol drinking history or tideglusib treatment. However, following prolonged tideglusib, mice decreased binge (2hr) and daily (24hr) ethanol consumption and preference after three weeks of administration relative to vehicle controls. Tideglusib studies were only performed in male mice. Control studies showed no effect of tideglusib on liver fat accumulation in ethanol consuming animals. Ongoing work is assessing alternative oral tideglusib delivery methods in decreasing ethanol consumption.

  Conclusion: These results suggest GSK3B may be a therapeutic target for treatment of AUD. Deletion of Gsk3b in forebrain Camk2a-neurons showed a regional and cell-type specificity in GSK3B’s modulation of ethanol consumption and preference, providing insight into the mechanisms of Gsk3b action in ethanol consumption. Targeting GSK3B using tideglusib, a selective GSK3B inhibitor, also produced a decrease in ethanol consumption and preference over water during the fourth week of treatment. These findings were consistent with previous work in our lab investigating the delivery of tideglusib through intraperitoneal injections, though these studies were limited to a shorter drug-administration period. Here we have used a more therapeutically translatable route of administration via oral gavage and begun to investigate the longer-term effects of tideglusib on ethanol behaviors and toxicity. Tideglusib is a clinically available agent that warrants investigation in the treatment of AUD.

  Supported by NIAAA grants P50AA022537 and R01AA027581.

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  Universal Design for Learning’s Successful Implementation: What Can Administrators Do?

  Monica Grillo

  Administrators have a unique position to influence teacher attitudes by creating an inclusive school culture and providing instructional leadership. Implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a critical issue for public schools in our country. UDL is an inclusive framework based on the science of learning. It supports and removes barriers to learning for all students while maintaining high expectations. Federal education policies have called for inclusive instruction based on UDL principles. Nevertheless, our educators and administrators are not sure they believe in it and do not know what exactly it is or how to implement it with fidelity. Previous researchers have found that teachers are more likely to implement inclusive teaching practices such as UDL when they have positive attitudes toward them shaped by their culture, experiences, and training. UDL benefits all students‒not just those with unique needs‒by increasing student engagement and removing learning barriers.

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  Predictors of Circuit Health in Neonatal Patients Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

  Rita Hazboun, Nada Darwish, Gianna Rotyliano Sykes, Nayef Chahin, Jie Xu, John Miller, Christos Calaritis, Leroy R. Thacker, Russell R. Moores Jr., and Karen D. Hendricks-Muñoz

  Background: Clot formation is the most common mechanical complication of ECMO and can lead to oxygenator failure and the need for subsequent circuit changes. The goals of this study were to identify early indicators of circuit failure to alert providers of ECMO circuit health.

  Hypothesis: We hypothesized that patient-specific circuit parameters can predict circuit health to identify risk of early circuit failure in neonate ECMO patients. Using a retrospective chart analysis ECMO flow parameters and clotting factors were identified during the 48 hours prior to ECMO circuit change through the 24 hours post circuit change. Statistical analysis included non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test.

  Results: There was a significant increase in maximum and mean delta-p prior to need for circuit changes compared to those without (p=0.011 and p=0.0128 respectively) and a significant increase in the maximum RPM and mean RPM (p=0.0043 and p=0.0057 respectively). There was a significant increase in mean plasma free hemoglobin (hgb) (p=0.0209); however, the maximum plasma free hgb was not significant (p=0.0569). No differences were notable for sweep and venous pressure in those with circuit changes. Furthermore, clotting parameters were not found to be significant, including ACT, heparin, platelet count, fibrinogen, PT, PTT, INR, AT III (%), anti-Xa.

  Conclusion: Changes in Delta-p, RPM, and flow may be valuable predictors of early circuit impairment in neonates on ECMO. Sweep, venous pressure and clotting parameters may not reliable predictors of circuit health.

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  Influence of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) on ethanol preference and consumption in C57BL/6 male mice

