Spectrum Issue 4

04

Sp Spectrum

H o r a c e M a n n’s P r e m i e r S c i e n c e P u b l i c a t i o n • M a y 2 0 1 2 1

Editor’s Note: A Reflection

04

Sp

Spectrum

The above photgraph was taken using a method called star trail photography with a Digital SLR camera. As the earth rotates, stars appear to move and circle around the north and south poles. Stars located close to the polls seem stationary to a viewer. To capture the stars and create images like the one seen above, photographers keep a stationary camera with a wide-angle lens on the ground, and use exposures of anywhere between 20 minutes to five hours to capture the path of the star.

Dear Spectrumites!

As a fifth grader, I participated in my first science fair where I was to construct a device made of aluminum foil that would cook a marshmallow in the shortest amount of time possible. My initial “marshmallow oven” was able to complete the task in 30 minutes and I thought I could do better than that by rethinking the design. I fidgeted with my contraption and finally came upon one that could cook it in fifteen minutes! I was so proud of myself and thought science was so cool.

When we brought back Spectrum two years ago, our intent was to spark scientific curiosity. Whether devising your first science fair project or simply reading a magazine, we want everyone to see science the way we do. We believe it is interesting, fun, and eye-opening, and hope that everyone has the chance to experience its magic. While we seniors may not be 2 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

here next year, we really hope that this publication continues to inspire and intrigue. The articles we feature and the topics we cover are all student motivated: students, as we encourage, shall continue to write about what fascinates them.

Juniors, we leave this publication in your hands and we know that you’ll work hard to keep it great.

We wish you the best of luck and never forget that you are all unified by your love of science.

I have had a wonderful time working on this publication, editing articles, designing spreads and working with students as passionate about science as I am! My only hope is that it will stay around long after I leave.

Ambika Acharya Editor-in-Chief

SPECTRUM Horace Mann

ACTUAL SIZE

RYANIDE RECEPTORS

A senior’s research in cardiac arrythmias has lead to a better understanding of how the heart functions.

By J. Moscona-Skolnik

VALIDATING RESISTANCE ALLELES IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS

By Ambika Acharya

SCITECH

SCITECH

HEARING BACTERIA

COMPUTER WARFARE

By Jenny Heon PAGE 8

The futureo of war isn’t weaponry...its through computers.

By James Apfel PAGE 10

SOLAR STORMS

While most people were unaware, a solar storm hit the planet two months ago. Find out what could have been the outcome.

By Hnery Luo PAGE 23

MAPPING THE LYSINE RESIDUES

By Gideon Broshy SCITECH

ORBIT OF ASTEROID 3103 EGER

By Sam Holo SCITECH

SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder might be the reason why some students don’t feel as active or motivated during the winter months, a disorder related to depression.

By Rebecca Okin PAGE 26

YOUR 3-D CONTENTS: A HOW-TO 1. Cut out the

template on the

next page.

2. Fold at the solid lines, tucking tabs under adjacent

hexagons.

3. Tape, glue, or otherwise adhere.

4. Roll!

5. Enjoy

Our Mission: To encourage students to find topics in science that interest them and move them to explore these sparks. We believe that science is exciting, interesting and an intergral part of our futures. By diving into science we can only come out more knolwedgable.

3

SPECTRUM Horace Mann

With scissors and tape you can make this month’s table of contents into a three dimensional buckminsterfullerene (buckyball) or truncated icosahedron. Buckyballs are spherical molecules with the formula C60 , they resemble a soccer ball, and are the largest type of matter to have shown wave-particle duality.

CLOAKING DEVICES

If you’ve ever wanted to just dissappear, engineers are creating new devices which may allow you to do just that!

By Teddy Reiss PAGE 14

FIBONACCI SEQUENCES AND NATURE

By Mihika Kapoor PAGE 22

TSUNAMIS

Learn about these natural disasters and how they have destroyed so much of the world.

By Amit Chowdhury PAGE 24

P53 AND CANCER

By Amanda Zhou PAGE 25

COTS SAR QUADROCOPTER

By Winston Trope SCITECH

SIRI

The new iPhone software allows natural language processing to translate what you say to your phone into commands for the device.

By Ricardo Fernandez PAGE 12

4 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

USING NOVEL SMALL MOLECULES

This Junior’s cancer research has lead him to becoming a finalist in the Siemen’s competition and breakthroughs in the field.

By Vickram Gidwani SCITECH

Ambika Acharya

Editor-in-Chief

Tessa Bellone

Aramael Pena-Alcantara Production Director

Jay Moon

Junior Layout Editor

Olivia El-Sadr Davis Copy Editor

Justin Bleuel Michael Herschorn Jay Palekar Deepti Raghavan David Zask Juliet Zou Junior Editors

James Apfel Joanna Cho Amit Chowdhury Yang Fei Ricardo Fernandez Lauren Futter Sam Ginsberg Kundan Guha Jenny Heon Mihika Kapoor Alex Kissilenko Henry Luo Rebecca Okin Teddy Reiss Victor Wang Amanda Zhou Staff Writers

Dr. Jeff Weitz Faculty Advisor

04

Sp Spectrum

Spectrum is a student publication. Its contents are the views and work of the students and do not necessarily represent those of the faculty or administration of the Horace Mann School.

The Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and contents of Spectrum, and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or view expressed therein. The opinions represented are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial board. The editorial represents the opinion of the majority of the Editorial Board. All photos not credited are from creativecommons.org. All editorial decisions regarding grammar, content, and layout are made by the Editorial Board. All queries and complaints should be directed to the Editor-In-Chief. Please address these comments by e-mail, to hmspectrum@gmail.com.

Spectrum recognizes an ethical responsibility to correct all its factual errors, large and small (even misspellings of names), promptly and in a prominent reserved space in the magazine. A complaint from any source should be relayed to a responsible editor and will be investigated quickly. If a correction is warranted, it will follow immediately.

5

Technology Learn about the newest gadgets, gizmos and research in technology. There have been great breakthroughs in the field which may change the way we work with technology.

There has been development in new nano-ears, which might possibly allow us to hear bacteria, development in computer warfare, and possible cloaking devices to allow us to disappear.

6 Horace Mann Spectrum â– May 2012

Christine Rademaker

7

Hearing Bacteria?

Scientists Develop Nano-Ear

H

Dallas News

8 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

By Jenny Heon

ave you ever wondered what bacteria sound like? Recent research has lead to the development of the nano-ear, technology that is capable of hearing sounds one million times lower than the quietest sound discernible by the human ear. Using this technology, the field of acoustic microscopy could be completely revolutionized.

In 1987, Bell Labs developed a device called the optical tweezers, which used a lens-focused laser beam to trap particles in water. Until recently, scientists would manipulate these particles to inject DNA fragments into cells. But now, scientists have realized they can also use optical tweezers to hold matter in place.

This technique is the basis for the development of the nano-ear and was utilized by researchers Jochen Friedmann and Audrey Lutich in the LudwigMaximilians University in Munich, according to Popular Science. They used the optical tweezers to suspend a gold particle that was only 60 nanometers across, about 60 billionths of a meter or 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The gold particle’s size made it effective for detecting small motions such as sound waves. When waves of energy such as sound come in contact with the gold particle, the trapped particle is nudged from its equilibrium position. Scientists are then able to analyze the distance and direction of the particle’s movement to determine the frequency and direction of the sound wave.

After the initial development of the nano-ear, the German scientists tested the nano-ear’s ability to detect both strong and weak vibrations. The team ran two tests and analyzed the accuracy of the nano-ear’s data. They first tested the nano-ear with a strong vibration by using a tungsten needle that was attached to a loudspeaker and whose frequency was about 300 Hz. Next the team ran tests with a small vibration by heating nearby packets of gold nanoparticles. The heat was supplied by an addi-

Popular Science

tional laser, and caused the gold nanoparticles to emit sound waves at a frequency of 20 Hertz. After analyzing the results, the team of scientists found that the nano-ear accurately measured sound waves for both strong and weak vibrations.

The implications of the nano-ear are profound.

The nano-ear will allow us to hear viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms. The different vibrations emitted by microorganisms could help scientists distinguish between their different strains. In addition, the nano-ear may enable us to identify microorganisms in environments without sufficient lighting for a standard optical microscope. The nano-ear may also have future medical applications, such as detecting changes in the cell that could be signs of the onset of disorders such as cancer.

However, further development is imperative as the nano-ear currently only works within a very controlled environment. Moreover, it is incapable of distinguishing between sound vibrations and the gold particle’s innate random movement even when trapped in the laser beam. In order for the nano-ear to be a useful and accurate acoustic microscope, scientists must find a way to distinguish between the two movements.

According to Lene Oddershede, who works in the Optical Tweezer Laboratory, the researchers likely “can relatively quickly improve the equipment.” If these predictions are correct, the nano-ear could completely change the extent of our interaction with the microscopic world.

9

Computer Warfare:

The Future Battlefield

T

he new face of warfare is a computer screen. According to Wire, during 2009 and 2010, almost 60% of computers in Iran were infected with a computer worm called Stuxnet, an extremely unusual piece of malware. Its first oddity: its length. Stuxnet is twenty times longer than the previous longest piece of malware, the Conficker worm, and, according to Symantec, reflects the work of at least thirty different programmers. Its second: the level of its attack. Stuxnet makes use of four different zero day exploits of Microsoft Windows, when just finding one is a challenge. A zero day exploit is a flaw in a piece of software of which the developer is unaware. Stuxnet’s most dangerous aspect is its stolen digital signature, which is completely unprecedented from a computer virus. A digital signature is exactly like a real one: a way for a program to confirm that it is what it claims to be. In the past, viruses have used forged digital signatures, but Stuxnet is the first virus to possess a real one.

