Undergraduate Research Posters

Follow

• 

  Politics of the Cigarette: Smoking, Health, and the Surgeon General (1960-1969)

  Joanne Chiao

  Cigarette consumption reached an all-time national high in the early 1960s. With scientific articles linking cigarettes with cancer, the public questioned whether the personal choice was a hazardous one. As a result, the federal government began investigating the health effects of cigarette smoking and regulating the tobacco industry's labeling and advertising. Under the direction of United States Surgeon General Dr. Luther Leonidas Terry (1961-1965), the Public Health Service (PHS) issued one of the first large-scale initiatives to curtail the power of American Tobacco, the 1964 Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. The events involving the report’s origins, findings, and the debate that preceded the passing of the 1965 Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (FCLAA) were greatly influenced by the political context of the 1960s. This project sought to evaluate and construct an overview of the historical narrative of Dr. Terry’s political efforts, successes, and failures in his leadership of the smoking and health debate of the 1960s.

• 

  Ruling Theory Applied at the Beaufort Inlet Shipwreck

  Carson Collier

  Ruling theory is when a hypothesis is so attractive that researches may consciously or unconsciously record data in favor of the hypothesis. “Ruling Theory can be applied in many fields, including archaeology” (Railsback, 1990). An example of an archaeological site applying the Ruling Theory is the Beaufort Inlet Shipwreck. On November 21, 1996 a team of investigators from Intersal Inc. discovered an 18th century shipwreck about a mile and a half off of the coast of Beaufort Inlet. Shortly after discovering this ship the question of this ship being the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship, started to arise. Today many communities on the Outer Banks, like Ocracoke Island, use the Queen Anne’s Revenge to attract tourist. Is the Beaufort Inlet Shipwreck really the Queen’s Anne’s Revenge? Or have researches been too hasty when gathering their information about the Beaufort Inlet Shipwreck?

• 

  Synthesis of Cisplatin & biological testing of the complex, compared to Triplatin (BBR3464)

  Heba Dawood

  Two chemotherapeutic drugs were studied; one of them is Cisplatin that is currently used to fight cancer and the other is Triplatin (BBR3464) that was developed by Dr. Farrell. Cisplatin was synthesized and many different experiments were conducted such as: Recrystallization, Infrared Spectroscopy, UV-VIS, Melting Point, and Fluorescence experiment. After synthesizing the drug, it was tested in biology lab; we tested the effects of the drug on ovary cancer cells and its ability to kill cancer cells. A Cisplatin MTT ASSAY experiment was done and another MTT for Triplatin was done. Results from both of the experiments were compared and it was concluded that Triplatin is able to kill cancer cells more effectively and at lower concentrations than Cisplatin.

• 

  Disordered Eating from Interpersonal Relationships and Body Comparisons

  Taylor L. Dawson

  The purpose of this paper is to discuss how women's relationships (with sisters, mothers, female friends and significant others) along with thin ideal media shape beauty ideals and contribute to eating disorders. I studied scholarly articles pertaining to exposure to underweight and healthy weight models and its effect on women. I also examined articles that discussed different types of comparisons that women made on themselves against the female figures in their lives. I examined studies on parental disordered eating and perceived body image. My preliminary conclusion is that women's comparisons in their interpersonal relationships have more of an effect on disordered eating and beauty ideals than thin ideal media. To help with the low self-esteem that creates these negative comparisons, girls should be raised and encouraged to develop a high image of self, but more research is needed on body comparisons to find a way to affectively and successfully correct these negative comparisons with accuracy.

