Seven students have been selected to represent the University of Tennessee, Knoxville at the 2021 Posters at the Capitol event. Sadly, the in-person research presentation was canceled due to the global pandemic.
Student: Robert Jackson Spurling
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jie Li
Project Title: Supercritical Synthesis of VO2 Nanoparticles for Smart Window Films
Abstract: VO2 nanoparticles have attracted significant research interest for energy-saving smart window applications due to their ability to selectively block infrared heat while transmitting visible light These VO 2 nanoparticles are synthesized using a continuous flow hydrothermal mixing reactor which must operate at supercritical conditions However, experimental results have indicated that the optical properties of the as synthesized VO 2 nanoparticles are dependent upon the dimensions and relative uniformity of nanoparticle sizes, which are in turn a product of the degree of mixing during synthesis Therefore, this current work leverages computer simulations to determine the optimum reactor design and boundary conditions which are most conducive to uniform mixing during nanoparticle synthesis Initial results indicate that, given the current reactor design and operating parameters, the VO 2 nanoparticles do not undergo uniform quenching, which could give rise to non-uniform nanoparticle sizes and inconsistent optical properties.
Student: Owen Queen
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Strickland
Project Title: Agent-based Social Network Models of the Prescription Opioid Epidemic
Abstract: The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis in the United States, with approximately 70% of all drug overdose deaths attributed to opioids. While ordinary differential equation (ODE) models have been used in the past to study this epidemic, these models ignore the underlying social network structure by utilizing the well-mixing principle. This study investigates agent-based models that break down this assumption, allowing for variation in social network structures. Through the implementation of four different network structures – fully connected, Erdos-Renyi, Barabasi-Albert, and Watts-Strogatz – we examine the effects of varying network parameters on the progression of prescription opioid and heroin addiction in a population. In addition, optimization techniques are used to find the corresponding rates needed for an ODE model which compensates for the presence of community structure. These findings could lead to a better understanding of the opioid epidemic and how community structure affects the prevalence of addiction in communities.
Students: Hannah Lee
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Keerthi Krishnan, Cary Staples
Project Title: Creative Processing of Mouse Brain Slices – In Search of The PNN Gestalt
Abstract: We study experience-dependent plasticity, or the brain’s ability to change neuronal connections, by studying mouse models of Rett syndrome, a human X-linked genetic disorder primarily affecting females. These mouse models have a MeCP2 gene mutation that results in a Rett Syndrome-like phenotype. This mutation is also known to cause excess expression of perineuronal nets (PNNs), which are extracellular matrix structures that stabilize neuronal connections in the brain. The purpose of our project is to visualize our complex PNN density data in a way that would encompass many known variables we have seen in the data. We previously found that regional expression within the brain and variability between individuals are prominent features of PNN expression. In order to visualize PNN density data in its entirety, we use Processing, a coding language designed for data visualization. We will make flattened Mercator Projection maps at the whole-brain scale to distinguish individual variability in brains and dot density maps to illustrate variations in individual brain sections. These models would help us find important patterns in the data by representing both the similarities and differences in PNN expression between individuals, helping us get closer to making a treatment for those suffering with Rett Syndrome.
Student: Roland Rodriguez
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mathew Cooper
Project Title: Status-Dependent Differences in Acute Stress-Induced Neuroinflammation in the Hamster vmPFC
Abstract: 90% of humans experience traumatic stress, however, only 10% develop psychopathologies like PTSD. Social status influences stress reactivity such that social dominance can promote stress resilience, representing an environmental factor that buffers individuals from maladaptive responses to stress. The negative consequences of severe and chronic stress include neuroinflammation, which is associated with neuronal degeneration and oxidative stress. We use a Syrian Hamster model of social defeat to investigate status-dependent differences in susceptibility and resiliency to acute social stress. We hypothesized that neuroinflammation mediates susceptibility in the status dependent pairs such that dominants show an increased protective neuroinflammatory response compared to subordinates, from a social defeat stressor. We found that dominants were more resistant to stress-induced changes in neuroinflammation compared to subordinates and no status controls. After behavioral testing, we found that there was a significant increase in submissive like behavior among subordinates and no status controls in comparison to dominants which suggests that the neuroinflammatory markers correspond to the alteration in social avoidance behavior. Altogether, this study provides a neurobiological basis for the development of novel pharmacological interventions used to treat traumatic stress exposure.
Student: Elizabeth Cousins
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristy Allen
Project Title: Do Anxiety and Temperament Relate to Cognitive Biases in a Community Sample? A Mobile Eye Tracking Study
Abstract: Cognitive theories of anxiety suggest that attention and interpretation biases and the tendency to anticipate experiencing negative emotions are risk factors for anxiety
(Beck & Clark, 1997). Children with a fearful temperament are also at increased risk for developing anxiety (Rapee & Coplan, 2010). This study used mobile eye tracking technology to examine whether children with higher levels of anxiety and a more fearful temperament show attention and interpretation biases toward potential threat and experience greater anticipated distress during a stressful, lab-based speech task. Participants were a community sample of 32 adolescent girls from 11-16 years of age
(M = 14.9, SD = 1.57) and their mothers. Participants were asked to give a two-minute speech in front of two judges, one displaying positive behavior and the other displaying neutral, potentially threatening behavior. Unexpectedly, these children did not show an attention or interpretation bias toward potential threat; this is most likely due to it being a small community sample. despite yielding statistically insignificant results this study used a novel approach by incorporating eye tracking technology to examine children’s automatic responses to real-world situations involving potential threat. This methodology may enhance future research exploring attention and interpretation biases in anxious or fearful children.
Student: Ashlyn Quesnel
Faculty Mentor: Elias Fernandez
Project Title: Characterizing RARB as a Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Therapeutic Target
Abstract: RARB is a member of a family of proteins known as nuclear receptors (NR). These proteins control the activation of specific genes within the human genome. When ‘switched on’ or ‘activated’ by specific hormones, these NR proteins recruit other cellular co-regulatory molecules. NRs function in pairs (or heterodimers) by associating with another NR protein. For instance, RARB associates with another NR, RXRa. RARB and the co-regulation between RARB and RXRa is a primary target for designing drugs to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is an accumulation of excess fat in the hepatic cells that is not due to alcohol. It is the most common type of chronic liver disease found in adults and children. To aid in drug discovery, my project focuses on the usage of mutagenesis and NMR spectroscopy to observe how association of RXRa with and without its ligand can cause changes in the conformation of RARB. By using mutagenesis to change select leucine residues in RARB, we can see a change in the NMR graph, allowing us to map all of the leucine residues within the RARB ligand binding domain. This gives us a better understanding of how association to RXRa specifically changes the structure of RARB and how we can better design drugs to treat NAFLD.
Student: Midnight Carroll
Faculty Mentor: Brent S Carroll
Project Title: Interactions of RgsCam and ATG8e
Abstract: Hypoxia in plants is an issue around the world. Even the slightest bit too much water can cause certain cells in the plant to experience this low oxygen state. This can lead to all sorts of issues from reduced crop yield to dying plants in your living room. In order to understand why this happens, we need to study what exactly happens to plants in hypoxia. One of the important aspects of a plant’s reaction to hypoxia is the recycling of unnecessary proteins and goods. This research focuses on two of those proteins called RgsCam and ATG8e.
Our current working theory is that a cargo adaptor protein known as RgsCam attached to the outside of the goods that need to be recycled. Then at some point, RgsCam interacts with ATG8e, and the things attached to RgsCam get broken down. Using some colocalization studies we were able to prove in previous research that RgsCam does interact with ATG8e. This research attempts to provide more details of the interaction between RgsCam and ATG8e.