COVER PAGE HERE: CAMPUS MAP THIS PAGE: 1 Symposium Location: Campus Readiness Center, USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC. 29303 Emergency Contact Information: University Police: (864) 503-5911 Map: Please refer to the map of the USC Upstate Campus on the previous page. NOTE: Construction is continuing at the campus entrance, to view current street closings and driving routes as the result of the continuing construction visit http://www.uscupstate.edu/about_upstate/map/directions.asp. Driving directions to USC Upstate: From U.S. 176: Use Exit 22, Valley Falls Road. At the top of the ramp turn LEFT onto Valley Falls Road. Proceed to University Way or North Campus Boulevard. Turn right on to either of these streets. From Business I-85 North: Use Exit 5-B, Milliken Road. Proceed along the frontage road to the Milliken Bridge over Business I-85, and turn left crossing over Business I-85. At the four-way STOP at the end of the bridge, continue straight on North Campus Boulevard. From Business I-85 South: Use Exit 6, SC 9. Proceed along the frontage road for about ½ mile being careful not to re-enter Business 85. Turn right at the Milliken Bridge and follow North Campus Boulevard to the campus. From I-85: Use Exit 72 onto U.S. 176 towards Spartanburg. Then use Exit 22 to Valley Falls Road as above. When exiting the campus, follow the reverse. Road Construction Notice The creation of a new highway infrastructure around and through the University of South Carolina Upstate campus is the single biggest event in the University's recent history and it certainly parallels the enormous growth of this institution. This $60 million project is creating a highly visible entrance to campus, providing easier, faster and safer accessibility to campus, improving traffic flow, expanding existing roads, and creating new roads. To view current street closings and driving routes as the result of the continuing construction visit http://www.uscupstate.edu/about_upstate/map/directions.asp. 2 Symposium Schedule Poster Set Up and Opening Remarks: 7:30-8:00 Poster Set-up (Readiness Center Lobby) 8:00-8:30 Sign in, Name tags, Poster Viewing (Readiness Center Lobby) 8:30-8:45 Welcome/Greetings History/Rules/Procedures Dr. Reginald Avery, Vice Chancellor, USC Upstate Dr. Vince Connors, Director, Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Paper Presentations (Readiness Center Hall): * = Student presenter † = Research Sponsored by USC Upstate Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) 8:45-9:00 1. Sebastian van Delden. A Visually Guided Robotic Part-Grasping System. 9:00-9:15 2. Melissa Williams*†, Lizabeth Zack. Generation Fat: The Role of School and Childhood Obesity. 9:15-9:30 3. Angelina A. Tzacheva. Action Rules Mining and Feasibility. 9:30-9:45 4. Roshele Robinson*, Wally Peters. Stuttering: Why Me? 9:45-10:00 5. Stephanie Walsh. Perceptions of Experienced Child Abuse As Indicators of Current Self-formed Definitions of Child Maltreatment. 10:00-10:15 6. Brandon Steelman*†, George Yu. Attempted de novo generation of Proteinase-K resistant protein. 10:15 – 10:30 7. Jeannie Chapman. The Role of DRA, a Colonic Anion Transporter, in Growth Control. 10:30-11:00 Break; Poster Viewing (Readiness Center Lobby) 11:00-11:15 8. Andrea Franco*, Jack Turner. Determining the settlement rate of Escherichia coli in a water column. 11:15-11:30 9. Vincent Connors, Brandon Steelman*, Matthew Fowler*, Rene Eslick*, Leanna Ledford*, Tiffany Kimbrell*. Development of the Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic cell line as a model for the human schistosome-snail parasite host interaction. 11:30-11:45 10. Bobby Stokes*†, Andrew Myers. Misleading our Youth: Historical Interpretation of Reconstruction in Public School Textbooks. 11:45-12:00 11. Chioma Ugochukwu. Rethinking Cultural Imperialism: Cultural Resistance and Resilience amid Imported TV Programming in Nigeria. 3 12:00-12:15 12:15-12:30 12. Lisa Anderson. How is design permeating our society? Closing Remarks: Cindy Jennings: Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs 12:30-1:00 Poster Viewing (Readiness Center Lobby) 1:00-1:15 Poster Breakdown Poster Presentations (Readiness Center Lobby): 13. Steven Caldwell, Andre Dorsey*, Lindsay Ledford*, Julia Blandin*. Investigating USC Upstate as Brand 14. Sarah Coles*†, Jan Griffin Yancy McDougal. Rejection of retained children: Not my child's playmate. 15. Billy Lunsford*†, Judy Kizer, Yancy McDougal. Failure to recognize the negative effects of grade retention. 16. Kara Hames*†, Jennifer S. Parker. Personality and Social Correlates of Smoking among College Students. 17. Sam Subramanian*†, Jeanne Kowalczyk. Effects of Obesity and Mitogens on the Growth of Vascular Smooth Muscle. 18. Jeanne Kowalczyk, Jessica Clark*†, Tara di Marco*†, Andrea Franco*†, Meri Gerges*†, Tiffany Kemp*†, Sam Subramanian*†, Nick White*†. Diabetes and Obesity in the Etiology of Cardiovascular Disease: the Role of PARP-1. 19. Latasha McDowell*†, Theresa Ricke-Kiely. Leaders in Nonprofit Organizations in South Carolina. 20. Sam Subramanian*†, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effects of Benzamide (a PARP-1 Inhibitor) on Growth Rates of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. 21. Rochelle Ladson, Theresa Ricke-Kiely. Leaders in NonProfit organizations in South Carolina. 