CASL Faculty Research Slam

One of the essential stages of development in all vertebrate embryos is the proper formation of the nose and mouth. Despite the shared need for this process, there are substantial differences in how this occurs in different groups. In mammals and reptiles, outgrowths from the embryonic face fuse together and simultaneously form an open mouth and nasal cavities, creating an interconnected network with the gut. Salamanders and lungfishes also form nasal cavities and a mouth but take a distinct developmental path from other vertebrates. Through the use of microCT analysis, traditional histology, and molecular interference, we were not only able to elucidate the unique formation of these structures, but also gain insights into the underlying genetic mechanisms involved. 

More than 1.9 million new cancer cases and 600 thousand cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States in 2022. The major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality is metastasis, a process in which tumor cells transmigrate across the blood vessel wall into and out of the blood circulation before invading a secondary tissue. Normally, the endothelial cells lining the blood vessel wall form a tight and selectively permeable barrier precisely regulating the passage of substances including gases, nutrients, wastes, and cells. However, the barrier functions can be remarkably damaged in various pathological conditions. Then what is happening to the endothelial barrier during metastasis? In this talk, we will discuss several critical changes in endothelial cells we have found previously and introduce our newest findings on the rightward-handedness of endothelial cells which could be significantly disrupted by malignant tumor cells.

Roughly speaking, the theory of Large Deviations deals with the probabilities of rare events. To understand why rare events are very important in our life, we can think of hitting the jackpot at the casino. That is, a rare event can have an enormous impact on our life if it happens. In general people say the probability of hitting the jackpot is almost zero. Since a rare event still happens, the probability is extremely small, not zero. I will discuss how mathematicians quantify the probability of a rare event. The most active field in probability theory is probably Large Deviation Theory because it has been widely used in various areas, physics, finance, statistical mechanics, insurance, and biology etc. I will introduce some applications of Large Deviation theory.

Assessment growth limits cap the growth of the property tax burden. The accumulated difference between the assessed value and the market value is the assessment growth limit benefit. Overtime, assessment growth limits generate sizable tax benefits to long-time homestead owners but also a lock-in effect in the homestead property. Florida and California permit homestead owners to transfer their accumulated tax benefit from their old homestead to a new homestead, lowering tax assessment and, crucially, the taxes for the new homestead. As a result of the 2008 portability provision in 2008, FL homeowners have greater incentive to move out to a new homestead within the state, relative to homeowners at other states considering relocating in-state. Using 1993-2011 county-to-county IRS migration data, we estimate the impact of property tax assessment limit portability has had on intra-state migration within FL counties relative to county-to-county migration in other states that do not permit portability. Our findings provide evidence that property tax assessment growth limit portability alleviates the lock-in effect of assessment limits and increases in-state out-migration among FL counties relative to counties in the rest of the U.S. Policymakers should consider permitting this flexibility as a measure of population retention of homestead owners for whom voting with their feet in-state is less costly than relocating out-of-state.

To investigate how indicators of psychological stress and physical health differentially influence subjective and objective memory in older adults, we recruited 404 adults (aged 55 and older) from Mturk and remotely assessed their physical health (i.e., multimorbidity, body-mass index), psychological distress (i.e., perceived stress, anxiety, depression), subjective memory complaints, and task-based objective memory performance. We found that both physical health and psychological distress significantly predicted subjective memory complaints, but only physical health was associated with objective memory performance. This result suggests that older adults’ subjective memory measures can be influenced by participants’ psychological profile, whereas remotely administered objective memory tasks are more immune to that. The result also supports previously established links between physical health and objective and subjective memory function. 

The United Nations sponsors a program called the UN Global Compact that engages the private sector with human rights goals. My project is looking at the annual reports companies submit to retain membership in this program. In particular, I'll be presenting a rhetorical analysis of BP (British Petroleum) and the trends and contradictions in their reports. My method borrows from the concept of "governmentality," an idea formulated by Foucault and further developed by post-colonial feminist scholars. 

My talk is based on my recent work that seeks to understand the Roman public and visual cultures of commemoration through the application of cognitive theories of extended mind, prediction error minimization, and future thinking. I argue that the application of cognitive theories--with the understanding that cognition is a culturally-, historically-, and technologically-mediated phenomenon--allows for a fuller grasp of why static artworks were often paired with reiterative public ceremony, how visual markers such as dress could do more than denote social rank and prestige, and how individuals were able to assert and extend their agency beyond their expected lifetimes through ephemeral benefactions. Through such a methodology, the often assumed and elided processes of thought underlying Roman public monumentality are more brightly illuminated so as to open avenues for the consideration of the intertwined agency of people and object.

This talk will discuss the increasing prominence of philanthropic donors in driving policies and governance in U.S. cities and the implications for revitalization outcomes and local democracy.

A functional transportation system sustains the organization of a city. Similarly, the cellular transportation system maintains the structure, growth and health of a cell. The long distance transportation in a cell is regulated by molecular motor proteins (act as vehicles for cell), microtubule filaments (act as roads in cell) and Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP – the fuel in cell). Together, molecular motor proteins (vehicles) transport cellular organelles (cargos) along the microtubules (road) consuming energy from ATP (fuel). Defects in intracellular transport have been associated with neurodegenerative disease, cancer, diabetes, and degradation of pathogens. Yet, how molecular motor proteins regulate the intracellular transport and how cells regulate the functions of motor proteins are not clearly understood. In this presentation, I will discuss my current work to understand the regulatory mechanisms of molecular motor proteins during the transport of phagosomes in cells. 

My research activities are focused on a variety of Quantum and Optical Phenomena. The Quantum part of my research involves studying effects in an atomic or subatomic size with single photon precision. This field of research has the potential to revolutionize how computers work as well as guaranteeing secure communications over arbitrarily long distances. The optical aspect of my research explores using optics to measure distance with nanometer precision and constructing pulsed laser cavities. My research interests have grown over my career to involve other fields such as biology, electronics, engineering, programming, and has strengthened my interest in learning in general.