Bilingualism has been shown to have numerous cognitive benefits, ranging from improved executive function to possible protection against neurodegenerative diseases. Structurally, early childhood bilingualism correlates with expanded subcortical regions, specifically the basal ganglia (BG), an area most famously involved in functions such as motor control. In this project, we explore possible domain-general effects of infant and early childhood bilingualism. Specifically, we investigate the effect of early childhood language environments on motor skills in the form of rhythmically controlled babbling. Audio recordings were made in infants’ natural environments using the LENA system. Infants’ own utterances were captured and preprocessed. From these data, I first calculated the ratios of language use in the environment (English versus Spanish), and from these ratios, I categorized infants into monolingual English, monolingual Spanish, and bilingual groups. To determine the rhythmicity of babbling, I isolated subjects’ utterances from the audio data based on criteria that define canonical babbling (e.g., CV syllable structure where C is supraglottal, 4 or more syllables, and so on). For the purposes of this project, we defined the perceptual center as the peak intensity of each syllable and used it to determine the duration between syllables, or inter-syllable duration. The variation of syllable duration was subsequently calculated. We anticipate more rhythmic (i.e. lower variability across inter-syllable duration) babbling in bilingual subjects than in monolingual English and Spanish subjects. However, in accordance with previous findings on early childhood language development, we do not necessarily expect to see differences in whether or not infants are in the canonical babbling stage based on language group. We expect these findings to contribute to the theory of domain-general benefits of early life bilingualism through the quantification of language development milestones.

Angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, is crucial for normal bodily function but is especially important in diseases that cause blood vessel breakdown such as diabetic vasculopathy. Angiogenesis is regulated by activation of the Tie2 receptors in endothelial cells, which have two main ligands: angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang2). Ang1 binding has been shown to stabilize blood vessels and inhibit vascular leakage, while Ang2 antagonizes these effects. We have previously shown that a computationally designed Tie2 super-agonist which presents eight copies of the Ang1 F-domain strongly activates Ang1-like signaling in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). In this project, we hope to assess the Tie2 super-agonist’s ability to rescue diabetes induced blood vessel defects in a diabetic blood vessel organoid (BVO) model. To model diabetic conditions, a three-dimensional blood vessel organoid model has been cultured in a high glucose media along with inflammatory cytokines associated with the diabetic phenotype. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining will be used to assess the relative quantities and localization of proteins involved in vascular stability and inflammations upon treatment with the Tie2 super-agonist. Vascular degeneration is a very harmful condition associated with many prevalent diseases including diabetes, so the Tie2 super-agonist could potentially be a new therapeutic drug candidate for treating blood vessel dysfunction in patients with these conditions in the future.

The content of sexual education within public schools in the United States varies significantly by location due to differences in state laws and funding. The study identifies the spatial variation of adolescent health outcomes as a result of variations within the content of sexual education in public schools in the states of California and Texas. As the scale of the study includes two states containing large population sizes, the methodology employs secondary data collection and analysis from enacted state legislation as well as a variety of sources such as the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the American Community Survey, and the U.S. Census among others. Data has been collected for the individual years of 2010 and 2020 in order to examine changes that have emerged over the past decade. Historically, California and Texas have had contrasting policies in regard to sexual education, and the preliminary results have indicated this as well. The study analyzes the possible correlation between abstinence-only sexual education and health outcomes for adolescents including increased rates of teen pregnancy, rates of sexually transmitted infections, and risky sexual behaviors, and whether there are disparities geographically as a result of these variations in state laws. Understanding how spatial variation impacts sexual education, which in turn, may relate to adverse health outcomes, is crucial in terms of targeted intervention and improving access to resources and knowledge for at-risk youth across the nation.

Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is an autoinflammatory bone disease that causes bone pain and destruction in children. Anti-inflammatory treatments for CNO can be effective, but there are not any FDA-approved medications specifically for CNO use, so there is interest in determining the effectiveness of different treatments for CNO. While CNO etiology is unknown, previous pathology studies indicate osteoclastogenesis plays a critical role in CNO pathogenesis. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) was shown to inhibit osteoclastogenesis derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in adults with active rheumatoid arthritis. Our objectives are to determine whether osteoclastogenesis is altered in children with CNO and the effect of abatacept, a CTLA-4 analog, on osteoclastogenesis. We collected samples of PBMC and serum from healthy subjects and children with active or inactive CNO. We incubated patient serum samples with CD14+ cells isolated from a commercial PBMC pooled sample with MCSF and RANKL, which are necessary for osteoclast proliferation and differentiation, for 7 days before staining for osteoclasts. To determine abatacept’s effect, we incubated PBMCs from patients with MCSF and RANKL with or without abatacept (CTLA-4 analog), performed DAPI and TRAP staining, and counted osteoclasts using the computer software, Image J. Osteoclasts were defined as TRAP-positive cells with 3 or more nuclei. We intend to use multivariable linear and mixed-effects regression models to estimate the average group effect on osteoclast counts from the serum study and PBMC study and the impact of abatacept on osteoclast counts. Expected statistical results of the Serum and PBMC study include an increase in osteoclastogenesis from PBMCs of children with active CNO compared to other groups, and a decrease in osteoclastogenesis with abatacept treatment. This is an ongoing study, and the results will shed light on the effect of abatacept on osteoclastogenesis and its potential therapeutic use in children with CNO.

Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is an autoinflammatory bone disease that mainly affects children and adolescents. Disease monitoring is challenging as reported pain is not reliable and imaging is not always obtained at all clinic visits. To date, patient-reported outcomes used in CNO research have not yet been validated in this population. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaires, validated in other pediatric rheumatic diseases, are administered to patients enrolled in the prospective multisite Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis International Registry (CHOIR) since 2018. Our objective was to assess the convergent and responsive validity of the PROMIS instruments in patients with CNO. Patients with CNO consented and enrolled in CHOIR. Self-reported PROMIS questionnaires of fatigue, pain interference (PI), pain behavior (PB), mobility, upper extremity (UE), physical activity (PA), and strength impact (SI) were administered to patients. External validation surveys were administered to assess patients’ perception of the difficulty of use of limb/back/jaw, fatigue, sadness, and worry on a 0-10 scale, disease status, and status change. More than 1,000 clinical visits from 184 patients were associated with self-reported PROMIS questionnaire entries. PROMIS scores correlated significantly (p<0.01) with patient-reported variables and physician global assessment (PHGA). The correlation with function and PHGA was good for Mobility, PB, and PI. All PROMIS scores, except physical activity, correlated significantly (p<0.05) with patient-reported disease status. After effective treatment when the clinical disease activity score improved by at least 2.5 points, the change of PROMIS scores from Mobility, PB, PI, and UE was significant. PROMIS questionnaires provide valuable information about the disease status of children with CNO and correlate well with self-reported functional and other psychosocial domains. Mobility, PI, and PB show sensitivity to change after effective treatment or with disease status change. These instruments are useful for CNO clinical disease monitoring and research.

Music box, invented in the 18th century, has been reimagined by the design industry as an interactive and assembly-friendly toy product. This innovation serves as a seamless integration of a nostalgic object with the demands of contemporary life experience. However, such "packaged in box" products face significant customization limitations from the user's perspective, including fixed music options and predetermined model parts. Given the burgeoning resources in digital modeling and rapid prototyping, the product design process is poised to advance into the computational fabrication era. Our interdisciplinary student team has been re-envisioning the structure and functionality of our music box through programming, Computer-Aided Design, and 3D printing. Specifically, our team developed the three parts to construct the music box: a digitally constructed spinner, where its 3D model was transformed from MIDI file, allowing for a wide range of musical expression; an adaptable mechanical connection structure for spinners of various sizes; and an innovative mechanism that triggers keyboard notes without direct spinner contact, maintaining sound quality and reducing wear out plastic parts. These designs enable customizable features, easy part replacement, and solve sound and durability issues associated with plastic components. With the goal of creating a customizable product in mind, each member of our team contributed to and took responsibility for the components in which they specialized. The purpose that our music box serves does not stagnate as a mere music playback machine; rather, its functionality expands across various aspects. Our innovation is not only ideal for those who wish to integrate artistic perspectives with functional machine prototyping and customize their songs , but also boosts creativity for individuals and institutions, enabling further projects that could benefit early education and future engineering workshops.