Oral Session VI-11:30AM-12:30PM
Abstract Volume and Quick Reference Guide
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AF 209A
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
11:30am-11:50am
Using Absorbance and Fluorescence to Measure Chlorogenic Acid Esterase Activity
Presenter(s): Kellie Omori
Advisor(s): Dr. Cedric Owens
Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is an antioxidant that is present in large concentrations in many foods. CGA esterases are useful enzymes that hydrolyze CGA into caffeic and quinic acid. Our goal is to use protein engineering to make a highly active CGA esterase for food science and industrial applications. To do this, we identify regions on CGA esterase that are the most flexible and then target these residues for mutagenesis to develop engineered enzymes with higher turnover rate than the wild-type. Because this approach involves creating a rather large number of mutant esterases (>100), it requires a high-throughput activity assay that can quickly screen the activity of many mutants. We present a newly developed absorbance and fluorescence assay that distinguishes CGA from caffeic acid. CGA and caffeic acid are both fluorophores due to the aromatic rings in their structures, but they each absorb light and fluoresce at different wavelengths. Their distinct absorbance and fluorescence properties allow us to characterize the CGA hydrolysis reaction and measure enzyme activity by monitoring CGA depletion and caffeic acid formation. Highly active esterases produce a shift in peak maxima of the signals, indicating CGA breakdown is occurring. The reliability of this screening method was validated by adding wild-type CGA esterases in a reaction with CGA. As expected, we observed a shift in signals on the excitation and emission spectra. We then used this assay to screen the activity of our first mutant (Q202). These experiments demonstrate the functionality and efficiency of the rapid screen, allowing us to perform mutagenesis on the remaining target residues.
Chemistry
11:50am-12:10pm
Excited Electron Chemistry on Bimetallic Tintantium Nitride Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanoparticles
Presenter(s): Chelsey Cortes
Advisor(s): Dr. Jerry LaRue
Catalysts are integral to many chemical reactions as they reduce energy consumption and minimize pollution. Modern catalysts, however, are not selective nor efficient enough to satisfy some of today’s global challenges and, in some cases, can even lead to an increase in pollution. The Petroleum industry, for instance, is one of the most significant contributors of carbon monoxide pollution and hydrocarbon emissions attributable to the incomplete combustion of petroleum. By coating plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles with an active transition metal, we aim to create highly selective and active plasmonic photocatalysts. These promising novel catalysts can potentially be utilized to carry out excited state chemistry reactions and may be used to mitigate carbon monoxide pollution in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. This works because when the plasmonic metal core is excited by light and its plasmon resonances decay, it creates highly energetic “hot” electrons that can promote excited state reactions, while the transition metal shell functions to enhance the selectivity and efficiency of the reaction. This project aims to understand how the geometry and electronic structure of photocatalytic surfaces can be tuned to allow for the conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide or methanol. We have synthesized and characterized titanium nitride core nanoparticles with a transition metal, ruthenium or rhodium, shell and will be studying the photocatalytic efficiency of the core-shell nanoparticles through hydrocarbon and oxidation reactions. These bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles lay the foundation for the next generation of green photocatalysts.
12:10pm-12:30pm
Counterions effects in calcium-mediated sulfur-fluorine exchange
Presenter(s): Michael Bertagna
Advisor(s): Dr. O. Maduka Ogba
Calcium ions, bound to weakly coordinating anions (e.g., bistriflimide or triflate ions), have gained significant utility within the last two decades as catalysts for facilitating challenging chemical reactions. This is particularly exciting because calcium, unlike the transition metals typically used as catalysts, is cheap, abundant, and non-toxic. Despite these obvious advantages, calcium catalysis is in its infancy - little is known about the mode in which calcium salts activate substrates in chemical reactions. Recent experimental work has shown that calcium bistriflimide salts activate sulfur(VI) fluorides in a sulfur(VI)-fluorine exchange (SuFEx) toward nitrogen-containing sulfur(VI) compounds of medicinal relevance. A closer look at the experimental data show that switching the anion from bistriflimide to triflate results in dramatic yield losses, indicating that the counterion plays a crucial role in facilitating the chemical process, beyond being weakly coordinating. In this work, density functional theory methods were used to compute and compare the SuFEx mechanism mediated by calcium triflate to that mediated by calcium bistriflimide. Structural, energetic, and electronic insights from computations that explain the origins of the counterion-induced reactivity differences between calcium bistriflimide and calcium triflate will be presented.
