9 minute read
Biology
Dispelling the Violent Delight: An Analysis of Jusepe de Ribera’s Susanna and the Elders
Allison Shearer Pamela Stewart, faculty mentor
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When examining Jusepe de Ribera’s Susanna and the Elders (c.1610), a clear aura of fear radiates from the canvas. A tale of sexual assault and unwanted advances, the biblical story of Susanna was often misconstrued by early modern artists as a sexually playful scene that emphasized the erotic depiction of the female nude. This paper explores Ribera’s resistance to these conventions and his incorporation of what scholars have termed “slow violence.” By comparing Ribera’s painting to others by Tintoretto, Alessandro Allori, and Artemisia Gentileschi, we can distinguish between the typical imagery associated with Susanna and Ribera’s more visceral and realistic image, and connect it to his broader artistic interests in gore and intensive pain.
Oral / Live Session B / 11:00 a.m.
Korean Shamanism and Shamanistic Paintings
Macy Whitenburg Tom Suchan, faculty mentor
Korean Shamanism (mugyo , ) has played a big role in Korean culture from ancient times until the present. This presentation will explore Korean Shamanism and how art serves the beliefs and practices of the religion, focusing on the importance of Sansin ( , ), the Mountain god of Korean Shamanism, and his accompanying tiger. There will be a brief overview of Korean Shamanism, shamanistic religious practice, and how Korean Shamanism is gendered; a discussion of ritualistic objects employed by shamans, the role and importance of the Mountain God Sansin and his associated tiger; and finally, an examination of the color choices and visual characteristics of the religious paintings.
Oral / Live Session B / 11:10 a.m.
Iqra Akhlaq Aaron Liepman, faculty mentor
VITAMIN C DEFECTIVE 1 (VTC1), a GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMPP) enzyme, plays a vital role in the biosynthesis of plant cell wall carbohydrates, catalyzing interconversion of mannose-1-phosphate and GDP-mannose. Prior studies have demonstrated that interactions between VTC1 and KONJAC (KJC) proteins in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana enhance GMPP activity of VTC1. We aim to further characterize these interactions to gain additional insights about the VTC1 protein and regulation of GMPP activity in plants. We present results of our efforts to express recombinant Arabidopsis His6-VTC1 and His6-KJC2 in E. coli and purify these proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography.
Poster / Q&A Session 1
Does Confidence Come with Age? Age and Behavioral Change in Tarantulas (Lasiodora parahybana)
Bradley Allendorfer Cara Shillington, faculty mentor
Behavior is a very flexible phenotypic trait, implying that behavior can change throughout an organism’s lifetime. Most research focuses on behavioral changes associated with a varying environment. However, in this study, we investigated changes in behavior with developmental stage (age) in tarantulas. Based on previous lab data, we hypothesized that older individuals would exhibit higher activity levels compared to younger individuals. To test this, we placed individual tarantulas from different age groups into a novel arena and recorded and compared locomotory activity and speed. Our data will provide insight on changes in tarantula behavior at varying life stages.
Poster / Live Session 2 / 11:05 a.m.
The Use of Haplotypes of the Alu-Containing Locus Yb8NBC9 in Human Population Studies
Ashley Banach David Kass, faculty mentor
Alu elements represent a family of mobile DNA capable of generating copies that integrate into new chromosomal sites. Of the one million Alu elements present in human genomes, roughly 2,000 have integrated recently, and are not fixed in human populations, resulting in presence/absence (+/-) dimorphic variants demonstrated to be useful in human population studies. We have identified DNA sequence variants within the dimorphic Yb8NBC9 Alu locus resulting in five distinct haplotypes. We developed assays to distinguish these haplotypes, assessed DNA samples among different populations, and demonstrated a notable increase in its usefulness as a DNA marker for potential use in various applications.
Poster / Q&A Session 1
Understanding the Genetics of Lavender Albino Ball Pythons (Python regius)
Autumn Brown Hannah Seidel, faculty mentor
Ball pythons are an excellent model for understanding the genetics of pigmentation in reptiles. This species shows abundant heritable variation in the normal pigmentation pattern, and DNA samples can readily be obtained from shed skin. Here we investigate the genetic cause of a pigmentation variant known as ‘Lavender Albino’. Lavender Albino animals show a deficit of the brown-to-black pigment in the skin. We find that the phenotype is likely caused by a mutation in the gene OCA2, which is linked to similar pigment disorders in humans. Our study establishes ball pythons as a model for pigmentation genetics in reptiles and suggests that pigmentation genes are conserved among vertebrates.
Oral / Live Session D / 3:50 p.m.
Assessing the Influence of Rainfall and Spring Snowmelt as Sources of Microplastics in Streams
Morgan Chaudry Kristin Judd, faculty mentor
Microplastics (<5mm) present a myriad of detrimental effects on ecosystems, including the leaching of harmful chemicals and bioaccumulation of the plastics up the food chain. The goal of our study was to distinguish important sources of microplastics to waterways. We examined the influence of rainfall, snowmelt and wastewater treatment plants as potential sources of microplastics into waterways, using the wet peroxide oxidation method. We compared microplastic concentrations during baseflow and high flow conditions in a small urban stream and in the larger Huron River system. Understanding the sources of microplastics to waterways could help us understand and prevent future pollution.
Oral / Live Session D / 3:10 p.m.