• 

  Alternative Spinal Fusion Fixation Rod Materials: Polyetheretherketone, Nitinol and Silicon Nitride

  Erik Dekelbaum

  Titanium and its alloys are the most commonly used fixation rod materials in spinal fusion surgery because of their biocompatibility, stability, and endurance. However, titanium may not be the best rod material for patients as it can cause adjacent segment degeneration (ASD), in which the spinal segments adjacent to the instrumented segment or segments experience increased force loading and begin to deteriorate. Through analysis of various studies, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), nitinol, and silicon nitride were found to be possible alternative spinal fusion fixation rod materials. To determine which of these materials is best suited for use as a spinal rod material, the osteointegration, current availability, stiffness, durability, corrosion resistance, and clinical efficacy of each material was analyzed. Although silicon nitride had strong osteointegrative properties, no testing could be found evaluating the material as a spinal fusion rod, indicating its current unavailability. Even though nitinol was determined to have better osteointegrative properties than PEEK, PEEK has an elastic modulus close to bone, a reinforcing material, carbon fiber, that allows for customization of the elastic modulus, no risk of corrosion, and strong clinical results. By implementing PEEK fixation rods in spinal fusion surgeries instead of titanium rods, the incidence of ASD may decrease as well as the risk of rod corrosion.

• 

  Cultural Rights and Political Authority in Maya Guatemala

  Dylan DeWitt

  Following a civil war that engulfed the nation for thirty-six years, the Guatemalan state has taken steps to integrate previously remote territories into its broader political and economic system. This has led to the increased political inclusion and economic integration of Mayan communities that had remained on the outskirts of Ladino society. Unfortunately, not much attention has been given to understanding the effects of this process on indigenous political institutions. After traveling to the Western Highlands region in December 2013 and surveying research from political science, anthropology, and environmental science, I have concluded that the 1996 Peace Accords have not helped to empower local Mayan political institutions. In fact, this process of political and economic integration has delegitimized indigenous political authority through the state institutionalization of private property rights and democracy. Thus, the state has both violated cultural rights afforded to these communities after the civil war and taken away a platform for indigenous communities to constructively engage with the social change that will come with increase economic inclusion and development. This conclusion can lead us to question or refine any understanding of the proper balance between individual political inclusion and local institutional autonomy when discussing cultural rights.

• 

  Yoshitoshi Tsuikoka’s New Forms of Thirty Six-Ghosts—Visual Tradition in Art as a Cultural Critique on Japan’s Modernization

  Kate Duggan

  Yoshitoshi Tsukioka’s traditional woodblock prints in the series New Forms of Thirty Six-Ghosts use yōkai, supernatural spirits, as a political critique about the loss of the Japanese tradition due to the Meiji State’s homogenizing modern ideology, which emphasized Western scientific and rational thought over traditional Japanese beliefs about the supernatural. Yoshitoshi Tsukioka’s 1888-1892 ukiyo-e, traditional woodblock prints, in the series New Forms of Thirty Six-Ghosts expresses a subtle cultural critique on the Meiji State’s scientific ideology through a use of traditional folklore. This series displays a connection between yōkai, supernatural spirits, and the identity of rural Japanese populations. The Meiji State’s attempts at cultural homogenization were a threat to traditional Japanese folk beliefs. Although the Meiji State was interested in preserving visual Japanese tradition, the government worked to remove beliefs that contradicted Western science and rationality. Through the examination of peer-reviewed scholarly journals and academic books, the hypothesis may be made that folklore is more prevalent among rural lower-class populations in times of political strife and cultural change because folklore offers a platform for anonymous social and political critique and represents unique cultural identities.

• 

  Behavioral Inhibition and Anxiety

  Alexis Exum

  Behavioral inhibition is the relationship between the tendency to experience distress, and the level of withdrawal from unfamiliar situations, people, or environments (Fox et al., 2004). The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) measures one of the underlying systems of behavior. The goal is to gauge one’s reactions to aversive motive, or the movement away from something unpleasant. Previous studies have examined the relationship between inhibition levels and anxiety or nervousness. Results have shown that adults who suffer from higher levels of anxiety or nervousness as measured by self-reports of nervousness (Carver et al., 1994) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Newman et al., 1997) also report higher scores on the BIS. In the current study, juvenile twins aged 9-13 were asked to complete a variety of self-report surveys about their personality, interests, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. At this time they completed the Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), which assesses various anxiety-related cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. They also completed the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) questionnaire, which measures behaviors/thoughts away from something unpleasant (inhibition) and behaviors/thoughts toward something desired (activation)(Carver et al., 1994). We will examine the relationship between scores on the SCARED and on the BIS portion of the BIS/BAS measure. We hypothesize that higher levels of anxiety or nervousness on the SCARED will positively correlate with higher scores on the BIS. This implies that children who have higher levels of inhibition are like to be more anxious overall. This has implications for further adjusting treatment and education when interacting with children who have higher levels of anxiety and inhibition, as opposed to those with lower levels of anxiety and inhibition.

