Undergraduate Research Symposium

Su Jin An, Senior, Political Science, LAS

Since the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, the international community has increased attention paid to the crises of other countries and over time the amount of humanitarian assistance has also increased. However, scholars continue to debate the need for humanitarian assistance due to the chance of the assistance facilitating more conflicts. Even though humanitarian assistance is an emerging norm as a tool for peace-building, it may unintentionally induce undesirable consequences such as exacerbating or prolonging the ongoing conflict. If humanitarian assistance can influence ongoing conflicts, then it might also have an influences future conflict. We raise the question: can humanitarian assistance prevent or cause future conflict? I will examine the effects of humanitarian assistance on the likelihood of inducing future conflict, by looking at the causes of civil war and war recurrence.

Sophia Bodnar, Junior, Anthropology, LAS

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a useful biomarker of inflammation that is broadly utilized in anthropological and medical research to evaluate both acute and chronic inflammation from many ecological stressors. Human CRP concentrations can be analyzed from serum samples using enzyme immunoassays. Recently, RayBio has claimed their Human CRP ELISA kit can measure sera and urinary CRP. Urine and sera were collected from 31 healthy individuals. Using the RayBio kit on these samples, we did not find high agreement between urinary and sera values. Due to this low agreement, we hypothesize that differences in excretion rate in urinary versus sera CRP exist and that urinary CRP is a more useful biomarker and predictor than sera CRP. Currently, we are assaying urinary and sera CRP from the same 31 individuals with a protein purification and concentration method developed by our group. This research will provide novel information regarding differences in secretion among sera and urinary CRP. If urinary CRP is found to be a more useful biomarker or predictor than sera CRP, this can have profound impacts on measurement of CRP in the field such as increasing likelihood of subject participation by being less costly, less invasive, and easier to sample.

David Burstein, Senior, Psychology, AHS

Illinois hospital services are currently being analyzed by type of payer for inpatient and outpatient services during calendar years of 2008-2010. Goals of analysis include finding trends, correlations and variations that may provide insight toward constantly rising costs of healthcare services. The primary source of data is provided by the Illinois Health Services and Facilities Review Board, which offers detailed profiles on all 215 hospitals in the State of Illinois. It is hoped that findings will help policy makers and hospital administrators understand specific predictors of increases in healthcare costs.

Aaron Fairbanks, Senior, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology, LAS

Biological rhythms are critical for regulating hormone secretion, metabolism, and sleep patterns. Disruptions in these rhythms, as occurs in shift work or jet lag, increases health risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancers, and may affect males and females differently. Gonadal sex steroids influence the expression of circadian rhythms in both humans and rodents. In particular, estradiol, acting through estrogen receptor alpha α, modulates running wheel activity, the duration of the free running period, the time of activity onset, and the consolidation of activity to the appropriate time of day. Here the effects of ERα overexpression on these circadian parameters were examined in transgenic mice (Erα;-OE). Control and transgenic mice were either left intact or gonadectomized to remove the influence of natural sex hormones. Half of the gonadectomized female control and Erα;-OE mice were given estradiol replacement through an implanted capsule. Running activity was recorded continuously during a 12 hour light:dark cycle, constant light, or constant darkness. Erα;-OE Animals had elevated activity that was dispersed across the day and night. Interestingly, intact Male Erα;-OE mice were less active than controls. Despite these dramatic differences in activity levels, the free running rhythm in constant darkness did not differ between any groups except intact control males compared to gonadectomized control males. Thus, hypersensitivity to estrogen impacts the distribution and amount of activity and may be disruptive to the normal expression of circadian rhythms. These results have implications for understanding sex differences in sleep disorders and response to shift work.

Laura Frasz, Senior, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, ACES

Researchers have proposed that birds in urban environments have more food available than those in rural areas as a result of supplemental feeding. We predicted that avian nutritional condition will increase with increasing urbanization as a result of greater food availability. Furthermore, we predicted that juveniles would show greater sensitivity to food availability than adults due to their less-developed foraging skills. Sensitivity to food availability would be reflected by a relationship between nutritional condition and the interaction of urbanization and age. To test these predictions, we measured feather growth bar widths, which have been shown to correlate positively with nutritional condition. We captured house sparrows (Passer domesticus) using mist nets at seven sites along an urban-rural gradient in Champaign County, Illinois from September to November 2011. We aged each bird and pulled the outermost left and right tail feathers. The widths of 10 growth bars were measured on each feather. General linear models were used to assess the effects of urbanization, age, and their interaction on growth bars. We found that nutritional condition and age were significantly affected by urbanization (measured as housing density within 0.5 km of each site). For both juveniles and adults, growth bar width increased with housing density, supporting our prediction that food availability increases with urbanization. Juveniles tended to have narrower bars than did adults. No relationship was found between bar width and the interaction of urbanization and age, suggesting that juveniles are not more susceptible to changes in food availability than adults.

Li Guan, Senior, Psychology, LAS

One study on Organizational Stress showed that between 26% and 40% of workers in the United States experienced their work as being stressful and this number is increasing (Sonnentag & Frese, 2003). Conscientiousness, one of the personality traits within the Big Five Personality Model, is the only trait that relates to all occupations, and it can be interpreted as involving a person being responsible, dependable, able to plan, organized, persistent, and achievement oriented (Mount, Barrick & Strauss, 1994). Roberts (2005) suggests that conscientiousness can be further divided into six lower level facets, which are industriousness, virtue, self-control, responsibility, traditionalism and order. However, not many studies about these six lower level facets have been conducted to decrease the stress level of employees. This study is looking at which of the six lower level facets impact employees working behavior. In order to answer this research question, the University of Illinois Workplace Survey was developed and provided to 132 college students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The data were analyzed by using SPSS. Data imputation, reverse data, Exploratory Factor Analysis and scree plot techniques were used in order to organize data. According to the SPSS data analysis, none of the six lower level facets play a significant role in the employees' job performance when they work under stress; however, virtue, traditionalism and self-control have a main effect toward the employees' turnover intention.

Anwen Jiang, Senior, Electrical Engineering, ENG

There has been limited research that investigates the decision making process of engineering students who move on from undergraduate study to either professional practice or to graduate study. This study aims to learn how advanced engineering students decide their post-baccalaureate plans. Specifically, this research is expected to identify the factors that contribute to student's post-baccalaureate plans, and what helps to form their identities as engineers. A survey and individual interviews were conducted with both seniors and first-year graduate engineering students who were selected from diverse majors, and nationality. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, this study especially focuses on how different experiences or factors influence students' choices on post-graduation plans, such as research experiences, internships, courses or projects, personality, etc. Besides the influence of various experiences, the study will also concentrate on how different people within those experiences affect students' decisions on post-graduation plans. The research results will provide prototypes and references to engineering students on how they may compose their own post-graduation plans. Research data will also be valuable to engineering educators and administrators on how they can offer better guidance to students.

Vivian Jung, Senior, Molecular Cellular Biology, LAS

17β-estradiol (E2) enhances hippocampal-sensitive place learning but impairs striatal-sensitive response learning. The soy isoflavone genistein is widely consumed in dietary supplements and mimics estrogen-induced shifts in learning. In addition to their classical transcription-initiated actions, estrogens can also signal through membrane-localized estrogen receptor (ER) a, ERb, and G protein-coupled ER (GPER) in the brain. Recent findings suggest that membrane-initiated signaling through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade underlies the memory enhancing effect of estrogens, however the role of extracellular ERK signaling in estrogen's impairing effects on learning remains elusive. We examined ERK activation in the hippocampus and striatum of rats that were trained on a striatum-sensitive response learning task or that were behaviorally naïve and treated with either vehicle or genistein. Three weeks after ovariectomy, young adult rats were treated with genistein (485 μg, orally) or sucrose vehicle across two days prior to training on a response task. Hippocampi and striata were removed and prepared for quantitative Western blotting to determine levels of ERK and pERK. Genistein treatment significantly impaired response learning relative to vehicle-treated rats. Compared to naïve controls, ERK activation increased specifically in the striatum with genistein treatment and with training, but with no interaction between genistein and training. Thus, ERK activation increased in the neural structure engaged during learning, but the level of activation did not necessarily correlate with learning performance. These results suggest soy isoflavones signal via MAPK pathways across different memory systems and may have implications for brain and cognitive health in postmenopausal women taking dietary supplements.

Kayla Kelly, Senior, International Studies, LAS

This research explores the ways the attitudes expressed in a negotiation by Chinese executives as well as some of the reasons behind this behavior. Many researchers disagree that the underlying factors of personality characteristics are crucial to success in international business negotiations. Through this study we express the importance and focus on relationships between behavior and culture to determine pre-negotiation attitudes. By identifying these behavior characteristics, American executives will better understand some of the dynamic natures of their counterparts and, in turn, have a higher chance of effectively negotiating and establishing successful business relationships.

Rajiv Khattar, Senior, Psychology and General Management, LAS/BUS

Measuring the results of influence attempts has previously taken the form of single-item measures with dichotomous response formats (success or failure). However, more current literature suggests there are actually three dimensions of influence outcomes, namely, commitment, compliance, and resistance (Yukl, 1989). There currently is no psychometric measure to quantitatively assess these influence outcomes. Using Hinkins (1998) method for scale development, this article suggests an additional outcome not found in the literature, reluctant compliance, and evaluates a new instrument for measuring commitment, compliance, reluctant compliance, and resistance the Influence Response Questionnaire (IRQ). In Study 1, we used a sample of 83 undergraduates to determine content validity of the initial pool of items. In Study 2, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and parallel analysis using an internet sample of 197 individuals revealed a four-factor solution for influence outcomes. In Study 3, the four-factor solution was replicated via Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on an independent internet sample of 363 individuals. Results indicate that (1) the first study identified face-valid items to measure influence outcomes commitment, compliance, and resistance; (2) the EFA suggests a four-factor model for influence outcomes, mapping onto commitment, compliance, and resistance as well as a new construct: reluctant compliance; and (3) the CFA confirms this new four-factor model (Chi2(98) 223.86, p < .05, RMSEA 0.060). Potential uses for this instrument in leadership research applications are also discussed.

Saori Kise, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

The purpose of this paper is to identify interventions with positive results in the past that school nurses can take a role in implementing, and answer the questions 'Even with the school nurse shortage, how can the school nurses take a part in managing the high HbA1C of the adolescents and the low rate of satisfaction of their ability to manage diabetes?' School nurses take a huge role in providing support for students with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in the school setting. In a study by Hana & Gutherie (2000), only about 1/5th of adolescents with T1DM perceived that they are fully able to follow the expected diabetes self-management (Hana & Gutherie, 2000). Although students are in a great need of school nurses, a study prepared by Burhhardt Research Services in 2007 found that 58.7% of the schools do not have a full-time RN (National Association of School Nurses, 2007). Interventions such as the MAP program, H.A.N.D.S. workshop, Power Breathing program, and the three-level approach teaching sessions has been implemented by different schools in the past, and school nurses always take a role in these interventions. It may be helpful to consider some of these programs to take a part in managing the high HbA1C of the adolescents and the low rate of satisfaction of their ability to manage diabetes.

Ashley LaVela, Senior, Agricultural Communication, ACES

Many colleges and land grant universities have vast departments under the umbrella of agriculture ranging from horticulture to nutrition science to crop and animal sciences. With all of these recipients of an agricultural degree, the definition of agriculture is more broad and expansive than the farming traditions it stems from. In this study, we look to discern the origins of this definition, the current perception of agriculture and what will shape agriculture in the future. In addition, we look at social media and the potential effects of this technology on branding within agriculture and providing a more direct communication connection from the farm gate to the dinner plate than currently exists. To do this, we surveyed students from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From this, we found that the traditional view of agriculture relating to food production is a major image in perceiving agriculture. Also, while social media may be an effective tool for sharing agricultural information to a mass audience, it suffers from challenges of credibility compared against traditional formats. The data suggest that while students enrolled in an agricultural college recognize its broadness, they are still unable to provide a uniform definition. Students' perceptions about agriculture seem to develop from a balanced combination of media and social interaction with peers. To achieve a more homogeneous perception, agriculturalists will need to be inclusive, yet distinctive to combat public ignorance and opposition groups on misinformation in social mediums.

Kara Lester, Senior, Sociology, LAS

Sarah Steinmetz, Sophomore, Dietetics, ACES

The issue regarding childhood obesity has recently become one of major concern. In 2009, the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (Ped NSS) reported that 1 in 3 children are obese or overweight before their 5th birthday (CDC, 2011). Being either overweight or obese as a child greatly increases the likelihood that one will develop Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity into adulthood. Therefore, the need for intervention at the federal, state, and community levels has never been greater. Previous studies which have sought to link the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in children (2-5) have found the WIC program to be a useful instrument for research concerning childhood obesity. In this study, a survey developed by researchers of the STRONG Kids program, found discrepancies among WIC and non-WIC participants actual and ideal body type representation of their children. Furthermore, it was found that WIC participants, on average, chose a slightly heavier ideal body type than their actual body type choice of their children.

Meghan Martin, Senior, Global Studies, LAS

Social entrepreneurship has gained attention across various disciplines and media outlets. Current research is limited in its scope, however, and focuses on individual characteristics of social entrepreneurs and conceptual definitions. This research aims to look at the macro-level factors involved in social entrepreneurship development in India and to conceptualize how unmet needs and a resilient and philanthropic Indian culture, supported by a democratic government, leads to a strong social entrepreneurship environment in India.

Elizabeth Mason, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

Stress is a serious problem that comes with the profession of nursing. According to Admi and Moshe-Eilon (2010), stress leads to job dissatisfaction, burnout, and absenteeism; also, negatively impacts patients (p. 1). For this reason, the purpose of this study was to conduct a modified integrative literature review of the research found between 2001 and 2011 on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing stress in nurses. The study used the Roy Adaptation Model (Phillips et al., 1998) as the conceptual framework. The sample in this study consisted of ten studies obtained from the databases of PubMed and CINAHL using convenience sampling. The studies used in this sample were published between 2001 and 2011 and they examined the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing stress among nurses. The design of this modified integrative literature review followed the Ganong method (1987), and employed descriptive analysis to evaluate the studies in the sample. Once the study was completed, the results revealed that cognitive behavioral therapy (including forms of mindfulness) is an appropriate and effective form of stress reduction in nurses. Implications for nursing education, research, and practice will be discussed.

Laura McInerney, Senior, Psychology and Sociology, LAS

In May 2011, I spent two weeks living at an electricity-free ecovillage in La Plata, MO, documented my experiences while there, and created a full-length 55-minute film from my collected footage. This project was done as an ART independent study (with my previous instruction, Kimber Andrews) to fulfill my capstone project within the Environmental Fellows Program. I funded the trip and all related equipment costs through a self-initiated project on Kickstarter.com. My goal with the film was to explore the social dimensions of the Possibility Alliance (the community, which is almost totally self-sustaining), and to address the stigmas often put against individuals and groups who choose to live an alternative lifestyle. Now that my film, titled Off the Grid, is complete, I am arranging a couple different screening venues to reach out with my story to the campus and local community.