22. Tara di Marco*†, Nick White*†, Jessica Clark*†, Jeanne Kowalczyk. A Study of the PARP-1 Inhibiitor, 4-amino-1.8-naphthalamide, on Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells. 23. William Bittle, Sayed Shahabi, Ashley Bryant, Sebastian van Delden. WOODBURNER: An Automated Robotic Character Etching System. 24. Tiffany Kemp*†, Meri Gerges*†, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effects of 3-aminobenzamide on the Growth of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. 4 25. Andrea Franco*†, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effects PARP-1 Inhibitors have on the Growth of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. 26. January Gosnell, Kim Purdy. The effect of vocal and non vocal music on recall. 27. Patricia Gibson, Sarah Campbell, Lyle Campbell. Marine Fauna from Canopus Bank, Northern Brazil:a Preliminary Report. 28. Nicole Welsh, Holly Pae. Attitudes and Perceptions of Teachers on Inclusion. 29. LeAnna Ledford*†, Tiffany Kimbrell*†, Vincent A. Connors. Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction to detect the actin gene in Biompharia glabrata embryonic cells. 30. Chakrya San*†, Donna Jenkins*†, Veena Khandke. Cross-cultural identity issues in immigrants of Asian descent. 5 has mostly been focused on techniques for generating rules from datasets. The rules discovered by data mining algorithm are large and we want a subset of rules, which are interesting, because these algorithms discover accurate rules rather than interesting rules. There are two aspects of rules’ interestingness that have been studied in data mining literature: objective and subjective measures. Subjective measures are based on the subjectivity of the user who examines the patterns such as actionability and unexpectedness. This work studies the subjective interestingness. We assume that the objective measures have already been performed to remove uninteresting rules. The actionability measure is based on the rules’ benefit to the user, that is, the user can do something to his/her interest with the rule. This measure is very important for the rules to be interesting in the sense that the users always are looking for patterns to improve their performance and establishing better work. The practical implication of getting information is to improve the business, that is, the information must ensure the success of business for decision-making. Actions can be performed to make the business succeed. Actionable rule mining deals with profit-driven actions required by business decision making . Rules are unexpected if they "surprise" the user, and rules are actionable if the user can do something with them to his/her advantage. For example, a user may be able to change the nondesirable/non-profitable patterns to desirable/profitable patterns. PROGRAM ABSTRACTS 1. Sebastian van Delden. A Visually Guided Robotic Part-Grasping System A novel approach to grasping and recognizing parts in an industrial robotic work cell is presented. The centroid, orientation, and length of elongated parts lying on a flat work area are estimated by a sequence of relatively simple algorithms. Off-the-shelf components and freely downloadable software APIs make this system inexpensive and easily implemented. The approach has been implemented and tested with a Staubli RX60 manipulator. Results and future research are presented. 2. Melissa Williams, Lizabeth Zack. Generation Fat: The role of School and Childhood Obesity. What policies are school officials implementing to control the rise of child obesity? Researchers point to factors such as: marketing, socio-economic status of the parents, television consumption, fast food intake, and the family’s attitude. This project looks closely at the role of the school and how the schools are dealing with the problem. In this project I conducted an in-depth qualitative analysis on a few schools in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I conducted interviews with school officials, school nurses, and the cafeteria staff. Also, I observed the settings of the lunch room and the playground area. After conducting this research, I found that schools have begun to adopt three different approaches to solve the problem of child obesity which includes: more parent involvement, more time for physical activity and physical education, and keeping school parties at a minimum to eliminate the amount of sugar intake. This research will hopefully help parents and schools find solutions to keeping child obesity at a lower rate in there schools and households. 5. Stephanie Walsh. Perceptions of Experienced Child Abuse As Indicators of Current Self-formed Definitions of Child Maltreatment. Child abuse perpetration and victimization have been widely explored within the literature during the previous thirty years. A substantial amount of these efforts have examined child maltreatment and its impact on adults’ abilities to subsequently parent their own children, and thus limit their focus to parental perpetration. The theoretical foundation of the present study is consistent with this traditional cycle of violence hypothesis, while adding the unique feature of operationalizing “parenting” to include the environmental conditions in which parents place their children. These environments consist of “abusive” versus “non-abusive” conditions, while perpetration is expanded to include caregivers in addition to parents (other relatives, close friends, acquaintances and strangers). An