APPLICATION OF A DYNAMIC TRACER KINETIC MODEL TO OPTIMIZE THE FRAME RATE FOR IMPROVED DETECTION OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN HUMANS
Author: Laasya Devi Annepureddy
School: The Illinois Institute of Technology
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a common ophthalmological condition that is caused as a side effect of Diabetes. DR does not show early onset of symptoms, however, if left untreated it can lead to permanent loss of vision...
School: The Illinois Institute of Technology
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a common ophthalmological condition that is caused as a side effect of Diabetes. DR does not show early onset of symptoms, however, if left untreated it can lead to permanent loss of vision...
Volumetric blood flow (VBF) and vascular permeability (VP) have been associated with early signs of Diabetic Retinopathy and can be used as biomarkers that can help detect healthy patients and patients suffering from DR. This study will employ a dynamic tracer kinetic model to better quantify the parameters VBF and VP and optimize imaging parameters for applications in the retina.
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VENMO: THE FINE LINE BETWEEN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CAPITAL
Author: Deyana Atanasova
School: DePaul University
Major: Economics
This thesis explores the blurring lines between economic and social capital by scaffolding off of interdisciplinary scholarship to construct a quantitative and qualitative case study analysis of tweets from the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement with relation to Venmo...
School: DePaul University
Major: Economics
This thesis explores the blurring lines between economic and social capital by scaffolding off of interdisciplinary scholarship to construct a quantitative and qualitative case study analysis of tweets from the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement with relation to Venmo...
Economic capital is defined outside a standard economic and financial lens to accommodate individual standpoint(s), attempting to mold the term to more accurately relate to social justice. Scholarship related to consumer payment choice, economic choice and identity, digital payment platforms, Venmo, discourse communities, and more is reviewed, situating this work in the general field of digital economic and consumer studies through the lens of social justice.
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THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF MUSICAL ENGAGEMENT ON SPATIAL-REASONING SKILLS
Author: Marissa Arreola
School: Loyola University Chicago
Major: Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology
The “Mozart Effect” was first reported in 1993 when Rauscher et al. demonstrated that 10 minutes of exposure to a Mozart piano sonata temporarily enhanced performance on a spatial-reasoning task...
School: Loyola University Chicago
Major: Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology
The “Mozart Effect” was first reported in 1993 when Rauscher et al. demonstrated that 10 minutes of exposure to a Mozart piano sonata temporarily enhanced performance on a spatial-reasoning task...
Schellenberg et al. suggested that the Mozart Effect may be attributed to heightened states of arousal and mood which could explain the enhanced task performance. The present study investigates the relationship between arousal, mood, and spatial reasoning as measured by the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition (POMS 2) and a Paper Folding and Cutting Test (PF&C).
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PICTURING JAVA (WO)MAN: VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF COLONIAL PALEOANTHROPOLOGY
Author: Fiona Asokacitta
School: Northwestern University
Major: History and Art History
The question of man’s origin has plagued philosophers, scientists, and intellectuals alike for centuries. After Charles Darwin’s revolutionary Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) were published, fossil discoveries became paramount in establishing the connection between humans and earlier life forms...
School: Northwestern University
Major: History and Art History
The question of man’s origin has plagued philosophers, scientists, and intellectuals alike for centuries. After Charles Darwin’s revolutionary Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871) were published, fossil discoveries became paramount in establishing the connection between humans and earlier life forms...
However, despite decades of progress, the absence of the ‘missing link’ between apes and humans confounded scientists. In 1891 Dutch paleoanthropologist and geologist Eugene Dubois discovered what was claimed to be the missing link in the Dutch East Indies. He dubbed the fossil he discovered in Trinil, Java “Java Man” (Pithecanthropus erectus). Java Man was later found to be a subspecies of Homo Erectus, but for a time debate raged regarding its place in human ancestry.
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THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON PREGNANCIES AND THEIR OUTCOMES
Author: Tinyan Dada
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Comparative Human Development
Physiologic changes during pregnancy alters ways in which the body responds to infectious and inflammatory insults. In this study, we aimed to describe the symptoms and clinical presentation of pregnant patients diagnosed with COVID-19, a novel virus characterized by respiratory, inflammatory, and vascular complications...