Jeffrey Miguel, Senior, Integrative Biology, LAS

Negative Density Dependence(NDD) is regarded as the primary mechanism behind seedling distribution in tropical forests, and is thus the cause of the extremely high levels of biodiversity seen there. However, recent research has found equivocal proportions of density dependent mortality in tropical and temperate forests (Lambers et al. 2002). To test this theory ourselves, we asked the following questions: 1) Is seedling abundance, growth, and survival negatively correlated with conspecific seedlings and adults? 2) Is NDD altered by abiotic variables such as soil moisture? Data was collected from a 16 hectare temperate forest dynamics plot designed to match the Center for Tropical Forest Science(CTFS) protocol. The plot is located at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center(SERC) next to Annapolis, MD. We took data from 200 1x1m permanently marked quadrats placed systematically across the plot. Density dependence did not seem to play an important role in influencing seedling distribution as seen in the tropics. Environmental filtering, represented by soil moisture, made a more significant impact on the seedling distribution. Strong influence from density dependence may be unique to tropical forests, and thus may be the reason for their high biodiversity. Seedling distribution in Temperate Forests seems to be more affected by the habitat conditions and other factors not considered.

Sandhya Prathap, Senior, IPS-Neuroscience, LAS

Previous research has identified certain brain regions that show more activity while studying or encoding information that goes on to be successfully remembered than while studying information that goes on to be forgotten, a phenomenon called the subsequent memory effect (SM). This brain activity associated with the encoding of subsequently remembered items is thought to reflect the engagement of brain processes critically involved in the formation of new memories. Whereas past investigations of the SM have used techniques with high spatial resolution, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), or high temporal resolution, such as electroencephalography (EEG), the current investigation was unique in bringing to this issue a new technology, optical-imaging, that has both high spatial and high temporal resolution. Here, we used the Event-Related Optical Signal (EROS) from optical imaging to investigate the time course and localization in the brain of the SM, in order to further illuminate the processes that lead to successful remembering. This study was also unique in examining relational memory, i.e., memory for the relations among items, rather than memory for the items themselves. We had participants learn arbitrary pairings of faces and scenes, and tested their ability to recognize the previously studied pairs in a subsequent old/new recognition test. We assessed activity at study time for pairs that were correctly remembered in the subsequent test in cortical regions of the brain, including the intraparietal sulcus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that we predicted would be involved in the formation of new relational memories.

Mark Schmudde, Junior, English, LAS

Male sexuality in Hawthorne's fiction is both a focal point of masculinity and the origin of much anxiety. Transgressive male sexuality in Hawthorne is characterized by secretive men who wear veils, hide scarlet letters, and their desire to live and die unknown. Male sexuality also has an important role in Hawthorne's fiction and the culture he emerged from. Tracing the treatment of male sexuality in Hawthorne's fiction one can find the contradictions that existed in relation to masculinity and sexuality, the problems it created for men, and the continued relevance these contradictions have for us today.

Bridget Schuld, Junior, Food Science and Human Nutrition and Dietetics, ACES

Central adiposity is strongly related to insulin resistance and is the most clinically relevant type of body fat in children as is the case in adults. This study aimed to determine diet and media use components related to central adiposity among 231 prepubertal children (8.85 0.59 years). It was hypothesized that increased sugar intake and television viewing will be related to increased central adiposity. Parents reported their child's weekend television viewing (TV). Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and one 24-hour recall were used to assess fitness and diet, respectively. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure percent fat mass (%Fat) and central adiposity (FM-abd). Gender specific waist circumference-for-age percentiles (WC-age) were determined. Among females, increased FM-abd was related to weekend TV (r=0.22, p=0.02), intake of added sugars (r=0.36, p=0.03), and cholesterol-to-saturated fatty acid index (r=0.28, p=0.22). These relationships remained significant after controlling for fitness and total diet energy density (kcals/grams). Among males, no diet or media use variables were related to FM-abd. Females above the 75th percentile cutoff of WC-age (N=32) had higher energy intake (p=0.04), added sugars (p < 0.01), and cholesterol-to-saturated fatty index (p=0.03) than females below the cutoff. Weekend TV and added sugar intake appears to be related to central adiposity, independent of fitness and energy density. These relationships were only significant among girls and not boys suggesting that dietary and sedentary behaviors may have differential health-related outcomes for prepubertal children based on gender. (Supported by NIH HD055352)

Natalie Seewald, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

With the changing climate of healthcare in America, discussion regarding disease prevention has become increasingly prevalent. Asthma, currently affecting 300,000,000 people worldwide, has no definitive treatment (World Health Organization [WHO], 2008). If preventative efforts to reduce the incidence of asthma are identified, the prevalence of the disease could decrease dramatically. Since breastfeeding possesses numerous health and emotional benefits to the infant and mother, and is readily available and economical, it may serve as an ideal form of prophylaxis against the development of asthma during childhood. The purpose of this study was to conduct a modified integrative literature review of research published between 2004 and 2010 on the impact of breastfeeding on preventing asthma in infancy and childhood. Watson's Theory of Caring in Nursing served as the conceptual framework for this study (Jesse, 2010). Research literature reviewed in this study is located within the CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases. A convenience sample of ten studies between 2004 and 2010 was selected from peer-reviewed journals written in the English language. Utilizing a modified format of Ganong's (1987) method for integrative literature reviews, these studies were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The findings from this integrative literature review indicate that breastfeeding may serve as a prophylaxis against the development of asthma during childhood, dependent on the duration of the feeding pattern. Implications for nursing research, practice, and education will be discussed.

Claire Sereiko, Junior, Communication, LAS

Kim Loconsole, Senior, Communication, LAS

This study investigated the relationship between socioeconomic status and food insecurity status. We often connect individuals with high socioeconomic status to have the best quality items and associate the opposite connection for people in lower socioeconomic categories. As stated in an article by De Marco et. al. (2009), environmental, economic, and other needs for everyday living, such as purchasing a home or childcare, impact food insecurity. Data from the BackPack program evaluation has shown an increased number of people living above the poverty line are struggling to put food on the table. Why is this happening and how does socioeconomic status impact food insecurity? In order to answer these questions, data were collected from quarterly surveys sent out to families in the Champaign-Urbana elementary school district. The surveys were then mailed back to the BackPack program researchers at the Family Resiliency Center at the University of Illinois. They directly analyzed the relationship between food insecurity levels and the socioeconomic status of families. Preliminary results found that there is a correlation between food insecurity and socioeconomic status, both above and below the poverty line. For example, out of 18 survey respondents in the $2000-2500 monthly income range, 10 said that they had to either cut the size of their meals or skip meals because there was not enough money for food. Overall, we seek to investigate the number of families involved in the BackPack program evaluation living above the poverty line that are food insecure.

Michelle Smith, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

CSII (continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion), more commonly referred to as insulin pump therapy, is a method of insulin administration for diabetes management. This method of insulin administration is fairly new and unfamiliar technology to the majority of floor nurses. The current aims in healthcare focus on the patients' safety and control, thus CSII therapy is being continued in the hospital setting when possible due to its focus on patient control. The purpose of this presentation is to share the role of nurses in patient safety, as well as their education needs, in the transition from CSII therapy into the hospital setting. This information was gathered from literature publications on safety issues with diabetes care, nursing knowledge of insulin and diabetes care, and policies for CSII in an inpatient setting. Nurses provide consistent bedside care to patients on CSII in an inpatient setting, and need to be educated on hospital policies and protocols as well as the assessment needs and safety issues that may arise during its use.

Rebecca Spizzirri, Senior, Psychology and Philosophy, LAS

Religious people tend to be less suicidal: though this trend is well established in the literature, the protective mechanisms responsible for it are less clear. According to previous research, the key mechanisms that explain this relationship are social support, sense of purpose in life, and belief that suicide is unacceptable. However, these mechanisms are inherently secular; although they are sometimes accessed by religious people in a religious context, they are also accessible to nonreligious people in a secular context. The first goal of this study is to investigate whether secular versions of these protective mechanisms are equally efficacious for nonreligious undergraduates as religious versions are for their religious peers. The second goal of this study is to investigate whether the correlation between religiosity and suicidality is an overestimate resulting from problematic measures of religiosity, as many existing measures equate religiosity with mental wellbeing. This study will therefore parse out each of these theorized protective mechanisms of religiosity from religiosity itself using separate measures, which were given to 105 undergraduates who identified either as Christians or as nonreligious individuals, in order to compare the two groups. The hypothesis is that the social support, sense of purpose in life, and belief that suicide is unacceptable will be more highly negatively correlated with suicidality and depression, regardless of whether the individual is religious or nonreligious. This would support the hypothesis that these inherent secular factors are the primary protective factors driving the negative correlation between religiosity and suicide, rather than religiosity itself.

Jean Alyxa Vendiola, Junior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Glutamate Racemase (abbreviated, RacE) is an enzyme, uniquely expressed in bacteria, that functions by converting the amino acid L-glutamate into the D-glutamate enantiomer. D-glutamate (D-glu) is an essential amino acid for the integrity of the peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall. Knockout studies of RacE, whereby biosynthesis of D-glu is prevented, have shown to be lethal for bacteria. It is for this reason that RacE is an attractive drug target for the development of novel antibiotics. Studying the structure of RacE when bound to its ligand allows for the development of more potent inhibitors. Given an isotopically-labeled RacE with 15N and D-glu with 13C, collaborators at Darmstadt Technical University (Darmstadt, Germany) with expertise in REDOR (Rotational Echo Double Resonance) NMR can measure the interatomic 13C-15N distances. REDOR offers high resolution NMR spectra and provides valuable information on how ligand binding affects the active site chemistry as well as information about the exact conformation of ligand molecules in inhibitor-enzyme complexes. In preparation for solid-state NMR, site-directed mutagenesis on RacE was performed, targeting cysteine residue 74 and histidine residues 65, 66, and 260 for mutagenesis to alanine. To render RacE un-catalytic, cysteine 74 was chosen as it is responsible for proton abstraction during the stereoinversion process. Mutating histidine residues decreases the histidine content of RacE to allow for better signal-to-noise ratio. This study describes the design and method behind engineering RacE C74A 3HisMut for solid-state NMR studies.

Ann Wetzel, Senior, Kinesiology, AHS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases in young adults. Approximately 50% of individuals diagnosed with this disease experience cognitive difficulties. Balance and walking are also impaired, making walking and standing difficulties widespread in the MS population. Due to the interaction between cognitive and motor components, there may be an elevated dual task cost in persons with MS. This assumption is based on the notion that cognitive resources in persons with MS are limited, and consequently easily disrupted leading to the impaired completion of a simultaneous task. This effect is most apparent when attentional resources are decreased due to the disease, as well as if there is a notably larger amount of attention needed for a task previously considered normal because of degeneration in the motor-sensory system. A limited amount of research has been conducted on dual tasking and its effect on postural control and gait in MS. Consequently, the functional outcomes of dual task cost are still unknown. However, the general assumption is that it is related to adverse events such as falls. A quazi-systematic review will be conducted to substantiate this proposed relationship in attempt to help understand predictors and outcomes of dual task cost in persons with MS.

Collette Williams, Senior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Keith Whitlock, Sophomore, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis (UC), significantly reduce physical functioning and decrease the quality of life in afflicted patients. Preliminary studies show that moderate intensity exercise training reduces the symptoms and disease activity of IBD, improving quality of life in these patients. Local inflammation in the periphery results in inflammation within the brain to alter behavior.

The purpose of this study was to understand whether exercise reduced inflammation and sickness behavior associated with colitis using a mouse model.

UC was induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) treatment in treadmill exercised (8-12 m/min for 6 weeks- 5x/week) or sedentary C57Bl/6 male mice (n=13/group). DSS was given at 2% in drinking water over 5 days. Sickness behaviors were assessed by changes in food and fluid intake, body weight and locomotor activity. Mice were euthanized and colons were harvested at disease peak (Day 8) for analysis of pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression.

Surprisingly, we found that 6 weeks of prior exercise training caused intensified local inflammation of the colon as measured by significant (p < 0.05) increases in IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α gene expression. While DSS-treated mice exhibited reductions in food and fluid intake, body weight, locomotor activity when compared to the water-only group, prior exercise training did not exacerbate these symptoms associated with colitis. In conclusion, exercise appears to exacerbate local inflammation but this effect does not alter symptoms associated with colitis. We are in the process of examining brain cytokines and the histology of the colons to address this paradox.

Jiaxin Xu, Senior, Agricultural Accounting, ACES

So Jung Yoon, Sophomore, Global Studies, LAS

Gabriel Johnson, Sophomore, Political Science, LAS

The main purpose of this project is to compare and contrast the different media trends found in China, the U.S. and Korea. The overarching goal is to analyze the relationship between these different media trends found in these countries and their influences on college students' academic performance.

The main research method involves conducting surveys among college students who grew up in the listed three countries and currently studying at University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. These survey questions focus on the daily media usage of students as well as their study habits and academic performance. Along with the surveys, we will also conduct statistical research online regarding the usage of different media forms. These media forms will include television, movies, and Internet.

We will attempt to provide solutions and suggestions according to the results found in our research. We predict there is a negative correlation between student's daily media usage and their academic performance. With the online statistical research results and our future findings in the surveys, we will offer a country-by-country diagnosis of media usage and trends amongst the overall populations, particularly college students.

Rachel Atwell, Senior, Natural Resources and Environmental Science, ACES

Agricultural production is ultimately dependent on our soil resources, but unfortunately management practices can significantly degrade these resources. Of particular concern is the loss of organic matter, which has adverse implications for crop growth and productivity. Plant residues play a vital role in maintaining organic matter levels, by supplying substrates such as cellulose. Cellulose is degraded enzymatically by cellulase, ultimately supplying energy when oxidized to CO2 by soil microbes. Soil cellulase activity serves as an index of degradation, and would provide a valuable means to evaluate recent evidence from the Morrow Plots that NPK fertilization has increased the loss of residue C and native soil organic C (Khan, et. al. 2007). Our hypothesis is that cellulase activity will be higher with greater cellulosic inputs for fertilized than for unfertilized subplots, and for continuous corn as opposed to the corn-soybean rotation. The effect of fertilization will be further evaluated by comparing total N analyses for corn residues collected from fertilized versus unfertilized subplots, and by measuring CO2 production during aerobic incubation of these residues. A higher residue N content and more rapid mineralization are expected for fertilized subplots, and would explain why the increased residue inputs from modern production practices are of no value for building soil organic matter.

Steven Battaglia, Senior, Atmospheric Sciences and Geology, LAS

Io's surface is blanketed in lava and sulfurous ejecta erupted from many active volcanoes such as Pele, one of the largest volcanoes on Io. We use previously reported temperature and oxygen fugacity constraints of Pele's basaltic magma to calculate the limits of sulfur solubility and sulfur content of the magma, and to determine the source temperatures for its sulfurous plumes ejected into Io's atmosphere. We calculate magma sulfur concentrations ~1 - 2 orders of magnitude greater than basaltic mid-ocean ridge lavas observed on Earth. Given that sulfur vapors degas from terrestrial basaltic magmas at 50 MPa pressure, we estimate sulfur vapors degas from Ios magmas at approximately 9 - 10 kilometers depth. Sulfur concentrations in excess of the solubility will exist as immiscible sulfide melt in the magma and during ascent will exsolve a sulfur vapor as well. The vapor sulfur emanating from the magma and sulfide melt is expelled as a plume into the atmosphere. Most of this sulfur falls to the surface, blanketing the moon in a layer of sulfur compounds. These sulfur layers are interleaved with lava flows erupted from patera and together form the bulk of Io's crust. We speculate Io's sulfur cycle is analogous to Earth's hydro-tectonic cycle, where sulfur extracted from the deep interior reservoir is transferred to the surface reservoirs by melting of the asthenosphere. The silicate portion of the surface reservoir is recycled to the interior by burial; however the sulfurous portion is distilled during burial and recycled to the surface.

