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The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 69, Issue 1, Winter 2020

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

This issue includes:

• Dean's Column - An Acquired Taste
• On Campus - Sidney and Caroline Kimmel Fund New Biomedical Research Building
• A Message from Elizabeth A. Dale - Generosity Goes Both Ways
• Discovery - It Takes a Village
• Solving the Puzzle - Shaping Jefferson's Neuroscience Department
• Faculty Profile - Kristin Rising, MD
• Alumni Profile - Neal Flomenberg, MD
• Student Profile - Hannah Garrigan
• Class Notes - 2019 Alumni Weekend
• Class Agent
• In Memoriam
• By the Numbers - The Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience

Local Control Of Resource Allocation Is Sufficient To Model Optimal Dynamics In Syntrophic Systems, Glenn Ledder, Sabrina E. Russo, Erik B. Muller, Angela Peace, Roger M. Nisbet

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Syntrophic systems are common in nature and include forms of obligate mutualisms in which each participating organism or component of an organism obtains from the other an essential nutrient or metabolic product that it cannot provide for itself. Models of how these complementary resources are allocated between partners often assume optimal behavior, but whether mechanisms enabling global control exist in syntrophic systems, and what form they might take, is unknown. Recognizing that growth of plant organs that supply complementary resources, like roots and shoots, can occur autonomously, we present a theory of plant growth in which rootshoot allocation is determined …

Predator-Dependent Functional Responses Alter The Coexistence And Indirect Effects Among Prey That Share A Predator, Kyle E. Coblentz, John P. Delong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Predator functional responses describe predator feeding rates as a function of prey abundance and are central to pred-ator–prey theory. Despite ample evidence that functional responses also depend on predator abundance, theory incor-porating predator-dependent functional responses has focused almost exclusively on specialist predator–prey pairs or linear food chains. This leaves a large gap in our knowledge as many predators feed on multiple prey, and in so doing, generate indirect effects among prey that can alter their coexistence. Here we investigate how predator-dependent functional responses in a one predator–two prey model alter the coexistence among prey and their net effects on one …

Adaptations Of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 With Transition From Terrestrial To Aquatic Life, Monica Angeletti, Wan-Ling Nicole Hsu, Nashaat Majo, Hideaki Moriyama, Etsuko Moriyama, Luwen Zhang

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and IRF7 are closely related IRF members and the major factors for the induction of interferons, a key component in vertebrate innate immunity. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the evolution and adaptation of those IRFs to the environments. Two unique motifs in IRF3 and 7 were identified. One motif, GASSL, is highly conserved throughout the evolution of IRF3 and 7 and located in the signal response domain. Another motif, DPHK, is in the DNA-binding domain. The ancestral protein of IRF3 and 7 seemed to possess the DPHK motif. In the ray-finned fish lineage, while …

Presence Of Fruits Decreases Probability Of Retaining Flowers In A Sequentially Flowering Plant, Shivani Jadeja, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Both intrinsic and extrinsic plant processes affect the fate of flowers along an inflorescence in sequen- tially flowering plants. We investigated whether the intrinsic process of competition for limited resource between fruits and flowers owing to resource preemption or sink strength of basal fruits, or architectural effects due to posi- tional differences in the probability of retaining flowers, explains a lower probability of retaining distal flowers inYucca glauca. Further, we investigated how the extrinsic process of seed herbivory interacts with the plant’s intrinsic processes of flower retention. We carried out a field experiment to compare flower retention among nine combi- …

Case Study Examining Foreign Language Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Tpack) In Teaching Listening And Speaking Skills In Virtual Worlds, Rahmi Hartati Aoyama

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study utilizes the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to provide a holistic view of how language teachers demonstrate their TPACK in teaching listening and speaking in virtual worlds. Seven language teachers who taught in informal virtual language class settings participated in this study. The teachers’ TPACK skills were examined through archived online chat transcripts for each observed class, one-on-one interviews with each language instructor, TPACK and demographic surveys, observation notes, and class documents from the instructors. The researcher took several steps to code the TPACK survey data to identify patterns by comparing the mean …

Wading In A Glycan Sea: Investigations Of, And Developing Bioinformatic Tools For, Carbohydrate Active Enzymes And Gene Clusters In Prokaryotes, Catherine Ann Ausland

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Carbohydrates are immensely important biomolecule found in all organisms on earth, serving roles in structure, energy storage, protection and/or cell signaling. Carbohydrates are composed of an immense diversity of linkages, monosaccharide moieties and substitutions making them likely the most diverse biomolecule on earth, as well as the most abundant, being synthesized by plants and algae. Carbohydrates are synthesized and degraded by all organisms on earth through the expression of carbohydrate active enzymes, or ‘CAZymes’. In bacteria, CAZymes have been characterized to cluster in with transporters, regulators and/or other genes in so-called ‘polysaccharide utilization loci’, or PULs, to degrade carbohydrate substrates …

