IUPUI Research Day 2015
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A program book describing the Research Day 2015 events and posters is available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1805/9289.
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Item Biomarker of Magnesium Status in Response to Mg Supplementation: A Dose- and Time-Response Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Zhang, Xi; Song, YiqingABSTRACT Background: Magnesium is a cofactor for hundreds of human enzymes and magnesium deficiency has been associated with cardiometabolic disorders. Although a panel of magnesium biomarkers are used to assess magnesium status, their relative predictive values or clinical usefulness in response to magnesium supplementation remain unclear. Objective: We quantitatively evaluated time- and dose-response relation of magnesium biomarkers from available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of magnesium supplementation. Methods: We systematically identified RCTs assessing magnesium biomarkers’ responses after oral magnesium supplementation through search on MEDLINE and Cochrane Library up to November 2014. We calculated the pooled weight mean differences (WMDs) of biomarkers levels between treatment and placebo group after supplementation. A dose- and time-response meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively compare the usefulness of biomarkers in assessing magnesium status. Results: This meta-analysis included 44 RCTs of magnesium supplementation that examined a total of 38 biomarkers of magnesium status. Total magnesium concentrations in blood (serum or plasma), RBC, and urine were significantly raised after magnesium supplementation by 0.05 mmol/l, 0.12 mmol/l, and 1.52 mmol/24h corresponding to 5.81%, 5.30%, and 28.3% increases relative to baseline magnesium levels, respectively. Our dose- and time-response meta-analyses showed that blood and urinary magnesium levels abruptly increased at the first 20-week supplementation and afterwards reached a plateau. Evidence was insufficient due to limited numbers of studies testing other potential biomarkers, including ionized Mg, muscle Mg, mononuclear Mg, intracellular Mg, IV Mg load, ultrafiltrable Mg, and fecal Mg.Item Novel Lanthanum Zirconate Thermal Barrier Coatings for Gas Turbines(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Zhang, Jing; Guo, Xingye; Jung, Yeon-Gil; Li, Li; Knapp, JamesPyrochlore lanthanum zirconate (La2Zr2O7) is a very promising candidate material for thermal barrier coating (TBC) applications. Layered microstructure was designed and prepared using air plasma spray to improve the thermal durability. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the coatings were measured. La2Zr2O7 shows outstanding phase stability in high temperatures and lower thermal conductivity than commercial 8YSZ TBCs material. Coating lifetime performance was also estimated through the JETS (Jet Engine Thermal Simulation) and TGMF (Thermal Gradient Mechanical Fatigue) tests.Item Posterior sub-Tenon capsule anesthesia for photocoagulation treatment of diabetic retinopathy performed in an inner-city county hospital clinic setting(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Wise, Ryan J.; Pattar, Guruprasad R.; Xie, Jun; Phan, Anh-Danh T.Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a blinding eye disease demanding prompt therapy. However, treatment with panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) can be painful thereby limiting its extent. In addition, compliance to diabetic eye visits remains poor particularly in inner cities. Therefore, it is imperative to optimize treatment during clinic visits. The purpose of this study is to present the effect of sub-Tenon (Sub-T) capsule lidocaine anesthesia on PRP treatment extent for PDR performed during the eye clinic visit. This is an IRB-approved retrospective review of initial 12 eyes (9 subjects) with PDR undergoing PRP treatment involving Sub-T anesthesia in the eye clinic. Sub-T capsule lidocaine anesthesia was delivered and PRP was immediately performed. Primary end point was extent of treatment (number of PRP laser spots) delivered. Comparison was made to PRP in prior sessions without Sub-T anesthesia. All subjects had active PDR and sometimes vitreous hemorrhage (VH) at time of treatment. Decision was made to offer Sub-T anesthesia due to intolerable pain from prior PRP treatments in all subjects. We observed all subjects were able to tolerate a significantly greater extent of PRP with Sub-T anesthesia even with presence of VH, oftentimes undergoing thousands of laser spots and capable to complete treatment in same clinic visit. By comparison, prior PRP treatments (without Sub-T anesthesia) were much less extensive sometimes involving only a few laser spots. We conclude that Sub-T anesthesia allows a tier of pain control for those not able to tolerate