Fourth KAS CRSL research conference

“Innovative research and creativity at AUB”

FYP Posters

Hostler center

Thursday May 7, 2015

Schoolman: A Scholastic Management Information System

Rene Adaimi, Christian Massabni, Joseph Mourad

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

American University of Beirut

Beirut, Lebanon

Emails: rma111@mail.aub.edu, crm07@mail.aub.edu, jmm31@mail.aub.edu

Presentation type reference: Poster

Abstract

Half of AUB students take more than two hours in building their first schedule. One third fail to register a course because of an obscure restriction. This is why we propose Schoolman, a complementary application to most Scholastic Information Management Systems (SIS) which aims to simplify the lives of students and faculty by providing an intuitive and efficient way to organize and manage their courses. Features include registration facilities, scheduling and handling of grades. Chief among Schoolman’s assets is a modern Javascript UI (user interface) which allows real time feedback and conflict detection. Schoolman will thus replace a tedious, error prone and time consuming pen and paper procedure in which the students will have to figure out which courses are adequate for their schedule. In order to further minimize student frustration in the face of the competitive registration system, a report will be generated listing all the courses in demand and handed to the respective departments. This is known as the pre-registration phase and will allow for better planning administration wise, and alleviate the pressure on registration day. The data will be stored in a MySQL database on a server which uses a REST architecture and the Apache webserver.

Professors will also benefit from our new grade uploader, a script that acts as a plugin to the Banner™ SIS and offers a new perspective on the tedious task of uploading. Professors will be able to enter their grades, not one by one as the old system would have it, but simply by the click of a button, offering increased reliability and speed.

Design and Fabrication of an Angular Steering Mobile Robotic Platform

Authors Arbid Josepy, Dib Samer, Rahal Rahaf, Rahbani DanaEmails jna17@mail.aub.edu, swd05@mail.aub.edu, rhr10@mail.aub.edu, dgr00@mail.aub.edu Department Mechanical EngineeringPreference PosterLevel Senior Students

Abstract“Intelligent rescue robotic units” are needed in emergencies or in areas that are too difficult for people to navigate through, such as damaged infrastructures after earthquakes or buildings on fire [1]. Mobile robots sent into the areas to investigate the damage or send first aid supplies to victims should be able to overcome obstacles found in these environments, which can range from naturally rough terrains to stairs. This project concerns the development of a simple mobile robotic platform that is capable of navigating through rough terrains as well as overcoming obstacles found in human environments; the platform should also be easy to manufacture and to control from a distance. Numerous other robots have been presented to attempt to solve the problem, but their mechanical and/or electrical designs create significant complications. Some of these robots have more than a dozen degrees of freedom, others use a large number of expensive wheels, and many require advanced manufacturing techniques and control strategies [2, 3]. The objective of this work is to design and build a platform that is capable of solving the problems brought about by previous designs of step-climbing robots. A novel non-vertical steering mechanism suggested by Dr. Elie Shammas and Dr. Daniel Asmar has been proposed to solve the problem. Their preliminary design of the “swivel steering” mobile base has been thoroughly analyzed by Wael Salem, whose results mark the starting point of this work. The objective behind this work is to expand on the suggested platform by designing and building an active-joint four-wheel drive mobile robotic platform that can steer by rotating its shaft and lifting a wheel completely off the ground, a mechanism called “swivel steering” [2]. The platform must also have a simple mechanical design, a maximum step height that is independent of the wheel diameter, a minimal number of actuators, a low center of gravity and a simple control algorithm. This project contributes to developing simple mechanical and electrical systems needed to build a robot with a “swivel” steering mechanism. These systems have not been developed by any party yet and can impact the development of “rescue robots”. The poster summarizes the work accomplished by the team in six months to design, manufacture and assemble the novel platform. Refereces[1] A. Meghdari, F. Amiri, A. Baghani, H. Mahboubi, A. Lotfi, Y. Khalighi, R. Karimi, H. Nejat, M. Amirian, Sh. Kamali, and S. Moradi. “CEDRA,” in RoboCup Rescue Robot League Competition Awardee Paper, 2003, pp. 1-6.[2] W. A. Salem. “Analysis of a Mobile Robot with an Angular Swivel Steering Mechanism with Applications to Step Climbing.” M.En. Thesis, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 2014.[3] E. Shammas and D. Asmar. “Kinematic Analysis of an Active Angular Swivel Steering Mechanism for Robotic Mobile Bases,” in Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, 2012, pp. 2138-2143.

CFD Model of a Solar Wind Energy Tower

Rani Assaf, Elias El Zoghbi, Mohamad Al-Sharif, Kevin Chiha

Abstract The aim of this project is to build a 3D CFD model of a solar wind energy tower using ANSYS FLUENT in order to simulate its performance under realistic weather conditions in the region of Saudi Arabia. The main advantage that the Solar Wind Energy Tower offers over the traditional energy sources is its clean electricity. The concept of the operation of the tower is based on as follows: dry air is collected on the top of the tower where the cool water droplets are sprayed which are then immediately evaporated by the hot dry air; the dry air becomes denser and consequently accelerates downwards (downdraft) by gravitational effects. The air flowing down at high speeds reaches the base of the tower where multiple turbines are installed to produce electrical energy. The numerical methodology starts by drawing the exact tower geometry (Height = 1000m, Base Diameter = 560m) followed by generating the numerical grid. In order to mimic the weather conditions in Saudi Arabia, a virtual environment was constructed around the tower, not reported earlier. The Lagrangian-Eulerian (LE) approach is adopted to resolve the multiphase flow nature of the problem. In this approach, the humid air is treated as a continuous phase by solving the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations; whereas, the water droplets are treated as dispersed (discrete) phase. The continuous and dispersed phases are fully coupled where exchange of mass, momentum and energy occurs via source terms. Wind speed and temperature profiles were assigned as boundary conditions based on correlations (to account for variations in height) and from gathered weather data of Saudi Arabia. The sprayer located at the top of the tower was modeled using the surface sprayer implemented in FLUENT. Water droplets are ejected with a spray rate which is dependent on the humid air flow rate entering the tower (≈ 7 grams of water liquid per kilogram of air) each of diameter 100 micrometers and a temperature of 24oC. Moreover, a simple conceptual prototype of the tower was built to show the notion of the tower operation.

Optimization of cooling system of Injection Molding Process

Ahmad Ayoub, Ali Al-Mostafa Atweh, Ibrahim Helbawi , Mahdi Hijazi

Department of Mechanical engineering

Injection molding process is a technique used to produce plastic bodies. The main steps in the process are injection, cooling, ejection, and ventilation. However, cooling takes the greatest portion of time (about 80%), thus decreasing the cooling time will result in a direct increase in the productivity and thus an increase in profits. The main purpose of our project is to reach design standards and methods that would decrease the cooling time while keeping the plastic piece as defect free as possible, all while understating the physics of the problem. The economic aspect will also be taken into consideration as the results will directly be implemented in the local industry. First, we did a literature review to comprehend the whole process and the main parameters that we can control. In addition, we identified the main standards that indicate whether the product is acceptable or not (volumetric shrinkage, weld lines, air traps…), and the parameters that mainly affect them, such as the temperature gradient and cooling rate. Our sponsor, COPAR for Molds and Mechanical Engineering, is a company that designs and reaches prototypes to be produced on a large scale. It relies on trying multiple designs and it manufactures many prototypes, usually with defects until it reaches acceptable results. This process is time consuming and economically inefficient. They mainly rely on a simulation program, “Autodesk MoldFlow”. Our focus is to understanding the way Autodesk MoldFlow does the analysis, and to discover the true potential of this software until we are able to do actual designs using the software. Autodesk MoldFlow will be used to simulate the injection molding process with the aim of optimizing the cooling system. The simulations are accompanied with analytical models built from first principles. The result of the project will be either verifying the cooling system designs utilized by the sponsor, or finding better designs than what they actually used, and thus we will ultimately be helping the local industry.

