IUPUI Research Day 2016

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https://hdl.handle.net/1805/9277

A program describing the Research Day 2016 events and posters is available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1805/9288.

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A Rechargeable Lithium Battery with Li2O2 Cathode in Closed Systems
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Bhargav, Amruth; Fu, Yongzhu
Li-O2 batteries have one of the highest theoretical specific energy of 3,458 Wh/kg when the weight of the primary discharge product, i.e., Li2O2, is considered. Thus, this BIL (Beyond Lithium Ion) battery technology, if made practical, will find extensive usage especially in the successful electrification of vehicles. However, there are many challenges. Current Li-O2 batteries demonstrated in labs have been limited to “open systems”, i.e., batteries that have a porous carbon cathode that “breathes” pure oxygen. The limitations of these systems are the requirement of pure oxygen. In addition, the consensus among researchers on specific capacity (mAh/g) calculations based on active materials is lacking because extra oxygen is continuously supplied to cells upon cycling. One solution to these limitations is the use of closed systems, i.e., storage and reuse of O2 within the cell. Recently, our group has demonstrated a closed and rechargeable lithium battery with Li2O2 cathode for the first time. This platform is unique as it shows, for the first time in literature, capacites and rate capability based on mass of Li2O2. The cell shows a close-to-theoretical capacity over 18 cycles and shows 50 cycles when the charge capacity is limited to 50% of theoretical. It allows other studies on the stability of electrolyte, electrode kinetics, and oxygen storage materials. This system can eleminate the issues of open systems such as impurities oxygen gas and evaporation of electrolyte. Unstable electrolytes are a major bottleneck in Li-O2 batteries. Such a system provides a suitable medium to optimize electrolytes and other cell components.
More comfortable online? Alexithymia and social media use
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Zarins, Sasha; Johnson, Monique; Ustymchuk, Nina; Tutrow, Kaylee; Konrath, Sara H.
Abstract: Alexithymia includes difficulty identifying and describing emotions, limited imaginative ability, and a tendency to focus attention on external reality versus inner experience (Taylor, Bagby, & Parker, 1991, 1997). Alexithymia is one feature of low emotional intelligence (Bar-on, 1996, 1997; Parker, Taylor, & Bagby, 2001). There has been limited, conflicting research on the topic of emotional intelligence and social media usage. For example, emotionally intelligent people tend to use Facebook more overall (Bektas, Toros, & Miman, 2014), but tend to use MySpace less for communicating with romantic partners (Dong, Urista, & Gundrum, 2008). Thus, we tentatively hypothesize that alexithymia may be associated with more social media usage because it may be more difficult for these individuals to form strong in-person relationships (Kauhanen, Kaplan, Julkunen, Wilson & Salonen, 1993). 938 online adults (72% female, Mean age=28.10, 84.8% Caucasian) completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20; Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1993) and self-report measures of social media use as part of a larger study. The mean score on the TAS-20 was 44.88 (SD=10.55), with 82 (8.7%) participants having alexithymia (score >=61). Overall, total alexithymia was positively associated with total social media use, β=.06, p=.05. In terms of type of social media, total alexithymia was marginally associated with Facebook use and Instagram use, βs=.06, ps=.06, but was not associated with Twitter use, β=.03, p=.43. When examining active (posting) verse passive use (checking) of social media, total alexithymia was positively associated with active social media use (posting), β=.06, p=.04, but was not associated with passive social media use (checking), β=.05, p=.14. Alexithymia is associated with higher levels of certain types of social media. Future research should directly measure social media usage, rather than rely on self-report. But to our knowledge, this is the first study to examine question of how alexithymic people use social media.
Effect of the Pharmacist-managed Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Services (CVRRS) on the Diabetic Retinopathy Outcome Measures
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Kaur, Palakpreet; Gonzalvo, Jasmine; Weber, Zach; Bhatwadekar, Ashay D.
