2017 Abstract Booklet

13th
ANNUAL
Saturday, April 29th
Roosevelt University Chicago Area Undergraduate
Chicago, Illinois Research Symposium
Symposium Booklet
Table of Contents
Welcome! _____________________________________________________________1
Event Schedule ________________________________________________________3
Map of Venue __________________________________________________________4
Keynote Speaker_______________________________________________________5
Oral Presentations _____________________________________________________7
Abstracts (Oral Presenters)______________________________________________8
Abstracts (Poster Presenters) __________________________________________ 13
Biological Sciences ..................................................................................13
Chemistry .................................................................................................32
Computer Science ...................................................................................44
Engineering ..............................................................................................44
Environmental and Geophysical Sciences ...............................................50
History ...................................................................................................... 51
Humanities and Fine Arts .........................................................................51
International Studies and Political Science ..............................................53
Mathematics ............................................................................................. 54
Physics .....................................................................................................54
Psychology ...............................................................................................60
Social Justice ...........................................................................................67
Sociology and Anthropology ....................................................................68
Sponsors ____________________________________________________________ 71
2017 Inter-School Board _______________________________________________ 72
Welcome!
Dear CAURS 2017 attendee,
On behalf of the Inter-School Board, we'd like to thank you for joining us at the thirteenth
annual Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Our undergraduate student presenters this year hail from institutions across the Chicago area (and
beyond!), representing a truly wide range of disciplines. We are grateful that so many students return to
CAURS every year to share their research, talk to their peers and get feedback from experienced
researchers in their fields.
Today, we are excited to welcome you to Roosevelt University, our newest partner institution. We have a
busy day planned, but we hope you find a moment to enjoy the view from Roosevelt University's historic
Auditorium Building.
To accommodate the many students presenting this year, there will be two poster sessions, one in the
morning (11:00-1:00) and another in the afternoon (1:30-3:30). You can find out when any student is
presenting by locating their abstract in this booklet; odd numbers will be presenting the morning and even
numbers will be presenting in the afternoon. We have also selected eight students to deliver oral
presentationsthese will occur down the hall in Spertus lounge, concurrently with the poster sessions. We
encourage you to attend these special presentations.
We are proud to host Dr. Natacha DePaola, dean of the IIT Armour College of Engineering as the 2017
keynote speaker. Having received numerous awards for her pioneering research in the field of biomedical
engineering, Dr. DePaola has also been responsible for spearheading new technology-focused education
initiatives in her role at IIT to help foster the growth of young scientistsmaking her an ideal speaker to
kick off the symposium.
We would feel remiss not to mention here the many administrative staff and faculty advisors on whom we
have relied at every point in the planning process. CAURS would not be possible without the indispensable
efforts of Dr. Peter Civetta and Bryce O'Tierney at Northwestern University, Victoria Simek at DePaul
University, Dr. Carlo Segre at IIT and many others located at all our partner instutions. Their advice and
support help steer the CAURS leadership in the direction of common sense and success, year in and year
out. To these individuals, special thanks are due.
Finally, this year's symposium would never have happened without the immense efforts of our Inter-School
Board. These brilliant, dedicated students have worked for nearly a year (while balancing busy student
schedules!) to bring you a smooth and successful event.
From all of us, we wish you a wonderful symposium!
Our deepest thanks,
Raymond Han Crystal Nguyen
Directors, CAURS 2017
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Event Schedule
9:00-10:00 Check-in & Set-up (Fainman & Congress Lounges)
10:00-11:00 Keynote Address (Ganz Hall7th floor)
11:00-1:00 Morning Poster Presentation Session (Congress Lounge)
Morning Oral Presentation Session (Spertus Lounge)
1:00-1:30 Lunch Break (Fainman Lounge)
1:30-3:30 Afternoon Poster Presentation Session (Congress Lounge)
Afternoon Oral Presentation Session (Spertus Lounge)
3:30-4:30 Reception (Fainman Lounge)
Awards Ceremony (Spertus Lounge)
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Map of Venue
Parking validations at the Millennium Grant Park South Garage are available for judges
at the check-in desk.
Elevators to Keynote
DN
(7th Floor)
UP
Roosevelt University
M I C H I GA N
stairs to lobby
terrace
Fainman
UP
FLOOR 2 DN
Lounge
(check-in
& lunch)
STAIRWELLS DN
ELEVATORS Elevators to Keynote

(7th Floor)
UP
UP
UP
DN
Judges
Spertus Congress Lounge
(poster presentations)
Lounge
(oral presentations)
UP
DN UP
CONGRESS
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Keynote Speaker
10:00am (Ganz Hall7th floor)
Natacha DePaola, Ph.D.

Carol and Ed Kaplan Armour Dean of Engineering, Professor of
Biomedical Engineering
Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering Illinois Institute of
Technology
224 Perlstein Hall, 10 W. 33rd Street
Chicago, IL 60616 USA
ndepaola@iit.edu
Phone 312 / 567-3009
Fax 312 / 567-7961
Natacha DePaola serves as the Carol and Ed Kaplan Armour Dean of Engineering and
Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois,
USA (2009-present). Dr. DePaola received the BS in Mechanical Engineering from the
Universidad Simon Bolivar, Caracas- Venezuela (1984), an MS in Mechanical Engineering from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1987), and a Ph.D. degree in Medical Engineering/
Medical Physics from the Division of Health Science and Technology at Harvard Medical
School Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1991). She completed her postdoctoral
training at Columbia University in the Artificial Organs Research Laboratory (1992), where she
also held a position as an adjunct assistant professor of chemical engineering. In 1993 she
moved to Northwestern University as an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. In
1994, she joined the biomedical engineering faculty at RPI where she served as assistant,
associate, and full professor, and department head from 2004-2009. Dr. DePaola also held an
adjunct faculty position at the Center for Cardiovascular Sciences at the Albany Medical
College.
Dr. DePaolas research interests are in the broad area of biofluid dynamics, cell mechanics,
cell and tissue engineering, cell bioreactor design, and bioelectromagnetism at the cell and
molecular level. Her research investigates the role of physical mechanisms on cellular
behavior, stressing its importance in the understanding of human disease, the development of
new therapies, and the engineering of functional tissues. A major emphasis of her research is
on hemodynamic regulation of vascular cell function in early atherosclerosis, gap junctional
intercellular communication, and biophysical regulation of mammalian cell function with
applications to vascular, bone, and neural tissue engineering. In her role as Engineering Dean,
Dr. DePaola is committed to excellence in technology-focused education with a renewed
emphasis on entrepreneurial and ethical practice of engineering. She is leading distinctive
education initiatives emphasized by the opportunity to apply ongoing learning and technical
knowledge to the solution of current problems of global impact.
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Dr. DePaola has published over 90 highly cited scientific journal manuscripts, proceedings,
and technical reports. She is a co-inventor of the following technologies: Diamagnetic Force
Field Bioreactor U.S. Pat. No. 7,482,154, 2009; Method for the Functional Endothelialization
of Implantable Endovascular Devices USPTO No. 10/574,388 (pending), and Body Cooling
Device and Method USPTO No. 60/773,947 (pending). Dr.
DePaola is a co-founder, co-owner, and past president of TermoMechanica, Inc., which within
the health science area focuses in the development of instrumentation for biomedical
research and diagnostics.
Dr. DePaola has received various awards and recognitions including the 2012 IEEE Woman in
Engineering Award, the Carol and Ed Kaplan Endowed Chair Professorship (2009), Chicagos
Women of Achievement Award (2009), a CAREER Award from the National Science
Foundation (NSF) in 1996, and selection to the 5th Japan-USA-Singapore-China Conference
on Biomechanics US delegation (1998). She is a Frontiers Alumna of the National Academy of
Engineering (NAE), Frontiers of Engineering ( 1997).
Dr. DePaola is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
(AIMBE) and a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), The Society of Woman Engineers (SWE),
the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and the Global Engineering Deans
Council (GEDC). She is also a member of Tau Beta Pi Association and The Scientific Research
Society (Sigma Xi) and a former member of the Board of Editors of MCB: Molecular and
Cellular Biomechanics Journal. Dr. DePaola had served on the Strategic Initiatives Committee
of the Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology (HST) Advisory Council and on the
Advisory Committee for the Severino Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Lally School
of Management, Rensselaer). She currently serves in the Public Policy Committee of the
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Global Engineering Deans Council Chair,
and the Advisory Board of Purdues Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.
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Oral Presentations
Morning (Spertus Lounge)

11:00-11:20 Andrew Molina (Biological Sciences; University of Chicago)
11:30-11:50 Kristin Wills (Engineering; Illinois Institute of Technology)
12:00-12:20 Tiffany Simmons (Engineering; Southern Illinois University)
12:30-12:50 Jonathan Pekarek (Environmental & Geophysical Sciences;

University of Chicago)
Afternoon (Spertus Lounge)
1:30-1:50 Cesar Saucedo (Chemistry; DePaul University)
2:00-2:20 Samuel Veroneau (Chemistry; University of Chicago)
2:30-2:50 Catherine Montgomery (Psychology; Loyola University

Chicago)
3:00-3:20 Sarah Permut (Sociology; Northwestern University)
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Abstracts (Oral Presenters)

The abstracts of oral presentations are listed in this section, in the order of the
schedule on the previous page.
1. Andrew MolinaThe University of Chicago

and *Ka Yee C. Lee
James Franck Institute, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago
email: avmolina@uchicago.edu *PI: kayeelee@uchicago.edu
Observed in vitro Lipid Dynamics to Confirm Novel Model for CNS

Myelinogenesis
The myelin sheath is an insulating, compacted, multilamellar biological membrane that facilitates ecient
propagation of action potentials down neuronal axons, and is critical for proper physiological function.
Recently, University of Chicago neurobiologist Sara Szuchet has found compelling in vivo evidence that
the long-established mechanism for the formation of central nervous system (CNS) myelin has serious
flaws. To address these flaws in the current model, Szuchet has proposed a new model involving (1) the
preformation of myelin membrane tubules that are tracked to the neuronal axon, where they (2)
undergo a transition from tubular to lamellar form and thus form the final compact myelin sheath [1]. To
investigate this mechanism, we designed in vitro experiments to probe the interactions of myelin lipids
as they (1) self-assemble into tubules and (2) transition into lamellar form. Using TEM imaging, we have
observed the self-assembly of tubules consisting of 100% galactosylceramide (GalCer), a fundamental
glycolipid of CNS myelin. We have similarly investigated how 2-component systems of GalCer/
Cholesterol and GalCer/Plasmalogen transition from stable tubule structures to larger aggregates of
lower curvature upon decreasing GalCer concentration. The stable tubules of these in vitro systems
observed at higher GalCer concentrations align with the in silico results of coarse-grained simulations by
the University of Chicagos Voth Group and the tubules observed in vivo in ovine oligodendrocytes [1],
suggesting that these structures of major myelin lipids can be stable precursors for myelination. Using
fluid-cell AFM, we have begun to investigate how these self-assembled tubules interact with supported
lipid bilayers in physiological buer with hopes of observing a fusion event between the structures that
would be experimental evidence of the proposed Szuchet model for the biological mechanism of myelin
formation.
References
[1] Szuchet et al. (2015). CNS myelin sheath is stochastically built by homotypic fusion of myelin membranes within the
bounds of an oligodendrocyte process. J. Struct. Biol. 190 (1), 56-72.
2. Kristin E. Wills1Illinois Institute of Technology

and Negar Sadeghipour1, Scott C. Davis2, Kenneth M. Tichauer1
1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

2 Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College
Guiding Cancer Therapy through Non-Invasive Quantitative Molecular Imaging of

Cancers: Testing EGFR Status vs. Erbitux Therapy
Molecular targeted therapies are a form of cancer treatment that target specific biological molecules
within the body. One frequently targeted cell-surface protein is the epidermal growth factor receptor
(EGFR), a receptor frequently over-expressed in many cancers. The drug Erbitux is an antibody-based
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molecular targeted therapeutic used to target EGFR; however, there is currently no method of monitoring
this treatment in vivo. The paired imaging agent model (co-injecting control (untargeted) and targeted
imaging agents) has been demonstrated to be able to quantify cell-surface protein concentrations in
tumors. This technique can be used to determine the relationship between drug-target concentrations
and the drug response. The preliminary protocol for the research was to inject the mices flanks with 6
dierent cancer cell lines (both pancreatic cancer and head and neck cell lines). Three mice were used
and a dierent cell line was injected into each flank. The mice were injected with the fluorescent dye
IR800-ABY- 029 and IRDye700 carboxylate in the tail vein and the signals from both agents were
preliminarily measured in blood and muscle to evaluate the background kinetics of the two imaging
agents (blood kinetics and kinetics in the non-binding muscle tissue). Initial results established that there
were large dierences between the background kinetics of the agents, indicating that conventional
kinetic models will not adequately determine the concentration of EGFR. As the dierences in the
kinetics of the agents is primarily due to a dierence in blood kinetics, these variances can be corrected
using a deconvolution technique the lab has developed. As this project continues to show promising
results, it is believed that this will aid in the personalization of cancer treatment plans as well as help
eliminate ineective drugs in the field of cancer treatment.
3. Tiffany Simmons1Southern Illinois University Carbondale

and Zacharia Tharakan1, Rajesh Prabhu Balaraman2, Punit Kohli2, *Farhan Chowdhury1
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
email: tieranne.92@siu.edu, *correspondence: farhan.chowdhury@siu.edu
A Piezoelectric Biosensor for Biomechanical Cellular Measurements

Physical forces have significant roles in many cellular functions such as contraction, relaxation,
spreading, crawling, division, migration, invasion etc. for maintaining normal tissue homeostasis and
disease progression. However, there are very few biosensors available that can easily visualize and
quantify all of these functions with a direct readout in real-time. Herein, we devised a piezoelectric (PZT)
zinc oxide nanowire biosensor that can serve as a universal biosensor. We selected zinc oxide for the
nanowires because of their strong piezoelectric charge contact and crystalline structure. The device was
fabricated by sputtering indium tin oxide (ITO) slides with gold, which acts as a catalyst for the
nanowires. The slides were placed in a solution phase chemistry of Zn(NO3)2. 6H2O (Zinc Oxide),
hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), and NH4OH (Ammonia) to grow the zinc oxide nanowires. To optimize
this device, we varied conditions such as the length of time the slides were in the solution, the
temperature of the solution, and the annealing temperature of the sputtering. The nanowires were
characterized by scanning electron microscopy. As the cell attaches to the nanowires, cellular contractile
forces bend the nanowires which in turn generate electrical charges. After calibration, we can detect
physical forces involved in critical cellular functions. In the future, we aim to use the device to
characterize a tumorigenic cancer subpopulation and examine their force generation during cell invasion.
Our versatile biosensor can be utilized in many applications in addition to biomechanical characterization
of cells.
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4. Jonathan Pekarek1The University of Chicago

and *Kenneth H. Foreman2
1 Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago

2 The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA
email: jonpekarek@uchicago.edu *PI: kforeman@mbl.edu
Feasibility of Wood Chip Permeable Reactive Barriers for Large Scale In-Stream
Nitrate Removal
Since the Industrial Era, humans have been steadily loading nitrate into streams and groundwater, a
practice that leads to environmental problems such as eutrophication and toxic algal blooms. Diverting
water through underground wood chip beds that promote growth of denitrifying bacteria has seen
increasing use as a way to reduce nitrate in water before the water reaches the estuary. These wood
chip permeable reactive barriers have been used to remove nitrate from groundwater with wide levels of
success, but the use of these systems in streams has drawn less attention due to the larger temperature
variations and faster flow rate of stream water. The nitrate removal rate response of these barriers to
dierent temperatures, residence times of water, and wood chip sizes was tested in microcosms fed with
nitrate-spiked stream water. Higher rates of nitrate removal were found with higher temperatures, longer
residence times, and larger wood chip sizes. A robust equation was created that can predict nitrate
removal rates based on these three independent variables. The response of the microcosms to the three
independent variables was significant, indicating that finding their optimal values is important for ecient
nitrate removal in these barriers. Optimal residence time depends on temperature and wood chip size,
with higher temperatures and larger wood chip sizes giving a lower optimal residence time. Nitrate
removal rate increases with higher temperatures up to the experiments warmest sampling point of 20 C,
so the optimum for temperature must be above 20 C. In addition, wood chips larger than 0.5 in
diameter were found to be nearly three times as eective at nitrate removal compared to wood chips
smaller than 0.25 in diameter. These findings show that these barriers can be eective in summer
stream conditions, and provide insight into how they can be designed for ecient nitrate removal.
5. Cesar SaucedoDePaul University

and Kyle A. Grice
Department of Chemistry, DePaul University
IR-SEC Studies of Group 6 and 7 Metal Carbonyl Catalysts for CO2 Reduction
The electrochemical responses of Mo, W, Cr, Mn, and Re metal carbonyl compounds were studied in
organic solvents for use in the reduction of carbon dioxide. The group 6 metal catalysts showed
significant responses under CO2, indicating CO2 reduction, whereas the group 7 compounds did not. In
order to better understand the reaction mechanisms, infrared spectroelectrochemistry (IR-SEC) was
used. The compounds were reduced electrochemically and the infrared spectra were taken as the
reductions occurred. Additionally, the reduced compounds were studied in the presence of carbon
dioxide to determine how they reacted with CO2. The group 6 species are rare examples of complexes
that are electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction without the need of electroactive ligands.
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6. Samuel Veroneau1,2The University of Chicago

and Thomas Pattison2,3, Jane Frommer2, Leslie Thompson2, Kumar Virwani2, Young-Hye Na2,
Robert Miller2
1 University Of Chicago
2 IBM Research-Almaden
3 University of Melbourne
Surface Modification of Ion-Conducting Ceramic Particles

This project describes the functionalization of ion conducting ceramic particles for use in battery
membranes. Solid state and lithium-air batteries promise higher energy density and higher specific
capacity than conventional lithium batteries. However, even the most contemporary lithium based
batteries face an inherent shortcoming: they dont make use of a metallic lithium anode. This is not
without reason, as such anodes promote destructive growths within batteries known as dendrites. Thus,
to make use of metallic lithium anodes, dendrite growth must be suppressed. One possible approach to
this is through the use of ion conducting ceramic membranes. Such membranes have been shown to
significantly curtail dendrite growth while still permitting the flow of ions. However, the production of
such membranes is dicult and demanding. To streamline this process, the ceramic particles embedded
in the membrane need to be readily dispersed in a polymer solution. To achieve this, it was hypothesized
that the surfaces of ion conducting ceramic particles could be functionalized using small molecules.
Lithium and sodium conducting ceramic particles were functionalized by molecules with long carbon
chains and various head groups, including carboxylic acids, phosphonic acids, and silanes. Using
various techniques, mainly atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),
the surfaces of these ceramic particles were analyzed to determine how, and to what extent, the
surfaces of the ceramic particles were functionalized. This project provided an initial understanding to
the functionalization of ion-conducting ceramic particles, with the hope of implementing the results to
create more eective and ecient batteries.
7. Catherine L. MontgomeryLoyola University Chicago

and Noni K. Gaylord-Harden
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago

McNair Scholars Program, Loyola University Chicago
email: cmontgomery3@luc.edu
The Eect of Parental Support and Involvement on Sense of Belonging in School

in African American Male Adolescents
Sense of belonging in school in African American youth is an important predictor of academic and
behavioral outcomes. Sense of belonging is defined as the connection between the individuals
perception of his or her role with respect to other people, groups, objects, organizations, environments,
or spiritual dimensions [1]. The purpose of the current study was to examine the eect of family structure
(two-parent versus single parent) as a moderator of the relationship between parental support and
involvement and sense of belonging in the school setting in African American male adolescents.
Participants included 234 African American male adolescents (mean age = 15.21, SD = 1.08).
Participants completed measures assessing school belongingness, parental support, parental
involvement, and a demographic form. It was hypothesized that (1) Higher levels of parental support will
predict higher levels of sense of belongingness in school for African American male adolescents; (2)
Higher levels of parental involvement will predict higher levels of sense of belongingness in school for
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African American male adolescents; (3) The association of parental support and parental involvement to
sense of belongingness in school will be stronger in two-parent families versus single-parent families.
Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the relationship between parental support and
involvement and sense of belonging in school, as well as to test for moderation eects of family
structure (single-parent, mother-headed household versus two-parent household). Consistent with
predictions, higher levels of perceived parental support and parental involvement predicted higher levels
of perceived school belongingness in participants. Inconsistent with predictions, family structure did not
moderate the associations between parenting and school belongingness. Findings from the current
study could lead to an enhancement or creation of programs for the support of students as well as their
families to produce a greater sense of belonging in school.

References
[1] Hagerty, B. M., Lynch-Sauer, J., Patusky, K. L., Bouwsema, M., & Collier, P. (1992). Sense of belonging: A vital mental
health concept. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 6(3), 172-177.
8. Sarah PermutNorthwestern University

Department of Sociology, Northwestern University
email: sarahpermut2017@u.northwestern.edu
Impact of Abstinence-Only Sex Education on Teen Birth Rates at the State Level
The US continues to experience disproportionately high teen birth, pregnancy, and STD rates compared
to other developed nations and the appropriate type of sex education for American adolescents has
been a constant source of debate. Over the last 13 years, the US federal government has invested over
$1.5 billion in abstinence-only education in attempt to improve adolescent health outcomes. While there
have been studies on how abstinence-only education programs impact their students, there has been
little investigation into how abstinence-only education funding and programs influence health outcomes
at the state level. Furthermore, there has been little research conducted on the impact of the
Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) funding program, a particularly restrictive form of
abstinence-only education. Using teen birth rate data from the last 13 years, this study seeks to
investigate whether abstinence-only education funding and programs impact teen birth rate at the state
level. I analyze an original panel dataset using multivariate analysis and lagged dependent variable
models to find that increases in funding levels for total abstinence-only and CBAE education, as well as
the existence of CBAE programs, are associated with increases in teen birth rate. Evidence from lagged
dependent variable models suggests that a causal interpretation of this association may be warranted.
These findings indicate that abstinence-only education programs do not improve adolescents health
outcomes, and provides potential evidence that abstinence-only education is harmful to young womens
health.
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Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Biological Sciences
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)
The abstracts of all poster presentations are listed in this section. Abstracts are
ordered alphabetically, first by discipline, then within each discipline by last name of
the presenter.
Odd numbered abstracts will present in the morning poster session from 11:00-1:00;
even numbered abstracts will present in the afternoon poster session from 1:30-3:30
*Numbers 22, 77, 81, 84, 111, 113, 116, 118, 120 have been skipped for scheduling
purposes.
Biological Sciences
1. Matching Composition and Mechanics in Breast Tissue Phantoms

Rachael N. Aenit1, Nicolas Gallo1, Leslie Kleiner2, *John Georgiadis1
2 Roquette America, Inc., Geneva, IL
email: raenit@hawk.iit.edu *PI: jgeorgia@iit.edu
There are multiple medical imaging modalities that are suitable for detecting breast cancer, including
MRI, X-ray, mammography, and ultrasound. Images acquired with these modalities are used to localize
lesions, diagnose the malignancy of a nodule, or inform a plan of intervention. However, it can be
exceedingly dicult to locate the nodule during surgery due to changes in its size or location since
imaging, or due to surgical deformations of the tissue [1]. To ensure the tightest margins possible despite
these changes, surgeons can employ intraoperative imaging. Intraoperative breast ultrasound is a
promising alternative to the bulky and expensive intraoperative MRI, as it is significantly less complex to
implement. Unfortunately, because of the nature of an ultrasound machine, it can be prohibitively time-
consuming to keep track of a nodule on an ultrasound during surgery [2]. A computational model could
significantly improve this system by predicting the new boundary of the nodule after each step of the
procedure. This prediction would assist the surgeon in tracking the shape and location of the nodule,
which could significantly reduce surgery time and improve patient outcomes.
We must first create a physical phantom simulating breast tissue properties to validate this model with.
We will test the desired G and G of the phantom material via rheology against literature values. To
match all relevant properties as precisely as possible, we chose to match the compositional makeup of
the tissue as dictated by literature. Both mechanical and compositional properties were determined for
healthy and cancerous tissues to aid in the final design of a phantom with tumor inclusions. The
compositional properties were combined to create a base formula for a phantom from readily available
cooking ingredients, which was then tested and compared to the literature values for the previously
named properties.
References
[1] Tanner, C., White, M., Guarino, S., Hall-Craggs, M. A., Douek, M., & Hawkes, D. J. (2011). Large breast
compressions: Observations and evaluation of simulations. Medical Physics, 38(2), 682.
[2] Ungi, T., Gauvin, G., Lasso, A., Yeo, C. T., Pezeshki, P., Vaughan, T., . . . Fichtinger, G. (2016). Navigated Breast
Tumor Excision Using Electromagnetically Tracked Ultrasound and Surgical Instruments. IEEE Transactions on
Biomedical Engineering, 63(3), 600-606.
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2. Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Cholesterol Traits in Diverse Populations

Angela Andaleon1, and *Heather E. Wheeler1,2
1Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660

2 Department of Computer Science, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago IL 60660
email: aandaleon@luc.edu *PI: hwheeler1@luc.edu
In association studies between genetic variation and phenotypes, most studies have been performed in
exclusively European populations, which cannot always been accurately extrapolated to other
populations due to genetic population dierences [1]. By analyzing data from diverse populations, our
understanding of the genetic mechanisms of health-related traits can benefit a larger number of people
in aiding implementation of precision medicine. We propose to study the genetics of four cholesterol
traits, all risk factors for cardiovascular disease, in cohorts from Nigeria and Philippines. In addition to
single variant genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we will perform the gene-based association
test PrediXcan, which tests predicted gene expression levels for association with complex traits [2].
Predictive models of gene expression in multiple tissues from the GTEx (genotype-tissue expression)
Project are optimized using statistical machine learning. The inherently mechanistic results from
PrediXcan provide directionality and can guide follow-up experiments and future drug development. We
hypothesize that PrediXcan will increase power over GWAS to identify genes and implicate mechanisms
underlying cholesterol traits. We will also quantify the correlation of SNP and gene eect sizes between
populations and compare our results to larger European studies [3]. Our interdisciplinary approach is
dependent on integrating biological data, statistical analysis, and computational processing.
References
[1] Auton, A., Abecasis, G. R., Altshuler, D. M., Durbin, R. M., Abecasis, G. R., Bentley, D. R., Abecasis, G. R (2015).
A global reference for human genetic variation. Nature, 526(7571), 6874.
[2] Gamazon, E. R., Wheeler, H. E., Shah, K. P., Mozaffari, S. V, Aquino-Michaels, K., Carroll, R. J., Im, H. K. (2015). A
gene-based association method for mapping traits using reference transcriptome data. Nature Genetics, 47(9), 1091
1098.
[3] Willer, C. J., Schmidt, E. M., Sengupta, S., Peloso, G. M., Gustafsson, S., Kanoni, S., Abecasis, G. R. (2013).
Discovery and refinement of loci associated with lipid levels. Nature Genetics, 45(11), 127483.
3. Sensitive Detection of Cancer Spread to Lymph Nodes: Evaluating Imaging Agent

