Interdisciplinary – Page 28 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Interdisciplinary

Mapping the Effect of Disaster-induced Displacement on Social Behavior: The Case of Hurricane Harvey

Motivation/problem statement With the growing influence that social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have on the political ideologies of an individual, our project aims to see if we can track regional political trends through these platforms too. In addition to this we are also looking at ties between climate change based migration and shifting political majorities in the counties around Houston, Texas after Hurricane Maria in 2017. The team at Christopher Fariss’s lab consists of eight urop students who are in a wide variety of schools, from computer science to art, working together in the first year of a multiyear/on going project concerning how social media plays a factor in regional political majority and the impact that climate change has on coastal communities.

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Whole Health Evaluation for Veterans

Holistic forms of healthcare treatment are becoming increasingly important. Many research studies have been conducted on holistic treatment options for veterans, demonstrating their value and encouraging implementation. The federally funded Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, also the largest healthcare system in the USA, employs “Whole Health”, a holistic system of care, involving a diverse array of modalities, including yoga, acupuncture, meditation, tai chi, massage therapy, and more. This research seeks to evaluate the understanding, awareness, and treatment outcomes of Whole Health by those at VA, including employees, patients, relatives, and volunteers. A quantitative and qualitative Qualtrics survey was given to those at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System to analyze such by having participants rank themselves in categories like mental health, emotional health, spiritual health, and more. Survey-takers also identified which Whole Health modalities they have participated in. Currently, the research is ongoing. At the time of publication of this abstract, the data has been collected and preliminary analysis is in process. Specific, detailed, and final results will be available at the time of the Symposium presentation. Our team expects that the resulting data from the survey will indicate a strong understanding of the VA Whole Health system and its benefits. We anticipate that those who have utilized the offered VA modalities will report a greater health than those who haven’t. These results will demonstrate the value and relevance of holistic healthcare, specifically when treating veterans. In turn, our results will support the initiative to implement holistic medical treatment in more hospitals/healthcare systems worldwide and contribute to the academic discourse about the benefits of holistic healthcare.

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Whole Health Educational Evaluation for Veterans and VA Staff

“Whole Health Educational Resource Development and Evaluation for Veterans and VA Staff” A study was undertaken with the purpose of evaluating and identifying resource effectiveness in veterans or VA staff related to Whole Health usage. The federal government has taken interest in determining if Whole Health is a more effective healthcare care technique that can treat serious mental and physical conditions that can occur as a result of military engagement or treatment of military members. Review of Passport to Whole Health 3rd Edition 2018, videos on the VA Administration website, and mentor guidance helped prepare the development of a survey to be distributed. This survey is yet to be distributed to veteran and VA participants through online and physical means. Online through qualtrics and by hand for physical copies with the means of spreading the word through the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System in Ann Arbor, MI. We are yet to determine the findings, but we expect to be able to determine pain points associated with the treatment and effective modalities as well. Based on these results we are to address and analyze the data to report our findings on Whole Health resources.

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Suppressing heterotopic ossification and fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva in mouse models through targeting BMP type 1 receptor kinases

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic condition distinguished by the development of bone in soft tissue, known as heterotopic ossification (HO). FOP is a gain-of-function mutation, causing substitution of an arginine by histidine (R206H) within BMP type 1 receptor ACVR1 protein. This disorder severely impacts an individual’s life, as it leads to body malformations and disabilities. While the exact mechanism of HO progression is still unclear, studies have found that HO development is accompanied with an increase of BMP-SMAD signaling and inflammation. In this research project, we aim to discover methods to decrease HO in FOP mouse models, by attempting to decrease BMP signaling. ACVR1, BMPR1a, and BMPR1b are BMP type 1 receptors. Our previous studies showed that BMP-SMAD dependent signaling is decreased by the knockout of BMPR1a or ACVR1 in specific tissues. By deleting one and/or multiple of these receptors, we predict that it will decrease BMP signaling, ultimately suppressing HO. We use the constitutively active ACVR1 model (caACVR1-Q207D), which develops massive HO within two weeks after activation of BMP signaling with tissue injury. But our study showed our anticipation was wrong. We found that the HO was not inhibited in ACVR1-Q207D mouse model by knocking out BMP type 1 receptors. Additionally, the BMP-SMAD dependent signaling pathway was not inhibited by knocking out BMP type 1 receptors in the HO mouse models. Due to the fact that the outcomes of this project did not support our initial hypothesis, we need to analyze other ways to decrease BMP signaling to suppress HO formation. This research hopes to bring us closer to finding the first effective treatment for FOP/HO, helping the individuals whose lives are permanently impacted by this genetic disease.

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Modeling cardiac aging with stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes carrying a mutation for advanced aging

Using various images taken through a confocal microscope, the area of the nuclei in the heart cells of mice were measured in an effort to compare two varieties of cells. Those that were extracted from mice suffering from Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a severe and rare cardiovascular disease. Comparing these two types of cells provided a better idea of the meaningful ways in which cell morphology is different in regards to the presence of HGPS. Differences reflecting statistical significance were identified between the heart cells of “healthy” mice and those afflicted with HGPS. This data collection helps build upon the foundation and overarching goal of the lab which is to model cardiac aging through the use of stem cell derived cardiomyocytes.