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AF 209B
Communication Studies
11:30am-11:50am
Dating Apps, Communication, and Consent
Presenter(s): Catherine Mysliwiec, Fiona Burrows, Rocky Wetzler, Malak Abulohou
Advisor(s): Dr. Austin Lee
Dating apps have transformed the way people develop sexual and/or romantic relationships over the past decade. Furthermore, the COVID 19 pandemic has pushed communication further online increasing distance and asynchronicity of what used to be face-to-face interactions. American college students frequently use dating apps for casual sexual relationships, romantic relationships, friends, and more. We are interested in exploring how difficult topics such as consent and boundaries are discussed on the app, prior to the meeting, and/or during the initial meet-up. The increasing popularity of dating apps among college students may effect behaviors and attitudes of consent, and thus this is a worthwhile and timely subject for research study.
Political Science
11:50am-12:10pm
No Idols: China’s Qinglang Movement and K-pop
Presenter(s): Claudia Sheng
Advisor(s): Dr. Minju Kwon
With the accelerated expansion of the South Korean entertainment industry in the 2010s, K-pop has made its mark on entertainment industries and locals all over the world, including in China. However, under the conservative rule of the CCP, the Chinese government has recently put stricter regulations on K-pop and idol culture through the revival of the Qinglang Movement. Existing studies have focused broadly on the Chinese government’s policies regarding local media, but few have accounted for the Chinese government’s recent regulations of K-pop and idol culture. This paper examines how and why the Chinese government has regulated the transnational culture of K-pop by focusing on three phases: (1) the realization of K-pop’s potential influence on politics (2015-2016), (2) the implementation of Korean entertainment bans (2016-2019), and (3) the resurgence of the Qinglang Movement to regulate online idol fandom activity (2021). I find that the Chinese government’s reasoning behind stricter censorship of K-pop is to promote president Xi Jinping’s dedication to the original Maoist communist agenda as means of preventing corruption of the Chinese youth with transnational popular culture and social media. I also find that these regulations are heavily influenced by China’s traditional and conservative political and social culture, and the government’s motivation to maintain harmony in Chinese society. This research will contribute to the literature on culture and politics in East Asia by examining the Xi administration’s actions and reactions to K-pop and its influences.
12:10pm-12:30pm
Joke or Accountability: Duterte’s Misogynistic Speeches and Local News Media
Presenter(s): Kaye Valdez
Advisor(s): Dr. Minju Kwon
President Rodrigo Duterte’s misogynistic speeches have faced strong criticisms from the international and domestic communities, but he remains widely popular in the Philippines. Existing literature has discussed Duterte’s strategic use of such speeches (Kaul 2021; Parmanand 2020) or women’s responses to his misogynistic stance (Gregorio 2020). However, few studies have examined how local media play a role in constructing the information relevant to Duterte's misogynistic behavior. This paper analyzes how the top five local news media have framed Duterte’s misogynistic language with a focus on two incidents: (1) his lewd threat to female communist soldiers in February 2018 and (2) his comment on women being unfit for presidency in January 2021. We find that local media tend to omit specific information on his speeches and lower the tone of the speeches despite varying bias levels across the media. Even critics of the government do not pay particular attention to his misogynistic language and attitude, but they rather emphasize his other problematic actions unrelated to women. We argue that the underlying ambivalent sexism in society and the media’s ignorance of sexism normalize the ongoing misogynistic behavior by politicians in the Philippines that has ironically ranked high for gender equality (#17 in the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report). This research contributes to feminist media studies by providing insights from a new empirical case study from the Philippines.