Delivery Protocols
Yusairah Basheer, Cynthia Li , *Kenneth M. Tichauer
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

email: ybasheer@hawk.iit.edu *PI: ktichaue@iit.edu
Approximately 1 in 8 women in the US will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, with over 40,000
women projected to die from the disease in 2016. More sensitive methods of detecting cancer spread to
lymph nodes could enable earlier intervention for more aggressive cancer, which has been shown to be
the single greatest influencer of positive therapeutic outcomes. Currently, the method of determining
metasticity vs. locality is both time-consuming and largely insensitive to metastatic cancer cells, as less
than 1% of a typical lymph node is surveyed. The ultimate objective of this project is to map cancer
distribution in lymph nodes using imaging technology ADEPT (angular domain early photon
tomography). The more specific objectives of this experiment include determining whether the imaging
agent is penetrating to inside of the lymph node and also determining the rinsing protocol which would
allow for preferential cancer cell retention of the targeted imaging agent. This is done by surgically
excising the popliteal lymph nodes of a rat, and then injecting the excised lymph node with cancer cells.
These cancer-containing lymph nodes are then soaked in an imaging agent solution of IR800-ABY and
IR700 dye before being rinsed in a solution of phosphate-buered saline (PBS). By imaging the lymph
nodes using both fluorescent microscopy and targeted imaging microscopy (PEARL) , it was confirmed
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that the stain solution does indeed penetrate into the lymph node and appropriately highlights location of
cancer cells. The ultimate future application for this research aims to create a non-invasive, highly
sensitized method for doctors to determine whether breast cancer has metastasized, and the location of
the metastasis in hopes of bettering the prognosis of all women aicted with the disease.
4. Characterizing the Toxic Eect of Acetaminophen Exposure on Drosophila

Longevity and Development
Terry Blaszczak, Azucena Rosano, Saulius Miniotas, *Elyse Bolterstein, and Mary Kimble (PI)
Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University

email: trblaszc@neiu.edu *PI: eabolter@neiu.edu
Acetaminophen (APAP) is a common over the counter analgesic. While safe when used at intended
doses, an increasing number of reports suggest that APAP-induced liver damage can occur at doses
lower than those previously considered toxic. This study uses Drosophila melanogaster, a widely
accepted model for toxicity studies, to examine whether APAP exposure during dierent life stages
alters flies sensitivity to additional oxidative stressors that contribute to natural aging. We established a
dose-response relationship for APAP in Drosophila by raising wild type larvae in instant fly food
rehydrated with solutions containing 0mM to 60mM APAP. We observed a decline in total emerged
adults from APAP food compared to the control with decreases of 21.2% (30mM), 75.3% (45mM), and
97.1% (60mM). To determine whether APAP exposure during development aects total lifespan, we
added wild type eggs to instant food rehydrated with 0mM or 30mM APAP solutions. After flies emerged
as adults, we separated flies into treatments of no adult APAP exposure, 5 days of APAP exposure, and
constant APAP exposure. We found that flies reared on APAP and exposed to APAP for any duration as
adults showed significant decreases in mean lifespan (p<0.05). To verify that APAP induces oxidative
stress in Drosophila, assays measuring levels of lipid peroxidation and activity of antioxidant enzymes
catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are underway. Initial SOD assays show that SOD activity
increases with concentration of APAP in developing larvae. Our findings show that the reduced
emergence of adults raised on APAP food is dose-dependent. Additionally, our results suggest that
exposure to APAP during larval development may increase sensitivity to additional oxidative stressors
during adulthood. The findings of these studies will aid in understanding the mechanism of APAP toxicity
and provide insight into the safety of prolonged exposure to APAP during critical developmental stages.
5. The Role of Olfactory Marker Protein (OMP) in Olfactory Neurogenesis

Nicholas Bulthuis1, Wasif Osmani1, Shreya Wadhwa1, Sedra Khan1, Emilia Grenke1, Sarah
Abdel-Hadi1, Stuart J. Firestein2, and *Jessica H. Brann1
1Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660

2 Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
email: nbulthuis@luc.edu *PI: jbrann@luc.edu
Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are generated from neural stem cells and progenitors,
is of great interest to those looking to prevent or counteract degeneration of neurons due to injury,
disease, or age. The olfactory system is an appropriate model for the study of neurogenesis because it is
easy to access and shows neuronal regeneration across many stages of development and throughout
adult life [1]. Using a transgenic line of mice that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) instead of
olfactory marker protein (OMP), we sought to determine whether OMP, expressed exclusively in mature
vertebrate olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), plays a role in neurogenesis following lesion. We also
sought to determine whether the role of OMP in neurogenesis diers between young and aged mice. To
do this, we examined the extent of glomerular innervation in olfactory bulbs of OMP-GFP +/- and OMP-
GFP -/- mice after chemical ablation of OSNs. Our results thus far indicate that -/- (knockout) mice have
smaller glomeruli in their olfactory bulbs than +/- mice and that aged knockout mice have reduced
glomerular innervation when compared to +/- mice and young knockout mice. Should OMP also prove
!15
to play a role in regeneration from injury, it may inform a discussion about the function of neuronal
regeneration as a recapitulation of development.
References
[1] Brann, J.H., and Firestein, S.J. (2014) A lifetime of neurogenesis in the olfactory system. Front. Neurosci. 8, 182.
6. Oxandrolone: Alzheimers Disease Steroid

Logan Cole, Tevin Parker, Liam Fagan, Michael Brooks, Ramiro Rojas, Sandra Rogers
Science Department, Calumet College of Saint Joseph
Alzheimers Disease is one of several diseases that aect the brain, specifically the amyloid peptides.
Once infected, these random coil peptides mutate into -sheet peptides, which are known to become
toxic. Once toxic, we being to lose the ability to recall previous memories, and are developing
Alzheimers. Our research is to take these -sheet peptides and add the anabolic androgenic steroid
Oxandrolone. This is important in finding some ways to delay the onset of Alzheimers and possibly
reverse the eects of Alzheimers. We will mix neural cell cultures with buers created by us, and
exposed them to the Alzheimers peptide. Once mutated, we will add Oxandrolone and see the eects.
We plan on taking results via fluorometer and uv/vis spectroscopy. Measurements will be taken initially
before exposure, and then again after. After we see the developing Alzheimers, we want to find its peak
absorbance. Once at that point, we will add the Oxandrolone, and take measurements every day. We will
continue taking measurements until the cell culture dies, or we see a decrease in absorbance.
Oxandrolone was chosen as our preventative because it has been seen to reduce the eects of other
injuries or diseases. Oxandrolone has been used to help with Turner Syndrome patients, burn patients,
and sarcopenia. This is promising to us because it has been used to build up lost functions.
Oxandrolone is a low risk steroid that could be handed out without fear. Future research on this topic
could be that we find the exact concentration begins to make a dierence and target any side eects
from this steroid.
7. Expression of Bax2 is independent of the genetic mutation status of the

microsatellite in the Bax gene
Aislinn Davis, Adriana Manas, and *Dr. Jialing Xiang
Department of Biology, College of Science, Illinois Institute of Technology

email: adavis16@hawk.iit.edu *PI: xiang@iit.edu
Bax is a well-studied pro-apoptotic protein that triggers cell death by targeting mitochondria [1]. The Bax
gene is known to be very plastic, being able to produce many functional isoforms [2]. One of these
isoforms, Bax2, which triggers cell death through caspase 8 activation, was originally identified in
colorectal tumors of Lynch Syndrome patients that suered a single base pair deletion (G8 G7) in the
micro satellite located in exon 3 of the Bax gene. We wondered if Bax2 expression could also happen
in other types of tumors and how common it was. In previous studies, we screened over 500 samples of
colorectal tissue and nearly 400 samples of other tissues, both normal and cancerous. Surprisingly we
found that, even though highly malignant tumors are more prone to accumulate mutations, Bax2 is
found all over the body and seems to be expressed more often in healthy tissue and low grade tumors.
This raised a question, could all these tissues contain this uncommon genetic mutation or could the
unmutated gene give rise to Bax2? To answer this question, in this study we harvested over 40
samples of both healthy and tumor tissues from microarray slides by microdissection. Genomic DNA
was isolated from each sample and the Bax gene microsatellite region was amplified for sequence
analysis. Our results show that the majority of normal tissues and a great number of the tumors that are
positive for Bax2 still retain the un-mutated G8 microsatellite. Since the G7 status is required for Bax2
expression, we hypothesize that either transcriptional slippage and/or ribosomal frameshift take place
and make possible Bax2 expression from a G8 gene. Ongoing and future work will address these
possibilities.
!16
References
[1] Wolter, K. G., Hsu, Y.-T., Smith, C. L., Nechushtan, A., Xi, X.-G., and Youle, R. J. (1997) Movement of Bax from the
Cytosol to Mitochondria during Apoptosis. J. Cell Biol. 139, 12811292
[2] Antonsson, B., and Martinou, J.-C. (2000) The Bcl-2 Protein Family. Exp. Cell Res. 256, 5057
8. Investigation of Notch Ligand-Receptor Interactions in Ovarian Granulosa Cells

Rebecca Fudge, Rexxi D. Prasasya, and *Kelly E. Mayo
Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Reproductive Science, Northwestern University

email: RebeccaFudge2019@u.northwestern.edu *PI: kemayo@northwestern.edu
The mammalian ovary secretes hormones important for female physiology and produces fertilizable
eggs, or oocytes. Follicles, the functional units of the ovary, consist of a germ cell surrounded by
somatic granulosa and thecal cells. Notch signaling is a cell signaling pathway that influences the
development and function of ovarian follicles, particularly in the communication between the oocyte and
granulosa cells. Notch signaling requires cell-to-cell contact and involves a membrane-bound ligand and
receptor [1]. In the mouse ovary, NOTCH2 and NOTCH3 are the most abundantly expressed receptors,
and JAG1 and JAG2 are the most abundantly expressed ligands of Notch signaling [2,3]. This project
investigated whether there is a preferential ligand-receptor combination for activation of Notch signaling
in granulosa cells, specifically looking at JAG1, JAG2, and NOTCH2. The study was performed using
mouse primary granulosa cells that were cultured with immobilized recombinant JAG1 (rJAG1) and
recombinant JAG2 (rJAG2). Changes in expression of Notch downstream target genes and a Notch
luciferase transcriptional reporter assay were used as a measure of Notch pathway activation. qRT-PCR
was used to measure gene expression. For the transcriptional reporter assay, granulosa cells were
transfected with a vector that expresses luciferase under the control of the Notch-responsive promoter,
so Notch activity could be measured by the luminescence produced following the addition of the
luciferase substrate, luciferin. We hypothesized that the more ecient ligand would result in greater
increased Notch target gene expression and greater activation of the Notch transcriptional reporter. The
qRT-PCR showed that cells plated with rJAG1 had greater expression of Notch downstream genes than
cells plated with rJAG2. The luciferase assay showed that cells plated with rJAG1 produced more
luminescence than cells plated with rJAG2. These results suggest that JAG1 is a more ecient ligand at
activating Notch signaling in cultured granulosa cells than JAG2.
References
[1] Kopan, R., & Iligan, M. X. G. (2009). The canonical Notch signaling pathway: unfolding the activation mechanism. Cell,
137(2), 216-233.
[2] Trombly, D. J., Woordruff, T. K., & Mayo, K. E. (2009). Suppression of Notch signaling in the neonatal mouse ovary
decreases primordial follicle formation. Endocrinology, 150(2), 1014-1024.
[3] Vanorny, D. A., Prasasya, R. D., Chalpe, A. J., Kilen, S. M., & Mayo, K. E. (2014). Notch signaling regulates ovarian
follicle formation and coordinates follicular growth. Molecular Endocrinology, 28(4), 2013-2088.
9. Energetic Costs of Solitary Paper Wasps

Tesakiah Harjo, *Susan Weiner
Biology Department, Roosevelt University

email: tharjo@mail.roosevelt.edu *PI: sweiner02@roosevelt.edu
Polistes fuscatus is a primitively eusocial species that when studied can give insight into the evolution of
eusociality. We observed the behaviors of Polistes fuscatus in order to compare the energy budget of
solitary foundresses to other roles. This was done by analyzing recordings of the solitary wasps and
marking time spent on certain behaviors to ultimately combine each behavior's time for the individual
nests and create an energy budget. Previous data of the energetic costs of certain behaviors were used
to create the energy budget for the solitary foundresses. Once the energy budget was made we were
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able to compare that to the energy budget created for the social P. fuscatus and determine which
expends more energy on which behaviors.
10. Neurogenesis of P2+ Neurons in Young and Aged Murine Olfactory System
Anisa Hussain1, Ashley Iannantone1, Shelly Shibu1, Paulina Lis1, Richard Costanzo2, and
Jessica H. Brann1
1 Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago

2 Department of Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University
The olfactory system is a site of lifelong regeneration of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). As such, the
olfactory system is often used as a model for neurogenesis, the regeneration of a sensory neuron, and
the way in which OSNs incorporate into the intact neural circuit (Holbrook et al., 2014)1 . However, in
such studies, age is often overlooked as a factor influencing neurogenesis. Our aim was to examine how
OSN regenerative capacities vary with age in the murine olfactory system using neurons which express
olfactory receptor 17, known as P2+ neurons. Use of mice with the tauLacZ tag for P2+ neurons made
these neurons visible through immunohistochemical and chromogenic techniques. Quantification and
statistical analysis of the number of glomeruli innervated by regenerated P2+ neurons, the area of the
olfactory bulb (OB) containing P2+ neurons, and total P2+ signal led to the conclusion that axons
innervate atypically after chemical ablation in aged mice. Our next step was to determine if regenerated
neurons were innervating the appropriate glomeruli by analyzing homogeneity of glomeruli. Based on our
results, we concluded that homogeneity was significantly lower in glomeruli innervated by P2+ neurons in
methimazole treated animals. These results support and extend previous findings that axons innervate
atypically after chemical ablation in young mice.
References
[1] Holbrook EH, Iwema CL, Peluso CE, Schwob JE. (2014) The regeneration of P2 olfactory sensory neurons is
selectively impaired following methyl bromide lesion. Chemical Senses, 39(7): 601-16.
11. Failure to Launch: The Threespine Stickleback of Lake Michigan

Franklin Joaquin, *Windsor Aguirre
Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University

email: fkamejoaquin@gmail.com *PI: waguirre@depaul.edu
The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a model species for evolutionary studies due to
its morphological variation, habitat distribution, and its relative abundance across the northern
hemisphere. Oceanic populations have colonized streams and isolated lakes and have adapted to local
conditions. In 1984, the threespine stickleback was first recorded as having successfully established a
population in the greater Lake Michigan area. As an invasive species, characterizing their traits aords
us a look into contemporary microevolution within the Great Lakes region. For this study, we borrowed
preserved specimens (n=281) from museum collections. We used geometric morphometrics to analyze
body shape variation and used linear body measurements to examine armor size variation in Lake
Michigan, Lake Ontario, Atlantic, and Pacific stickleback populations. A discriminant function analysis
was performed which showed strong divergence among groups based on collection area. Classification
rates ranged from 73.4% in L. Ontario to 90% in Pacific samples. Lake Michigan fish showed an 84.5%
successful classification rate based on body shape alone. Our linear measurements revealed a dierent
pattern; L. Michigan fish showed higher similarity to Atlantic fish than Lake Ontario fish and were
homogenous for six of eight measures, including five of six armor traits. Lake Ontario fish showed a
reduction of armor traits and diered significantly for four of six armor traits when compared to Atlantic
fish. Together, body shape and linear measurements suggest Lake Michigan fish may have been in the
process of adapting to the open waters of Lake Michigan, which favors slender bodies for hydrodynamic
eciency and larger armor structures for defense against predators in open waters.
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12. Investigating the Cellular Killing Mechanism of a Novel PDT Agent

Husna Khaleeluddin1, Rojenia Jones2, Ken W Olsen2 and Stefan M Kanzok1
1 Loyola University of Chicago, Department of Biology, Chicago, IL

2 Loyola University Chicago, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chicago, IL
email: hkhaleeluddin@luc.edu *PI: skanzok@luc.edu
PDT has been shown to be a promising modality that can help with the treatment of several types of
cancers [1]. This therapy requires a nontoxic agent and light. It has been reported that this therapy can
be specifically targeted to cancer cells and induces cellular death via apoptosis or necrosis [2]. When the
photosensitizer is exposed to a specific wavelength of light, it generates singlet oxygen, which in turn
produces cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). This activates specific cell death mediators that kill
the cancerous cells. In collaboration with the Loyola University biochemistry department, I will be
investigating the mechanisms by which cell mediates death through a folate-directed PDT compound
designed by Rojenia Jones, PhD from Loyola University. So far, the results of my research have proved
that this folate- directed PDT agent produces ROS leading to cell death upon light exposure. With time
interval trials, I was able show that this cell death process is occurring within a matter of seconds. In the
near future, I will be looking for whether the PDT treated tumorous cells are experiencing apoptosis or
necrosis and what cell death mediators are present.
References
[1] Kolarova, H., Nevrelova, P., Tomankova, K., Kolar, P., Bajgar, R., Mosinger, J. (2008). Production of reactive oxygen
species after photodynamic therapy by porphyrin sensitizers. Gen. Physiol. Biophys. 27, 101-105
[2] Barathan, M., Mariappan, V., Shankar, E. M., Abdullah, B. J., Goh, K. L., & Vadivelu, J. (2013). Hypericin-
photodynamic therapy leads to interleukin-6 secretion by HepG2 cells and their apoptosis via recruitment of BH3
interacting-domain death agonist and caspases. Cell Death and Disease, 4(697). doi:10.1038/cddis.2013.219
13. Investigating the Novel Redox Active Thioredoxin-Like Protein (PbTrxL-1) of the
Malaria Parasite Plasmodium
Nooreen Khan, *Stefan Kanzok
Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago

email: nkhan15@luc.edu *PI: skanzok@luc.edu
Redox systems are an important component of the cellular metabolism. We have characterized a novel
thioredoxin- like protein (TrxL-1) of the malaria parasite Plasmodium and have previously determined that
the trxl-1 gene is specifically expressed during development of Plasmodium berghei in the mosquito
vector. We hypothesize that TrxL- 1 plays an important role in regulation of the ookinete which ultimately
helps in escaping the harsh environment of its mosquito vector. Here I describe the optimization of
recombinant TrxL-1 expression and subsequent purification under denaturing conditions. Using
biochemical assays I demonstrate that TrxL-1 is redox active with the Plasmodium thioredoxin system.
Recent reports have shown that in Toxoplasma gondii, a related species, the homologous TrxL-1
interacts with SPM-1 which plays an important role in the regulation of microtubules [1]. The
Plasmodium homolog of SPM-1 is currently under investigation in our lab as well.
References
[1] Liu, J., L. Wetzel, Y. Zhang, E. Nagayasu, S. Ems-Mcclung, L. Florens, and K. Hu. "Novel Thioredoxin-Like Proteins
Are Components of a Protein Complex Coating the Cortical Microtubules of Toxoplasma Gondii." Eukaryotic Cell 12.12
(2013): 1588-599.
14. Identification of Novel Chromatin Modifiers Required for Stem Cell Maintenance
Fidak Khan, Anjali Rao, and *Carole LaBonne
Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60201
!19
email: fidakkhan2019@u.northwestern.edu *PI: clabonne@northwestern.edu
Understanding how stem cell attributes are controlled is of high significance to developmental biology
and regenerative medicine. Blastula-stage vertebrate embryos possess populations of pluripotent
Embryonic Stem (ES) cells. ES cells relinquish their pluripotency, and their developmental potential
becomes progressively restricted as development proceeds. An exception are neural crest cells, an
ectodermal population that arises at the neural plate border yet possesses multi-germ layer
developmental potential. Recent work in the LaBonne lab has identified that neural crest cells have
molecular similarities to ES cells and retain pluripotency past the time that other cells become lineage
restricted. The neural crest is, thus, an ideal in vivo model to study the maintenance of pluripotency.
Epigenetic chromatin modification is a key feature controlling the stem cell state. Covalent modifications
of histone octamers cause conformational changes impacting the accessibility of the DNA to
transcription factors. Such modifications are deposited and removed by chromatin modifiers tasked with
the maintenance the epigenetic state of the cell. Given the distinct ability of the neural crest cells to
retain pluripotency, we hypothesized that multiple chromatin modifiers play essential roles in maintaining
the epigenetic state of these cells. To test this hypothesis in Xenopus embryos, we conducted a small-
molecule inhibitor assay geared towards identifying novel chromatin modifiers that may be playing a role
in maintaining pluripotency. Expression of pluripotency factors such as Sox3, Oct25, and Vent2 was
examined by whole mount in-situ hybridization. Chemically inhibiting the histone demethylase Jarid1B
resulted in retention of Sox3 expression at stages where Sox3 is known to lose expression as lineage
determination proceeds.1 Sox3 retention, correlating with a retention of developmental potential,
suggests that Jarid1B plays a role in lineage restriction. Further analysis can elucidate the function of
chromatin modifiers in maintaining the stem cell state.
References
[1] Buitrago-Delgado, E., Nordin, K., Rao, A., Geary, L., & LaBonne, C. (2015). Shared regulatory programs suggest
retention of blastula-stage potential in neural crest cells. Science (New York, N.Y.), 348(6241), 1332 1335. https://
doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa3655
15. Is There a Relationship Between the Taxonomy and Soft Palate Patterns in
Shrews (Soricidae)?
Rachel Kistinger, Julian C Kerbis Peterhans, Rebecca Banasiak
Roosevelt University; Field Museum of Natural History
The purpose of this research is to determine if there is another method of identification of Soricidae
using soft palate ridges and patterns. Based on previous research done on fruit bats, in which dierent
species have distinct soft palate patterns unique to each species, it may also be true for shrews.
Previous studies have not been done of the palatal ridges of Soricidae; instead identification is primarily
focused on footpads, pelage, teeth patterns, and DNA. To conduct this study, various genera of shrews
from a collection of specimens, from Uganda in 2014, at the Field Museum of Natural History were used.
The skulls were removed from the body, their palates were photographed under a highly magnified
camera, and number of ridges and patterns were noted and compared among species to determine if
there are patterns shared among species, or at least genera. Definite results are to be determined after
further research, but based on superficial findings and analysis of the soft palates, there seems to be
some degree of association between the soft palate structure and genus.
16. Hedgehog Signaling Controls Gene Regulatory Networks for Early

Cardiovasculogenesis
Mervenaz Koska, Alexander Guzzetta, Megan Rowton, Je Steimle, Andrew Homan,
Junghun Kweon, and *Ivan P. Moskowitz
Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago

email: mkoska@uchicago.edu *PI: imoskowtiz@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu
!20
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect and contributes enormously to
the public health burden. Despite the conditions prevalence, the genetic etiology of CHD is far from
being well understood. Our lab attempts to address this issue by investigating the underlying molecular
mechanisms for cardiac development in order to find causal pathways towards CHD. We focus on the
hedgehog (hh) signaling pathway, aiming to characterize its role in cardiac morphogenesis, and how its
disruption translates through developmental signaling pathways. Historically, hh signaling has been
demonstrated to be crucial in cardiac morphogenesis, and a component signaling ligand Sonic
Hedgehog (Shh) is required for the septation of the atrioventricular canal. The primary observation for
this study demonstrated that germline removal of all hh signaling through ablation of the membrane
bound signal transduction component, Smoothened (Smo), led to hypoplasia of the linear heart tube,
failure of chamber expansion, and early embryonic lethality, which suggests an earlier and distinct role
for hh signaling in the earliest stages of cardiac morphogenesis. Following these results, conditional
removal of Smo from early cardiogenic mesoderm using Mesp1Cre recapitulated the phenotype of
germline removal of Smo, whereas removal of Smo in specified cardiac precursors through Nkx2-5Cre
failed to do sothus confining the requirement for hh in this process to early mesoderm. RNA-seq of
Mesp1Cre marked cells overexpressing Gli3R, the primary hh-signaling transcriptional repressor, showed
an upregulation of cardiovascular lineage markers and a down-regulation of factors for mesoderm
progenitor identity at embryonic day 7.5. This led us to hypothesize that mesoderm progenitors for
cardiovascular lineages are undergoing premature dierentiation. As a means to support this, we
assayed for markers of cardiovascular dierentiation products in wild type and mutant contexts to see if
an increase can be observed in the context of disrupted hh.
17. Validation of White Matter Hyperintensities Within Ex-Vivo MRI

Arman Kulkarni1, Arnold M. Evia1, Julie A. Schneider2,3,4, David A. Bennett2,3, and
*Konstantinos Arfanakis1,2,5

2 Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center
3 Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center
4 Department of Pathology, Rush University Medical Center
5 Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Rush University Medical Center
email: akulka16@hawk.iit.edu *PI: arfanakis@iit.edu
Studies have used ex-vivo MRI to investigate the association of white matter hyperintensity (WMH)
burden with age-related neuropathologies while eliminating the interval between imaging and death. All
such investigations assume that WMH burden assessed ex-vivo is identical to that observed in-vivo, but
that has not yet been established. Therefore, the purpose of this work was twofold: 1) to investigate the
relationship between WMH burden assessed in-vivo and ex-vivo on the same older adults, and 2) to test
the hypothesis that WMH burden assessed ex-vivo is higher than that assessed in-vivo for longer ante-
mortem intervals (AMI) (i.e. from imaging to death). Thus, 83 elderly adults recruited from two
longitudinal, cohort studies of aging, underwent both in-vivo and ex-vivo brain MRI. A rater trained by an
expert assessed WMH severity based on the original Fazekas scale (based on ratings from 0 to 3). WMH
burden was defined as the maximum of the periventricular and deep white matter WMH ratings. In-vivo
and ex-vivo ratings were compared for all participants. Two groups of participants were defined based
on whether the WMH burden rating increased from in-vivo to ex-vivo MRI or not (excluding participants
that already had the maximum rating in-vivo), and logistic regression of two groups was used to test the
hypothesis that increased WMH burden ex-vivo is associated with longer AMI. We found that WMH
burden generally stayed constant or increased from in-vivo to ex-vivo MRI. Logistic regression showed
that for every one year increase in AMI, the odds of greater WMH burden ex-vivo increase by 59%
(p=0.04). Hence this study demonstrated no drastic dierences between in-vivo and ex-vivo WMH
burden, providing strong evidence that WMH burden assessed ex-vivo is of the same nature as WMH
burden assessed in-vivo. Any dierences observed were probably due to additional pathology
developing during the AMI.
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18. Reproductive Trade-os in White Spruce

