Interdisciplinary – Page 10 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Interdisciplinary

Creative Writing & Publishing

Introduction: How to get work published is regarded as one of life’s greatest mysteries by many American writers; for this project, our research group decided to comprehensively study American literary journals in hopes of discovering which journals publish which types of work, and what particular journal would be the best fit for each member of our research group. We also practiced our own writing skills and developed our styles. Methods: To accomplish this goal, each group member compiled a database of information surrounding these journals, noting the length of submissions they typically published, the style of writings, and notable features of the journal, including whether or not they had a particular interest in new writers. We also submitted our own creative works (like flash fiction, short stories, poetry, prose) to our research group on a weekly basis for critique to analyze our own styles and determine which journals could be a good match. Results: An analysis of these databases has provided each member with a list of publications to which they will submit work. We have also learned which journals are most likely to print which types of work, and what things editors look for while they are reading submissions. Conclusions: Each member is submitting work now to see if we will be accepted anywhere.

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Leader Career Narratives

Zihao Li Pronouns: he Research Mentor(s): Elizabeth Trinh, PhD Student Research Mentor School/College/Department: Management and Organizations, Ross School of Business Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021 Session: Session 6 (4pm-4:50pm) Breakout Room: Room 1 Presenter: 5 Event Link Abstract For privacy concerns this abstract cannot be published at this time. Authors: Zihao Li Research Method:

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Worlding Medieval and Early Modern Iberia

The Iberian Peninsula, home to Spain and Portugal, is rich in the history of the Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Hebrew languages; Muslims, Jews, and Christians’ tumultuous histories; and many more aspects of intellectual literature and culture. Through this research project, which resulted in the creation of a mapping website to study the medieval text, “El libro de conosçimiento de todos los rregnos,” students will be able to learn about the world through the lens of a medieval traveler. The study utilizes “El libro de conosçimiento de todos los rregnos” in order to gather information about the wide variety of locations visited by the anonymous author in the fourteenth century. Qualitative data regarding names of regions and towns; persons of interest; and the coordinates of the aforementioned places are recorded. In addition, mythological creatures and locales are also recorded when named by the traveler. Analyzing this project leads a reader to discover the environment of the early 1300s, mapping the travels from Ireland to Italy to Istanbul. Shown through the map-based website the researchers created, students and pedagogists alike may better examine the history of the Iberian Peninsula. As “El libro de conoçimiento de rregnos” has not been studied in great detail compared to other texts from the same time period and locations, the website provides a fresh look for students of history, Iberian culture, and language.

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Worlding Medieval and Early Modern Iberia

Project: Worlding Medieval and Early Modern Iberia Student Signature: Hannah Cohen Mentor Signature: Luis Miguel dos Santos Motivation/problem statement: As it may be very difficult for students to read and analyze Spanish literature from Medieval times, the research conducted in this project will make the process simpler and easier to understand. Turning something that makes little sense in modern day language to something that does make sense will eliminate the confusion students have. Methods/procedure/approach: Analyzing Spanish literature texts from older times is how the results get drawn up. “Libro de Conocimiento” is the main text that contains information on people, places, and more from the times of the past. There are also other shorter stories relating to similar topics that provide additional findings. Results/findings/product: After picking out the important information about the past and completing the research on what will help current Spanish students understand what occurred in these past locations, a website is to be created. This website will display a map with the most important places, people, and might add some pictures and audios along the way to allow Spanish students to get full knowledge of what information they are to get from Medieval Spanish literature. Conclusion/implications: There is to be a greater understanding of Spanish literature, related to old places and people, for students. The website will be in great value as a guide in comprehension for those who are taking a Spanish literature course about the past.

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A 5-year Longitudinal Observational Study of Management of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular Carcinoma(HCC), a liver cancer that is linked with hepatitis A and B which are caused by liver cirrhosis, is an increasingly prevalent cancer that affects many people across the globe, majorly in the United States, Asia, and Africa. Treatments and remedies are currently very limited with nothing holding the capabilities of fully healing affected patients. The purpose of this research is to record and analyze the treatments currently used over the course of five years and create a database for future patients who face the cancer. Patients are searched for by project managers and are selected if they have HCC and commit to the project. The chosen patients undergo a health background check and provide documentation of their treatment and checkups every three months for a year and every six months for four more years. Over the course of five years, the patients are monitored and their medical documentation is used as data for the database. The database will allow physicians to categorize the effects of different treatments with the different types of patients to find the best solutions for future patients. After five years, the goal is not necessarily to find a cure or remedy, but rather to have an established database of information to allow doctors to better treat patients with HCC and create research further creating potential for a cure or remedy. The database’s main goal is to allow other researchers to take advantage of the material published and explore different methods of HCC treatment. Currently, the project remains partially complete and will require several years before the database becomes available for publication.