Stuxnet’s most unusual aspect is its level of targeting and restraint. Upon infecting a computer, 10 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

The Economist

By James Apfel

it looks for Siemens’ drivers for programmable logic controllers, which are devices that control industrial equipment. If Stuxnet fails to find any, it goes completely inert. If it finds the drivers, it then infects the controller or waits for one to be connected. It then targets the frequency-control drive for a nuclear centrifuge and changes the settings to increase the speed of the centrifuge until it breaks. It even targets two specific frequency-control drives, one made by a Finnish company and one by an Iranian company, all of which was determined by a German security analyst known as Ralph Langner. Stuxnet does not spread rampantly, unlike other worms. Each infected computer will only infect three others. For all of these reasons, there is unanimous agreement in the cyber security industry that this was the work of a government and aimed at Iran. Stuxnet is a weapon, the first cyber bullet fired in a new, invisible war.

All weapons need a creator, and there is a lot of speculation about who it could be. Logical guesses would be Israel, because it would certainly seem to have the most motive, and the United States because

of Stuxnet’s enormous complexity and unusual aspects. According to Frank Rieger, the spokesman for the Chaos Computer Club, senior intelligence sources in three European nations believe it to be a collaboration between the two nations for multiple reasons. The first is the disparity between the injector and the payload (the injector of a computer virus is what releases the payload, and the payload executes the aim of the virus). While the payload is incredibly sophisticated and complex, the injector is rather crude. Another is that Stuxnet’s ground zero infection on a system has to be done manually, likely through a USB drive. And as reported by Reuters, computer networks at all Iranian nuclear facilities are airgapped, meaning they are isolated from all public and unsecured networks, like the Internet.

Therefore individuals with access to these would have to be recruited, a traditional activity for intelligence agencies, with Mossad appearing the most likely intelligence agency performing such actions.

And although Stuxnet was discovered, its creators haven’t stopped. In the last few months a new virus known as Duqu has appeared. Duqu just collects information and digital certificates for use in a computer virus and transmits them to seemingly random servers in Europe, China, and the Philippines, which suggests that Duqu and Stuxnet’s creator also has an exploit for these servers. As Duqu shows, whoever the creator of Stuxnet is, they are determined to wage a continuous cyber assault on Iran. But the scariest aspect of all of these is the possibility for retaliation. Many believe the United States is the one responsible for the first shot, but right now America is completely unprepared for something like Stuxnet to be used against it.

Honey Net

11

T

Gizmodo

Siri

By Ricardo Fernandez

12 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

hroughout the years, Apple has had one goal: make complex technology easy to use. Needless to say, it is evident that Apple has not failed in doing just that. It has revolutionized the way we go about life and the way in which we receive assistance for daily tasks. According to Apple, Siri, or the Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, is “the intelligent personal assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.” More specifically, Siri works through Apple’s data centers to understand natural language/commands and respond “naturally.” According to iDizzle, a technological reviewer, Siri understands your natural speech and executes commands like sending messages, scheduling meetings, making phone calls, and much more.

Siri uses a speech-to-text analyzer to convert what you say into text, and it then puts your text into a lexical analysis system in order to find out what you have asked to do.

You may have experienced a similar software in speech recognition on your everyday computer or cell phone. However, what makes Siri different is that it is extremely advanced and personal. Siri does not solely run by pre-set commands that the user must use in order that the analysis system understands. Siri analyzes your speech and grammar so that something as simple as asking what the weather will be like for tomorrow can be achieved through the phrases “Will I need an umbrella for tomorrow?” or “Does it look like rain tomorrow?”

As stated by apple, Siri works out of the box. The more you use Siri the more it will learn about your speech. Siri utilizes “voice recognition algorithms to categorize your voice” into a dialect it can comprehend, according to Apple.

Siri goes as far as to use your GPS location to interpret a somewhat difficult command. If you ask Siri to “remind me to call my wife when I leave work,” it will first use its prior knowledge of the word “wife” and find under what phone

number is the relationship field listed as “wife.”

Then, using your GPS location, it will recognize when you leave the designated area referred to as “work,” and send you a reminder to call “wife.”

In short, Siri is clever. It uses its knowledge of language to make you feel as if you are talking to a real person and not some underdeveloped and tedious software. Siri acts more human because instead of simply responding “no” to an application it cannot work with or a command it cannot fulfill, it will respond “I can’t do that for you, [name]. I’m sorry to let you down.”

Because Siri does not have to power to run applications, it might respond “Sorry [name], I can’t help you with Twitter.” This represents how Apple uses its products to relate better to the customer, so the customer grows more attached to the product.

However, as with most technology, Siri does have its flaws. It often encounters mix-ups with commands and lexicon. Siri does have many quirky responses for odd remarks such as “What do you like, Siri?” It will respond with the word “shiny.” It also cannot take pictures and it replies to the command by saying “ I can’t take your pictures for you.” Even for a simple response like “Call me an ambulance Siri,” it will respond, “O.K., from now on I’ll call you ‘an ambulance.’” Clearly, Siri has some problems with responding to commands that require more thinking in terms of syntax. These are just some of the eccentric problems that Apple has to learn from in order to improve and make Siri more versatile.

In the end, Siri is just a voice recognition software that Apple has put a fun twist on. While it is not all entertainment, Siri does learn from its mistakes and is constantly trying to make your experience with it better. In fact, without a doubt, in the next few years, Apple will have improved Siri to nearly perfectly functioning software.

