These past two years the pandemic has taken a devastating toll both globally and nationally. In order to combat disease spread, we have seen global lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and social distancing efforts in an attempt to contain this infectious disease. Contact tracing projects have been implemented nationwide as a public health tool to slow the […]
A35: Clustering Individual Differences in Decision Making and Comparing Computational Model Performance
Irrational decision making, specifically preference reversals, have received a significant amount of attention from decision researchers. Though considered a universal phenomenon, not everyone displays the same proportion of the main three types of preference reversals. This may be because the attribute values are not created sensitive to individuals’ preferences, or due to individual differences in […]
A37: Investigating A Novel Family Of Proteins in Ancient Cyanobacteria
We investigate a family of proteins called pentapeptide repeat proteins in attempt to solve their structures and functions within cyanobacteria. We attempt to solve protein structures through protein X-ray crystallography and attempt to solve the function of our proteins through various methods including generating growth curves, filament length distributions, monitoring heterocyst formation frequencies and patterns, […]
A38: Quantum Phase Transition In Partially Cu-doped ZrNi2-xCuxGa Heusler Alloys
Quantum phase transitions are changes in the solid state of a material that result from quantum fluctuations instead of temperature changes. These fluctuations are influenced by factors such as pressure, magnetic field, or, in our case, the composition of the material. In superconductors, such as the ZrNi2Ga, alloy, a sharp phase transition occurs at a […]
A39: Dysregulated Fear in Preschoolers and a Correlation to Anxiety
9.4% of children ages 3-17 have been diagnosed with an Anxiety disorder. An illness so prevalent in our society’s youth should have an effective method for identifying it. Some behaviors have been identified to suggest potential early flags among children developing anxious behavioral patterns. Inhibited temperament is a behavior that in literature has been found […]
A40: Role of Nitric Oxide in Immune and Behavioral Responses in Acheta domesticus
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signaling molecule synthesized by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NO functions as a brain neurotransmitter and immune system defense molecule. Animals undergoing an inflammatory response, such as from bacterial infection, exhibit changes in behavior. We are using the cricket Acheta domesticus to explore the role NO may play […]
A41: ATP Binding and Hydrolysis of ER Protein-Folding Chaperones BiP and JB11
Molecular chaperones are abundant and conserved proteins in the cytosol, mitochondria, nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum that help protein clients fold to their active conformation known as the native state. The structure and mechanism of these chaperones holds significance because of their association with cancer and metabolic disease. The heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family of […]
A42: Implications of ERdj6 Mutation on Co-Chaperone Ability and Oligomerization
Within the field of biochemistry, chaperone and co-chaperone proteins are of important significance due to their vital role in assisting protein folding. ERdj6 is an Hsp40 co-chaperone that works with Hsp70 to facilitate client binding and folding. ERdj6 was grown and purified in E. Coli, with wild-type and mutant protein samples grown. Within Hsp40 proteins […]
A43: Vulnerability and Agency: A Study of the Refugee and Migrant Women of Calais from 2014-2016
The “Jungle of Calais”, a sprawling migrant and refugee camp that existed most prominently from 2014-2016, served as a living representation of the difficulty European states had navigating the influx of 5.6 million migrants and refugees seeking asylum during the European Migrant Crisis. By the end of 2016, 10,000 people inhabited the Jungle of Calais. […]
A44: The Effects of Psilocybin on Decision Making and Motivation
There has been a resurgence in research regarding the therapeutic potential of hallucinogenic psilocybin. Although this research is promising, much is unknown about how psilocybin impacts behavior from a pharmacological perspective. It is established that psilocybin is a serotonergic agonist with affinities for several different serotonin receptors; binding affinity data indicate that psilocybin has a […]