Abigail C. Leeper, *Jalene M. LaMontagne
College of Science and Health, DePaul University

email: abigailleeper@gmail.com *PI email: jlamont1@depaul.edu
Individuals have limited resources, typically leading to trade-os in the size and number of ospring
produced. However, evolutionary pressures may alter this relationship. For instance, many perennial
plant species exhibit a reproductive pattern known as mast seeding. During mast seeding events,
individuals produce very large seed crops. One hypothesis associates these events with increased
pollination eciency during synchronous reproduction, where there is expected to be higher
reproductive success during mast conditions. Thus, during a mast event, this trade-o may not exist.
Using white spruce (Picea glauca) as a focal species, we investigated the relationship between mast
seeding and the ospring size and number trade-o. Between 2012 and 2016, ~40 cones were collected
from 38 trees at a site in northern Michigan. We found the relationship between cone length (hence seed
number) and the total number of cones produced varied across years, but was not strongly negative.
Understanding this relationship can provide insight into how the phenomenon of mast seeding
influences life-history traits for reproduction.
19. Variability in Normal Hearing Thresholds, But Not Synaptopathy, Influences

Speech-in-Noise Abilities
Christine Junhui Liu1,2, Jen Krizman1, Travis White-Schwoch1, Spencer Smith1 and *Nina
Kraus1,2,3
1 Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory (www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu), Department of Communication Sciences and

Disorder, Northwestern University
2 Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University
3 Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University
email: junhuiliu2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: nkraus@northwestern.edu
Even within a healthy, young population, there is a wide range of speech-in-noise abilities. Why some
young listeners with normal hearing have greater diculty understanding speech in noise then others is
unknown. Studies in animal models suggest that degeneration of auditory nerve fibers following
moderate noise exposure, a phenomenon known as synaptopathy, could account for this hearing in
noise diculty. Though it aects the auditory nerve, synaptopathy is believed to leave cochlear hair cells
intact, suggesting it would not impair hearing threshold. Therefore, synaptopathy should be undetectable
by conventional audiometry, but reflected through electrophysiological responses that assess neural
processing along the auditory pathway (i.e. Auditory Brainstem Response or ABR). Specifically,
synaptopathy should be observed as a reduction of the suprathreshold wave I amplitude, as the size of
this ABR peak reflects the health and integrity of the auditory nerve. While animal work supports this
assumption, its validity in humans has yet to be tested. Thus, the current understanding of synaptopathy
leaves two predictions to be tested: 1) hearing thresholds do not correlate with wave I amplitude; and, 2)
wave I amplitude, but not hearing thresholds, relate to hearing-in-noise abilities in normal hearing
individuals. We tested these predictions by analyzing wave I amplitude, hearing thresholds from .125
14 kHz, and hearing-in-noise performance in 120 normal-hearing adolescents (aged 15 to 16 years). In
contrast to the synaptopathy hypothesis, we found correlations between wave I amplitude and hearing
thresholds. Furthermore, while we did not observe any relationships between wave I amplitude and
hearing-in-noise abilities, hearing thresholds did relate to hearing-in-noise abilities. These results fail to
support current assumptions about synaptopathys independence from hearing thresholds and its role in
hearing-in-noise variability. Instead, these results demonstrate that in a normal-hearing population,
variability in hearing sensitivity can be detected by conventional audiometry and impacts real-world
listening.
20. The eects of amyloid beta a hallmark of Alzheimers Disease on

mitochondrial function in hippocampal neurons
!22
Nikita Mehta1,3, Nicole ReyesCruz3, Han-A Park2, Nelli Mnatsakayan2, Paige Miranda2,
*Elizabeth Jonas2,3
1 Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 208074
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637
3 Whitman Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543-1015
email: nikitamehta@uchicago.edu *PI: elizabeth.jonas@yale.edu
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurological disorder characterized by cognitive and motor deterioration
that aects memory, attention, speech, and behavior. One of the factors underlying the progression of
AD is the accumulation of amyloid beta (A) protein plaques that block synaptic transmission. It has
been previously suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction may play a role in the onset or progression of
AD. We now demonstrate that A contributes to cellular dysfunction by aecting both mitochondrial
membrane potential and calcium retention capacity two measures of mitochondrial function and
eciency. After isolating and purifying mitochondria through density-gradient centrifugation, we found
that A-treated mitochondria exhibited a reduction in calcium uptake ability in comparison to control
mitochondria. Using confocal microscopy of the mitochondrial membrane potential indicator, TMRE, we
visualized and quantified a significant dierence in mitochondrial membrane potential between control
and A-treated hippocampal neurons. In addition to drastically reducing the membrane potential, A
peptide also aected neuron morphology neurite branching, and by extension, neuronal network
formation, were severely impaired. We predict that these findings are the result of an A-induced inner
mitochondrial membrane leak, and hypothesize that As interaction with B-cell lymphoma extra-large
(Bcl-xL), a specialized Bcl-2 family protein, may cause the opening of the mitochondrial permeability
transition pore (mPTP), resulting in decreased mitochondrial competency. Bcl-xLs binding to the beta
subunit of the F1F0-ATP synthase reduces the inner membrane ion leak, thereby increasing the flow of
ions through the H+ translocator of ATP synthase to make ATP and enhancing the eciency of energy
metabolism in the mitochondria. Since Bcl-xL, among other regulatory proteins, is vital for preventing the
neurotoxicity that leads to AD, our findings suggest that A may disrupt regulation of the gating of the
inner membrane leak channel within ATP synthase, leading to functional decline of the mitochondria.
Funding by the University of Chicago Je Metcalf SURF scholarship
21. Single-molecule Investigation of Hairpin Formation in DNA Sequences Associated

with Trinucleotide Repeat Disorders
Marisa Mitchell, Carolina Dunbar, Thao Tran, and *Brian Cannon
Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago

email: mmitchell11@luc.edu *PI: bcannon1@luc.edu
The maintenance of genomic integrity depends upon the fidelity of multiple DNA repair pathways that are
activated by specific damage signals. In fact, repetitive trinucleotide DNA motifs at distinct genetic loci
are responsible for triggering a broad group of hereditary, neurodegenerative diseases. The occurrence
of non-helical DNA structure within these motif-harboring regions has long been identified as a structural
precursor that interferes with normal DNA processing and ultimately leads to pathogenic states. The
precise role of these structures in this interference remains unresolved; therefore, an improved
understanding of these structures is critical for developing targeted therapies. As a first step, we
characterized the formation and dynamics of CAG and CTG repeat DNA hairpins, a specific non-helical
structure that can form within these trinucleotide sequences, which are associated with numerous forms
of spinocerebellar ataxia and Huntingtons disease. DNA constructs were designed that contain a
specific number of either CAG or CTG repeats, and they were labeled at specific sites with the
fluorescent dyes Cy3 and Cy5. Using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, we directly imaged
nanoscale changes in distance between the fluorescence dyes for individual DNA molecules in real time
with sub-second resolution. The changes in interdye distance arise due to continuous conformational
transitions between two hairpin states (open and closed). The time traces revealed that the CTG repeats
form more stable hairpins than the CAG repeats. Strikingly, both sequences exhibit highly dynamic
!23
behavior with rapid open and closing rates. In addition, increases in the monovalent salt concentration
increased the likelihood of the hairpin in the closed conformation. Analysis of the open and closing
behavior revealed two reasons for this observation: 1) the closed form of the hairpin was longer lived at
higher salt concentrations and 2) the transition from the open to the closed state occurred faster.
.
23. Mixed Forest Mycorrhizal Composition Shift and the Abundance of Oribatid Mites
Dragomir V. Oreshkov, Amanda Henderson, *David H. Wise
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago
Deciduous forests of mixed tree species possess root fungi, or mycorrhizae, whose type depend on the
species of tree roots they inhabit. The two types of root fungi, ectomycorrhizae and arbuscular
mycorrhizae, exist in gradients on the forest floor, where their relative proportions influence the soil
ecosystem and therefore the local abundance of soil arthropods. Because of the slower decomposition
and greater organic layer thickness of ectomycorrhizal areas, it was hypothesized that a shift towards
ectomychorrizal soil character would increase the population abundance of oribatid mites because of
the overall greater amount of organic material for consumption. Soil plots were conducted in two mixed-
tree deciduous forests in southern Indiana, where soil core samples were obtained from each plot and
examined for the number of oribatid mites present. Mesostigmata and collembola were also counted
because of their potential significance in influencing the oribatid population. The results demonstrated a
moderate positive correlation of pro-ectomycorrhizal soil shift and the increasing abundance of oribatida,
and similar results were also evident with the mesostigmata and collembolans. There were even strong
positive correlations between mesostigmata number and oribatid/collembolan number. The data from an
experiment such as this one is significant in that it shows how factors such as root fungi composition
could influence the success of native species; this could be put to good use by biologists seeking to
preserve or improve various soil ecosystems.
24. Incorporation of Phosphorylated Amino Acids to Phage Display

Katherine Pastewka, Anderson Huang, Collin Chow, and *Eric L. Weiss
Department of Biological Sciences, Northwestern University
email: katherinepastewka2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: elweiss@northwestern.edu
Phage display is a technique used to screen for protein-protein interactions by displaying an amino acid
motif on the surface of a bacteriophages coat protein. By running a library of phage against a protein of
interest and sequencing the recovered phage, possible binding sequences of the protein can be
determined. However, one major limitation of this technique is that it currently allows investigation of
sequences containing only unmodified amino acids, whereas in vivo post-translational modifications
such as phosphorylations can change protein structure and consequently binding activity. We hope to
expand the range of phage display to include such modifications, beginning with phosphoserine-
containing motifs by using a strain of E. coli known as EcAR7. This strain has been engineered to
incorporate phosphoserine at amber stop codons [1]. Cultivating phage in EcAR7 cells should allow
production of displayed motifs which include phosphoserine. If successful, the refined technique would
allow detection of novel modes of protein interaction which could not be found before.
References
[1] Park, H. S., Hohn, M. J., Umehara, T., Guo, L. T., Osborne, E. M., Benner, J., Noren, C. J., Rinehart, J., and Sll, D.
(2011) Expanding the genetic code of Escherichia coli with phosphoserine, Science 333, 1151- 1154.
25. Is There Congruence Between the Taxonomy and Soft Pallet Patterns in
Microchioptera
Alexandria Pellikan1, Julian C Kerbis Peterhans1,2, Rebecca Banasiak2
!24
1 Department of Biology, Roosevelt University

2 Science and Education Collection of mammals, Field Museum of Natural History
The purpose of this research was to see if there was another way to identify Microchioptera, using soft
pallet patterns. It was believed that we could be able to identify the specific bats by species using their
soft pallet patterns, since similar research had already been done on fruit bats. All of the specimen used
in this experiment are from a collection from Uganda which was collected by individuals from the Field
Museum of Natural History. The plan for the experiment was to remove the skulls and separate the jaws
on the skulls of specimen of dierent species and genus. After removing the skulls of varying specimen
highly magnified pictures of the soft pallets were taken. This was done so that you could see the pallet
and how it was laid out in order to identify dierences which will help us determine if one could identify
dierent species from their specific pallets. This research is still underway so there are no definite results
determined, but from what was currently found it can be determined to some degree that there is an
association between soft pallet patterns and taxonomy.
26. Cobalt(III) Schi Base Complexes for Inhibition of Metal-Mediated Amyloid-Beta

Toxicity
Anna G. Preston, Kaleigh F. Roberts, Thomas J. Meade
Northwestern University, Biological Sciences
Alzheimers Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively and irreversibly impairs the
neurological functioning of its victims, causing memory loss, loss of motor functions, and ultimately,
death. As many as 5 million Americans suer from AD1, and no cure or definitive cause has been
identified. However, the amyloid-beta (A) protein, which exists in two endogenous isoforms and is
found in the plaques that diagnostically characterize AD, is thought to be implicated in the disease
mechanism. When complexed with endogenous metal ions, such as Cu2+ and Zn2+, oligomeric A
aggregates more quickly and is able to catalyze the formation of reactive oxygen species. For this
reason, our project targets the metal-binding capacity of A for modulation by a cobalt(III) Schi base.
The cobalt(III) Schi base (Co-sb) complex comprises a cobalt (III) ion equatorially coordinated to an
acacen Schi base and with two axial ligands that dissociate in solution. This dissociation allows the
cobalt (III) ion to bind A at the N-terminal histidine residues where it would normally bind Cu2+ or Zn2+.
We assessed the modulation of A aggregation and toxicity by Co-sb, using a ThT aggregation assay
and a DCFDA assay respectively. Co-sb was found to be eective at inhibiting A aggregation at 0.5
equivalents for both isoforms, as well as at their endogenous ratio. Preliminary results also indicate that
Co-sb eectively reduces H2O2 production of A, but further work is needed to optimize the assay for a
cellular environment and improve on quantification metrics. Future work will also include the completion
of a competitive binding assay, in which immunoprecipitation will be used to determine whether Co-sb is
able to displace Cu2+ and Zn2+ from their binding sites on A.
27. Mutagenesis of a Prefusion Herpesvirus Fusion Protein

Carolyn A Robinson1, Shannon L Gallagher2, Sarah A Connolly1,2
1 Department of Health Sciences, DePaul University

2 Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University
Herpesviruses aect a significant portion of the human population and cause a variety of diseases,
including cold sores, chickenpox, mononucleosis, and some forms of cancer. The first step of any viral
infection requires a virus to enter a host cell. Herpesviruses enter cells by fusing a lipid viral envelope
with the host cell membrane. Glycoprotein B (gB), a virally-encoded class III fusion protein, mediates
this fusion event by physically inserting into the host cell membrane and refolding from a prefusion to a
postfusion conformation. The crystal structure of gB in its postfusion form has been solved, but its
prefusion structure is unknown. A model of the prefusion gB structure was created based on homology
to another class III fusion protein. To assess this model, we introduced mutations into gB that we
predicted would aect its fusion capacity by altering the stability of its prefusion conformation. Mutations
!25
were designed to increase the flexibility of a coiled-coil that is extended in the postfusion structure but
broken in the prefusion model. gB is an essential protein that is conserved in all herpesviruses. Insights
into the molecular details of how the gB protein refolds to force membranes to fuse may identify targets
for antiviral intervention.
28. Changes in Metabolite Profiles Released by Marine Microbes under Dierent

Growth Conditions
Yekaterina Rousakova1, Hilary Ranson2, Tracy J Mincer2, and *Kelsey Poulson-Ellestad1
1 Department of Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, 60605
2 Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543
email: yrousakova@mail.roosevelt.edu *PI: e-mail: kpoulsonellstad@roosevelt.edu
Secondary metabolites have always been a great source for potential antibiotic treatments in order to
help avoid the spread of the superbug. Eux pumps are known to play a role in multidrug resistance,
[1] and the marine environment has a vast number of microorganisms capable of producing and
releasing eux pump inhibitors [1], [2]. We were interested in determining the ideal and optimal growth
conditions to stimulate the production of potential therapeutic inhibitors and four marine microbes were
chosen. The four microbes are known to produce important chemicals and were grown under dierent
culture conditions to alter the composition and abundance of the compounds they release. The cultures
were extracted to separate the cells in the media and isolate released metabolites, followed by profiling
using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The data
was analyzed using MZmine, Microsoft Excel, and MetaboAnalyst, and the preliminary test results
suggest that there are significant dierences among dierent growth treatments. To further interpret the
results, principle component analysis (PCA) was preformed and graphs were created for each strain to
provide more information on the similarities and dierences in chemical profiles due to the dierent
growth conditions. For one of the strains, Pseudoalteromonas sp. A757, we tentatively identified several
potential antibiotic/known metabolites whose production varied due to the dierent growth conditions.
The most dramatic dierences in chemical profiles were due to the shaking versus non-shaking
environments as released compounds varied in abundance and composition in response to this
treatment. This was a common theme among all four strains tested, and can be verified by PCA. There
were also significant dierences in the metabolomes among all the strains in response to other growth
conditions tested. These chemical blueprints could help identify ideal growing conditions for bacterial
secondary metabolite production as well as show a global comparison among treatments. The impact of
these secondary metabolites, once identified, could lead to more discoveries in the drug industry for
antibiotics, as well as the oceanographic influence these specific compounds make.
References
[1] Whalen, K. E., Poulson-Ellestad, K. L., Deering, R. W., Rowley, D. C., & Mincer, T. J. (2015). Enhancement of antibiotic
activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria by the efflux pump inhibitor 3, 4-dibromopyrrole-2, 5-dione isolated from a
Pseudoalteromonas sp. Journal of Natural Products, 78(3), 402-412.
[2] Harvey E.L., Deering, R.W., Rowley, D.C., El Gamal, A., Schorn, M., Moore, B.S., Johnson, M.D., Mincer, T.J., and
Whalen, K.E. (2016). A bacterial quorum-sensing precursor induces mortalilty in the marine coccolithophore, Emiliania
huxleyi. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7:59.
29. Reconstitution of the Odorant Receptor Map in Aged Mice

Shelly Shibu1, Anisa Hussain1, Ashley Iannantone1, Paulina Lis1, Richard Costanzo2, and
Jessica H. Brann1
1 Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660 USA

2 Department of Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
email: sshibu@luc.edu *PI: jbrann@luc.edu
The olfactory system has been used as a model in many studies of neurogenesis due to its profound
capacity for neural regeneration and easy accessibility [2]. This study is unique in that it focuses on how
!26
age aects axonal targeting in newborn neurons through injury-induced regeneration of olfactory
sensory neurons (OSNs). Specifically, P2-taulacZ mice from 2 to 24 months of age are used to identify a
specific group of OSNs that express the P2 odorant receptor [1]. By analyzing lesioned mice in dierent
age groups through immunohistochemistry staining and colorimetric methods, we were able to follow
regenerated P2 neurons as they project into the olfactory bulb (OB) and innervate glomeruli. This allowed
us to see if appropriate connectivity is sustained after lesion. Results portray heterogeneous innervation
of P2+ glomeruli by OSNs expressing dierent odorant receptors (ORs). Regeneration is not a
recapitulation of development, as inferred by the analysis of 10 days post-lesion and 50 days post-lesion
OBs. The lack of appropriate connectivity expressed in the OB may be explained by quantification of P2
OSNs in the olfactory epithelium (OE), possibly indicating age-related changes. By studying the eects
of age in this model system for neurogenesis, we can better understand neural degeneration in diseases
such as Alzheimers. Furthermore, these endeavors enable the future construction of a complete map of
the neural circuit.
References
[1] Callahan, C.A., Thomas, J.B. (1994). Tau-b-galactosidase, an axon-targeted fusion protein. PNAS, 91:5972-5976.
[2] Holbrook, E.H., Iwema, C.L., Peluso, C.E., Schwob, J.E. (2014). The regeneration of P2 olfactory sensory neurons is
selectively impaired following methyl bromide lesion. Chemical Senses, 39(7): 601-616.
30. PbSPM-1 is a Redox Active Putative Microtubule-Binding Protein in the Malaria

Parasite Plasmodium
Farah N Siddiqi, Hannah Schaefer, Sean Powers, Kaitlyn Kiernan, and *Stefan M Kanzok

email: fsiddiqi@luc.edu *PI: skanzok@luc.edu
We are interested in the Plasmodium ookinete, which displays a highly polarized banana-like shape
structure. This structure is in part formed and maintained by microtubules and their microtubule-
associated proteins (MAPs). Only very few MAPs have been described in Plasmodium to date. Here we
describe a novel putative MAP of the Plasmodium berghei parasite, SPM-1. SPM-1 is a 38kDA protein,
containing an amino head domain, 6 copies of a 32 amino acid repeat, and a conserved carboxy tail.
SPM-1 has been successfully, cloned, purified, and expressed as protein. We have found through
biochemical assays that SPM-1 exhibits redox activity with the Plasmodium thioredoxin system (Trx-1), a
redox regulatory system that helps the parasite survive in the mosquito. In a related apicomplexan
organism, Toxoplasma gondii, SPM-1 has been shown to act as a microtubule binding protein (MAP).
This putative interaction is under current investigation in our lab. Further experiments will use SPM-1
antibodies produced in mice to investigate the binding of SPM-1 to microtubules, its subcellular
localization, and cellular function within the Plasmodium ookinete.
31. Evidence for a Transcription-Independent Function of Transcription Factor III C in

Caenorhabditis elegans
Alexis Stutzman1, April Liang2, Kohta Ikegami1,2
1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago

2 Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University
In eukaryotes, a multi-subunit protein complex Transcription Factor III C (TFIIIC) recruits RNA polymerase
III (Pol III) for transcription of small noncoding RNAs. Outside this conventional role, previous studies in
D. melanogaster, S. cerevisiae, S. pombe , and human have implicated TFIIIC in regulation of protein-
coding genes by insulating spreading of heterochromatin to nearby protein-coding genes. We
hypothesize that TFIIIC plays a similar role in heterochromatin organization in nematode Caenorhabditis
elegans (C. elegans) . To test this hypothesis, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with
high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) for TAG315 and SFC1, two components of the TFIIIC machinery,
!27
and RPC1, a subunit of RNA polymerase III itself, in C. elegans embryos. We revealed two modes of
TFIIIC binding in the genome: TFIIIC-binding sites co-occupied by Pol III at expected noncoding RNA
genes and those lacking Pol III occupancy. These Pol III-unoccupied TFIIIC sites constituted a large
fraction (446 sites, 42%) of the total TFIIIC-binding sites, a finding dierent from those in humans,
yeasts, and Drosophila . Almost all Pol III-unoccupied TFIIIC sites were distant to noncoding RNA genes,
but harbored DNA binding motifs for TFIIIC-DNA interactions. We discovered that Pol III-unoccupied
TFIIIC sites, but not co-occupied counterparts, were preferentially localized to regions of the genome
enriched for heterochromatin and associated with the nuclear periphery. We hypothesize that C. elegans
TFIIIC is involved in heterochromatin organization at the nuclear periphery.
32. Characterization of the Promoter of an Inducible Antioxidant Gene in the Malaria

Parasite Plasmodium
Cecile Swift, Sara Hammer, Kaitlyn Kiernan, *Stefan Kanzok

email: cswift@luc.edu *PI: skanzok@luc.edu
The Kanzok lab seeks to understand how the malaria parasite survives its passage from its human host
to the mosquito vector. This comes with understanding the parasites survival methods and molecular
defense system so that we can design potential inhibitors that will leave the parasite defenseless. I aim
to understand the molecular mechanism by which the parasite senses and regulates its defenses. One of
its defense genes is 1-cysprx. We hypothesize that an antioxidant response element (ARE) in the
promoter region of 1-cysprx is required to activate the antioxidant response of the parasite. My objective
is to characterize the promoter of the malaria gene 1-cysprx and to locate and identify the ARE.
33. Alternative Exon Repairs of the Same Defect- Are They Equivalent?
Evelyn Thomas, Manyuan Ma, Xin Niu, *Nick Menhart
Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology
email: ethomas7@hawk.iit.edu *PI: menhart@iit.edu
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, DMD, is a degenerative disease caused by defects in the dystrophin
gene aecting 1 in 3500 males that renders them wheelchair-bound by ~15 years, and kills them by ~25
years. Most commonly, it is caused by the deletion of one or more exons in the gene that change the
reading frame, eliminating protein expression. Dystrophin is essential for muscle stability, and its
absence causes the severe pathology observed.
Exon-skipping therapy uses antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) to restore the reading frame by skipping
additional exons near the mutated region to restore some, albeit edited, dystrophin. This altered
dystrophin may hopefully stabilize the cell membrane as intact dystrophin did, thus providing a better
quality of life for the patient. However, in many cases, dierent exons can be skipped to restore the
reading frame for any given DMD defect, and it is unclear which would be superior.
As such we have examined the properties of various edits to see which is best, here we examine this for
2 cohorts of 3 edits that are alternative repairs of 2 DMD defects in the in the exon 44-60 region. We
cloned and expressed and purified these proteins and subjected them to an array of biophysical and
biochemical assays to determine how similar they were to wild type undamaged dystrophin. In all cases,
we found that they varied significantly in properties, and that one member of each cohort was much
more similar to the wild type, whereas the others were destabilized.
Combined with retrospective clinical data linking the nature of the defect to clinical progression, this
suggests that study of intrinsic properties of the edit can be relevant to AON choice when such
alternatives are available to individual patients.
!28
34. R-SNARE Protein Ykt6 Restores Lysosomal Function in Parkinsons Disease Cell
Model
Kotaro Tsutsumi, Leah K. Cuddy, and *Joseph R. Mazzulli
The Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
email: kotarotsutsumi2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: jmazzulli@northwestern.edu
Parkinsons disease (PD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder pathologically defined by the

accumulation of protein aggregates, mainly consisting of - synuclein (-syn). The accumulation and
conversion of normal soluble -syn into insoluble amyloids is not well understood, although
perturbations in the synthesis or degradation of -syn are likely to play a role. Additionally, major eorts
have been focused on how these aggregates, once formed, interfere with essential cellular pathways
resulting in neurodegeneration. We have previously shown that -syn aggregates disrupt vesicular
tracking at the level of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi, reducing lysosomal hydrolase tracking
and function, causing substrates to accumulate. Since -syn is normally degraded through lysosomes,
lysosomal dysfunction results in augmentation of -syn accumulation and the propagation of a feed-
forward pathogenic loop. Previous findings show that aggregated -syn can bind to and interfere with
Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE) proteins, resulting in alterations in membrane fusion
events. Since SNARE proteins mediate vesicle fusion between the ER and Golgi, deficiency in these
proteins may aect the tracking of hydrolases as they move from the ER into the Golgi, and then finally
into lysosomes. In this study, we show that -syn disrupts the function of a particular R-SNARE found at
the Golgi called ykt6. In transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, expression of the familial
mutant A53T -syn reduced ykt6 SNARE complex assembly. Overexpression of ykt6 rescued lysosomal
function in PD midbrain dopaminergic neurons generated from induced pluripotent stem cells.
Overexpression of a mutant form of ykt6 that exhibits an open, active conformation further enhanced
this eect. Our study underscores the significance of ykt6 in PD pathogenesis, and indicates that it could
potentially be a useful therapeutic target for synucleinopathies.
35. Maternal Immune Activation Leads to Sex-Dependent Alterations in Peripheral

