University Scholars 2009

Shams Abbas (Physiology & Neurobiology)
Tremor-Related Effects of Xanomeline in a Rat Model of Parkinsonian Tremor
In the CNS, neurotransmitter acetylcholine acts as an important neuromodulator and transmitter. It plays a significant role in brain pathways related to various neurological ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia. Acetylcholine and cholinomimectics target and activate nicotinic or muscarinic receptors.
Thus, my project will be focusing on a novel muscarinic receptor agonist, xanomeline. This drug may be useful for treating the aforementioned diseases, and may have a low liability for inducing motor side effects.
Consequently, I will study the ability of xanomeline to induce tremulous jaw movements in rats—animal model of motor dysfunction related to parkinsonian tremor.

Michael Abramczyk (Physics and Philosophy)
A Study of Strong CP Symmetry Using Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics
"The Standard Model of physics is currently the best model scientists have for describing the fundamental laws of our universe.  This project will examine one of the puzzles of the Standard Model called the "Strong CP Problem" using computer simulations.  By adding a chiral chemical potential to the action equation used in the simulation, this effect of symmetry breaking will be explored.  In addition, the role of computer simulations in analyzing problems and the potential of the growing power of computational resources in addressing currently unsolved problems will be studied from a philosophical standpoint."

Kevin Burgio ( Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) Nesting Behavior on Utility Poles in North America
The Monk Parakeet, a bird native to South America, has invaded Connecticut.  In their brief history here, they have been a controversial public safety problem.  Their habit of building large nests on utility poles has resulted in fires and power outages.  My research goal is to find a cost-effective, non-lethal measure to deter birds from nesting on poles, reducing the conflict between parakeets and people.  Finding a solution will not only have an immediate impact on the Connecticut population of these parakeets but also will affect other localized parakeet populations and utility companies across the US that share this problem. 

Devin Chaloux (Music)
A Theoretical and Analytical Approach to Poetry by Emily Dickinson through Composition
Emily Dickinson's poetry often can be enigmatic and difficult to digest. However, music can be a great tool to accentuate the nuances often disregarded in the archaic nature of her poetry. After interpreting a group of Emily Dickinson's poetry, I will set the poems to music, specifically for voice and piano. Using compositional techniques such as similar motives, melodic and harmonic gestures, and word painting, I will attempt to portray my interpretations of her poetry to the listener. At the project's end, a performance of the new compositions will occur.

Rory Coleman (Molecular & Cell Biology)
Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Cells with Regenerative Myogenic Potential
My research in Dr. David Goldhamer’s lab involves the development of a protocol for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into skeletal muscle. The aim of this study is to generate an engraftable cell type that is capable of replenishing the satellite cell (muscle stem cells) population in muscle. The ability to generate a pure population of myogenic progenitors from hESCs offers enormous clinical promise, in that this project may provide critical incite into the development of treatments for what are now intractable muscular disorders like Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Linda Drozdowicz (Molecular & Cell Biology)
Dopaminergic Innervation of the Subventricular Zone in the Murine Brain
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of two areas that, in a healthy mouse, continually generate neural stem cells throughout adulthood. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter produced in the midbrain, has been suggested to regulate the SVZ based on the localization of dopaminergic projections along its periphery. The dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta were previously thought to innervate the SVZ, but now the possibility of innervation from the ventral tegmental area seems plausible. This project will employ the Pitx3-deficient, aphakia mouse (Parkinson’s disease model) and neuronal tracing assays to deduce the neuroanatomical origins of dopaminergic innervation of the SVZ.

Laura Foran (Nursing)
Dying with Dignity: A Study of Hospice Nurses’ Perceptions of Dignity in the Final Weeks of Life in Rural Ireland and Connecticut
This project will seek to compare interventions in hospice care that nurses see as most effective in promoting dignity at the end of life in Connecticut and rural Ireland.  Nurses from both populations will be interviewed about their own definitions of dignity at death and their thoughts about hospice interventions in terms of dignity promotion in the dying process.  The goal of this study is to identify differences in interventions between populations, share these findings with nurses, and propose revised interventions that incorporate views from nurses in both populations to improve overall effectiveness of dignity promotion in hospice care.

Joseph Fournier (Chemistry)
Study of Long-Range Nonbonded Attractions in 3,5-octadiyne
Our group has extensively studied long-range attractive van der Waals forces in acetylene compounds. To continue our understanding of long-range nonbonded attractions, I propose a microwave spectroscopic study of 3,5-octadiyne.  Nonbonded attractions are extremely delicate, so the additional length will push the limit of this attractive force.  If the equilibrium structure is found to be syn-eclipsed, I could conclude that the nonbonded attractive forces still dominate at overly long distances.  The ethyl end groups might also be free rotors, meaning that there is no barrier to internal rotation about the double acetylene axis.  In this case, the nonbonded attractions would be shown to be too weak at distances longer than 5-6Å.  Since computations cannot accurately describe long-range nonbonded interactions, a spectroscopic study is the only method to measure these weak forces.  