Huffington Post

Huffington Post

13

CLOAKING

DEVICES

By Teddy Reiss

2 Physocs

Ever wish you could just disappear?

A

lthough invisibility cloaks like Harry Potter’s don’t yet exist, scientists and engineers have been working for years to create similar cloaking devices. Some are working with special materials that bend light around their contents. Others are using a method called active camouflaging, in which computer systems are used to make objects blend in with their environment.

Under certain circumstances, plasma can be used to make an aircraft difficult to detect. More recently, a new method involving hiding an object in the middle of a laser beam has also evolved.

Much of the work going into material-based cloaking involves metamaterials, which are manmade materials that “have properties that may not be found in nature.” The most important property of such materials is their interaction with light. Metamaterials can interact with light in such a way that the light bends around the object. Researchers conducting a 2006 experiment at Duke University used metamaterials to make part of an object invisible in the microwave spectrum. According to Michio Kaku, these materials can bend microwaves around a suit so that anything inside it appears invisible and cloaked.

Additionally, according to How Stuff Works, a device with concentric circles made of metamaterials with a “refractive index” between zero and one has also been made. Anything placed in the center

14 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

is hidden to a certain frequency of microwave light.

The restrictions on this cloaking device’s spectrum come from the fact that “the copper [used in the device] has to be smaller than the wavelength of light [that the device cloaks.]” Unfortunately, metamaterials may be too large and heavy for personal use.

In addition, current ones can only cloak one wavelength of light, so the cloaked object is still basically visible.

Another form of cloaking is through active camouflage, a process in which the device makes itself look like its environment. This system of cloaking and camouflage already appears in nature. As seen in the Science Friday video Where’s the Cuttlefish?, cuttlefish are able to blend into their surroundings, making themselves difficult to spot.

The U.S. Air Force has employed this method, putting lights on the bottom of their planes and projecting these sky-colored lights downward to render the aircraft invisible. Active cloaking seems to be the most feasible currently, and there is a lot of research in this area according to the Canadian Department of Defense. An early project, called Project Yehudi, had airplanes modify the intensity of their downward pointing lights to make them blend in to the sky at any altitude.

Another project, this time in the water, involved putting lights and a camera on the outside of a vessel. The lights displayed what was on the other

side of the vessel, hiding the vessel itself. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has done something similar in which image sensors take images of the background and display it on screens. A Tokyo group has a method of using a camera to record the scene behind a person and then using a projector to project the scene onto the person.

According to How Stuff Works, although projection-based invisibility cloaking would be a tough way to protect something out on the street, another form of this projection-based technology, optical camouflage, has applications elsewhere.

For example, in a plane, this approach could be used to effectively make the floor of the cockpit transparent, so pilots could see through the bottom of the plane by taking live images from below and displaying them on the floor of the cockpit. Similarly, it could be used to eliminate blind spots at the back of a car.

One other use is in a concept called “mutual telexistence,” by which two people can talk to each other through holograms like those shown in Star Wars. One person is recorded by the camera while he is being projected onto a humanoid robot where the other person is. The same is done for the other person. This could result in people being able to talk to each other and see each other in 3D while they are physically separated.

A third area of cloaking, mainly employed to make aircrafts less visible to radar, involves the use of plasmas. The plasma surrounding the aircraft absorbs electromagnetic waves of certain frequencies. Since radar transmission occurs when electromagnetic waves bounce off an object, if the waves are absorbed, the object is hidden. However, the plasma-based technology doesn’t hide the aircraft completely to radar.

Such technology would be in high demand with the military, because it would allow them to utilize an invisible army which would be difficult for an enemy to find or defend against. In addition, the plasma-based cloaking is wanted in armies because of its ability to absorb radar. Scientists in Britain have experimented with projecting images of the en-

vironment onto a tank, but have not released specific details. DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has also done some research into cloaking vehicles.

One of the newer experimental forms of cloaking was recently described in both Scientific American and Nature. It is becoming possible to cloak objects by manipulating the way electromagnetic waves, such as light, interact with the object or making the object blend into its background.

An even newer method of cloaking involves opening up a hole in a beam of light and closing it in such a way that someone looking at it would be unaware of both the existence of the gap and any activities that occurred within it. Scientists did this by sending a beam of laser light towards a detector. By playing with the colors of the beam, they were able to create a hole in space and time, place an object there, and let it remain undetected.

Here’s how: A laser beam passes through an apparatus. The apparatus contains two lenses and two optical fibers. The first lens progressively colors the beam so that some parts are at one end of the electromagnetic spectrum while others are at the other end of the spectrum. Bluer light travels faster through the first optical fiber than redder light, so a gap appears in the middle of the beam. An object can pass through that gap or something can happen in that gap. Eventually the beam then passes through another optical fiber, in this one, red travels faster than blue, getting rid of the gap. Finally, the second lens returns the beam to its original color, so someone at the detector would have no idea anything happened.