  Alaina M. Jaster, Sam Gottlieb, Michael Miles, and Javier González-Maeso

  Substance use disorders (SUD) account for a large number of mental health diagnosis in the United States and around the world. Approximately 13.6 million adults 26 or older and 5.1 million young adults (ages 18-24) battled with a SUD in 2017. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) alone effects nearly 6% of the adult population within the United States. This creates a substantial burden on the individual, with alcohol being the third-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Few treatments for AUD exist, with no new FDA-approved therapeutic treatments within the last 15 years. Additionally, the limited treatments we do have are estimated to produce sustained abstinence in less than 20% of individuals. Psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) affect processes related to cognition, perception and sensory processing. Recently, it has been demonstrated that serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonists, such as psilocybin, can be useful in attenuating substance abuse. As an example, clinical findings have demonstrated the ability of psilocybin to decrease heavy drinking days in alcoholic heavy drinkers. Studies utilizing both rats and mice have also suggested the ability of DOI to decrease ethanol preference and consumption in a two-bottle choice paradigm of drinking behavior. The present study aimed to assess the ability of two acute doses of DOI (2 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) on ethanol preference and consumption using the two-bottle choice paradigm. To test this, 15 adult male C57BL/6 mice were kept on a reverse light cycle and trained on the two-bottle choice procedure, in which they were allowed to drink for four weeks to obtain a baseline reading of drinking behavior. Following these four weeks, mice were assigned to either the treatment group or vehicle group based on weight and baseline drinking behavior. On the first day of the fifth and sixth weeks, mice were injected intraperitoneally with a dose of DOI or saline vehicle 30 minutes prior to access to 20% ethanol. The amount consumed of both water and ethanol on drinking days was measured at 2- and 24-hours and analyzed to calculate consumption and preference. Overall, our findings suggest that DOI did not affect ethanol consumption or preference at the 2- or 24-hour measures. The DOI-treated group showed no difference from the vehicle-treated group after receiving an either moderate (2 mg/kg) or high (5 mg/kg) dose of DOI. There was an overall interaction of time and treatment in both 2- and 24-hour fluid consumption in the groups. Further studies are warranted using DOI or other psychedelics and other paradigms for assessing drinking behavior to understand the effects of psychedelics in modulating substance use behavior.

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  Validity of the Actigraph GT9X Accelerometer Step-Count Function in Adults with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

  Jonathan D. Kenyon, Hayley Billingsley, Natalie J. Bohmke, Danielle Kirkman, Salvatore Carbone, and Youngdeok Kim

  Low physical activity is associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Step-counts, a measure of physical activity, can be measured via accelerometry. To date, few studies have examined validity of accelerometer-derived step-counts in the adults with HFpEF.

  PURPOSE To assess criterion validity of the Actigraph GT9X accelerometer step-count function in adults with HFpEF via ankle, waist, and wrist placement, compared with manually counted, directly observed steps.

  METHODS Six adults with HFpEF (age: 57.2 ± 9.4 y; African American: 50%; females: 100%) completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill while wearing synchronized GT9X accelerometers on the ankle, waist, and wrist. Steps during CPET were measured by using the step-count function on the GT9X at 60 Hz sampling and data were downloaded into 1-second and 10-second epochs. Hand-tallied, directly observed steps (OS) was the criterion measure. Criterion validity was assessed via paired t tests to determine whether mean total steps (TS) from the three devices were significantly different from the mean TS from OS, and Pearson correlations were used to determine associations between device-measured TS and the total OS. Simple linear regression models were used to assess the effect of walking speed on absolute percentage error of the devices compared to OS. Agreement of the devices throughout the duration of the CPET was examined using Pearson correlations. Alpha was set at 0.05 for all statistical analyses.

  RESULTS Mean TS from waist-worn (t = -5.29, p = .001) and wrist-worn (t = -12.50, p < .001) devices were significantly lower than mean TS from OS. Only TS from the ankle GT9X was significantly associated with TS from OS (r = 0.974, p = .001). GT9X-estimate steps from the ankle (r = 0.869, p < .001), waist (r = 0.550, p <.001), and wrist (r = 0.429, p <.001) were all significantly associated with OS-measured steps. Absolute percentage error was significantly and negatively associated with treadmill speed for devices on the ankle (b = - 10.70, p < .001), waist (b = -32.49, p < .001) and wrist (b = -10.08, p < .001).

  CONCLUSION Our results suggest that accelerometer-derived TS may be a more accurate measure of TS when the device is worn on the ankle rather than waist or wrist, and that measurement error is higher at lower walking speed.

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  Evaluating racial and ethnic disparities in access to primary care among gay and bisexual men in the US, a population at high-risk of HIV infection

  Jessica S. Kiernan and April D. Kimmel

  BACKGROUND: 69% of new HIV diagnoses in the US are among gay and bisexual men, with disparities by race and ethnicity. Primary care providers increasingly provide HIV prevention. Racial and ethnic disparities in primary care access are well-documented, but their persistence among gay and bisexual men is unknown. We examined racial and ethnic disparities in access to primary care among this population.

  METHODS: We used nationally representative person-level sociodemographic, health status and utilization data, and data on organizational- and socially determinant barriers to care, from the National Health Interview Survey, 2013-2018. Outcomes were: 1) general physician visit

  RESULTS: The sample included 1,867 gay and bisexual men (unweighted), 18-64 years with 28% NHB or Hispanic. NHB and Hispanic men were less likely have seen a general provider within the past 12 months (aOR=0.76, p=0.10) but the result was not significant with no difference in having a usual place of care (aOR=1.11, p=0.616). Findings were sensitive to the specification of primary care site as usual place of care.

  CONCLUSIONS: Significant racial and ethnic disparities were observed when specifying a primary care specific site as place of care. Primary care engagement should be immediately prioritized to promote access and equity of HIV prevention.