Immune Cell Populations in Aged Mice
Mary Claire Tuohy, Kenneth G. Onishi, and Brian J. Prendergast
Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago
Activity of the maternal immune system during gestation is sucient to cause long-term brain and
behavioral abnormalities in ospring. Indeed, maternal immune activation (MIA; achieved via treatment
of pregnant mice with bacterial [LPS] and/or viral [PIC] mimics) is a powerful tool for modeling aspects of
neurodevelopmental disorders. The pathophysiological mechanisms by which MIA mediates its eects
on ospring brain and behavior are not fully understood. The majority of studies have focused on
identifying immunological alterations in the CNS of MIA ospring indicating that MIA triggers
increased brain inflammation. But little attention has been directed towards the MIA-induced changes in
peripheral immune function. Here we quantified immune cell populations in the blood of adult mice that
were prenatally challenged with PIC, using flow cytometry. Blood leukocytes were more numerous in a
sample obtained during the light phase than during the dark phase. Data will be presented that will
permit insights into the subpopulations of leukocytes that are dierentially impacted by early life
exposure to maternal inflammation, with an emphasis on sex dierences. Numerous mechanisms likely
participate in the generation of altered peripheral immunocompetence following MIA. A deeper
understanding of cross-talk between the CNS and the immune system may shed light on whether
peripheral immune system disruption plays a role in the diverse pathologies associated with MIA.
36. Synthesis of a TEM Dye for Photochemical Interrogation of Synaptogenesis

Eleni Varelas, Kaleigh Roberts, Chris Brue, Adam Preslar, and *Thomas J Meade
!29
Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Radiology, Northwestern
University
email: elenivarelas2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: tmeade@northwestern.edu
The production of photocaged-neurotransmitters has led to the ability to induce local synaptogenesis
using two- photon confocal microscopy. This technique gives researchers the opportunity to examine
specific biological processes with tremendous specificity and precision. Caged glutamate can be
activated by two-photon microscopy, releasing free glutamate with spatial precision and inducing de
novo synaptogenesis. This process can then be studied by electron microscopy to visualize the
ultrastructure of the new synapse. However, finding the dendritic spine of interest when switching
between imaging modalities is currently dicult and time consuming. The Meade group hopes to
address this current diculty by creating chemical tools that generate TEM contrast upon
photoactivation. Our agent is based on a peptide amphiphile structure and includes charged lysine
residues, a photocleavable amino acid, and a perfluorocarbon tail. Upon photocleavage, the
perfluorocarbon tail is liberated and aggregates to form an electron rich TEM dye, which can be used for
facile localization of newly formed dendritic spines.
References
[1] Deiters, A, et al (2010). Principles and Applications of the Photochemical Control of Cellular Processes.
Chembiochem, 11(1): 47-53.
[2] Augustine, G (2001). Illuminating the location of brain glutamate receptors. Nature Neuroscience, 4: 1051-1052.
37. Eects of Spatial Temperature Disparity on Growth of Picea glauca near Lake
Superior
Michael W. Wade, *Jalene M. LaMontagne
Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University
email: wadem117@gmail.com *PI: jlamont1@depaul.edu
Many species are responding to climate change by adjusting their spatial distribution and altering their
growth patterns. Populations near range boundaries are more susceptible to impact. Conifer species,
such as white spruce (Picea glauca) have been studied near their northern range limit, but less work has
been done in the south. We studied white spruce populations in Michigan along the southern shore of
Lake Superior. We also took advantage of a lake eect in the area, where inland areas can be up to 2C
warmer than the lakefront during the growing season. To record historical growth rates of P. glauca
populations, core samples were collected from the three largest trees at six sites (3 near the lake, 3
inland) and ring width increments were measured. Trends in growth were compared to mean temperature
dierences across each site. We demonstrate the use of regional weather patterns, influenced at local
scales by topographical features (e.g., the presence of large water bodies), to study the eects of climate
change.
38. Pathogen Prevalence and Reforestation in Ethiopia

Nathaniel Wright, Daniel MacLachlan, Ben Norton, Daniel Travis and *Kristen Page
Biology Department, Wheaton College
email: nathaniel.wright@my.wheaton.edu *PI: kristen.page@wheaton.edu
The global burden of disease exacerbates poverty and can lead to long-term disabilities for those in the
developing world. Disease control methods should include an ecological approach to disease mitigation,
but this requires understanding how the modification of landscapes promotes transmission. In the
highlands of Ethiopia near Injibara, the Forest, Fruit, and Forage for Farm Families (5Fs) project has
developed reforestation programs that have improved the environment of homesteads. Diseases like
hookworm have been shown to increase transmission following deforestation [1]. This study is
determining whether the 5Fs reforestation projects have decreased disease prevalence. Soil samples
were collected from five Ethiopian homesteads with reforestation projects, and DNA was isolated from
!30
the soil using a Zymo Research DNA extraction kit. Soil samples were collected in the immediate
proximity of houses, in gardens, and in orchards. DNA samples were then screened for common
diseases, including E. coli and hookworm using PCR and gel electrophoresis. By comparing the
prevalence of common diseases with the land-use practices at sampling, this study will be able to
recommend how land-use practices impact disease prevalence. To date, we have found that the
prevalence of E. coli does not dier as a function of land-use and is common across homesteads. We
also screened for the presence of hookworm, because this parasite is spread through feces and the lack
of sanitation could promote hookworm prevalence. However, no hookworm was identified despite the
prevalence of feces. This is likely because the sampling occurred during the dry season, and hookworm
does not readily survive in dry conditions. Illumina metagenomic sequencing is currently being used to
broadly evaluate pathogen diversity among the samples. We will present the results of this analysis and
continue to examine the relationship between pathogen composition and land-use.
References
[1] Lilley, B., Lammie, P., Dickerson, J., & Eberhard M. (1997). An increase in hookworm infection temporally associated
with ecologic change. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 3(3), 391-393.
39. FGF10 and Wnt signaling in pancreatic progenitor cell growth

Nicholas Yonan, Christine Bassig-Santos, *Solomon Afelik
Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago
email: Nicholasyonan@gmail.com *PI: Safelik@uic.edu
The pancreas consists of exocrine and endocrine glands which secrete digestive enzymes and
hormones to regulate blood glucose levels respectively. Both endocrine and exocrine pancreatic cells
develop from a common ancestor known as pancreatic progenitor cells. Adequate knowledge of the
molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic progenitor cell growth will aid eorts to dierentiate insulin
producing cells in quantities sucient for cell replacement therapy for Type-1 diabetes patients as well
as other cell based therapies for pancreatic diseases. During embryonic development, Fibroblast growth
Factor 10 (FGF10) and Wnt signaling have been shown to promote pancreatic progenitor growth.
Genetic deletion of either FGF10 or Wnt signaling suppresses pancreatic progenitor cell growth. While
Wnt signaling is generated within pancreatic progenitor cells, FGF10 is secreted from mesenchymal
cells, which are adjacent to the developing pancreas. It is currently not known whether, and how these
two major signaling pathways interact to promote pancreatic progenitor cell growth. We hypothesized
that FGF10 promotes pancreatic growth by activating Wnt signaling in the pancreas. To test this
hypothesis, we examined FGF10 mouse knockout (FGF10 KO) embryos for eects on Wnt signaling in
the pancreas. We used immunohistochemistry to analyze the eect of FGF10 KO on the Wnt target gene
Lef1. We found that genetic deletion of FGF10 did not aect the expression of the Wnt target gene, Lef1.
We conclude that Wnt signaling promotes pancreatic growth independent of FGF10.
40. Generalized Category Encoding in Posterior Parietal Cortex

Oliver Zhu1, Krithika Mohan1, Sruthi K. Swaminathan1, *David J. Freedman1,2
1 The Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago
2 The Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior, University of Chicago
email: zhuou@uchicago.edu *PI: dfreedman@uchicago.edu
Neurons in the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP) encode task-relevant information about visual stimuli,
such as color, shape, category membership, and task rules. In a well-studied delayed match-to-category
(DMC) paradigm, monkeys are trained to categorize a 360 range of motion directions into categories
based on an arbitrary, learned category boundary. In this task, monkeys indicate a category match by
releasing a lever. However, it is unknown if LIP neuronal populations reflect a generalized categorization
process or represent category signals exclusively in the DMC task because of its particular task
demands. To test for generalized encoding of category, we trained monkeys on a novel categorization
task in which monkeys report the category identity of the visual stimuli with an eye movement.
!31
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Chemistry
Tentatively called the one-interval categorization (OIC) task, monkeys here are trained to associate the
same motion directions to one of two color targetsboth of which appear simultaneously after stimulus
presentation as the proxy by which monkeys indicate their choice. Through single neuron
electrophysiology, we found that although some neurons show task-dependent encoding dierences,
the majority of neurons in LIP simultaneously encode category signals across both tasks. Our results
provide support for a model of LIP with mixed selectivity for task-relevant variables that ultimate guide
successful visually driven behavior.
41. Analysis of a Knock-Out Malaria Parasite Line that Lacks the Novel Thioredoxin-
like Protein TrxL-1
Emily E Zurales, Kaitlyn A Kiernan, and *Stefan A Kanzok
email: ezurales@luc.edu *PI: skanzok@luc.edu
My project currently contributes to the analysis of the trxl-1 knockout malaria parasite line, which was
previously generated in our lab using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Trxl-1 is highly expressed in the
mosquito stages of parasite development. We hypothesize this knockout will negatively aect parasite
growth and survival in the mosquito. In order to analyze the potential phenotype of the gene knockout, I
have conducted a growth curve to observe development in both the mouse and the mosquito stages. By
injecting a predetermined number of wild type and transgenic parasites into the tail veins of naive mice, I
am able to consider delays in development observable in blood smears. Via microscopy, side-by-side
comparisons of the wildtype and the transgenic parasites during the mosquito stages of development
gives us insight into variability in the morphology, fitness, and survival of the parasites. In the mosquito,
the parasite is traceable through a series of morphological changes as it adapts to the conditions of the
mosquito midgut. Currently, my research is focused on creating a wildtype growth curve to later serve as
a baseline for the transgenic parasite growth curve. In initial observations of the transgenic parasite, the
gene knockout resulted in delayed growth of the transgenic parasites during development in the
mosquito midgut. Continued research into this subject will further quantify the developmental delays in
the mosquito.
Chemistry
42. One- and Three-Electron Bonding in Conjugated Hydrocarbons

Melisa Alkan, Andrey Yu. Rogachev
Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology
The problem of possible formation and stability of one and three electron bonds was first intensively
studied by Pauling back in 1931. In his work, it was found that the hydrogen molecular ion H2+, triatomic
hydrogen ion H3+, lithium molecule ions Li2+ contain one-electron bond whereas molecules such as the
helium molecular ion He2+ contain three-electron bond. In our work, the possible formation of one- and
three- electron bonds using polyaromatic hydrocarbons as building blocks was theoretically studied with
help of an arsenal of modern computational chemistry. The project initially started with description of the
formation and stability of such bonds in simplest [C2H4]2-, [C2H4]23- systems. Next, it was extended to
analysis of one- and three-electron bonding in aromatic systems formed by benzene and naphthalene
building blocks. In the last step, the systems of interest became even larger, such as coronene,
corannulene and fullerene, aiming at the clarification of the role of polyaromatic surface curvature on
structure and properties of the target anionic species. The set was compared to two-electron systems
which are experimentally known. The results indicated the formation of a single non-polar covalent bond
and symmetrical charge distribution between interacting fragments in all systems under consideration.
43. A Spectroscopic Analysis of Barium- and Zinc-Containing Ceramic Glazes
!32
Sarah B. Benton and *Frederick J. Northrup

Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University
email: sarahbenton2017@u.northwestern.edu *PI: f-northrup@northwestern.edu
Ceramic glazes must be stable to be used safely as food and beverage containers. Barium is a toxic
metal that can be found in many ceramic glazes, but its levels are not regulated by the FDA, as is the
case for lead and cadmium. In research done by the Northrup group, it was found that adding zinc in
small amounts can stabilize a barium- containing glaze, while adding zinc in larger amounts causes high
levels of many materials to leach from the glaze when in contact with mildly acidic media. To better
understand these trends, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and powder x-ray
diraction (PXRD) have been used to study the molecular and elemental compositions of the glazes.
Raman spectroscopy proves especially useful due to its ability to probe the low-frequency vibrational
modes of the molecules containing heavy metals, such as barium, in the glazes. Raman spectra of
stable barium- and zinc-containing glazes generally show broad features, indicating the presence of a
complex aluminosilicate lattice likely with variable structure throughout the glazes. This is consistent with
previous research on barium aluminosilicate systems which find there to be large numbers of dierent
phases within narrow temperature and composition ranges. For less stable glazes, sharper Raman
spectral features are found in the unleached areas, and these features disappear after leaching. These
features are likely due to molecular compositions that are not incorporated into the aluminosilicate
lattice, but rather represent zinc or barium compounds outside of the lattice. PXRD spectra of the same
unstable glazes closely match that of the mineral celsian, BaAl2Si2O8, suggesting its presence in some
amount with zinc remaining outside of the primary lattice.
44. Development of Near Zero Background MRI Contrast Agents

Zer Keen Chia, Laura Lilley, Shaunna McLeod, and *Thomas J. Meade
email: zerkeenchia2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: tmeade@northwestern.edu
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful research and diagnostic imaging tool, providing
excellent spatial and temporal resolution without the use of ionizing radiation. These attributes make MRI
ideal for correlating biochemical events to physiological changes. The signal generated by an MRI
contrast agent can be quantified by its relaxivity (r1) that is related to the following parameters: the
number of bound water molecules (q), the mean residence lifetime of the bound water molecules (!"),
and the rotational correlation time of the contrast agent (!#). Attempts to increase the relaxivity of the
contrast agent by modifying the parameters q, !", and !# have been extensively studied [1]. However, the
contrast agent still exhibits a strong background signal in the o state due to a fourth parameter the
electronic relaxation time (T1e) of Gd(III) [2]. Detection of, and sensitivity to, biological processes in these
molecular imaging applications is dependent on the change in signal achieved upon contrast agent
activation. Consequently, MRI suers from an inherent lack of sensitivity in these molecular imaging
applications due to the high background signal of current Gd(III) contrast agents employed for
visualization. The aim of this research is to develop an entirely new class of bio-activatable contrast
agents with near zero background by modulating the T1e of the Gd(III) center. Here, it is shown that a
decrease in relaxivity by 50% can be achieved by coupling Gd(III) to a transition metal such as Co(II) with
a faster electronic relaxation time than that of Gd(III). We believe this proof of concept is the first step to
creating more eective contrast agents well-suited for molecular imaging purposes.
References
[1] Heffern, M.C., Matosziuk, L.M., & Meade, T.J. (2014) Lanthanide Probes for Bioresponsive Imaging. Chem. Rev., 114
(8), pp 4496-4539.
[2] Caravan, P. (2006) Strategies for increasing the sensitivity of gadolinium based MRI contrast agents. Chem. Soc. Rev.,
35 (6), pp 512-523.
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45. Understanding Life: One Protein at a Time

Kenneth Conde, Samantha Lopez, Ciara Carmichael, Franklin Agbejimi, Rudy Medina, Jake
Hayes, Jennifer Salczynski, Matthew Jackson, and *Sandra Chimon-Rogers
Department of Biophysical Chemistry and Mathematics, Calumet College of St. Joseph
email: kconde@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
The design of a drink for human consumption is a dicult task in regards to what benefits it has and
what factors make it marketable. We are looking to provide the public a more nutritionally dense protein
supplemental drink that not only oers the individual a wide variety of essential vitamins, minerals, amino
acids but also gives them a variety of other dietary benefits. We propose a supplement that administers
substantially low caloric intake, low sodium content, and a fat value that is a fraction of the amount of its
leading competitors.
Utilizing various analytical chemistry techniques, we are predicting the half-life and concentrations of
various nutrients. We are providing adequate results to verify the prevention of protein denaturation,
alongside verifying the low caloric content and various health benefits. Some of the health benefits
include anti-inflammatory properties, high levels of fiber, low sodium content, immune system boosters,
possible preventative for Type 2 diabetes, Mad Cow Disease, and fatal familial insomnia, Gertsmann-
Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, and kuru. Just to name a few.
46. Self-Assembled Monolayer Arrays for the Discovery of Novel Cell Adhesion
Ligands
Raymond Dai1, Alexei Ten2 and *Milan Mrksich2,3
1 Program in Biological Sciences, Northwestern University
2 Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University
3 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University
email: raymonddai2017@u.northwestern.edu *PI: milan.mrksich@northwestern.edu
To carry out normal metabolism, proliferation and dierentiation, cells must bind to and spread on the
extracellular matrix (ECM), an insoluble aggregate of proteins, fibers and proteoglycans. A key limitation
of traditional methods for studying cell adhesion is the hindered presentation of active ligands to the cell
due to unfavorable protein orientations. A surface-mediated approach using peptides, known to be
excellent mimics for proteins in the ECM, has been shown to overcome this restraint. Specifically, the
use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold permits the immobilization of
peptide ligands at defined orientations and controlled densities, allowing for the direct presentation of
peptides to the surface. Adhesion of cells to the substrates is mediated entirely by the interactions of cell
receptors with the immobilized peptides, and thus SAMs present the ideal conditions to study novel
peptide ligands. In this study, short peptide libraries were immobilized onto surfaces with SAMs and
screened for cell-ligand binding activity with cyclic RGD as a positive control. Adherent cells were
labeled with CellTracker Green and visualized under fluorescent microscopy to observe adhesion.
Ligands bound to cells were characterized by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. This approach led to
positive hits for isoDGR, a known integrin ligand, providing a proof-of-concept result that supports the
continuation of this project to discover a new ligand. isoDGR was formed during the synthesis of the
libraries, and future peptide sequences will be modified to prevent the formation of this ligand. This
result nonetheless supports the use of SAMs as an ecient surface-mediated method for studying cell
adhesion ligands. Cell adhesion remains a large and active area in cell biology, and this approach will
provide greater insight into the role of ligands involved in adhesion-related signaling transduction
pathways and cellular processes.
47. Development of Inhibitors of the Di-Zinc Metalloenzyme NDM-1

Iman Darwish1, Maxwell Moore1, Cory Reidl1, Alesha Stewart2, Pei W. Thomas2, Walter Fast2,
and *Daniel P. Becker1
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1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago

2 Division of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin
email: idarwish@luc.edu *PI: dbecke3@luc.edu
The need for new antibiotic treatments has increased as more bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance [1].
One of the primary methods through which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance is through uptake of
foreign DNA containing genes coding for metalloenzymes which deactivate antibiotics. One such
category of metalloenzymes is the betalactamases, which destroy beta-lactam antibiotics [2]. Perhaps
the most worrisome in this category is New Delhi metallobeta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1), our chosen target.
Our research focuses on the synthesis and optimization of inhibitors of NDM-1 that are designed to
restore antibiotic ecacy. The divergent synthetic approach utilizes a 3- component copper-catalyzed
coupling from a common indoline sulfonyl azide intermediate employing conditions described by Bae to
prepare sulfonyl amidines, sulfonyl triazoles, and acyl sulfonamides [3]. Using this chemistry, we have
synthesized single-digit micromolar inhibitors of NDM-1. In addition to variation derived from the the
sulfonyl azide coupling, we also report a synthetic strategy to vary substituents around the indoline
scaold. Thus, in the design of more potent NDM-1 inhibitors, we have the opportunity of developing a
new therapeutic agent to be coadministered with beta-lactam antibiotics, restoring their ecacy.
References
[1] CDC. Antibiotic Resistant Threats in the United States, 2013. 2013.
[2] Klingler, F. Wichelhaus, T. Frank, D. Cuesta-Bernal, J. El-Delik, J. Mller, H. Sjuts, H. Gttig, S. Koenigs, A. Pos, K.
Pogoryelov, D. Proschak, E. Approved Drugs Containing Thiols as Inhibitors of Metallo--Lactamases: Strategy to
Combat Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2015, 58, 3626-3630.
[3] Bae, I. Han, H. Chang, S. Highly Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of N-sulfonylamidines by Cu-Catalyzed Three-
Component Coupling of Sulfonyl Azide, Alkyne, and Amine. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2005, 127,
2038-2039.
48. Mechanistic Complexity in the Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Olefins
Mihir Desai, Shannon Wilkens, Conor Brigham, Sue Patel, Sameera Siddiqi, Susan Phan,
Chad C. Eichman, *James J. Devery, III
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago
email: mdesai3@luc.edu *PI: jdevery@luc.edu
Friedel-Crafts alkylation is one of the oldest and most common transformations in organic chemistry and
is crucial for the synthesis of many industrial products. However, the benefits of this transformation are
often limited by polyalkylation of simple arenes, harsh reaction conditions, or the need for stoichiometric
amounts of Lewis acid and halide byproduct. Conversely, a combination of substoichiometric amounts
of a transition metal Lewis acid, Zn(II), and chlorotrimethylsilane produced sucient yields of products at
room temperature using only one equivalent of arene via a in situ-generated alkyl halide. Kinetic studies
have been performed via ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and time-resolved infrared
spectroscopy (ReactIR). Using data from UPLC and ReactIR, we will demonstrate the importance of
water in this catalytic transformation. These data will also allow us to propose a mechanism and identify
the turnover-limiting step in this hydroarylation.
49. Zingiber ocinale, a Folk Medicine Spice Possibly Alzheimers Disease

Preventative!
Jennifer Diaz, Elena Cortes, Jake Hayes, Jennifer Salczynski, Matthew Jackson, and *Sandra
Chimon-Rogers
email: jdiaz2@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
Alzheimers disease (AD) is a form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. Alzheimers disease
(AD) aects behavior, thinking, and memory. Two abnormal structures called plaques and tangles are
!35
prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells in the brain. Plaques are a deposit of a protein
fragment called beta amyloid. The beta amyloid builds up in the spaces between nerve cells. In previous
studies, the orthomolecular species melatonin has been found to have a tremendous impact on the -
amyloid peptide that causes Alzheimer's disease. Ginger (Zingiber onale) is an herbaceous plant found
in Southeast Asia. Ginger is a hot fragment spice made from the rhizome of a plant; ginger also
resembles bamboo in appearance. Ginger has multiple uses for health and cooking. Ginger smoothes
pain, menstrual cramps, headaches, and inflammation. It also prevents nausea, cold, and flu. Ginger is
also a great way to boost your immune system. Ginger can be used as a therapeutic way to prevent the
progression and/or onset of Alzheimers disease (AD).
Using Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-IR) and Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy
(UV-Vis), we have monitored the structural changes in the Alzheimers disease peptide samples from
random coil to beta- sheet. Because the nature of the Congo Red dye used in the UV-Vis trials relies
upon pentamerically binding to the aggregated fibrils, we confirmed that the secondary structures that
are present in the peptide are beta-sheets and have been able to monitor their accumulation to
determine their peak hours of fibrillization. Our methods of identifying and observing the structural
changes and behaviors of fibril formation in the peptide in comparison to those which contain the
peptide and the orthomolecular compound of ginger have enabled our work to focus on the amyloid
plaque at a magnified level using a technical approach that few others have attempted [1].
References
[1] Chimon, et.al. (2007) Evidence of fibril-like -sheet structures in a neurotoxic amyloid intermediate of Alzheimer's -
amyloid. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 14(12):1157-64.
50. Synthesis and Screening of Triaminopyrimidine Derivatives as Inflammatory
Caspase Inhibitors
Amanda East1, Courtney Kent1, Helen Gustafson1, Magdalena Bryja1, D. Eric Walters2, *Caitlin
E. Karver1
1 Department of Chemistry, DePaul University
2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
email: aeast1996@gmail.com *PI: ckarver@depaul.edu
Caspases are protease enzymes involved in the inflammatory response pathway and are activated upon
formation of the canonical and noncanonical inflammasomes. Overactive caspases -1, -4, and -5 are
linked to a variety of inflammatory cancers and autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In
order to develop inhibitors of these enzymes, hit-to-lead and docking studies were performed, and a
triaminopyrimidine scaold was identified as an eective hit compound that was active only with
caspase-1. Several dierent substituted analogs of the piperazine ring on the triaminopyrimidine scaold
were synthesized, and CK-1-41, which had an ethyl benzene as a substituent on the piperazine ring, was
identified as a potent inhibitor of all three inflammatory caspases. To further develop this lead
compound, more ethyl benzene derivatives will be synthesized and screened against the enzymes to
test their ecacy.
51. Axially Chiral and Foldable Pyrene Amides: Synthesis, Photophysics and
Luminochromism Based Sensing Applications
Jomana Hatahet, Shifang Yao, Siamak Shokri and *A. Jean-Luc Ayitou
Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology
Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with attractive photoluminescence properties. This

prototypical fluorophore has been used in a number of applications including bio-imaging and light
induced electron transport across DNA duplex scaolds. The present research involves synthesis of
axially chiral pyrene amides depicting super- structural folding behavior upon heating or cooling.
Preliminary photophysical investigations indicate that the pyrene chromophores of our interest display
!36
photoluminescence properties that can be used for sensing applications. Luminescence sensing of
chemical and biochemical analytes is one of the emerging fields in research due to the need for low cost
and fast testing methods for a wide range of clinical, diagnostic and environmental applications and the
increasing demand for simple luminescence sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity. Pyrene and its
derivatives of our interest were chosen for this project because they have been used for more than 50
years as luminescent probes due to their high quantum yield of luminescence. This presentation will
highlight the synthesis and characterization of foldable dimeric pyrene amides which absorb ultra violet
photons and re-emit visible or low energy photons compared to monomeric pyrene.
52. Standard Enthalpies of Formation of Select Cu Based Ternary Compounds