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AF 209C
Psychology
11:30am-11:50am
Forms of Physical Activity and their Correlation with Women’s Body Image and Eating Behaviors
Presenter(s): Hannah Burness
Advisor(s): Dr. Desiree Crevecoeur-MacPhail, Dr. Tara Gruenewald
This study was conducted to explore the correlations between body image and disordered eating with anaerobic and aerobic exercise. According to the sociocultural theory of body image, women develop bad body image when they internalize society’s obsession with thinness and their body does not live up to this ideal. However, despite current sociocultural norms, positive body image is still achievable after women go through a process of empowerment or reflection (Paquette & Raine, 2004) This study proposed that weightlifting, or anaerobic exercise, can serve as the process of empowerment necessary for women to overcome the internalization of sociocultural norms surrounding women’s bodies. Participants included women over the age of 18, and they were recruited via social media ads. After consenting to participating, participants completed The Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire, or RPAQ, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, or EDE-Q, and answered demographic questions. Results are expected to indicate a positive correlation between higher body image and higher frequency of anaerobic exercise. Furthermore, results are expected to indicate a positive correlation between high frequency of aerobic exercise and disordered eating behaviors, with disorder eating moderating the association between frequency of aerobic exercise and bad body image. If significant, these results suggest that weight training can be used to improve body image and disordered eating behaviors. Society must shift the narrative of the importance of women participating in aerobic exercise to include the importance of women participating in anaerobic exercise for the betterment of women’s physical and mental health.
11:50am-12:10pm
Sexual Behavior, Satisfaction, and Wellbeing
Presenter(s): Julia Wolfe
Advisor(s): Dr. Tara Gruenewald, Dr. Desiree Crevecoeur-MacPhail
Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, Sadism & Masochism (BDSM) is a large part of the
queer community that is often overlooked and heavily stigmatized. The BDSM community tends to be
shrouded in judgment and doesn’t receive the same amount of research as other queer communities
and spaces. This study assessed if attitudes toward, and the practice of BDSM, is associated with
psychological well being. Prior research suggests that individuals who participated in BDSM indicated
higher levels of sexual satisfaction than their vanilla, individuals who don’t participate in kink/BDSM,
counterparts (Strizzi et al., 2021). Results from a study conducted by Cascalheira et al. (2021) suggest
that most participants used kink related activities to reframe and heal from early trauma. Other research
has found that the baseline pain threshold increases in the context of a BDSM scene (Wuyts et al.,
2021). Additional research into the relationship between BDSM and psychological well-being found that
practicing BDSM is associated with reduced psychological stress and negative affect (Ambler et al.,
2016). This study used the Sadomasochism Checklist to measure sadomasochistic practices in the
sample, the new sexual satisfaction scale, the psychological wellbeing scale, the trauma symptom
checklist, and the pain sensitivity questionnaire. The expected results of this study include a positive
correlation between sadomasochistic practices and psychological wellbeing, pain tolerance, and sexual
satisfaction as well as a negative correlation between sadomasochistic practices and trauma symptoms.
Implications of this research include destigmatizing the BDSM community and shining a light on the
positive aspects of BDSM, kink, and sadomasochistic practices including its benefits in relation to psychological well-being.
12:10pm-12:30pm
Changes in Drug Use in College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presenter(s): Brittany Katcha
Advisor(s): Dr. Tara Gruenewald, Dr. Desiree Crevecoeur-MacPhail
This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected college student alcohol and drug use and the factors associated with these changes. Much research has been done on how the pandemic increased drug use in the general population (Czeisler et al., 2020) and affected adolescents’ usage (Miech et al., 2021), but there is a lack of research about how the pandemic affected the drug use of young adults, which is a time usually associated with drug experimentation. Young adults who were college students at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic took an online survey where they were asked questions about their drug use, loneliness, depression, and housing situation during 2020. Results are expected to show an increase in drug use for most young adults, with the exception of students who had to move back into their family home due to the pandemic, who are expected to have decreased their usage. Additionally, drug use will most likely correlate with loneliness and depression, and risk of relapse is predicted to increase for college students who already struggled with substance use disorder prior to 2020. These results would demonstrate the impact that social isolation has on depression and substance use in college students and contribute meaningful knowledge to discussions surrounding mental health and substance abuse services provided by colleges and universities. References: Czeisler, M. É., Lane, R. I., Petrosky, E., Wiley, J. F., Christensen, A., Njai, R., Weaver, M. D., Robbins, R., Facer-Childs, E. R., Barger, L. K., Czeisler, C. A., Howard, M. E., & Rajaratnam, S. (2020). Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic - United States[CMD1] , June 24-30, 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 69(32), 1049–1057. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6932a1 Miech, R., Patrick, M. E., Keyes, K., O'Malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. (2021). Adolescent drug use before and during U.S. national COVID-19 social distancing policies. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 226, 108822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108822