Quantum Computing

Final Year Graduation ProjectRafeh, Bayanbwr00@mail.aub.eduDepartment of Computer ScienceSaleh, Adeladel.saleh33@gmail.comDepartment of Computer ScienceZakhour, Georgegez00@mail.aub.eduDepartment of Computer ScienceMarch 26, 2015

AbstractQuantum algorithms are intrinsically di_erent than classical ones, for many reasons, the most relevant being that the CPU performs preparemanipulate- measure cycles as opposed to fetch-execute ones. Moreover the linearity of the Schrodinger equation forces all operations to be �unitary invertible matrices. It is thus natural to obtain this difference between the quantum and classical environment.Our project is to formalize and construct this environment, a \functional" programming language and a quantum virtual machine with quantum control that can be ran as a service on any machine. No such language nor pure quantum machine has been developed before. What has been developed are procedural programming languages that combine classical and quantum code in one place which is executed in a hybrid quantum classical virtual machine. Splitting this system makes more sense and makes the environment more modular (similar to what we predict will happen if quantum computers were to exist).

Presentation Preference Poster.

Smart Heads-Up Display for Cars

ECE department

Group members:

James Daou jcd04@mail.aub.edu

Yves Takshi yvt00@mail.aub.edu

Christelle El Ters cme10@mail.aub.edu

Price: Best FYP Poster for seniors

Abstract:

The automotive industry involves billions of people every day. The average person spends 101 minutes a day driving. Statistics provided by the Lebanese Internal Security Forces show that there were 3305 car crashes in Lebanon in 2013, leading to 564 casualties. Other statistics provided by Michael Pines law firm in San Diego state that the number one cause of accidents is distracted driving. The goal of our final year project is to design and develop a prototype for a smart Heads-Up Display (HUD) for cars that enhances driving safety by creating a new user interface for the vehicle that displays all necessary information without the need to look away from the road. Our product provides state of the art safety features such as obstacle detection and safe Heads-Up navigation, it also interfaces with the user’s phone to display caller ID and SMS alerts, all without distracting the driver. Our HUD design is divided into five logical blocks: display, control, image processing, phone interfacing and navigation. The display block displays the information and maintains the windshield’s transparency. Information displayed includes navigation information, phone information, and road obstacles. The control block collects information and data from the others blocks and commands the display block. Based on the current speed and environment, the control block enables/disables functionalities to address safety issues. The image processing block processes images from a real time feed of the road and extracts useful information such as obstacles, hazards and Points of Interest. The phone interfacing block feeds information from the phone to the control block while the navigation block handles all GPS and guiding tasks. The challenges we expect to face are mainly to find a feasible yet complete solution to display our information in transparency.

Rotating Poles

ABSTRACT:

Marai factory in Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest factories in the region. This company uses crates to distribute its products to all the country. After distribution, the crates are placed on a conveyor belt which inputs the crates, one after the other, to a washer which cleans from any dirt. For stacking purposes, it is required to orient the crates in the same direction (either all at 0 degrees or at 180 degrees) after they exit the washing stage on the conveyor. For this purpose, Technica has developed a mechanism that detects crates orientation and rotates those that are not correctly oriented. However, the current implemented system is operating at its maximum speed capacity, which is 2400 crates per hour. Since Marai is increasing its production rates and is consuming more crates, a faster speed is required to satisfy these new requirements. Another problem faced in the current system is that the detection part of the mechanism (that detects the crate orientation) is not robust enough and fails when a crate has a remaining piece of dirt on it that was not removed in the washing process. This causes a problem since if a wrongly-oriented crate is not detected and by consequence not rotated, it would not be able to stack up properly with the other crates, and even worse, would make the whole pile of stacked up crates fall on the ground. For these reasons, we design first a mechanism system called “the rotating poles” that contains lots of mechanical components (spur gears, bevel gears, sprockets, chain, bearings) with only one servo motor that should be able to rotate the desired crates in a rate of 3000 crates per hour with a motor speed of 22 rpm only(it is a low rpm value and the mechanism can be accelerated if higher rates were needed). Also, we used labVIEW to write a program that detects a certain shape in the crate and compares it to a specific shape given by the user in order to decide if the crate should be rotated or not.

A new gold nanoparticle embedded Gelatin hydrogel helps in engineering and repair of neural tissue

Alexandre Doumet, Alexandre Toubia, Joseph Kassab, Samir Arif1, 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Email : amd24@mail.aub.edu, aft04@mail.aub.edu, jgk12@mail.aub.edu, sha51@mail.aub.edu Supervisor: Dr Anwarul Hasan*, *Biomedical Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, AUB mh211@aub.edu.lb Presentation Type Preference: poster

Abstract

The regeneration and repair of the central nervous system and nervous tissue is a challenging problem for which no effective reproducible therapy has been found yet. The inherent inability of the regrowth of axons limits the regenerative capacity of the central nervous system. In this work, we have developed a gold nanoparticle embedded methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel for repair and engineering of neural tissue. This novel hydrogel will then be characterized in order to prove its useful conductive properties. We have characterized this novel hydrogel using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy as well as Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. We have conducted these studies for different Gold nanoparticle concentrations to study the extent to which they affect the properties of our hydrogel. We have also studied the swelling properties of the gelMA. We will be analyzing the behavior of cells when grown in the prepared hydrogels and establish a relationship between the composition of our hydrogel with an enhanced neural tissue regeneration.

Design of a novel microfluidic chip to permit the testing of cytotoxicity of nanoparticles

Alexandre Doumet, Alexandre Toubia, Joseph Kassab, Samir Arif1, 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Email : amd24@mail.aub.edu, aft04@mail.aub.edu, jgk12@mail.aub.edu, sha51@mail.aub.edu Supervisor: Dr Anwarul Hasan*, *Biomedical Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, AUB mh211@aub.edu.lb Presentation Type Preference: poster

Abstract The use of nanoparticles in medical applications is creating new breakthroughs in medicine and health care day by day. Due to the nanoscale dimensions of these particles they have unique properties, such as their ability to infiltrate the nuclei of cells through the pores of cell membrane and nuclear membrane which allows the drugs to be delivered directly inside the cells and even inside the cell nuclei. Many of these nanoparticles such as Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles, however, may harm the DNA of the cells. A thorough understanding of the cytotoxicity of these particles is therefore a growing necessity of time. The current methods for the investigation of cytotoxicity include MTS assay, SRB assay, and clonogenic assay, which have severe limitations including high cost, longer time requirement and increased reagent use. In the current project our aim is to design and develop a new microfluidic device for investigation of cytotoxicity of nanoparticles. The microfluidic device was designed and optimized using a computer simulation software ANSYS. The effect of channel thickness and flow velocities was studied on the distribution of the gold nanospheres within the microfluidic chip. The design of our chip allowed the obtaining of a concentration gradient which permitted the simultaneous testing of different concentrations of these nanoparticles on cells. Our future study is directed towards the manufacturing of the chip using PDMS

material and a tentative to implement actual testing with neural cells to determine whether the nanoparticles in question have any effect on these cells.

Dopamine

Electrical and computer engineering department

Yathreb El-Yaman, Zahraa Ibrahim, Ahmad Rammal

AbstractNurses play a significant role in hospitals where their job duties involve taking care of the patients, monitoring the patients’ conditions and administering medicines on a daily basis. In today’s competitive healthcare market, most hospitals are interested in making themselves “cutting-edge” institutions with the most advanced technological equipment to compensate nurse shortages and burn-outs. Our project, #DOPA, portrays a mobile robot developed to assist nurses in their routine-like activities.

We anticipate that robotic maneuvering assistants would increase job satisfaction, and extend the years of effective services that nurses could render in hospitals. These effects would reduce hospital costs and ameliorate problems posed by the shortage of nursing staff.

The solution splits the problem into two sections, software and hardware. Our project deals with the control and navigation in an indoor environment. Through a web application interface, the nurse orders DOPA a set of tasks that have to be executed on FIFO bases, besides its daily tasks. The navigation is based on travelling on a black-line track, using line following sensors to maintain a steady path, while keeping knowledge of where it is at by an intelligent code and Near Field Communication (NFC) readers that indicate the presence of tags associated to rooms. The hardware design consists of Raspberry Pi B+, a microprocessor allowing back and forth communication with Arduino Uno microcontroller board through a serial port. Apache webserver is installed on RPi to allow it to serve web pages, where the web browser application and web server share the same database for communicating tasks. Arduino Uno has many digital/output pins that are connected to devices such as sensors for tracking, speed control, motors and others that allow DOPA to act on its own. Another Arduino Uno is used in the medicine dispenser (demo) present in the storage room; where DOPA transmits Radio Frequency (RF) signals to the arduino that drives servo motors to get the determined quantity of the ordered medicine type.

