Research

Grant proposal and preliminary background research for a study that aims to investigate the relationship between empathic accuracy in online friendships and depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults. 

Empathic accuracy, the ability to perceive another’s emotions accurately, is crucial for healthy relationships. Previous research indicates a negative association between empathic accuracy and depressive symptoms, primarily in romantic relationships. 

This study focuses on friendships, utilizing data from the Emotions in Friendships (EIF) study, which involves 18-25-year-old participants engaging in online conversations. Participants rate their own and their friend’s emotions, and depressive symptoms are measured using the Beck Depression Inventory. The study hypothesizes that lower empathic accuracy for negative emotions correlates with higher depressive symptoms. 

Secured $4,500 in total grant funding from Northwestern University

Abstract

With the rise in use of Machine Learning (ML) to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, Natural Language Processing (NLP) has assumed a particular importance in our everyday lives. As NLP has become a cornerstone in producing popular, successful systems such as voice recognition and machine translation, it is ever more important that we also acknowledge the role NLP has in amplifying and perpetuating gender biases and stereotypes found in text and speech corpora. Beyond recognizing the presence of these biases, it is crucial that we investigate methods of mitigating them as well. As such, this literature survey will review modern approaches to debiasing gender stereotypes in NLP and provide related avenues for future studies.

Introduction

Music. Whether we are passively listening to it on the train ride home, singing along to it on the radio in the car, or making it ourselves, music seems to have the power to transport us to a different time and place. It has the power to not only evoke deep emotions, but also hidden memories tied to key moments in our lives. Thus, it is no wonder that music and nostalgia, a feeling often described as “bittersweet” and associated with a longing for the past, are related. This literature survey aims to explore the relationship between music and nostalgia and provide insight into the questions of how music can evoke nostalgia and how nostalgia shapes our relationships with each other and ourselves. We will address these aims by looking at four key areas researchers have investigated: 1) music-evoked nostalgia in relation to song lyrics, 2) music-evoked nostalgia in relation to identity and personality, 3) music-evoked nostalgia and autobiographical memories, and 4) neurological bases behind music-evoked nostalgia. Through looking at our question by reviewing each area, we can gain a better understanding of how music can shape our emotional experiences and memories. By extension, we can also apply these insights towards clinical applications such as the development and advancement of treatments like music therapy for psychological disorders including dementia and depression.

Abstract

Mitochondria are cellular organelles in which biochemical processes of glycolysis, cellular respiration, and energy production occur. However, mitochondria are key to cell survival in ways more than one. They are also known to play a key role in apoptosis and apoptosis-related diseases including neurological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer. Because of their importance, the goal of mitochondrial research is to understand how alterations in mitochondrial composition lead to disease. 

Achieving this involves mapping out the interactions between proteins involved in mitochondrial function, but it is estimated that around 20% of the mitochondrial proteins lack functional annotation. The purpose of this research is to functionally characterize a novel Threonine synthase-like 1 (Thnsl1) protein that we have validated to reside in the mitochondria. 

To do so, Thnsl1 knockout cells were created using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool. Sequencing the Thnsl1 locus in the cells indicated two frameshift mutations: one allele has 1 bp insertion while another has 37 bp deletion. Mutated cells without Thnsl1 are known as Thnsl1 null (Thnsl1-/-) cells. 

Under normal culture conditions, Thnsl1-/- cells grew slower than the Thnsl1-containing wild type (Thnsl1+/+) cells. When treated with H2O2, Thnsl1-/- cell death increased dramatically compared to Thnsl1+/+ cells. Furthermore, mitochondrial membrane potential dissipated more in Thnsl1-/- cells than in Thnsl1+/+ cells and mitochondrial oxidative stress increased in Thnsl1-/- cells compared to Thnsl1+/+cells. This study shows that the protein, Thnsl1, is responsible for protecting cells from apoptosis.