Zinc pyrithione (ZPT) is a zinc conjugate that has been used as a preservative in industrial manufacturing supplies for preventing microorganismal growth on materials such as latex and plastics, as well as in shampoos and cosmetics. Little is known about the antibacterial effects of ZPT on common bacterial pathogens, especially when in the form of a solid surface barrier. Here we analyzed the inhibitory effects of ZPT in the form of a solid surface coating, provided by Cao Inc., on the bacterial strains E. coli and E. faecalis. Noufa Khan and I spread plated these bacteria on agar plates that contained a coat of 0%, 2.5%, or 5% ZPT underneath the agar. This indirect ZPT contact did not inhibit E. faecalis by any of the three ZPT materials, while E. coli was inhibited by 5% ZPT only. Noufa and I next tested the effects of direct contact of ZPT on bacterial growth by adding a designated amount of E. coli or E. faecalis directly to 3x3 cm squares of films containing 0%, 2.5% or 5% ZPT, three separate times, each in triplicate. After incubating for 24 hours, we removed the bacteria from these squares by vortexing and sonication into tubes containing liquid media, and plated them after serial dilution onto trypticase-soy agar plates. We counted the colonies to determine the extent of inhibition, if any. With direct ZPT contact, 2.5% and 5% ZPT inhibited E. coli and E. faecalis up to 95-99.9% relative to growth on the 0% ZPT control, with a higher concentration of ZPT showing a higher inhibition rate. These results demonstrate ZPT inhibits growth of common bacterial strains upon direct contact. An application to this research would be to use ZPT as an antibacterial plastic coating on door handles and other commonly touched surfaces.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional condition of the bowels which affects 10% - 15% of the global population. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel movement frequency and consistency. While the cause of IBS is unknown, evidence suggests that developmental and psychological factors play a significant role. Patients who score high in Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) and Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETI-SR) assessments have an increased risk of developing IBS. The purpose of this study is to compare heart rate variability (HRV) and IBS subtypes between individuals with IBS with and without a history of sexual and physical abuse. We recruited women with IBS and healthy controls using community advertisements. IBS subtypes were recorded. Participants completed measures of traumatic experience during adolescence (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and adulthood (Lifetime Sexual and Physical Abuse Questionnaire). HRV was measured using 12 hours of Holter ECG recordings. Participants were categorized via ROME-III diagnostic criteria for IBS. ROME-III Criteria defines IBS by recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort for 3 days per month within a 12 week period, along with stool consistency patterns, the latter of which is used to define a patient's IBS subtype:  IBS-Constipation (IBS-C), IBS-Diarrhea (IBS-D),  IBS-Mixed (IBS-M), or IBS-Unclassified (IBS-U). We hypothesize that individuals with a history of abuse will have lower night heart night-time variability, as well as specific IBS subtypes. We expect that the findings from this study to broaden our understanding of how traumatic experience in childhood impacts IBS symptoms and related physiology in adulthood, as well as the causes of IBS. Findings have implications for developing trauma-informed care practices for patients with IBS, as well as trauma-exposed children at risk of developing IBS.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects more than 11.2% of the global population. Anxiety, a common comorbidity, has been shown to exacerbate the progression of IBS. This relationship between anxiety and IBS is hypothesized to be connected by the gut microbiome through the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is a two-way connection, in which disruption in the gut causes an imbalance in the brain and vice versa. Therefore, understanding how bacterial populations may shift among IBS patients with anxiety compared to those without anxiety could provide insight into IBS development. We have data from a cohort of patients with IBS that includes profiled bacterial populations through 16S sequencing, demographics, and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) scores for anxiety. We are identifying IBS patients with and without anxiety based on their HADS score for anxiety. We are comparing the ratio of two bacterial phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes) in the gut of patients with IBS without anxiety, IBS and anxiety, and healthy controls with neither IBS nor anxiety. Additionally, we are examining other factors such as race, age, and sex. We hypothesize that individuals with IBS and anxiety will have a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes compared to individuals with IBS without anxiety and healthy controls. By further understanding the relationship of the gut-brain axis, we hope to introduce new research directions to improve therapeutic options for people with IBS and anxiety.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline, porous extended solids that are formed through coordination between metal cations and bridging organic ligands. Since their discovery in the late 1990s, MOFs have been a topic of acute interest in the scientific community due to their intrinsic porosity, high surface area, and precise tunability. However, MOFs are typically insulating, which limits the scope of their applications. The recent development of electrically conductive MOFs has opened the door to exciting multifunctional applications in electrocatalysis, advanced electrochemical energy storage, chemical sensing, and much more. However, a molecular-level understanding of charge transport in MOFs remains lacking. My research aims to address this knowledge gap through the investigation of one-dimensional (1D) metal organic chains. These 1D chains can be thought of as the primary subunit of higher-dimensional MOFs; they allow for high synthetic and electronic tunability, making them ideal model materials for studying the genesis and tuning of electronic properties in conductive MOFs. Here, I will present the synthesis of a series of highly-tunable 1D metal–organic chains that exhibit delocalized π systems and high electrical conductivity along with our studies of how structural parameters such as metal identity, chain structure (linear vs. zig-zag), and metal/ligand oxidation state can influence the overall electrical and magnetic properties of the resulting chain.

When discussing racial tensions in the United States, the focus is usually on the relations between blacks and whites, and Asian perspectives are not included in racial discussions. This puts Asian Americans in a dilemma because both racial groups avoid identifying with them. I made two versions of the survey questionnaire. The English version was made by Google form and spread in the US. The target sample population are international students, immigrants, and Asian-born American. The Chinese version was made by Tencent form and spread in China. The target sample population is people who have never come to the US. The Tencent form collected the controlled sample data which are people who came to the US for zero years, and the Google form collected the dependent sample data which are people who stay in the US for different years. While doing the survey, I also conducted interviews. There are two versions of the interview questions. One is for international students and immigrants, and another is for American-born Asians. By visualizing on PowerBI, the percentage of change in the Anti-Asian hate crime rate in 2020, we can find that the largest growth was in New York which increase 833%. Only Washington DC has decreased in percentage which is -83% (Raw data from Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism). The relation between “time spent in the US” and “Asian/ Asian Americans" attitude toward Black Americans seems a little complex. When Asians first came to the US, they generally hold fears of unknown towards Black Americans, but as the time they stays in the US passed, they feel better than before with Black Americans. Asians also suffered more discrimination than they projected because the percentage of people who answered yes to the questions that “Asians are receiving discrimination” to have spent time in the United States is higher than the percentage who have never been to the United States. Asians are also not as indifferent to racial equality as other races are rumored to be. The percentage of Asians who support BLM is even much higher than that of whites and slightly higher than that of Latinos. It's just that Asians tend to express their thoughts in a relatively calm manner such as showing solidarity on social media and donating.