This technology does not yet make gaps in the beam for a long time, it makes them for about 50 picoseconds. This is different than the cloaking devices described above, such as plasma-based cloaking or material-based cloaking, because it utilizes light and fiber optics rather than a computer.

Although Hollywood type cloaking devices will not be available any time in the near future, scientists are getting ever closer to the discoveries that will make them possible.

15

Horace Mann’s 2nd Annual

Friday May 4th, 2012 6:15 - 7:15PM: Session I: Exhibits and dinner 7:15 - 8:15PM: Session II: Talk and video 8:15 - 9:00PM: Session III: Exhibits and dessert THE RYANIDE RECEPTOR

in the regulation of cardiac arrhythmias Cardiac and skeletal muscle contractions are generated by an action potential which is regulated by the flow of ions across the myocyte membrane via protein channels. A key ion channel is the Ryanodine calcium release channel (RyR) which is responsible for transferring calcium ions (Ca2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the myocyte interior; this calcium is a major source of Ca2+ needed for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and muscle contraction.

We hypothesize that an increase in the open probability (Po) of RyR—or a “leaky” Nature

Jacob Moscona-Skolnik 16 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

12

RyR—is a potential source of several forms of heart disease, including heart failure and atrial fibrillation, because it leads to sporadic and unregulated contraction. Using human skeletal muscle lysates, we demonstrate the correlation between heart failure and the dissociation of calstabin2, one of the channel’s associated proteins which is partially in charge of regulating the channel’s Po. Additionally, through a biochemical analysis we show that PKA phosphorylation, cystic nitrosylation and oxidation of RyR transiently dissociate calstabin2 from RyR, increasing RyR Po. I sought out a project dealing with heart contraction and specifically atrial fibrillation after my grandmother’s atrial fibrillation— sporadic atrial contraction—led to a stroke that left her aphasic.

THE ORBIT OF ASTEROID 3103 EGER

Using a 14” and a 24” telescope, my team and I produced images of near-earth asteroid 3103 Eger. Using physics, mathematics and computer programming, we were able to determine

the six Keplerian elements of 3103 Eger’s orbit.

These numbers provided us the information necessary to find 3103 Eger in the sky at any point in time. When we tested this, we were able to locate 3103 Eger to an error smaller than one thirtieth of a degree. Once we knew our numbers and calculations were correct, we were able to simulate our asteroid’s trajectory over time and found that in the next 100 years, it passes close enough to the earth for there to be a possibility of a collisiom.

VALIDATING RESISTANCE ALLELES

Sam Holo 12

in Response to JAK2 Inhibition in Myeloproliferatve Neoplasms Activating mutations in JAK2 kinase have been identified in a majority of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms including Polycthaemia Vera, Essential Thrombocythaemia and Primary Myelofibrosis. JAK2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors have therefore been used successfully in treating these patients. We conducted a saturation mutagenesis screen in JAK2 in order to prospectively identify possible mutations that might confer resistance to this class of inhibitors. We identified three mutations, R1087K, E767G and E1060K, in the JAK2 kinase domain using this strategy. We wanted to validate whether three mutations, R1087K, E767G and E1060K were true resistance alleles. Using site-directed mutagenesis we successfully generated the three mutations in JAK2WT and JAK2V617F constructs. We then introduced these mutations into hematopoietic cell lines and will perform inhibitor assay to determine whether these mutations confer resistance to JAK inhibitors such as JAK Inhibitor 1 and INCB18424.

Signal Way Antibody

Ambika Acharya 12

17

COTS SAR QUADROCOPTER After meeting with members of the engineering departments at the United States Military Academy at West Point, we decided to build an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) parts. Our intent is to build an effective, inexpensive UAV that can be widely distributed to first-responders for use in disaster relief and search and rescue. The craft is small and light so that it can be transported and deployed easily. It’s also modular so that it can be customized to fit the needs of the responder, whether it’s searching for heat signatures of survivors or measuring radiation. To design and build our UAV, we are employing a systems engineering approach, which involves listing the elements of our design and then evaluating them by applying an algorithm and graphing the results. We have settled on a durable, four-armed design to maximize the stability and carrying capacity while minimizing the weight and size. We will also write our own programs to allow the UAV to operate autonomously in areas that would not be safe for humans.

10

10

Ada Fruit

Uber Gizmo

10

Winston Trope, Adam Zachar, and David Castellanos

MAPPING THE LYSINE RESIDUES

of oncogenic p21 required for degradation by TRIM3 TRIM3 is an E3 ligase that can directly ubiquitinate oncogenic p21 in glioma. Although TRIM3’s requirements for the interaction have been characterized, p21’s requirements are unknown. Thus, we sought to identify the lysine residues and domains of p21 that were crucial to the ubiquitination process. A thorough investigation of the mechanism by which TRIM3 regulates p21 will give us insight into how this pathway can be manipulated.