Eftalda Becka, Junior, Chemical Engineering, LAS

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor characterized by an aggressive invasion. This cancer is the most common and lethal primary tumor in adults. The rapid progression of the tumor is due, in part, to the biochemical and biophysical interactions between tumor cells and brain extracellular matrix (ECM). In order to develop a successful therapy for this tumor it is necessary to create a model matrix system that has similar composition and physical structure as the brain ECM. The 2D cell culture systems define poorly the growth and the spread of the GBM. A brain-mimetic ECM is essential to understand the GBM invasion. To address this need we fabricated a brain-mimetic ECM using a hydrogel platform. Hydrogels composed of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA), polythele glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA) are ideal for recreating tumor microenvironment. Biophysical properties were tuned by altering gel concentration and composition. We aim to investigate cell-material interactions by monitoring and analyzing behaviors such as cell shape and invasiveness, in response to hydrogel mechanics, diffusion and mesh size. Gene expression of malignant markers (such as MMPs and VEGF) is also evaluated. A more malignant phenotype is observed in encapsulated-U87MG glioblastoma cells in comparison to 2D cultures. Moreover, the shape and invasiveness of cancer cells is modulated by the crosslinking density and the presence of HAMA in gelatin based hydrogels.

Julie Bray, Senior, Biochemistry, ACES

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. The abnormal activation of the Wnt signaling pathway has been identified in most colon cancer cases as well as in colon cancer cell lines. The downstream gene of Wnt such as c-Myc plays critical role in controlling cell proliferation. Studies have shown that genistein, a soy-derived isoflavone, reduced the abnormal Wnt signaling and inhibited cancer cell growth. : The current study focuses on investigating the effect of genistein-containing diet on the expression of Wnt genes, including Wnt1, Wnt2, Wnt4, Wnt6, Wnt8b, and Wnt11 in the descending colons of both male and female rats. Using an azoxymethane (AOM)-induced rat colon cancer model, we examined the regulatory effects of genistein-containing diets on the expressions of WNT genes by quantifying the genes RNA levels using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. This technique analyzes the gene expression by quantifying the intensity of fluorescence in the reaction, therefore allowing us to detect the up- or downregulation of a gene. We have identified that male and female rats responded differently towards the dietary treatment. Specifically, the expressions of Wnt genes were upregulated by genistein diet in female but not in male. In addition, genistein-fed females had lower expression level of the c-Myc, one of Wnt downstream genes than genistein-fed males. These results would provide a better understanding of gender-different response to dietary genistein during colon cancer development.

Alejandro Bueno, Junior, Chemistry, LAS

Globular lantipeptides having more rigid conformations have higher resistance to protease degradation and therefore being a more promising drug candidate. Actagardine is a globular lantibiotic, which is stable in the body and possesses highly potent antimicrobial activity against Clostridium difficile, a gram-positive bacteria known for causing severe diarrhea after treatments of regular antibiotics in the gut. One derivative of actagardine, NVB302 has already entered preclinical trials for treating C. difficile. We have shown that the application of coexpression made the production of actagardine and its derivatives more convenient, which eliminated the need of organic synthesis, followed by the ease of purification and substrate sequence engineering. Actagardine is the only known lantipeptide that possesses a sulfoxide group in its structure. The sulfoxide group is introduced in vivo by GarO as the only known luciferase-like monooxygenase in all published lantipeptide biosynthesis clusters. We investigated the in vitro GarO enzymatic activity and its formation of the sulfoxide group. By doing so, current knowledge on lantipeptide structures and their biosynthetic enzymes will be expanded. This research and the results showed that the study of actagardine can enrich information about current medications and confirmed the possibility of heterologous biosynthesis of potent antibiotics with multiple post-translational modifications using E. coli co-expression system.

Ashley Cho, Junior, Communication, LAS

Caitlin Coffey, Junior, Speech Pathology, AHS

Paloma Lau, Senior, Communication and Political Science, LAS

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem not only in the United States but around the world. Worldwide, about 43 million children under five were considered overweight, and the issue is becoming more and more prevalent amongst families of various socioeconomic classes (World Health Organization, 2011). In this research study, our objective was to see the correlation between television viewing and children's food choices and amount of physical activity they partake in. Data was obtained from 497 families in the Midwest, in which participants were part of a three year study. They completed a self-report questionnaire online or in paper format that asked various questions regarding their family's diet, socioeconomic status, physical activity, media consumption, and overall lifestyle. Based on our results, we found that indoor quiet playing time is negatively correlated with television viewing. In addition, fast food consumption is positively correlated with TV viewing. All of the correlations are statistically significant. In general, TV viewing is correlated with less physical activity and more unhealthy food consumption. More importantly, children who watch more television have a higher chance of being classified as obese. For similar studies in future, we suggest getting a bigger sample of children with varying weights and defining the terms more specifically.

Dana Fager, Senior, International Studies, LAS

As international mobility increases, there are a growing number of undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs, international volunteering, and internships abroad. Research shows that representatives from multinational corporations value job candidates' participation in international extracurricular activities. Undergraduates, however, may not be aware of corporate attitudes. Even if undergraduates are aware, there is little research attesting to whether these values play a role in motivating students to participate in international activities. This study examines whether undergraduates are aware that representatives of multinational corporations value participation in international activities. Furthermore, it examines whether students' decisions to participate in international activities are motivated by awareness of corporate values. To answer these research questions, I implemented an online mixed-methods survey amongst over 300 University of Illinois undergraduates, including study abroad returnees and students enrolled in business courses and communication courses. To analyze the survey responses, I will use descriptive univariate analysis of means and numbers deviations, bivariate analysis, and cross-tabulations with two-by-two tables. Preliminary findings indicate not all students are aware of corporate attitudes toward participation in international activities, pointing to a need for further research on how to better educate and prepare students for corporate careers. Results from this study will inform business course instructors, study abroad office employees, and career services employees about how to effectively communicate to students the benefits of participation in international activities. This, in turn, will help students effectively communicate their experiences during the job application process.

Jacob Firkins, Junior, Agricultural Leadership, ACES

Tyler Johnson, Senior, Agricultural Markets and Management, ACES

Clayton Meyer, Senior, Farm Management, ACES

Michael Cessna, Senior, Farm Management, ACES

Agriculture is one of the United States most dangerous occupations but there continues to be minimal focus on safety and preventative health measures, specifically for farmers. Within rural communities, health disparities are common and particularly in the farming community, individuals do not have constant access to health care. Our purpose for researching health care throughout rural Illinois is to collect and analyze data based on safety precautions used by farmers and the health care services those individuals utilize. Given the impeding factor of access to healthcare, our research will compile travel distance to health care facilities, along with types of insurance coverage and where basic health needs are addressed. During interviews with farmers, researchers will inform them about new laws pertaining to the farming occupation, safety issues and resources for further education of farm safety and rural health. Bringing Health Home is assessing health and safety issues across rural Illinois by evaluating the data collected to improve rural health care and safety on farms; our project will contribute to future research on similar topics.

Cali Garner, Senior, Community Health, AHS

Heather Kieltyka, Senior, Community Health, AHS

Mark McKown, Sophomore, Agricultural Education, ACES

Caitlin Chrzanowski, Sophomore, Agriculture Leadership, ACES

Agriculture is one of the United States most dangerous occupations but there continues to be minimal focus on safety and preventative health measures, specifically for farmers. Within rural communities, health disparities are common and particularly in the farming community, individuals do not have constant access to health care. Our purpose for researching health care throughout rural Illinois is to collect and analyze data based on safety precautions used by farmers and the health care services those individuals utilize. Given the impeding factor of access to healthcare, our research will compile travel distance to health care facilities, along with types of insurance coverage and where basic health needs are addressed. During interviews with farmers, researchers will inform them about new laws pertaining to the farming occupation, safety issues and resources for further education of farm safety and rural health. Bringing Health Home is assessing health and safety issues across rural Illinois by evaluating the data collected to improve rural health care and safety on farms; our project will contribute to future research on similar topics.

Mercedes Gonzalez, Junior, Sociology and Latina/o Studies, LAS

Within recent decades there has been a significant increase in the amount of anti-immigrant legislation proposed in governing bodies. Policymakers have argued that immigrants threaten social cohesion and the American way of life because they are economic burdens and refuse to assimilate. Precisely due to this nativist rhetoric, Mexican immigrants are unquestionably criminalized and pushed into the periphery of society. Once US born Mexican youth recognize and experience this unrelenting marginalization, they feel ostracized and despised by dominant, Anglo American society. This, in turn, causes Mexican youth with immigrant relatives to identify in ethnic and racial terms instead of American. These identities could hinder youths' ability to perceive themselves as a part of American society. Through a review of literature, I will examine how and why US born Mexican youth feel targeted and their identity development process. Ideally, these results would allow legislators to realize targeting immigrants only serves to further alienate the entire population of Mexicans and creates a further divide between Mexicans and Anglos.

Allison Hilger, Junior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

This interdisciplinary study lays a foundation for studying the kinematics of American Sign Language, by integrating techniques from the fields of movement control and communication sciences. Sign languages are a rich resource for learning more about language, independent of its modality of expression. However, there is little research on the analysis of movements in sign language (articulatory phonetics). As a result, no clear framework or protocol has been proposed for data collection and analysis. In this study, 3D recordings of sign language production were obtained by placing markers on a signers shoulder, arm, and hand, and capturing the movements using infrared cameras (Motion Analysis Corporation, X, CA). The start and end points of individual signs were operationally defined on the basis of kinematic data. Velocity, acceleration, and duration variables were determined as derivatives of displacement. A shoulder centered reference frame for the movements was generated by subtracting the wrist marker from the shoulder marker producing a body-normalized model that removes non-informative sources of variation (Cartesian subtraction). Results of this study will facilitate understanding of the importance and relevance of kinematic variables for ASL learning, along with detailing methodological basis for analyzing and comparing sign kinematic data across laboratories. Future plans for this research involve comparing data collected from native signers and late learners of ASL, paving the way for investigations of fluency and dysfluency of language in the visual modality.

Laura Hillman, Junior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Monica Paden, Sophomore,Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

Throughout the world today, processed foods are becoming more readily available, leading to an increase in childhood obesity. Due to processed foods being made of fats, sugars, and chemicals, children tend to prefer them over more nutritious, healthy foods (Lanigan, 2010). The survey was conducted by asking parents of preschool aged children, who attend a daycare in 3 different counties in the Midwest, about the amount of processed foods (salty snacks, candy, soft drinks) a child consumed throughout the day. The survey was handed out between Spring 2009 and Summer 2011 both electronically and pencil-and-paper format. We then compared the parent's answers to the child's BMI to see any possible correlation between the two variables. We expected to see a positive correlation between the amount of processed foods consumed by children and an increase in their BMI, but there was no significant correlation between the two. There are outside factors that could impact the results, such as the child's activity level, the age of the children, or the processed foods themselves.

James Karnia, Junior, Animal Science, ACES

Cytokine and chemokine pathways are associated with inflammation-dependent development of depression and substance abuse. These immune-system pathways are highly dimensional, including numerous gene nodes and edges connecting nodes. Gene expression microarray experiments can be used to infer the topology of co-expression networks between genes in the immune-system pathways. Gene expression profiles were obtained from mice that were challenged with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to induce inflammation, followed by sickness and depression. A five-step strategy to infer gene co-expression patterns was implemented. First, human cytokine genes were obtained from the IMMPORT database and the mouse homologs were identified. Second, the genes of three immune pathways, the B-cell receptor, Nod-like receptor, and chemokine signaling pathways, were obtained from the KEGG database and the corresponding Affymetrix transcript probe were identified. Third, the gene expression measurements were log-2 transformed and normalized using the GCRMA transformation to remove technical sources of variation using Beehive. Fourth, the correlation between the expression profiles of gene pairs was used as an indicator of the gene co-expression patterns. A correlation threshold of >0.9 or <-0.9 was used to minimize the number of false positives that could stem from unconditional correlations. Fifth, the gene co-expression patterns and statistical association with LPS inflammatory challenge were visualized using Cytoscape. A total of 182, 356 and 2406 co-expression profiles between pairs of genes were identified in the NOD-like, B cell receptor and chemokine signaling pathways, respectively. The five-step strategy described was successful in identifying confirmed gene co-expression relationships and hub genes.

Fengming Lu, Senior, Political Science, LAS

Encompassing both subfields of comparative politics and international relations, my current research aims to solve the following puzzles. Why do authoritarian leaders allow mass anti-foreign protests? What conditions make them to do so? What is the influence of authoritarian anti-foreign protests on international bargaining? What is the variation between democratic and authoritarian anti-foreign protests? By collecting data from primary and secondary sources in both English and Chinese, I have obtained some preliminary findings. In spite of generating audience costs, allowing anti-foreign protests is still a costly signal for authoritarian leaders. Given the high costs and possibility of backfire, the anti-foreign protests are only allowed and exert effect on issues with greater tangible salience or more relevant with leaders interests, such as state security and territories with valuable resources or high strategic value, but not on other less tangibly salient or important issues.

Evan Marlatt, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Evan Brummet, Sophomore, Mathematics, LAS

Sarah Coleman, Graduate School, Master's of Public Health, AHS

Agriculture is one of the United States most dangerous occupations, but there continues to be minimal focus on safety and preventative health measures, specifically for farmers. Within rural communities, health disparities are common and particularly in the farming community, individuals do not have constant access to health care. Our purpose for researching health care throughout rural Illinois is to collect and analyze data based on safety precautions used by farmers and the health care services those individuals utilize. Given the impeding factor of access to healthcare, our research will compile travel distance to health care facilities, along with types of insurance coverage and where basic health needs are addressed. During interviews with farmers, researchers will inform them about new laws pertaining to the farming occupation, safety issues and resources for further education of farm safety and rural health. Bringing Health Home is assessing health and safety issues across rural Illinois by evaluating the data collected to improve rural health care and safety on farms; our project will contribute to future research on similar topics.