Daniel Galtieri (Physiology & Neurobiology and Psychology)
Dopamine/Adenosine Interactions in an Animal Model of Parkinsonian Tremor
Parkinsonism is a family of motor disorders whose symptoms are associated with abnormalities in the neurochemical circuitry of the basal ganglia, particularly in reference to dopamine. Recent studies examining dopamine and adenosine interactions, especially between D2 and A2A receptor subtypes, have shown that A2A antagonists can reverse the parkinsonian symptoms induced by dopamine antagonism (Salamone et al. 2008).
Little research, however, has examined the implications of possible D1/A1 receptor interactions in relation to parkinsonism. This study seeks to further elucidate this interaction and its possible relevance to novel parkinsonian treatments by first inducing parkinsonism in rats with a D1 antagonist and then examining the ability of both an A1 and an A2A antagonist to reverse the symptoms.

Philip Gorecki (Economics and Molecular & Cell Biology)
Microarray Biosignatures of Disease: Their Assessment and Economic Impact
This study is composed of two major components: the first will examine the development of early diagnostic tools utilizing Grating Coupled Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (GCSPRI) to determine the molecular and cellular biosignatures associated with agricultural disease.  The hypothesis being tested is that assessments of cytokines, chemokines, antibodies, and pathogen-associated antigens, combined with simultaneous detection of immune cells in porcine samples will enable the detection of disease in advance of overt symptoms.  The second component of the project will analyze the economic significance of such diagnostic tools through the use of models that are based on the costs of the 1997 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Taiwan and the 2001 FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom.

Gregory Honda (Chemical Engineering)
The Impact of Catalyst Layer Thermal Gradients on the Performance of a Wall-Coated Microreactor
In order for fuel cells to be viable for portable power applications a readily available source of hydrogen is required.  Wall-coated microreactors can be used to reform hydrocarbons, such as methanol, to meet this fuel demand.  However, temperature differences between the inlet gas and reactor wall result in a thermal gradient across the catalyst layer.  The goal of my project will be to develop and experimentally test a mathematical model of the methanol reforming reaction in order to determine the impact of a thermal gradient on catalyst performance in wall-coated microreactors.

Jayme Kunze (Journalism and Music)
The Rise of the Common Man in French Opera 1643-1805: Dramatic and Musical Representations in a Changing Cultural and Political Context
A study of the evolution of “low” characters and their music in French opera beginning with the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) and culminating in Beethoven’s rescue opera Fidelio (Vienna, 1805). My thesis will trace the common man’s gradual rise to political and cultural prominence within French opera. Also, I will stage a lecture-recital featuring excerpts of a French vaudeville as well as Pierre Gaveaux’s Leonore (1798) and Beethoven’s Fidelio, which are both based on the French Revolution libretto, Leonore, by J. N. Bouilly.

Carla Maffeo (Biological Sciences and Physics)
The Effect of Heavy Metal Stress on MRP4 Transport of Uric Acid in the Avian Kidney
Recent studies suggest that increased plasma uric acid level is a risk factor for a number of human diseases. This project’s goal is to use the avian kidney, specialized for urate secretion, to determine the effects of heavy metal stress, like that caused by excessive zinc, on the transfer of urate from renal tubule cell to formative urine by the ABC membrane transporter MRP4. Incubation experiments with isolated vesicles designed to contain the MRP4-rich brush border membrane take advantage of an induced K+ gradient to measure the flux of ¹⁴C-urate into vesicles incubated in both control and zinc-containing media.

Alexander Meeske (Molecular & Cell Biology)
The Role of Calcineurin in Degranulation of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes
Cytotoxic T cells of the immune system are responsible for eliminating tumor cells or those infected with an intracellular pathogen.  They carry out this function by releasing enzymes that ultimately cause the death of the target cell.  The actual events connecting target cell recognition and enzyme release are not well understood, though it is known Protein Kinase C, ERK, and calcineurin are involved.  I will measure calcineurin activation through both flow cytometry and time-lapse cell imaging in order to determine its calcium-dependence and kinetics. By understanding calcineurin's role in it, we can better comprehend signal transduction in CTL degranulation.

Andrew Mehta (Molecular & Cell Biology)
Effects of Membrane Mimetics on the Structure of the Parkinson's Disease Protein α-Synuclein
The protein, α-synuclein, is believed to play a key role in the development of Parkinson's disease, because oligomers of α-synuclein can form pores in synaptic vesicle membranes leading to cytotoxicity.  The structure of the α-synuclein/synaptic vesicle complex is too large to be studied by solution NMR and the only reliable structure of α-synuclein is when it is bound to SDS micelles.  My project will be to see if there are structural variations of α-synuclein when bound to different membrane mimics in order to determine if the model of α-synuclein bound to SDS micelles is an appropriate model. 

James Moriarty (Civil Engineering)
Applying Ecology to the Engineering Design Process: Assessment of the Storrs Center Design as an Integrated Community Development
Current development patterns are characterized by car dominated sprawl, environmental degradation, and pollution that cause detrimental health effects. My project involves assessing the Storrs Center, a mixed-use walkable community center design.  I will review the existing ecological site conditions and how the design incorporates natural systems with the constructed infrastructure. I will provide recommendations for integrating the water and energy systems in the design with the ecology of the site to become sustainable. Through the project I will be able to envision and create community designs of the future that foster a healthy society, healthy inhabitants, and a healthy environment.