Indianapolis Diabetes mellitus is affecting many people throughout the world. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a long-term complication of diabetes associated with impaired vision. If left untreated DR may eventually lead to blindness. DR is caused by a damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 5-10 % of the diabetic patients with normal retinal exams will develop DR within a year of their last retinal exam. The diabetic individuals who currently have DR are similarly susceptible to developing more severe retinopathy. Unfortunately many individuals with diabetes fail to receive education about maintaining glycemic control, medication management and recommended frequency of tests to monitor diabetic complications such as DR. Several studies have shown that the disease management services are effective in improving the quality of care for persons with diabetes. An increasing number of disease management programs utilize pharmacists to assist in the disease management of diabetic individuals. For this clinical study we evaluated the effect of pharmacistmanaged CVRRs on the development of DR in over 100 diabetic individuals. The patient records were assessed for demographics (e.g. age, sex etc.), metabolic parameters (lipid profile, HbA1c) along with number of pharmacist appointments and ophthalmology records. We observed that 95% of the patients who have had pharmacist intervention have been able to keep their retinopathy from getting worse or have improved it. Our studies suggest that there is a correlation supporting the theory that pharmacist intervention helps manage or reduce the severity of DR. Further studies can be conducted in the area to find potential ways to help decrease the severity of DR in patients with diabetes and maybe even prevent diabetic patients from developing DR.
Spatial and Temporal Scaling of Unequal Microbubble Coalescence
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Chen, Rou; Yu, Huidan (Whitney); Zhu, Likun; Lee, Taehun; Patil, Raveena M.
We numerically study coalescence of air microbubble in water, with density ratio 833 and viscosity ratio 50.5, using lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Focuses are on the effects of size inequality of parent bubbles on the coalescence geometry and time and underlying dynamics of unequal microbubble coalescence. Twelve cases, varying the size ratio of large to small parent bubble γ from 5.33 to 1, are systematically investigated. The “coalescence preference” of coalesced bubble closer to the larger parent bubble is well captured. A power-law relation between the preferential relative distance χ and size inequality γ as χ ∼ γ−2.079 is consistent to the recent experimental observations. Meanwhile, the coalescence time also exhibits power-law scaling as T ∼ γ−0.7, implying that unequal bubbles coalesce faster than equal bubbles. Such a time scaling of coalescence on size inequality is believed the first-time observation as the fast coalescence of microbubbles is generally hard to be recorded through laboratory experimentation.
The Effectors of the Transient Receptor Vanilloid Potential Type 4 in the Choroid Plexus
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Otun, Ayodamola; Ahmed, Shehab; Joyner, Michael; Simpson, Stephanie; Blazer-Yost, Bonnie L.
Hydrocephalus is a deadly disease that affects 1-2 births in 1000. When severe, this disease can result in irreversible brain damage. There are no drugs to treat hydrocephalus and the standard therapy is to surgically implant shunts to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into other parts of the body. However this approach often results in a less than optimal outcomes. Shunt failures due to blockage, infection, and other causes are as high as 50% even in major medical centers which specialize in these procedures. Our laboratory is using a Meckel-Gruber syndrome rat model to study the development of severe hydrocephalus. Immunohistochemistry has been used to show the overexpression of Transient Receptor Vanilloid Potential Type 4, TRPV4 on the choroid plexus epithelial membrane. Because the choroid plexus is responsible for the majority of the cerebrospinal fluid that contributes to the progression of hydrocephalus, the TRPV4 calcium channel is a potential target that could contribute to the disease development. The endogenous activators of this channel in the choroid plexus are yet to be determined. Consequently, the current study is using a cultured choroid plexus cell line to identify endogenous activators of this channel. Potential activators include homovanillic acid (HVA), lysophosphatidic acid, and arachidonic acid. In addition, the introduction of novel compounds that act as sensitizers of the channel led to a set of experiments that were conducted to confirm the existence and identification of the sensitizers such as inflammatory cytokines. The effect of these compounds on the activation of the TRPV4 channel are being investigated using electrophysiological techniques in a porcine choroid plexus cell line with the characteristics of the in vivo choroid plexus. This cell line exhibits a robust increase in ion transport in response to a TRPV4 agonist. . The determination of the endogenous TRPV4 activators and sensitizers will provide important information in the development of a drug that can be used to treat hydrocephalus with minimal side effects by altering the activity of TRPV4.