Weston Montavon, Sophomore, Technical Systems Management, ACES

Matthew Bickett, Sophomore, Technical Systems Management, ACES

Jared Brown, Senior, Agricultural Markets and Management, ACES

Alex Didier, Freshman, Farm Management, ACES

Agriculture is one of the United States most dangerous occupations, but there continues to be minimal focus on safety and preventative health measures, specifically for farmers. Within rural communities, health disparities are common and, particularly in the farming community, individuals do not have constant access to health care. Our purpose for researching health care throughout rural Illinois is to collect and analyze data based on safety precautions used by farmers and the health care services those individuals utilize. Given the impeding factor of access to healthcare, our research will compile travel distance to health care facilities, along with types of insurance coverage and where basic health needs are addressed. During interviews with farmers, researchers will inform them about new laws pertaining to the farming occupation, safety issues and resources for further education of farm safety and rural health. Bringing Health Home is assessing health and safety issues across rural Illinois by evaluating the data collected to improve rural health care and safety on farms; our project will contribute to future research on similar topics.

Ciara Nally, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Tinnitus is sometimes called a phantom sensation because sufferers perceive sound in the absence of a sound stimulus (M. Muhlau et al 2005). Tinnitus afflicted people will often describe the noise as constant or intermittent and varying from a buzzing noise to a high-pitched ringing sound. Tinnitus can also be described as being bilateral, unilateral, or neither but just stemming from the center of the head. Presently, it is presumed that tinnitus is caused by central mechanisms as evidenced by patients who have had their eighth cranial nerve severed still suffer from persistent tinnitus (M.Muhlau et al 2005). In order to pinpoint the location of tinnitus changes in the brain, we have conducted Magnetic Resonance Imaging on tinnitus afflicted participants with hearing loss and those without tinnitus with normal hearing. I have conducted VBM analysis using SPM8 software to determine grey matter volume changes. I have compared whole-brain images using modulated and unmodulated data. Modulated data shows the volume changes while unmodulated data shows concentration changes within the grey matter (Husain et al 2010). Preliminary analysis reveals that there are no significant differences between tinnitus and normal hearing brains with respect to volume and concentration. Together, with further studies from the Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, we plan to collect more data and dissociate the effects of tinnitus from that of hearing loss on specific brain regions. The long-term goal of the research is to understand the neural mechanisms of tinnitus better in order to develop new therapies.

Susan Novotny, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Anna Otigara, Junior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Caroline Lartz, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Conversational repair describes the process of managing trouble sources in talk (e.g., misunderstandings, dysfluencies, mishearings). Conversational analysis (CA; see Schegloff, Jefferson, and Sacks 1977) has shown that speakers manage trouble sources quickly, with little interruption to ongoing interaction, and with a predictable sequence. Repair sequences focus on who (self or other) identifies the problem, who (self or other) corrects the problem, and the turn-by-turn organization of such repairs. Self-initiated and self-corrected repairs of speakers own trouble sources are the most common pattern. However, when a conversational partner has aphasia, repair sequences are different. Aphasia is an acquired language disorder (due to brain damage) that disrupts an individual's ability to understand and produce language. Aphasia discourse requires more repair work due to trouble sources caused by aphasic errors, and involves a greater amount of other-initiated and other-corrected repair sequences (Perkins 2003). This study aims to document and analyze the ways in which an individual with aphasia and an unimpaired communication partner negotiate repair during a 15-session treatment study using a collaborative referencing protocol. The protocol involves the pair talking together to identify, label, and place on their playing boards (which are hidden from each other's view), photo cards of people and places familiar to the client. The analysis focuses on describing repair sequences that occur with one photo card across 6 sessions, and identifying changes across sessions. We anticipate the need for repair to decline across sessions, and for the portion of self-initiated and self-corrected repairs by the client to increase.

Anna Olsen, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Andrea Tripp, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Elise Brucks, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Allison Hilger, Junior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Developmental stuttering is a speech production disorder affecting 4-5% of U.S. preschool children. Stuttering disfluencies include repetitions of syllables and words, prolongations of sounds, and blocks, when little or no sound is produced. Although stuttering usually resolves, approximately 25% of individuals will stutter throughout their lives (see www.ASHA.org), leading to communication difficulties at home, school, or work. To date, research has focused on identifying causes of stuttering and differentiating motor speech characteristics. Grounded in an interactional sociolinguistic perspective, the goal of the current study is to explore the impact that stuttering has on the interactional dynamics between communication partners. Using ethnographic case study methods, we videotaped a woman with persistent stuttering and her familiar communication partner (w/o a communication disorder) completing 24 trials (6 trials per session, 4 sessions) of a collaborating referencing task (see Hengst, 2003 and Clark, 1992). During the trials, the pair sat across from each other separated by a low barrier and were asked to work together to place twelve tangram cards in the same positions on their respective game boards. Data analysis of trials includes: 1) accuracy of card placements, 2) time and number of turns and words used to place each card; 3) coding stuttering-like disfluencies by both partners; 4) using Clarks (1992) collaborative referencing model to analyze patterns of stuttering-like disfluencies during three phases referencing (initiation, refashioning, acceptance) for each card. Data are collected and surprisingly stuttering was less frequent than anticipated. Analysis of stuttering episodes by phases of collaborative referencing is underway.

Jonathan Rasio, Sophomore, Biochemistry, LAS

Zita Hubler, Sophomore, Bioengineering, ENG

There has been increasing interest in the development of contrast agents to enhance the diagnostic capabilities of imaging modalities. In this study, we demonstrate the use of protein-shell microspheres of size from 1 to 5 m filled with oil suspensions of iron oxide nanoparticles and fluorescent dye (Nile Red) as multimodal contrast agent in magnetomotive optical coherence tomography (MM-OCT), fluorescence imaging, ultrasound (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These engineered protein microspheres are made using a sonication process, which allows the protein to form a shell encapsulating the oil and hydrophobic nanoparticles. The introduction of oil as the solvent of the inner core has resulted in a much more stable and longer lasting contrast agent, extending its lifetime from days to several months. Microspheres containing iron oxide nanoparticles in their core provide negative T2 contrast for MRI imaging and can be modulated externally using a magnetic field to create dynamic contrast in MM-OCT. A surface modification of the shell with gold nanoparticles increases optical scattering and provides additional contrast for OCT. In addition, we have functionalized our microspheres with the RGD peptide ligand, which is targeted to integrin receptors αVβ3 that are overexpressed in tumors and atherosclerotic lesions. The oil-filled targeted protein microspheres with the capability for high drug loads also have great potential for local delivery of lipophilic drugs.

Megan Reyes, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Tiffany Martinez, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Anna Urbina, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Uruguay has the highest breast cancer incidence rate in Latin America, yet little is known about the influence of social determinants on Uruguayan womens' mammography screening rates. Regular screenings are the most effective method of promoting early treatment and increasing chances of survival. The present study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine breast cancer beliefs and knowledge in relation to breast cancer screening in this population. Using the Cancer Literacy Measure-BCC Uruguay (Buki, Yee, & Reich, 2012), data were obtained from 400 women over the age of 40 in 5 different regions of Uruguay: Artigas, Flores, Maldonado, Montevideo, and Treinta y Tres. By design, 50% of participants were up to date with screenings whereas the remaining women were not. Preliminary data based on 4 regions (N = 324) show their average age is 50 years old (SD = 8.04), 51% of participants were married, and reported an average of 10.51 years of education (SD = 4.72). Two ANOVA analyses using screening status (up to date, overdue) as an independent variable showed that women who were overdue with screenings, in comparison with women who were up to date, were more likely to hold negative beliefs about the disease, F(1, 339) = 21.46, p < .001, and were more likely to hold erroneous beliefs about breast cancer, F(1, 339), = 27.79, p < .001. At the symposium, data broken down for all 5 regions will be presented. Implications of the findings will be discussed.

Ielyzaveta Shkoda, Junior, Dietetics, ACES

Obesity among women of reproductive age continues to rise, which is concerning not only because it reflects the increase in metabolic syndrome in the general population, but also because epidemiological studies show that maternal health during pregnancy can program chronic diseases in offspring. While numerous reports provide direct evidence that offspring are negatively affected in utero by maternal obesity, the exact metabolic changes occurring in the mother herself remain poorly understood. To better understand the changes occurring within maternal physiology in obese pregnant women, the current study focused on pregnancy lipid metabolism in Obesity Resistant (OR) and Obesity Prone (OP) rats. Previous data from the current study showed that Triglycerides and Non-Esterified Fatty Acids were increased in OP dams when compared to OR. Therefore, gene expression of lipid metabolism-associated genes in maternal liver, placenta, adipose, and muscle was analyzed by performing qRT-PCR in OR and OP dams at the end of gestation. Genes of interest in the current study included Fasn, Acc2, Dgat, Gpat, Acox1, Acad (SC, LC, VL), Lpl, Lple, Lipc, as well as several Fatps. The multiple-tissue analysis demonstrated that the current model of maternal obesity was associated with altered gene expression in numerous tissues, but suggests that maternal adipose is likely the key contributor to the increase in circulating lipids that were previously observed in OP versus OR animals. These adaptations in maternal gene expression, and subsequently in her metabolism, likely directly affect her offspring, since the in utero environment is the primary predictor of fetal health.

David Soderberg, Senior, International Studies focus on Technology and Society, LAS

With the advent of Web 2.0 Internet interactivity and the widespread ownership of portable information technology (in the form of Smartphones, laptops, and tablets), the prolific and ubiquitous use of Internet connected devices is clearly observable in most public and private spaces, especially for the undergraduate university population. Scholars have demonstrated that media multitasking rapidly browsing through multiple inputs (such as email inboxes, Facebook status updates, and Twitter feeds) is often habitual and compulsive. In addition, media multitasking has been clinically shown to disrupt the ability to focus and retain information. Thus, this research investigates to what extent do we see media multitasking in the contemporary undergraduate classroom, and what are effective policies at reducing off task use without enforcing overly restrictive policies? Specifically, this paper will examine the contemporary public university undergraduate classroom, taking a sample of two community health courses at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to compare the impacts on student behavior of a no-laptop course to a classroom with no electronic device restrictions. In-class ethnographic observations and a survey of student use patterns and perceptions of Internet connected device use are investigated to gauge the extent of use. Finally, small group discussions with professors and students seek to examine possible alternative classroom technology policy. It is critical to accurately gauge the behaviors and perceptions of students in the age of ubiquitous Internet device use if we are to implement effective policies regarding technology to support positive educational outcomes.

John Spiekerman, Senior, Integrative Biology, LAS

Photosynthetic organisms are unique in that they are able to convert solar energy to chemical energy. This is made possible due to chlorophyll, an essential pigment that plants utilize for the absorption of light during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is a tetrapyrrole, sharing a common biosynthetic pathway with heme, siroheme, and phytochromobilin. The final step of the chlorophyll branch is the esterification of chlorophyllide, catalyzed by chlorophyll synthase. My research goal is to characterize what impact a decrease in chlorophyll has on plant growth. To determine this, I have analyzed lines of Arabidopsis thaliana with different T-DNA insertions in the chlorophyll synthase gene. The T-DNA insertions interfere with transcription leading to decreased protein levels. It can be inferred that a plant with decreased chlorophyll synthase will have decreased chlorophyll content. Relative to wild type plants, the T-DNA lines have lower chlorophyll content and a slightly shifted chlorophyll a:b ratio. There appears to be a slight growth penalty in the T-DNA lines, which is more apparent in long day conditions compared to short day conditions. I am in the process of measuring photosynthetic capacity and will determine if there is a change in the mRNA levels of light harvesting proteins, the major chlorophyll binding proteins.

Danny Sulsberger, Senior, Human Nutrition, ACES

Lycopene metabolites, produced from carotenoid cleavage enzymes: carotenoid 15,15-monooxygenase (CMOI) and carotenoid 910-monooxygenase II (CMOII) are hypothesized to be more bioactive than the parent carotenoid and may be responsible for the reduced risk of prostate cancer (PCa) from tomato product consumption. In mice with high expression of CMOII in the testes, consumption of lycopene resulted in significantly reduced levels of serum and testes testosterone, which may be a mechanism by which metabolites of lycopene are protective against PCa. A recent animal trial was preformed investigating the efficacy of tomato and soy germ, alone and in combination, for reduction of cancer progression in the TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate) model of prostate cancer. Mice consuming diets containing 10% tomato powder + 2% soy germ had significantly lower concentrations of lycopene in the testes than mice consuming diets with only 10% tomato powder. These data suggest that soy germ may alter carotenoid absorption or metabolism which should be further investigated. The objective of this project is to measure mRNA expression of carotenoid metabolizing enzymes CMOI and CMOII in the testes of TRAMP mice from the previously conducted animal trial to determine if soy germ may alter carotenoid metabolism. We hypothesize that dietary soy germ reduced lycopene accumulation in the testes by increasing expression of carotenoid cleavage enzymes, increasing the formation of potentially more bioactive carotenoid metabolites.

Sarah Trapani, Senior, Communication, LAS

Emily Schaffer, Sophomore, Human Development and Family Studies, ACES

The purpose of this research is to determine the most common behaviors of children who are considered picky eaters. A survey taken by a child's primary care giver will help to determine the habits, which characterize picky eating. Fifty-six percent of parents who took the survey reported that their child is rarely to sometimes a picky eater. Twenty-seven percent of parents reported that their child is often to always a picky eater. The data from this survey show that there is a strong correlation between parents reporting that their child is picky and the child avoiding fruits and vegetables. There is also a correlation that those children who were reported picky got into frequent struggles with their parents in regards to eating and food choices. A trend is seen among the children who do not eat vegetables and a significant finding among children who do not eat fruit that they would not open their mouth when their parents are trying to feed them. These findings help to determine some of the frequent behaviors and the correlation of parental pickiness reporting to fruits and vegetable consumption.

Candace Wong, Sophomore, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

From Staphylococcus to Enterococcus to Tuberculosis there is a growing problem in the medical field of antibiotic resistance. A promising solution to drug-resistant bacteria is lantibiotics. Lantibiotics have a great potential to be incorporated as a mainstream antibiotic because of its ability to fight against drug-resistant bacteria by forming pores in the cell wall and binding to a peptidoglycan precursor, Lipid II. Because lantibiotics utilize two methods of antimicrobial activity, it is difficult for bacteria to mutate and overcome both pathways. Thus, it is highly unlikely that bacteria will become resistant to lantibiotics even with repeated use as a mainstream antibiotic.

Nisin is an example of a lantibiotic that is already in use in the food industry and has been shown to have antimicrobial activity. However, because nisin is unstable in physiological pH, its development for use as an antibiotic in the medical field has been hindered. Preliminary data has shown that haloduracin, a two-component lantibiotic, is more stable than nisin at physiological pH. In this in vitro experiment, the stability of haloduracin will be tested in human serum over a 24 hour period in comparison to nisin. In addition to the stability assays, the antimicrobial activity of haloduracin and nisin will be tested against Lactococcus lactis in a growth inhibition assay. If successful, an in vivo study of haloduracin stability in mice can be conducted. It is the goal that haloduracin can be developed into an antibiotic for widespread medicinal use.

Hyun Ho Yun, Junior, Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, ENG

A theta pinch device called the Divertor Erosion and Vapor Shielding eXperiment (DEVeX) facility was built at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign to study material erosion for fusion plasma condition. In order to minimize collision of plasma with neutral gas and to make the device suitable for high voltage breakdown experiment, a gas puff system was introduced. This system inherently requires a possible method to detect the arrival of gas and to measure velocity and flux of the molecular gas at various points in the chamber for the correct timing for the device operation.