The deliverables can be described as the following: Design a Web application as an interface between nurse and robot Track the black line robustly Detect Obstacles along the way Read NFC tags to identify rooms Update the inventory Keep records of tasks executed and patient satisfaction Bring requested medicine from the dispenser (RF communication) in the storage room

and proceed to specified room

Our project aims at satisfying the needs of delivering medicine to the patients’ room based on the nurse’s request and keep track of the inventory and daily actions for management purposes. Its main requirements are to be modular and expandable for any add-on features, and intended to be feasible to be implemented in hospitals which will open new horizons in the scope of nursing care services that can be offered.

3D Concrete Printing: Machine and Mix Design

Nader El Zarwi Hussein Hachem Toufic Maalouf Zeina Malaeb Adel TourbahDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, American University of Beirut

Beirut, Lebanonnje14@mail.aub.edu, hah42@mail.aub.edu, tfm04@mail.aub.edu, zmm17@mail.aub.edu,

aat17@mail.aub.eduPresentation type: Poster

Done as part of the Final Year Project (FYP)

Abstract:

3D concrete printing is an innovative construction method that promises to be highly advantageous in the construction field in terms of optimizing construction time, cost, design flexibility, error reduction, and environmental aspects. The concrete is extruded through a nozzle to build layer-by-layer structural components without the use of formwork or any subsequent vibration. The contribution of this study is to identify and resolve its various design and execution constraints which are of vital importance for future development of this construction technique. This research project broaches the topic in two different phases: designing the printing machine on one hand, and designing the concrete mix to be used on the other. Experimental results are presented concerning the mix design and the tests performed to determine the fresh and hardened concrete properties. Furthermore, a feasibility study that includes a financial and environmental analysis of the printing technology is presented. Being the first of its kind, the results might be invaluable to the future of 3D printing in the Middle East. It may lend itself to become the blueprint for future bigger-scale projects such as creating whole buildings using 3D concrete printers.

CFD Model of a Thermoelectric Cooled Micro Heat Exchanger

Ahmad Ziadeh, Bader Makki, Hadi Farah, Mohammad Alameh, Iyad Fayssal, and Fadl Moukalled

Mechanical Engineering DepartmentAmerican University of Beirut

Riad El-Solh / Beirut 1107 2020Senior Students (FYP) emails: amz14, bam12, hef02, mha60

Fadl Moukalled: Professor of FEA, Mechanical Engineering Department (Project Advisor)Iyad Fayssal: PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering Department (Project Collaborator)

AbstractIn this project, a 3-D CFD model of a thermoelectric cooled micro heat exchanger is developed. Micro

channels have been used extensively in cooling applications due to their high convection coefficients and their lower pumping power demands. The aim of this project is to determine the allowable range of operating parameters of the heat exchanger (inlet temperature, inlet velocity (or Reynolds number), and pressure outlet) that will ensure that the flow would be within the continuum regime. The assessment of the flow regime (i.e. whether it is within the continuum or not) was done by predicting the axial distribution of the Knudsen number (Kn) in the heat exchanger micro channels. This is challenging due to the dependence of Kn on flow properties (pressure and temperature). The heat exchanger consists of two thermoelectric plates (23mm x 23mm) mounted on the top and bottom of 92 staggered rectangular PDMS micro channels (150µm x150µm). Since the flow in micro channels is characterized by relatively low Reynolds numbers, and accordingly to avoid extensive decrease in outlet air temperatures due to the heat extracted from the cold side of the thermoelectric, a plate made of PDMS of thickness 1 cm was introduced between the thermoelectric cold side and the channels. The physical domain was constructed in ANSYS Design Modeler and then subdivided into small control volumes. The set of governing continuity, momentum and energy equations were used to solve for velocity, pressure and temperature profiles in each control volume. In order to induce the effect of the thermoelectric, a mathematical model was implemented as a boundary condition to the energy equation that is used to solve for the temperature distribution in the solid zone (i.e. the PDMS). This model relates the cold heat flux (Qc) at the cold surface of the thermoelectric to the temperature difference of its cold and hot sides. Since the temperature field is unknown, then the boundary condition will be predicted and becomes as an outcome of the solution prediction. For that purpose, a user defined function was developed for serial and parallel computations where the boundary conditions were resolved iteratively and predicted with the final solution. As an initial step, only one thermoelectric was operated (the upper one) while the other was not included in the simulation. Several extensive simulations were then performed by changing numerous operating conditions (Reynolds number, inlet temperature, and outlet pressure) and reporting their effect on Knudsen number. For 0 kPa outlet gauge pressure, results showed that for Reynolds number range from 10 to 100 and for inlet temperatures of 323.15 K and 353.15 K, the predicted Knudsen number (Kn) throughout the channel exceeded the allowable limit (0.001) at defined axial locations in the channel and accordingly the flow was not within the continuum regime. Therefore, to acquire the correct solution, the wall boundary condition should be modified to slip rather than no-slip (which is not the intention in this project) or to state the limit of the range of parameters that could be allowed to reach by preserving continuum all over the domain. Different profiles in Knudsen number variation were observed depending on the simulated operating conditions. For instance, for inlet temperature fixed at 353.15 K, it was shown that for higher Reynolds numbers (Re > 90), the pressure has a greater effect on the Knudsen number thus forcing it to increase all over the channel axial positions. However for Re < 60, the temperature has a greater effect on the Knudsen number, making it to decrease from the inlet to the exit of the micro channel. For 60 < Re < 90 Knudsen distribution has a parabolic distribution (decreases to a minimum then increases). The strength of Kn variation and it’s minimum was shown rely on the value of Reynolds.

Fourth KAS CRSL research conference

“Innovative research and creativity at AUB”

Thursday May 7, 2015

Students’ Poster Presentations1.30 -3.30 pm

Hostler Hall

POSTER # 1Evolutionary potential and molecular speciation in protein-RNA recognition: HIV Rev-RRE Emane Y. Abdallah* and Colin Smith, Department of Biology, American University of Beirut, LebanonE mail: eja12@mail.edu.lb

Abstract:

The binding of human immunodeficiency virus Rev protein via its arginine-rich motif (ARM) to an internal loop in the Rev Response Element region IIB (RRE IIB) is an essential step in the HIV lifecycle. Because of its small size, high specificity, induced fit, and many known variant RNAs and ARMs, Rev-RRE offers an excellent model with which to study the fine structure of how RNA-protein recognition evolves. Previously, randomized-codon libraries of Rev ARM were assayed for their ability to bind RRE IIB using a bacterial reporter system based on bacteriophage lambda N-nut antitermination. By chance and despite the essential role of Rev asparagine 40, the Rev ARM double mutant R35G, N40V was found to be functional. Rev ARM R35G, N40V binds RRE IIB with an affinity similar to wild-type Rev ARM, yet the entropy of binding is different, consistent with the use of distinct recognition strategies. To examine how RRE IIB may evolve specificities to wild-type Rev ARM and to R35G, N40V, ten RRE IIB libraries, each completely randomized in overlapping regions, were screened with wild-type Rev ARM and R35G, N40V. Wild-type Rev and R35G, N40V selections yielded similar, yet distinct, functional RNAs. Consistent with previous studies, a core element of RRE IIB did not vary and substitutions occurred at conserved residues only in the presence of other substitutions. Notably, the groove-widening, non-canonical base pair G48:G71 was mutable to U48:G71 without strong loss of binding to wild-type Rev ARM, suggesting U48:G71 performs the same role by adopting a nearly isosteric, reverse-wobble base pair (Leontis-Westhof classification: G•U trans W.C. /W.C.). Originating from RRE IIB, as few as one or two substitutions are sufficient to confer specificity to wild-type Rev or Rev R35G, N40. The results support and aid the interpretation of existing Rev-RRE and future R35G, N40V-RRE IIB structures. The diversity of Rev-RRE mutants with relaxed specificity support neutral theories of evolution and illustrate paths by which viral RNA-protein interactions can evolve.