A Qualitative Study: Black Male College Students’ Perceptions Of Campus Law Enforcement Officers On A College Campus, Junelle M. Bennett

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Black males are often the recipients of police brutality, criminal stereotyping, and inequitable treatment in higher education. This qualitative study examined the experiential narratives of 15 Black male college students’ perception towards law enforcement officers. The data was collected via one-on-one interviews, concluded with a focus group, and then presented in narrative forums. The participants’ feelings, attitudes, or beliefs about themselves as Black males significantly contributed to their inherent identification of the cultural challenges associated with law enforcement officers. The participants’ personal and vicarious life experiences prior to enrolling into higher education were significant to the authentic comprehension of the …

The Roles Of Rumination And Social Support In Victimization And Depression, Nicole Dorio

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Unfortunately, bullying is a common phenomenon many adolescent students experience during middle school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015). Given the negative outcomes often associated with experiencing victimization, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in these associations as well as potential protective factors (Nakamoto & Schwartz, 2010). Using 89 students in grades 5 through 8, the current study focused on the negative outcome of depression and it explored rumination as a mediator in this association. Additionally, the roles of gender and social support (from parents, teachers, and close friends) were explored within this mediation model as moderators. …

Experiences Of Southeast Asians At A Community College In The Midwest, Emmanuel Canlas Esperanza Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored what contributed to Southeast Asian students’ persistence in an urban community college in the Midwest. A qualitative case study was used to reveal how Southeast Asian students perceived personal and educational experiences and how those experiences created an impact on their persistence. This project addressed the lack of research on Southeast Asians and their challenges attaining academic success in higher education. This study is critical, as there is a lack of research on Southeast Asian students’ experiences within higher education institutions, particularly within community college settings. The majority of research has focused on Asian American or international …

The Emotions Of Science: Using Social Media To Gauge Public Emotions Toward Research Topics, Cole C. Freeman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Online and in the real world, communities are bonded together by emotional consensus around core issues. Emotional responses to scientific findings often play a pivotal role in these core issues. When there is too much diversity of opinion on topics of science, emotions flare up and give rise to conflict. This conflict threatens positive outcomes for research. Emotions have the power to shape how people process new information. They can color the public's understanding of science, motivate policy positions, even change lives. And yet little work has been done to evaluate the public's emotional response to science using quantitative methods. …

The Influence Of The Type Of Supernatural And Paranormal Media On The Belief In The Various Forms Of Supernatural And Paranormal Phenomena, Mellissa Halsey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis compares the consumption of the three different types of media: reality, live action fictional, and animated fictional, and the belief in the different types of supernatural and paranormal belief. The various phenomena addressed in this thesis were angels, demons, ghosts, psychics, aliens/UFOS, zombies, and Bigfoot. Models were created to test the belief level of each specific phenomena type against each of the three types of media, if enough media examples existed of each phenomena type. This type of analysis was used so that each media could be considered separately and then compared to each other. The hypotheses were …

S.I.S. (Suffering In Silence): The Influence Of Educational Attainment On Black Women’S Health, Quiana Chakeena Jones

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative inquiry study was to explore the influence of educational attainment on Black women’s perceptions of their health. Empirical research indicates the causes of stress and other health concerns pertaining to Black women are often rooted in racism and discrimination. Within the literature, the barriers that many African American women face within the educational system on all levels are discussed. However, there are few studies that have specifically researched the connection between educational attainment regarding receiving bachelorette degrees or higher and how or if that has an influence on Black women’s health. As such, the …

Laminate-Like Behavior Of An Additively Manufactured Polymer With Underlying Bioinspired Architecture, Flavio Jonuzaj

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Laminates are a class of composite materials in which several unidirectional laminae are stacked together to create a material with a clear layer-by-layer architecture. Traditionally, each lamina is itself a composite consisting of aligned fibers, such as cellulose, graphite, or glass, embedded within a polymer, ceramic, or metal host matrix. These materials are unique in the sense that their engineering properties can be greatly varied simply by changing the stacking order of lamina within the laminate. While there are several traditional manufacturing approaches for laminates, recent research has focused on assessing the feasibility of using additive manufacturing techniques to create …

Depression And Anxiety In A Female Adolescent Population With Sources Of Social Support Latent Profiles, Kathleen Kelly

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social support is associated with various outcomes such as depression and anxiety. Less work has investigated how support received from various sources cumulatively is associated with internalizing symptoms. Research suggests that above other sources, parents and peers are the most strongly associated with internalizing outcomes. Looking at female adolescents specifically, the current study explored 1) what patterns of social support across sources emerge in a female adolescent sample, and 2) how do depressive and anxiety symptoms vary based on those patterns of social support? The study utilized Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) on data collected from a female high school sample …

Satellite Constellation Deployment And Management, Joseph Ryan Kopacz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper will review results and discuss a new method to address the deployment and management of a satellite constellation. The first two chapters will explorer the use of small satellites, and some of the advances in technology that have enabled small spacecraft to maintain modern performance requirements in incredibly small packages.