As part of efforts to measure the dynamics of molecular gas expansion in the chamber, a constant-temperature-anemometer is developed. It consists of Wheatstone bridge, signal amplifier, and feedback circuit. 0.00056 thin tungsten wire is used for a filament to increase its resistance and hence its sensitivity. The CTA is tested in a vacuum chamber and measurements data as well as preliminary results including calibration and wire temperature and response time will be presented.

Claire Soellner, Senior, Food Science, ACES

Lactobacilli are present and active in our gastrointestinal tract. They are able to survive digestion and ferment non-digestible carbohydrates. The primary end product of carbohydrate fermentation in Lactobacilli is lactate. Previous research in our lab has shown that specific transport systems in Lactobacillus gasseri are required to ferment different carbohydrates such as glucose and lactose. The objective of this project is to determine the function of LGAS_1719, the lactate permease gene in L. gasseri ATCC 33323 (MJM4), because it is unique to a small group of related Lactobacilli. It is known to transport lactate into Escherichia coli for metabolism, but that function does not correlate with the metabolism of Lactobacilli. Expression of LGAS_1719 was shown by quantitative-PCR in MJM4 when grown in a complex medium, which indicated this gene has a function. A gene knockout L. gasseri strain (MJM98) was constructed to study this potential function. The gene is annotated as lactate permease therefore experiments were run to determine the transport and utilization of lactate. Metabolomics data did not show differences between strains in the concentration of lactate intracellularly or extracellularly. MJM4 was shown to utilize lactate as a sole carbon source when grown in a microtitre plate (250uL) but not by traditional culturing in 10 mL. MJM98 was not able to utilize lactate in either growth conditions. Further experiments are needed to confirm the utilization of lactate by MJM4 and MJM98 and to understand the effect on transport.

Cassandra Eischen, Junior, Kinesiology, AHS

Qiaer Jin, Junior, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

Michelle Gutiurrez, Junior, Speech and Hearing Sciences, AHS

Monique Efta, Senior, Communication, LAS

Breastfeeding has been associated with a 13-22% reduction in childhood obesity and the development of obesity later in life (Mayer, Rifas, Li, Hu, Colditz & Gillman, 2006). According to the most recent CDC National Immunization Survey, thirty percent of U.S. women who gave birth choose not to breast-feed at all. Breast-feeding may serve as an early intervention for childhood obesity. It affects the prevention of childhood obesity in two ways: hormones of metabolic pathway programming and self-regulation of eating behavior development. The purpose of our research was to find the correlation between the duration of a child being breast fed and their weight, if there is a correlation between breastfeeding and obesity, and if gender was a factor in breastfeeding and the development of childhood obesity. 497 families with children ranging from 2-4 years old participated in the STRONG Kids Project: Parents Survey in the spring of 2009 and summer of 2011. There were 253 boys and 243 girls. A questionnaire in the Parent Survey measured the parent's attitudes, beliefs, and practices in regards to breastfeeding. The longer the child was breastfed, the lower their overall BMI was. The data showed a strong negative correlation between breastfeeding and BMI scores. Gender had no significance for breastfeeding according to the data that was collected. The data collected should encourage women to be more open to breastfeeding because our research has found that it can reduce childhood obesity.

Paige Quinlan, Senior, Communication, LAS

Victoria Noland, Senior, Communication and Spanish, LAS

Tanya Patino, Junior, Civil Engineering, ENG

Daily physical activity is positively associated with a healthier child. A study called Connect for Health led by postdoctoral student, Dr. Amber Hammons, worked with children ages five to ten as well as their parents to promote healthier lifestyles. Two schools were compared throughout the course of the academic school year. A fitness test was administered to approximately thirty children at Wiley Elementary and thirty children at Prairie Elementary. These tests include curl-ups, push-ups, pacer test, sit and reach and other flexibility tests, along with height/weight. For the analysis of this study the tests were administered three times throughout the academic year. Students at Wiley were treated as a control group. They did not participate in an extra fitness program. An after school fitness program was implemented to the children at Prairie Elementary. Each day after school, the children would play highly active games and activities for thirty minutes. They often played varieties of tag and other running games. They also were asked to continue their physical activities at home on the weekends through voluntary homework assignments. Halfway through the academic school year, researchers noticed the most significant change in the children's performance on the pacer test. This test ultimately examines the children's levels of endurance. Thirty minute daily physical activity will increase children's levels of endurance, which will result in improved scores on pacer tests.

Yasmin Quinonez, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

Establishing full independent oral feedings among premature infants is one of the most difficult challenges being faced prior to their discharge. Complete oral feedings are commonly impaired by the oral challenges as well as the immaturity of many of their systems and their uncoordinated sucking, swallowing and breathing pattern. According to the literature sucking patters that resemble that of full term infants, which are believed to be required for successful feedings, are not fully coordinated until 33-34 weeks postmenstrual age (Chanda, Richard & Chantal, 2002). Although in some instances some premature infants may be able to initiate oral feeding prior to the 33-34 weeks (PMA) many do face oral challenges during hospitalization and even have feeding issues post discharge. Oral and perioral stimulation programs are often used in neonatal intensive care units in an attempt to accelerating the process of attaining total oral feeding (Arvedson, Clark, Lazarus, Schooling, & Frymark, 2010). Providing preterm infants the opportunity to practice their nonnutritive sucking in an effort to increase their oral motor organization, and facilitate nutritive sucking also seems to be a common practice in neonatal intensive care units (Arvedson et al., 2010, p.323). The aim of this paper is to address the barriers to successful feeding in this population and to take a closer look at what can be done to promote the transition from parenteral or enteral feedings into oral feeding for this population.

Katherine Anderson, Senior, Psychology, LAS

Estrogens and exercise have been shown to improve learning and memory in humans and rats. This study looked at the effects of estrogens and exercise combined with on the place-learning task in rats. Using a two-by-two design, young ovariectomized rats were trained on the task following two weeks of running wheel activity, daily estradiol injections for two days, both, or neither. Rats in the exercise condition significantly differed from sedentary rats, but the exercise and estradiol combined condition did not differ from the exercise-only or estradiol-only conditions, suggesting that the mechanisms of cognitive enhancement of the treatments do not interact.

Jacob Becraft, Junior, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, LAS

Efficient gene therapy mandates the delivery of a therapeutic gene from the exterior of a cell to its nucleus via a delivery vehicle. This project seeks to determine the mechanism of uptake and gene delivery of a synthetic vehicle functionalized with the adhesive motif RGD (Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid). The RGD peptide has been previously used as a targeting moiety for gene delivery, binding to the αVβ3 integrin receptors on the cell surface. Its intracellular trafficking pathway, however, remains unexplored. A mechanistic understanding of the endocytic and trafficking pathways leading to transfection is important in the effective design of targeted synthetic gene delivery vehicles for gene delivery.

We conjugated cyclized RGD peptide polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer. Four cell lines were chosen to investigate how the integrin receptor-targeted polymer behaved in different cellular environments. At the optimal ligand/polymer ratio (level of targeting) and DNA/polymer (N/P) ratio, PAMAM-RGD gene delivery activity exceeded that of untargeted PAMAM 8 to 10 fold in cells that expressed the integrin receptor. Receptor negative cells exhibited minimal changes in gene delivery activity. Our results suggest that the vehicle is internalized through both pathways when both are available for trafficking. For gene delivery in human cells, PAMAM-RGD exhibits a dependence on caveolar pathway trafficking. This is seen in cell lines both positive and negative forαVβ3 expression.

Our results suggest that PAMAM-RGD is highly targeted to cells expressing the integrin receptor. In human cells, the clathrin pathway is a highly inefficient gene delivery pathway for this targeted synthetic polymeric vehicle.

Emily Blumenthal, Junior, Urban Planning, FAA

The field of urban planning emerged largely as a response to the poor living conditions that arose in our cities at the turn of the 20th century. Planning was used to mitigate the urban issues that contributed to the spread of communicable diseases, which were the primary public health issue. There has been a shift the landscape of America's health issues: Today, preventable, non-communicable diseases are the most threatening to our nation's health. This shift in the state of public health in America requires a parallel shift in the strategies urban planners must employ to facilitate healthy communities.

My research centers on the relationship between the built environment and public health outcomes. I completed a Health Impact Assessment of the Chicago Lawn neighborhood of Chicago. This assessment included analyzing Chicago Lawn's the infrastructure and resources as they relate to facilitating healthy living for residents. Factors that were considered include the prevalence and accessibility of food, medical and recreational resources, land use, safety and transportation considerations, as well as pedestrian infrastructure. This analysis indicated that Chicago Lawn has some of the infrastructure and resources needed to facilitate healthy living for its residents, but improvements in the quality and distribution of these resources throughout the neighborhood are needed. Given the inherent connection between the structure of our communities and the health of those living in them, this project points to the importance of health as a major in consideration in the planning and policy that shape our communities.

Hsiao-Han (Angela) Chen, Sophomore, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, LAS

Uros Kuzmanovi, Junior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Divya Tankasala, Freshman, Bioengineering, ENG

Cara Schornak, Freshman, Biology, LAS

Isiah Ramos, Freshman, ABE, ENG

Bob Chen, Freshman, Biology, LAS

Asha Kirchhoff, Freshman, ENG

Our project, E. chiver, drew inspiration from the commonly used CRIM system, a series of plasmids that allows the user to integrate constructs into lambdoid phage sites common to many bacterial chromosomes. Our E. chiver system adds several elements yielding new applications. Our team designed two E. chiver constructs utilizing Lambda and P21 machinery. Each can in theory be used to shuttle a plasmid construct between two forms: a single chromosomal insert and a high copy number plasmid. In their current designs, the systems must function separately, but possible routes have been identified by our team to make the co-functioning of these systems possible. We can see elements of our project being used in drug delivery systems as a method to keep a gene of interest dormant unless in the correct condition/location, and with further exploration into the co-functioning routes it may be used to create a bacterial filing cabinet.

Erjing Cui, Sophomore, Political Science, LAS

This paper makes a hypothesis about factors that explains why countries with similar GDP per capita have different scores on the Human Development Index (HDI). We hypothesize that the level of corruption in countries has a significant effect on the difference in HDI between countries that have similar GDP per capita. To test this hypothesis, we find the dataset of GDP per capita, HDI levels of countries and countries control of corruption in most recent year (2010). We run a regression to analyze the data. As a result, we see from the p-value, R square and other statistics that both control of corruption and GDP per capita has a positive relationship with HDI. This paper will also present a case study that justifies this relationship, as well as listing announcing that there are other possible factors that influence a country's HDI besides corruption.

Catherine DeMuro, Junior, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, ACES

Cultivars differ in number of stomata, which may affect the temperature regulation of the soybean plant. The seed composition also differs among cultivars with some being high oil or high protein. In this study on the South Farm and Madigan Laboratory of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, I looked at soybean leaf and pod temperatures while growing and at soybean impressions when pods were mature. The stomatal density was compared to the pod length and the temperature data. If a higher stomatal density regulates temperature better, then we expect the cultivars with a higher density to have lower temperatures. If pods do not continue producing stomata, then the larger pods will have a lower stomatal density. Fourteen cultivars of soybeans were planted in rows either facing east/west or north/south. In each plot there were three repetitions. Temperature data was taken in the field and plants were harvested to make the pod impressions. The pods had a significant amount of stomata based on the impressions and after cross sectional analysis seem to be functioning. There did not seem to be a large correlation between stomatal density and pod temperature. There were slightly higher temperatures on the highest temperature day for cultivars with lower number of stomata. Stomatal density across all cultivars decreased as the pod size increased. This suggests that stomata may be produced early in the seed production stage. Some cultivars may be less adapted to extreme temperatures.

Elaina Dixon, Senior, Psychology, LAS

Guadalupe Garcia, Junior, Human Nutrition, ACES

Sophia Damtew, Senior, Integrative Biology, LAS

The obesity epidemic is rapidly spreading in cultures all over the world. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has dramatically increased. About 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese in the United States (Lohman et al., 2009). In order to improve the overall health of our country, we must examine the underlying causes of obesity and attempt interventions fighting for the reduction of these rates. One of the contributing environmental factors to these increasing obesity rates is intake of fresh fruits (Jones, 2010). Research has shown clear gaps in diet among racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups (Dunn et al., 2011). This research project aims to determine if there is a correlation between socioeconomic status and overweight in children living in Champaign County. Specifically, we examined if fruit consumption was affected by socioeconomic status. Using self-report data from the STRONG Kids program, we looked at survey responses from 497 families in Champaign County. Families were recruited from licensed preschools registered with the Bureau of Child Care and Development (which permits the preschool to receive federal food assistance). Our data analysis revealed a positive association between socioeconomic status and amount of fruit consumed. To further study this complex issue, more comprehensive research needs to be done to determine specifically how socioeconomic status affects fruit intake. Once the relationship is better understood, policymakers can enact plans to change the level of access to fruits for people of all incomes.

Alyssa Falk, Senior, Agricultural Consumer Economics, ACES

Corn producers throughout Illinois experienced record high temperatures in the summer of 2011. Yields were lower than projected, yet seeds have been designed to withstand drought conditions. Since 2011 created these unique experimentation conditions, I wanted to determine how sensitive corn yields were to drought conditions in 2011. I compiled corn planting and yield data over the past fifty years to determine if 2011 corn yield trends were abnormally different than in past years. Through regression and correlation analysis, I computed corn yield trends for the nine agricultural districts in Illinois, taking into account pre-planting and growing season precipitation average variables, pre-silk and post-silk temperature average variables, technological advancement variables, and late planting percentage variables.

Zaynaib Giwa, Senior, Statistics, LAS

MANet, or Molecular Ancestry NETworks, is a biological database that currently paints subnetworks of the metabolic process that exists in all cells. MANet paints these networks by color coding the enzymes that make up these subnetworks; doing this helps us visualize the evolutionary processes of metabolism. A preliminary statistical analysis shows a patchy distribution of the age of protein folds in the enzymes of each subnetwork. This suggests that evolution of metabolism occurred globally by widespread recruitment of enzymes. To our knowledge, MANet represents the first attempt to map evolutionary relationships directly onto biological networks. In the future, we hope to extend MANet to other many networks such as cell signaling pathways.

Kathleen Harsh, Senior, Food Science, ACES

Anita Gonzalez, Senior, Food Industry and Business, ACES

Consumers' interest in natural antioxidants over synthetic antioxidants (to preserve food quality) has grown in the past few decades. Marketing of fruits, such as pomegranates, and herbs, such as rosemary, has indicated high levels of phenolic compounds that could potentially inhibit lipid oxidation, a major cause of deterioration in food. The objective of this research was to compare the efficacy of natural antioxidants with synthetic antioxidants in a fresh ground beef model. Ground beef (73% lean, 27% fat), 2% salt and either no antioxidant, a synthetic antioxidant (butylated hydroxy anisole [BHA], 100 ppm), or a natural antioxidant (pomegranate crystalline extract, grape seed extract and crushed rosemary, 100 ppm) were used to manufacture fresh beef patties. Patties (25 g, 0.5 cm thick, 5 cm diameter) were placed on 10 12 cm Styrofoam plates, covered in polyvinyl chloride [PVC] and refrigerated at 20C. Evaluation occurred on day 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, and 9. Instrumental color evaluation was performed using a Minolta spectrocolorimeter to detect oxidation of hemoglobin (L*, a*, b* values). Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and diene conjugation were determined using cold extraction techniques to quantify oxidative rancidity. Three replications were conducted. In comparison to the control patties, the natural antioxidants performed significantly better than the control, while the synthetic antioxidant was the most effective at reducing oxidative end-products due to rancidity over time. No antioxidant affected the color of the patties.

