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  A study of the DBP gene expression in the SCN under normal day length

  Marie-Claire Boutrin Ph.D., MPH

  This study investigates DBP gene expression levels between the ZT10 and ZT14 time points, and the effect of jet lag on gene expression.

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  A study of the Reverb gene expression in the SCN under normal day length- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Marie-Claire Boutrin Ph.D., MPH

  The aim of this study is to determine the effect of jet lag on the expression of the REVERB gene, a significant molecular component of the circadian clock.

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  This study investigates DBP gene expression levels between the ZT10 and ZT14 time points, and the effect of jet lag on gene expression.

  Marie-Claire Boutrin Ph.D., MPH

  The aim of this study is to determine the effect of jet lag on the expression of the REVERB gene, a significant molecular component of the circadian clock.

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  Hardship, Trauma, & Resilience in Ethnically Diverse Undergraduates-Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Carmen Bucknor Ph.D.

  The research question for this study is, “How does unplanned hardship impact college students?” The researcher hypothesizes that students with lower resiliency scores will report feeling more traumatized by the hardships they have experienced relative to the pandemic.

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  Intracranial Convection-Enhanced Delivery of Laponite Magnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Kenneth LaiHing Ph.D.

  To make degradable nanofibers that can be used to make a bandage that releases antibiotics to fight infections for burn wounds.

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  Quantum computers based on rare-earth compounds and PT- and anti-PT symmetric qubits- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Darayas Patel Ph.D.

  The hardware of current quantum computing (QC) platforms is based on superconductors and ion traps. It is cumbersome and complex, requires ultra-low cryogenic temperatures and high vacuum. Possible alternative is based on the compounds doped with the ions of Rare Earth (RE) elements. Such hardware does not need high-vacuum, can work at non-cryogenic temperatures and be less sophisticated. The qubits in these systems correspond to the quantum levels of 4 f electrons of RE ions, and they have optical frequencies. Qubit formation is supported by the properties of RE ions: (a) weak interaction with the environment, (b) strong inhomogeneous crystal field, and (c) the ability of neighboring ions, being in some 4 f states, to interact with each other through the mechanism of Stark blockade. Stark blockade can be used for quantum CNOT gate operations. Anti-parity-time-symmetry (APTS) can potentially increase the decoherence time of the qubits via coupling to an APTS laser cavity.

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  Fragmenting a 16-hour night is less disruptive than an 8-hour night to circadian behavior- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Melissa Richardson Ph.D.

  Exposure to light at night is known to disrupt 24-hour daily circadian-regulated biological functions. This includes and is not limited to mood, weight fluctuation, and levels of fatigue throughout the day. The timing of light and dark exposure throughout the day significantly affects how the biological clock regulates quality sleep and activity rhythms each day. However, it is less understood how fragmenting the day night cycle into shorter periods of light and dark affect overall activity and clock responses. Our research compared the 16hr fragmented day-night (FDN- 16 hr) to the FDN-8hr to determine how circadian rhythms will be affected. To study circadian rhythms in mice, we utilized wheel-running activity which was analyzed with the ClockLab Analysis software. Each day, the 24-hour cycle was fragmented in the following way: four repetitions of 2hr light: 4hr dark (for FDN 16hr) and 4hr light: 2hr dark (for FDN 8hr). We found that circadian rhythm and light responsiveness was disrupted in the FDN 8-hr cycle but not the FDN 16-hr cycle. These findings were true although there was an equal number of fragments in both conditions. Our findings indicate that disrupting a light dark cycle with more light than darkness is more disruptive to circadian behaviors.

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  Long-term exposure to the fragmented night cycle weakens the robustness of the circadian clock and reduces activity drive- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Melissa Richardson Ph.D.

  This study aims to understand how short-term vs. long term exposure to the FDN light cycle affect circadian rhythms.

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  Music as a conditioning stimulus enhances jet lag recovery- Faculty Research Symposium 2022

  Melissa Richardson Ph.D.

  Disruptions to circadian rhythms, such as jet lag, result in homeostatic imbalances such as memory loss and sleepiness. Although sleeping pills and some forms of light therapy have lessened the effects of jet lag, there is much to learn how to speed up jet lag. This study aims to determine whether presenting music as a conditioning stimulus at the beginning of the activity period will improve jet lag symptoms of spatial memory loss and speed up recovery in mice. We found that music improved the speed of jet lag recovery and that there was a moderate improvement in spatial memory loss. Future studies will focus on understanding why the conditioning stimuli enhanced recovery from jet lag.