The third chapter will address the multiple-objective optimization problem for a global persistent coverage constellation of communications spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit. A genetic algorithm was implemented in MATLAB to explore the design space – 288 trillion possibilities – utilizing the Satellite Tool Kit (STK) software developers kit. …

Actin Regulation And Furrow Dynamics During Early Drosophila Embryogenesis, Yi Xie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drosophila embryogenesis starts with a single nucleus undergo 13 rounds of nuclear divisions called syncytial cycles. Staring at cycle 10 when nuclei migrate to the surface of the embryo, massive and dynamic cortical actin structures and cleavage furrow formations occur. How actin regulators coordinate into an organized network directing three-dimension actin structures in the developing organisms is an unsolved question. Here, I present an in-depth characterization of actin cap dynamics: the actin caps go through expansion, stabilization, elongation and fragmentation phases in each cycle. Arp2/3 is the major contributor to actin cap formation. The functions of 7 different actin and …

Model-Based Estimates Of The Timing Of Brine Flux Into The Victoria Land Basin From The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Valerie Nicole Voisin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) at a continental scale is one of the least constrained components of the hydrologic cycle and may represent a significant flux of iron and silica waters to the global ocean. Quantifying SGD along the Antarctic margin is complicated by complex subglacial and subsurface hydrogeology and limited observational data. Airborne transient electromagnetic (AEM) surveys have identified extensive high-salinity subsurface brines in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) that are hydrologically connected to surface features in the MDV (e.g. Taylor Glacier, saline lakes) and are potentially a significant source of SGD to McMurdo Sound. A 2D numerical model was …

Wildlife Ecology And Conservation In A Suburban Preserve Matrix: Applications Of Long-Term Monitoring Data, John Peter Vanek

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Wildlife is important to humans, offering economic, nutritional, ecological, and socio-cultural value. However, vertebrate biodiversity is being lost at rates 100 times greater than the background extinction rate, threatening human livelihood via the loss of ecosystem services. These human-induced species losses are primarily due to habitat destruction, which is increasingly tied to urban development. Conservation of wildlife resources is therefore imperative in a world where more than 50% of the human population, and 80% of people living in the United States, now live in urban areas. In this dissertation, I demonstrate how monitoring data can be applied to answer questions …

Shyness Mindset And Sexual Harassment Responses Among Female College Students, Jessica Rose Winder

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sexual harassment is a common problem that has negative consequences on society as a whole and on individual well-being. Confronting sexual harassers has been shown to be an effective response. Victims of sexual harassment are also encouraged to report harassment. Sexual harassment has been associated with internalizing responses, such as depression and decreased self-esteem. These responses could negatively influence confronting and reporting behaviors. This study draws from previous mindset research. Results from this prior research showed evidence that shyness mindset affects responses to peer victimization among adolescents and college students. This study hypothesized that shyness mindset among female college students …

Fundamental Study Of Supported Metal Catalysts Prepared By Metal In Lithium Solution For Energy Science, Haiping Xu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising technique for energy conversion and storage from intermittent electricity sources (ie. wind and solar). By coupling electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) to a renewable energy source atmospheric CO2 could be converted back into a fuel such as ethanol, or a commodity chemical such as ethanol or acetic acid. These products could then be consumed for energy or used to generate more valuable chemical products effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. To commercialize this process, it is highly desired to prepare catalysts that selectively reduce CO2 at low overpotential with long durability. Research …

Men's Lived Experiences In A Counselor Training Program: A Phenomenological Investigation, Suzanna Marie Wise

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the lived experience of seven counselors-in-training (CITs) who are men in one accredited masters-level counselor preparation program in the Midwestern United States. Over the course of a single interview that ranged in length from approximately one to two hours each, CITs were asked to describe and define their gender identity and expression, describe their experiences of being men in their families and communities, in their respective counseling programs, and as they reflect on the process of becoming a counselor in a woman-concentrated profession. Predominate gender socialization patterns in the United States in which men worked and …

Qualitative Perspectives On The Strange Trails Of Persistence In Stem, Erika Johanna Zocher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In 2019, a Midwestern state university was awarded a $1 million NSF S-STEM grant to support scholarships for academically gifted, Pell Grant-eligible undergraduates enrolled in one of six designated STEM majors. Educational research was also funded by this grant, with the goal of identifying and contextualizing supports and challenges that impact persistence in STEM within the setting of a near-peer-mentored social support group during the fall of 2019. The purpose of this group was to provide social support and foster a sense of belonging for the twelve scholars. Such support is important for guiding students towards personal development and degree …

Modern Mandala: A Transnational History Of Southeast Asians From Burma, Malaya, And Thailand, 1950-1970., Joann Losavio

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation documents cultural processes of decolonization and nation-building in the mid-twentieth century between 1950 and 1970 between Southeast Asia and the West, specifically between Burma, Malaya, Thailand, and Great Britain and the United States, as they occurred through transnational connections, migrations, spaces, and exchanges. This study proposes transnational factors were critical in such cultural processes, and proves this point through the examination of three case studies.