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Comparative Human Development
Physiologic changes during pregnancy alters ways in which the body responds to infectious and inflammatory insults. In this study, we aimed to describe the symptoms and clinical presentation of pregnant patients diagnosed with COVID-19, a novel virus characterized by respiratory, inflammatory, and vascular complications...
Understanding how COVID-19 manifests in high risk black pregnant patients can help inform the medical management of this vulnerable, understudied population. A retrospective, descriptive analysis of COVID-19 positive pregnant patients admitted at an urban tertiary care center in the south side of Chicago was conducted to collect maternal medical information/outcomes. Overall, 56 subjects were included. Common obstetric diagnoses included labor/contractions, ruptured membranes, and bleeding.
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NONCOMMUTATIVE QUANTUM CALCULUS
Author: Gerald Davenport
School: Richard J. Daley College
Major: Electrical Engineering
Calculus is the main mathematical tool in classical physics. One of the central problems in modern physics is how to combine the microscopic description of nature (given by Quantum mechanics) with macroscopic (classical physics)...
School: Richard J. Daley College
Major: Electrical Engineering
Calculus is the main mathematical tool in classical physics. One of the central problems in modern physics is how to combine the microscopic description of nature (given by Quantum mechanics) with macroscopic (classical physics)...
From the mathematical point of view, variables in classical physics commute with each other (meaning ab=ba), but in the quantum world, variables are not commutative (ab≠ba). There were many different attempts to develop a quantum version of mathematics that can include both classical and quantum physics throughout the years. Being that calculus is the main mathematical tool in classical physics, in our work, we develop a noncommutative version of classical calculus.
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EXPLORING THE CLOSET: RECONCEPTUALIZING MACHISMO THROUGH MASCULINITY
Author: José H. Morin
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Sociology and Gender & Sexuality
Machismo has been treated by a lot of literature as a negative component of Latinx masculinity, rarely attempting to understand the holistic effect of its cultural implications on gender or queer individuals. This study utilizes past literature focused on reconceptualizing hegemonic masculinity, hybrid masculinity, and homomasculinity...
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Sociology and Gender & Sexuality
Machismo has been treated by a lot of literature as a negative component of Latinx masculinity, rarely attempting to understand the holistic effect of its cultural implications on gender or queer individuals. This study utilizes past literature focused on reconceptualizing hegemonic masculinity, hybrid masculinity, and homomasculinity...
This study utilizes past literature focused on reconceptualizing hegemonic masculinity, hybrid masculinity, and homomasculinity to create a framework to reconceptualize the cultural value of machismo, within U.S.-born, queer Latinx sons of immigrants. Drawing from 15 different qualitative interviews, this study examines the cultural mechanisms and creations utilized by the participants in negotiation with their visualization of machismo within Latinx communities where their sexuality is disclosed and public.
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HYPEROXIA-INDUCED LUNG ENGRAFTMENT OF HUMAN CORD BLOOD MONOCYTES IN A HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL OF BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA
Author: Priya Reddy
School: The Ohio State University
Major: Neuroscience
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is often characterized by chronic lung injury secondary to high levels of oxygen during the neonatal period. Previous studies have demonstrated that administration of human cord blood (CB) monocytes results in decreased alveolar damage due to hyperoxia exposure...
School: The Ohio State University
Major: Neuroscience
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is often characterized by chronic lung injury secondary to high levels of oxygen during the neonatal period. Previous studies have demonstrated that administration of human cord blood (CB) monocytes results in decreased alveolar damage due to hyperoxia exposure...
Previous studies have demonstrated that administration of human cord blood (CB) monocytes results in decreased alveolar damage due to hyperoxia exposure but fail to demonstrate engraftment of these cells in the lungs of the animal model. We hypothesize that administration of human CB monocytes in MISTRG humanized mice ameliorate the BPD-like phenotype after hyperoxia exposure. Cord blood was collected after delivery and processed within 36 hours.
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SEX-DEPENDENT BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN A MOUSE MODEL OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Author: Anna Wadhwa
School: The New Jersey Institute of Technology
Major: Biochemistry
According to the CDC, the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the US has been consistently increasing. Animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD indicate that several factors contribute to disease severity including genetics, prenatal infections and sex...
School: The New Jersey Institute of Technology
Major: Biochemistry
According to the CDC, the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the US has been consistently increasing. Animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD indicate that several factors contribute to disease severity including genetics, prenatal infections and sex...