Mary Bianca Hawgood, John Hasier, *Philip Nash
MMAE, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
email: mhawgood@hawk.iit.edu *PI email: nash@iit.edu
Heusler alloys are crystals with an L21 crystal structure that are known to exhibit unusual properties
related to their half-metallic nature [1]. Heusler compounds have the generic formula X2YZ [1]. Density
functional theory was used to predict the existence of a myriad of full-Heusler compounds, some of
which likely possess low lattice thermal conductivity and intrinsically high power factors desirable for
ecient thermoelectric power generation [2,3]. A large amount of electricity is produced via high
temperature heat engines, which along with the later conversion of energy to usable forms, produce
waste heat. It may be possible to convert the waste heat to usable energy by using thermoelectric
devices based on these Heusler compounds. Specific compounds with Cu on the X sublattice, late
transition metals in the Y sublattice, and main group elements in the Z sublattice were predicted to have
negative formation energies, of which the lowest energies existed when the compounds were arranged
in an L21 structure [1,3]. This provides credence to the belief that these compounds would be stable, as
well as potentially possess the desired properties. The goal of this project is to attempt to synthesize
these select compounds for the first time using high temperature direct reaction calorimetry, followed by
characterisation of the resulting compounds to verify the existence of the Heusler crystal structure and
subsequent determination of the enthalpy of formation for each compound. The characterisation will be
achieved by X-ray diraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The
measurements taken for the energy of formation of these compounds will be used to understand the
alloy stability and structure, as well as their relationship to other phases and property variations with
composition. Confirmed existence, structure and stability data will be added to an experimental
thermodynamics database to enable bulk material process design.
References
[1] M. Yin, J. Hasier, and P. Nash, J. Mater. Sci. 51, 50 (2016).
[2] G. J. Snyder and E. S. Toberer, Nat. Mater. 7, 105 (2008).
[3] Jain, Anubhav, et al. "Commentary: The Materials Project: A materials genome approach to accelerating materials
innovation." Apl Materials 1.1 (2013): 011002.
53. Buckling of a Colloidal Monolayer Under Uniaxial Compression

Charles F. Hudgins, Alex Feistritzer, Zach Krebs, Ari Roitman, *Binhua Lin, and *Stuart Rice
James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
email: hudginsc@uchicago.edu *PI: lin@cars.uchicago.edu *PI: s-rice@uchicago.edu
When a quasi-two-dimensional colloidal monolayer is compressed laterally, it may evolve into a three
dimensional system via a buckling transition. Under isotropic compression, it has been shown that this
buckling transition consists of the ordered upward displacement of rows of particles [1]. The mechanism
by which this buckling transition occurs for uniaxial compression, however, has yet to be adequately
characterized [2]. Through the use of molecular dynamics simulations, we have been able to observe
some key features of this transition. Our simulations are meant to emulate the uniaxial, uniform
!37
compression of a layer of gold nanoparticles sterically stabilized by thiol caps on a water substrate. As
such, the 5000 particles in the simulation interact according to the Marcus-Rice pair potential [2]. The
particles are confined to the xy-plane by an asymmetric harmonic potential along the z-axis, which is
meant to simulate the air-water interface. The simulation is periodic in the x and y directions. To enforce
uniform, uniaxial compression of the monolayer, the y-extent of the simulation box is reduced linearly in
time. The results of these simulations indicate that, in the uniform, uniaxial compression case, line
segments of particles from the monolayer displace upward once the monolayer has achieved a roughly
close-packed triangular lattice. These segments tend to be at approximately 60 degrees to the axis of
compression. Before a displaced segment reaches a z-position that is a particle radius above the
monolayer, a few parallel, adjacent segments (2-4) displace upward alongside it. As compression
continues, these segments grow rapidly transverse to the axis of compression and more slowly along
the compression axis. Eventually these segments unite, forming a square lattice bilayer. This behavior
has also been observed for a variety of pair potentials besides the Marcus-Rice potential, suggesting
that it may be a universal transition pathway.
References
[1] Leahy, B. D., Pocivavsek, L., Meron, M., Lam, K. L., & Salas, D. (2010). Geometric Stability and Elastic Response of a
Supported Nanoparticle Film. Physical Review Letters, 105(5), 058301. doi:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.
105.058301
[2] Zangi, R., & Rice, S. A. (2000). Nature of the transition from two- to three-dimensional ordering in a confined colloidal
suspension. Physical Review E Phys. Rev. E, 61(1), 660-670.
54. Development of Fragment Coupling Reactions and Their Application to Natural

Product Synthesis
Kalli Koukounas, Jordan Reddel, Weiwei Wang, and *Regan J. Thomson
email: kallikoukounas2017@u.northwestern.edu *PI: r-thomson@northwestern.edu
Growth of resistance to the naturally occurring anti-malarial compounds quinine and artemisinin has
imposed the need to explore new drug precursors to combat the worldwide epidemic. Lignans and
chromanes, two families of naturally occurring chemical compounds isolated from plants, show
promising results as potential new candidates for this mission, among other biomedicinal pursuits.1 This
research presents a facile Brnsted acid-catalyzed allylsilane annulation methodology to generate fused
ring systems, such as those found in cyclolignans and chromanes.2 It is proposed that the reaction goes
through a homoallylic intermediate, which readily cyclizes to form the desired product.2 Dierent types of
ring systems can be accessed by utilizing dierently substituted allylsilanes and benzyl alcohol species.2
The key targets presented here include the cyclolignan species cyclogalgravin, and several chromane
species of similar structure to 2,2-dimethyl-4-phenylchromane, which were each synthesized in a two-
step fragment-coupling reaction. While this reaction demonstrated extreme versatility, generating a wide
range of indane and tetralin products, it proved to be less successful in generating diverse chromane
products. As such, it was determined to be most useful for the synthesis of indane and lignan natural
products. The ability of this reaction to rapidly build structural complexity from simple feedstock building
blocks allows for the generation of large compound libraries for pursuit of further drug discovery and
biomedical application.
Acknowledgements: Financial support by the Chemistry of Life Process Institute at Northwestern

Universitys Lambert Fellowship is gratefully acknowledged.
References
[1] (a) Apers, S.; Vlietinck, A.; Pieters, L., Lignans and neolignans as lead compounds. Phytochem. Rev. 2003, 2 (3),
201217.
[1] (b) Harel, D., Schepmann, D., Prinz, H., Brun, R., Schmidt, T. J., & Wnsch, B. (2013). Natural Product Derived
Antiprotozoal Agents: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and StructureActivity Relationships of Novel Chromene and
Chromane Derivatives.J. Med. Chem., 56(18), 7442-7448.
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[2] Reddel, J. C., Wang, W., Koukounas, K., & Thomson, R. J. (2017). Triflimide-catalyzed allylsilane annulations of
benzylic alcohols for the divergent synthesis of indanes and tetralins.Chem. Sci.
55. Development of Gd(III)-Based Magnetic Resonance Agents for Molecular Imaging

of Hydrogen Peroxide and Hypoxic Tumor Conditions
Colin F. Lynch, Justin O. Massing, Elizabeth A. Bajema, Keith W. MacRenaris, *Thomas J.
Meade
Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Radiology, Northwestern
University
*PI: tmeade@northwestern.edu
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a valuable diagnostic tool used in the lab and the clinic for detailed
analysis of anatomy and tissue structure. Our objective is to extend the capabilities of MR imaging to
analyze both anatomy and underlying biochemistry, enabling in vivo analysis of tissue and lesion specific
disease processes and mechanisms. In order to achieve this goal, paramagnetic gadolinium-(III)
complexes have been synthesized that specifically respond to biological targets of interest. These
probes are activated by modulating the coordination of the local water molecules by the Gd(III) center in
response to stimuli, turning on the probes eect on local MR signal.1 We present a boronic acid
functionalized Gd(III)-based MR contrast agent which shows selective activation in response to hydrogen
peroxide (H2O2), a small signaling molecule that has been implicated numerous disease processes,
including Alzheimers disease.2 In the presence of H2O2, the boronic acid is oxidized, initiating a
chemical change that allows coordination of water by Gd(III). In phosphate-buered saline, the agent
showed an 81% increase in signal upon activation with 10 equivalents of H2O2. In HeLa cells, treatment
with H2O2 produced a detectable increase in contrast. These in vitro results show promise for molecular
imaging of H2O2 in vivo. Additionally, we present the synthesis of an indolequinone-functionalized Gd(III)
complex. In a reductive environment, a hallmark of hypoxic tumors, we believe that the indolequinone
moiety will eliminate and enable water coordination, activating the agent. Moreover, the elimination will
release a small molecule has been shown to have chemotherapeutic properties, meaning the agent
could function as a theranostic for hypoxic cancers.3 Our activation strategy allows for incorporation of a
wide variety of bioresponsive moieties, potentially opening the door to non-invasive, in vivo analysis of
the biochemistry of disease with MR imaging.
References
[1] Manus, L. M.; Strauch, R. C.; Hung, A. H.; Eckermann, A. L.; Meade, T. J. Analytical Chemistry 2012, 84, 6278-
6287.
[2] Barnham, K. J.; Masters, C. L.; Bush, A. I. Nat. Rev. Drug. Discov. 2004, 3, 205- 214.
[3] A. S. Cotterill, C. J. Moody, R. J. Mortimer, C. L. Norton, N. O'Sullivan, M. A. Stephens, N. R. Stradiotto, E. Swann,
I. J. Stratford, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1994, 37, 3834-3843.
56. Beneficial Sports Drinks Preventing Inflammation: One Natural Product at a

Time
Zhane Nolan, Liam Fagan, Rhiannon Kozy, Fatima Garcia, Dominic Hartman, Jake Hayes,
Jennifer Salczynski, Matthew Jackson, and *Sandra Chimon-Rogers
email: znolan@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
Sports drinks are typically high in sugar and low in nutritional content or health benefits. We are
proposing a new type of sports drink that will not only benefit the body and soul, but also your mind. For
example, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, Cruetzfeldt-Jacob disease and various prions diseases
have a common protein associated with them. This protein misfolds as a result of various factors,
anywhere from pH levels to temperature and/or change in salt concentrations. Research shows that the
!39
misfolding of the protein, AB(1-40), occurs early when studied in vitro; however, if we prolong the rate of
misfolding, we may have prevented one to many of the symptoms of these diseases. These studies also
showed that the initial misfolding of this protein results in a secondary structural conformational change
from a random coiled structure to a soluble beta-sheet structure. This change has been shown to be
over ten times more toxic before it become insoluble [1].
Our study proposed that the introduction of ingredients such as quercetin (found in many fruits and
veggies) and anthocyanins, which are found in cherries, can not only help slow down the rate at which
these secondary structural changes occur but will also help with anti-inflammation.
This project will utilize instruments such as the UV/Vis to verify the absorption of our product and its
longevity, shelf- life. Alongside with the UV/Vis, we will also be utilizing the solid-state NMR to observe
any secondary structural conformational changes and the rate at which they change. Circular Dichroim is
an additional instrumentation technique that will be utilized to provide supportive results with respect to
the secondary structural changes of the amyloid beta peptide. Cheers to us finding a preventative and
making the world a better place, one flavor at a time.
References
57. Metal Complexation and Peripheral Functionalization of Trimethyl Triaza

Orthocyclophane (N3-CTV)
Yuliya Politanska1, Doug Steinman1, Andrea M. Panagopoulos1, Wei-Tsung Lee1, Thomas J.
Smith2 and *Daniel P. Becker1
1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago
2 Department of Chemistry, Kalamazoo College
email: ypolitanska@luc.edu *PI: dbecke3@luc.edu
Host-guest chemistry is the study of noncovalent interactions between molecules, and mimics receptor
interactions that are fundamental in signaling process in all life. Cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) is an example
of a cyclophane which is a trimeric molecule that forms a bowl-shaped crown conformer that has been
heavily researched due to its chemical stability, stable conformation, and possible modification of the
benzyl groups. Our research group has synthesized a novel heteroatom cyclophane by installed three
nitrogen atoms at the apices of CTV, creating a new scaold molecule, N3- CTV [1]. The three amine
groups incorporated at the apex CTV provide more electron density to the molecule allowing it the
potential of metal chelating. The presence of amine groups also allows for apical functionalization which
has only rarely been explored. This oers hope to dramatically enhance the utility of the CTV molecular
scaold in medicine, molecular switches, and in pollution detection, all through host-guest chemistry.
Synthesis of new peripherally-functionalized derivatives will enable fine tuning both the electronic and
steric properties of the system that will aect both the metal complexation as well as free radical
chemistry of N3-CTV, in addition to modulating the bowl to enhance its host-guest capabilities.
Hexabromo N3-CTV derivative has been synthesized and is very versatile and can then be converted
into several targeted derivatives such as a direct analogue of CTV as a hexamethoxy substituted
derivative which would allow for direct determination of the eect of the three nitrogen atoms in the
apex. Additionally, metal complexes of dimethyl N3-CTV with Fe(II) have been characterized. Interestingly
during attempts of complexation with Cu(II), led to a creation of a stable cation radical as verified by x-
ray crystallography allowing for a possibility of utilizing N3-CTV as redox agent.
References
[1] Panagopoulos A, Zeller M, Becker D. Synthesis of anortho-Triazacyclophane:N,N,N-Trimethyltribenzo-1,4,7-
triazacyclononatriene. The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 2010;75(22):7887-7892. doi:10.1021/jo1017074.
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58. Bao-Bab Alzheimers Disease! A Possible Preventative: From Madagascar to

the Brain
Andrea Y. Ramirez, Hannah Alderson, Maria D. Garcia, Carla Washington, Kyle Hayes, Ruby
Cejas, Jake Hayes, Jennifer Salczynski, Matthew Jackson, and *Sandra Chimon-Rogers
email: aramirez2@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
Alzheimers disease (AD) has aected up to 5 million people in the United States alone. Worldwide it has
aected 44 million people. It has become a very well-known impairment that has researchers searching
for a cure. It has been found in Alzheimers that it all starts with a protein called beta-amyloid that
appears as irregular clumps and/or clusters in the brain. How this protein is formed is by precursor
protein that is mainly found in a fatty membrane that ends up covering the nerve cell, hence the
clumping in the brain. The clumps of the beta-amyloid causing an infestation impeding signals between
synapses [1].
Baobab trees are well known in Madagascar. The baobab fruit is naturally dried up and later grounded
turning it into a powder making it available to be added to food products. Not only has it been used in
foods but also as a natural preservative because of the high amount of Vitamin C, potassium, and
phosphorus. Baobab has many more other proteins such magnesium, zinc, vitamin A, thiamin, B6 and
bioflavonoids. It also acts as a prebiotic and is high in fiber. Not much research has been done on
baobab mainly because it is not very common especially because it is not really grown here in the United
States. Although the research that has been done can conclude that baobab has mainly benefits when it
comes to your immune system, digestive system, skin care health and hydration.
This project entails the addition of the Baobab seed to the beta-amyloid peptide upon initial incubation
and the observation of the eects that it may have on the misfolding of the peptide. This may result in a
possible preventative for Alzheimers disease; however, our toxicity cell studies will provide supportive
data for such a finding. The techniques utilized are UV/Vis, IR, and cell cultures, to mention a few.
References
59. Design and Synthesis of Isoxazole Derivatives as Potential Anti-Tuberculosis

Agents
Kornelia J. Skowron, Clayton Pedigo and *Oluseye K. Onajole
Department of Biological, Physical, and Chemical Sciences, Roosevelt University
email: kskowron01@mail.roosevelt.edu *PI: oonajole@roosevelt.edu
Tuberculosis is a dangerous, airborne and highly contagious mycobacterial infection that has aected
millions of people since antiquity. Recently, the growing occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
(MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) caused by inadequate treatment option
has made current treatments ineective. It is therefore vital for new eective drug treatments to be
discovered. In our eorts to discover novel anti-tubercular scaolds, a phenotypic screening of a library
of >6500 compounds against M. tuberculosis led to the identification of a isoxazole scaold as one of
the hit series. This hit compound (isoxazole scaold) displayed potent anti-TB activity (MIC= 0.131 g/
mL). The synthesis begins with the reaction of toluidine and hydrochloric acid to form tolylthiourea. The
tolylthiourea is added to an isoxazole carboxylate along with a catalytic amount of indium chloride to
form the desired compound. The isoxazole derivatives were purified via LPLC on SiO2 (using hexane/
ethyl acetate as eluent); compound purity was established to be >95% using analytical HPLC and
!41
characterized using NMR. A total of 4 compounds were successfully synthesized and purified, and sent
for anti-M.tb screening. The MIC values were determined to be within the range of 16-64 g/mL. Work is
in progress to further improve the anti-TB activity of this isoxazole derivative.
60. Constrained Molecular Dynamical Study of the Interactions Between Ligated Gold
Nanoparticles
Alex Smith, Kevin Slater, Chris Liepold, *Stuart A. Rice, and *Binhua Lin
The James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago
email: alexsmith@uchicago.edu *PI: lin@cars.uchicago.edu
We perform constrained molecular dynamics simulations ('blue-moon' sampling) to calculate the

eective free energy of interaction between gold nanoparticles ligated with dodecanethiol. [1] We model
the ligated gold nanoparticles as spherical cores of Au atoms with pseudo-atom (CH2) chains with fixed
CCC angles and hindered internal rotation using the LAMMPS molecular dynamics environment. The
interaction is averaged over both ligand chain configuration and overall particle rotation at selected fixed
particle-particle separations. We vary the material parameters of these particles -- the ligand binding
density, core diameter, and ligand lengthsto determine the eects of those parameters on the resulting
interaction. We also consider the interactions between binary systems where the interacting particles
have dierent parameters. Our simulations provide trajectories of each psuedo-atoms position through
time, which allow us to analyze the structure of the particles as a function of their separation. The
structure and conformations of the particles provide insight into the source of the components of the
interaction and provide predictive explanations about how the significance of those components
changes as a function of particle- particle separation. Though experimental work with gold nanoparticles
is commonplace, the structure of the nanoparticle pair interaction is not well known. Our computed pair
interactions are qualitatively consistent with interactions between particles inferred from their equilibrium
separations and elastic moduli, and from our calculations we have determined a general form and
functional dependences of the interaction on system parameters. Our work aims to provide a more
comprehensive study of the structure and dependences of the interactions, which have previously only
been cursorily examined. [2]
References
[1] Kaushik, A. P. & Clancy, P. (2012). Explicit all-atom modeling of realistically sized ligand-capped nanocrystals. J.
Chem. Phys. 136(11). doi: 10.1063/1.3689973
[2] Landman, U. & Luedtke, W. D. (2004). Small is different: energetic, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of
passivated nanocluster assemblies. Faraday Discuss. 125, 1-22.
61. Synthesis and Characterization of Pyridinium-Derived Carbenes

Hannah Vonesh, Carly Hanson, Shahreen Chowdhury, Megan Solans, Madeleine Armer,
Prannoy Kaushal, Kyse Zorub, and *James Devery, III
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago
email: hvonesh@luc.edu *PI: jdevery@luc.edu
Hydrogen is the ideal stoichiometric reductant, possessing excellent mass- and atom economy. The
reduction of CC, CO, and CN double bonds is integral to not only organic synthesis, but the
processing of crude oil, and the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and food additives.
Furthermore, the development of synthetic methods that utilize H2 earned Nobel prizes for Sabatier in
1912, Haber in 1918, and Knowles and Noyori in 2001. However, current synthetic methods for
hydrogenations require the use of expensive metal co-catalysts. Divalent carbon centers, or carbenes,
have been prevalent in organic synthesis for more than a century. Supplementary to the ability of
carbenes to insert into CH bonds, form cyclopropanes with alkenes, and form ketenes with carbon
monoxide, Bertrand and coworkers demonstrated their ability to activate molecular hydrogen. Utilizing
!42
this information, the Pfaltz group explored the use of pyridinium-derived carbenes, which, upon
hydrogenation, form dihydropyridines. These structures, analogous to Hantzsch esters, are capable of
serving as reducing agents for organic electrophiles, providing the possibility to couple hydrogen
activation with a subsequent hydride transfer in a catalytic process. These carbenes utilize
rearomatization as driving force to augment the hydridic character of the hydrogenated carbene. Pfaltz
demonstrated the ability to reduce an imine under a high-pressure hydrogen atmosphere and basic
conditions, which leaves room for further development of catalytic systems of this type. A fundamental
understanding of the mechanistic behavior of pyridinium salts under these conditions will allow for the
general application of these small molecules as metal-free catalysts for a wide range of hydrogenations.
Experiments designed to study the importance of carbene structure, solvent, temperature, hydrogen
pressure, Lewis acid activation, as well as the structure of the carbene precursor in hydrogenations will
be presented. The proposed mechanism will be described in detail.
62. Gold Catalyzed Synthesis of 2-Quinolinones and Spirocyclic Lactams from N-Aryl
Alkynamides
Chlo G. Williams, Taylor L. Vacala, Lauren P. Bejcek, Alex C. Williamson, Asa J. Arreola-
Hester, Paul R. Carlson, *Paul A. Vadola
Department of Chemistry, DePaul University
email:cwill168@depaul.edu *PI: pvadola@depaul.edu
The ability to construct carbon-carbon bonds is critical to the synthesis of organic molecules, and by
extension the development of new bioactive compounds. One powerful method for the construction of
CC bonds involves the coupling of aromatics rings, or arenes, with alkynes. This process when
conducted in an intramolecular fashion, in which the arene is tethered to the alkyne, gives rise not only
to a new CC bond, but the formation of a new ring fused onto the arene. We have been investigating
the development of catalytic methods of arene-alkyne coupling, where the coupling partners are linked
by an amide functionality. We have found that the reaction of these substrates, N-aryl alkynamides, can
form two distinct bicyclic nitrogen heterocycles, 2-quinolinones or spirocyclic lactams. These two
molecular scaolds are found as key structural motifs in a number of biologically and medicinally active
compounds. Thus, the development of methods for their ecient synthesis will likely enable the
synthesis of potentially valuable therapeutics. Based on the likely mechanism of the reaction we
proposed that by changing the identity of the required alkoxy-group in the position para- to the amide
linkage on the arene we could divert a common reactive intermediate to form either the 2-quinolinone or
the spirocyclic amide selectively and in high yield. This structural manipulation did lead to the desired
ability to toggle between the two products, and thus provides access to either of the bicyclic
compounds from one readily accessible substrate.
63. Can a Joint be the Cure to Your Forgetfulness, a Symptom of Alzheimers

Disease?
Brandon Winter, Anthony Diaz, Jasmine Southcombe, Lisa Urbina, Jake Hayes, Jennifer
Salczynski, Matthew Jackson, and *Sandra Chimon-Rogers
email: bwinter@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
Alzheimers is a disease where cells in the human brain deteriorate, resulting in loss of basic brain
functions. As of today, there is no cure for Alzheimers but there are treatments and preventatives being
researched. Recent studies have shown that beta-amyloid peptide accumulations in the brain are a key
checkpoint in the progression of the disease. These accumulations have been identified as the amyloid
beta fibrils. On the pathway to fibril formation, it has been proven that a toxic intermediate, known as the
molten globules, are the soluble intermediates that are 10 times more toxic than the fibrils themselves
[1].
!43
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Engineering
CBD, otherwise known as Cannabidiol, is a component of marijuana that aects neurotransmitters in the
brain. Studies show that introduction of CBD in patients showing signs of Alzheimers can either delay
the progression or prevent it completely. In our research, we will experiment how much CBD is needed
to keep the amyloid-beta protein from tangling, the main factor that causes the disease.
This project entails observing the eects of the beta-amyloid peptide when CBD has been added to the
buer solution. We anticipate a change in the rate of fibril formation and possibly a decreased rate in
molten globule rate formation. This may result in a possible preventative for Alzheimers disease. Utilizing
various techniques will help solidify our hypothesis.
References
Computer Science
64. Using Information Theory for Generating Intuitive and Predictive Cancer Models
Austin Clyde1, Jigar Shah1, and *Monisha Ghosh2
1 Department of Computer Science, The University of Chicago

2 Instituteof Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago
email: aclyde@uchicago.edu *PI: monisha@uchicago.edu
Eective cancer drugs are highly specialized to specific pathways in cells, creating a need for general
computational models that can predict drug response for a given tumors composition [1]. While current
models are eective at predicting drug response, their complexity renders them ineective for generating
biological intuition about the systems they predict over [2]. We propose two feature selection methods
using high dimensional mutual information and intersection-based methods. The feature selection
methods use preexisting biological pathway data in order to reduce complexity and also prevent noise
and small samples sizes from creating bias. We tested these methods by classifying cancer types using
the Genomics Data Commons data-set. We found only 21 features were needed from 60k feature RNA
microassays to accurately predict cancer types 97% of the time using Random Forests. We were able to
construct networks of related genes based on the feature selection methods alone. These networks
highlight the biological discriminant structures and structures cited in the literature. The selected features
were biologically significant, appearing in recent literature citing wet lab experiments determining the
distinction between tumor composition and cancer type. The method we developed has applications
across biological disciplines as it focuses on using data to drive knowledge development and intuition
versus data-driven predictions or solutions.
References
[1] Corts-Ciriano, I., van Westen, G. J. P., Bouvier, G., Nilges, M., Overington, J. P., Bender, A., & Malliavin, T. E. (2015).
Improved large-scale prediction of growth inhibition patterns using the NCI60 cancer cell line panel. Bioinformatics,
btv529.
[2] Holzinger, A., & Jurisica, I. (2014). Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining in Biomedical Informatics: The Future Is in
Integrative, Interactive Machine Learning Solutions. In A. Holzinger & I. Jurisica (Eds.), Interactive Knowledge Discovery
and Data Mining in Biomedical Informatics (Vol. 8401, pp. 118). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Engineering
65. Degradable Ceramic-Hydrogel Composite Scaolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abigail Avila, Banu Akar, and *Eric M. Brey
!44

email: aavila@hawk.iit.edu *PI: brey@iit.edu
Bone defects can result from trauma, congenital abnormalities, tumor excision and infection. The
presence of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) within the biomaterial systems
promotes bone mineralization. In this study, we examined in vitro degradation kinetics and in vivo
angiogenic potential of degradable polyetheylene glycol (PEG)-based scaolds supplemented with HA
and TCP [1]. Degradable scaolds with ceramics were generated using a particulate leaching method1.
Hydrogel structure was composed of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) and PEG-poly(l-lactic
acid)-DA. Ceramic materials (HA:TCP, 70:30%) were incorporated into the four groups of hydrogels for in
vitro degradation kinetics. Degradable hydrogels with and without ceramic were implanted in rodents
and harvested at 4 and 8 weeks and stained with CD31 to evaluate vascular density. The hydrogels
supplemented with ceramic exhibited longer degradation time than other groups. The PLGA
microspheres did not aect degradation time significantly. Ceramic hydrogel composites exhibited
longer degradation times than non-ceramic hydrogels in vitro. Hydrogels with ceramics show promise for
bone tissue engineering.
References
[1] Akar, B., Jiang, B., Somo S., M., Appel, A.,Larson, J. C., Brey, E. M. (2015) Biomaterials Investigation of Dermis-
derived Hydrogels for Wound Healing Applications Vol. 72: 61-73
66. Examining the Eect of LVAD-like Flow Conditions on Angiogenesis Using

