It is increasingly recognized that exposures during sensitive developmental time windows may lead to delayed onset of diseases later in life. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are legacy flame retardants that bioaccumulate in the environment as well as human breast milk. In both animal models and humans, PBDE exposure is linked to thyroid toxicity, neurodevelopmental disorders, and hepatotoxicity. Our previous work showed that neonatal oral exposure to BDE-99, a human breast milk-enriched PBDE congener, produced dysbiosis of the gut microbiome associated with a pro-inflammatory transcriptomic signature with the gut-liver axis. However, very little is known whether the BDE-99 mediated host effect is caused by the changes in the gut microbiome. To address this knowledge gap, large intestinal contents from adult male pups that were neonatally exposed to BDE-99 (57 mg/kg p.o. once daily from postnatal days 2-4) or corn oil (10 ml/kg) were transplanted to adult germ-free mice (i.e., mice without microbiome). After one month colonization period, total RNA was isolated from the colon and subjected to RT-qPCR. Ex-germ-free mice receiving the microbiome from BDE-99 exposed pups had decreased expression of genes involved in gut barrier integrity (tight junction protein 2 and claudin 7 [Cldn7]), indicating increased gut permeability. These mice also had increased expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines including interferon gamma (Ifng) and interleukin 17 (Il17), but decreased expression of the major drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (Cyp) 3a11. In summary, our results suggest that early life BDE-99 exposure mediated persistent dysbiosis in the gut microbiome mechanistically contributes to a proinflammatory and leaky gut state with reduced xenobiotic metabolism capacities.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in attention, focus, and emotional regulation. We investigate the relationship between parent temperament, including negative affect, and emotional socialization in ADHD parent-child dyads (parents and their children with ADHD).  Temperament refers to innate behavioral traits shaping one’s personality. Individuals with ADHD are known to experience higher rates of temperamental negative affect. Negative affect is a temperament factor that includes significant aversion from feelings like sadness. Emotional socialization refers to response methods of emotion regulation and can be categorized as supportive and unsupportive. Our study is impactful because ADHD has high heritability rates, yet there is little research on parental ADHD symptoms and associated temperament differences’ effect on ADHD families. We hypothesize that parents who report more ADHD symptoms and/or higher levels of temperamental negative affect use less supportive emotional socialization strategies and more unsupportive strategies when interacting with their children with ADHD. To test this hypothesis, I assist with administration of parent self-report measures and assess negative talk during laboratory-based, video-recorded parent-child interactions. Parents complete the self-report Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ), which evaluates negative affect frequency. We measure negative talk by coding frequency of verbal disapproval of the child’s behavior/ attributes during parent-child interactions, where I instruct parents to perform standardized tasks with their children and code parental verbalizations into categories like negative talk using the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS). I then use bivariate correlation analysis to determine the likelihood that the two variables occur together and are linked. Through our anticipated findings, we hope to better inform care for children with ADHD and provide more resources for ADHD parent-child dyads. We want to identify emotional state-based targets to use in parental interventions to better support emotional regulation strategies in ADHD families.

In the early 1990s as, feminist photography was gaining traction in contemporary Japan, young artists such as Rinko Kawauchi and Hiromix were emerging. As female photographers, their work was being labeled as, “onnanoko shashin,” or rather, “girl photography.” Twenty-year-old Yurie Nagashima had just returned from America and was completely astounded by this term; surprised to find out it had actually become a real photographic genre at all. Nagashima began to dominate the field (despite her dislike for the term) with her unique approach to photography.While her photographs vary in subject matter, themes of sexuality, body-image, and familial bonds remain consistent in her work. Her perspective as a woman allows her to capture emotions and experiences felt by not only her, but by all women thus allowing the viewer to reflect and recognize themselves in her pictures. Through self-portraiture, family portraiture, and photographic representation of the trials and tribulations of everyday life, Nagashima challenges the male gaze, and encapsulates the ever-changing roles that come with the experience of womanhood. A thorough visual analysis of her work will make clear the greater implications her photographs have on understanding the female experience, from a first-person perspective. Nagashima’s work is vital for not only “onnanoko shashin,” and contemporary Japanese art, but contemporary art internationally. Her personal connection to her work is vital to not only create meaning but to unite women in their shared experiences globally.