POSTER # 2

Preparation of naphthalene-based nucleosides as potential

precursors for stimuli-responsive materials

Nadine Al Homsi, Zeina Neouchy, Sara Jaafar and Kamal Bouhadir

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut (AUB)

Background and Aims: Molecular recognition probes with the ability to detect specific DNA sequences or mismatches in live cells are attractive in biology and more recently in drug delivery and targeting. We are interested in the design and preparation of small molecules that could potentially self-assemble into hydrogels or rigid porous composites in a controlled and reversible manner, hence, generating stimuli-responsive materials.

Methodology: This study could be realized by incorporating nucleic bases into naphthalene and perylene diimides. We describe herein the chemical synthesis and characterization of some of the naphthalene-based nucleic bases starting with the commercially available naphthalene dianhydride. The purity of the final products was assessed and the structures was elucidated using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT, COSY, NOESY, FT-IR, and MS. The collected data confirmed the chemical structures of all the products in this study.1

Results: All the collected spectroscopic results confirm the structures of the expected compounds.

Conclusion: We succeeded in preparing and characterizing novel compounds derived from functionalised naphthalenediimides. Our future goal is to evaluate the biological activity of these compounds.

The authors are grateful to the University Research Board (URB) at AUB, the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (LNCSR) and the Central Research Science Laboratory (CRSL) at AUB.

1. Narayanaswamy, N.; Avinash, M. B.; Govindaraju, T., Exploring hydrogen bonding and weak aromatic interactions induced assembly of adenine and thymine functionalised naphthalenediimides.

POSTER #3Evaluating the Contribution of Melanization to Antibacterial Defense in the Malaria Vector Anopheles gambiae

Abou Matar, T.*, Osta, M.*

* Biology Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Melanization is a potent immune response used by arthropods. It involves the deposition of melanin on the surface of pathogens and is also involved in wound healing. Innate immune responses in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae are initiated by the recognition of pathogens by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that bind to pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and trigger the activation of serine protease cascades that, among others, are involved in converting prophenoloxidase (PPO) into active phenoloxidase (PO) that is involved in melanization. The main proteins involved in these cascades are constituted predominantly of clip-domain serine proteases family (CLIPs).

Previous studies have shown that A. gambiae rarely melanize Plasmodium parasites but they do melanize bacteria. However, the contribution of melanization to antibacterial defense remains controversial. A previous study have shown that melanization in Anopheles gambiae is not required for resistance and tolerance of mosquitoes to infections with E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, which are model bacteria and not common mosquito pathogens. Thus the need to further characterize this response in Anopheles gambiae against a broader spectrum of species is required. Here, we investigated the role of melanization in antibacterial defense to Streptococcus iniae, a Gram-positive fish pathogen, as a model bacterium. We show that melanization plays an important role in the defense against Streptococcus iniae bacteria. Western blot analysis revealed that CLIPA8, a key regulator of melanization, is cleaved in the hemolymph of mosquitoes infected with Streptococcus iniae. Moreover, comparing the dynamics of CLIPA8 cleavage between the Gram-negative E. coli and the Gram-positive S. iniae shows that the later triggers more cleavage of CLIPA8 protein. S. iniae triggered also a consistently higher hemolymph PO activity than E. coli, implying enhanced activation of melanization. Strikingly, CLIPA8kd mosquitoes showed significantly more compromised survival following S. iniae infection compared to LacZ kd, while E. coli or S. aureus infected mosquitoes showed a similar survival pattern to LacZ kd controls. Interestingly, CLIPA8 kd mosquitoes contained less S. iniae DNA compared to LacZ kd controls and that at several days post-infection. This indicates that CLIPA8 kd mosquitoes are more resistant but less tolerant to S. iniae infections than controls.

The results obtained suggest that melanization affects bacterial tolerance and resistance in a species-dependent manner. Therefore, to obtain a deeper in sight into the contribution of melanization to antibacterial defense it is important to use a broad panel of bacterial species.

POSTER#5

Synthesis and characterization of novel molecules for new types of hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs)

Mira Diab El-Harakeh, Ali Koubeissi and Kamal Bouhadir*

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut (AUB).*kb05@aub.edu.lb

The molecular self-assembly of nucleic bases have generated an increasing interest in the development of novel molecules incorporating pyrimidine and purine groups within. Recently, innovative Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks (HOFs) have been discovered proposing potential highly crystalline porous materials utilized in gas adsorption and separation applications. We are interested in employing a triazine-based core to integrate H-bond donors and acceptors such as nucleic bases and design novel molecules capable of self-organizing into new types of HOFs. This is achieved via a nucleophilic substitution reaction occurring between cyanuric chloride and uracil, thymine, cytosine and adenine as nucleic bases.

Key Words: Self-assembly, Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks (HOFs), Triazine-based core, Cyanuric chloride, Uracil, Thymine, Cytosine and Adenine.

Mira Diab-El Harakeh is a Master’s student in chemistry. The authors are grateful to the University Research Board (URB) at AUB and the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (LNCSR) for funding this project.

Presentation preference: poster

POSTER#11

Role of the Retinoblastoma protein, pRb, in the survival of Adult-Born Neurons in the Olfactory Bulb

1Saad Omais (MSc candidate), 2Renaud Vandenbosch, 1Sawsan Al Lafi and 1*Noel Ghanem1Department of Biology, American University of Beirut

2Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa

*corresponding author: ng13@aub.edu.lb

Keywords: neurogenesis, Rb, olfactory bulb, conditional knock-out mice, survival, differentiation

Descriptive statement: this study investigates how the tumor suppressor gene, pRb, controls of the survival of new-born neurons in the adult brain, specifically the olfactory bulb.

Abstract: Neurogenesis is the developmental process leading to the formation of neurons in the developing brain. This process is ongoing throughout life in the adult mammalian brain, typically in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb (OB). We have recently shown that Rb regulates the rate of proliferation of adult progenitors in the subventricular zone (SVZ) by inducing its deletion using Nestin-CreERT2-YFP/YFP and Rbflox/flox animals. Hence, loss of Rb causes increased progenitor’s proliferation with no subsequent effects on the migration of neuroblasts along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) or their differentiation into GABAergic subtypes inside the OB. In this study, we showed that Rb is not required for the survival and terminal differentiation of adult-born GABAergic neurons in the OB, using a second Nestin-CreERT2 line as well as viral stereotaxic injections. Interestingly, this comes in contrast to Rb’s role in embryonic neurogenesis. Our data indicate that the Rb pathway may be manipulated in order to expand the pool of adult progenitors for regenerative purposes in the future.

POSTER#12

Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Arsenic/Interferon in Preclinical Models of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Resistant to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Nagham Rasbieh1*, Rabab El Eit1*, Ahmad Iskandarani1, Mark Jabour2, Ahmad Santina1, Ghazi Zaatari2, François-Xavier Mahon3, Hugues De Thé4, Ali Bazarbachi1,5, Rihab Nasr1#

1Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiological Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 2Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 3Laboratoire d’Hématologie et Service des Maladies du Sang, CHU de Bordeaux, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, INSERM U876, Bordeaux, France, 4Service de Biochimie, Equipe labellisée, Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, CNRS, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot UMR 7212, Hopital Saint Louis, Paris, France , 5Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. *co-first authors.

Background and Aims: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by t(9;22) translocation that generates bcr-abl fusion gene coding for BCR-ABL oncoprotein with abnormal constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have been successfully established for the treatment of CML. Despite high rates of clinical response, CML patients can develop resistance against TKI mainly due to kinase domain mutations. Of special interest is T315I mutation, which accounts for 15–20% of mutations affecting ABL kinase domain. T315I confers resistance to almost all TKI. Ponatinib, the only TKI effective against T315I single but not T315I-inclusive compound mutations, was suspended due to its cardiac side effects and is currently limited to specific cases. Recently, we demonstrated that arsenic trioxide (ATO) and interferon alpha (IFNα) inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, prolonged survival and affected leukemia initiating cells activity in wild-type bcr-abl CML models. Here, we investigate the effect of ATO and IFNα on the proliferation of imatinib-resistant CML cell lines and its anti-tumor activity in CML mouse model harboring the T315I mutation.