additional aim of the present study is to use selected attitudes as dependent variables, and build a theoretical base that childhood experience as a victim, knowing a close child victim (such as a family member), having a parent as a child victim, etc., affects certain attitudes. Attitudinal variables include such things as: what should be done with someone who abuses a child, what causes someone to abuse a child (physically, sexually, emotionally), what constitutes child maltreatment (physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect), and, the extent to which corporal punishment is viewed as an acceptable form of discipline. Finally, this study examines 3. Roshele Robinson, Wally Peters. Stuttering: Why Me? Stuttering has been an on going problem for many children growing up. The purpose of my research is to find the causes, effects, and possible treatments of childhood stuttering. An informative resource will be compiled, upon completion of the research, for parents and teachers who may have children and/or students suffering with this problem. 4. Angelina A. Tzacheva. Action Rules Mining and Feasibility. Knowledge Discovery of Databases (KDD) is a new area of research that combines many algorithms and techniques used in artificial intelligence, statistics, databases, machine learning, etc. KDD is the process of extracting previously unknown, not obvious, new, and interesting information from huge amount of data. Past research on data mining 6 perceptions as indicators of contemporary self-formed definitions of abusive behaviors. The data utilized for the preceding analyses were obtained through two self-report, statewide mail surveys, administered five years apart. maltose we observed the rate of 0.2 cm/sec and as we changed the density the rate became correspondingly slower. Preliminary data suggest that the presence of sand, silt or clay will also change the sedimentation rate of E. coli. 6. Brandon Steelman, George Yu. Attempted de novo generation of Proteinase-K resistant protein. 9. Vincent Connors, Brandon Steelman, Matthew Fowler, Rene Eslick, Leanna Ledford, Tiffany Kimbrell. Development of the Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic cell line as a model for the human schistosomesnail parasite host interaction. Resistance to degradation by Proteinase-K (PK) is rare among proteins and is limited to PK itself, among others. PK resistance by a particular protein is a marker of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). Further, it is widely believed that the infectious agent responsible for these encephalopathies is the PK resistant protein itself. I (Steelman) have proposed a contradicting hypothesis: that the generation of PK resistance is a byproduct of another infectious agent, and a PK resistant protein is not the infectious agent itself. Generation of PK resistance is difficult and unlikely prior to this presentation, but doing so in the absence of the infectious agent would provide an interesting clue as to the mechanism of PK resistance generation. 7. Jeannie Chapman. The Role of DRA, a Colonic Anion Transporter, in Growth Control. DRA (for down-regulated in adenoma) is an anion exchanger expressed in the normal colon epithelium. Mutations in this gene are responsible for the genetic disorder known as congenital chloride diarrhea. DRA was found to be downregulated or lost altogether in colon polyps and tumors when compared to matched normal samples. This prompted an investigation into its possible role as a tumor suppressor. Transfection studies with full-length DRA revealed that it suppressed colony formation in various cell lines (DLD-1, HT29, HCT-15, SW837, SW480, MCF-7, and NIH3T3) compared to vector control. We found further evidence of growth suppression when DRA was expressed in an inducible manner in DLD-1 cells. Upon induction, cells exhibited a reduced growth rate compared to uninduced cells. Furthermore, we determined that the cytoplasmic C-terminus of DRA is necessary for DRA-induced growth suppression through the use of deletion mutants in colony suppression assays. Infecting nearly 100 million people world wide, the devastating human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni is considered to be the second most significant killer of humans on the planet. This water borne disease is acquired following penetration of infective larvae developed in and released from the invertebrate snail vector, Biomphalaria glabrata, following contact with “infected” waters. Significantly, the parasite cannot develop in all B. glabrata and many are killed before development in snails that are “resistant” to the parasite. Work in our and other laboratories has focused on determining the immunological mechanisms involved in the resistant snail’s killing of the parasite, with the ultimate goal being the development of a transgenic snail capable of preventing parasite development and human infection in the wild. Because of the difficulty of rearing snails in captivity in order to study the snail’s immunological system, we have recently focused our efforts on the development and use of an embryonic cell line from the snail as a surrogate model for the schistosome-snail interaction. Studies of the cell line at USCUpstate indicate that they can be upregulated to move and phagocytose in response to the addition of the cytokine, Interluekin-1-beta (IL-1b) in a manner similar to the snail’s primary immunologic blood cells (hemocytes), which are known to be responsible for killing the parasite in resistant snails. Herein we report the results of these and other studies in the laboratory focused on the upregulation of reactive oxygen killing mechanisms in the cell line in response to IL-1b. 8. Andrea Franco, Jack Turner. Determining the settlement rate of Escherichia coli in a water column. 