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Computed tomography reconstruction of fossil vertebrates

In our research project we are studying CT examination of ancient vertebrates. Understanding morphology can illuminate the possible relationships between ancient fish vertebrates and the niches they inhabited. The fish species that will be examined for this are lungfishes, which are often described as “living fossils.” A “living fossil” is a broadly applied term but can be generally understood as an organism exhibiting a close resemblance to its older relatives found in the fossil record. This project utilizes 3D reconstructions of fossil sarcopterygian fishes to enhance our understanding of their place in the phylogenetic tree. We acquired fossils from various universities and museums across the country, and segmented out their lower jaws using the program Materialize by Mimics. By doing this our work will be turned into 3D models in the program Blender. These 3D models will then be used to “landmark” or flag important differences between the jaw structure in both the same and different species. Based on Landmark data we can better understand their place in the phylogenetic tree and the relationship between morphology, diversity, and the environmental niches of these fishes.

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Computed tomography reconstruction of fossil vertebrates

In our research project we are studying CT examination of ancient vertebrates. Understanding morphology can illuminate the possible relationships between ancient fish vertebrates and the niches they inhabited. The fish species that will be examined for this are lungfishes, which are often described as “living fossils.” A “living fossil” is a broadly applied term but can be generally understood as an organism exhibiting a close resemblance to its older relatives found in the fossil record. This project utilizes 3D reconstructions of fossil sarcopterygian fishes to enhance our understanding of their place in the phylogenetic tree. We acquired fossils from various universities and museums across the country, and segmented out their lower jaws using the program Materialize by Mimics. By doing this our work will be turned into 3D models in the program Blender. These 3D models will then be used to “landmark” or flag important differences between the jaw structure in both the same and different species. Based on Landmark data we can better understand their place in the phylogenetic tree and the relationship between morphology, diversity, and the environmental niches of these fishes.

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Investigating the Identity of an Ancient Fish Fossil Using CT Scanning

This research project examines Wardichthys cyclosoma, an extinct species of fish that lived during the Carboniferous period (around 350 million years ago) from Scotland. In the past, Wardichthys cyclosoma has been classified as a platysomid, a type of Paleozoic (540-252 million years ago) fish known for their deep, flat bodies. However, this classification is based on limited evidence since there is little detail visible on the fossil. This project applies X-ray computed tomography to examine the anatomy of a fossil of Wardichthys that is still enclosed in rock. Using past scientific literature, we found several points of similarity between Wardichthys cyclosoma and confirmed members of platysomid group. Major observations that are consistent with this placement within this platysomid group include the shape and arragement of the postclethrium, clavicle, cleithrum, and sclerotic ossicle. By corroborating past hypotheses, this research project helps refine the understanding of the early evolution of these ancient fishes.

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Communication and Behavior in Monkeys

Capuchin Monkeys, common to Central and South America, are considered to be one of the smartest types of new-world monkeys due to their complex vocalizations and social relationships within and across groups. Capuchins have a large repertoire of calls, ranging from peeps to gargles or alarms. Through 5-minute vocal follows with individual Capuchins at the Taboga field site, behaviors are compared and analyzed in terms of the monkey’s activity state, the vertical location from the ground to the canopy, the habitat type from the forest edge to the continuous forest, and the distance to the closest group member. These variables are used in an effort to understand how behaviors change in shared territory compared to in their own core territory. While many researchers have observed these vocalizations and variables in the past, very few have studied how vocal behavior may vary across environments associated with different levels of intergroup encounter and predation risk. More specifically, working to gain a better understanding of differentiating a capuchin’s social knowledge versus ecological knowledge will help us to answer necessary questions in our study. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and the multiple lockdowns, there was very little data collection in the fall of 2020. Beginning in the winter of 2021, the field site is once again active and vocal follows are being recorded as well as data being collected through the Animal Observer app at the field site in Costa Rica. Vocal follows are targeted recordings on an individual in the group where their behaviors are recorded and later analyzed and compared. As the study is on-going a final conclusion is unclear though it is currently predicted that when the risk of predation is high, there will be fewer or quieter vocalizations amongst monkeys due to the likelihood of risk. Furthermore, Capuchins vocalize at lower rates in shared territories when they are on the ground and at the forest edge because they perceive those areas to be riskier.

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Towards a comprehensive taxonomy of the cells of the retrosplenial cortex

The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is critical for both navigation & memory but impaired in Alzheimer’s disease. Despite this important role in health and disease, the cellular correlates that enable the RSC to perform these functions are not well understood. Recently, our lab has identified two types of principal neurons in the superficial layers of the RSC: low rheobase (LR) and regular spiking (RS) neurons. LR cells are believed to be important for navigational processing, while RS cells are thought to be involved in the processing of fear memories, among other functions. However, a detailed and extensive morphological analysis of different cell types across all RSC layers is still lacking. Here, we bridge this gap by defining morphological profiles of retrosplenial cells based on high resolution confocal images of individually-labeled neurons. This morphological analysis is then tied to the physiological properties of each labeled cell. Our data reveal important morphophysiological differences across cell types that can shape the specific computations each type of neuron can perform to support the distinct functions of the retrosplenial cortex.

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