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  Identification of Delay Discounting and Associated Measures of Impulsive Behavior

  Emmanuel Rock

  Impulsivity has been defined as a swift action without any previous consideration or reflection (Rogers et al., 2010), or to act with less consideration than individuals of equal ability. In clinical psychology, impulsivity can often be an important aspect in diagnosing psychological disorders. In psychiatry, the manifestation of impulsive behavior has been evident in patients with personality disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance abuse disorders.

  The Barret Impulsivity Scale (BIS) has been a commonly used self-report measure of impulsivity in both research and clinical settings (Stanford et al., 2009). In the academic setting, the BIS has been used to measure various domains of functioning (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, emotional, etc.) among students.

  Green and Myerson (2001) expanded the research in perspective to outcomes of delay discounting. They found that both measures are multifactual in respect to each other, indicating different interpretations from both indicators. In the current study, we are examining whether impulsivity is a predicted measure of delay discounting using the BIS and the Kirby Choice Monetary Questionnaire (Kirby et al., 1999) to determine (1) probable correlation between both impulsivity and delay discounting tasks, and (2) whether both measures verify similar constructs. Participants were 760 undergraduate students from a regional, public university with all data collected. Students were given an assessment choosing a preference of smaller, immediate rewards over delayed larger rewards. These were arranged on a modified scale using k values for small, medium, and larger monetary rewards. Those records were then compared to the responses of the BIS by assessing dispositions of attention, motor, and non-planning impulsiveness. Student choices were used to plot a curve and the area under the curve was used to estimate degree of discounting for each monetary value. (Myerson, Green, & Warusawitharana, 2001). With regard to the first research question, we found no relationship between the BIS and the Kirby Monetary Choice Questionnaire, although different measures of delay discounting were highly inter-correlated. However, there was a correlation in regard to procrastination, which may indicate both measures determining different constructs.

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  Ladies, Do Not Pass Go: Changing Cultural Gender Beliefs Through a Gender Monopoly Simulation

  Katelynn Shadoan and Faith Myers

  Despite the fight for gender equality, cultural gender beliefs—societal-level gender stereotypes—shape the organization of workplaces, the expectations and norms of husbands and wives in marriages, and the roles and responsibilities of men and women in families (Ridgeway 2009; 2011). Consequently, cultural gender beliefs reinforce ideas about men being more suited and valued in the workplace, resulting in a sustaining gender wage gap and occupational sex segregation. Women are paid less at work, do not have the same opportunities as men, and contend with a motherhood penalty as well (Brown and Misra 2003; Cohen and Huffman 2003; England 1992). While there have been gains towards equality, beliefs in inherent gender differences persist among the general public and college students. Students sometimes hesitate to acknowledge that inequality is still present. To better understand the reality of gender stratification, Smith (2017) created a modified version of Monopoly that simulates wage inequality, the benefits of marriage, and the cost of children. Smith (2017) found that many student participants were angry, stressed and thought the game was unfair after playing with the modified rules. Drawing on Smith’s modified game, we sought to examine how participating in a gender-stratified monopoly simulation affected the gender beliefs of students at a mid-sized southeastern university. To do this, we conducted surveys with the 30 students who participated in the simulation. We gave the students a pretest measuring their gender beliefs before the simulation and a post-test to measure their gender beliefs afterwards. In this presentation, we outline the results of these pre- and post-tests and further offer recommendations to modify the simulation to better represent how gender structures inequality in our society.

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  Testing Different Blocking Buffers and Concentration Effects on Signal Strength by Western Blotting Against Cytochrome C

  Jerod Sharp and Shelby Harris

  Western Blotting is a commonly used process in which specific proteins are detected in a sample of tissue or extract by using primary antibodies that specifically bind to the protein and secondary antibodies which bind to the primary antibody. Blocking is the process of exposing a Western blot to a protein or other solution that sticks to the blot matrix and prevents non-specific binding of antibodies. Different blocking buffers give different results depending on the protein being analyzed, with some stripping off the protein while others enhancing the resulting signal. In these experiments, we tested a variety of blocking buffers at different concentrations, as well as combinations of blocking buffers to determine which buffers gave the most substantial signal with little to no background with Western blotting against cytochrome C. Blocking is a very important step during the Western blotting process. As stated previously, it prevents the nonspecific binding of the antibody to the membrane, which is the leading cause of high background in the Western Blot. The high background leads to inaccurate analysis of the proteins within which is what these experiments were aimed to avoid. All experiments used 5% nonfat dry milk as a control. Trial blocking buffers included Milk at concentrations ranging from 1% to 5%, BSA ranging from 1% to 5%, Hemoglobin also ranging from 1% to 5%, Gelatin at 3%, and, lastly, PVP/PEG ranging from 1% to 4% each. Other combinations included PVP/PEG and combinations of different proteins. Since PVP/PEG combinations provided the best signal with Western Blotting against histones, we expect similar results with Western blotting against cytochrome c.