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A survey of Childhood Cancer Patients and Caregivers Experience during COVID

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented change in healthcare delivery. In pediatric oncology, patients and providers were challenged to adapt to evolving circumstances while balancing adherence to well-established oncology treatment and monitoring plans in order to decrease exposure and prevent serious infections in this potentially immunosuppressed population. These changes may have affected healthcare behaviors. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic on the timing of oncologic care and the overall experiences of pediatric oncology patients and families.

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Dysfunction of insulin producing pancreatic beta cells – The Central Problem in Diabetes

This lab and experience over the past school year has involved two separate components. The first component was in a wet lab doing actual work. The work I was doing was genotyping different mice and their offspring to test for genetic mutations. This was done through a tail snip being taken from the mice and digested to release the DNA. The DNA is then placed in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to replicate the DNA strand. The results of this PCR were then ran through a Gel electrophoresis system in order to measure the base pair lengths of genes being investigated. This in person lab research coincides with the auxiliary research I was doing. I was told to investigate how Beta cells measure the glucose level of blood and release the correct corresponding amount of insulin. This knowledge can then be used to see if certain genetic mutations in different mice result in differing insulin production or even a stop of insulin production.

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Developing a Liquid Biopsy Diagnostic Technique for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the United States and has one of the highest recurrence rates. The cancer is frequently caught late, especially in recurring cases, as most diagnostic techniques are highly invasive. Research was conducted to develop a liquid biopsy technique which would use circulating tumor (ct)DNA, also known as cell-free DNA, to track cancer markers in the blood. This technique could be used as both a prognostic and diagnostic technique for patients with HNSCC or those who have a chance of recurrence. We have had success using cell-free DNA extraction procedures to separate the ctDNA from patient blood samples. Now we are looking towards developing a diagnostic technique using this data. This technique would be incredibly useful for monitoring HNSCC patients’ responses to treatment because it would be fast and non-invasive. Particularly, the research is currently focused on HPV positive patients because the HPV ctNDA marker can be easily identified in patient blood. The liquid biopsy technique could also be extended and used for the detection of other types of cancers. This could significantly improve cancer diagnosis times and would help provide frequent and non-invasive tracking of the responses of cancer patients to treatments.

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Compiling a Terrestrial Food Web for the U-M Biological Station

Large scale ecological network data that includes multiple interaction types has frequently been called for in community ecology texts since the mid 1900s. However, a strong database with interaction data between different categories of organisms is still missing. Constructing a database of this type benefits many aspects of study such as ascertaining the overall health of an ecosystem or the relationship between species, including by understanding the ecological network structure. To construct such a database, we first used student projects to assemble a list of species present at the BioStation. Then, we used online resources of observations, taxonomic records, and academic papers to record all possible species interactions. Each source has different taxonomic specialties. Using these methods, we created a database that includes carnivory, herbivory, pollination, seed dispersal, and parasitism interactions between species from diverse taxonomic groups, including insects, birds, mammals, plants, and reptiles. From these, we assembled a comprehensive multiplex ecological network and created networks of different levels of resolution. Then, we identified gaps in taxonomic resolution and species interaction data available on the species at the BioStation. More research will have to be conducted, e.g., to identify predators of pollinators or record species-specific pollination links. Our database will be available to the public, meaning it can be used for education in classrooms and environmental conservation efforts, as well as available to researchers broadly.

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Simulating the Effect of Interspecific Competition in Invaded UMBS Pollination Network

While the effects of pollinator visit quality and quantity on the success of alien plant invasion have begun to be well characterized (Valdovinos et al. 2016, 2018, 2020), the effects of interspecific competition within the plant community are mostly unknown. Classical models have shown that greater intraspecific competition within a population relative to interspecific competition between two plant species ensures species coexistence. In nature, invasive plant species are quick to crowd out other plants’ access to resources like sunlight and water, causing population declines and collapse. However, invasive success is also mediated by their ability to attract and reward successful pollinators, compared to native plants. This experiment aims to investigate the effect of this interspecific competition on the plant-pollinator interactions of the community. We simulate the introduction of 10 alien plant species to an empirical pollination network using Valdovinos’ 2018 model, varying for the aliens’ interspecific competition coefficient, expected number of seed per pollination event, and ability of plants to effectively produce and attach pollen. We focus on characterizing how interspecific competition leads to variability in plant abundance and persistence. We identify the driving factors of successful plant invasions.

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