ABSTRACTS
2019 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA
Researcher: Elizaveta Atalig
Presentation Title: A Data-Driven Approach to Transparency in Political Ads on Social Media
Research Focus: Computer Science/Data Analysis
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
The number of political ads deployed on social media within the United States is increasing tremendously, making the issue of transparency ever more apparent in our democracy.
Companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google are attempting to make ads on their platform transparent by taking required information from the groups creating the ads to avoid misinformation and manipulation in political campaigns. Although part of this information is the funding entity for the ad, which has to be revealed in its creation, there is the suspicion that funding entities that act under several names exist, making their goals undisclosed. In this study, we are conducting a large-scale analysis of political ad data extracted from the Facebook API in the 2018 elections. Our goal is to reveal ads that appear to be different and supported by different funders but are actually similar in their creative body. With millions of unique ads, the naïve approach of comparing the text in every pair of ads is not feasible.
Instead, we explore various implementations of Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH), where each ad is encoded in a short signature and are then compared by their signatures. We then construct a network of pairwise connections between funders and detect clusters of tightly connected funders based on their ad similarity. Our approach could provide an efficient check on political ads shown on social media and prevent funding entities and pages from avoiding transparency to the public.
Researcher: Sammi Diep
Presentation Title: Balancing Time, Social Life, and Stress at University: Associations with Sleep Behaviors
Research Focus: Sleep and Psychosocial Adjustments
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Past research indicates a significant, mutual relationship between positive social ties and good quality sleep among university students (Tavernier & Willoughby, 2015). Furthermore, given the demands of university life, it is not surprising that procrastination has been associated with more sleep problems (Przepiórka, Błachnio, & Siu, 2019). Several studies support the critical role that adequate and good quality play for both mental and physical wellbeing (Fuligni & Hardway, 2006; Haack & Mullington, 2005; Kaneita et al., 2007). Thus, it is important to investigate multiple domains of university adjustment (e.g., social and emotional adjustment) in relation to different sleep behaviors within the same study. To address this gap, the present study examined whether social adjustment, procrastination, and daily hassles concurrently predict sleep behaviors at university (e.g., bedtimes, sleep duration). The sample consisted of 155 university students, aged 18-37 years old (68.4% female; M = 20.41, SD = 1.93), who completed online assessments of demographics, sleep, social adjustment, daily hassles, and procrastination.
Results of path analysis (Amos, Version 25) indicated that daily hassles predicted poorer sleep quality. Students who reported more positive social ties slept later on the weekend, but had earlier week bedtimes, slept for longer during the week, and had better perceived sleep quality. Those who procrastinate more went to bed and woke up later, slept for longer during the weekend, and went to bed and woke up later during the week. Overall, findings have important implications for university administration in providing students with programs to improve time- management, promote self-care, and facilitate inclusive social environments.
Researcher: Abdelrahman Elsayed
Presentation Title: Molecular Dynamics Studies of the Ribosome
Research Focus: Computational Biology
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
We are investigating a subset of the ribosome focusing on the ribosome decoding center. This is the region where mRNA strands are translated into a polypeptide chain. We are studying the hypothesis that rRNA nucleotides at the surface of mRNA entrance tunnel in ribosome might interact with mRNA. By focusing on a 495-residue subsystem of the ribosome, which is held in place using some force constants in an “onion shell” of residues, we are able to conduct Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of the subsystem. In order to test our hypothesis, we will do directed MD to move or rotate rRNA bases towards mRNA for base pairing. To achieve that, there are two methods that will be explored: umbrella sampling and Partial Nudged Elastic Band (PNEB). Applying forces to move bases in regular umbrella sampling steps will allow us to assess energy profiles for base movements. PNEB will be performed with two fixed nodes: one at the starting structure and one at the ending structure, and intermediary nodes in between that attempt to travel from the starting node to the end node through energetically favorable intermediates. This will involve running 32 parallel systems where each system will monitor and react to its 2 neighboring systems. Preliminary results indicate that rRNA interacts with nucleotides at positions 1 and 2 of the incoming A-site codon during translocation. Our results are consistent with the trend towards 3-nucleotide periodicity of GCN in protein coding open reading frames.