traditional PRP without anesthesia performed in the eye clinic. This new information suggests that certain patients undergoing PRP can be offered Sub-T anesthesia, and it will be important to define algorithm for selection of such individuals.Item Sirt6 Regulates Insulin Secretion from the Pancreatic Beta Cells(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Xiong, Xiwen; Wang, Gaihong; Tao, Rongya; Wu, Pengfei; Kono, Tatsuyoshi; Tong, Xin; Tersey, Sarah A.; Harris, Robert A.; Evans-Molina, Carmella; Mirmira, Raghavendra G.; Dong, X. CharlieSirt6 is an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase, which is involved in multiple biological processes, including aging, DNA repair, and metabolism; however, it is unclear what its functions in pancreatic beta-cells are. The beta cells play an essential role in metabolic regulation by secreting insulin in response to an elevated glucose concentration in the circulation. To examine the role of Sirt6 in beta cells, we initially used adenovirus-mediated shRNA to knock down the Sirt6 gene expression in a mouse pancreatic beta cell line - MIN6. Knockdown of the Sirt6 gene significantly reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. To further validate this phenotype in vivo, we generated pancreatic beta-cell-specific Sirt6 knockout mice (bKO) using mouse genetic approach. Indeed, the bKO mice showed remarkable impairment in both first and second phases of insulin secretion in response to a glucose load. While morphometric analyses did not reveal significant difference in islet area between wild-type and bKO mice, biochemical analysis of ATP concentrations showed a 22% decrease in bKO mouse islets relative to control wild-type islets after glucose stimulation. To assess mitochondrial function in Sirt6-deficient beta cells, we also performed Seahorse bioenergetics assays in MIN6 cells after the Sirt6 gene was knocked down. Glucose oxidation in mitochondria was decreased 20-30% in Sirt6- knockdown MIN6 cells as compared to the control cells. Since calcium signaling is critical to insulin secretion, we also measured intracellular calcium concentrations using a fluorescent imaging approach. The results showed a significant decrease in cytoplasmic calcium in the bKO islets as compared to the wild-type controls. Overall, our data demonstrate that Sirt6 plays a critical role in the regulation of pancreatic insulin secretion. This work was supported in part by the NIDDK grant R01DK091592.Item Design Optimization of Injection Molds with Conformal Cooling for Additive Manufacturing(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Wu, Tong; Jahan, Suchana A.; Kumaar, Praveen; Tovar, Andres; El-Mounayri, Hazim; Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Jing; Acheson, Doug; Nalim, M. RaziAbstract This is a framework for optimizing additive manufacturing of plastic injection molds. The proposed system consists of three modules, namely process and material modeling, multi-scale topology optimization, and experimental testing, calibration and validation. Advanced numerical simulation is implemented for a typical die with conformal cooling channels to predict cycle time, part quality and tooling life. A thermo-mechanical topology optimization algorithm is being developed to minimize the die weight and enhance its thermal performance. The technique is implemented for simple shapes for validation before it is applied to dies with conformal cooling in future work. A method for designing a die with porous material which can be produced in additive manufacturing is developed. Also a comprehensive set of systemic design rules are developed and to be integrated with CAD modeling to automate the process of obtaining viable plastic injection dies with conformal cooling channels. Finally, material modeling using simulation as well as design of experiments is underway for obtaining the material properties and their variations.Item Volatile Sulfur Compounds and their Effects on Streptococcus mutans Biofilm(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Whitaker, Caitlin; Huang, Ruijie; Gregory, Richard L.Volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) are produced by certain anaerobic bacteria known to cause halitosis in the oral cavity. Porphyromonas gingivalis produces VSC and causes halitosis and periodontal disease. Streptococcus mutans is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that is most commonly known for causing dental caries in the oral cavity. No research has been reported indicating a connection between S. mutans and VSC. An observation was made by Dr. Richard Gregory and Ph.D. student Ruijie Huang that when an S. mutans culture was left in an anaerobic environment with P. gingivalis, the growth of S. mutans appeared to be inhibited. This study explored that observation using not only P. gingivalis culture supernatant containing VSC but also other VSC, such as