10. Bobby Stokes, Andrew Myers. Misleading our Youth: Historical Interpretation of Reconstruction in Public School Textbooks. The presence of large number of fecal coliforms in the sediments has been noted. It has been suggested that these organisms, which primarily come with stormwater runoff, are transferred to the sediment through flocculation and sedimentation. The fecal coliform bacteria have been shown to survive and to even grow in sediments. The purpose of this study is to determine the rate at which Escherichia coli as a representative of fecal coliforms settles in a water column. The sedimentation rate of the bacteria was compared using pure water, waters of different densities and water containing varying amounts of sand, silt, and clay. It was observed that E. coli settles at the rate of 2.4 cm/sec in pure water but in water with 1% This project is researching the differences between 8th grade textbooks between South Carolina, North Carolina, and California to show how a specific period, in this case the American Civil War and Reconstruction, is presented in each. The purpose of this research is to see how each state differs in its approach and to see if this is to the detriment of the pupils, as the books may gloss over some aspects of the period while emphasizing others. My interest was piqued in this topic after one of my class’s under Dr. Myers examined a South Carolina history textbook for inaccuracies and how the specified time was interpreted as compared to the greater historical understanding of the topic. Currently we are researching 7 the major historian’s views on Reconstruction, and thoroughly looking at what influenced their thinking, such as the time in which they wrote and what was happening in the world at that time. Also at this time, we are examining the textbooks from the respective states and seeing which interpretations their arguments come from. The completed project will see how the textbooks misrepresent the history they teach, and see the ways in which this affects our youth. It will also offer suggestions on how to improve the textbooks, and how to choose texts that present a more balanced view of history. theoretically, aspired to by everyone,” Designers are responding to this appeal to recreate the past as well as meet the demand for really "Good" Design. 13. Steven Caldwell, Andre Dorsey, Lindsay Ledford, Julia Blandin. Investigating USC Upstate as Brand The students of the Fall 2005 Consumer Behavior class were asked as a class project to survey a variety of people within the Upstate of South Carolina in order to analyze several aspects of USC Upstate as a brand and develop marketing strategies accordingly. Data was collected at high schools, malls, restaurants, and places of business. In all, 1941 people were asked a few basic questions about the value of college education in general and USC Upstate in particular. Data was collected on some basic demographics by surveyor observation (age and sex) and direct questioning about their current status relative to college, along with questions about the value of a college education relative to the cost and to other venues available to help get a better job (e.g., tech schools). There was a question on brand awareness of USC Upstate and questions as to the role of parents and grandparents in financing students’ education do better determine brand purchaser characteristics. Questions were also asked to evaluate overall competitive position of the quality of education at USC Upstate relative to Clemson, Wofford, and USC Columbia. Results of the sample were compiled and students developed brand strategies based on the findings. The findings and implications for USC Upstate will be presented by three students who participated in the project. 11. Chioma Ugochukwu. Rethinking Cultural Imperialism: Cultural Resistance and Resilience amid Imported TV Programming in Nigeria. This experimental study investigated the effects of American-produced entertainment programs on Nigerian audiences' knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and values, using the cultural imperialism theory as a framework. The subject pool for the experiment consisted of 482 high school boys and girls from Nigeria, who are representatives of the three major ethnic/religious groups in the country. Participants in the experimental condition were exposed to several days of American TV programs, while participants in the control group were exposed to Nigerian programs only. The results showed that exposure to American TV programs affected the participants' knowledge, even though, their behaviors, beliefs, values and attitudes remained unaffected. The interaction between certain covariates and the experimental conditions on knowledge was plotted to determine if the effects of exposure to foreign TV was dependent on levels of gender, ethnicity, religion, region, or SES. Results showed no interaction effects between knowledge and many of the covariates including gender, religion, and SES. 14. Sarah Coles, Jan Griffin, Yancy McDougal. Rejection of retained children: Not my child's playmate. We investigated possible stigma associated with grade retention and whether or not gender affected the likelihood of retention. Results showed that although participants were more likely to recommend retention, they were more likely to let their own child play with the promoted child . 