• 

  The Spoiler Effect: How spoilers affect our perceptions of film and TV

  Alex Falls

  In today’s world of social media people evaluate modern film making more scrupulously than ever before. Months before a film even enters production there are people evaluating the screenplay online; hours after it premieres hundreds of reviews are accessible, and exponentially more if you include the countless bloggers, twitter posters, and discussion boards all over the internet; and every one of them attempt to make their own unique point. When there’s such a large amount of discussion occurring a problem arises. A problem that’s been characterized by the same social media culture that accentuated it in the first place, and that is the problem of “spoilers.” Let me get my personal view out of the way: I take great measures to avoid spoilers of any kind. I’m the type of person that takes great pleasure in experiencing what a film, or TV show, has to offer in real time; experiencing the journey of the characters along with them, as opposed to just observing their world from an outside perspective. My love of film stems from my desire to expand my imagination. Premature disclosure of plot points only serves to limit our imaginations. Everyone is familiar with the idea of spoilers today, but the effect they have on viewership is a topic not often discussed. The “spoiler effect” has been articulated by Alex S.L. Tsang and Dengfeng Yan (2009), who summarized: “The spoiler effect denotes a phenomenon that a consumer’s interest in consuming a particular narrative is reduced after exposure to a spoiler” (para. 1). They go on to say: “Spoiler exposure creates a satiation effect and an explanation effect that hinder favorable affective forecasting” (para. 2). When a major plot twist is revealed out of context, it causes people to become disinterested in seeing the work in question in its entirety. When it comes to great film or TV the best things to take away are not the plot twists, but the craftwork that is applied by the people involved. All the very best films and shows are made by artists, and all the best artists form their work as one whole story. Plot twists are used to further the progression of the story; they’re not the whole reason for it to exist. But people continue to allow out of context revelations of what happens in one moment of an entire piece of art to rule their desire to see what else that work may have to offer. Look at a TV show like Breaking Bad, every episode is filled with plot twists, any of which revealed ahead of time would outright diminish the qualitative experience of such a show; but every episode is also filled with some of the most beautifully shot sequences and terrifically acted performances ever captured. Allowing yourself to miss out on such cinematic quality just because you heard one of your favorite characters is going to die is an outrage. Contrarily, there are examples of those shocking death scenes that are some of the most acclaimed scenes in the history of television. Spoilers can come in many forms; most commonly from discussion over the internet, but the next most prominent offender is much more innocuous, trailers. Trailers are made to hook the viewer ahead of time, but in order to do so exciting parts of the film need to be exhibited. Making a trailer is all about selling, “and [they] include pandering or condensed scenes of the entire film so that the viewer has essentially seen the movie by watching the trailer” (Adams, 2011, para. 4). When the movie The Avengers was getting ready to release the hype had built up tremendously. Once the trailer hit the internet millions of people watched it within the first day (Lowhensohn, 2012); and it was full of the usual exciting moments action movie trailers highlight. But by watching the trailer it’s easy to see the culmination of a major moment in the third act. The scene was a major development of the Tony Stark/Iron Man character; Marvel Films spent years, through a whole series of films, building up to this very emotional moment when Stark appears to be fulfilling his fate as a superhero, but just as it’s revealed what Stark is going to attempt, the impact of the potentially impactful scene was completely distinguished. While the whole sequence was quite graceful, and the trailer only showed a few seconds from it, because it was obvious what was going to happen before it finished unfolding, it became impossible to feel genuine. That trailer caused the scene to be shoved in the forefront of reality and imagination no longer needed to work on its own. After all, isn’t the whole point of watching a movie to escape from reality for a short time? It could be a trailer, a review, a commercial, or even just a picture of the film set; potentially anything could spoil a movie experience. That then begs the question: how do you know the significance of a spoiler when you’re seeing it? To use Breaking Bad as an example again, many of the show’s greatest moments are the spoiler-prone plot twists because Breaking Bad is excellent at maximizing what’s known as the “shock value.” The most eloquent argument for the validity of shock value I could find reads as: “If by shock, we mean what Proust called surprise — something that so jolts our habit-encrusted perceptions that we see things with a startling new vividness — then, yes, shock is an essential component of all great art” (Brantley, 2012). The ability for a piece of art to surprise us as we watch is essential to making it great. The works that can really do an effective job of shocking people are the ones that generally have the most longevity. Even if the quality isn’t along the lines of Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, a TV show can run for years on effective shock value alone. Just look at how many Law & Order and NCIS episodes there are. A common argument by people who can somehow base opinions entirely on spoilers is if shock value is all something has to keep you watching, than is there any real value there? When you’re talking about Law & Order, it could be said that statement holds water. When all a show can do is repeatedly throw one plot twist and shocking moment after another, that show cannot automatically be called a well done show; but when those twists are used in just the right spot, in the right context, with the right intent, they can be some of the most memorable moments of all time. The cognitive dissonance towards our generation’s greatest modern achievements in filmmaking that has swept over the social media landscape is extremely prevalent. Every day people will read spoilers and decide to skip watching, rationalizing, “I know how it ends” or “I know the best part.” While there are films and shows that when you find out those facts ahead of time it does make them somewhat irrelevant to watch, but the times where that’s the case, the work itself is what’s irrelevant. Films and TV series are artistic expressions meant to transport the viewer into a world where things outside the realm of possibility happen right in front of their eyes; only in that world, those implausible things make perfect sense. To have such a potentially potent experience spoiled is reprehensible.