DTT, and 2ME to demonstrate that VSC inhibit the growth of S. mutans biofilm using total growth and biofilm formation after crystal violet staining. The results were read using a spectrophotometer to read the total growth and biofilm formation. These results indicate that S. mutans total growth and biofilm is significantly inhibited (p<0.05) by the presence of VSC. Results also establish that different VSC inhibit S. mutans depending on the amount of sulfur in each agent; however, each agent greatly reduced the amount of S. mutans biofilm. Due to these results, one can conclude that there is an inhibitory relationship between VSC and S. mutans. A person with a major case of halitosis or a person who has periodontal disease would most likely have little to no evidence of dental caries at that time.Item Associations between Loneliness and Cancer Patients’ Pain and Fatigue(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Stout, Madison E.; Adams, Rebecca N.; Mosher, Catherine E.Introduction: Pain and fatigue occur at higher rates in cancer patients than in the general population. One study found that loneliness predicted both pain and fatigue in cancer patients; however, the study only focused on patients with breast or colon cancer. The goal of the current study is to examine whether loneliness is associated with pain and fatigue in a sample of patients with various cancer types, including more rare diagnoses. We hypothesized that loneliness would be positively correlated with pain and fatigue, controlling for demographic and medical characteristics. Methods: Participants (N=44) were 60 years old (SD=12) on average, 68% Caucasian, and 59% female. All participants had received treatment for cancer at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center or another Indiana University Hospital since 2013. Participants were recruited from the Indiana Tumor Registry, and after consenting, they were mailed a survey to complete at home that included measures of loneliness, pain, and fatigue. To test our hypothesis, we computed correlations between loneliness and each symptom (i.e., pain and fatigue), controlling for age, gender, and time since diagnosis. Results: As hypothesized, we found a large, positive correlation between loneliness and fatigue (r =0.51, p=0.001), controlling for demographic and medical characteristics. In addition, loneliness was positively correlated with pain, but this result fell just short of statistical significance (r=0.28, p=0.09). Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that greater loneliness is associated with greater fatigue in cancer patients, consistent with the results of one prior study. Although the association between loneliness and pain was more modest, it may reach statistical significance as the study sample size increases. If future longitudinal research shows that greater loneliness predicts cancer patients’ pain and fatigue, it would suggest that interventions to reduce loneliness may also reduce their physical symptoms.Item Effects of EGCG treatment on deficits in a radial-arm maze spatial pattern separation task in a Down syndrome mouse model(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Stringer, Megan; Stancombe, Kailey; Gainey, Sean; Sheikh, Zahir; Abeysekera, Irushi; Goodlett, Charles R.; Roper, Randall J.Down syndrome (DS) is caused by three copies of human chromosome 21 (Hsa 21) and results in a constellation of phenotypes that include intellectual disability. Ts65Dn mice, the most extensively studied model of DS, have three copies of approximately half the genes on Hsa 21 and display many of the phenotypes associated with DS, including cognitive deficits. DYRK1A is found in three copies in humans with Trisomy 21 and has increased expression in a number of tissues. Dyrk1a is also found in three copies in Ts65Dn mice, and has been shown to be involved in a number of critical pathways including CNS development and osteoclastogenesis. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenol found in green tea, is an inhibitor of Dyrk1a activity. We have previously shown that a three week treatment with EGCG normalizes skeletal abnormalities in Ts65Dn mice. Previous work has found that Ts65Dn mice are significantly impaired in several hippocampal-dependent tasks, including the Morris water maze and novel object recognition. Another hippocampal-dependent process, pattern separation, is the ability to differentiate between similar memories acquired during learning. Distinctive encoding of these similar memories in hippocampal formation is thought to be necessary to distinguish between them. Experimental reductions in adult neurogenesis have produced impairments in pattern separation performance. Given that recent studies in Ts65Dn mice have reported significant reductions in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, we hypothesize that Ts65Dn mice will be impaired in the