12. Lisa Anderson. How is design permeating our society? How is design permeating our society more than ever before? What products and packaging are influenced by higher standards of design? Why the resurgence of nostalgia-based design in advertising and media? I will discuss the increase of choices and the affordability of good quality design. In addition I will show how my work (iilustration, graphic design and artist books) is influenced by society's demand for better quality design combined with a resurgence of more idealistic means of depiction and form. Technology and advanced communication have catapulted society into a world in which we converse and conduct business more efficiently than ever before. However, these advances have created an impersonal society. Individuality seems to be available by purchase only. As a result of this detachment from community, visual ideals representing past cultural ideals are again being embraced. Cheryl Dangel Cullen states her in book, Then is Now, “The past can communicate trust, goodwill, honesty, neighborliness, and family values– Mayberryesque characteristics that are desired and at least 15. Billy Lunsford, Judy Kizer, Yancy McDougal. Failure to recognize the negative effects of grade retention. We investigated the effects of parental involvement and status on perceptions of a student performing below grade level. Potential outcomes for the student if retained or promoted were also evaluated. Our participants recognized the negative social consequences of retention but failed to recognize the potentially negative academic consequences. 16. Kara Hames, Jennifer S. Parker. Personality and Social Correlates of Smoking among College Students. This study investigated risk factors in college students to examine the link between personality variables and the tendency to initiate cigarette smoking. One hundred student participants were recruited in introductory 8 psychology classes. All participants were administered the following measures: the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory personality scale (NEO-FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1989; 2004), the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART; Lejuez, et al., 2002; Lejuez, et al., 2003), and a Demographics and Social Influences Questionnaire. We hypothesized a correlation between high levels of risk taking and a higher tendency to smoke. Specifically, we hypothesized that 1) Participants with high scores on extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism will be more likely than participants with lower scores to be smokers. 2) Participants with high scores on openness and conscientiousness will have a lower tendency to smoke. 3) Participants with high scores on the BART will be more likely to smoke than participants with lower BART scores. We also expected to find links between risky behaviors, social environment, and smoking behavior. The results of this study may influence future prevention and intervention treatments for cigarette users. Disease: the Role of PARP-1. Diabetes Type II occurs in eleven million Americans and is a powerful risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. Three concomitant conditions— hyperglycemia, hypertension and obesity—are referred to as Metabolic Syndrome in humans. The diabetic, hypertensive, obese Zucker rat (OZR) is genetically deficient in functional leptin—a fat cell derived hormone which signals the brain concerning satiety. This rat strain provides a useful animal model in which to study the effects of Metabolic Syndrome on the function of vascular smooth muscle using cultured cells of OZR and lean Zucker rats (LZR) controls. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is an enzyme implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including diabetes, stroke, and myocardial infarction—conditions relating to vascular dysfunction. The levels of PARP-1 in in vitro cell cultures of vascular smooth muscle from OZR and LZR was assayed using colorimetric analysis in 96 well plates. It is hypothesized that hyper-activation of PARP-1 occurs in OZR smooth muscle cells, as an indicator of DNA damage occurring in vascular smooth muscle during the degenerative processes of Metabolic Syndrome. Acknowledgement: Teaching and Productive Scholarship Grant 17810, University of SC Upstate. 