• 

  The Health Ramifications of Poorly Ventilated Cooking Areas in the Indigenous Populations of Guatemala

  Bushra Ferdous and Elizabeth Keenan

  Guatemala is a Latin American country with a high level of social and economic inequality, which makes life in rural areas very difficult. 40% of the population is composed of indigenous groups that currently cook in unventilated brick lodgings, which prevent thick smoke from being released. Consequently, indigenous people suffer from severe respiratory health complications compounded by their lack of access to minimum health care facilities. Organizations such as the Highland Support Project (HSP) work to improve the livelihood of indigenous Guatemalans through transformational development by modifying social, economic, political and cultural systems. These new stoves that include chimneys can decrease the risk of having acute lower-respiratory illnesses. Improved-stove projects mitigate the negative effects of smoke on health and accommodate the different ethnic and cultural backgrounds of indigenous people.

• 

  Common Motivations and Personality Types of Cyber Terrorists

  Amanda Floyd

  According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, “The CSIS has defined it (cyber terror) as the use of computer network tools to shutdown critical national infrastructures or to coerce or intimidate a government or civilian population” (Tafoya, 2011). Cyber terrorism is on the rise and costs the government and large corporations millions and millions of dollars in both manpower and technology. The United States has seen both their military programs be hacked along with the most trusted systems of our defense contractors. The risk of another large scale cyber-attack is imminent and there’s only a question of when, where and how much sensitive information will be compromised. The ways of carrying out these terrorist attacks are just as diverse as the reasoning behind carrying them out. Who are these people behind this new age form of terrorism and what are their motivations for causing such technological destruction? This research will delve further into this question by exploring the personality types of known hackers and virus writers. Are their certain characteristics that are commonly displayed by these criminals? Is there a criminal profile that can be looked at in seeking out these criminals for prosecution? It is essential for our nation’s economy and security that the United States’ government keeps ahead of these criminals and their ever-evolving tactics. It is also increasingly more and more important to learn about these cyber terrorists and to learn from our past security breaches. References Tafoya, William L. Cyber Terror. November 2011. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/november-2011/cyber-terror (accessed March 13, 2014).