However, most studies using animal models have focused only on males, assuming females are simply attenuated males. Therefore, we investigated the impact of sex on behaviors associated with ASD. We induced systemic inflammation by injecting recombinant interleukin-6 (IL-6) twice daily from postnatal days 3-6, at a dose of 75 ng per injection, which we previously showed doubled plasma levels of IL-6 and produced social behavior deficits in male mice.
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EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE RATES OF HEALTH CARE WORKER SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS AND BURNOUT
Author: Joanne Wang
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Neuroscience
Existing research from prior pandemics suggests that the COVID-19 crisis will likely have a substantial adverse impact on the well-being of health care workers (HCW) [1]. But the effect of COVID-19 on rates of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout in HCW has not been fully examined...
School: The University of Chicago
Major: Neuroscience
Existing research from prior pandemics suggests that the COVID-19 crisis will likely have a substantial adverse impact on the well-being of health care workers (HCW) [1]. But the effect of COVID-19 on rates of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout in HCW has not been fully examined...
The objective of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted STS and burnout rates in HCW and how these rates are affected by number of COVID+ cases, job type, departmental exposure to COVID+ patients, and confidence in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use. Data collection was part of an approved quality improvement project at UChicago Medicine. HCW (N=479) were surveyed using a Professional Quality of Life instrument with burnout and STS subscales...
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WHO HAS THE POWER? A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF CHICAGO’S CHINATOWN LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE
Author: Jonathan WuWong
School: TheUniversity of Chicago
Major: Linguistics and Visual Arts
As previously demonstrated by the work of Lou (2016) and Gorter (2006), the “linguistic landscape,” the network of signage and displayed text can give insight into the cultural dynamics within an area. From this basis, I hypothesize that Chicago’s Chinatown will similarly illustrate decisions on...
School: TheUniversity of Chicago
Major: Linguistics and Visual Arts
As previously demonstrated by the work of Lou (2016) and Gorter (2006), the “linguistic landscape,” the network of signage and displayed text can give insight into the cultural dynamics within an area. From this basis, I hypothesize that Chicago’s Chinatown will similarly illustrate decisions on...
From this basis, I hypothesize that Chicago’s Chinatown will similarly illustrate decisions on what signs are created, who can read them, and for whom they serve, reflecting the decision making power of the presiding group. In this study, I examine the distribution and significance of the signage within Chicago’s Chinatown in order to determine the dynamics between the various linguistic groups found within the area (both resident and visitor alike).
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THE DETECTION OF SYSTEMIC DISEASE RISK BASED ON MICROBIOME ANALYSIS AND LAMP TECHNOLOGY USING A PORTABLE DEVICE, THE LIFESMILE
Author: Laura Carmona
School: Oxnard Community College
Major: Biological Sciences
The LifeSmile oral microbiome diagnostic device is proposed to assess systemic disease risk from the comfort of your home. Roughly 700 resident microorganisms inhabit the oral cavity and are influenced by diet, immune health, and gender...
School: Oxnard Community College
Major: Biological Sciences
The LifeSmile oral microbiome diagnostic device is proposed to assess systemic disease risk from the comfort of your home. Roughly 700 resident microorganisms inhabit the oral cavity and are influenced by diet, immune health, and gender...
Recent studies indicate these bacteria are safe at low levels, but they become a danger to human health at high levels. More specifically, the risk for seven serious human pathologies rises significantly as specific bacterial populations increase. These “microbiome detectable diseases” include preterm labor, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and four cancers (oral, esophageal, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal).
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LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Author: Shannon Lally
School: Northwestern University
Major: Anthropology (archaeology) and Biological Sciences
The revitalization of endangered languages is both deeply personal and political, as language subjugation is directly linked to intentional efforts by colonizing powers to suppress and eradicate indigenous culture and dismantle local collective identity...
School: Northwestern University
Major: Anthropology (archaeology) and Biological Sciences
The revitalization of endangered languages is both deeply personal and political, as language subjugation is directly linked to intentional efforts by colonizing powers to suppress and eradicate indigenous culture and dismantle local collective identity...
Many studies have been conducted on how to promote endangered languages, but few evaluate the effectiveness of the movements and explore the underlying determinants of success, particularly how the relationship between minority language speakers and the colonizing powers may affect these movements. The Irish language revitalization movements in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland serve as a particularly valuable case study of the role of anti-colonial cultural movements...
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