Gideon Broshy Science Direct

18 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

12

USING NOVEL SMALL MOLECULES to Treat Chemoresistant Lung Adenocarcinoma

When activated, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signals to pathways that are important for survival and growth of the cell. Mutations anywhere in these pathways have been implicated in a majority of lung adenocarcinomas. Currently, two treatments exist that block EGFR signaling - Gefitinib and Erlotinib. Though there is an initial response to these drugs, a secondary mutation inevitaUniversity of Pennsylvania bly occurs in the pathway that brings about chemoresistance. These traditional therapies are also ineffective against mutations in the pathways below EGFR. Other inhibitors of the downstream pathways exist, yet inhibition of one of the two pathways is insufficient for induction of significant programmed cell death. FDA-approved typical antipsychotic Trifluoperazine (TFP) has been shown to significantly inhibit one of these pathways. Yet, TFP’s effects on the central nervous system results in dose limiting side effects. Thus, the aim of our study was to reverse-engineer novel compounds from two structurally related neuroleptics, TFP and Chlorimipramine (CIP), which could be used to treat advanced, chemoresistant lung cancer. We found that two of the novel compounds, DBK-368 and DBK- 382, induced significant cell death. Upon further analysis of these two derivatives, we found that they each inhibit both pathways downstream of EGFR. Additionally, we had successfully eliminated their parent compounds’ neuroleptic properties through structural modifications. We found that the mice treated with our compounds were less lethargic than those treated with TFP, and therefore less affected by toxicity and antipsychotic side effects.

Therefore, we have identified two novel derivative compounds that may be promising monotherapies as they exhibit dual functionality in the inhibition of the EGFR pathways, necessary for induction of cell death in chemoresistant lung adenocarcinoma.

Vickram Gidwani

11

Come see all these and more...

Register now at Scitech.FructoseTech.Com

May the Fourth be with You! 19

Flickr

20 Horace Mann Spectrum â– May 2012

Nature The world around us is constantly changing, evolving and intruiging us.

However, nature can be our greatest fear, acting out of our control.

Solar storms, tsunamis and even human disorders as a result of nature, Seasonal Affective Disorder, are all featured in this section. You’ll learn about the way nature strives to be perfect in mathematical ways we wouldn’t have imagined.

21

THE

FIBONACCI SEQUENCE and NATURE

By Mihika Kapoor

Flickr

W

hat is perfection? Is it seamless flow? An ideal state? The dictionary defines it as “a condition, state or quality of being free from all flaws and defects.” Well, why does everyone desire such perfection? It turns out that not only humanity tries to rid itself of imperfections. Nature does the same as well.

As it happens, the perfection that nature is everevolving towards is one that maximizes survival. This process can be attributed to the Fibonacci Sequence.

This is a set of numbers that begins with 0 and 1, with all subsequent numbers formed by adding the previous two. The most frequent numbers and ratios found in nature are, more often than not, numbers from the Fibonacci Sequence.

Two numbers are said to be in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the two numbers to the larger number is equal to the ratio of the larger number to the smaller. Its value is approximately 1.61803 and is unique in that it can be derived from the Fibonacci Sequence. As one gets increasingly higher on the set of numbers, the relationship of two consecutive numbers leans closer and closer to the golden ratio.

Spirals, in particular, tend to come in numbers of the sequence. Be it the spirals in a sunflower, pinecones, chamomile flower heads, or pineapples, the arrangements tend to come in numbers of 5, 8, 13 and 21. Furthermore, all of the florets lie on Fermat’s spiral, which has a divergence angle that approaches the golden ratio.

The spiral of a seashell also increases with each swirl in proportion to the Fibonacci Sequence. There is a golden spiral which is formed by connecting quarters of a

22 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

circle each with a radius of consecutive numbers of the sequence. A seashell spiral follows this very curve.

Flowers and fruits can also be related to this sequence. It is most common for petals and leaves to grow in Fibonacci numbers. This is why it is so rare to find a four leaf clover. The most common numbers of petals are 3, 5 and 8, but we also see 13, 21, 34 and 55 in Marigolds, Black-eyed Susans, Pyrethrums and Daisies, respectively. Fibonacci numbers are also seen in plant branching. If one divides a plant stem into sections based on where it splits into more branches, the plant tends to split from 1 to 2 to 3 to 5 and so on.

The Fibonacci Sequence also has parallels with the proportions of our bodies. The joints in a hand increase in length proportionally with these numbers, as the bones have a 2:3:5:8 ratio. On a “perfect” face, the length of our face divided by its width results in the golden ratio. Furthermore, the ratio can also be found in our bodies when dividing measure of the navel to the feet by the head to the navel, the head by the chin to the shoulders and the head to the navel by the width of the shoulders.

Is this all coincidence or fate? Occurrences of the Fibonacci Sequence and golden ratio in nature maximize its potential of flourishing. The reason that we see so much of the Fibonacci Sequence in nature today is because those elements and life forms that have adapted themselves to the balance and soundness of the Fibonacci Pattern are the ones that have endured through time.

SOLAR

STORMS

By Henry Luo

B

eginning on March 4th and finishing on March 10th, a solar storm hit Earth, when large amounts of energy bombarded Earth’s magnetic field.

Scientists projected adverse effects and issues with power grids and satellites; however, despite the amount of solar energy produced, the effects were smaller than expected.

