Undergraduate Research Posters 2020

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  Understanding Sexual Health Information Access for Gender Minority Adolescents with Qualitative Focus Groups

  Andrea Arnold

  Access to proper sexual-based information is widely inclusive for the youth a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Due to this, many of these young adults are turning to social media to learn the information school-based sexual education is not discussing. To help fill the gap between social media platforms and health, we hypothesized that the observation of the LGBTQ+ youth and young adults will use multiple social media platforms to seek sexual health information and connect with other LGBTQ+ individuals. The current study consisted of three LGBTQ+ youth examining and describing their experience with school-based sexual education and how social media has played a role in this. In order to do this, we conducted a focus group meeting on Zoom that is approximately 60 minutes long, asking relevant health and social media questions. Anticipated results indicated that we will have a better understanding of how LGBTQ+ youth and young adults interact with sexual health information in social media spaces and how that determines their health and development.

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  Use of Optical Tweezers and Trapping Cilia

  Cleveland State University

  Cilia are microtubule-based sensory organelles that cells use to gather information. These cilia are non-motile and reside in the renal system of humans. Their sensors are used to detect fluid flow and allow epithelial tubes to respond and function normally. Irregularities in these organelles can be linked to many kidney diseases. The goal of our research is to better understand cilia and their sensory outputs. In order to study cilia sensory outputs, optical tweezers are used to view and trap cilia given their ability to elicit and record responses from cilia and plot the given data. Using optical tweezers is one of the most effective ways to gather information about cilia and allows researchers to explore cells methodically. Researchers are able to record data about the position of cilia when they are trapped. The MSD v. time graphs allow the researcher to understand the mechanical properties of individual cilia. This information gives researchers more insight in how cilia behave during fluid flow. Learning more about mechanical properties could lead to more extensive experiments and could ultimately lead to cures for many different kidney diseases.

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  Determination of Lithium Ions in E-Cigarettes Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) Technique

  Kevin Folk, Rebecca Leibold, Ola Abuhamdeh, and Mallorie Boron

  Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are nicotine devices that is made up of a power source (battery) and a heating element that both work to stimulate the vaporization of a flavored solution. This is then inhaled by the user. While e-cigarettes lack many of the toxic chemicals in tobacco cigarettes, their effects to human health remain unknown. This study aims to determine whether harmful oxidants are produced in electronic cigarettes using lithium batteries. For this purpose, reactive oxygen species (ROS) reactivity in the disposable components of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) associated with e-cigarette aerosols was analyzed by comparing new lithium ion battery in an e-cigarette versus a two-year old lithium-ion battery. Vapor collected through a water gravity vacuum method mimicking the vapor inhaled by an individual were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry ICP-OES. The results suggest there are lithium ions present in the vapor that the user inhales. Ola’s main role in the research was to edit and prepare the paper as well as the experimental data for publication

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  EKLF Mediated Regulation of Cytokinesis, Erythroid Enucleation, and Megakaryopoiesis During Terminal Differentiation and Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia

  Maria Habean

  Terminal differentiation in erythroid cells culminates in enucleation, a type of cytokinesis, where the nucleus is expelled from the cell. Improper cytokinesis and enucleation is due to a mutation in Erythroid Krüppel-like Factor (EKLF), an erythroid transcription factor, leading to Congenital Dyserythropoeitic Anemia IV (CDA’s) whose pathway remains to be understood. If EKLF is knocked out of mouse erythroid cells, the cells exhibit a failure in cytokinesis and enucleation with more megakaryocyte production. EKLF does have a role in allowing megakaryocyte erythroid cells to enter into erythropoiesis if the megakaryopoiesis genes are suppressed. Although, it is unknown if EKLF suppress megakaryocyte genes directly. I hypothesized that EKLF regulates genes involved in cytokinesis, enucleation, and multinucleation in megakaryocytes, and the failed regulation in erythroid EKLF null mouse cells and CDA IV patients leads to failures in cytokinesis and enucleation and a binucleate cell phenotype. A literature search was conducted to learn about genes involved in cytokinesis and enucleation in erythroid cells and whether those genes play a role in CDA’s and multinucleation in megakaryocytes. Comparison of the data from the RNA sequence of EKLF +/+ and EKLF -/- mouse cells with genes that are pertinent for megakaryopoiesis may lead to the discovery of a subset of megakaryocyte genes that are abnormally expressed in EKLF-/- cells. Overall, our study shows that when the regulation of genes that contains the multinucleated phenotype in megakaryocytes are mis regulated the end result can lead to a failure in cytokinesis, a binucleate phenotype and enucleation defects.