17. Sam Subramanian, Jeanne Kowalczyk. Effects of Obesity and Mitogens on the Growth of Vascular Smooth Muscle. Obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and hypertension compose Syndrome X in rats, which is similar to Metabolic Syndrome in humans. An in-situ study was made of the effects of obesity on the number of blood vessels present in the heart, brain and pancreas of obese Zucker rats (OZR), as compared with lean Zucker rats (LZR) by analyzing paraffin H & E slides and classifying and counting vessels. Slides were studied using light microscopy and the Student t-test was used to compare data. Preliminary results indicated significant differences in the number of arteries—OZR having significantly fewer arteries than LZR. The differences in the number of arteries may partially explain the hypertension that accompanies obesity. Further observation of brain tissue slides showed that there were more nuclei in the second granular layer of the cerebral cortex of OZR as compared to LZR. Results from comparing heart tissues of OZR and LZR indicated a significant difference in number of both arteries and veins. Larger numbers of arteries and veins were found in LZR compared to OZR. Results from comparing pancreatic tissues of OZR and LZR indicated no significant difference in the number of blood vessels. A second experiment was an in-vitro study of growth curves of cultured rat smooth muscle cells in response to various growth factors (mitogens). The effects of varying levels of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and Insulin to stimulate growth of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Acknowledgement: Center for Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (CURS), USC Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina. 19. Latasha McDowell, Theresa Ricke-Kiely. Leaders in Nonprofit Organizations in South Carolina. The purpose of this research is to focus on individuals in leadership positions of nonprofit organizations in South Carolina. The leadership surveys will be distributed to over 400 nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, having more than a $25,000 income. The study takes a close look to examine these leaders with respect to gender, race, age, education, and salary. The executive directors and board presidents of these nonprofits will be the focus of the survey. 20. Sam Subramanian, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effectis of Benzamide (a PARP-1 Inhibitor) on Growth Rates of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. Vascular disease is a rapidly growing problem, causing millions of fatalities per year. Type II diabetes is a powerful risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease--combined with hypertension and obesity constitutes the Metabolic Syndrome. PARP-1 is a nuclear enzyme which appears to become elevated in certain cardiovascular diseases. Inhibitors of this enzyme have been proposed as therapeutic agents. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the PARP-1 inhibitor, benzamide, in serial dilutions, affected the rate of growth of vascular smooth muscle cells using primary cultures of cells from the aortas of obese and lean Zucker rats. 18. Jeanne Kowalczyk, Jeanne Kowalczyk, Jessica Clark, Tara di Marco, Andrea Franco, Meri Gerges, Tiffany Kemp, Sam Subramanian, Nick White. Diabetes and Obesity in the Etiology of Cardiovascular 21. Rochelle Ladson, Theresa Ricke-Kiely. Leaders in NonProfit organizations in South Carolina. 9 The purpose of this research is to focus on individuals in leadership positions of nonprofit organizations in South Carolina. The leadership surveys will be distributed to over 400 nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, having more than a $25,000 income. The study takes a close look to examine these leaders with respect to gender, race, age, education, and salary. The executive directors and board presidents of these nonprofits will be the focus of the survey. myocardial infarction, diabetes, and other conditions and inflammatory responses. Based upon this information, it has been proposed that inhibitors of PARP-1 could potentially serve as therapeutic agents for such conditions. A study was conducted to examine the effects PARP-1 inhibitors have on the growth of aortic smooth muscle cultures from the lean Zucker rat (LZR) and the obese Zucker rat (OZR). The study was carried out using primary cultures of LZR and OZR aortic smooth muscle, grown on DMEM culture media, and treated with serial dilutions of 3-aminobenzamide, a PARP-1 inhibitor.Growth curves of LZR and OZR cultured, aortic smooth muscle were assayed using trypan blue exclusion for the following groups: OZR with inhibitor, OZR without inhibitor, LZR with inhibitor, and LZR without inhibitor. Acknowledgement: Center for Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (CURS), USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC. 22. Tara di Marco, Nick White, Jessica Clark, Jeanne Kowalczyk. A Study of the PARP-1 Inhibiitor, 4-amino1.8-naphthalamide, on Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is an enzyme implicated in vascular disease and regulation of cellular processes. PARP-1 is important because it is activated by DNA damage and plays a critical role in cellular survival mechanisms. Over-activation of PARP-1, however, leads to the depletion of NAD and necrotic cell death, as in cases of ischemic injury. Over-activated PARP-1 is associated with several vascular diseases, including diabetes, myocardial infarction, and stroke. It is important to study and perhaps limit PARP-1 in these conditions. Based upon this information, it has been proposed that inhibitors of PARP-1, such as 4-amino-1,8-naphthalamide, could be employed as therapeutic agents in treatment of these conditions. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of serial dilutions of the proposed inhibitor on growth rates of primary cultures of aortic smooth muscle cells from lean and obese Zucker rats. 25. Andrea Franco, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effects PARP-1 Inhibitors have on the Growth of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. Pathogenesis of stroke, myocardial ischemia, diabetes, diabetes-associated cardiovascular dysfunction, shock, traumatic central nervous system injury, arthritis, colitis, allergic encephalomyelitis and various other forms of inflammation have shown elevated Poly(ADPRibose)polymerase (PARP) levels. PARP is an abundant nuclear enzyme of eukaryotic cells with multiple regulatory functions including gene repair. Overactivation of PARP represents an important mechanism occurring in tissue damage in various pathological conditions associated with increased oxidative stress including myocardial reperfusion injury, reperfusion injury after heart transplantation, drug induced heart failure, stroke, autoimmune beta-cell destructions, cardiovascular dysfunction in diabetes and circulatory shock. Based upon this information, it has been proposed that inhibitors of PARP-1 could potentially serve as therapeutic agents for suck conditions. A study was conducted to examine the effect of PARP-1 inhibitor, 6(H5) Phenanthridinone on the growth of aortic smooth muscle cultures from the lean Zucker rat (LZR) and the obese Zucker rat (OZR). The study was carried out using primary cultures of LZR and OZR aortic smooth muscle, grown on DMEM culture media, and treated with serial dilutions of the inhibitor. Growth curves of LZR and OZR cultured, aortic smooth muscle were assayed using trypan blue exclusion for the following groups: OZR with inhibitor, OZR without inhibitor, LZR with inhibitor, and LZR without inhibitor. Acknowledgement: Center for Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (CURS), USC Upstate, Spartanburg, SC. 23. William Bittle, Sayed Shahabi, Ashley Bryant, and Sebastian van Delden. WOODBURNER: An Automated Robotic Character Etching System. We outline an automated robotic system that is designed to burn alphabet characters into both sides of a wooden strip. The system has been fully implemented and tested with a Staubli RX60 manipulator in the USC Upstate Robotics and Intelligent Systems Laboratory. An electric wood burning tool is mounted to the robot's end effector. Once a wooden strip has been position in a vice, the system prompts the operator to enter three characters - for example, a person's initials. The characters are then burned into each side of the wood. This poster outlines: the software that was developed for this system; the tool offset calculations that were derived; practical difficulties encountered during the implementation; and a discussion of future work and improvements. 24. Tiffany Kemp, Meri Gerges, Jeanne Kowalczyk. The Effects of 3-aminobenzamide on the Growth of Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle. 26. January Gosnell, Kim Purdy. The effect of vocal and non vocal music on recall. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 is an enzyme that is an inflammatory signaling molecule activated by DNA damage. Althought PARP-1 mediates DNA repair, overactivation of PARP-1 is associated with stroke, Music is a commonly accepted mnemonic aid - a device used to facilitate memory. Maute (1987) suggested that music’s usefulness stems from three factors: rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Certainly, these three factors will 10 provide useful memory ‘hooks,’ but at least two important elements are missing from this list: melody, and the potential for emotion. The goal of this research is to investigate these two factors. Does the nature of the musical experience affect our emotional reaction and recall ability? Specifically, will adding melody to the lyrics affect subjects’ reaction to unfamiliar music? We will measure emotional reactions and test recall for various elements of the music immediately following exposure to the music and one week later. This will allow us to determine if a positive relationship exists between emotion and recall, in addition to determining if music and lyrics contribute equally to participants’ reactions to the music. Participants will be recruited from the Psychology 101 Subject Pool. In the implicit task, subjects will be asked to complete word-stem fragments after hearing lyrics only, melody only, lyrics plus melody and after silence. Subjects assigned to the explicit memory task will be presented with a list of words and asked to indicate which words were present in one of two conditions: lyrics only, and lyrics plus music. In order to ensure that subjects are actively listening they will be asked to create an image that reflects their reaction to the music. These images will be scored as a measure of the emotion associated with each condition. Subjects in both the implicit and explicit memory groups will be asked to return 7 days later to perform additional trials of the word-stem completion and recognition tasks, respectively. whether teachers view inclusion as a successful way to integrate students with disabilities in the general classroom. The sample of this study consisted of special education and general education teachers at a Spartanburg District Six School. The data collection technique used was a self-created thirteen question Liekert scale survey and classroom observations. The following areas were included in the survey to determine the teachers' perceptions on inclusion: the benefit of inclusion for the student, the teachers' ability to meet the needs of the student, resistance toward inclusion, and parent involvement. Based on the responses of these teachers, most agreed that students benefited from the social involvement of student with disabilities being included in the general education classroom, while most were neutral as to the academic benefits that a student might gain by being included in this setting. Overall, teachers are open and receptive to inclusion with 62.5 percent disagreeing with the statement, "special education teachers are resistant to inclusion at my school", and with the statement, "regular education teachers are resistant to inclusion at my school". Although inclusion is gaining popularity as the preferred placement option for students with disabilities, teachers still feel that there will always be a need for special education settings. 