Strategies for Broadening Participation of Underrepresented Minority Students in STEM
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Jones, LeRoy; Nguyen, Kim; Shaw, Pamella; Bruozas, Meridith; Bahamonde, Rafael; Botanga, Christopher; Cole, Deborah
The Louis Stokes Midwest Center of Excellence (LSMCE) was created in 2012 to communicate evidence-based program effectiveness garnered from the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) consortium to a broader audience. The goal of LSMCE is to serve as a national hub of information for scholars to access data, models, and funding opportunities in broadening the participation of underrepresented minority (URM) students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Center is comprised of three lead institutions: Chicago State University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Department of Energy-Argonne National Laboratory. The Center outcomes are: 1) development of the cLSMCE information hub to provide consistent online resources and sustained initiatives to showcase best practices in STEM teaching/learning, information dissemination and outreach; 2) faculty engagement in establishing programs, obtaining support and promoting growth across institutions; 3) student development skill-building webinars and workshops; 4) annual conferences providing LSMCE partners and LSAMP community members the opportunity to network and learn/share successful program models, celebrate student success, and be a forum for junior researchers to present in a supportive environment; and 5) partnering with key industry and corporate organizations to provide students access to internships, as well as, sponsorship of LSMCE initiatives and awards. The Center is currently in the fourth year of a five year grant and has recruited twenty Midwestern non-LSAMP schools. It has collaborated with them in developing strategies to improve their URM students’ performance, persistence and graduation in STEM degree programs. The Center also affords a professional platform for their faculty and students to participate in STEM activities.
Does Tribute Belong in the Lifestyle: A Comparative Study of Lifestyle and Professional Dominatrices
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Farrington, Elizabeth M.
This study is a qualitative study to analyze the similarities and differences between lifestyle dominatrices (women who are not paid money to perform dominant acts on submissives) and professional dominatrices (women who are paid money to perform dominant BDSM acts on submissives). Three professional dominatrices and three lifestyle dominatrices were interviewed one on one as part of this study. There were also Three professional dominatrices blogs and three lifestyle dominatrices blogs used as well. These two types of dominatrices were compared on how they view the other type of dominatrix and tribute (money and gifts). The lifestyles seem to all believe that professionals do serve a purpose, but do not want them to advertise to submissives at kink events. There is also a belief, held by lifestyles, that professionals are not genuinely interested in BDSM because they are being paid to perform BDSM. However, a majority of the professionals would consider themselves lifestyles as well, because they practice BDSM with their romantic partners. When it comes to tribute professionals of course accept it, but there is a split between lifestyles on this subject. Some lifestyles are completely against tribute and believe accepting tribute makes you a professional. Then there are some lifestyles who accept and expect tribute from submissives. The purpose of this study is to expand our understanding of lifestyle and professional dominatrices. This study has been approved by IU’s Institutional Review Board.
Assessment of Diabetes Clinical Trial Candidates Using Systems Pharmacology
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Ali, Mohammed; Essex, Adam; Pham, Trang; Redmond, Rachael; Valdez, Sinai
Curating molecular interactions is crucial to understanding how drugs work on molecular systems implicated in a disease and could provide future prospects for applications such as drug repositioning. For this project, we curated disease-specific drugs and protein interactions to help us understand Type II Diabetes in light of systems pharmacology. The pharmacological efficacy of drugs can be assessed based on their ability to regulate gene expressions in diabetic patients to resemble those of a healthy individual at a pathway level. Two drugs with a high level of similarity should share similar pharmacological effects, including drug target, side effects, mechanism of action, structure, and up or down-regulation of genes associated with diabetes. We focused on the relationships between drugs, proteins, and the disease, utilizing drug-drug similarity networks, a disease-specific protein-protein interaction network model, and the standardized curation of protein interactions by mining primary databases to visualize these relationships as they relate to Type II Diabetes. First, drugs were gathered from primary databases using proteins associated with the disease. From there, a drug-drug similarity network was constructed by examining similar targets, structures, side effects, and mechanism of action between drugs. To construct a disease-specific pathway model, proteins associated with Type II Diabetes were gathered from databases, PAG Electronic Repository and Connectivity-Maps, and analyzed from protein studies from the Diabetes Genome Anatomy Project and microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus, generating a validated list of disease-specific proteins. Then, interactions and regulations within the proteins were determined to generate a diseasespecific protein-protein interaction model to provide insights to the disease itself and mechanisms of action of drugs related to Type II Diabetes. In the future, the drug-drug similarity network, the protein-protein interaction network model, and the protein and drug interactions could possibly aid in the repurposing of drugs for Type II Diabetes.