Researcher: Gilberto Garcia
Presentation Title: From Einstein to Chandra: An Exploration of Highly Variable AGN
Research Focus: Astronomy/Astrophysics
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Studies of black hole accretion, specifically supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, have become possible with the advent of orbiting X-ray telescopes such as the Einstein Observatory (launched 1978) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (launched 1999). When gas or stars get close enough, the gravitational pull of a black hole will draw the matter toward the center, forming a hot, dense disk that produces X-ray emission. Thus, when we observe strong X-ray emission from a galaxy’s nucleus, we can infer that the galaxy possesses an accreting supermassive black hole. When the X-ray emission is weak or absent, it may be because the black hole has stopped accreting, and thus, is no longer increasing in mass. However, the reasons why a black hole starts or stops accreting, and the details of black hole growth over cosmic time, remain unknown. To investigate these issues, we have attempted to identify “active galactic nuclei” (AGN) that exhibited significant changes in their X-ray emission (and, therefore, in their accretion rates) between the time of Einstein and more recent Chandra observations. Here we present a preliminary list of highly-variable AGN, which may be associated with dramatic changes in black hole accretion. When complete, our survey will provide valuable insight into the evolutionary phases of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
Researcher: Ivy Lam
Presentation Title: Investigating the Molecular Basis of Pesticide Resistance in Drosophila
species
Research Focus: Biology
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Fruit flies in the Drosophila genus have evolved a resistance to both natural and man-made pesticides. Gene families involved in toxin resistance typically include Cytochrome P450s (CYP450s), Glutathione-S-Transferases (GSTs), and esterases. Previous studies found CYP450s were involved in pesticide resistance in Drosophila melanogaster, but the role of other gene families has not yet been investigated in this clade. Exploring the molecular basis of pesticide resistance will provide answers to the complexities of pesticide resistance. Here we use pesticide synergists piperonyl butoxide, diethyl maleate, and tribufos to inactivate CYP450s, GSTs, and esterases and measured the survival of D.melanogaster, D. simulans, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia when exposed to three pesticides: nicotine, deltamethrin, and dibrom using hour-long bioassays. We found that GSTs are involved in dibrom resistance in all four tested
Drosohpila species and involved in deltamethrin resistance only in D. mauritiana. We also found that esterases are involved in Drosophila pesticide resistance to dibrom in D. simulans, and D. mauritiana and confirm a previous report that CYP450s are involved in nicotine resistance in adult D. melanogaster.
Researcher: Rachel Marino
Presentation Title: HD106906 Debris Disk Morphology and Origin of an External Perturber
Research Focus: Radio Astronomy (Debris Disks)
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
A debris disk is a disk of dust and small rocky bodies orbiting a star. The dust we observe is second-generation dust, which is constantly replenished by collisions between the material within the disk. Debris disks are a result of planet formation and can trace the dynamics of planetary systems. By observing and analyzing debris disks we can learn about the formation and properties of planets in a particular system. HD 106906AB is a planetary system about 300 light years away from Earth, with a peculiar scenario, a planet 11 times the mass of Jupiter orbiting at roughly 700 au (1 au is the distance from the earth to the sun) from its stars and exterior to the debris disk. The origin of this external perturber is so far unknown, but Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations interpreted in conjunction with dynamical models can test predictions related to the formation mechanisms of the planet. We compare our image with a model prediction for the distribution of parent bodies, based on the scattered light images.
If our data are consistent with the model, it will provide support for in situ formation, but if there are significant differences then a scattering scenario would be more likely. Studying this system lays the groundwork for understanding formation scenarios of the emerging class of large-separation companions, most of which do not have bright debris disks to serve as dynamical tracers.