Alexandra Hill, Senior, Agricultural and Consumer Economics, ACES

The main intent of the United States food aid program is to promote development in receiving countries while also combating hunger. Signed into law by President Eisenhower in 1954, the program was initially titled Food for Progress, which suits the developmental goals outlined in the law. President Kennedy, shortly after taking office, seeking to promote the importance of the law, renamed it Food for Peace. Economists have done extensive research to gauge the food aid programs fulfillment of its main stated goal, that is, promoting development. Little attention, however, has been paid to Kennedy's slight change in the law: the title. While the wording of the law remained the same, the new title given by Kennedy implies an additional expectation that the law, left as a program to promote development, will prove to be a tool in promoting peace as well. Of course, this additional objective of the food aid program was not a random decision: there is a strong relationship between development and conflict. Generally referred to as the conflict trap, economists have noticed two trends between conflict and development: (1) conflict hinders development and (2) development hinders conflict. The purpose of this project is to determine if the program is a successful tool in overcoming this trap to ultimately reduce conflict in aid-receiving countries.

Sophia Hizon, Senior, Speech and Hearing Sciences, AHS

Danielle Dionissopoulos, Senior, Speech and Hearing Sciences, AHS

Aphasia, an acquired language disorder due to brain damage, disrupts the ability to understand and produce language. Individuals with aphasia often get stuck on, over use or misuse specific words and phrases when they talk. Whereas most researchers have focused on the pathological characteristics of such recurrent phrases (see Code 1989), others have begun to look at their communicative characteristics (see Simmons-Mackie and Damico, 1995). The goal of the present study is to examine recurrent phrases of aphasia within an interactional sociolinguistic approach to conversational repetition (see Tannen, 2007; Erickson, Hengst, Duff, 2008) and learning (see Hengst, Duff, Dettmer, 2010). To do this, we are completing a situated discourse analysis of video data collected on a woman with non-fluent aphasia (the client) and a communication partner (the clinician), during a 15-session treatment study using a collaborative referencing protocol. The treatment protocol involves the pair talking together to identify, label, and place on their playing boards (which are hidden from each other's view), photo cards of people and places familiar to the client. Data analysis includes transcribing all sessions, coding the pairs use and type of recurrent phrases and conversational repetition, and tracing patterns of use across trials with the same target cards. Analysis is underway, and preliminary findings suggest that recurrent phrases are evident utterances by both the aphasic and non-aphasic speakers, and that all types of recurrent phrases decrease across discussions of the same photo cards.

Alicia Hoag, Sophomore, Computer Engineering, ENG

The properties of Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Transistors (CNT-TFT) are relatively unexplored in the semiconductor field. We analyse breakdown properties of transistors with channels of CNT networks composed of varying percentages of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. The main focus was the effects of different ratios between metallic nanotubes and semiconducting nanotubes. We also examine the effects created by the dimensions of the networks. We record the drain (ID) and gate (IG) currents for devices varying in length, width, and aspect ratio, controlled by gate (VG) and drain (VD) voltages. We use the ID-VG to find the on/off ratio and the mobility, and the ID-VD to find the breakdown characteristics of the devices; these measurements allow us to extrapolate resistivity of each device, as well as plot the relationships between length, width, and the parameters above. Our initial observations show that devices with a higher percentage of semiconducting nanotubes give a higher resistivity and more varied on/off ratios. Maximum breakdown of most of the devices are between 90-45V, and breakdown voltage increases strongly with increased length of the devices. We are also taking IR images of the devices to see the heating in the channels. This will give us a better idea of the differences between purely semiconducting versus a purely metallic network in the channel of the transistor.

Eileen Kamtawijoyo, Junior, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

A diet lacking in arachidonic acid (ARA) resulted in various pathological conditions, including dermatitis, intestinal ulcer, elevated blood neutrophil, erythroid/myeloid hyperplasia (EMH) in spleen and impaired antibody response. However, the requirement of ARA to prevent these deficiency symptoms to the human pathology is yet to be elucidated. A new animal model, delta-6-desaturase (D6D)-null mice (-/-) has been developed that can create ARA deficiency without depleting linoleic acid, a precursor of ARA, which is essential for skin water barrier function. We proposed to titrate different doses of ARA on the diet (0.001%, 0.003%, 0.01%, and 0.1%) to maintain specific organ functions such as the brain, adrenal glands, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and liver using the D6D-null mouse. All mice received the AIN93G diet, which is a purified, nutritionally adequate diet that contains sufficient linoleic acid but no D6D products. After weaning (21 days old), a total of 38 female pure strain (C57BL/6J) mice were distributed in groups of different titration ARA requirements. Groups consisted of 6 -/- per titration of ARA and 4 +/+ per control group (0% and 0.1% ARA). After 120 days on the diet, the mice were asphyxiated by CO2 inhalation and organs and tissues were removed. The final body weight of the knockouts (average wt. = 25.12g) is similar to the wild types (average wt. = 26.99g). In addition, there was no statistical significance for the knockout (-/-) and the wild types (+/+) in respect to their spleen, liver, and brain weights. Additional fatty acid and histological analysis will be conducted in the future to the same tissues extracted from the D6D-null mice.

Eileen Kerins, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Stephanie Bishop, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Although literacy (reading and writing) has received only limited attention in Speech-Language Pathology research, it is understood by many to be an important expression of language development. Our research explores the idea that writing and talk are intricately related by focusing on a literacy event that integrates the two dictated stories (see Larson & Marsh, 2005). Specifically, this study presents a situated discourse analysis of one of six children with language delays enrolled in a 16-week single-subject design writing intervention study (4 baseline sessions, 8 intervention sessions, 4 maintenance sessions; Johnson, PI). The intervention included telling numerous personal stories and having the children select stories to write up with the clinician. The analysis presented here focuses on the patterns of interaction between Scott, a 6-year-old boy with LLD and ADHD, and his clinician as he selected and dictated personal stories. Analysis includes: (1) identifying all story tellings across 16 sessions, (2) identifying and transcribing all dictated story episodes, (3) tracing production histories for stories selected for dictation, and (4) comparing patterns of talk during narrative tellings and dictations. Analysis is in progress; all personal narratives have been identified, and eight dictated stories are being transcribed and analyzed for patterns of production. Preliminary findings suggest that despite language delays, Scott is very engaged and is showing emerging-literacy-in-talk through his dictated stories.

Donny Kwandindo, Junior, Food Science, ACES

Transportation of tomatoes from the field to the consumers is facing issues regarding over-ripening due to the production of ethylene gas. Experiments were conducted to retard or to slow down the ripeness by using KMnO4 of different dosage to oxidize ethylene. These experiments were coupled with different packaging films that might help increasing the tomatoes shelf life. Results have shown that there are no significant differences between each packaging method as calculated using one-way ANOVA test. Although, the use of loose packaging accelerated the ripening process. Different dosages of oxidizing agent provide similar statistical insignificance. Yet, a pattern started to develop following the 3-fold increase on KMnO4 crystals. Further experimentations under a more controlled temperature and environment are required to thoroughly examine the effect of such oxidizing agent. The pH of the tomatoes showed no difference when compared to that of another study (Au 2011). The antioxidant content of the tomatoes will be measured in order to compare the quality of the treated tomatoes with untreated tomatoes.

Jamie Laatsch, Senior, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, ACES

Comparisons of agri-environmental policies between the US and the European Union are commonplace and highlight the US focus on reducing the negative externalities of agricultural extensification, and EU promotion of processes such as organic agriculture to reduce intensification of chemical inputs. Less comparative work has been done at state/member-state or local levels. The policy comparison conducted for this paper found that EU member-states have much more control over the creation of agri-environmental policies than US states, which have very little. At local levels in both the US and EU, entities such as the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Sweden's local administrative boards seem to be left simply to implement the policies created by federal or state agencies. Additionally, findings from this comparative inquiry highlight the Eus values of countryside landscapes or the rural idyll with connections for rural development as well as latent US values of wilderness or negative connotations of humans in nature, connecting to return environmentally sensitive agricultural land to more natural settings such as forest or wetland. This investigation highlights the need to consider options for future policy decisions, advanced management techniques, and improved relations among the US and EU.

Kristen Lach, Senior, Dietetics, ACES

MERIT Research Main Study: This study was supervised by Ellen Evans, Steven Petruzello, John Georgiadis, and Dolores Guest in the Bone and Body Composition Lab. Women between ages 60-80 were divided into groups based on their BMI's. The women with normal BMI's were put into the cross sectional group, where their anthropometric measurements were taken once at an initial visit. The women who were obese, as determined by their BMI's, were placed in the longitudinal group. The longitudinal group was randomly divided into either a diet or exercise intervention program.

Diet Intervention Sub-study: The diet intervention group attended weekly nutrition classes taught by a registered dietitian. Their caloric needs were calculated using the Harris Benedict equation and then adjusted to account for their weight loss goals and progress. Every month, 3-day food diaries were reviewed by Dr. Guest or dietetic undergraduate students using Nutritionist Pro and suggestions were made to aid in their weight loss. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, waist (natural), and waist (umbilicus) were taken every month to determine progress. The goal of the intervention was to get the women to lose 10% of their body weight. The results of this sub-study will show if diet classes are an effective way to teach participants how to make healthy choices and lose weight. The results of the entire MERIT project will show if an exercise or diet intervention has a better result in helping women achieve weight loss goals.

Marisa Mozer, Senior, Food Science and Human Nutrition with a Concentration in Dietetics, ACES

Picky eating is a common mealtime struggle between adults and their children. Parents play a powerful role in their child's mealtime actions through the foods they serve and how they approach child feeding. Role modeling, encouragement, or offering a wide variety of foods can assist parents in creating a positive mealtime atmosphere; however, pressuring food intake, food restriction, or offering a reward for eating can negatively impact a child's experience with food. Our objective was to examine the influence of parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) on child and parent feeding behaviors in order to better understand how parenting affects picky eating status. A total of 525 parents with a child in the 2-5 year age range were recruited through the Nestle Infant Nutrition database, based in Fremont, Michigan. Each participant completed two online questionnaires: 1) The Mealtime Assessment Survey (MAS) and 2) Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). The MAS assessed the prevalence of picky and non-picky mealtime behaviors exhibited by the child, as well as strategies used by the parent to encourage feeding, while the PSDQ measured general parenting style. Results will show if there is a correlation between the three parenting styles and picky eating status among toddlers. Additionally, the data will show how positive and negative parental strategies relate to parenting style and picky or non-picky child mealtime behaviors. These research findings will be used to better understand the role parents play in creating healthy, independent eaters.

Mary Rooney, Junior, Community Health, AHS

The US childhood obesity epidemic is of great public health concern. While research indicates food marketing influences youth dietary behavior, few studies have examined marketing techniques targeted to youth within food stores. Consequently, we aimed to explore marketing strategies targeted to children and families in food stores located in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Our sample consisted of: grocery stores (N= 5), convenience stores (N=5), pharmacies (N=2), and supercenters (N=2). Between November 2011 and February 2012, we utilized a validated audit instrument to examine the marketing of 116 items including fresh fruits and vegetables, snacks, breakfast cereals, prepared foods, and drinks. Each food item was assessed for availability, discount, TV or movie tie-ins, nutrition claims, suggested use and convenience. Within each food store, we noted the presence of health promotion signs (7.1%) and LINK (92.6%) or WIC (50.0%) cards acceptance. Fresh fruits and vegetables were carried significantly less often (50.0%) in comparison to snacks (92.9%), breakfast cereals (78.6%), prepared foods (100.0%), salty snacks (92.6%), and drinks (100.0%). In regards to the presence of a cartoon, preliminary results indicate differences for fresh fruit and vegetables (< 0.1%) compared to pre-packaged items, such as cereals (55%). In future analysis, we will examine differences in marketing strategies among these store categories and food items. Our preliminary results reflect the importance of increasing availability of fresh foods and understanding differences in food marketing strategies targeted towards youth in efforts to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.

Rebecca Rosman, Senior, Global Studies, LAS

Since 2008, there has been a significant increase in large-scale land acquisition (greater than 1000 ha per unit) across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Developing countries have been leasing large tracts of land to foreign investors, commonly more developed nations and global agribusinesses, which use the land to produce food and biofuel crops for export. A January 2012 report from the International Land Coalition (ILC) stated that Africa was by far the greatest target, accounting for 134 million hectares of reported deals (Anseeuw et al 2012). There has been debate about the potential benefits and dangers of these deals. Critics, including many researchers, environmentalists, policy makers, and members of civil society, refer to them land grabs. Just some of the negative characteristics they point out include violation of local tenure rights, increased food insecurity in host nations, and local environmental degradation. Others argue that in many cases land deals can benefit both sides. International governance agencies, including The World Bank and International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have proposed ways to make the land grab phenomenon a win-win situation, in which food-insecure nations will increase their access to food resources while benefiting host nations through investments in the form of cash for land lease, improved agricultural infrastructure, other technology and seeds, and job creation. To test this narrative, this research examines the benefits and negative impacts associated with large-scale land acquisitions by reviewing the dimensions of several land deals across sub-Saharan Africa, including Liberia, Ghana, the Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Lie Philip Santoso, Senior, Political Science, LAS

Decentralization is implemented in new democracies so that the local governments can meet different needs of the local communities more effectively. When the local governments are able to improve service delivery, the citizens will become satisfied with the government and ultimately, producing satisfaction with democracy (SWD). Nevertheless, decentralization may not lead to SWD if the local units do not produce good governance and performance that can meet the needs of the people effectively. Since there is a mixed effect of decentralization on citizens SWD across different local units, this thesis seeks to explore the relationship between decentralization and SWD by asking: how does decentralization affect citizens SWD? If central governments are going to empower local governments in the hope that they will provide higher quality governance for citizens, then what are the characteristics or attributes that these local governments need to have in order for this to be true? Unlike previous studies that have focused mainly on comparing the effect of decentralization and centralization in producing SWD across countries, this thesis studies the variation of SWD across sub-national units and how it results from the different characteristics of local governments within a decentralized country. I will identify variation in financial resources, ethnic diversity, and the degree of autonomy across sub-national units in Indonesia and then compare SWD across these units. Thus, this thesis will attempt to shed some light on the effect of different characteristics of decentralized units on citizens SWD across those sub-national units.