• 

  Feather Reflectance Predicts Reproductive Success in Female Prothonotary Warblers

  Miranda Foster

  In many avian species, both females and males display colorful feather ornaments that in males are known to often signal individual quality and serve as the basis for mate choice. We do not know however, if the same applies for female birds. In this study, we investigated whether carotenoid content in female Prothonotary Warblers (Prothonotaria Citrea) feathers, a measure of feather quality, was correlated with annual reproductive success. Feathers from 130 female individuals over a period of four breeding seasons were collected and their reflectance was measured, along with data on annual reproductive success. We found a significant positive relationship between carotenoid content and number of young fledged, after accounting for the effect of nest initiation date, which is known to significantly influence annual reproductive success. We found that earlier and older females tend to fledge more young, but that all early arriving females are not the same. Among early breeders, the ones that go on to produce the greatest number of young have higher carotenoid content in their feathers. This same relationship was not found in later breeding females. This could indicate that males use female plumage as a signal to select higher quality females during the early portion of the breeding season when selection pressure is highest to choose a high quality mate.

• 

  Simulation as an Assessment of Core Critical Skills for First Year Medical Interns

  Charlene Gaw

  The transition from undergraduate medical education to graduate medical education is one that new interns are often underprepared for. Simulation scenarios offer a novel tool to develop and assess core critical skill areas that are imperative towards maximizing patient safety and patient care. This study evaluates an intern conference to develop and assess teamwork, consultation, escalation, informed consent, and handoffs using simulation. The “Walk the Walk” intern conference was held to establish a common culture of patient safety by training and evaluating intern skills in core critical skill areas. Interns were assessed on their performance in the aforementioned critical areas, and then provided with individualized feedback. In addition, pre-conference and post-conference self-efficacy in the areas of interest was recorded. Interns returned six months later, and were evaluated on the same fundamental competencies during a simulation performance. Results suggest that interns have considerable experience working in teams, but not as much experience with formal education to guide them on how to best work as a team. Self-reported ability in 4 out of the 5 core skill areas support the conference training was effective. Although there was no significant improvement in teamwork, interns reported feeling very confident in teamwork skills on average.

• 

  Child Anxiety Sensitivity in Juvenile Adolescent Twins

  Laura E. Hazlett and Dever M. Carney

  Child Anxiety Sensitivity in Juvenile Adolescent Twins. Researched by Laura Hazlett from the VCU Psychology Department. Help from faculty mentors Dr. John Hettema, Psychiatry and Dr. Roxann Roberson-Nay, Psychology. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a dispositional trait where one is fearful of anxiety symptoms, and is distinguishable from the trait of anxiety itself. (Eke & McNally, 1996). These fears of anxiety-related sensations are an important factor in predicting the emergence and severity of panic symptoms (McNally, 2002). The Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) is the child version of an 18-item self-report questionnaire commonly used to measure anxiety sensitivity. Zinbarg et al. (1997) demonstrated that the ASI has three first-order factors: Physical Concerns (i.e. “It scares me when my heart beats fast “), Mental Incapacitation Concerns (i.e. “When I am afraid, I worry that I might be crazy”), and Social Concerns (i.e. “Other kids can tell when I feel shaky “). The aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between scores on the CASI and responses during a low-dose carbon dioxide breathing task designed to induce panic-related sensations. The participants in our study were monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs ranging from ages nine to thirteen. Twins’ responses throughout the task were measured using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) and the Diagnostic Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ), which measures cognitive and physical panic symptoms. We hypothesize that there is a positive relationship between the CASI and anxious responding during the carbon dioxide breathing task, such that as CASI scores increase, so do scores on the DSQ and SUDS. The results support the hypothesis and show significant evidence of a relationship between the CASI and subjectively experienced distress and panic symptoms. So, the more fearful an individual is of panic symptoms, the more severely they experience those symptoms, which in turn causes greater subjective distress. This study contributes to identifying the overall relationship between the CASI, DSQ, and SUDS scores when looking at physical, mental, and social concerns that contribute to the fear of experiencing subjective anxious symptoms.

• 

  A Look at Tuberculosis and Multi-Drug Resistant TB in the United States & China

  Megan K. Healy

  There are many things plaguing the world today, one of them is Mycobacterium tuberculosis otherwise known as Tuberculosis (TB). Since it’s origin TB has become more virulent against antibiotics and became multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB). Two countries come to mind for comparison, China and the United States. China is having severe problems with the disease while the United States is managing it a bit better. Each country has unique circumstances and the statistics show that both may be doing better with just TB but MDR-TB is sticking around and gradually becoming more and more of an issue.