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  Ohio County’s Level of Corona Virus Cases in Relation to Demographic Characteristics

  Michail Haswani

  COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, was first described in Wuhan, China in 2019. Since then, it has become a pandemic. There are several factors that likely contribute to its rapid spread. This study examined the correlations between different demographic characteristics and the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, by investigating data in the 88 counties of Ohio. We searched for credible sources that include the demographics and the COVID -19 data, including land area, population, age, education level, unemployment rate and income, and the number of cases and deaths of COVID -19. Results showed a strong correlation between the population size and the number of cases and with the number of deaths. Moreover, the correlation is high for the population in all age groups, which seems to indicate the COVID -19 infects counties similarly regardless of their age group composition. However, since we were unable to obtain the breakdown of the number of cases and deaths in various age groups, further study is needed to investigate the effects within various age groups. Additionally, the analysis identified a moderate correlation between the education level and the number of cases and deaths. Finally, we did not find correlation between other characteristics including land area, unemployment rate, and income, and the number of cases and deaths.

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  Empowering Women: An Examination of How the Activism of Kathleen Cleaver, Elaine Brown, Erica Huggins, and Angela Davis Transformed the Black Panther Party

  Lamar J. McCornell

  The Black Panther Party (BPP) was a socialist political organization that protected and served African American communities in the United States. The BPP focused on protecting communities against police brutality in the 1960s and 70s, and in providing community services in the 1970s-80s. While females were a large percentage of the party’s membership, the BPP has been historically perceived as an ultra-masculine organization and the roles of women in its leadership have been underexplored. In this study, published works and historical documents were used to explore the dynamics of the leadership of women of the BPP, such as Erica Huggins, Angela Davis, Kathleen Cleaver, and Elaine Brown. As many of the male leaders were imprisoned, females made advances and pushed the BPP in a direction that was not often highlighted. Even though the women were resilient and showed their value to the revolutionary organization, gender bias and the sexist views from male leaders made it a continuous struggle to move forward. This social order was a major contributor to the downfall of the organization. Altogether, this study illustrates the essential roles women played in the BPP in the context of a social hierarchy that challenged their authority.

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  Effects of the Dysregulation of PANCR Regarding the PITX2 Gene in the Eye

  Mohamed Najjar

  The PITX2 adjacent noncoding RNA (PANCR) is an intergenic long noncoding RNA adjacent to the PITX2 gene. The PITX2 gene functions as a regulator for bilateral symmetry during development. PANCR is only expressed in the left atrium of the heart and in the eye in humans. PANCR has been studied with its effects in atrial fibrillation in the heart, but very little is known about its expression in the human eye. This project hypothesizes that the dysregulation of PANCR, which causes mutations in the PITX2 gene, will cause deformities to the human eye, similar to those of Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, a disease effecting the development of the eye by mutations of the PITX2 gene.

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  The Role of Intergenerational Mentoring As a Tool for Matriculation of Minoritized Womxn in Higher Education Completion

  Camilya Williams

  White and minority students enroll in college at similar rates, however, completion rates for minority students is lower than for white students. Discrimination, implicit biases, sex, and socioeconomic status are factors linked to this disparity. There is a need to identify innovative solutions to bridge this gap. For this we performed a literature review to identify trends to achieve equity in education. We identified intergenerational mentoring as a viable alternative. According to authors Satterly et al., (2018), “This model reflects the positive aspects of reverse mentoring without the hierarchical framework of mentor and mentee; rather, it is based upon the notion that everyone leads, and everyone learns.” Further work is needed to explore the role of intergenerational mentoring in the success of the matriculation of higher education completion for minoritized womxn.