Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common debilitating psychiatric disorder, marked by a preoccupation with one's physical appearance and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This preoccupation is due to one's perceived flaws that are not noticeable to others, causing extreme distress and functional impairment. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown how aberration in visual processing is central to BDD. BDD participants often exhibit an unusual focus on high-detail image information (high spatial frequency processing) versus broad image information (low spatial frequency processing), leading to perceptual disturbances. Other research has shown hypoactivation of early cortices, such as V1 and V2, can be found in BDD participants compared to healthy controls when viewing low spatial frequency information. Hypoactivation in visual cortices extends across multiple stimulus categories, indicating a fundamental deficit in integrating low-spatial frequency information. This study aims to isolate and examine low-level visual processing using fMRI and visual mapping techniques to precisely localize the stage of the visual hierarchy where visual processing is altered in BDD. We aim to recruit n=30 participants (n=15 with BDD, n=15 healthy controls), all of whom will undergo clinical diagnostic interviews and behavioral assessments characterizing spatial frequency processing, ending with a spatial frequency processing task involving both low-level and high-level spatial frequency processing. We hypothesize that the results of our research will show that those with BDD will display reduced sensitivity to low spatial frequency stimuli in early visual cortices. If our hypothesis is confirmed, these findings will reveal potential new biomarkers of perceptual dysfunction in BDD, informing intervention efforts to address more fundamental perceptual deficits and identify potential risk markers for early detection of this disorder.

Europium (Eu) is a redox-sensitive rare earth element (REE). Eu stable isotopes are promising tracers across different scientific domains, giving quantitative insight to the processes where Eu anomalies are present. Studies on Eu isotopes remain scarce as the chemical separation of Eu from other REEs is challenging due to their geochemical similarities, as well as low concentration of Eu in standard geological materials . Recent development of a high-yield (99.4%) and low blanks (<20 pg, Wu et al., 2024) Eu purification scheme from geological materials using cation exchange resin and extraction chromatographic resin allows for an effective approach to better characterize Eu isotope compositions in various materials. We aim to investigate this method of purification and instrumental analysis technique to obtain  δ 153/151Eu values with a multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) instrument. To achieve this, we will replicate the purification protocol established by Wu et al. (2024) with synthetic solutions and digested geological reference materials (GRMs), monitoring the relative intensity of Eu and other matrix elements. We collect pre- and postcut fractions of samples to determine the Eu yields and potential contamination from other elements using MC-ICPMS. To correct instrumental mass bias, Wu et al. (2024) used combined standard-sample-bracketing-internal-normalization method, with internal normalization using Nd and standard reference material NIST 3117a as the bracketing standard. Building on the protocol by Wu et al. (2024), we will additionally investigate the effect of column geometry, acid molarity, as well as instrumental analysis without element doping on yield and precision. The validation of the method used for accurate and precise Eu isotope analysis allows for increased applications of Eu isotope geochemistry.

​​​​Bacteria evolve primarily through horizontal gene transfer, the movement of genetic material between organisms that are not directly related. This allows the rapid acquisition of traits like virulence and antibiotic resistance, an increasing public health concern. The mechanisms by which bacteria integrate and control these new traits is incompletely understood. Acquired virulence genes have allowed uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) to become the predominant cause of urinary tract infections (UTI) throughout the world. A critical step in the UPEC infectious process is the transition from a free-swimming, unicellular, “planktonic” form in the urinary tract to an stationary multi-cellular community, or “biofilm,” when it invades the bladder epithelium. The Fang lab has shown that the transcription factor, MprA, promotes the expression of a horizontally-acquired gene cluster encoding the enzymes required for the biosynthesis of polysaccharide capsule, an important UPEC virulence factor. We hypothesize that this capsule is associated with planktonic growth, and that by regulating capsule, MprA controls the switch between planktonic and biofilm-associated growth. We will test this by growing biofilms of wildtype, mprA, and capsule-deficient mutant strains in the laboratory. Additionally, we will assess their impact on virulence by infecting larvae of Galleria mellonella, the wax moth, with each strain. Understanding how factors like MprA control horizontally-acquired genes can inform the development of future antibacterial therapies.

Fear extinction, the process of extinguishing conditioned fear responses, plays an essential role in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Research has shown that fear regulatory mechanisms appear to be modulated by fluctuating endogenous hormones, such as estradiol, resulting in altered fear extinction strength at different phases of the menstrual cycle. This project explores the neural and physiological mechanisms of fear extinction across different phases of the menstrual cycle. This research addresses a significant gap in the literature, as women are historically underrepresented in fear extinction studies despite experiencing higher rates of anxiety disorders. I hypothesize that participants in the early follicular phase will exhibit attenuated fear extinction and recall compared to those in the mid-luteal phase. Using a combination of skin conductance response, pupillometry, and self-report measures, I will assess fear responses during acquisition, extinction, and recall phases of a basic fear conditioning paradigm. Additionally, functional MRI will be employed to investigate brain activity. Specifically I expect to see attenuated activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a brain region which appears to modulate amygdala activity, in the early follicular group. Our study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how menstrual cycle phases influence fear extinction, leading to more effective and tailored exposure therapy protocols for women.