• 

  Printing the Past to Engage the Public

  Vivian Hite

  Public involvement and engagement is a key aspect of George Washington’s Boyhood Home at Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Ferry Farm is a public archaeology site that allows volunteers and the public to participate in the actual field research. Three dimensional printed artifacts provided through a partnership with the Virtual Curation Lab at VCU help non-archaeologists understand the kind of artifacts found previously at the site. The ability for physical models to be used in the field allows the public to connect with the past inhabitants of the landscape. Creating this connection and involving the public in the history of their community helps raise people’s awareness of the importance of cultural heritage locations such as George Washington’s Boyhood Home.

• 

  Integrating Phage Therapy into Western Medicine

  Jacob B. Jaminet

  The World Health Organization has described the rise of antibiotic use as a “global heath security emergency” (who.int). With the growing concern about antibiotic resistant bacteria, there has been an increased interest in bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are high-specific viruses that only infect bacteria. The use of bacteriophages medicinally to treat bacteria is called phage therapy. Research in phage therapy gained momentum until the introduction of antibiotics. While the USA and other Western countries accepted antibiotics, the Soviet Union and their satellite nations still continued to research phages. Since the funding for research was supplied by the Soviet military, the results of their studies were deemed top secret. With the fall of the Soviet Union, data that were previously unavailable to the USA and other nations became available to the larger research community.

  Articles were reviewed from the discovery of phages to current clinical trials that have been done. The papers about the history of phages explored why phage therapy did not gain the popularity in the USA they have today in Easter Europe. As phage therapy was a standard of care during their study, the studies done were not double-blind, placebo controlled and are not applicable to the standards set out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). Current clinical trials are being conducted under the purview of the FDA and EMA.

  While phage therapy has the advantages of being highly specific, there is concern that phages could potentially exchange DNA between bacteria and actually cause bacteria to become more virulent. Although there are concerns with phage therapy such as DNA exchange and possible viral mutations, phage therapy should be investigated through clinical trials under the purview of federal regulatory agencies because while the large body of research is not the standard double-blind placebo controlled study as required by the FDA, they do show promise as novel form of treatment of bacterial infections.

• 

  Reducing the Risk of Police Corruption in Guatemala

  Adrian Jenkins

  The country of Guatemala has always been plagued by political, security, and socio-economic conditions. These issues have contributed to the country having one of the highest violent crime rates in Central America and being ranked as the third most murderous country in the entire world (Grann, D.). This project will examine one of the factors believed to be most prominent in the country’s security problem, police corruption. The Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC) officers are confronted with institutional corruption, a homicide rate over five times the world average, insufficient resources, poor training, and distrust from the civilian population (ghrc-usa, 2014). “The U.S. State Department 2077 Guatemala Country Report on Human Rights Practices states that “Members of the police force committed a number of unlawful killings. Corruption, intimidation, and ineffectiveness within the police department and other institutions prevented adequate investigation of many such killings, as well as the arrest and successful prosecution of perpetrators.” (ghrc-usa, 2014). Another challenge for the PNC is drug trafficking. Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom blames the drug traffickers for the corruption plaguing the PNC. Drug traffickers have been able to corrupt many PNC officers and chiefs because they have the ability to pay more than the monthly salaries these people receive. Mexican drug cartels such as the Los Zetas and the Mara Salvatrucha actively operate throughout the country. In addition, Guatemala’s geographical location makes it a key country for trafficking in cocaine and heroin from South America en route to the U.S. and Europe

• 

  Factors influencing personality in Prothonotary Warbler nestlings?