Carissa Stangarone, Senior, Human Development and Family Studies, ACES

Katie A. Pencak, Sophomore, Psychology, LAS

Alisha Morrow, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Childcare settings offer potential but untapped opportunities to address the childhood obesity epidemic. By school entry, 25% of children are already overweight. 8.6 million preschool children spend a majority of time in childcare settings, consuming up to five meals and snacks per day. Providing supportive feeding environments such as serving meals family style, sitting with children during mealtimes, and helping children self-regulate food intake are all benchmarks for nutrition in childcare from the American Dietetic Association. Childcare providers' verbal communications and feeding behaviors are therefore significant, as they can support children's abilities to self-regulate, preventing future weight gain. The current exploratory study assesses the frequency of internal versus non-internal verbal comments used by childcare providers and the prevalence of supportive and non-supportive mealtime teacher feeding practices across CACFP, non-CACFP and Head Start preschools. A total of 123 childcare providers were administered a survey regarding feeding practices, verbal communication, opportunities for nutrition training and the style in which meals are served. A descriptive analysis was conducted to identify frequencies of these components. Survey results revealed that many childcare providers use non-internal verbal communication; lunch is only served family style 43% of the time, snacks to an even less extent. Additionally, 45% of the time teachers receive training opportunities less than one time per year, and children are rarely given nutrition education. Nutrition training for childcare teachers should focus on training for supportive mealtime feeding practices to combat the early childhood obesity epidemic.

Stephanie Stiles, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

Burnout is an issue associated with critical care nursing because these nurses are confronted with patients who have complicated problems and require constant supervision and care (Hays, All, Mannahan, Cuaderes, & Wallace, 2006). The purpose of this study was to conduct a modified integrative literature review about the best ways to prevent burnout in critical care nurses by analyzing studies published between the years of 2001 and 2011. The conceptual framework that guided this study was Roy's Adaptation Model (Lutjens, 1995). A convenience sample of ten studies meeting the inclusion criteria of relevance to the topic, English language, peer reviewed, and published between 2001 and 2011 were included. The research design was a modified integrative literature review based on Ganongs (1987) integrative review method for descriptive analysis which was used to review and critically appraise the sample. The study results show that the best strategy to prevent burnout in critical care nurses is to require education of the staff on the effects of burnout and how to prevent it with good self-care and coping strategies. Implications will be discussed.

Rachel Welch, Junior, Natural Resources and Environmental Science, ACES

With agriculture being a major portion of the United States land-use and global population rising, soil quality is an increasing issue of importance as the demand for food security proceeds. Our food security greatly relies on the productivity of our soils. Managing land to promote an ideal soil quality is key in agricultural, aquatic and terrestrial systems. This renewable resource is one that we must not neglect as generations to come greatly rely on how we cautiously utilize this valuable commodity. With soil degradation becoming more pressing, scholars have begun researching the effect of different land management types on soil quality. The general objective of this study was to observe the impact of continuous corn, continuous soybean, perennial biograsses, grass waterway and forests on soil quality through physical, chemical and biological indicators. A total of eleven tests were performed on the five different management types, and, at each management type, there were three sampling areas for a total of fifteen sampling areas. This study suggests different management systems have different effects on the soil quality, and that a measureable quantitative difference between the systems can be observed. The calculated soil quality index supports the previously stated hypothesis stating that the least disruptive management system will have the highest soil quality number. Evidence from this study shows that perennial biograsses have the potential to alter factors of the soil and benefit soil quality. With further investigations, perennial biograsses could become a viable option as an alternative fuel source and carbon mitigation option.

Zhilong Zhu, Senior, Chemical Engineering, LAS

Crystallization is the main separation and purification processes for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical compounds. The quality of crystal formed directly influences the efficiency of downstream operations such as filtering and drying. Crystallization of pharmaceutical compound in batch process has been extensively studied and carried out in manufacturing. However, in larger scales, the batch process is inefficient in time and cost.

In this research project, crystallizers operate in continuous mode are studied using L-Asparagine Monohydrate (LAM). The central idea of using a continuous crystallizer is to achieve narrow crystal size distribution (CSD), smaller crystal size and greater consistency in quality. One novel approach to continuous crystallization is the use of slug (plug) flow in the crystallization process. Slug flow was previous examined to exhibit rapid mixing property due to its hydrodynamic advantages over laminar flow. It is believed that the intensive internal mixing induced by the slug flow can replace the mechanical stirring in batch crystallizer. Both cooling and anti-solvent methods were used to control the level of supersaturation in the crystallization process. The feasibility and the characterizations of the crystals formed in slug flow crystallizer were compared with the crystals formed in laminar flow.

Lauren Fifarek, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Latrice Willis, Senior, Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences and Human Development and Family Studies, ACES

Childhood obesity is a public health concern because it affects nearly one third of children and puts them at risk for serious health complications such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and at greater risk for social and psychological problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 17% (12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 are obese in the United States. Are the parents of these children truly aware of that they are overweight or obese? The current study focuses on parents perceptions of their children's body image and actual BMI. As part of the STRONG Kids research program, data has been collected between Spring 2009 and Summer 2010 for 337 preschoolers in a three-county Midwest geographic area. Each child's body mass index (BMI) was then calculated by using a stadiometer and digital electric scale in order to take height and weight calculations. The purpose of our study is to determine whether or not parents can accurately determine their kids BMI, compared to the actual data collected. To do this, the results from the questions about perceived BMI in the survey given to the participating parents were compared to the actual BMI measurements done by the STRONG Kids research assistants. The results indicate that the parents perceived BMIs are inaccurate compared to the actual BMIs. In addition, parents of overweight children tended to overestimate the heights and underestimate the weights of their children more than the parents of healthier children.

Daniel Antonacci, Senior, Political Science, LAS

Previous efforts to address the issue of refugee populations have resulted in a wealth of research on the causal relationship between their creation and conflicts, as well as on how to properly integrate refugees into their countries of asylum. The concern of the international community, therefore, appears to be on how to prevent these issues from ever arising. This study addresses the plight of the refugee not from the beginning, but the end. By exploring effective methods of repatriating refugees this study attempts to highlight the importance of flexibility in national and international responses to refugee crises. Through evaluations of refugee populations resulting from individual crises, this study underscores common demands made by refugee populations for their return, how these demands are met by different national, international, and non-state actors, and the eventual degree of success of repatriation. An analysis of individual cases within the larger study reveals the effects of meeting these demands to different degrees based on the weight given to them by individual refugee populations. Through addressing repatriation with flexible responsiveness, the international community may improve its ability to successfully repatriate large refugee populations. This study is a part of a vast yet growing body of research on refugee populations. By contributing a durable and flexible solution, primarily through the utilization of Non-Governmental Organizations, I will attempt to fill gaps left by earlier research on repatriation, and to rekindle productive debate on a successful solution to the overall problem.

Yaqoota Aziz, Junior, Community Health, AHS

Angela Ng, Senior, Community Health, AHS

Jenny Ruan, Senior, Community Health, AHS

Obesity is ranked as the second highest indirect cause of death, yet this could be preventable if the appropriate actions are taken. Low-income households generally have a higher risk of obesity than other socioeconomic groups. A factor that may contribute to this outcome may include healthier food choices being marketed at a higher price, leaving those with limited financial means with fewer options. As a result, lower-income families resort to buying energy-dense foods for the lowest prices available. Also, instead of spending budgeted money on nutrient-dense foods, low-income groups have shown a greater likelihood to purchase fast foods as an alternative choice. These food choices tend to be high in caloric value and gradual consumption may lead to weight gain, ultimately contributing to increased obesity rates. Fast food is also marketed heavily and is readily available in every locality, causing an ongoing trend of over consumption due to convenience. By understanding the source of the obesity epidemic in our target population of WIC participants, it will assist us in finding a solution to the preventable disease. These findings may help to reduce the prevalence of obesity and simultaneously promote a healthy diet and weight in line with the goal of Healthy People 2020.

Kierra Barnett, Senior, Community Health, AHS

In 1999, a publication by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die each year in hospitals due to medical errors that are deemed preventable. The IOM also concluded that the total cost of medical errors on the health care system is between $17 billion and $29 billion. In October 2008, Medicare stopped reimbursing hospitals for the costs associated with particular medical errors. By holding the hospital financially accountable for these costly errors, the new policy has encouraged hospitals to work to reduce medical error which will lead to lives being saved. The purpose of this research is to determine what hospital characteristics such as a hospitals location, bed size or ownership type, number of Medicare patients and Medicare revenue received influence the amount of hospital medical errors that occur. Using recent data on medical errors released by Medicare in 2011, rates of medical errors were compared across 116 Illinois hospitals.

Erika Bongen, Junior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Diabetes and heart disease are both prevalent serious conditions in the United States with far reaching consequences. We investigated a possible connection between the two through the growth signaling pathways of the cell. Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) and G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) independently trigger mitogenic signaling. We investigated the crosstalk between the Insulin Receptor (IR) and the β2-Adrenergic Receptor (β2AR), which are an RTK and a GPCR respectively. When treated with low doses of insulin, a traditional IR pathway is stimulated, ERK is located in the nucleus, and proliferation occurs. When treated with high doses of insulin, crosstalk occurs between IR and β2AR, ERK is sequestered in the cytoplasm in a β2AR/β-arrestin2 complex, and proliferation is attenuated. The crosstalk between IR and β2AR is facilitated by IRS2 and GRK2. This crosstalk was found to occur in class 2 RTKs. This is the first evidence of crosstalk between RTKs and GPCRs involving mitogenic signaling. These results could explain how diabetes patients are predisposed to heart disease.

Jamie Doligale, Junior, Food Science Human Nutrition, ACES

Caco-2Bbe cells are a well-established model of intestinal epithelial cells. When grown to confluence, they show differentiation similar to that seen in a villus enterocyte with apical microvilli and associated brush border enzymes, sucrase and lactase. While peak disaccharidase (sucrase and lactase) activity has been indentified in Caco-2 cells, it has not been identified in the subclone, Caco-2Bbe. This study aimed to assess sucrase and lactase activity in post-confluent Caco-2Bbe cells at 12 and 21 days. We hypothesized that lactase activity would be greater at 12 days and sucrase activity at 21 days post-confluence. To test this hypothesis, Caco-2Bbe cells were seeded in tissue cultures flasks and maintained under normal culture conditions for either 12 or 21 days. At the end of this period, cells were washed with ice-cold PBS, scraped from the tissue culture flasks, and stored at -80oC until analysis. Disaccharidase activity was quantified by enzymatic assay and normalized to protein content. Caco-2Bbe cells demonstrated higher lactase activity at 12 days (8.25 x 10-3 U/mg protein) as compared to 21 days (6.53 x 10-3 U/mg protein). In contrast, sucrase activity was lower at 12 days (1.75 x 10-2 U/mg protein) compared to 21 days (2.33 x 10-2 U/mg protein). As anticipated, Caco-2Bbe cells expressed greater lactase activity at day 12 while sucrase activity was greater on day 21. Caco-2Bbe cells demonstrated similar disaccharidase activities to those of Caco-2 cells. These results contribute to furthering the characterization of the digestive function of the intestinal epithelial cells, CaCo-2Bbe.

Matthew Feickert, Senior, Engineering Physics, ENG

Charm tagging in the ATLAS experiment, founded on the existing high-performance b-tagging algorithms, has been studied. Flavor tagging allows for effective discrimination between signal and background events by providing information about the type of particle initiating the QCD jets in the event (i.e., to exploit the spin-0 nature of the signal decay). By employing charm tagging to distinguish jets produced by hadronic W boson decay from other processes, the sensitivity of the ATLAS Higgs boson search in the H →WW → lνqq decay channel should improve. A c-jet tagging efficiency (e_c) of e_c=0.21 has been observed, with a corresponding jet rejection rate (R_u) of R_u=99%, and e_c=0.41 has been observed, with a corresponding R_u=90% through modification of the IP3D+SV1 baseline tagging algorithm. Given the similarities between c-jets and b-jets, continued studies resulting in the creation of a designated c-jet tagger is a well motivated step in increasing sensitivity to WW and WZ resonances in the semileptonic final state.

Sarah Frankland-Searby, Sophomore, Bioengineering, ENG

Fancisco Laso de Hierro, Senior, Pre-Medicine, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador

Lunasin is a 43-amino acid naturally occurring chemopreventive peptide with demonstrated anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of temperature on the secondary structure of lunasin, to develop a method of isolating lunasin in human plasma using an ion-exchange microspin column, and to quantify the amount of lunasin using an optimized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Circular dichroism showed that increased in temperature from 25 C to 100 C resulted in changes on the secondary structure of lunasin and its capability to interact with rabbit polyclonal antibody. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay showed that lunasin rabbit polyclonal antibody has a titer of 250 and a specific activity of 0.05 mL/g. A linear response was detected between 16 to 48 ng lunasin per mL (y = 0.03x 0.38, R2 = 0.96). The use of diethylaminoethyl microspin column to isolate spiked lunasin in human plasma showed that most lunasin (37.8 to 46.5%) bound to the column eluted with Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5 with a yield ranging from 50.7 to 76.6%. In conclusion, lunasin from human plasma can be isolated by a simple DEAE microspin column technique and can be quantified using a validated and optimized immunoassay procedure. This method can be used directly to quantify lunasin from plasma in different human and animal studies aiming to determine its bioavailability.

Anne Gilot, Senior, Agricultural and Consumer Economics, ACES

The following project focuses on the calculation of carbon dioxide in arboreal biomass, using the method of EMBRAPA, the Brazilian Enterprise for Agricultural Research. EMBRAPA created and used an approach, in which the diameter of each tree, in randomly chosen areas of 100 m2, is measured and using a certain algorithm, the quantity of carbon stock present in the area is determined. The main objective of this work is to measure and quantify the amount of carbon in the arboreal biomass in the forest area on the campus of the Federal University of Viҫosa in Florestal. The city of Florestal, the area used in this study, is a zone of transition between two types of biomes: savanna and Atlantic forest. If carbon can be calculated using proper methods, carbon can be further commercialized globally through exchange markets.

Anika Hermann, Senior, Political Science and Communication, LAS

The stark contrast between the anti-discriminatory language of international law and widespread inequalities between men and women has caused both activists and scholars to question whether, and if so how, international women's rights law affects the behavior of sovereign states. This research explores the domestic mechanisms that influence state compliance with women's rights institutions by applying Risse and Sikkink's (1999) five-stage spiral model of the socialization of human rights norms to the behavior four Latin American states with respect to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). I specifically examine the relationship between a state's internalization of women's rights norms at the time of its commitment to the CEDAW and the mechanisms pursued by domestic activists to ensure their state's compliance with that commitment.

Margaret Jodlowski, Senior, Agricultural and Consumer Economics and History, ACES

As a means of promoting alternative homegrown sources of energy that do not compromise the American food supply, the 2008 Farm Bill included legislation that created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). BCAP provides farmers in designated BCAP Areas with matching payments for stipulated biomass crops sold to authorized energy production facilities, as well as funding to cover the establishment and maintenance of biomass crops. Biomass crops are typically grown on marginal land, where more profitable crops are not as productive. Farmers in these areas now have a choice between enrolling their marginally productive land in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and enrolling it in BCAP. This paper seeks to determine the effects BCAP has had on CRP enrollment in terms of both enrolled acres and CRP payments per acre on a county-by-county basis. In doing so, it addresses one very specific aspect of the growing conflict between conservation and energy creation.