Methods: Imatinib-resistant K562 and AR230 CML cells were treated with different concentrations of ATO and IFNα. The effect of the treatment on cell proliferation was performed using MTT assay. Synergy analysis was calculated using the compusyn software. Using a retroviral bcr-abl T315I transduction murine CML model, we studied the effect of ATO/IFNα on the survival of leukemic mice harboring this famous mutation.

Results: Our preliminary results demonstrated that ATO and IFNα synergized to inhibit the proliferation of imatinib-resistant CML cells. Importantly, this combination significantly prolongs the survival of CML mice carrying the T315I mutation.

Conclusion: Our preliminary data provide clear evidence demonstrating a potential preclinical efficacy of ATO/IFNα in TKI-resistant CML models, specifically in CML mouse models with the T315I mutation, resistant to all available primary and secondary TKI.

Keywords: Chronic myeloid leukemia, arsenic trioxide, interferon alpha, resistance, T315I#Corresponding Author: Dr. Rihab Nasr (rn03@aub.edu.lb)

Funding Source: Medical Practice Plan

POSTER#14

Ecogeographic study and preliminary molecular characterization of the genus Matricaria L. in Lebanon to guide in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts*

Soubra Noura 1 , Talhouk Rabih1, Yazbek Mariana2, Karam Nisreen3

1Biology Department, American University of Beirut, 2Genetic Resources Section, International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), 3Faculty of Agriculture and

Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University.

nas36@mail.aub.edu , rtalhouk@aub.edu.lb , mmy8@cornell.edu, karamnisrine@gmail.com

Ecogeographic survey, the process of collating diversity and ecological and geographic data and synthesizing it, is needed to obtain baseline information regarding the species taxonomy, distribution and ecology, and to ultimately develop any conservation plan. In addition, knowledge of molecular data, habitat and environmental characterization of species distribution areas, would aid in the assessment of the current conservation status of the target species and the most important threats to develop an appropriate management plan. The latter includes identification of areas for in situ conservation of the target species, as well as identification of populations of the target species that contain unique genetic diversity not already conserved ex-situ, and worth conserving, hence guiding collection missions to obtain representatives of the genetic diversity. An ecogeographic survey was conducted for Matricaria chamomilla (L.), the wild chamomile and Matricaria aurea (L.) Sch. Bip., the Golden chamomile between March 2014 and June 2014. Twenty seven sites located in different geographical Lebanese regions were assigned for the study and the peculiarities of each site were recorded. Nine populations of M. chamomilla and two from M. aurea were included in the molecular screening using the Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) DNA markers. Results confirmed the fact that Matricaria may survive in various environments but is exposed to many threats influencing its existence; mainly urbanization for M. chamomilla and drought and grazing for M. aurea. Preliminary results on molecular screening showed that DNA isolation from young plants of Matricaria was difficult due to the presence of carbohydrates, and that using common protocols for DNA isolation from medicinal plants were not able to generate good quality DNA. Amplifiable DNA, for further molecular screening using SCoT markers, was obtained only by using a commercial kit.

Keywords: Matricaria chamomilla (L.), Matricaria aurea (L.), ecogeographical survey, DNA isolation, population genetics.

Preference: Poster

*Note that the same abstract was submitted for LAAS conference 2015

POSTER#15 Effects of Sub-lethal HIFU Exposure on Mechanotransduction and Cytotoxic Response to Anti-neoplastic Agents in MCF-10A and MDA-MB-231 Cells

Ingrid F. Younes 1 , Lori H. Malkhassian1, Hind C. Zahr1, Mohamad Mahdi Sleiman1, Hussein Daoud2, Moath Al Qraini2, Ghanem Oweis2, Diana E. Jaalouk1

1 Department of Biology, FAS, AUB; 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, FEA, AUBCorrespondence to: dj11@.aub.edu.lb; ify01@mail.aub.eduKey words: HIFU, mechanotransduction, breast cancer, anti-neoplastic agentsPresentation Type Preference: posterAbstract

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a therapeutic device widely used to destroy specific tissues including solid tumors inside the body in an ex-corporal and non-ionizing modality. At the focal point where the acoustic waves are intensified, cell death can result from cavitation and/or thermal ablation effects. However, the effects of sub-lethal HIFU exposure, applied at a distance from the focal point, on cell function remain to be elucidated. Given that HIFU exposure results in pressure/tension waves that can cause cellular deformations, we hypothesize that sub-lethal HIFU treatment could result in mechanotransduction alterations that may alter tumorigenesis of mammary epithelial cells and may modulate their response to anti-neoplastic agents. The objective of this study is to examine the alterations in mechanotransduction due to changes in the physical properties resulting from the exposure of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A immortalized mammary epithelial cells to ultrasonic waves from a custom-designed HIFU setup and to determine consequences on cellular response to anti-neoplastic agents. A HIFU setup was custom-designed to permit utilization of a 2.158 MHz transducer for in vitro exposure of MCF-10A and MDA-MB-231 cells. Real-Time PCR was used to quantify mechanosensitive gene expression. We assessed the in vitro effects of sub-lethal HIFU exposure on the expression of seven mechanosensitive genes namely CAV-1 (Caveolin-1 α & β), Hic-5 (Hydrogen Peroxide-Inducible Clone 5), PXN (Paxillin), TTLL4 (Tubulin-Tyrosine Ligase-Like Protein 4), TWIST1 (Twist-Related Protein 1), CTSD (Cathepsin D), and HSPA1A (Heat Shock Protein 70). Cellular viability was assessed using trypan blue exclusion assay. We quantified significant enhanced expression of CAV-1, PXN, and Hic-5 that was immediate-early in MCF-10A and delayed in MDA-MB-231 cells. Additionally, we noted an immediate-early transient increase in TTLL4 expression in both cell lines and in TWIST1 expression in MDA-MB-231 cells. Notably, sub-lethal HIFU exposure had no significant effect on the expression of CAV-1(total pool), CTSD, and HSPA1A in both cell lines. Moreover, sub-lethal HIFU exposure at 6hr or 30hr prior to the in vitro addition of anti-neoplastic agents sensitized both cell lines to suboptimal cytotoxic doses of Taxol (1.5nM, 7.5nM) and Doxorubicin (0.05M, 0.5M) when tested over a period of four days. Furthermore, MDA-MB-231 cells surviving single or dual rounds of HIFU exposure at the focal spot and passaged over 3-to-6 weeks in tissue culture show no significant change in their in vitro sensitivity to Taxol or Doxorubicin. Sub-lethal HIFU exposure significantly modulates the expression of select mechanosensitive genes in MCF-10A and MDA-MB-231 cells and sensitizes them to suboptimal cytotoxic doses of Taxol and Doxorubicin. Work is underway to determine if sonoporation - among other mechanisms that are related to the above mentioned mechanotransduction alterations - is implicated in the enhanced in vitro sensitivity of both cell lines to suboptimal cytotoxic doses of Taxol and Doxorubicin post sub-lethal HIFU treatment. Subsequently, we plan to assess post-translational changes in phosphorylation of Cav-1 (,), Hic-5, Paxillin, TTLL4, and Erk in both cell lines and examine if cells exhibit changes in lumen formation and/or cellular polarity in 3-D matrigel post in vitro exposure to sub-lethal HIFU.

Fourth KAS CRSL research conference

“Innovative research and creativity at AUB”

Thursday May 7, 2015

Students’ Poster Presentations1.30 -3.30 pm

Hostler Hall

POSTER #4

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Menadione Analogues

Hala Atallah 1 , Rana Mezher1,2, Jomana Elaridi2 and Kamal Bouhadir1

1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut.

2 Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University.

Natural occurring quinones, possess anticancerous activities due to the quinone core which is reportedly essential for biological activity. Naphthoquinones, in general, have been reported to possess additional pharmacological properties including antibacterial, antifugal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-artherosclerotic.(1) Thymoquinones have shown antiproliferation activity against resistant cancer cell lines which can be significantly that could be improved by attaching fatty acid-derived alkenyl groups through an acylhydrazone group.(2) In this study, we aim to prepare a series of menadione-hydrazone derivatives as potential anticancer molecules that involves a coupling reaction between menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) and several hydrazides (benzoic, octanoic, undecenoic, lauric, stearic, myristic) through an acyl hydrazone group by refluxing overnight under acidic conditions. All products were isolated, purified and characterized (mpt., 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT, COSY, NOESY and FTIR).