  Jenna Dodson

  Animal personality is defined as consistent expressions of an individual’s behavior when exposed to stressful conditions. Avian nestling personality traits can be determined through simple stress handling tests that measure breath rate and docility. Individuals with lower measures tend to be more bold and aggressive adults, traits that are correlated with increased fitness. Other developmental factors that correlate with increased fitness include egg size, parental provisioning rates, and body condition. The objective of this project was to determine if there is a relationship between handling stress and: egg size and parental provisioning in the migratory songbird, Prothonotary warbler (PROW). This research focused on a long-term study of a prothonotary warbler population nesting in boxes along the Lower James River. Detailed morphometric data were collected for the eggs and nestlings throughout the breeding season with regular nest checks. Nestlings were weighed and banded when they were 5-6 days old. Just prior to banding, simple docility and breathing rate stress tests were conducted. Video recordings of parental provisioning were completed and used to determine the feeding rate of each nest. No relationship was found between egg mass and the breath rate or docility stress measures. There was also no relationship between rate of provisioning and stress measures. However, there was a relationship between nestling body condition (nestling mass adjusted for age) and breath rate. It is known that larger nestlings have higher survival probabilities, and our results suggest that this relationship may not only be the result of higher body condition, but also of underlying personality differences.

• 

  Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding (CPEB) Protein 2 splice variants CPEB2A and CPEB2B affect the hypoxic response and triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

  Ryan Johnson

  Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are tumors that lack the estrogen-receptor (ER), the progesterone-receptor (PR), and the epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and are responsible for 15-20% of all breast cancer. TNBCs provide poor prognoses and higher rates for metastases compared to other breast cancers. We have found that cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 2 (CPEB2) mRNA splicing is dysregulated in cells that display resistance to anoikis (attachment-dependent cell death). Importantly, CPEB2A:B ratio decreases in patient-matched tumor tissue when compared to normal control tissue. Furthermore, downregulation of each isoform produced opposing effects on both AnR and HIF1alpha and TWIST1 levels (molecules that are downstream of CPEB2). Taken together, our results indicate that CPEB2 is involved in the development of anoikis-resistance in cancer cells and may be heavily involved in TNBC cancer progression. Additional studies of alternative splicing in TNBC may lead to both understanding of the molecular pathways leading to TNBC metastasis and the development of rationally designed treatments for TNBC.

• 

  Examining the Relationship between GABRA2 & Alcohol Drinking Frequency

  Jessica Joseph

  Past research has shown that an individual’s level of alcohol use may depend on various factors, both genetic and environmental, along with the interaction between them. Several studies have found that certain variants within the GABRA2 gene may be associated with elevated levels of alcohol use. This issue is of particular concern in college campuses, where social pressure becomes an important environmental factor. To better understand how genetic and environmental factors come together to influence substance use and emotional health, a group of students attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA submitted DNA samples and answered survey questions as part of the Spit for Science research project. The cohort entered college in the fall of 2011 and took follow-up surveys during the spring of their freshman and sophomore years. A total of one thousand and four participants who reported that they have previously consumed alcohol were asked about the frequency of their alcohol use. Regression analysis was used to examine associations between GABRA2 genotype, peer deviance, and alcohol consumption. We hypothesized that high levels of peer deviance and specific variants within GABRA2 correspond to increased levels of alcohol use. The conclusions of this study can be used to create specific techniques for decreasing alcohol abuse among college students and lead to better understanding of how to create effective treatment and prevention strategies.

• 

  GABRA2, Peer Deviance and Illicit Drug Use in College-Aged Students

  Justin Joseph

  Recent studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GABRA2 gene may influence one’s susceptibility to illicit drug use. In order to determine whether an association is present in young adults, we will be performing a study within the Spit for Science research project at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. The Spit for Science project aims to understand how genetic and environmental factors come together to influence substance use and emotional health. A cohort of 1523 incoming freshman donated a saliva sample in the fall of 2011 and answered surveys regarding their use of the following categories of drugs: cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, cocaine, or opioids. Follow-up surveys were given during the spring of their freshman year and the spring of their sophomore year. Data on drug abuse was converted to a numerical score between zero and five, depending on how many of the five categories of drugs the respondent had ever tried. We will also be using survey responses to measure the moderating variable of peer deviance. The saliva samples were processed and genotyped for 8 SNPs in the GABRA2 gene. Specific associations will be determined through use of regression analysis. It is hypothesized that the study will show an association between GABRA2 SNPs, illicit drug use, and the additional influence of peer deviance. These findings can be used to improve strategies that aim to decrease drug use among college students and allow them to successfully recover.

