The purpose of the present study was to extend previous studies in our lab that evaluated the stability of classes of stimuli that were learned through Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) and Complete Instruction (CI) procedures. Sixty undergraduate students received training to establish three stimulus classes with four members in each class. The students were randomly assigned to two groups: EBI – in which they received training for some of the relations – and CI – that targeted all possible relations between the members of each class. After undergoing training and equivalence test (Phase 1), participants received contingency reorganization training (Phase 2). In the reorganization phase, new relations between stimuli were established as correct. Stability was evaluated in an immediate contingency-reversal post-test. Overall, there was no statistical difference between EBI and CI groups. Participants made more errors in trials that tested derived changed relations than in trials that tested derived unchanged relations between stimuli.

Examining Parental Alcohol Use, Gender, and Peer Relationships as Predictors of Substance Use Severity
Vinisha Inaganti, Brooke Preston, Kha Hoai Bao Vu, Addison Williams

In the United States, issues with substance use among adolescents has grown in its prevalence, and past research has shown a continuity in substance use amongst children with substance involved parents. In adolescence, young men tend to report higher rates of alcohol use when compared to young women. As such, we were interested in examining gender as a moderating factor on the relationship between parental alcohol use and substance use severity. Amazon’s MTurk was used to recruit 185 participants with a history of substance use to complete a series of surveys. Participants reported parental alcohol use during childhood and involvement with pro-social peers. Results revealed gender did not moderate the relationship between parental substance use and respondents’ self-reported substance use. However, there were strong correlations among substance use severity, parental alcohol use, and involvement with pro-social peers. Specifically, respondents who were the child of a mother who experienced problems with alcohol were 3.12 time more likely to have a severe SUD. This effect was not observed when paternal alcohol use was examined as a predictor of substance use severity (p = .651). Respondents involved with pro-social peers are less likely to have a severe substance use disorder (p < .001). Together, children whose mothers struggled with alcohol use were more likely to develop a severe substance use disorder. In contrast, having a father who struggled with alcohol use did not affect respondents’ involvement with substance use. Furthermore, having a peer support system reduces subsequent substance use, regardless of parental alcohol use.

Antibiotic resistance has been increasing rapidly; however, the amount of new and effective antibiotics is declining. One area of growing interest is the use of metal nanoparticles because they are relatively easy to make and can be synthesized into different shapes, sizes, and with various chemical properties. In particular, zinc oxide nanoparticles have shown to be effective against various bacterial strains; however, the mechanism that zinc oxide utilizes to exhibit its antimicrobial activity is still unknown. It is also not clear what properties of zinc oxide such as size or proximity to bacterial cells are critical for its antimicrobial activity. In order to gain a better understanding of the mechanism behind zinc oxide’s antimicrobial activity, we tested Staphylococcus aureus with various zinc oxide particles under different conditions. Specifically, we looked at whether particle size, contact with bacterial cells, and media type influenced antimicrobial activity. Our results suggest that particle size does not influence zinc oxide activity, but media type significantly impacts antimicrobial activity. Physical contact, although more effective, is not absolutely required to see inhibition of bacterial growth. Understanding the mechanisms that zinc oxide utilizes may guide design for future particles that will improve their effectiveness.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is projected to affect almost 14 million American adults by the year 2050. While the prevalence of this detrimental disease is rapidly increasing in the United States, researchers have established the key pathologies connected to AD, including the development of extracellular, amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular, hyperphosphorylated, neurofibrillary tau tangles. Overall, AD engenders general atrophy of the brain and damage to key brain regions including the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the main brain region responsible for the neural mechanisms of learning and memory. AD pathologies develop in these regions, which commonly results in neuronal death. The presence of AD pathologies, such as Aβ, activates microglial cells in the brain. Glial cells are the most common brain cells that provide support to neurons. Microglia specifically serve as resident immune cells in the brain, clearing cellular debris, such as dead neurons. Therefore, microglia play a key role in the progression of several neurodegenerative diseases. The activation of microglial cells results in an increased secretion of effector proteins, known as pro-inflammatory cytokines. These are released when inflammatory agents, such as Aβ, are present in the brain. Microglial cells commonly produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α. Although microglial activation is advantageous at first, continual activation of microglial cells results in a constant inflammatory state. Chronic inflammation can lead to detrimental tissue damage that plays a vital role in neurodegeneration. Another key AD pathology, oxidative stress, is connected to chronic inflammation. Oxidative stress develops when the antioxidant system is unbalanced, resulting in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The presence of inflammatory agents and ROS have the potential to activate microglial cells. Accordingly, our lab utilizes microglial cells to study the harmful effects of inflammation on the brain. Dr. Kayla Green’s lab in the TCU Chemistry Department has successfully created compounds that act as potent antioxidants, L2 and L4. We collaborate with Dr. Green’s lab to research the possible rescue effects of L2 and L4 against inflammation in immortalized, BV2 microglial cells. In our lab’s previous research, we have demonstrated that both L2 and L4 have the capacity to rescue BV2 cells and increase cell survival during oxidative stress. Moreover, the main purpose of the current experiment is to further study the effects of these compounds against key AD pathologies, to understand their therapeutic potential against inflammation in vitro. In the current experiments, we utilized lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an element from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, to induce an inflammatory response in BV2 cells. First, we determined several timepoints and concentrations in which LPS treatment successfully induced the secretion of TNF-alpha. Next, we pre-treated cells with the compound, L4, for one hour prior to LPS treatment, to study the possible rescue effects of the drug against pro-inflammatory cytokine production. We are currently determining which concentration of L4 is the most therapeutic against pro-inflammatory cytokine production in BV2 cells.

Mercury (Hg) is found in the environment in excess of historic baselines throughout the globe because of widespread atmospheric emissions of inorganic mercury (IHg) from anthropogenic sources such as coal-fired power plants and artisanal gold mines. In aquatic ecosystems, Ihg deposited from the atmosphere is converted by bacteria to methylmercury (MeHg), a bioavailable neurotoxin that adversely affects the health of vertebrates including humans and wildlife. Because IHg deposition varies across the landscape, it is necessary to monitor MeHg levels in aquatic food webs of individual waterbodies. This is a challenge because there are millions of river miles and lakes in the U.S. Shoreline spiders that feed on MeHg-contaminated emergent aquatic insects have been proposed as sentinel species to monitor MeHg contamination. Sentinel species are species which serve to map the bioavailable fraction of pollution in an ecosystem by retaining the pollutants in their tissue. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that shoreline spiders can be used as sentinels to evaluate MeHg contamination of river food webs. Our study focused on the Clear and West forks of the Trinity River. A pilot study in 2016 indicated the two forks have different levels of MeHg contamination. From June to August 2019, we collected over 1000 long-jawed orb weaver spiders (Tetragnathidae) along the shorelines of the two forks of the river. Spiders were preserved in 95% ethanol and sorted by leg length into different size categories. Mercury was analyzed using direct Hg analysis. Concentrations of Hg in spiders increased with spider size and was higher in the Clear Fork than the West Fork. A follow up study confirmed that fish in the Clear Fork had higher concentrations of MeHg than in the West Fork. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that shoreline spiders can be used as sentinels of MeHg contamination in river ecosystems.