Development of Vector Graphic Analysis Techniques for the Characterization of Cell Morphology
Caleb Scheys and Colin Goodman Victor Carmona-Galido and Roxanne Katus, faculty mentors
Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are detrimental to vertebrates and make their way into waterways through the degradation of materials containing them. Previous research established a relationship between roundness of shallot cells and PFC concentration. This study aims to design a robust measurement tool for the analysis of that trend. Onion cell shapes were recorded as a set of cubic Bezier curves. These curves were then converted into Fourier series for ease of manipulation to obtain radial values that varied with cell roundness. With an establishment of clearer trends in future research this technique could allow shallot onions to be used as a bioindicator species for PFCs.
Poster / Live Session 1 / 9:00 a.m.
Olfactory Discrimination in Mice with Reduced Olfactory Bulb Dopamine
Supraja Kalva Thomas Mast, faculty mentor
Olfactory bulb dopamine is reduced during anosmia (the loss of smell). We have developed a nasal lavage protocol, with a dilute detergent solution, that induces temporary, recoverable anosmia. During the early recovery period mice regain the sense of smell but do not fully regain olfactory bulb dopamine synthesis. By measuring olfactory ability during the early recovery period, we can investigate the role of dopamine in olfactory processing. The objective of this study is to understand the role of olfactory bulb dopamine neurotransmission during an olfactory discrimination task in mice.
Oral / Q&A Session D
Bioacoustics Analysis of the Newly Described Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog
Carrie Kosiba Katherine Greenwald, faculty mentor
A new leopard frog species, Rana kauffeldi, was recently discovered in urban areas along the Atlantic coast of the United States. We are using bioacoustics technology to record species presence, relative abundance and frequency of urban interruptions at urban and rural sites. We hypothesize that R. kauffeldi may be less affected by urban noise and therefore have less competition and larger populations in urban areas. We predict that urban sites will have greater numbers of R. kauffeldi but fewer other frog species compared to rural sites. The results of this study will allow us to understand the distribution of R. kauffeldi in urban and rural settings and their interactions with other species.
Poster / Q&A Session 2
Life in the Fast Lane: Is the Pace of Life Syndrome Supported in Tarantulas?
Peter Landor Cara Shillington, faculty mentor
Pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) proposes a correlation among life history, behavior, and physiology in animals. POLS predicts that fast-paced species have higher growth rates (GRs) and metabolic rates (MRs) than slow-paced species. Fast-paced species also have shorter lifespans. We investigated POLS in two tarantula species, comparing GRs and MRs while varying food availability. We hypothesized that the fast-paced species with high food availability have higher GRs and MRs than slow-paced species. We also predicted that fast-paced species would be more impacted by food limitation due to differences in energy allocation over shorter lifespans. Results are discussed in the context of the POLS.
Oral / Q&A Session A
Advancements in Alu-Based DNA Markers for Studies of Human Populations
Madeline Maki David Kass, faculty mentor
Alu elements represent the most common short interspersed DNA elements (SINEs) in the human genome with over one million copies. Roughly 2,000 elements are not fixed in human genomes providing DNA markers shown to be highly useful in human population studies. Upon sequencing the Yc1NBC60 Alu-containing locus we have identified additional variations, subsequently developing a relatively simple assay to identify the variants among individuals from various ethnic groups. Thus far, we have found an allele common in American Caucasians, but rare among analyzed Asian and African DNA samples supporting the increased robustness of our methodology for further advancing studies of human populations.
Poster / Q&A Session 1
Utilizing Microbial Ecology to Optimize Antibiotic Production
Lilly Vael Paul Price, faculty mentor
Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms pose a global health threat. Concurrently, antibiotic discovery, critical to treating such infections, has stagnated due to scientific hurdles. In their natural environments, many soil microbes produce antimicrobial compounds to compete with proximal microbes. Our research aims to utilize microbial ecology to trigger the expression of antibiotic metabolites under laboratory conditions. Recent studies suggest that when available carbon is restricted to complex polysaccharides, microbes respond by increasing antimicrobial production. By varying the polysaccharide source, we observed distinct differences in antimicrobial production.
Poster / Live Session 2 / 10:45 a.m.
Sgs1-FD Mutants of S. cerevisiae Do Not Exhibit Higher Levels of Error-prone DNA Repair
Beth F. Wasserman Anne Casper, faculty mentor
Misrepair of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSB) can result in genomic rearrangements and cancer. SGS1 is a helicase that unwinds DNA for DSB repair. To test its role in break repair, I analyzed the frequency of various DSB repairs in yeast cells with the mutation sgs1-FD. Given this mutation disrupts an interaction between SGS1 and a critical protein, Rad51, I hypothesized mutant cells would have more error-prone repair than high fidelity canonical BIR repair. Genome sequence and chromosome III size were examined in sgs1-FD cultures that underwent DSB repair. No difference was found in the frequency of error-prone repair, indicating the mutation did not affect the repair process.
Oral / Live Session A / 9:40 a.m.
Pace of Life Syndrome: Growth Rates & Metabolism in Five Tarantula Species
Mary Watson Cara Shillington, faculty mentor
The Pace of Life Syndrome (PoLS) hypothesizes that animals with a faster pace of life in one area will exhibit a fast pace in other areas. For example, fast growth rate (GR) is linked to short lifespans. Many studies that support PoLS have been conducted using invertebrates, but there has been minimal PoLS research using spiders. To test this hypothesis in spiders, we measured GR and metabolic rate (MR) of five tarantula species with varying lifespans. We predicted that tarantulas with longer life spans would have slower GR and MR than species with shorter life spans. So far, there is no clear trend based on lifespan, but GRs for all species decreased initially and then levelled out.