29. LeAnna Ledford, Tiffany Kimbrell, Vincent A. Connors. Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction to detect the actin gene in Biompharia glabrata embryonic cells. 27. Patricia Gibson, Sarah Campbell, Lyle Campbell. Marine Fauna from Canopus Bank, Northern Brazil:a Preliminary Report. Biomphalaria glabrata, a freshwater snail, is the intermediate host in the life cycle of Schistosoma mansoni, a trematode parasite that causes the disease, schistosomiasis. Through a grant received from the Center of Undergraduate Research, a protocol to detect the actin gene in Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic cells (Bge cells) was developed. DNA was extracted from the Bge cells and quantified. Known actin primers were used to detect the actin gene. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to isolate and amplify the actin gene. The results were visualized by horizontal agarose gel electrophoresis. This protocol could form the basis for detection of other genes, such as interleukin-1, in Bge cells. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is known to function in the immune system of vertebrates, and a similar molecule has been found in Biomphalaria glabrata. Supported by USC Upstate.Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship grants to LL and TK. A sample of sediment dredged in 260 meters of water, 120 miles off Fortaleza, Ceara State, Northern Brazil, is rich in both pelagic and benthic species, including foraminifera, silicious sponge, coral, bryozoan, brachiopod, mollusk, arthropod, echinoderm, and vertebrate remains. The fauna of this area well east of the mouth of the Amazon River is relatively unknown, and contains a number of new species. The environment appears to be a current-swept hardground suitable for attaching species. Also present are fine quartz sand and pteropod and Globigerina ooze. A growth series documents ontogeny of an undescribed species of Pedicularia, a snail symbiotic with a small colonial coral. Malluvium, another symbiotic snail, is present in some numbers. It lives attached to the spines of Cedaris sea urchins. Urchin spines with Malluvium bases attached have been recovered from the sample. Vertebrate remains include shark and fish teeth, and common otolith fish ear bones. Such vertebrate accumulations suggest a very low sedimentation rate. Pelagic elements include numerous species of pteropods (butterfly snails) and foraminifera. 30. Chakrya San, Donna Jenkins, and Veena Khandke. Cross-cultural identity issues in immigrants of Asian descent. Acculturation is a process of maintaining one's identity within one's culture of origin while adapting to the host culture (Kakiya, 2000). For young adults born and brought up in the United States to immigrant families this process is particularly challenging as they seek to assimilate their cultural identities (Sue & Sue, 1990). Throughout history among families of Indian descent, the "family" has always 28. Nicole Welsh, Holly Pae. Attitudes and Perceptions of Teachers on Inclusion. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes and perceptions of special education and general education teachers on the topic of inclusion. I hope to determine 11 been the focus for an Indian adolescent’s cultural and gender identity. Those who transgressed in thought, action or behavior from the prescribed cultural expectations are marked as too westernized or traitors to the community (Agarwal as cited in Dasgupta 1998). These Indian values that most families fall back on include strict gender roles at home, and restrictions on socializing and outings for teenage daughters. Sons in these families are usually not subjected to all these restrictions. For the daughter or son who has experienced the American values of independence, self-determination, self-reliance and individuality, adolescence becomes a difficult period to maneuver. As defiance and rebellion are not tolerated in Indian families, dating behavior is often done in secret and without the knowledge of the parents (Kakiya, 2000). These clashes of cultural values and gender identity result in conflicts and emotional pain for both parent and child. This study will explore the existence of these cultural values and conflicts in 20 families of Indian descent in the Upstate area of South Carolina. In depth interviews will be conducted on target subjects who will range in age from 18-25, and at least one parent in each family. It is hypothesized that the issues of conflict will vary depending on the gender of the child with greater limits and higher expectations being placed on female children. 12