Amanda Krause, Senior, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

Plant-based diets have been shown in previous research to prevent and improve some chronic diseases. However, there is considerable variability on the individual response to dietary interventions and little is known about the effects related to specific risk genotypes. The Mexican population is at high risk for cardiovascular diseases, so it is important to understand the interaction of diet and individual genetic variations. In this study, the main question was whether a plant-based diet could overcome the effects of a risky genotype in Cholesterol Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) on lipid profile. The hypothesis was that individuals following primarily plant-based diets would have better lipid profiles (increased HDL, and decreased LDL, TG, and TC) regardless if they have the risky genotype in a CETP genetic marker (SNP rs5882).

To achieve this goal diet and genetic data were collected from 328 Mexican participants. A random sample of 44 individuals was genotyped, revealing a frequency of 35.7% for the protective G allele. Previous research from HapMap phase 3 data indicated a G allele frequency of 44% in individuals with Mexican ancestry in LA, California.

In our preliminary analysis, we found a negative correlation of BMI and HDL for individuals in the lower extreme quartile for vegetable protein intake (r=-0.34, p=0.003), and for animal protein intake (r=-0.26, p=0.025), whereas there was no correlation among those in the highest quartiles of vegetable and animal protein, when controlling for sex, age, and total calories. Genotype determination and statistical analysis are still underway.

Amanda Krause, Senior, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

Post-menopausal women have difficulty maintaining their weight due to hormonal changes and increasing fat mass, and are thus at greater risk for obesity. As the obesity epidemic grows, it is important to help find ways that women in this situation can improve their fitness and longevity through nutrition and exercise. Muscle Quality: Eating right or individualized training (MERIT) was a research study, conducted by Ellen M. Evans, Steven Petruzzello, John Georgiadis, and Dolores D. Guest, and studied women from 60-80 years or age from the Champaign-Urbana area.

A longitudinal study, including obese/overweight subjects was conducted over 6 months, and participants were randomly assigned into an exercise or diet group. This particular subproject focuses on the diet group, who were not to change their exercise habits throughout the entirety of the study. Researchers hypothesized that women in the diet group would experience a 10% reduction in body weight if recommended diet alterations were maintained.

For the diet group, participants were given diet plans composed of target daily caloric intake, 2-day sample menus, and a variety of healthy recipes. Diet records were input into Nutritionist Pro and analyzed, and individualized recommendations for diet and caloric alterations were distributed to participants.

Results indicated 70% of participants decreased their caloric intake, 60% lost weight, and 40% maintained weight. Only one participant achieved a 10% reduction in body weight. Overall, participants' weights decreased when diet recommendations were followed; however, encouraging participant contribution would likely improve results.

Wingsuen Lau, Sophomore, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

The rise of obesity has long been a widening epidemic for many American families in the United States. At the same time, fruit and vegetable intake has decreased especially for low-income families. Questions soon surface as to how to address the factors for such disproportional food intake and obesity among households with the least financial resources. There is evidence that low consumption of fruits and vegetables are related to obesity. Due to the high prices of these healthy food groups, low-income families have a tendency to avoid purchasing fruits and vegetables. By limiting the total amount they spend on groceries, the families, in turn, purchase more of the high-caloric food groups, leading to an increase in obesity. Studies show that although the new WIC food package promotes the purchase of fruits and vegetables, it does not necessarily increase the magnitude of actual purchases. Through my research and the data I have gathered from the CRAYON receipts study from 2009 to 2010 (n~100 families), I want to examine the frequency and amount of fruits and vegetables and their relative proportions to other food groups. After this research, I will be able to find out the purchasing behaviors of low-income families in the Urbana-Champaign area, and this data can be used to compare to other populations that were previously studied.

Sherri Muellner, Junior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS

Hyunjin Lee, Senior, Chemistry, LAS

Alex Parker, Senior, History, LAS

Childhood obesity is a major health concern that has reached an epidemic level. Childhood obesity and being overweight is related to many other health problems and consequences, including Type 2 Diabetes and other psychological issues. Maternal BMI which impacts depression, anxiety, and stressors may be related to childhood obesity and their child's sugary drink consumption. Since children are largely dependent on their parents for food and resources it is essential to examine parents and their health. Research has shown that parental BMI is related to child BMI. This is because the more depressed or stressed a parent is related to how many sugary drinks they give their children. Our objective in research is to see if maternal BMI, which influences their own depression and stress, is correlated with a child's consumption of sugary drinks. Data was gathered from 497 children in a 3-county geographic area in the Midwest. By analyzing this data we found a positive correlation between maternal BMI, their depression, and a child's consumption of sugary drinks.

Rahamat Odunsi, Sophomore, Undecided, DGS

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States, affecting 8% of the adult population. Asthma is also one of the most prevalent pre-existing conditions among pregnant women, affecting approximately 4-12% of all pregnancies. The shortness of breath associated with onset of an asthma attack reduces the amount of oxygen available to both the mother and the developing fetus. Asthmatic mothers-to-be have an increased risk of hyperemesis gravidarum, vaginal bleeding, complicated labors, maternal death, instrumental deliveries, pregnancy induced hypertension, toxemia (preeclampsia), and cesarean section. Preventive measures against these complications may involve implementing non-pharmacological asthma management strategies. This study examines the specific causes of asthmatic complications in pregnancy and addresses preventive measures asthmatic women may employ to manage the disease.

Michael Ovca, Senior, Political Science and Psychology, LAS

Some interstate wars can go on for years without seeing civil unrest on the home-front of either side. Others are brief, and yet give rise to riots and other types of domestic unrest. What factors in interstate war influence the development of domestic unrest? Little research has explored this particular causal direction, civil conflict spawning from interstate conflict. Using a large-N analyses of wars from 1948 to 2003 and a selection of case studies, this study will examine how distance between states, political repression, rivalry, military expenditures, casualties, and duration lead to riots or antigovernment demonstrations. Better understanding the causes of domestic unrest has policy implications that can impact the interactions between states and how they proceed in warfare. It can also inform political leaders when enacting potentially inflammatory policies in wartime. This study has theoretical implications, as it builds on current models of the causes of domestic unrest, including diversionary theory, and the rally round the flag effect.

Maria Pauls, Sophomore, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES

Despite great use of interactive technologies, there is a lack in interactive online health interventions. Over the last three decades, conditions of obesity and type two diabetes have increased, and these types of health interventions are needed for the public in order to educate, and prevent these health issues. The HOT project, (Healthy Outcome for Teens), addresses this need, and targets adolescents focusing on obesity and diabetes prevention through education about healthy eating and exercise. The purpose of the HOT project was to examine if web-based interventions through active online learning would increase knowledge and behavior about topics more than passive online learning.

The HOT project included two intervention periods with focus groups after each, and was implemented with middle school students. My project centered on the second focus group. A focus group script was developed to determine which, if any, of the interactive features contributed to learning or distracted from learning. The focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed.

Most subjects stated that the website contributed to learning about healthy foods, and exercise. Also, most subjects enjoyed using the website as opposed to learning in the setting of a classroom. Many found the interactive features were helpful in learning including such features as the videos and games. However, participants also indicated that some interactivity can be distracting including Google maps and seeing peer ratings.

The HOT project was effective in improving knowledge and behavior related to healthy eating and physical activity. Positive and some negative effects from interactivity were shown.

Austin Ryan, Senior, Kinesiology, AHS

The ventricular-vascular coupling ratio is a ratio of arterial elastance to ventricular elastance. Arterial elastance (Ea) is defined as total arterial load, and ventricular elastance (Elv) quantifies left ventricular stiffness. Together, these measures may be indexed to body size (EaI and ElvI) to compile a load-independent portrayal of net cardiac and vascular interaction. Optimal EaI/ElvI results in ideal coronary perfusion and blood distribution to the periphery. Blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness directly affect EaI/ElvI. African Americans (AA) consistently have greater large artery stiffness and BP than Caucasian Americans (CA). Exercise has been shown to diminish both BP and large artery stiffness. The purpose was to determine the effects of race on coupling after an 8 week exercise training intervention. We hypothesized a reduction in EaI leading to a reduction in the ratio that would be more pronounced in CA compared to AA adults. Applanation tonometry was utilized to measure central blood pressures. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was used to quantify central arterial stiffness and cardiac ultrasonography was used to quantify LV volumes before and after the training intervention. Both AA and CA maintained their pre-training coupling ratios (p>0.05 for time effect and race*time interaction), however, CA did so by uniformly increasing both EaI and ElvI. Both components were unchanged in AA subjects (p>0.05). This occurred despite similar reductions in central arterial stiffness, BP, and ESP in both races. We conclude that, although the coupling ratio was similarly maintained in CA and AA, the responses to training were quite different.

Gayatri Satam, Junior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) provides a more accurate method for measuring body fat composition than traditional anthropometric measurements and has been used in some studies of pediatric populations. The present study aims to detect differences in body fat percent measurements between normal and overweight/obese (ow/ob) children (3-6 yrs). This study also intends to track BMI trajectories across measurements taken 18.4 6.2 months apart. BMI measurements of the children (n=12) were taken twice. The second measurement was taken on the same day as the DXA scan. DXA scan analysis was performed with Hologic software version 12.7.3.1 to determine whole body fat percent (WBFATPCT) and percent fat in a region defined between L 1 and L 4 of the spine. These anatomical features identify the location of central adiposity. Differences in the percent fat measurements were evaluated using t-test in SAS version 9.2.

Results: Of the twelve participants were classified according to CDC BMI categories as defined by BMI percentiles. Initially four were normal, six were overweight, and two were obese. After the second round of measurements one was found underweight, four were normal, six were overweight, and one was obese. Analysis of the DXA scans revealed a difference in WBFATPCT between normal and ow/ob children (25.77 3.76 vs. 31.38 3.76, p = 0.02). A difference in the mean percent fat in region 1 was also found between normal and ow/ob (17.52 3.83 vs. 22.7 3.61, p = 0.03).

Eric Shinn, Sophomore, Physics, LAS

The efficiency of conventional techniques used to harvest energy in nuclear reactors lays around 37%. This limit exists because the nuclear energy is converted to electrical energy via thermal engines. We studied an alternative approach where the kinetic energy of the fission products is directly converted into electric energy in a stack of charged capacitors with a gap size of 10nm. The limiting electric field of nano-capacitors is above 1GV/m. This means that charged 1MeV-particles come to rest in the electric field of a stack with 100,000 layers. During the deceleration, the kinetic energy of charged fission products is stored as electric energy in the stack. An array of vacuum cavities reduces the heating of the stack.

The kinetic energy of the neutrons is harvested with a 2-step process. (1) A layer of salt water is used to transfer kinetic energy from neutrons to protons. This transfer is efficient because neutrons and protons have roughly the same mass. (2) Protons are decelerated in a stack of nano-capacitors similar to the other fission products.

Energy Conversion with Nano-capacitors (ECN) may have a significantly higher efficiency and a lower risk of thermal run-away. ECN does not involve moving parts and therefore requires less maintenance and control. ECN can be used to build much smaller units. ECN power generators have a much simpler design than conventional nuclear power plants, and may not require active cooling. Consequently, such units might pose a much smaller risk for catastrophic accidents and large scale pollution.

Jean Slana, Senior, Nursing, Nursing

There is a disproportionately high number of Puerto Ricans afflicted with asthma, both in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Rates are highest, however, for Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico. This high asthma prevalence has been researched, however, there is no definitive answer explaining what causes these asthma rates. This capstone project aims to address this issue in detail, in the form of a review of childhood asthma in Puerto Rico. This review will start with an overview of the pathophysiology of asthma, and then focus on various epidemiologic theories concerning the possible factors contributing to this prevalence. There will be an emphasis on environmental factors, such as pollutants, volcanic ash, and parental smoking, which are suspected to contribute to asthma risk. The healthcare system in Puerto Rico will be examined, and public health interventions to lower asthma will be discussed and their efficacy will be analyzed. There are great implications for this work when successfully completed. This thesis will raise awareness about the high rates of asthma in Puerto Rico, and will summarize current knowledge. This is expected to be a tool for individuals implementing interventions aimed at lowering Puerto Rican asthma rates.

Adenike Sosina, Sophomore, Community Health, AHS

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, between 150,000 and 300,000 annual cases of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children up to 18 months of age are attributable to secondhand smoke exposure. In comparison to children living in smoke-free homes, children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes are more likely to have smaller lungs, decreased lung function, chronic coughing, and asthma. The Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that women are typically the primary caregivers for children, spending approximately 60 hours in a single week with children ages 1 through 12 (e.g., 8 hours on weekdays, 10.5 hours on weekend days). As a result, maternal versus paternal smoking behaviors in the home may have a greater impact on child health. The purpose of the poster presentation is to explore barriers and possible solutions for maintaining smoke-free homes.

Alexandra Zachwieja, Junior, Anthropology, LAS

The ability to use micro and nano CT scans and computer visualization programs to view items too small to be interpreted with the naked eye has resulted in increased ability to study data in everything from small bones and insects to pollen granules. In this project, we are employing micro CT scans of mouse bones and the image processing program Amira to analyze, separate, and apply landmarks to these bones. This facilitates future measurements and Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) experiments to discover the probable locations of the genes influencing the visual skeletal variation within these mice. In similar previous studies specific loci have been linked to such skeletal traits enabling comparison to human populations. These results can be projected onto humans to help determine normal levels of variation. These methods also help us debunk incorrect racial classifications and develop human migration theories. Continued use of image processing as well as research to achieve new imaging technology increases the accuracy and ease of using visual image processing devices to test hypotheses in the biological sciences and medicine. In using this technology we are contributing to our own research interests and to the wider research of the field.

Cynthia Zavala, Junior, Animal Sciences, ACES

Standard genome-wide association studies evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs or Genotype G) and phenotype (e.g. growth) conditional on non-SNP covariates including environmental factors (E, e.g. diet) or population stratification, on an additive fashion. For traits known to be the result of genotype-by-environment interactions (GE), like growth, a multiplicative model could potentially uncover additional SNPs that influence growth on a context-dependent (e.g. diet or breed) fashion. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the performance of context-independent (additive, G+E) and context-dependent (multiplicative, G+E+GE) models to identify polymorphisms and corresponding genes associated with growth that are context-independent and context-dependent. In addition to single-SNP analysis, a multi-SNP haplotype-based analysis that can increase the precision of the estimates was evaluated for the additive model.

Kinnary Desai

Mohammad Nasaruddin

Usha Rawat

The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, sinus problems, and mental disorders in homeless individuals compared to the patient population at a free clinic.

Investigators collected data from paper medical records during patient visits from 2004-2009. Diagnosed health conditions among the homeless population were compared to the general clinic users using logistic regression.

There were several similarities between the general clinic and homeless population, however, the homeless population had statistically significant (p < .05) outcomes for diagnosed cases of tuberculosis, hepatitis, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. Prevalence of diabetes, sinus problems, asthma, and depression were similar among both populations. The odds ratios among these conditions indicated the homeless had a significantly greater risk of developing hepatitis, tuberculosis, and bipolar disorder.

This study adds to the literature by illustrating the characteristics of the homeless population who utilize the free health clinic and their medical conditions. This research can contribute to the improvement of the healthcare delivery system in providing access to care for the homeless population.