Sheared Plasma
Shengxuan Chen, Jacob Brown, Feipeng Yang, Brianna Roux, Vincent T. Turitto, Promila Dhar,
*Eric M. Brey

email: schen83@hawk.iit.edu *PI: brey@iit.edu
Currently, there are about 5.7 million patients with heart failure in the U.S. For patients with advanced
heart failure, Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) are used as a bridge to the heart transplant and the
number of implantation keeps increasing (206 implantations in 2006; 1451 implantations in 2010).
However, severe complications associated with LVADs include infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and
thrombosis (clotting inside the heart or vessels) and the mechanisms behind these complications are still
not well understood. It is known that the Von Willibrand Factor (VMF) will degrade under high shear
stress over time (125-250 dyne/cm^2 for 1-10mins) and VWF is associated with the vessel formation
(angiogenesis) process. Plus, about 20% of patients with defective VWF experience gastrointestinal
bleeding. At the same time, the shear stress of blood in LVADs (10^3 dyne/cm^2) is much larger than
physiological shear stress (1-55 dyne/cm^2). Therefore, it is likely that the defective VWF can lead to
dysregulated vessel formation resulting in unstable and fragile vessels, which causes gastrointestinal
bleeding. To examine the eect of shearing on angiogenesis, we developed capillary shear system to
mimic the flow condition in LVADs. Then, using the angiogenesis assay, we were able to compare the
sheared plasma groups with unsheared/control groups. After several preliminary tests, we found out that
the sheared plasma may have a suppressing eect on MSCs (Mesenchymal Stem Cells) growth. Also,
the sprouting area of HUVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells) was very small compared with
the control group.
67. The Eect of Fatty Acid on Persister Cell Formation

Sung Min Choi Hong, Mengya Wang, Inwha Kim, *Seok Hoon Hong
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
email: schoihon@hawk.iit.edu *PI: shong26@iit.edu
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, every year 2 million illnesses are
caused by antibiotic resistances, of which 23,000 lead to deaths [1]. Commonly known and more
!45
understood, infectious bacteria gain antibiotic resistances through genetic modifications. However, a
bacterial subtype often overlooked are persister cells. Persisters, as their name indicates, are a
subpopulation within each bacterial community that exhibit significant tolerance to antibiotics without
any genetic modification [2]. They accomplish this by slowing down their cell division and protein
synthesis (thus entering a dormant phase), making them insensitive to antibiotics targeting these steps.
Once antibiotic levels drop, they will return and proliferate, causing infectious problems once again.
Currently, little is understood regarding the mechanisms of persister formation and revival, meaning few
eective countermeasures exist. Our lab thus has investigated various types of molecules and
compounds that may decrease persisters levels. From previous research, short-chain fatty acids such as
butyric acid and propionic acid have been found to damage cell membranes, a dierent mechanism than
the ones of common antibiotics used today. Following this, the goal is to expand the current scope of
research to various other fatty acids to open possible strategies that may combat infectious diseases.
This will be accomplished by first using fatty acids to understand how certain molecules aect persisters
and what mechanisms stunt their return. From our studies, 16 fatty acids have been found to
significantly decrease the persister levels. On the other hand, 10 fatty acids have also been found to
significantly increase persister levels. From these, further studies on these fatty acids will be done to
determine their eect on various other bacterial strains and the mechanisms that could contribute in the
elimination of infectious relapse.
References
[1] Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). About Antimicrobial Resistance. U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services. Web.
[2] PLoS Pathogens. (2011). Persisters: Survival at the Cellular Level. PLoS Pathogens. Vol. 7: 1-3. Web.
68. Developing a Modular, Two-Pot Cell-Free System for Expression of Metabolic

Pathways and Natural Product Discovery
Samantha Crowe, Ashty Karim, Jacob Heggestad, and *Michael C. Jewett
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineerng, Northwestern University
email: samanthacrowe2018@u.northwestern.edu *PI: m-jewett@northwestern.edu
Natural products like antibiotics are important hallmarks of medicinal therapies, but they are dicult to
discover as native-producers are hard to grow in a lab setting. Often, scientists instead try to express
biosynthesis pathways in easy-to-grow cells like Escherichia coli to discover new natural products.
However, sometimes biosynthetic gene expression that should yield a natural product do not in model
organisms. Cell-free systems could potentially be leveraged for natural product discovery as they
decouple the engineers objectives from the cells objectives, allowing us direct access to cellular
machinery to study biosynthetic pathways. A recent development in cell-free systems is a framework
that allows us to use crude E. coli lysates to perform cell-free protein synthesis to produce biosynthetic
enzymes and activate metabolic pathways in one pot (CFPS-ME). We noticed that one-pot systems
underperform when compared with other cell-free approaches. Thus, we set out to develop a modular
two-pot cell-free system. In this system, in one pot cell-free protein-synthesis reactions are used to
produce biosynthetic enzymes in vitro and in a second pot using a mix-and-match approach, we
assemble biosynthetic pathways. We optimized the reaction conditions in the second pot to account for
phosphate inhibition that is observed in one-pot CFPS-ME systems. We then compare the production of
butanol from a pathway composed of 17 enzymatic steps derived from Clostridium and native E. coli
glycolysis in cell-free systems without CFPS-ME, the one-pot CFPS-ME system, and our new two- pot
CFPS-ME system. We observe that our two-pot system outperforms one-pot CFPS-ME and has similar
rates of butanol production as cell-free systems without CFPS-ME. We further extend our two-pot
system to begin looking at biosynthetic production of gut bacterial natural products. We believe cell-free
systems increase the toolkit available for scientists to design, build, and test metabolic pathways and
novel natural product routes.
!46
69. Validating Performance of Optical Imaging System for Diagnosis of Metastatic

Breast Cancer
Morgan Fogarty, Lagnoijta Sinha, Kenneth Tichauer

email: mfogart1@hawk.iit.edu *PI: email: ktichaue@iit.edu
The key to eectively treating cancer begins with determining whether the cancer has spread throughout
the body. For breast cancer, this is done through lymph node biopsy which can be time consuming,
inaccurate, and harmful to the patient. In addition, the high probability for a false positive or false
negative response means that patients can be over or under treated. The angular domain early photon
tomography system (ADEPT) is being developed to rapidly and accurately image lymph nodes to
determine the presence of cancer cells and therefore the metastasis of the cancer. The present research
utilizes tissue mimicking physical phantoms with small fluorescent drops to test the ADEPT systems
spatial resolution, signal to noise ratio, and other properties. These phantoms were developed to mimic
the optical properties of lymph node tissue in order to show the accuracy that can be obtained through
the ADEPT system. By calculating the optical properties, it was found that the phantom is approximately
the same as the desired tissue. In addition, images collected using ADEPT of the phantom shows the
desired spatial resolution of at least 100 m. It can be concluded that these phantoms can therefore be
used to further test the capabilities of the ADEPT system. By verifying the accuracy with these
phantoms, the system can be further tested using additional, more complex phantoms and tissue
samples.
70. Characterizing Cell-Free Metabolism

Jacob T. Heggestad, Ashty S. Karim, Samantha A. Crowe, and *Michael C. Jewett
Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Northwestern University
email: jacobheggestad2017@u.northwestern.edu *PI: m-jewett@northwestern.edu
Making chemicals from biological systems has been a promising and complementary approach to
industrial chemical synthesis for decades. Often biological systems fall short in yield, titer, and
productivity due to the balancing of cellular and engineering objectives. Cell-free systems, in which cells
are broken open and cellular machinery is used, oer an approach to rapidly study metabolism, observe
enzyme kinetics, and prototype pathways to speed up engineering design-build-test cycles in cells. One
recent advance has been using cell-free protein synthesis to generate biosynthetic pathway enzymes in
crude lysates to assemble complete pathways in a tube. This reduces the build time to a day and allows
for rapid pathway monitoring and manipulation of physiochemical conditions to prototype hundreds of
metabolic pathway variations in one go. However, these systems routinely underperform compared to
other cell-free systems where cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is not used. We describe a series of
experiments, using the production of n-butanol as a model, outlining the dierences in metabolic profiles
of cell-free systems with and without CFPS. We further try to alleviate these dierences by testing the
impact of alternative energy sources on cell-free metabolism. We found that the components of CFPS
reactions inhibit the production of n- butanol, and that phosphate-minimal and pH controlled setups are
necessary. This is the first time that metabolite profiles have been extensively characterized in these cell-
free systems for small-molecule production, and this gives insight into how to expand these cell-free
frameworks to accelerate the engineering design-build-test cycle.
71. Modeling Physiological Variables for a Simulated Patient with Type I Diabetes
Paul Kolodziej
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
email: pkolodz1@hawk.iit.edu
Diabetes is an incurable illness that aects many people around the world; it causes an inability to
produce or eectively use insulin, a hormone involved in carbohydrate breakdown. The symptoms can
!47
only be alleviated through insulin injection. The project is to design a multivariable adaptive artificial
pancreas (AP) system. This device will be able to accept signals of variables from a patients body via
sensors and automatically decide on an amount of insulin to inject. Rather than testing with clinical trials,
a metabolic simulator will be used as a virtual patient. The proposed task was to model one of the
variables of the simulator in various physiological states such as rest, exercise, and post-exercise.
Current AP systems operate in an open loop fashion; the final AP will be able to operate in a closed loop
(automatic) setting, and will provide better blood glucose regulation than current AP systems. The
models were trained and validated using fuzzy logic cluster analysis. The current model has a reasonable
fit for in sample data (RMSE<20), but has an error twice as high for out of sample data. Suggested
sources of error include too high of a correlation between input variables, selection of training data,
method of cluster analysis, and number of clusters. In the future, and optimization technique will be used
to generate more accurate models. Once a satisfactory model is found, a similar approach will be used
to model other variables, such as galvanic skin response. Patient specific centers will be plotted in order
to find a distribution, which will be useful in deriving a general-case model. The models will be
incorporated into the simulator in order to optimize the AP system.
72. Thin-Metal Film Study for Escherichia Coli Sensitive 3-D Printed Biosensor
Sherly Lande1, Eric White2, Fareed Dawan2, Samuel Ibekwe2, Guoqiang Li2,3, and *Patrick
Mensah2
1 Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern University and A&M College
3 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University
email: Slande@hawk.iit.edu *PI: PATRICK_MENSAH@subr.edu
Detection of pathogens remains critical as their presence in consumables continues to be prevalent.

Recently, reports of Escherichia coli (E. coli) within drinking water has led to the recall of thousands of
annually reported illnesses. The Center for Disease Control recently reported that E. coli infection is
responsible for over 260,000 illnesses and more than 30 deaths annually [1]. It is critical that rapid
detection methods and devices for pathogenic strains of E. coli are readily available to the general
public. Currently, the widely used method to determine whether a source of water is contaminated with
pathogenic bacteria involves the collection of a sample of water. This process and obtaining results from
the test can take anywhere from 2-4 days [2]. Faster sensors are available, however even these take
about 20 minutes to produce a result [3]. Towards this end, we propose the fabrication of a relatively
inexpensive and simple 3- D printed biosensor capable of accurately monitoring and rapidly detecting
minute levels of E. coli within aqueous solutions. Focus is on the deposition and characterization of a
thin-metallic gold layer on a filter membrane. The surface morphology of the films was studied along
with the film-to-substrate adhesion, the electrical, and the mechanical properties. It was found that the
adhesive strength of gold on as-is titanium is superior to as-is silicon and polyimide. Film deposited with
a low deposition rate resulted in higher E. coli sensitivity. Thin gold films are at the core of biosensors
and rapid pathogen detection technology. Based on these studies, we built the foundation for fabricating
and implementing high quality film for use in a 3D printed E. coli biosensor.
References
[1] http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dfwed/PDFs/national-stec-surveillance-overiew-508c.pdf
[2] http://www.water-research.net/index.php/bacteria
[3] http://www.meridianbioscience.com/diagnostic-products/foodborne/immunocard-stat/immunocard-stat-e-coli-o157-
plus.aspx
73. Eects of scaold stiness and proteolytically mediated degradation on MSC

invasion in 3D culture
Merjem Mededovic, Yusheng He and *Georgia Papavasiliou
!48
email: mmededov@hawk.iit.edu *PI: papavasiliou@iit.edu
Cell-based therapies combined with tissue engineered approaches hold great potential to treat a variety
of diseases and injuries. In this regards, the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is advantageous as
these cells have the potential to dierentiate into a variety of cell types including osteoblasts, myoblasts
and neurons. Both 2D and 3D culture models have shown that substrate stiness dictates the
dierentiation of MSC lineage [1]. In regenerative medicine applications scaolds should be designed to
degrade at a rate that matches that of tissue regeneration. Therefore, biomaterial approaches that allow
for controlled scaold degradation kinetics are necessary to enable cell growth and migration within the
material as well as matrix synthesis upon material degradation. Scaold degradation induces time-
dependent changes in stiness; however, the role of protease mediated scaold degradation rate on
MSC dierentiation has not been previously investigated. The goal of this project is to investigate the
independent eects of matrix stiness and proteolytically-mediated degradation on MSC dierentiation
in vitro. This is achieved by designing crosslinked PEG hydrogel scaolds with variable repeats of
protease-sensitive peptide sequences between crosslinks without inducing changes in scaold stiness.
Scaolds with 2 peptide repeats between network crosslinks (Dsite scaolds) demonstrated faster
degradation kinetics as compared to scaolds containing a single repeat between crosslinks (Ssite
scaolds) upon collagenase incubation. SSite and Dsite scaolds supported 3D proliferation of MSCs in
culture. Current studies focus on quantifying the eects of stiness and degradation rates on MSC
dierentiation.
References
[1] Morinobu et al., (2003) Osteopontin expression in osteoblasts and osteocytes during bone formation under
mechanical stress in the calvarial suture in vivo. Journal of bones and mineral research,18 (9), 1706-1715.
[2] Shona et al., (2010) The effect of matrix stiffness on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in a 3D thixotropic gel.
Biomaterials,31 (3), 385-391.
74. A Simple, Multilayer PET Microfluidic Device to Reduce Small Molecule

Absorption
Tung L. Nguyen, Dr. Sonali Karnik, Nida Tanataweethum, Chengyao Wang, *Dr. Abhinav
Bhushan

eemail: tnguye49@hawk.iit.edu *PI: abhushan@iit.edu
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been used to create microfluidic devices for cell culture purposes [1].
However, one of the limitations of PDMS is that it absorbs hydrophobic therapeutic and fluorescent
molecules that are dissolved in the liquid phase [1]. For studies that involve the use of a fixed amount of
solution to measure cell response, the absorbance of hydrophobic molecules can result in an incorrect
amount of exposure to the cell, adversely aecting the outcome [1]. We present a simple fabrication of
microfluidic devices made of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to reduce the absorbance hydrophobic
molecules. Our typical microfluidic devices consisted of a two-chamber PDMS device bonded to a glass
slide by surface treatment method using a plasma cleaner. A polymer membrane was sandwiched
between the two PDMS layers. The device contains one channel in the top layer and another in the
bottom layer for cell culture and fluid movement. We have modified the device fabrication such that the
area of PDMS that is exposed to the fluids is reduced by approximately 94%. Briefly, we precisely laser
cut PET and solvent bonded to the device layers to minimize the use of PDMS in the device. As most of
the contact with PDMS is removed, we could minimize the impact of the absorption. After a
subsequently increased number of fills of fluorescence dyed, there was not a significant fluorescence
change which indicated minimal accumulation of fluorophore. The simple fabrication technique does not
require expensive tooling such as molds. This research will provide a positive addition to many
microfluidic applications as well as addressing the use of PET as an alternative of PDMS in many
microfluidic experiments to limit the eect of small molecule absorption.
!49
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Environmental and Geophysical Sciences
References
[1] Toepke, M. W., and D. J. Beebe. PDMS absorption of small molecules and consequences in microfluidic applications.
Lab Chip 6:14841486, 2006.
75. Improving the Scalability of Electrostatic Dry Adhesive Pads

Brigitte Temple, Aiva Simaite, Matthew Spenko
Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engneering, Illinois Institute of Technology
Electrostatic gecko-like adhesive pads adhere to surfaces through electrostatic adhesion and Van-der
Waals interactions between the adhesives polymer surface and a substrate [1]. The capability of
electrostatic gecko-like adhesive pads are pleasured in units of pressure to compare the adhesion of
pads with dierence areas. Ideally, the adhesion pressure of a pad design remains constant as area
increases. Previous research has shown that increasing pad area negatively eects adhesion pressure
(Figure 1). This is inhibits using the pads for larger scale industrial applications. It was hypothesized that
the manufacturing process and the electrode design of the pads was reducing the real contact area with
the surface and thus reducing adhesion. Separate research on predicting adhesion forces of flat films
showed that reducing the compliance of the elastomer increased the force capacity of the adhesive pad
[2]. It was demonstrated that reducing the overall stiness of the adhesive pas and increasing the
Youngs Modulus of the gecko-like elastomer, resulted in a positive eect on scalability.
References
[1] Kalantari, A., Mahajan, K., Ruffatto, D., and Spenko, M. "Autonomous Perching and Take-off on Vertical Walls for a
Quadrotor Micro Air Vehicle," ICRA 2015.
[2] Ruffatto, D.F.,III, A. Parness, M. Spenko, Improving controllable adhesion on both rough and smooth surfaces with a
hybrid electrostatic/gecko-like adhesive. J. R. Soc. Interface 11, 20131089 (2014)
76. Factor Aecting Eutrophication: The Health of Chicago River

Brenda Perez, Philip Duca, Eduardo Perez, Mark Narancich, Dorina Idrizi, Bridget Basan,
Kenza Boukrim, Doris Joy D. Espiritu
Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL
Electrostatic gecko-like adhesive pads adhere to surfaces through electrostatic adhesion and Van-der
Waals interactions between the adhesives polymer surface and a substrate [1]. The capability of
electrostatic gecko-like adhesive pads are pleasured in units of pressure to compare the adhesion of
pads with dierence areas. Ideally, the adhesion pressure of a pad design remains constant as area
increases. Previous research has shown that increasing pad area negatively eects adhesion pressure
(Figure 1). This is inhibits using the pads for larger scale industrial applications. It was hypothesized that
the manufacturing process and the electrode design of the pads was reducing the real contact area with
the surface and thus reducing adhesion. Separate research on predicting adhesion forces of flat films
showed that reducing the compliance of the elastomer increased the force capacity of the adhesive pad
[2]. It was demonstrated that reducing the overall stiness of the adhesive pas and increasing the
Youngs Modulus of the gecko-like elastomer, resulted in a positive eect on scalability.
Environmental and Geophysical Sciences
78. The Impact of Buckthorn Debris on Soil Quality and Native Plant Reestablishment
Brittany K. Rivera, Brian Ohsowski
Loyola University Chicago, Institute of Environmental Sustainability
!50
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Humanities and Fine Arts
Invasive Rhamnus frangula is an exotic shrub found across the Midwest. Once established, glossy
buckthorn can form dense homogenous monocultures, outcompete native plants, and alter ecosystem
processes above- and belowground. This research explores the impact of decomposing R. frangula
woody debris on soil properties and native plant reestablishment. A randomized experiment was
established in a degraded calcareous fen at Loyola University's Retreat and Ecology Campus in
Woodstock, Illinois. The treatments include the removal of R. frangula debris (June 2015) and native seed
application (January 2016). The native seed mix was composed of fifteen species that are characteristic
to calcareous. Abiotic and biotic factors measured include soil variables such as organic matter (SOM),
moisture, pH, NO3-, NH4+, extractable P, soil stability, and plant cover. Statistical analyses indicate that
SOM was found at significantly elevated levels in control plots (p= 0.0465). In plots where R. frangula
debris was removed soils exhibited significantly greater NO3- levels (p=0.0184). In addition, plant group
cover (i.e. sedge, grass, rush) was found at significantly greater levels in plots with debris removal
(p=1.06e-05). The management implications of this research suggest that the removal of R. frangula
wood facilitates a faster rate of native vegetative establishment.
History
79. In the Matter of Ward V. Evans: Loyola University's Involvement in the Historic
Oppenheimer Hearings
Joseph Phelan, Arthur Lurigio, Aleksandr Goltsiker
College of Arts and Sciences, Loyola University Chicago
In 1954, the United States was in the midst of the Cold War Era. That year marked the zenith of the anti-
communist movement led by the popular Senator Joseph McCarthy. It was also the year that Professor
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Father of the Atomic Bomb, became the subject of an investigation by the
Gordon Gray Board of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which was empaneled to determine his
loyalty and attendant level of security clearance. The only Gray Board member with a scientific
background was a retired chemistry professor from Loyola University Chicago, Ward V. Evans, who was
selected to testify to the board due to his solidly conservative reputation and consistent record of
recommending clearance denials in all questionable cases. However, Dr. Evans voted in favor of granting
Oppenheimer security clearance. The media highlighted the scientist dissent of Professor Evans.
Furthermore, Professor Teller, the Father of Hydrogen Bomb recommended that the board deny
Oppenheimers clearance. As a result, leaders in the field, including influential scientists Drs. Christy and
Rabi, called for Tellers ostracism from the scientific community. Although the majority vote prevailed,
this would be a Pyrrhic victory for Oppenheimers detractors, as the next administration would award
him the Fermi Medal. AEC Chairman Strauss later confided to the FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, that he
believed the scientific community had pressured Dr. Evans into testifying on Oppenheimers behalf. Dr.
Gray himself had written that Dr. Evans had privately expressed to him his personal prejudices against
Oppenheimer. A prosecutor in the case subsequently admitted that he helped in writing Evans dissent!
These assertions were never corroborated by independent evidence. Dr. Evans surprising dissent
opinion in the Oppenheimer hearing is featured in Kipphardts famous 1968 play entitled, "In the Matter
of J.R. Oppenheimer."
Humanities and Fine Arts
!51
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Humanities and Fine Arts
80. How Couchsurfing in Iran Transforms the Private into Public Space and Connects
an International Community in a Land of Contradictions.
Heiwon Shin, *Craig Du
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University
email: heiwonshin2017@u.northwestern.edu *PI: craig.du@northwestern.edu
Couchsurfing is an international community of travellers and local hosts who open up their couches and
lives free of charge. This hospitality and social networking group exists in Iran, too. While Iran has a rich
hospitality culture, it is known more for its nuclear tensions, regional conflict and Islamic law
reinforcement. The Iranian people are not their government and the government is navigating through
Islamic ideals and modern reality. Because of this, contradictions abound in Iran today and creates a gap
between the public life that the government controls and the private life that people live. What is
Couchsurfings role in Iran today? This project finds that Couchsurfing allows foreign travellers to see
beneath the public life that the Islamic Republic of Iran controls. Moreover, Couchsurfing makes its
Iranian members more tolerant of each other and of others. Traditionally, Iranians have been private
people who prefer to spend time at home with their family members and close friends. Through a variety
of events, where strangers meet to hike, read, or simply to meet, Couchsurfing is changing this.
However, because most of its members in Iran are middle to upper class, Couchsurfing is limited.
.
82. Factors Eecting Minority Participation in Cardiovascular Research
Lavada A. Smith1, *Dr. Karen Vuckovic2
1 Roosevelt University
2 School of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago
email: lsmith69@mail.roosevelt.edu *PI: vuckovic@uic.edu
Cardiovascular disease is prevalent among African American and Latino populations. Yet African
American and Latino individuals are less likely to participate in research trials than Caucasians. As a
result less is known about the ecacy of the cardiovascular diagnostic and therapeutic treatment
interventions for minority populations. The purpose is to identify the factors that may contribute to
African Americans and Latinos declining to participate in a cardiovascular research trials. Pubmed was
searched for articles published after 2005 using the MESH terms African American, minorities, Latinos,
cardiovascular trials, ethnicity. The search was limited to English publications investigating
cardiovascular clinical trials. The search yielded 75 articles; nine studies were reviewed. The articles
were split into categories articles identified through Pubmed use of key words (n-75), followed by
additional articles identified through other sources (n=3). The articles were screen by title (n=45) and
articles excluded by abstract (n=14) plus the additional articles (n=3). The full-text articles assessed for
eligibility (n=19) and full-text articles excluded, with reasons the table contains the information from
articles (n=7). The studies included in quantitative synthesis (n=17). The 75 articles were split into
categories using a PRISM flow diagram of search strategy in which were: included, eligibility, screening,
and identification. The articles were narrowed down by abstract association of factors contributing to
the lack of minority participation in clinical cardiovascular trials in urban and rural areas. The previous
step left 31 abstract articles and the next step was to read abstracts to find the relationship to the main
question in which narrowed the articles down to 19 abstracts. Lastly, the remaining articles were the
most detailed and gave me the answer to my question. Minorities have common factors that need to be
address throughout the research community. The small presence of clinical cardiovascular trials and the
need for a bigger presence for clinical cardiovascular trials due to the higher risk within minority and rural
areas with these communities.
References
[1] Patrick et al., 2015 Nested Case Control Age and Gender Matched
!52
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)International Studies and Political Science
[2] Green et al., 2011 Descriptive Substudy of RCT for a web-based intervention for hypertension requiring computer
access
[3] Byrd et al,. 2011 Descriptive Study
[4] Gadegbeku et al., 2008 Descriptive Comparative Study
[5] Braunstien et al., 2008 Descriptive Study
[6] Staffileno and Coke, 2008 Descriptive Research
[7] Rucker- Whitaker et al., 2005 Qualitative Study
International Studies and Political Science
83. Routes of the Problem: Understanding the Pathways to Radicalization