The first focuses on Malayan students in Great Britain in the early 1950s and how a group of them expressed anti-colonial ideas and desires for their own independent nation in a student journal, …

Estimating Paleotemperatures In The Amundsen Sea For The Last 620,000 Years Through Diatom Morphometrics (Iodp Expedition 379), Joseph Robert Mastro

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As global climate continues to rapidly change over the coming decades, West Antarctica will continue to be a significant area of concern due to its susceptibility to marine ice sheet collapse. Past collapses during Pleistocene interglacials have been hypothesized but uncertainty exists with respect to the precise timing of specific collapse events. Drill core samples collected from the Amundsen Sea continental rise during IODP Expedition 379 allow for analysis of a more continuous record of Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. Here we report paleotemperature estimates from the Amundsen Sea spanning the last 620 kyr with the objective of identifying likely late Pleistocene …

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Behavioral Inhibition/Activation, And Behavioral Response To A Distressed Infant Simulator In Emerging Adults, Erin R. Mckay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Caregiver sensitivity and intrusiveness during infancy are predictive of the development of self-regulation, joint-attention, and cognitive ability. However, few studies have examined predictors of caregiver responses to infant distress. Of particular note is vagal tone, specifically respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological measure of top-down self-regulation. Previous work has identified a relationship between RSA, as well as other measures of caregiver self-regulation, with caregiver sensitivity and intrusiveness. The current study also examined additional predictors of caregiver responsiveness, behavioral inhibition and activation, which was conceptualized as a bottom-up system of self-regulation due to its influence on motivation and personality. It was …

Association Of Various Physiological And Fitness Markers To Body Fat Percentage In Physically Inactive Adults, Anthony Mckee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Obesity can dramatically and negatively affect many aspects of normal physiological functioning. Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used approach to quantify body fat in large group settings; however, this method has significant shortcomings with accuracy and estimation. More direct measures such as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can provide a more reliable and accurate assessment of body fat mass and, therefore reduce the shortcomings of BMI when assessing possible associations with health- and performance-related variables. A plethora of research studies has been conducted …

The Impact Of Attributional Style On Adolescent Stress And Mental Health: Exploring Domain-Specific Stressors, Lauren Therese Mcneela

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between domain-specific stressors (i.e., interpersonal versus noninterpersonal) and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms among 118 high school students (Mage = 16.65 years old; 64% female; 79.8% Caucasian). Additionally, this study assessed the impact of negative attributional style on each of these associations, furthering the current literature on the Cognitive Diathesis-Stress model among adolescents. Using the lavaan package of RStudio (Rosseel, 2012), path analyses were run to examine the relationship between domain-specific stressor and adolescent outcomes. The present study found that interpersonal, but not noninterpersonal stressors were associated with internalizing symptoms, while neither interpersonal nor …

Examination Of Practices Used By Ap Computer Science Teachers With Higher Than Average Female Enrollment, Derek J. Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the practices employed by AP Computer Science A teachers that can help recruit and retain female students in computer science. A survey was sent to teachers to see what practices they used in their classrooms and what practices they thought had the biggest influence on female student recruitment and retention. Of the five practice categories (recruitment, pedagogical, curricular, extracurricular, and mentoring), the survey respondents thought recruitment was the most influential and curricular was the least influential. After the survey, 12 teachers were chosen for interviews because they had a higher enrollment of female students than the rest …

Single-Domain Vhh Antibodies As Protein Stabilization Modules, Nourhan Mohamed Disouky Mostafa

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

VHH domains are the antigen-binding units found in heavy-chain-only antibodies from the Camelidae family (e.g., camels and llamas). They are considered a unique minimalist antibody scaffold due to the lack of a variable light chain domain. Despite having half the antigen-binding interface of conventional antibodies, these VHH antibodies bind their target antigens with affinities comparable to conventional antibodies. This project explored how flexible linkers connecting an anti-GFP VHH (αGFP VHH) domain to its antigen (EGFP) enhanced antigen stability and influenced oligomeric assembly. It was hypothesized that linking the anti-GFP VHH antibody to its target antigen (EGFP) will increase the local …