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  A Leaderboard Application for Learning Management Systems: Project Planning with UML

  Marcus Shell, Nathan Butler, Joshua Bluce, and Chao Lin

  A team of students was given the task of designing a leaderboard application to be utilized by LMS platforms, namely Canvas. The team assembled a set of documents pertaining to the design and implementation of such a program. Documents include a use-case diagram, sequence diagrams, and a database diagram to name a few. The team will demonstrate the concept they developed and discuss the overall design process and its importance in industry.

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  Toxicity of Native and Invasive Apple Snail Egg Proteins on Developing Xenopus Laevis

  Andrew Shirley, Ansley Winter, and Johnny Ubi

  Island Apple Snails (Pomacea maculata) are large aquatic snails in the family Ampularidae and considered one of the most detrimental invasive species in the world. Populations of P. maculata have been established on every continent except Antarctica where they disrupt the aquatic ecosystem. Once a population has infiltrated a suitable environment, they are difficult to remove due to their ability to aestivate, tolerance of low oxygen environments, and the toxicity of their eggs. P. maculata eggs contain an ovorubin protein that gives them a bright pink pigment, protects developing embryos from harsh environments, and has been proven to have neurotoxic effects on mice. To control P. maculata populations in the United States, egg masses are scraped into the water where developing snails die due to submersion. However, no previous studies have been done to evaluate the effects of P. maculata egg protein on developing aquatic organisms. In our studies we used standardized FETAX procedures to expose eggs of Xenopus laevis to varying concentrations of P. maculata egg proteins. In addition, we performed similar exposure procedures with egg proteins from the native Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) to determine the novelty of this xenobiotic. Lastly, we experimented with methods of altering the protein, including filtration through a strong cation exchange column, and incubation of the protein at 24°C for varying amounts of time prior to exposure. Experiments using P. maculata egg extracts that were unaltered or slightly heat exposed had the lowest LC50s, while egg extracts that went through filtration or longer heat exposure had higher LC50s. The LC50 of P. paludosa egg extracts could not be determined due to low mortality at all concentrations. Results suggest that toxicity seen in our experiments is caused by P. maculata egg extract, which is novel to the invaded locations, and can persist in the environment for several days.

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  A Discussion of the Guggenheims: The Links Between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

  Olivia Sims

  In recent decades, museum architecture has become more experimental in their form and design for a variety of different reasons. Some of these reasons include the patron’s desire to establish a brand for their museum; association with the content that will be exhibited inside; and hopes of attracting tourism to their community. Two museums that fit this picture are Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, New York, 1943-1959) and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Bilbao, Spain, 1991-1997).

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  Flora of Cleburne County, Alabama | Lemon Daylily - Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus (Hemerocallidaceae) New Plant Species to the Flora of Alabama

  Melanie Spaulding

  Presentation 1: Although many of Alabama’s plant species have been documented, a comprehensive survey of the state has never been completed. This lack of basic floristic data contributes to a relatively poor understanding of the state’s plant diversity and plant distributions, and therefore provides the opportunity for continued field research. The current project focuses on the flora of Cleburne County in Northeast Alabama. Approximately one-third of the county encompasses the Talladega National Forest (more than any other county within the national forest’s range). The county has two physiographic regions (Piedmont and Ridge and Valley) and is home to Mount Cheaha, the highest point in the state. Currently, Cleburne is 27th in the state for the total number of documented native plant taxa, and it has the third highest number of recorded taxa among adjacent counties. In the past, five floras have been conducted that included portions of the county: Cheaha State Park, Horseblock Mountain, Talladega National Forest -Talladega Ranger District (Clay and Cleburne Counties), Duggar Mountain (Calhoun and Cleburne Counties), and Choccolocco Creek (Talladega, Cleburne, and Calhoun Counties). Preliminary research for the current project has revealed over one hundred and fifty new vascular plant records (previously undocumented species) for the county, including the addition of two orders, nine families, and fifty genera. The objectives of this research are to 1) determine all vascular plants growing in Cleburne County through field work; 2) document all plants with representative voucher specimens to be placed in the Jacksonville State University Herbarium; and 3) collect useful data to assist with future management decisions regarding conservation initiatives. This study will also test the hypothesis that Cleburne County has more vascular plant diversity than neighboring, better-documented counties, potentially placing Cleburne within the top twenty counties in Alabama for plant diversity.