Natalia Galica
Criminal Justice, Roosevelt University
email: ngalica@mail.roosevelt.edu
Eorts to create a terrorist profile have largely failed due to the variety of dierent backgrounds that each
terrorist comes from. Therefore, research should not focus on what the personality traits of terrorists are,
but rather why individuals become terrorists or how they end up on the path towards terrorism. Current
research has asserted that there are several pathways or routes to terrorism; they arise when
catalysts create cognitive openings, or states in which an individual becomes receptive to new
worldviews. These catalysts are: grievances, ideologies, networks, and environments. Analyses of recent
terrorist attacks highlight these pathways and the ways in which they are similar among nearly every
terrorist group ideology. Through this research, counter-radicalization policy implications can be
determined. This diers from previous research in that it applies the theories to recent examples and
provides potential policy recommendations based on the research. Several studies form the basis for
this research including the pyramid model of radicalization, [1] the puzzle model,[2] and the routes
model.[3] The research postulates that no single model is correct, but rather aspects of the existing
models highlight necessary features that can be observed in the individual radicalization of many
terrorists. The study finds that addressing these key aspects can form the foundation for eective
counter-extremism eorts.
References
[1] McCauley, C. & Moskalenko, S. (2008). Mechanisms of political radicalization: Pathways toward terrorism. Terrorism
and Political Violence, 20 (3), 415-433.
[2] Hafez, M. & Mullins, C. (2015). The Radicalization puzzle: A Theoretical synthesis of empirical approaches to
homegrown extremism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 38 (11), 958-975.
[3] Horgan, J. (2008). From profiles to pathways and roots to routes: Perspectives from psychology on radicalization into
terrorism. ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 618 (1), 80-94.
.
85. Blood Spatter Analysis, a New Way to Train Law Enforcement Ocials
Courtney Spirek, Adrianna Smith, Dominic Hartman, Jessica Cervantes, Patricia Tuxford,
Nicole Henry, Jake Hayes, and *Sandra Chimon-Rogers
email: cspirek@ccsj.edu *PI: drrogers@ccsj.edu
!53
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Physics
Blood spatter is a very useful, essential tool utilized in specific areas of law enforcement. Particularly in
those where crimes have been committed, ranging from violent homicides to suicides. Bloodstain
patterns are examined once the crime has been committed. The analysis can be traced with regards to a
trail or print. Blood from the nanoscale ranging to large volumes can be analyzed utilizing various
techniques and later processed either on the scene or in a lab.
Common techniques include photography, swab and ultra-violet light detection, luminal observations,
collection of evidence and recreating spatter in a lab. These techniques require creation and recreation
of detailed reports using computer simulation and analysis. But most importantly, the reporting
techniques are of utmost essential necessities. Training law enforcement professionals and crime scene
investigators with regards to these techniques which acquire a quick justification of a possible is critical
for a quick and solid confirmation. Our research entails recreating a crime scene in a cost eective
manner which best asses the situations at hand.
Mathematics
86. Sums of Consecutive Polygonal Numbers Equivalency Relations

Samantha Wyler
Mathematics, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
email: samanthawyler314@gmail.com
Polygonal numbers are numbers such that that many dots form the shape of a regular polygon, meaning
a polygon that is equal angular as well as equilateral. In researching polygonal numbers I was able to
find an equivalency relationship involving the sums of consecutive polygonal numbers. After being
introduced to a formula on how to find all the various polygonal numbers for the dierent types of
polygons I was then able to prove this equivalency relation using the method of summation notation
along with other equivalency relationships.
Physics
87. The Role of Ligand in the Structural Properties of Self-Assembled Nanoparticle

Films
Melanie Calabro1, Sean Griesemer1, Quan Peiyu2, Wei Bu2, Stuart A. Rice3, and
*Binhua Lin2,4
1 Department of Physics, University of Chicago
2 Centerfor Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago
3 Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago
4 James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago
email: mcalabro17@uchicago.edu *PI: lin@cars.uchicago.edu
Thiol-functionalized self-assembled films of gold nanoparticles (NPs) at the air/water interface assemble
into monolayers with particular properties as a function of thiol concentration and chain length. Previous
studies have shown that such films exhibit diverse mechanical responses as a function of these
parameters, but a conception of what the responsible underlying structure is has not been elucidated.
We use grazing incidence X-ray diraction (GIXD) to perform a comprehensive study of the interparticle
spacing and correlation length of our films for a range of thiol concentrations, and for several dierent
thiol chain lengths. Further, we provide a novel interpretation of how the nanometer-scale structure of
!54
our thiol-ligated NP films evolves with dierent thiol parameters, based on an understanding of the
process and controlling parameters of thiol adsorption on to the gold itself. Our experiments and
interpretation reveal that even at traditionally considered high thiol concentrations, gold NPs are not
fully covered by a monolayer of ligands, thus allowing thiol molecules freedom to crumple and/or
interdigitate and thereby enabling the ligand-based interactions that contribute to the observed unusual
strength and mechanical properties of the films.
88. CsTe Thin Films: High Quantum Eciency (QE ~ 4-10%) Semiconductors
Adam Denchfield1, *John Zasadzinski1,2
1 Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology
2 Argonne National Laboratory
Thin films of Cs2Te layered on bulk Nb and Mo have their Quantum Eciencies (QEs) reported and a
theoretical basis for the results is established. Using the standard recipe for Cs2Te deposition developed
for Mo substrates (220 initial Tellurium thickness), a QE ~11% - 13% at light wavelength of 248 nm is
achieved for the Nb substrates, consistent with that found on Mo. Systematic reduction of the initial Te
thickness for both Mo and Nb substrates reveals a surprisingly high residual QE ~ 6% for a Te layer as
thin as 15 . A theoretical investigation based on the Spicer 3-Step model approximated for
semiconductors was conducted, using a solution of the Fresnel equations for reflectance R. The model
leads to a reasonable fit of the thickness dependence of QE for the system, and suggests that layers
thinner than 15 may still have reasonably high QE. Such an ultra-thin, semiconducting Cs2Te layer
opens the door to the potential development of a Nb superconducting photocathode with relatively high
QE and minimal RF impedance to be used in a superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) photoinjector.
89. Stable thermophoretic trapping of generic particles at low pressures

Frankie Fung, Mykhaylo Usatyuk, B. J. DeSalvo, and Cheng Chin
James Franck Institute, Enrico Fermi Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago
We demonstrate levitation and three-dimensionally stable trapping of a wide variety of particles in a

vacuum through thermophoretic force in the presence of a strong temperature gradient. Typical sizes of
the trapped particles are between 10 m and 1 mm at a pressure between 1 and 10 Torr. The trapping
stability is provided radially by the increasing temperature field and vertically by the transition from the
free molecule to hydrodynamic behavior of thermophoresis as the particles ascend. To determine the
levitation force and test various theoretical models, we examine the levitation heights of spherical
polyethylene spheres under various conditions. A good agreement with two theoretical models is
concluded. Our system oers a platform to discover various thermophoretic phenomena and to simulate
dynamics of interacting many-body systems in a microgravity environment.
90. Prospects for Improved Isotopic Reactor Antineutrino Flux Measurements

Yonas Gebre, Pranava Teja Surukuchi and *Bryce Littlejohn
Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology
email: ygebre1@hawk.iit.edu *PI: blittlej@iit.edu
Nuclear reactors produce an intense and pure stream of electron antineutrinos. For this reason, they
have played a very important role in neutrino physics. The revaluation of the antineutrino flux associated
with the daughters of the reactors fission isotopes 235U, 238U, 239Pu and 241Pu has uncovered a 5-6%
!55
excess with respect to values measured by the experiments. The cause of this excess may lie in the
miscalculation of the antineutrino flux from one or more of the reactor fission isotopes. By comparing
antineutrino flux results from dierent experiments with varying fission, the flux contribution of each
isotope to the overall deficit can be determined. PROSPECT (Precision Reactor Oscillation and
Spectrum Experiment), a new short-baseline reactor neutrino eort, will produce unique new flux
measurements that can improve constraints on isotopic antineutrino flux contributions beyond those
enabled by existing flux measurements conducted over the past three decades. In particular, a
PROSPECT-like detector placed at short distances from an HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) and LEU
(Low Enriched Uranium) reactor will produce a series of highly-correlated antineutrino flux
measurements. This poster will present future achievable constraints on isotopic contributions to the
reactor antineutrino flux enabled by the addition of mock PROSPECT-like measurements at HEU and
LEU reactor cores.
91. Fabrication, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control for PROSPECT Detector
Component Production
Ian Gustafson, *Bryce Littlejohn
email: igustafs@hawk.iit.edu *PI: blittlej@iit.edu
The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment (PROSPECT) is an electron antineutrino (e)
detector intended to make a precision measurement of the 235U neutrino spectrum and to search for the
possible existence of sterile neutrinos with a mass splitting of m2 on the order of 1 eV2. PROSPECT will
be located less than 10 meters from the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As
PROSPECT covers a ~2 meter baseline range, physical segmentation is needed to better measure the
true baseline travelled by each neutrino. PROSPECT will therefore be a segmented detector in the X and
Y axes (the Z-axis being oriented outwards from the reactor), thereby improving both distance and
position measurements. Antineutrinos are detected in PROSPECT via inverse beta decay, in which a e
interacts with a proton in the detectors liquid scintillator bulk to produce both a positron and a free
neutron. Both products result in production of optical photons in the scintillator, which are then detected
by photomultiplier tubes. PROSPECT will be segmented into 11x14 1.2-meter long rectangular tubes,
separated via optically reflecting panels. Each panel will consist of a carbon fiber core, laminated with
optical reflector (to increase light collection) and Teflon (to ensure compatibility with the scintillator). This
poster discusses the fabrication and quality assurance (QA) procedures used in the production of the
PROSPECT reflector panels.
92. Development of a Dye-Sensitized Solar Flow Cell

Sarah Hamilton1, Carlo U. Segre2, Elena V. Timofeeva3
1 MechanicalEngineering Department, Illinois Institute of Technology
3 Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology
As the world transitions to a sustainable energy production system, eective utilization of renewable
energy sources has become a necessity. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) provide a lightweight energy
alternative for sun-soaked regions. DSSC produce electricity by exciting the electrons in photo-sensitive
dye with light. The electrons from the excited dye are collected by titanium dioxide nanoparticles
sintered to a conductive glass slide. Electrons flow from anode to cathode through the circuit doing
useful work and at the cathode they recombine with the dye through an iodine/iodide electrolyte.
!56
Traditional DSSCs require expensive conductive glass, have a long electron recovery time, and break
down over time due to the loss of electrolyte. These problems can be eliminated by pre-dying the titania
nanoparticles and flowing the particles through an electrochemical cell in an iodine electrolyte solvent.
The conductive glass electrodes are replaced by metal current collectors. By continuously moving the
particles through the current collectors, the electrons could recombine with the dye-modified
nanoparticles more quickly. The flow cell provides a closed loop system to reduce electrolyte loss. Our
current experimental results show that the dye modified nanoparticles behave equivalently to the
traditionally sintered nanoparticles. This demonstration of pre-dyed nanoparticle electrode shows a
promise for future implementation of the novel concept of dye-sensitized flow cell.
93. The Eect Of Missing Individual Beta Decays On the Reactor Antineutrino
Spectrum
Keith H. Hermanek, Ian F. Gustafson, *Bryce R. Littlejohn
email: khermane@hawk.iit.edu *PI: blittlej@iit.edu
Following the process of nuclear fission, nuclei decay into daughter nuclei via beta decay, releasing an
electron and an electron antineutrino. This process of decay continues successively until a stable
isotope is reached. Dierent fission product nuclei, and thus diering beta decay chains, are populated
depending on the parent isotope: 235U, 238U, 239Pu, 241Pu in low-enriched Uranium nuclear reactor cores,
as well as the energies of the neutrons that induced fission. Incident neutrons can have energies ranging
from ~0.0253 eV - 0.5 MeV (thermal), 0.5 Mev - ~1.5 MeV (fast), and above 1.5 MeV (high). The
measurement of decay properties and fission yields for the isotopes in these chains have been tabulated
into nuclear databases for use in various nuclear applications. Based on this data, the energies of
incident neutrons, and the fission fractions present in a reactor, an ab initio antineutrino and beta
spectrum can calculated. Some rare isotopes that are present in these decay chains are not well
measured and have no corresponding database information. In my research, I used the Oklo software
network to generate ab initio antineutrino spectra based on the standard fission yield database ENDF,
JENDL, JEFF, and the beta decay transition database ENSDF-6. Oklo was used to determine the decay
branches the nuclei decayed into, as well as the the ones that were missing, or untabulated in data
tables. The focus of this study is to understand how dierent incident neutron energies aect the
isotopes present in decay chains for dierent fission fractions inside a reactor core, and ultimately, the
amount of antineutrinos produced in a fission process. Based on these decay chains and which isotopes
have database information or not, I can study the impact of the isotopes with no database information
onto the antineutrino spectrum.
94. Local Fluctuations in Two-Dimensional Colloids At and Near the Hexatic Phase
Zach Krebs, Ari Roitman, Dr. Binhua Lin, and *Professor Stuart A. Rice
The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
email: zjkrebs@uchicago.edu *PI: sarice@uchicago.edu
The solid-liquid phase transition, known colloquially as melting and freezing, is a phenomenon of
everyday life. For example, consider the freezing of water into ice cubes, or the melting of iron and steel
in a furnace. Despite this abundance, a comprehensive microscopic theory of solid-liquid transitions
does not yet exist; current theories have limited applicability depending on the material in question. In
response, attention has been directed to colloidal, rather than molecular, systems that are structurally
!57
analogous to their molecular counterparts near freezing. Here, a colloid is simply a collection of spherical
particles with dynamics governed by a pairwise interaction. Due to the challenge in finding an
experimental observable that fully characterizes the three-dimensional structure of a bulk substance, the
ability to probe three-dimensional colloid phase changes is limited; in the two-dimensional case,
however, techniques such as X-ray diraction are satisfactory for characterizing structure. In this study,
molecular dynamics simulations are used to model two-dimensional colloids subject to a smooth,
repulsive pair potential. An intermediate stage in the solid-liquid transition of these systems, called the
hexatic phase, is detected through the lineshape of the structure factor. A description of local
fluctuations at and near the hexatic phase is gained by using the so-called Aperture Cross-Correlation
Function (ACCF). We propose that these local fluctuations exhibit a rotational symmetry. Peaks at 60-
degree intervals in the ACCF results confirm that the local fluctuations are hexagonally ordered. Future
studies aim to understand the role that these ordered local fluctuations play in the liquid-hexatic and
hexatic-solid transitions.
95. Analysis of Tunneling Spectroscopy on Single Cu-O Layer High Tc

Superconductors
Beverly Lowell, Gongqi Wang, and *John Zasadzinski
email: blowell@hawk.iit.edu *PI: zasadzinski@iit.edu
A detailed analysis is presented of the tunneling spectra on a variety of single-layer, high TC cuprate
superconductors reported in the literature. The intention is to try to gain insight into a longstanding
problem having to do with the wide variation in optimal TC values (5K to 95K) of cuprates having a single
Cu-O layer per unit cell. Bilayer cuprates such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+ (Bi2212) are more consistent,
displaying Tc values of 95-105K at optimal doping as expected from a universal mechanism for
superconductivity in the the Cu-O plane. Tunneling data are fit using superconducting density of states
DOS that incorporates a d- wave gap parameter cos2, the measured temperature T and a depairing
scattering rate, . Single-layer cuprates with TC values > 85K such as Tl2201 and Hg1201 reveal well
resolved tunneling spectra with sharp coherence peaks, low sub-gap conductance and above-gap dip
features consistent with that found on bilayer Bi2212. Lower TC single layer cuprates invariably reveal
broadened tunneling spectra with significantly larger relative scattering strength, /, and a strong
correlation with TC is observed. It is thus concluded that the origin of lower TC values originates in bulk
intrinsic disorder (also observed in electronic transport) that leads to strong depairing eects on the d-
wave state.
96. Archaeomagnetism for the Middle Neolithic Period in Central China

Nicolas Santiago1, Shuhui Cai2, Lisa Tauxe3, Weilin Wang4, Liping Yang4, Yongxin Pan5,6,
Chenglong Deng2,6, Huafeng Qin6, Rixiang Zhu2,6
1 DePaul University
2 State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Beijing, China
3 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0220, USA
4 Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Xi'an, China
5 Key Laboratory of the Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, China;

6 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
email: Nico.A.Santiago@gmail.com *PI: ltauxe@ucsd.edu
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The Earths geomagnetic field is a basic physical field with a history of ~3.5 Ga. This is a window to the
evolution of life on the Earth, which is important for uses such as animal navigation and shielding part of
cosmic radiation. This study is an attempt to create a time sequence in which the geomagnetic field can
be recorded through history. With a clear depiction of what the geomagnetic field has done, it is possible
to detect the evolution history of the geomagnetic field and its benefit to learning the living environment
on the Earth. The materials used contain magnetic particles that can record information from the field
when they are subjected to high temperatures, then cool down. Lava flows and pottery are used, which
can provide information of the geomagnetic field from when they were created. This study is part of a
larger project, Archaeomagnetism in China. The aim is to recover the evolution history of the
geomagnetic field over the past 10,000 years in Eastern Asia. The samples come from an ancient kiln
factory relic named Yang-guan-zhai belonging to Miaodigou culture (~4000-3500 BCE), located in China
(GPS: 34o28.175N, 109o0.903E). Through repeating the process in which the samples gained their
natural remanent magnetization (NRM) in the laboratory, we can obtain the intensity of the ancient field.
After a detailed archaeointensity study, we can expect to establish a paleointensity variation between
~4000-3500 BCE in this area. This will improve the regional model of the geomagnetic field in Eastern
Asia.
97. Legendre Mode Decomposition of the Dynamical Chern-Simon Scalar Field in an

Extremal Black Hole
Barbara Skrzypek, Alexander Pizzuto, *Robert McNees
Physics, Loyola University Chicago
Theories that attempt to reconcile general relativity (GR) with quantum mechanics predict corrections to
GR in regions of spacetime where gravity is particularly strong. New experiments like Advanced LIGO
and the Event Horizon Telescope can place bounds on these corrections by probing phenomena that
occur in the strong field regime. But such tests require an understanding of rotating black holes in
theories of gravity beyond GR. We extend recent results for rotating black holes in dynamical Chern-
Simons (dCS) gravity [1], obtaining closed form expressions for the Legendre modes of the dCS scalar
field.
References
[1] R. McNees, L. Stein, N. Yunes, ``Extremal Black Holes in Dynamical Chern-Simons Gravity" arXiv:1512.05453 [gr-
qc]
98. Updated Envelope Tool for Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment

Varrick Suezaki1, Chris Rogers2, Pavel Snopok
1 STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
email: vsuezaki@hawk.iit.edu
High-brightness muon beams provide the basis for the intense, well-characterized neutrino beams of the
Neutrino Factory and for lepton-antilepton collisions at energies of up to several TeV at a Muon Collider.
The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory will
demonstrate ionization cooling - the technique by which the phase-space volume occupied by the muon
beam could be reduced. MICE configuration currently in operation is taking data on the properties of
!59
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Psychology
liquid hydrogen and lithium hydride absorbers required for such reduction. The envelope tool discussed
in this work will help with the optics parameter selection and online data quality analysis.
99. Radial Dependence of the Self-Diusion Coecient of Colloids in Circularly

Confined Geometries
Molly Wolfson, Linsey Nowak, Binhua Lin, and *Stuart Rice
James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
email: mowolfson@uchicago.edu *PI: sarice@uchicago.edu
The motion of a probe particle in a dense heterogeneous system is often described with a position
dependent diusion coecient [1]. The source of the heterogeneity in a system can be other particles, or
a cytoskeleton, etc. We have examined this representation of the diusion coecient using dense quasi-
two-dimensional colloid suspensions confined in circular cavities. The radial variation of the density
imposed by the constraining boundary is a surrogate for the heterogeneity of other systems. The
expectation is that the mean square displacement of a particle that remains in an annulus in the circular
cavity will depend on the radial position. Using digital video microscopy, the mean square displacements
of 1.57m spherical particles in 10-100m radius circular cavities were captured. Through particle
detection and tracking routines, where tracks were kept if they were completely contained in one of six
annuli of the cavity, the mean square displacements, hence the self-diusion coecients (Ds), of the
particles in each ring were obtained. In our preliminary results, the diusion of the particles had a weak,
linear dependence on the radial position in the cavity. Nontrivial radial density distributions were
observed at all of the packing fractions recorded and increased packing did not cause an increased
dependence of Ds on the radial position.
References
[1] Cherstvy A. G., Chechkin A. V., & Metzler R. (2014). Particle, invasion, survival, and non-ergodicity in 2D diffusion
processes with space-dependent diffusivity. Soft Matter, 10, pp. 1591-1606
Psychology
100. Do Mindfulness and Spirituality Predict Substance Use in College Students?

Anum Afzal, Carol Hundert, *Colleen S. Conley
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago
email: aafzal1@luc.edu *PI: cconley@luc.edu
It is important to investigate predictors of substance use in college populations. There have been
conflicting findings regarding whether spirituality and mindfulness predict substance use in college
students. One study found that neither spirituality nor mindfulness predicted alcohol use [2]. A dierent
study found that spirituality was negatively correlated with binge drinking and smoking, whereas
mindfulness was positively correlated with binge drinking and smoking [1]. Because of these conflicting
findings, we wanted to investigate whether spirituality and mindfulness would predict alcohol, tobacco,
and other drug use over time in college students. We predicted that spirituality and mindfulness would
both predict a decrease in all three types of substance use. This study used data from a longitudinal
survey of undergraduate students at two time points: the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of the first year of
college. Because spirituality and mindfulness were not assessed in the same cohort, we looked at two
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dierent cohorts to assess whether mindfulness (N = 1406) and spirituality (N = 576) at T1 predicted
substance use at T2 above and beyond substance use at T1. We used hierarchical linear regression
analyses in SPSS version 22. Results indicated that mindfulness at T1 did not predict alcohol, tobacco,
or drug use at T2. However, spirituality at T1 significantly predicted less alcohol (R2 = .010, p = .002),
tobacco (R2 = .006, p = .032), and drug use (R2 = .011, p = .003) at T2. These results are consistent
with some past research findings, but conflict with others. Therefore, further research should be
conducted to explore the relationship between these variables in college populations. These findings
have important implications in that they could help create new interventions and preventative strategies
for college student substance use.
References
[1] Leigh, J., Bowen, S., & Marlatt, G. A. (2005). Spirituality, mindfulness and substance abuse. Addictive Behaviors
30(7), 1335-1341.
[2] Spofford, J. L., Nevels, R. M., Gontkovsky, S. T., & Bell, T. P. (2013). Meditative practices predict spirituality but
mindfulness does not predict alcohol use in African-American college students. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 17(4),
379-389.
101. Properties of False Memory and Their Relationship to Emotions

Nicole Douglas
Psychology, Roosevelt University
email: Ndouglas01@mail.roosevelt.edu
It is not uncommon for people to think of their memory analogous to a recording device objectively
encoding, storing, and recalling memories about the external world. However, its also common for
people to have recalled memories that never actually took place or have been distorted in a major way.
These are called false memories and very often they even have very strong emotive content associated
with them. Sometimes the emotional content associated with a false memory can be so convincing to
the individual recalling the memory that others are eectively persuaded into believing it to be true as
well as such when an eye witness recalls a distorted memory which leads to the incrimination of an
innocent person. Additionally, evidence has shown that certain populations such as African Americans
are more likely to be imprisoned because of the false recall of an eye witnesss testimony than any other
racial group. However, the legal system is notoriously slow at incorporating such psychological research
in the court room. So, this research investigated the nature of the relationship between emotions and
true and false memories through a review of relevant literature which will hopefully add to the current
body psychological research on memory distortions and provide a reasonable doubt for the implicit trust
historically associated with eye witnesss testimonies in the legal system. Furthermore, this review hopes
to stimulate future research into false memory and emotion which might allow us to one day have a fuller
understanding of memory and other cognitive processes in general. The primary literature supporting
this thesis on false memory and emotion was conducted by researchers Elizabeth Loftus, a leading
cognitive expert on false memory, and colleagues who found that, on more dimensions than not, true
and false memories were indistinguishable and therefore, emotional content is unlikely to be the
determining factor of whether or not a memory is true or false.
References
[1] Laney, C., & Loftus, E. F. (2008). Emotional content of true and false memories. Memory, 16(5), 500-516. doi:
10.1080/09658210802065939
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[2] Loftus, E. F., Loftus, G. R., & Messo, J. (1987). Some facts about "weapon focus". Law and Human
Behavior, 11(1), 55-62. doi:10.1007/BF01044839
[3] Bruck, M., Ceci, S. J., & Hembrooke, H. (2002). The nature of childrens true and false narratives.Developmental
Review,22(3), 520-554.
102. Do Cosmetic Surgery Patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder Experience Less
Post-operative Satisfaction as Compared to Patients Without the Disorder? A
Literature Review
Luminita Filip and *Roberta Paiko-Holzmueller
UIC Honors College, University of Illinois at Chicago
email: lfilip3@uic.edu *PI Email: birdy@uic.edu
With cosmetic surgery being a procedure that often yields dramatic and even lifelong changes for the
patient, it is imperative for the surgeon to understand the various factors that can aect post-operative
outcomes. In addition to the physical post-surgical outcomes that must be examined, assessments of
patient satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction must be performed after completion of a cosmetic procedure.
Post-operative patient satisfaction is a cosmetic surgery outcome that is essential for evaluation
because it can predict if a patient might undergo additional surgeries in the near future, if a patient will
seek future surgical procedures from the same physician, as well as the patients overall quality of life
and self-satisfaction after the surgery takes place. If a patient is dissatisfied with the results of a
cosmetic surgery, it is common for the patient to seek out additional procedures in order to fix the
problem, even if the additional procedures could cause serious and/or fatal health problems. One of the
most prominent factors that can aect post-operative patient satisfaction is Body Dysmorphic Disorder
(BDD) in patients undergoing cosmetic surgery. A literature review of numerous related articles reveals
that patients who show characteristic symptoms of this psychological disorder tend to be more
dissatisfied with their post-surgical outcomes as compared to patients who do not show any BDD
symptoms. Understanding the prevalence and consequences of post-operative dissatisfaction in
cosmetic surgery patients with BDD can facilitate toward further development and implementations of
pre-operative patient assessments in the field of cosmetic surgery. Pre-operative assessments can help
surgeons uncover a patients medical and psychological history, potentially revealing complications such
as BDD that might hinder post-operative patient satisfaction, ultimately leading surgeons to make much
more informed decisions regarding cosmetic surgery procedures on certain patients.
103. Variations in Students Emotional Expression and Their Eects on Expressive