Development of Undergraduate STEM Students through Global Service-Learning in a Medical Context
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Scheive, Melanie; Fore, Grant; Sorge, Brandon
Global service-learning and study abroad programs have the potential to affect students’ personal, social, and professional development. The exact ways in which this development is influenced by international medical service-learning has not been thoroughly explored in the literature. This study analyzes the motivations, experiences, and outcomes of undergraduate STEM students participating in a weeklong international medical service-learning and study abroad trip to Las Canas, Dominican Republic. Participants had various backgrounds, STEM majors, and career goals. Utilizing a mixed-methods research approach consisting of observations, interviews, participant reflections, and pre- and post-trip surveys, several of the meaningful motivations, experiences, and outcomes for the participants were identified. Additionally, two case studies were produced by qualitatively collecting data from multiple sources and reporting the description and themes of the cases. The specific aims of this study were understanding: 1) the individual experiences during a health science-based study abroad trip that are instrumental in refining and solidifying STEM interest; and 2) the personal, social, and professional student-level outcomes produced by an international medical service-learning experience. Through the case studies, the combined impact of past and trip experiences was explored as it relates to experiential learning and identity development. For case study participants Brianna and Hannah, the trip combined multiple experiences that were relevant to their career goals, such as working with underserved populations and involvement with global health.
Isoform-Specific Inactivation and Aggregation of CaMKII under Ischemic-Like Conditions
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Nelson, Ross; Hudmon, Andy; Johnson, Derrick; Ramaswamy, Swarna; Chawla, Aarti
Calcium-Calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII), an enzyme critical for learning and memory, inactivates and self-associates into sedimentable aggregates following ischemic insults such as stroke or traumatic brain injury; the extent of inactivation correlates increased neuronal dysfunction and death. CaMKII α and β—isoforms found primarily in neurons—are well documented in their response to ischemic stress; α aggregates and undergoes catalytic inactivation quickly while β does not. However, γ and δ—primarily found in glial cells—are not well studied under these conditions. Previous research by our lab suggests that loss of CaMKII signaling in astrocytes may contribute to reduced glutamate uptake and neurotoxic ATP release. Therefore, there is a need to elucidate the role of the astrocytic CaMKII isoforms in ischemic stress. This study aims to investigate CaMKII δ and γ’s response to artificial ischemic conditions compared to CaMKII α. Activity assay of cell lysates expressing the four different human genes of CaMKII (α, β, γ, and δ) reveal that, under artificial ischemic conditions, δ undergoes very minimal loss of activity over time while γ experiences robust inactivation. We then used light scattering to compare α, δ, and γ sedimentation in real time and found that δ had an aggregation profile similar to α yet γ’s was radically different. A follow-up time-course sedimentation assay suggests that δ becomes sedimentable and undergoes an upwards molecular weight shift akin to α over time, indicative of autophosphorylation, but that γ begins partially sedimentable before becoming completely soluble upon activation, contrary to our hypothesis. This suggests that each isoform responds differentially to activation under ischemic-like conditions and that aggregation is not necessarily correlative with inactivation. We are currently characterizing endogenous astrocytic CaMKII expression and activity to later determine if these findings persist in a cellular environment under ischemic-like conditions. Mentor: Andy Hudmon, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, IU School of Medicine, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN

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