Key Words: Naphthoquinone, Menadione, Fatty acids, Acylhydrazone

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to The Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) and The University Research Board (URB) at the American University of funding this project.

References:

(1) Pinto, A.; de Castro, S.; The Trypanocidal Activity of Naphthoquinines: A Review. Molecules 2009, 14, 4570-4590.

(2) Breyer, S.; Effenberger, K.; Schobert, R. Effects of Thymoquinone-Fatty Acid Conjugates on Cancer Cells. ChemMedChem 2009, 4, 761-768

Preference of presentation: Poster

POSTER#6

A new nanosilver loaded GelMa hydrogel for antimicrobial coating of neural and cardiovascular implants

Fatima El-Hajj1, 2, *, Nour Al-Rifai1, 2, *, Dr Anwarul Hasan1, **1Biomedical Engineering and Department of Mechanical engineering, American University of

Beirut 2Department of biomedical physics, Lebanese University

Fatima.hajj.92@gmail.com , Nour.alrifai.na@gmail.com

*Masters Student, **Supervisor

Presentation Type Preference: Poster

AbstractThe bacterial adhesion to the surface of the implants for surgical procedures including neural and

cardiovascular implants represents a major issue in surgeries, and account for an increasing

number of deaths as well as high medical costs. Many different strategies have been developed to

decrease the incidence of medical device related infections. One way is by modifying the surface

of the devices using some antibacterial coatings designed to be non-fouling, meaning that

microbial adhesion are minimized. The capacity of nanosilver to destroy infectious micro-

organisms makes it one of the most powerful antimicrobial agents, an attractive feature against

“super-bugs” resistant to antibiotics. In this work we are developing a new nanosilver loaded

methacrylated gelatin hydrogel for antimicrobial coating of implants particularly for neural and

cardiovascular applications. Silver nanoparticles of different sizes and concentrations

synthesized using citrate and ascorbic acid reduction in glycerol water mixtures were

incorporated in a UV-photocrosslinkable methacrylated gelatin hydrogel. Analysis and

characterization of the obtained hydrogels were performed through SEM microscopy, TEM

microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and UV–vis spectrophotometry. The release of nanosilver from

the crosslinked hydrogel was quantified using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The

antibacterial activities of the newly developed hydrogel coating was tested on two different types

of bacteria, gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram negative Escherichia coli by

analyzing the growth, permeability, and morphology of the bacterial cells following treatment

with different concentration of nanosilver. Our future studies will involve investigation of the

effect of nanosilver on neural and cardiovascular cells.

POSTER#7Body Mass Index, Waist-to-Height Ratio, Percent Body Fat, and Conicity Index Cut-off Values

to Predict Metabolic Syndrome in Lebanese Children and Adolescents

Darine Hachem1, Nahla Hwalla1, Farah Naja1, Hani Dimassi2, Nadine Yazbeck3 and Lara Nasreddine1*

1 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon3 Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

*Lara Nasreddine, Corresponding AuthorPresenting Author- Graduate Student: Darine HachemEmail Address: darine.hhachem@gmail.comPresentation Type: Poster

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern given its association with cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome. Although several anthropometric indicators have been proposed to assess adiposity and the risk for metabolic abnormalities in the pediatric population, recent studies have highlighted the need for ethnic-specific cut-off values for these anthropometric indicators. Research tackling Middle-Eastern youth and identifying population-specific cut-off values for adiposity indicators are lacking. This study aims at determining optimal cut-off values for body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (%BF), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and conicity index (CI) to predict increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Lebanese children and adolescents.

A cross sectional study was conducted on 490 children and adolescents aged between 7 and 19 years old. Data collection included anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and percent body fat), blood pressure and biochemical assessment of fasting serum glucose, HDL-C, TG, LDL-C, and total cholesterol. Individual metabolic abnormalities and metabolic syndrome were identified using the NCEP-ATPIII criteria. Cut-off values were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

The optimal cut-off values for predicting MetS in boys and girls were, respectively, BMI Z score above +2.35 and +2.29, %BF above 32.2% and 36.45%, WHtR above 0.58 and 0.54, and CI above 1.58 and 1.45.

The best predictors of MetS were BMI and WHtR: BMI (AUC: 0.86, Sensitivity: 88.9%, Specificity: 80.7% in males; AUC: 0.86, Sensitivity: 81.8%%, Specificity: 78.9% in females) and WHtR (AUC: 0.87, Sensitivity: 88.0%, Specificity: 80.2% in males; AUC: 0.81, Sensitivity: 81.8%, Specificity: 71.8% in females). These predictors were followed by %BF (AUC: 0.82, Sensitivity: 84.0%, Specificity: 71.1% in males; AUC: 0.75, Sensitivity: 78.8%, Specificity: 62.9% in females). CI was found to be the weakest predictor of MetS (AUC: 0.89, Sensitivity: 76.0%, Specificity: 71.1% in males; AUC: 0.75, Sensitivity: 72.7%, Specificity: 61.6% in females).

This study is the first to determine cut-off values for four anthropometric indicators (BMI, %BF, WHtR, and CI) to predict increased risk of the metabolic syndrome in a sample of Middle-Eastern children and adolescents. These cut-off values should assist in the screening and identification of increased cardiometabolic risk in youth.

POSTER#8

The Role of CSRP1 in Cardiac Development and Disease

Amina Kamar 1 (Phd Student),Kamel Shibbani2, Elias Baydoun1, Georges Nemer2

Aak56@mail.aub.edu,kamel.Shibbani@gmail.com,eliasbay@aub.edu.lb,gn08@aub.edu.lb

1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology-FAS-AUB2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics-FM-AUB

Presentation type: Poster

Background: Abnormal cardiac development leads to human congenital heart disease (CHD) which is responsible for the vast majority of neonates’ death around the world. Sequencing results on various genes of a Lebanese family with various forms of CHDs (mainly septal defects) identified a heterozygote frameshift mutation in CSRP1; a gene that encodes a LIM domain protein. Our finding suggests that the heterozygote mutation detected in CSRP1 is the cause of the cardiac defects in our case study. The aim of this study is to high light the role of CSRP1 in cardiac development and disease.

Methods and Results: Our in silico analysis indicate a duplication of 14 nucleotides in exon 5 which results in a frame shift mutation at the level of the protein and leads to the formation of a novel stop codon and the addition of 60 amino acids downstream E154 . E154fs mutation totally disrupts the second LIM domain. Immunohistochemistry on cardiac tissues from mouse embryos at E14.5 reveals the endogenous expression of CSRP1 in mammalian heart. In addition, immunostaining done on Hela cells shows that E154fs mutation did not affect the cellular localization of the protein and both the WT and E15fs CSRP1 shuttle between the cytoplasm and nucleus. In addition, by luciferase assay we show that WT CSRP1 activates the transcription of cardiac developmental promoters VEGF, eNOS and ANF. However, E154fs CSRP1 has no effect on transcriptional activation of the cardiac promoters. Interestingly, E154fs mutation abrogated the physical association between SRF and GATA4 proteins. Moreover, the functional interaction between WT CSRP1, SRF and GATA4 is disrupted by E154fs CSRP1.

Conclusion: The in vivo expression of CSRP1 in heart confirms its potential role in cardiac development and the novel mutation detected in the Lebanese family with various forms of CHD is disease causing. This new finding provides fundamental knowledge into the molecular basis of congenital heart defects and could unravel culprit gene(s) involved in cardiac development.

POSTER#9

“Factors that are significantly associated with academic performance among undergraduate students at the American University of Beirut”

Alzahraa Majeda*, Joelle Abi Kharmaa, Miran Jaffaa

a Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Abstract

Background: Academic performance and the quality of education are the key establishers of human and community development. Also, health and well-being support effective learning. Thus, acquiring knowledge is crucial for the human living state knowing that health, education, and social outcomes are strongly interdependent. Academic performance, measured by Grade Point Average (GPA), is associated with several health related behaviors such as the sleeping pattern, the daily eating habits, exercising, and stress management along with some demographic and socio-economic factors. Although some studies have examined the effect of these indicators on the academic performance, either each factor separately or more than one factor in groups, the associated results found were not all comparable, leading to inconsistent results. Also, none was done inside Lebanon or among AUB students.