• 

  Heteronormative Stereotypes in Children's Animated Television

  Nora Kavaldjian

  The socializing effect that television has on child viewers is incredibly important to childhood development – research shows that children can model roles and behaviors that they observe on television – and this power to condition children’s minds to a television-based view of reality can influence children’s conceptions of gender, stereotype, and diversity. Children exposed to television media will base their conceptions of the world on what they’ve seen, usually animated cartoon shows with highly stereotyped characters in fairly set roles (Barcus 1983, Bandura, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to review research on the subject of gender roles in animated children’s media and, using this research, to gauge whether or not animated children’s television programming consistently portrays heteronormative gender stereotypes as “normal” as well as whether or not children may mimic or model the stereotypical behavior (in regards to gender roles and expression) that they have observed. I have examined eight sources so far; two examine the nature of the television industry and the modern animation industry, two are analyses of previous research done on the subject of TV affecting socialization, three are original research articles which survey the content of animated children’s TV shows (with one describing adult reactions to the show being researched), and one article which surveys the history of a more educational animated show and its influence. The results so far indicate that animated TV shows definitely show gender stereotypes and stereotypical behavior (Bresnahan et al., 2003); coupled with the years of research that show how children react to television at different ages (Kirkorian et al., 2008), there is an obvious missing link of research between the two which will show how children actually react to said gender stereotypes and heteronormative behaviors. More research will be needed, but I am sure that there are articles available that specifically track children’s reactions to gender stereotypes in animated media – and will likely indicate that children will end up mimicking and modeling the behavior they’ve seen on TV. With this research in mind, the heads of the television industry could thus initiate changes – either in regulation or in choices made in hiring/etc. – to change what may be harmful stereotypes present in their products, to make cartoon shows more applicable to real life and more well-rounded so that the children influenced by them will not end up with harmful misconceptions about gender and gender representation.

• 

  The Relationship between GABRA 2 and Illicit Substance Use

  Hassan Khuram

  Spit for Science: the VCU Student Survey aims to understand how genetic and environmental factors come together to influence substance use and emotional health. Previous studies in the literature have shown a relationship between variation in GABRA2 and substance use. It is of great interest to find out whether or not variations in the GABRA2 gene are associated with illicit drug use in this sample. It is hypothesized that polymorphisms in GABRA2 will have an association with increased use of illicit substances. In the fall of 2011, incoming VCU freshman had a chance to take the Spit for Science survey and provide a saliva sample. Survey responses regarding substance used were combined into a sum score based on how many categories of illicit drugs the student reported trying at least once. We will specifically look at nine single nucleotide polymorphisms in GABRA2. Linear regression will be used to determine an outcome. Other environment conditions such as peer deviance may also be potential moderation variables and will also be examined Results from this study can greatly help people in rehabilitation facilities and help them overcome addiction.

• 

  Synergy of Bosutinib and Chk-1 Inhibitor (PF) in Chemotherapy

  Akhil Kolluri

  Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a cancer described by uncontrolled proliferation of bone marrow cells that develop into the cells of the blood (Chen, 2014). In this study, the synergy of two drugs, bosutinib and a PF were tested for their efficacy in chemotherapy. Bosutinib is a kinase inhibitor that blocks phosphorylation of key proteins in the cell cycle of CML cells that allow them to proliferate (Boschelli et al., 2010). PF is an inhibitor of the Chk-1 protein that regulates many of the cell cycle checkpoints (Zhang et al., 2009). Two cell lines from CML were used in this experiment, BAF3/T315I and Adult/T315I. Both of these cell lines had the T315I mutation that provides resistance to the common CML chemotherapy drug imatinib (Gleevec). The cultured cells were treated with both bosutinib at 0.3 – 0.4 μM and PF at 1 – 1.2 μM individually as well as simultaneously. Results showed that the combined treatment of bosutinib and PF caused a large increase in cell apoptosis. These results show the possibility of a novel and effective chemotherapy combination for CML.