Solar storms are any activity on the Sun which interfere with the Earth’s magnetic field. According to National Geographic, they can be divided into two types: solar flares or coronal mass ejections. Solar flares occur when magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere is released. Coronal mass ejections (CME) are said to be the release of plasma particles into space, containing 10 billion tons of plasma material. The two phenomena are not easily differentiated and the association between the two is not fully understood. Scientists initially theorized that coronal mass ejections are triggered by solar flares.

Now, that is found to be false. National Geographic has drawn the line between the two over their development.

They have claimed that solar flares develop faster and with more energy than coronal mass ejections.

The phenomena that Earth experienced began as a major solar flare, sending charged particles at Earth.

The solar flare was classified as X-class, the strongest type. Most of the particles missed Earth but they were followed by weaker storms until two major flares erupted on March 6th. They were both X-class. They were then followed by plasma and energetic particles hitting Earth. There had been fears over the possibility of the flares interfering with satellites in orbit or power grids on Earth through increased geomagnetic activity and solar radiation. Solar radiation could have increased and that in turn would have caused geomagnetic storms to occur. In addition, people predicted issues in some airplane communications as well as possible dangers for

Flickr

astronauts. On the upside, there was also the chance of seeing an aurora.

However, the solar storms did not meet those expectations. Despite releasing enormous amounts of energy into Earth’s upper atmosphere, known as the thermosphere, enough to power every home in NYC for two years, there were no problems with the power system and many of the dire predictions did not occur.

26 billion kilowatts were absorbed. 95% of that energy was radiated back into space though by infrared radiation from carbon dioxide and nitric oxide, both coolants in the thermosphere. Another reason the storm’s effects were milder than expected is a result of the direction of the storm’s movement. Earth’s magnetic field was moving in a very northern direction. If the solar storm were to move in the same direction, its effects would be minimized. However, if the solar storm were to move in the opposite direction, its effects would have been felt to a greater extent. Fortunately, the solar storm and the magnetic field moved in the same direction, allowing for only moderate effects.

The solar storm which hit Earth had small consequences compared to the expected damage. According to National Geographic, coronal mass ejections originate from sunspots, areas on the Sun that are cooler compared to the surroundings. Those sunspots move across the surface and become more and more complex, resulting in more solar eruptions and a greater possibility for an X-class solar flare. The solar cycle has not reached its maximum as it began only two years ago, and solar activity should peak in 2013. The solar storms we witnessed are just the beginning of possibly many to come.

23

TSUNAMIS

A

tsunami is a series of large waves that often occur after the release of large amounts of energy into water by events such as earthquakes or underwater volcanic eruptions.

When such events occur, large amounts of water are displaced vertically and as the water tries to regain its equilibrium position, large waves of energy are radiated from the epicenter. Once a tsunami has been generated, the force of its waves is sustained by gravity, and, despite sometimes being called tidal waves, tsunamis have nothing to do with the tide.

The low amplitude and large wavelength of these waves, stretching them long and keeping them low off the ground, often make tsunamis difficult to detect as they travel across open ocean; however, as they reach shallower waters near shore, a process called wave shoaling causes the wave to compress and its amplitude to sharply increase, making them much easier to detect and very deangerous. In general, the first wave of a tsunami is not the largest, so the danger of tsunamis near the coast can last for a few hours after the first wave.

In addition, landslides falling into the ocean or meteor impacts can sometimes displace enough water to cause a tsunami, generally termed megatsunamis. The largest recorded wave height of any tsunami was in Lituya Bay Alaska. It was a megatsunami and reached a peak height of 1,719 ft.

24 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

By Amit Chowdhury

Majiro News

According to National Geographic, one of the most foreboding signs of an upcoming tsunami is the retreat of seawater. This usually signals that a tsunami wave will hit within the next five minutes, and is a good sign that people should evacuate the area if they have not already done so. The best thing for people near the coast to do when threatened by a tsunami is to find higher ground where the tsunami will not hit. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, operates two international tsunami warning centers in the United States that identify tsunamis using “a web of seismic equipment and water level gauges.” Heeding any evacuation advice by the NOAA is always a good idea for staying protected from tsunamis.

Last year, in March 2011, the most devastating tsunami ever recorded hit Japan and killed roughly 15,000 people according to the Japanese National Police Agency. Produced by a powerful earthquake that was rated as a 9.0 on the Richter scale, the tsunami warning rated the waves as a “major tsunami.” Despite this initial warning, the tsunami was still unexpectedly large, and during the tsunami, many people who believed themselves to be on high enough ground were killed after being swept away by the water. The tsunami was ultimately responsible for more deaths than the earthquake itself.

p53 and Cancer

C

ancer. This word alarms many people, and many are unaware that our body has a natural defense system against cancer called p53. p53 is a critical tumor suppressor protein, and its defense mechanisms are instinctive and valuable. It has many names, such as the “Guardian of the Genome” and the “Death Star”, according to the TP53 website, run by a lab in France that investigates this protein. In normal cells without cancer, it is usually kept at low levels to avoid untimely cell death. Located on chromosome TP53, it was initially identified in 1979, and its main operation is to conserve stability in the body by removing genetic mutations. How can this one protein get rid of all the mutations in our body?