Objectives: This study determines the prevalence of strong academic achievers among undergraduate students studying at AUB, explore undergraduate students’ daily lifestyle factors, and investigates the factors that impact academic performance among university students.

Methods: A cross sectional study was done among a convenient sample of 272 undergraduate students from various faculties of AUB, through a self-administered structured questionnaire.

Results: Descriptive analyses and logistic regression were performed on the sample. Gender, nationality, number of meals, alcohol consumption, smoking, faculty, and time management were significantly associated with academic performance.

Conclusion: This study revealed that academic performance is affected by several factors. Future studies are needed to validate the study results knowing that no published literature exists on this topic in Lebanon. These results can be used to establish policies, make educational and informational lectures along with workshops, and develop some awareness campaigns to target students’ behaviors that can affect their academic performance.

Keywords: Academic performance, factors, undergraduate students, AUB, life-style

Position: MPH Students

*Corresponding Author:

Alzahraa Majed, MPH studentEmail Address: alzahraamajed@gmail.com Phone Number: 71133571Authors: Alzahraa Majed and Joelle Abi KharmaPresentation type: Poster Presentation

POSTER#10

Toxicity Equivalence and Cancer risk estimate of PAHs in AUB, Dora and ZoukJ. Nassara, R. Baalbakia, and N.A. Salibaa*

aChemistry Department, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 1107 2020, Lebanon

* Corresponding Author: e-mail address: ns30@aub.edu.lb.

Presenter: Julie Nassar

Presentation type: Poster

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) encompass hundreds of chemicals originating from different sources such as agriculture (pesticides), industrial products (polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs), combustion and industrial processes (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs; polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins PCDDs; and polychlorinated dibenzofurans; PCDFs). They are labeled as persistent in the environment because their half-lives range from years-decades in soil/sediments to several days in the atmosphere. This work aims at (i) building capacity at the Atmospheric Analytical Lab (AAL-AUB) to assess POPs and (ii) being able to determine levels of these POPs in the atmosphere. The first set of POPs we investigated is PAHs. Moreover, PAHs are known to have toxic characteristics that can cause adverse health effects. For this, we conducted PAH measurements in three sites (AUB, DORA and ZOUK) of urban-background, urban, and industrial characteristics, respectively. In each site, six 24h-sampling periods were performed. Collected gas and particles on Polyurethane foam (PUF) and quartz filters respectively, were extracted and then analyzed using GC-MS. Results show different levels of PAHs at the different sites. Experimentally determined PAH levels were used to calculate the Toxicity Equivalence (TEQ) and cancer risk estimates.

POSTER#13

Dynamics of Inter-and De-Intercalation of Fluorescent Probes and Mechanisms of Polymorphic Transformations in a Class of Layered Double Hydroxides

Daniel Saliba, Mazen Al-Ghoul*

Chemistry Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

We present a new method for the synthesis of layered double hydroxides (LHDs) based on a reaction-diffusion framework, which consists of diffusing two initially separated co-precipitates into a gel matrix. LDHs are anionic clays consisting of a mixture of divalent and trivalent cations octahedrally surrounded by hydroxides and share edges to form positively charged sheets where anions, water and other molecules such as biopolymers might intercalate between them. The obtained precipitates are characterized by numerous techniques such as XRD, TGA, DSC, EDX, ssNMR, Raman, FT-IR and elemental mapping. This novel method is also adapted to study the kinetics of intercalation and de-intercalation of some anionic and cationic fluorescent probes, such as Rhodamine B and HPTS, using in situ steady state fluorescence. The activation energies of intercalation/de-intercalation of the dyes are computed. Moreover, the incorporation of these dyes into the cavities of the LDHs and their expulsion from their interlayer region is confirmed via XRD, fluorescence microscopy and ssNMR.Furthermore, we report the synthesis and self-assembly of CdAlA-HT. This hydrotalcite assumes a flowery-like shaped microstructure. Electron tomography performed on these microstructures reveals an interior structure consisting of many individual and connected nano-sheets resulting in voids and channels. On the other hand, we are able to shed light, using SEM and elemental mapping, on the mechanism of the polymorphic transformation of this cadmium-aluminum LDH to the brucite-like β-Cd(OH)2, whereby the flowery-like LDH dissolves, expels the aluminum cations from the crystal lattice and reappears in the form of nano-spheres of the brucite compound.Finally, we show that this novel LDH can have two potential applications: the photo-degradation of some organic compounds (polysaccharide mixture) and the photo-reduction of CO2 in the gas phase, both under visible light.

Mazen Al-Ghoul: mg05@aub.edu.lb Daniel Saliba: dss12@aub.edu.lb

Fourth KAS CRSL research conference

“Innovative research and creativity at AUB”

Students’ oral presentationsThursday May 7, 2015

Hostler center

Crystalline and optical properties of zno nanoparticles synthesized by a solvent based technique

Authors : Reham Abu Amer (Graduate Student), Michel Kazan, Malek Tabbal, Digambara PatraAffiliation: Departments of Physics & Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Bliss St. P.O. Box:11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon 1107 2020

Email: ria29@mail.aub.edu; mk140@aub.edu.lb ; malek.tabbal@aub.edu.lb, dp03@aub.edu.lb

Presentation : Oral--------------------------------------------------------------Abstract :ZnO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via simple precipitation method by controlling different parameters of the precipitation process such as solution concentration and calcination temperature. The structural and morphological properties of these samples were investigated by SEM and XRD analysis. SEM images showed uniformity in the particles size and shape for ZnO nanoparticles calcined at different temperatures compared to the other synthesized samples. The average crystallite size increases with increasing the calcination temperature. We used UV-VIS and FTIR spectrophotometers to get the reflectivity data of the selected samples. By using Kramers-Kronig (K-K) method, we then determined the optical constants, n and k with the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant in the IR region. The K-K method was then combined with a newly developed technique to compute the optical parameters in the UV-VIS region. A shift in the absorption peak in the extinction c oefficients of the samples was observed due to defects by varying the calcination temperature. Green emission was observed from 36 nm grain size ZnO samples and yellow emission was observed from 470 nm grain size ZnO samples. Finally, to verify the validity of our approach, we back calculated the UV-VIS reflectivity spectra from the deduced optical parameters, and good agreement was found between the measured and calculated spectra. This confirms the importance of our approach in developing a new numerical technique for accurate measurement of the optical parameters at the UV-VIS wavelengths. The reflectivity based technique described in this work could be applied to study ZnO nanoparticles of smaller sizes reaching the quantum confinement region.

Design of Decision Support System for Hospital Evacuation

Authors: Nihal Abughali

Email Address: nja13@mail.aub.edu Department: Engineering Management Department Presentation Type Reference: Oral

Abstract As of recently, all hospitals in the United States are required to develop and employ a proper emergency plan which mainly includes efficient and quick evacuation scenarios in order to safely transport patients of varying medical conditions to adequate care facilities. Hence, this paper studies hospital evacuation planning which is a crucial part of a hospital's emergency management plan. During hospital evacuation, patients must be moved from the main hospital building to a staging area, where they then wait until they can be loaded onto a vehicle and transported to alternate care facilities. Patients require specific assistance and medical care throughout this process, and the level of care and assistance is dependent on the patients’ conditions. Furthermore, this process is generally accomplished under limited resources, e.g., medical transport teams and vehicle fleet size. Hence, we aim at developing an evacuation model with the main objective being the minimization of transportation and health threatening risks to patients. Transportation risks arise when the patients are being moved to the staging and loading areas, as well as during moving them to alternative hospitals or care facilities. Accordingly, the model presumes that patients will be helped to the staging area by specialized and trained staff, and then adequately moved outside the building where they will be loaded onto the available vehicles. Therefore, the evacuation from the hospital and the transportation to the respective staging and loading areas are dependent. The resulting model is an integer program with a rather complex structure. We exploit some of the structural properties of the feasible region and we relax some of the integrality constraints of the decision variables in an attempt to simplify the model. Constraints include the allocation of proper medical staff to patients, vehicle types that will transport patients, bed capacities of alternative care facilities, routes available from hospital being evacuated to other facilities, the number of lanes allocated to each vehicle type in the loading area, etc. It is further noted that these resources are patient specific; i.e. the medical conditions of each patient dictates the characteristics and quantity of the aforementioned resources. We then propose a branch- and -price algorithm that reduces the memory requirements required to solve this model. An application of the model to a realistic evacuation process of a large regional hospital will be further utilized to demonstrate the strength and benefits of the implementation of the model in real life.