pattern separation task. Furthermore, we hypothesize that treating Ts65Dn mice with EGCG throughout task learning would improve performance to control levels. A radial arm maze-delayed non-matching-toplace pattern separation task with three different degrees of spatial separation is used. Preliminary data suggests that, in contrast to control mice, Ts65Dn mice do not improve their performance over training.Item Modeling and simulation of heat of mixing in lithium ion batteries(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Song, Zhibin; Bo, Yan; Lim, Cheolwoong; Zhu, LikunHeat generation is a major safety concern in the design and development of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) for large scale applications, such as electric vehicles. The total heat generation in LIBs includes entropic heat, enthalpy, reaction heat, and heat of mixing (1-3). The heat of mixing will be released during relaxation of Li ion concentration gradient. For instance, after the drivers turn off their vehicles, the generation of entropy, enthalpy and reaction heat in LIBs will stop, but the heat of mixing is still being generated. Thomas and Newman derived methods to compute heat of mixing in LIB cells and investigated the heat of mixing on a Li|LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate:dimethyl carbonate|LiAl0.2Mn1.8O4-δF0.2 cell (4). The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of heat of mixing on the LIBs with different materials, porosities, particle sizes, and charge/discharge rate and to understand whether it is necessary to consider heat of mixing during the design and development of LIBs. In this study, a mathematical model was built to simulate heat generation of LIBs using COMSOL Multiphysics. The LIB model was based on Newman’s model. LiCoO2 was applied as the cathode materials, and LiC6 was applied as the anode material. The results of heat of mixing were compared with the other heat sources to investigate the weight of heat of mixing in the total heat generation. Table 1 shows the heat of mixing, irreversible heat, and reversible heat in anode and cathode electrodes at 5 min during a 2 C discharge process. As shown in Table 1, the heat of mixing in cathode is smaller than the heat of mixing in anode, mainly due to the lower Li ion diffusivity and larger particle size of LiC6. The heat of mixing is not as much as the irreversible heat and reversible heat, but it cannot be neglected for this operating condition. The heat of mixing in different LIB cells and under different operating conditions will be reported. The mathematical model: Mathematical model equations: = ( − ) + + Σ Δ + Σ Σ ( − ) = [ 1 2 ∙ ( − ,∞)] = − Item Improv(ing) learning environments: How to Foster Belonging through Play(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Rossing, Jonathan P.Applied improvisation is a field in which practitioners apply the principles and practices of improvisational theater to enhance and transform relationships in real-world arenas. Applied improvisation practices have gained popularity in business and professional settings, including professional education such as medical school, law school, and management training. However, currently no research examines how applied improvisation might augment college learning environments by promoting greater student connection, focus, and presence. This research project examines how principles and practices of improvisation can be used to address two classroom challenges: 1) distraction or lack of focus/attention and 2) disengagement and disconnection from peers that hinders the development of a learning community. First, mental distractions hinder student engagement: from smart phones and online social networks to larger concerns such as academic anxieties (worrying about an upcoming test) or stresses in persona life (i.e. a troubled relationship). These distractions displace students’ attention from the immediate task of learning and limit their mental presence in class. Second, learning often remains a radically individual endeavor rather than a process of engaging with and supporting peers in a learning community. In response to these challenges, I have adapted improvisation games to use as “warm-up” activities in every class session throughout the semester. The goal is to understand whether applied improvisation promotes greater student focus and attention as well as foster connection and trust among learners, both of which result in a stronger learning community. These outcomes are particularly significant at a commuter campus where students find fewer opportunities to develop community and connection. This poster will report the results of a mixed-methods study featuring both quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicate that applied improvisation improves learning environment factors such as students’ sense of community, belonging, focus, and attention.