Jacqueline Mulee (Chemistry)
Do Brown Eggshells Possess Antimicrobial Properties?
Brown eggshells may have antibacterial effects!!  This Honors Project is based on the hypothesis that brown chicken eggs, when irradiated with visible light, possess significantly enhanced antibacterial properties compared to irradiated white eggshells.  This hypothesis is grounded on the observation that the principal component of the brown coloring has been identified as protoporphyrin IX.  Why does nature – and chicken eggs stand here for all of nature’s bird eggs with brown coloring and that are all exclusively porphyrin-based – use a biosynthetically “expensive” porphyrin as a brown dye and not, for example, the ubiquitous melanin?  One explanation would be that protoporphyrin is capable of carrying out functions beyond being a mere colorant, and that melanin could not.  I am investigating the potential antimicrobial affects of brown eggshells, compared to white eggshells. 

Radhika Nakrani (Biological Sciences and Molecular & Cell Biology)
Regenerating Muscle: Characterization and Transplantation Potential of a Novel Cell Population
In a society where a significant portion of health issues stem from degenerative disease, an understanding of the underlying mechanisms at the most fundamental molecular and cellular levels is vital in developing effective treatments. My project aims to generate and characterize a population of myogenic progenitor cells (muscle precursors) in mouse, which are deficient in both MyoD and Myf5 genes. These two myogenic regulatory factors have been shown to play important roles in the determination of skeletal myoblasts, and their absence may influence more stem cell-like properties. Insight into the regenerative capacity of these double knockout cells through analysis of differentiation potential and fusion abilities may serve as a basis for treatment of neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Gregory Petropoulos (Physics)
CP Symmetry Breaking in the Early Universe
CP symmetry breaking, the symmetry between matter and antimatter, is responsible for the lack of antimatter in nature.  My project studies CP symmetry breaking through a  calculation of the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the quark gluon plasma.  This is a state of matter that existed an instant after the big bang, when the universe was still extremely young and hot and can be reproduced in particle accelerator experiments.  My first principles calculation of the quark gluon plasma's EDM will utilize novel methods in Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics and Quantum Electrodynamics.

Stephanie Rowlett (Economics and Political Science)
The Contradictions of American Policy: From “Freebooter” to “Freedom Fighters” to Filibusters
Despite its foundation upon the principles of democracy and national integrity, the U.S. government, in enacting both foreign and domestic policy, has defied its own prescriptions, finding methods to expand into established territory, to justify intervention in foreign countries, and now most recently, to manipulate the process of voting on bills in Congress.  To examine the extent of this incongruence between rhetoric and action, I will investigate both past and present U.S. politics, commencing with the freebooters of the 1850s and their unconstrained pursuit of territory and power in Central America, continuing to the covert action of the U.S. government in the Bay of Pigs fiasco of 1960-1961, and ending with the present filibustering of the Senate that often derails the deliberation process, precluding democratic debate.  This project will serve as an invaluable way to examine the fissures between America’s conduct and creed and thus search for the underlying causes and consequences of this routine alteration of the nation’s proclaimed objectives.

Miheer Sane (Physiology & Neurobiology)
Stem Cell Mediated Repair of the Adult Brain
The adult brain contains a niche of neural stem cells within the subventricular zone. These cells are intriguing for their therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. Critical to maintaining the stem cell niche is the ependymal lining of the ventricles which act as a barrier between the ventricles and the subventricular zone. This study uses a young mouse model injected with neuraminidase to damage the ependymal lining. The ependymal damage will be characterized and using various time points the repair process will be observed. This study will help to elucidate the potential of the neural stem cells for repair after injury.

Hardeep Singh (Physiology & Neurobiology)
Oxygen Supplementing, Biocompatible Outer Membranes for Enhanced Performance of Implantable Glucose Sensors
Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder that affects the pancreas thereby causing an imbalance in blood glucose.  The use of an implantable glucose biosensor to monitor blood glucose alleviates a diabetic from pricking his/her finger and allows for proper diabetic care.  However, the issues of biocompatibility and long-term stability remain to be crucial issues to be addressed towards the development of long-lived implantable glucose biosensors.  It has been suggested that biomimetic outer sensor coatings could alleviate these issues and help realize a high performance, long-lived implantable glucose biosensor.  This proposal aims to utilize biocompatible PVA hydrogels as outer membrane materials for implantable glucose biosensors and investigate their performance.  This investigation, even though specific for glucose biosensors can be extended to other metabolite sensors and could impact the field of metabolite monitoring.

Michael Wheelock (Molecular & Cell Biology)

Sam Yang (Computer Science & Engineering and Management)
Degree & Class Management Virtual Advisor
The deliverable of this project is a "virtual advisor" online class management system for both students and advisors that can be used to supplement traditional advising sessions by having a single system that keeps track of classes and degree progress, recommends classes based on class history and availability, and simulates schedules for on-time graduation. In addition to reducing the complexity of class selection for the Uconn community, my project emphasizes the viability, usability, and scalability of open-source alternatives for institutional environments.