  Presentation 2: Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus L. (Hemerocallidaceae) is reported as a new record for the vascular flora of Alabama. A small population of H. lilioasphodelus was discovered in Randolph County, Alabama in 2019. The vouchered population occurs in a disturbed powerline right-of-way in the Wedowee area in the Piedmont Upland Physiographic Region. This species is native to eastern Asia and is considered naturalized in parts of North America. It occurs sporadically in parts of eastern North America and in a few West Coast States. Lemon Daylily is often grown as a garden flower and very rarely escapes from cultivation. This plant is historically known for its edible and medicinal properties. The closest vouchered populations in adjacent states are located in: middle Tennessee, southeastern Georgia, East Texas and the Florida Panhandle.

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  Blocking Buffers and Their Effects on Mammalian Histones

  Peighton Tavis and Shelby Harris

  Mammalian histones are highly alkaline proteins found in the nuclei that organize DNA into chromosomes and regulate transcription. We are investigating the interactions between histones and mitochondria by using cell fractionation and Western Blotting to identify the histones. The blocking step in the process coats the membrane with proteins or other molecules to reduce non-specific binding of the antibodies. We use 5% nonfat dry milk as a control for all experiments, it is essential to use this variation of milk because it reduces background noise and helps produce good, clear bands. Although 5% nonfat dry milk is widely used as a blocking buffer, we are testing different blocking buffers to see if the signal strength increases or completely strips proteins off of the blot, the conclusion of which blocking buffer works the best will be determined by the protein being examined. Since antibodies to histone H2A and H2B are low-affinity and give a weak signal, we are therefore testing different blocking buffers, such as milk concentrations ranging from 1 to 5%, BSA ranging from 1 to 5%, and hemoglobin ranging from 1 to 5%, as well as gelatin at 3%, and PVP or PEG individually ranging from 1 to 4% and different combinations of the aforementioned blocking buffers to determine which blocking buffer gives the best detection signal. Our preliminary results indicated that RVR/REG combinations provided the strongest signal, while gelatin tends to strip the proteins completely off of the blot and reduce the signal.

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  SLC6A1 Gene Variant R479: the Effects of a Mutant Stop Signal on the GABA Transporter Protein

  Kristen Nichole Taymon

  SLC6A1 is a gene which encodes a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter protein. This protein is responsible for removing the GABA from the synaptic cleft and reinstating it back into the presynaptic terminals. Mutations of this gene are associated with an early onset autosomal dominant epileptic encephalopathy which causes an intellectual disability. The R479* protein variant in the SLC6A1 gene is a single nucleotide variant, 1 base pair long, which creates a premature stop signal. The result of this is thought to be either the absence or disruption of the protein product. This variant has yet to be tested, however, it is considered pathogenic because all previously tested loss-of-function variants in the SLC6A1 gene have been pathogenic. Patients with this mutation have Myoclonic-atonic epilepsy which originates from the germline allele.

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  Cannabidiol and Cancer: Adventures from Cell Biology

  Ruby (Ellie) Thamert, Emma Schaffer, and Andrew Kirk

  Students in cell biology lab used resources from the Cell Biology Education Consortium to design semester-long research projects in their course-based lab. For this project, students chose to test the effects of commercially available cannabidiol (CBD) oil on viability and metastatic potential of breast cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma and melanoma cell lines in vitro. MTT and transwell migration assays were performed to test and compare the effects of a medically reputable CBD oil, a hemp elixir from the Forbes top twenty list of CBD products, and a CBD-containing drink from a local gas station on these cell lines. Data demonstrate a dose-dependent effect on both cell viability and migration in all cell lines with the medically-reputable oil. The hemp elixir and CBD drink were only tested with breast cancer cells. The hemp elixir also demonstrated dose-dependent effects on both viability and migration, while the CBD product from the local gas station had no effect on either of these hallmark characteristics of cancer cells. These results suggest that all CBD products may not have equivalent medicinal value and that some over-the-counter CBD products are effective in decreasing cell viability and the metastatic potential of various cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, which prompts the need for more intensive studies on the topic.