Writing
Fiona M. Helgren, Christopher S. Rozek, Marjorie W. Schaeer, and *Sian L. Beilock
Department of Psychology, University of Chicago
email: fhelgren@uchicago.edu *PI: beilock@uchicago.edu
Emotional expression has been shown to aect academic success. Writing about worries before taking
an exam improved exam performance. However, variation in emotional expression during the free-writing
activity can aect the ecacy of this intervention. This study assessed how individual dierences in
students emotion regulation tendencies (the typical technique they use to manage their emotions), lay
theories of emotion (a persons beliefs about whether emotions can be changed), and SES related to
students free-writing content. Students (n=333, 51% female) were assessed on measures of emotion
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regulation, Theory of Emotion, and SES, and then free-wrote before an exam. Students with low SES
who repressed emotion and believed it unchangeable did not show positive free- write techniques,
whereas students who reassessed emotions and believed them changeable did show positive
techniques. The data suggest that increasing students belief in the malleability of emotion can increase
emotional expression and academic success.
104. Measuring the Impact of Rater Severity on Student Performance

Amanda Jiang, Jaime Morote and *Lidia Dobria
Department of Mathematics, Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL
email: ajiang6@student.ccc.edu *PI: ldobria@ccc.edu
The complexity of performance-based assessments requires that their quality be evaluated via expert
judgments obtained from raters, making the resulting scores be rater dependent. Because of the various
internal biases and assumptions through which they filter information, raters influence the ratings they
produce while exercising their professional judgment. Thus, their very presence guarantees the
introduction of rater biases in the scoring process, the most serious of which is dierential rater severity
(Cronbach, 1990). Despite thorough training, raters have shown a tendency to revert to their own internal
understanding of scoring rubrics, and to vary in the level of severity with which they rate examinees. A
severe rater will award a lower score than a lenient rater, and luck of the draw can unfairly aect an
examinees passing or failing a test. In this study, we used the Facets model (Linacre, 1989) to capture
dierences in rater severity and adjust the measures of examinee ability for the presence of these
dierences. Data were obtained from a writing exit examination administered to 650 college students
who completed an introductory English composition course. Students wrote one essay in response to
one of six possible prompts. Each student essay was scored by two raters taken from a pool of 28
experienced English instructors. Results showed that raters diered significantly in their levels of severity
2 (27, N = 650) = 989.8, p < .001. In 18.8% of the cases, student fair averages, which were adjusted for
dierences in rater severity, diered by more than a half point from their corresponding raw score
averages. The impact of rater severity on student performance measures had immediate practical
significance in that some students unfairly passed or failed the examination based solely on whether
lenient or severe raters, respectively, scored their response.
References
[1] Cronbach, L. J. (1990). Essentials of psychological testing (5th ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
[2] Linacre, J. M. (1989). Many-faceted Rasch measurement. Chicago: MESA Press.
105. Vicarious Trauma and Impact on Advocates

Taylor Little
Criminal Justice, Roosevelt University
email: tlittle06@mail.roosevelt.edu
Advocates who work with victims of sexual trauma experience challenges associated with their
profession. Although a great deal of research details survivors experiences with sexual trauma, not
much is known about the trauma that advocates experience. Working with survivors is no easy task.
Advocates are exposed to repeated and detailed stories of assaults, being a first responder, witnessing
survivors posttraumatic distress and injuries, and often being in the position to provide short-term
intervention services with no access of knowing a survivors outcome (Frey, Beesley, Abbott, & Kendrick
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(2017). The purpose of this research was to bring light the trauma that victim advocates experience, the
types of self-care they practice, and the interactions they have with law enforcement and the justice
system who work with victims. My methodology involved three interviews with victim advocates in the
Chicagoland area. The results reveal that advocates overall experienced some types of trauma from
hearing stories victims tell them but they are able to compartmentalize those emotions. Self-care
practices becomes instrumental to their ability to continue in this profession. In addition, from the three
interviews, similar findings were found of how law enforcement and the justice system treats victims of
sexual assault and domestic violence. With those findings, the interactions between survivors and
criminal justice actors are not often positive. Policy implications will also be discussed.
References
[1] Frey, L. L., Beesley, D., Abbott, D., & Kendrick, E. (2017). Vicarious resilience in sexual assault and domestic violence
advocates. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(1), 44-51
106. On the Psychometric Properties of the Perceived Stress Scale

Michelle Martinez and *Lidia Dobria
Department of Mathematics, Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL
email: mmartinez1136@student.ccc.edu *PI: ldobria@ccc.edu
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a widely used, 14-item psychological instrument developed to
measure the degree to which situations in ones life are appraised as stressful[1]. A shortened 10-item
version of the PSS was shown to have satisfactory reliability and construct validity across a variety of
contexts [2,3]. The current study explored the psychometric properties of the 10-item PSS within the
framework of item response theory. Data were obtained from 390 middle school students who
participated in the Youth Empowerment Seminar in which they were taught practical tools and life skills
designed to help them manage stress and emotions in a healthy way. Student responses to the PSS pre-
and post-participation in the seminar were analyzed using the rating scale model. Results showed that
the instrument had a high item reliability of .95 and item fit statistics within the appropriate range of .78
to 1.25. Of the 179 students who responded to the PSS at both time points, 55% showed a decrease in
their perceived stress measures. In 9% of cases, the decrease was statistically significant, suggesting
that, for these students, the program was eective in teaching them stress management techniques.
However, in 8% of cases, the post-participation stress measures were significantly higher than at the
start of the program. It is possible that this was due to an increase in the number of stressors in those
students lives, or that the program had in fact helped students better recognize and report their
perceived stress levels. Psychometrically, the instrument could be improved by the optimization of the
rating scale from a 5-point to a 4-point scale that would allow each category to be most probable over a
more distinct interval on the logit scale.

References
[1] Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of health and social
behavior, 385-396.
[2] Cohen, S., & Williamson, G. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the US. In S. Spacapam & S. Oskamp
(Eds.), The social psychology of health: Claremont symposium on applied social psychology (pp. 31-67).
[3] Roberti, J. W., Harrington, L. N., & Storch, E. A. (2006). Further psychometric support for the 10item version of the
perceived stress scale. Journal of College Counseling, 9(2), 135-147.
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107. Associations between Parental Attachment and Depression in Middle-Schoolers

Emma Orlo, Danya Soto, and *Antonio Polo
Department of Psychology, DePaul University
email: eorlo@mail.depaul.edu *PI: apolo@depaul.edu
Adolescent insecure parental attachment has been associated with emotional diculties [3], and
elevated rates of maladaptive guilt and shame as compared to their securely attached peers [2]. It is
important to note the high degree of familism in Latino culture, family conflict related to autonomy
expectations and disruptions in family life may place adolescents that identify as such at a unique
vulnerability to depression [1]. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of literature examining the interaction
between parental attachment, living situation, and depression in adolescents, so the present study will
examine the relationship between maternal and paternal attachment figures, family composition, and
depression in a school-based sample. Participants (56.8% female) included 271 middle school students
in grades 5 (18.9%), 6 (35.0%), and 7 (45.5%) at public elementary schools in a major Midwestern city.
The sample comprised mostly adolescents who self-identified as Latino (76.5%). Data were collected
during one on one interviews as part of a larger longitudinal study and randomized control trial. The
Revised Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 2009) was used to assess
parental attachment, and the Childrens Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1992) was used to assess
depression. Initial correlation analyses found a significant relationship between maternal attachment
between depression and maternal attachment (r(271) = -.436, p<.01) as well as a significant relationship
between depression and paternal attachment (r(271) = -.402, p<.01). Further analyses will be conducted
to investigate whether family composition or paternal attachment act as moderators of the relationship
between maternal attachment and depression. These findings could help clinicians and school-based
providers interested in supporting youth and their families.
References
[1] Crean, H. F. (2008). Conflict in the Latino parent-youth dyad: The role of emotional support from the opposite parent.
Journal of Family Psychology, 22(3), 484-493.
[2] Muris, P., Meesters, C., Cima, M., Verhage, M., Brochard, N., Sanders, A., Kempener, C., Beurskens, J., & Meesters,
V. (2013). Bound to feel bad about oneself: Relations between attachment and the self-conscious emotions of guilt and
shame in children and adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23(7), 1278-1288.
[3] Oldfield, J., Humphrey, N., and Hebron, J. (2016). The role of parental and peer attachment relationships and school
connectedness in predicting adolescent mental health outcomes. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 21(1), 21-19.
108. Trait Anxiety Does Not Correlate with the Subjective Eects of Nicotine
Lauren Petersen, David Arndt, *Harriet de Wit
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
email: laurenpetersen@uchicago.edu *PI: hdew@uchicago.edu
Previous research has suggested an association between nicotine consumption and trait anxiety. Since
individuals with high trait anxiety tend to experience elevated urges to smoke in certain situations, we
sought to investigate the relationship between trait anxiety, as quantified by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
(STAI-T) scores, and the subjective eects of nicotine, as reported through the Drug Eects
Questionnaire (DEQ). We predicted that trait anxiety would be correlated with the subjective eects of
nicotine, such that people with higher trait anxiety would report greater positive subjective DEQ ratings
compared to individuals with lower levels of trait anxiety. In our small sample of non-dependent
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smokers, participants arrived in lab, provided baseline subjective responses, and subsequently
consumed either a nicotine lozenge (4 mg) or placebo. Participants then completed DEQ questionnaires
at timepoints spaced 30 min apart, in which participants rated the feel, like or dislike of the drug
eect, as well as whether they felt high or wanted to take more of the drug. Results revealed no
significant correlations between trait anxiety scores and DEQ responses, such that individuals
possessing higher levels of trait anxiety did not report greater drug eects compared to individuals with
lower levels of trait anxiety. These results contradict our hypothesis and suggest that levels of trait
anxiety do not influence the subjective eects of acute doses of nicotine in non-dependent smokers. In
order to identify the links between underlying personality traits and maladaptive smoking behaviors,
more research is needed to elucidate the complex interactions between the behavioral and neural
mechanisms of trait anxiety and nicotine response.
109. Type 1 Diabetes in Adolescents: Understanding Physiological Responses, Family

Environment, and Self-Care
Chelsea S. Rapoport, Colleen Stiles-Shields, *Tina Drossos
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago Medical Center
email: csrapoport@uchicago.edu *PI: tdrossos@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu
Adolescents with Type I Diabetes face unique challenges, as their daily management needs conflict with
their desires for independence. Adolescents diabetes-specific self-care has been found to predict
glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Aspects of family environment, such as cohesion, expressiveness,
and conflict have also been found to impact adolescent self-care and HbA1c levels. These factors,
however, have not been examined as potential moderating variables between adolescent self-care and
HbA1c levels. In order to explore child and parent perceptions of family environment and their
association with self-care and HbA1c, this study will pose the following questions:
- Do parents and adolescents have varied reports?
- Is family environment a moderator?
- What aspects of family environment are most important?
The current study drew from a sample of 57 patient-caregiver dyads, with patients ranging from ages
12-17 (42.1% female).
Parent reports of adolescent self-care trended toward a significant relationship (r = .362, p = .054), yet
were not significant. The additive eect of incorporating caregiver reports of family conflict with caregiver
reports of adolescent self-care yielded a significant relationship (r = .513, p = .019). There was no
evidence to suggest that caregiver reports of family conflict moderated caregiver self-reports of
adolescent self-care and HbA1c, although the relationship trended toward significance (r = .514, p = .05).
This studys findings show that when parents report more family conflict and less adolescent self-care,
adolescent HbA1c is higher. Interestingly, there were no significant predictive relationships between
adolescent report variables and HbA1c. This suggests that adolescents and their parents have dierent
perceptions of family conflict and adolescent self-care, and that parents may potentially be more
accurate reporters of family conflict and adolescent self-care. These findings will prove useful in future
family interventions regarding diabetes management for adolescents.
110.
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Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Social Justice
111. Do Gender and Gender Beliefs Aect Predictions Of and Advising On Others Risk
Profiles?: An Experimental Approach
Kevin M. Sokal1 and *Anya Samek2
1 Department of Economics, University of Chicago
2 Department of Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
email: sokal@uchicago.edu *PI: anyasamek@gmail.com
We seek to examine the gender dierences in risk preferences across three dierent contexts: 1) ones
personal risk preferences, 2) ones perception of others risk preferences, and 3) ones advice for
anothers risk preferences. We will use data from a risk elicitation experiment, gathered in conjunction
with a large-scale economics field experiment on academic motivation programs for at-risk 7th through
9th graders currently being conducted in a low-income, suburban middle school near a major US city, in
order to evaluate the gender dierences. In following with the literature on risk preferences, we find that
females are more risk averse than males over ones own risk preferences. Moreover, adding to the
literature, we additionally find that females are more risk averse than males when making risk decisions
for others. Finally, we provide unique evidence supporting gender dierences in how males and females
advise a person of a specific gender, in addition to evidence suggesting that there are gender dierences
in how a male and female perceive and advise others to have risk preferences in comparison to ones
personal risk preference.
Social Justice
112. Assessing North Lawndale: Foundations of the Nations First Restorative Justice
Community Court
Lena Guerrero1, Edgar Moreno2, Ieshia Lucas2
1 Department of Communications, Roosevelt University
2 Department of Sociology, Roosevelt University
email: mguerrero08@mail.roosevelt.edu
The current justice system in the United States is based on punitive punishment, which often leads to
incarceration and removal of the oender from their community and family. The gaps left by these
removals can lead to further crimes due to lack of adult role models and community divides. This
traditional approach often lends little focus to the healing process of the victim. In contrast, restorative
justice is a relationship-building process that is responsive to needs. The restorative approach to justice
seeks to reconnect oenders with their community, providing support and resources rather than isolation
and punishment. A restorative justice court, comprised in-part by community members, would help
oenders realize the impact of their oenses and build competency in the community, embracing social
engagement rather than social control. In summer 2016, North Lawndale was chosen as the location of
the nations first restorative justice court. In order to prepare for the establishment of the court, the
Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation at Roosevelt University conducted an in-depth
community assessment of the North Lawndale community. Through the use of surveys and community-
based focus groups, both quantitative and qualitative opinions of community members were collected to
determine how the court can best serve and represent the community. The results of the survey revealed
community concerns surrounding crime, employment opportunity, and available resources. In addition,
the survey also asked participants to highlight the strengths of their community. After identifying areas
!67
Abstracts (Poster Presenters)Sociology and Anthropology
lacking resources, students mapped organizations in the community to fill those needs and potentially
partner with the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Hub. The court is set to open July 2017. Research
and evaluation will continue as the court progresses.
.
114. Comparing Eectiveness of Digital and Physical Media in Toxoplasmosis
Awareness Campaign for Pregnant Women in Panama
Aliya Moreira1, Abhinav Pandey1, Ian Begeman2, Mariangela Soberon2, Xavier Saez Llorenz2,
Oswaldo Reyes2, *Rima McLeod1
1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Chicago
2 Maternity Ward, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama
email: aliyamoreira@uchicago.edu *PI: rmcleod@bsd.uchicago.edu
The goal of this project was to compare the eectiveness of physical and digital platforms for
distributing information about toxoplasmosis to pregnant women in Panama. Physical brochures are
expensive and not immediately engaging while distributing information digitally may help alleviate costs
and engage more women. In order to test this, pregnant women (N=214) were surveyed over eight
weeks in Hospital Santo Tomas in Panama City. Following consent, women were administered a pretest
composed of six questions that evaluated their prior knowledge of toxoplasmosis. After completion of
the pretest, women were randomly given informational material either in the form of a paper brochure or
PDF on an iPhone. Once the women finished reviewing information, a posttest with the same five
questions was administered.
We found that the brochure group (N=105) had a net increase of 4.491.39 and the PDF group (N=109)
had a net increase of 3.621.79 in their test scores. Based on a group by time interaction in a mixed-
eects regression model, the change over time was significantly dierent between the two groups
(p<0.001) with the brochure group having a significantly greater increase than the pdf group. However,
both groups showed a significant increase from pre- to post-test (p<0.001 for both). Also of note is that
the two groups diered significantly in their pretest scores (brochure: 0.390.66, PDF group: 1.151.45,
p<0.001).
In conclusion, we found that information distributed physically is more eective in a hospital setting.
However, information distributed digitally is also eective with a statistically significant increase in test
scores. Additionally, the dierences in starting scores between the two groups may factor into the
greater net increases found in the brochure group. Furthermore, the digital platform costs less and is
more engaging. Given this, we believe that the Panamanian government should feel confident in going
forward with an online health campaign.
Sociology and Anthropology
115. An International Comparative Case Study of Guidelines for Screening for

Disorders and Disease in Infants in France and the United States
Jannie Bolotnikov1, *Dr. Saul Weiner2
1 Biology, University of IL at Chicago
2 Pediatrics and Medical Education, University of IL at Chicago
email: jbolot2@uic.edu *PI: sweiner@uic.edu
!68
Professional healthcare organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics routinely issue
guidelines to inform clinical best practices. Customarily these guidelines are based on evidence based
research and practical considerations such as costs of screening for medical and social conditions and
the potential to intervene when there are positive findings. This project compares how comparable
professional societies that inform practitioners in France and the United States are similar and dierent
in their approaches to determining which recommendations they will promote in published guidelines.
Information was gathered on three specific comparable policy statements and recommendations, on
autism, attention deficit disorder and obesity, from the major pediatrics societies in France and the U.S.
These recommendations were analyzed for the similarities and dierences between comparable
recommendations across the two organizations. The dierences across comparable policy statements
likely stem from dierences in the process of creating policy, and the specific criteria for prioritizing
recommendations in two dierent countries with dierent cultures and expectations. This research
identifies some of the factors that account for similarities and dierences in screening guidelines across
two nations, both with highly developed health care systems.
.
117. The Courtney Love Eect: Relationships Between Suicide Bereavement and
Suicide Risk
Katherine Ordonez, Sanja Miklin, *Anna Mueller,
Department of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago
email: ordonezkath@uchicago.edu *PI: amueller@uchicago.edu
The contagion eect within suicidology proposes that suicide may be socially communicable amongst
members in a community. Specifically, it theorizes the notion of one suicide having the capability to
incite higher rates of suicidality on those exposed to the suicide, either through media outlets orthrough
shared personal relationships with the suicidee. Based on a series of interviews investigating social
integration and regulation as risk factors for suicide, we have found a considerable number of
respondentsthat report having an opposite reactiona possible inoculation eect after exposure to
suicide. In this project, we take a close look at the case studies of three respondents in this group and
investigate what aspects of their bereavement trajectory may suggest that another protective factor
against suicide risk is the engagement in particular forms of grief after a suicide. Ultimately, our results
highlight the complexity of reactions to a suicide death, a finding that may aid future researchers in
analyzing the change of attitudes that may occur in the wake of a suicide death, furthering the
suicidology literature on suicide contagion.
.
119. Participation in Medical Research: Reasons Provided in Cognitive Interviews of a
Diverse Sample
Silvia Valadez1, Dana Garbarski1, Jennifer Dykema2, Dorothy F. Edwards3,4
1 Department of Sociology, Loyola University Chicago
2 University
of Wisconsin Survey Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
3 Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, Madison, WI, USA
4 Departments of Medicine and Neurology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI,
USA
Racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented in medical and health-related survey research,
with implications for the generalizability across diverse populations of evidence gleaned from these
!69
studies. However, little is known about the respondents reasons for participatingor notin medical
research studies, and how these reasons might vary across race or ethnicity and by the type of data
being collected. We extend previous research by using cognitive interviewing techniques to examine 1)
respondents reported likelihood of participating in five increasingly invasive types of data collection,
including research studies that ask participants to answer questions about themselves or provide
samples of saliva, blood, tissue, or cerebrospinal fluid, 2) the reasons they provide for the likelihood they
assigned to their participation; and 3) the reasons they provide for why the likelihood they assign to their
participation is similar to or dierent from the likelihood they assigned to other types of medical
research. Cognitive interviews were conducted with 64 participants in a convenience quota sample
crossing dimensions of race/ethnicity (i.e., white, black, Latino, American Indian), gender, age, and
education. We examined patterns in respondents likelihood of participating in increasingly invasive
medical research and examine whether these patterns vary across groups. We coded the reasons
respondents provided for their likelihood of participation in an inductive, iterative, and systematic
process from interview transcripts. Our qualitative analysis consisted of identifying analytical categories
and describing cross-group variation in these dimensions. By focusing on respondents explanations of
their likelihood of participating or not in various types of medical research, we are able to establish
participants accounts of barriers and facilitators in participating in medical research studies that collect
personal information and biomarkers such as saliva, blood, tissue samples, and cerebrospinal fluid, with
specific attention to variations across social groups.
.
121. Change Detection in Chicago: Studying Urbanization through Remote Sensing
Miles Van Denburg
Anthropology, DePaul University
Understanding cultural assimilation and adaptation has relevance to contemporary society where there
continues to be overwhelming potential for violence and destruction in cities due to a lack of cultural
cohesion. Displacement is a rising issue in cities, as people are displaced. To understand the underlying
causes of this process, I examined the changing social and economic demographics in the Chicago
community area of the Lower West Side, specifically highlighting the neighborhood of Pilsen. In this
study I utilize GIS technology to contribute to our understanding of gentrification, defined here as the
transformation of a working-class or vacant area of the central city into a middle-class residential or
commercial uses area. In order to discuss gentrification in Pilsen, analysis and examination of the
landscape is conducted, and evidence of change is substantiated. Using the change analysis test results
along with the demographic data combined with research into contemporary politics and scholarly
sources; there is evidence for urban redevelopment in Pilsen. This is shown in the changes to Pilsen
from the condominium rush, which occurred between 1999 and 2008. While the change analysis only
shows the increase in bright reflectance values, the demographic and construction data show
progressive variation in the neighborhood and in policy by local government. To better understand the
detected potential changes, it is necessary to perform in-the- field survey combined with participant
observation of the neighborhoods themselves; creating a comparative database of development records
with projects and their development stage. Further research into the industrial era of Pilsen would be
required as well to better understand the socio-cultural impact on the landscape/populace of Pilsen.
!70
Sponsors
We would like to thank our wonderful sponsors:
!71
2017 Inter-School Board
Directors
Raymond Han
Crystal Nguyen
rwhan@uchicago.edu cnguyen04@mail.roosevelt.edu
Chair Positions
Judging
Svetlana Taylor
staylo15@hawk.iit.edu
Oral Presentations Chang Xu
cxu30@hawk.iit.edu
Scoring Christian Brian
cbrian@mail.roosevelt.edu
Public Relations Jessica Song
jessicasong2019@u.northwestern.edu
Fundraising Ahmad Allaw
aallaw@uchicago.edu
Roosevelt University DePaul University Loyola University

Chicago
Crystal Nguyen
Monica Carson
Majed Shaheen
cnguyen04@mail.roosevelt.edu monica.carson7@gmail.com majedshaheen1@gmail.com
Christian Brian
cbrian@mail.roosevelt.edu
Northwestern University University of Chicago Illinois Institute of

Technology
Patrick Liu
Ahmad Allaw
Misha Shah
patrickliu2018@u.northwestern.edu aallaw@uchicago.edu mshah75@hawk.iit.edu

Svetlana Taylor
Jessica Song
Raymond Han
staylo15@hawk.iit.edu
jessicasong2019@u.northwestern.e rwhan@uchicago.edu
du Chang Xu
cxu30@hawk.iit.edu
!72

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13th

Computer Science ...................................................................................44

Environmental and Geophysical Sciences ...............................................50

Humanities and Fine Arts .........................................................................51

International Studies and Political Science ..............................................53

Social Justice ...........................................................................................67

Sociology and Anthropology ....................................................................68

From all of us, we wish you a wonderful symposium!

Our deepest thanks,

Raymond Han Crystal Nguyen

Directors, CAURS 2017

9:00-10:00 Check-in & Set-up (Fainman & Congress Lounges)

10:00-11:00 Keynote Address (Ganz Hall7th floor)

11:00-1:00 Morning Poster Presentation Session (Congress Lounge)

Morning Oral Presentation Session (Spertus Lounge)

1:00-1:30 Lunch Break (Fainman Lounge)

1:30-3:30 Afternoon Poster Presentation Session (Congress Lounge)

Afternoon Oral Presentation Session (Spertus Lounge)

3:30-4:30 Reception (Fainman Lounge)

Awards Ceremony (Spertus Lounge)

ELEVATORS Elevators to Keynote

10:00am (Ganz Hall7th floor)

Natacha DePaola, Ph.D.

Morning (Spertus Lounge)

11:30-11:50 Kristin Wills (Engineering; Illinois Institute of Technology)

12:00-12:20 Tiffany Simmons (Engineering; Southern Illinois University)

12:30-12:50 Jonathan Pekarek (Environmental & Geophysical Sciences;

Afternoon (Spertus Lounge)

1:30-1:50 Cesar Saucedo (Chemistry; DePaul University)

2:00-2:20 Samuel Veroneau (Chemistry; University of Chicago)

2:30-2:50 Catherine Montgomery (Psychology; Loyola University

3:00-3:20 Sarah Permut (Sociology; Northwestern University)

Abstracts (Oral Presenters)

1. Andrew MolinaThe University of Chicago

Observed in vitro Lipid Dynamics to Confirm Novel Model for CNS

2. Kristin E. Wills1Illinois Institute of Technology

1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Guiding Cancer Therapy through Non-Invasive Quantitative Molecular Imaging of

3. Tiffany Simmons1Southern Illinois University Carbondale

A Piezoelectric Biosensor for Biomechanical Cellular Measurements

4. Jonathan Pekarek1The University of Chicago

1 Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago

5. Cesar SaucedoDePaul University

Department of Chemistry, DePaul University

6. Samuel Veroneau1,2The University of Chicago

Surface Modification of Ion-Conducting Ceramic Particles

7. Catherine L. MontgomeryLoyola University Chicago

Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago

The Eect of Parental Support and Involvement on Sense of Belonging in School

8. Sarah PermutNorthwestern University

Abstracts (Poster Presenters)

1. Matching Composition and Mechanics in Breast Tissue Phantoms

2. Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Cholesterol Traits in Diverse Populations

1Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660

3. Sensitive Detection of Cancer Spread to Lymph Nodes: Evaluating Imaging Agent

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

4. Characterizing the Toxic Eect of Acetaminophen Exposure on Drosophila

Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University

5. The Role of Olfactory Marker Protein (OMP) in Olfactory Neurogenesis

1Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660

6. Oxandrolone: Alzheimers Disease Steroid

Science Department, Calumet College of Saint Joseph

7. Expression of Bax2 is independent of the genetic mutation status of the

Department of Biology, College of Science, Illinois Institute of Technology