Researcher: Melisa Olgun
Title: A Pilot Study Comparing Methods of Cognitive Remediation via the Five Factor Model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Psychosis-Spectrum Disorders
Research Focus: Cognitive Remediation Therapies
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that is characterized by symptoms that impair everyday functioning. The symptoms and features are divided into three categories; (1) positive symptoms (e.g. hallucinations and delusions), (2) negative symptoms (e.g. anhedonia and alogia), and (3) cognitive features (e.g. poor memory and concentration). Antipsychotic medications are capable of treating positive and negative symptoms; however, cognitive impairments remain untreated, necessitating treatments that specifically address cognition. Prior research has shown that two models of Cognitive Remediation (CR) are effective in addressing cognitive impairment: a computerized drill-and-practice approach (PSSCogRehab), which is difficult to generalize in everyday life, and a strategy-based compensatory cognitive training group (CCT), which is more generalizable. The present project aims to compare the effectiveness of these two models on symptoms using the Five-Factor Model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS). The PANSS is a 30-item clinical assessment for rating the severity of symptoms. We hypothesize that CCT would display greater improvements in all 5 factors of the model. Participants were recruited from River Valley Services in Middletown, CT, and were randomly assigned to CCT, PSSCogRehab, or treatment as usual (control). Assessment of the effectiveness of CR was evaluated at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Preliminary analysis suggests that improvements in the disorganized/concrete category were the highest in CCT (Mastropierro, 2018). We will report on an additional 5 subjects.
Researcher: Sarah Shehreen
Presentation Title: Effects of Heat Sensitization in Segmentation of Embryonic Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)
Research Focus: Developmental Biology
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
During somitogenesis, the paraxial mesoderm in embryonic zebrafish develops into segments known as somites. During this period, somite formation is vulnerable to defects from heat or osmotic stress and defects in somite formation are shown to follow a unique pattern. When an embryo is stressed during a stage of somitogenesis, a defect is seen in the following fifth somite. This matches with the current theory of cell fate and determination. Unfolded protein response (UPR) is the primary stress response to misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. By integrating sensory information received by the cell, the UPR increases protein folding capacity and restores the homeostatic balance of the cell. When stress is applied to a mammalian cell, the unfolded protein response is triggered to reassemble the unfolded proteins. However, it is unknown if heat stress triggers the unfolded protein response in the somite cells of embryonic zebrafish during somitogenesis. In this experiment, we will explore the possibility of unfolded protein response through measuring heat sensitization in zebrafish. The sensitization experiment will be accomplished through a preliminary heat shock to the embryo followed by another heat shock at the same temperature and duration. We anticipate a normal defect in the embryo after the first heat shock but a milder defect after the second heat shock as a result of sensitization. If successful, this experiment may suggest the involvement of an unfolded protein response triggered by the preliminary heat shock in reducing the effects of the latter heat shock.
Researcher: Ekram Towsif
Presentation Title: Electronic Spin PT System Dynamics
Research Focus: PT Dynamics of NMR systems
School: Wesleyan University
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Parity-Time (PT) symmetry describes systems that are balanced with their environments, where the flow of energy is dictated by the geometric relationship between the elements in the system including gain and loss. Inducing a gain-loss parameter within the constituent equations allows us to observe the boundaries between balanced, unbalanced, and chaotic motion. Such a parameter is implemented in various ways such as electronically via negative resistors and feedback loops. Previous work on PT symmetry include PT-lasers, PT-superconducting wires, and PT-NMR. However, the behavior of large-scale magnetic PT symmetry is unknown experimentally in terms of electronics. Here we address the equations of motions corresponding to magnetic dipole coupled to feedback inductors for implementation of PT NMR gain or loss. We analytically solved the preliminary system parameters relating the normal modes to position and orientation of the feedback inductors, permanent magnets used for the biasing field, and the dipole oscillator. Experimental results demonstrate these various orientational possibilities for a macroscopic permanent oscillating magnet dipole at a resonant frequency near 38 Hz.
Optimization of the oriental positions allows us to maximize the gain (or loss) that govern the system. We anticipate that our study will indicate a strategy for implementing PT symmetry for a pair of coupled dipoles. Ultimately, the findings of our investigation should enable the development of novel technology for incorporating PT dynamics into magnetic systems, with possible applications for NMR instrumentation.