With the help of other proteins, p53 causes certain processes that can fight the spread of cancer.

These helper proteins include PUMA, p21, and Mdm2. Once p53 suspects a disturbance in a certain part of the body, it sends a signal, which activates its helpers. P53 is activated from cellular internal stress. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), p53 binds to DNA, stimulating p21, which then interacts with the protein that controls cell division, cdk2.

Afterwards, PUMA, p21, or Mdm2 inflict apoptosis, senescence, or cell-cycle arrest onto the mutation that is agitating the body. Apoptosis is pro-

By Amanda Zhou

grammed cell death from signals, such as toxins, hormones, and nitric oxide. These signals must cross the plasma membrane to make an effect.

Senescence is when the cell loses its ability to divide and it either continues to age or self-destructs from DNA damage and shortened telomeres. Cellcycle arrest is the halt of all functions in the cell, so the cell either decomposes or stays in the body inducing no harm or gain.

If your body has a stray malignant cell, a constantly dividing cancer cell, p53 can remove it efficiently and effectively. If our bodies have such great security, then why is cancer such a big issue? Why has 25% of America experienced this disease? TP53 states that in 50% of all cancers, the p53 tumor suppressor has been mutated. According to the NCBI, mutant p53 cannot bind DNA effectively anymore and thus p21 would not be activated to stop the division of cancer cells. The apoptosis, senescence, and cell cycle Flickr arrest would not completely disappear, but their effectiveness would decrease and their strength would weaken in the case of mutant p53. It can be mutated through genetics or external influences. According to NCBI, though it occurs rarely, people can potentially inherit only one functional copy of the p53 tumor, so they are more likely to have cancer. p53 has been investigated thoroughly in the past few decades and has brought more insight into the causes of cancer.

25

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Blogspot

I

t happens every year: you start off the first trimester with heaps of energy, a driven attitude, and a plan that could end with all A’s.

However, by Thanksgiving break, your writing utensils aren’t the only things getting dull. For seemingly no reason, your spirits start to dampen and the motivation you long ago possessed becomes a weary voice in your head providing one incentive for the now-existing struggle of just “getting through” the day: sleep awaits you. What’s going on here? Is there

26 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012

By Rebecca Okin

a scientific explanation for this feeling of weariness?

And, more importantly, is there a solution?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a clinically diagnosable form of depression, commonly referred to as the “winter blues”. Symptoms of SAD, according to Web MD, include fatigue, weight gain, loss of interest in normal activities, grumpiness, concentration troubles, and increased sleepiness. These signs are the most intense during the darkest months, or normally during the middle of the winter, around

January and February. Web MD states that because Unfortunately, there is no concrete “cure” many of the symptoms of SAD are the same as for SAD. The principal cause, processes in the nonseasonal depression, the disease may be hard to brain reacting to lack of sun, is not controllable, diagnose. and experts say that science has yet to find a way to While scientists are unsure of the specific cause thoroughly monitor these processes. Although many of SAD, they agree that a substantial lack of vitamin argue that the only true remedy is natural sunlight, D during the winter months, due to the absence of doctors have discovered temporary fixes to subdue sunlight, is an indisputable the symptoms. According “SAD affects the level of certain factor. Experts studying SAD to Medicine Net, everything have made the connection from prescription anti-dechemicals in the brain.” between chemical processes pressants to phototherapy, a in the brain and this disease. Low levels of light can treatment in which artificial light is used in place of affect your circadian rhythms, the internal clock natural sunlight to stimulate the brain hormones inwithin everybody, including the sleep-wake cycle, volved in SAD and in related processes, is currently which, according to Mayo Clinic, could lead to available. depression. Research also shows that SAD affects the

level of certain chemicals in the brain. The hormone melatonin is triggered by darkness. This hormone causes drowsiness, and thus during the winter months of dark mornings and evenings, you might feel too tired to get out of bed, and later you might be too exhausted to do your homework. According to Mayo Clinic, SAD may affect the levels of serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter. Decreased sunlight can encourage a drop in your serotonin levels. Serotonin influences mood, and when the levels are low in the body, it can lead to negative, gloomy attitudes.

Though the actual cause of SAD is unknown, the levels of these chemicals are related to the occurrence of the disease.

To see the effects of SAD on mood, compare this year’s winter to past winters. Assuming other factors that usually contribute to our disposition, such as amount of work, and, consequently, stress level, have remained the same as years before, what caused the smaller amount of the typical gloomy winter mood? The uncharacteristic warm weather this year, like sixty-two degrees Fahrenheit on a January day where the historical average was no more than thirty-eight degrees can be held accountable. The additional sun exposure played the reverse effect of what the dark weather of past winters usually does: it caused the hormones previously described to affect your mood positively instead of negatively.

Deviant Art

27

H o r a c e M a n n’s P r e m i e r Science Publication May 2012

28 Horace Mann Spectrum ■ May 2012