The Japanese animated film Kimi no Na wa (Your Name), directed by Makoto Shinkai, premiered in 2016 and quickly became positively revered and awarded as the second-highest-grossing anime film at the time of its release. The movie contains romantic and fantastical elements to tell the story of Mitsuha Miyamizu, a girl from the rural countryside, and Taki Tachibana, a boy from Tokyo, who somehow begin to swap bodies with each other and attempt to meet in person. However, things get more complicated when they discover Mitsuha is three years in the past, just before a natural disaster strikes her town. This study aims to understand how Kimi no Na wa expresses modern Japanese identity. This investigation will contain an analysis of the Kimi no Na wa's visual and narrative elements, including framing, lighting, color, score, and iconography, and their relation to Japanese culture as depicted in the film. The characters Mitsuha and Taki will act as case studies to showcase identity and allow us to focus on specific facets of Japanese society. These facets comprise of gender, Japanese historical traditions, geographical differences within Japan, and the effects of disaster on Japanese culture. The findings of this research will help us understand modern Japanese identity as a whole and how it appears in film. This study offers a platform for discourse on portrayals of identity in film as well as an understanding of modern Japanese identity as it is portrayed in film, with an emphasis on views on gender identity in Japan, historical traditions, regional differences within Japan, and how living in a disaster-prone area affects Japanese society.

Evidence suggests that comprehensive sex education supports the overall well-being of students. Despite this evidence, a majority of U.S. states require their schools to implement curricula such as abstinence only programs that can reinforce negative sex and gender stereotypes. Our research assesses the needs of health/sex educators so that they can effectively implement comprehensive sex education. To support these teachers and curricula, our research team collaborated with local public schools, distributing surveys and facillitating focus groups to determine needs, experiences, perspectives, and more. Preliminary results suggest that teachers hold a variety of views regarding their experiences teaching health/sex education. The results of our literature review, analyses, and community engagement will be used to develop resources and recommendations for teachers and administrators. 

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by the improper cleavage of amyloid precursor protein by a complex containing presenilin 1 (PSEN1) or presenilin 2 (PSEN2). Notably, PSEN1 and PSEN2 are strong genetic risk factors for heritable AD. However, 95% of AD cases currently have no known genetic cause. Recent work from the Valdmanis lab found PSEN2 isoform variations at the RNA level in sporadic AD. One such variation was the detection of differential 3'UTR lengths on the PSEN2 transcript. The 3'UTR is an important regulatory region that controls transcript maturation, stability, and abundance and is subject to environmental regulation. The length of this regulatory region is determined by RNA processing machinery during polyadenylation, and differences in this post-transcriptional process lead to differences in the 3'UTR length known as alternative polyadenylation (APA). APA may represent a functional mechanism by which PSEN2 regulation differs in AD. The goal of these studies is to understand the impact of PSEN2 APA on neuronal function. We hypothesize that the length of the 3'UTR on PSEN2 transcript aligns with phenotypic changes associated with AD. To test this hypothesis, we are cloning PSEN2 with short and long 3'UTRs to test the functional differences of PSEN2 APA in vitro. Our goal is to introduce the short and long PSEN2 3'UTR constructs in the cells, specifically, microglia, the brain's immune cells, which are heavily implicated in AD pathology. Then, we will visualize the subcellular location of these transcripts and test for altered amyloid beta processing, which is a pathological hallmark of AD. We anticipate detecting differences in regulation and subcellular localization between the short and long PSEN2 3'UTR transcripts. Elucidating the functional relevance of the short and long 3'UTR of the PSEN2 transcript will further our understanding of APA in AD.