Adding a New Dimension: 3D Human Breast Cancer Models to Evaluate Natural and Synthetic Retinoids

Patrick Aouad1, Melody Saikali2, Dana Bazzoun1, Claudio Pisano3, Rabih Talhouk1* and Nadine Darwiche2*

1Department of Biology, 2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, AmericanUniversity of Beirut, Lebanon 3Biogem, Research Institute, Italy

*Corresponding AuthorsPatrick Aouad paa10@aub.edu.lb; Melody Saikali mws11@aub.edu.lb; Dana Bazzoun dab05@aub.edu.lb; Claudio Pisano claudio.pisano@biogem.it; Rabih Talhouk rtalhouk@aub.edu.lb; Nadine Darwiche nd03@aub.edu.lb

Presentation Type Preference: Oral presentation

Background and Aims:

For more than four decades, the supporting substrates for cell growth have been made from polystyrene or glass in the form of a flat two-dimensional (2D) surface where cells grow as monolayers, deprived from their interaction with the microenvironment. Recent studies have attempted to overcome these limitations by the development of three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models for a more accurate tumor microenvironment representation and a more valid drug screening. Retinoids are major regulators of cellular proliferation, differentiation, and cell death, and have shown potent chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive properties. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor activities of the natural retinoid all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and the synthetic retinoid ST1926 on the proliferation and cell death of human breast cancer cell lines in 2D and 3D cell culture models.

Methodology and Results:Using MTT cell proliferation and trypan blue exclusion assays, we have shown that in 2D models MCF-7 and metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells are resistant to ATRA while being sensitive to ST1926 where pharmacologically achievable micromolar (µM) concentrations caused growth inhibition and apoptosis. ST1926-induced growth inhibition was irreversible in both cell lines upon drug removal. Interestingly, ST1926 had no effect on the ‘normal-like’ breast epithelial cell line MCF-10A even at suprapharmacological concentrations. Anchorage-independent growth (3D) of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells was examined using the soft agar colony formation assay where ST1926 at sub-µM concentrations was shown to reduce the size and the number of breast cancer colonies assessed by DNA labeled fluorometric analysis. Interestingly, ATRA was shown to decrease the number of breast cancer colonies at pharmacologically achievable concentrations, as opposed to the 2D culture model. Finally, anchorage-dependent growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in the 3D 'on top' assay was assessed by trypan blue exclusion assay. ST1926 drastically induced cell death in the 3D culture of breast cancer cells.Conclusion:

These results hold great promise in the treatment of aggressive and metastatic breast cancer. Importantly, ST1926 was shown to display more potent anti-tumor properties in 3D human breast cancer models than in 2D. Because a 3D culture model offers a more accurate representation of the tumor microenvironment in vivo, ST1926 is predicted to be potent in patients with aggressive luminal A and triple negative breast cancer.

An Improvement Model:Designing Structural Arrangements for Teachers’ Motivation in a Lebanese Private School

Nadia Al Saheb

American University of Beirut

In a small Lebanese private school where the researcher used to work, a concern of “teachers’ motivation” arose. As a teacher who loves teaching and enjoys interacting with students, the researcher felt de-motivated and powerless operating in a rigid bureaucratic structure of hierarchy and subordination. The researcher noticed that her case was similar to many teachers, whose motivation become low due to structural constraints of hierarchy, fixed rules and centralized decisions. The latter concern was supported when the researcher looked for factors associated with low motivation in literature and found that teachers’ levels of motivation and job satisfaction are strongly influenced by organizational structures (Paton & Miskel, 1991). From this standpoint, the aim of this research study is to offer a proposal for a new structural arrangement grounded in field based data and in literature about effective organizational structures and designed to meet the needs and recommendations of both the teachers and administrators in a Lebanese private school. In particular, this study investigates the following questions: a) what are the structural barriers that are affecting teacher’s motivation from the perspectives of teachers and administrators? b) what are the structural and policy changes that need to be introduced to reduce the rigidity in the current structure from the perspectives of teachers and administrators? and finally c) what is the ideal organizational model that the school can adopt to achieve its organizational goals while improving teachers’ motivation? This study follows an action research design which is a form of research that tackles a real problem of practice, generates knowledge then calls for taking action to promote change (Greenwood & Levin, 1998). Data for this study was collected from five main sources: three focus group interviews with teachers, six individual interviews with teachers, two individual interviews with administrators: the principal and the deputy headmaster, artifacts and the researcher’s notes. The study employed qualitative (Merriam, 1998) data collection and analysis methods (coding and memoing). Results from teachers’ responses identified structural barriers at three levels: the decision making level, the policy making one and the institutional level of time, resources and training. Teachers’ recommendations incorporated more flexibility and discretion for teachers with policy implementation, improved communication channels, modifying some policies and involvement in the decision making process. On the other hand, administrators’ responses revealed a directive managerial approach of leadership as well as Theory X assumptions of organizational management and human motivation. Rooted in members’ needs and recommendations, an improvement model, with both theoretical and practical dimensions, was designed along with potential challenges to consider prior to implementing the improvement model. The research concludes with implications and significance of the study.

Email: nia11@ aub.edu.lb

Department: Education Department

Presentation Type Preference: Oral

Investigating the Deregulation and Bio-functional Relevance of Caveolin-1

in Muscular Laminopathies

Dima A. Diab El Harakeh1, Lara A. Kamand1 and Diana E. Jaalouk1

1 Department of Biology, FAS, AUBCorrespondence to: dj11@.aub.edu.lb; dad09@mail.aub.eduKey words: Lamins A/C, emerin, Caveolin-1, LKB1, Muscular LaminopathiesPresentation Type Preference: oral

Abstract

Laminopathies are a group of disorders arising from mutations or altered post translational processing of nuclear envelope/lamina proteins. Many of these disorders are caused by mutations in the LMNA gene and are manifested as pathologies affecting a wide range of tissues including skeletal and cardiac muscle. To date, the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypic diversity and disease pathogenesis in laminopathies have not been deciphered. Our objective is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which distinct mutations in the ubiquitously expressed LMNA gene contribute to the tissue specific phenotypes that result in muscular laminopathies including Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD) and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). We hypothesize that complete loss of or specific mutations in LMNA associated with muscular laminopathies alter the expression levels, and/or the intracellular distribution of caveolins, which in addition to their functional relevance to muscle biology orchestrate many signaling pathways in response to changes in the cell’s biochemical or mechanical environment. In this study, we assessed the transcript and protein expression of the mechanosensitive gene Cav-1 (encodes for α & β isoforms of caveolin-1) in mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) lines derived from mice lacking either A-type lamin (Lmna-/-) or emerin (Emd -/Y) which have the EDMD phenotype or mice homozygous for the N195K mutant (Lmna N195K/N195K) which have the DCM phenotype versus wild-type (WT) controls under baseline and oxidative stress conditions. Real-Time PCR quantification of Cav-1 under baseline conditions showed a reduction in the Cav-1α transcript in Lmna-/-

MEFs and a significant elevation in the Cav-1α transcript in Lmna N195K/N195K and Emd -/Y MEFs. A similar pattern was obtained upon evaluating the expression of both Cav-1 isoforms (α+β) in the MEF cell panel. However, Western Blot analysis and densitometry quantification revealed no significant change in the soluble fraction of Cav-1α in the three mutant cell lines in comparison to the WT controls. Immunofluorescence staining suggests a marked increase in Cav-1α expression in Lmna N195K/N195K MEFs, yet no change was detected in Lmna-/- and Emd -/Y MEFs. Intriguingly, Cav-1 gene expression profile was partially restored upon the ectopic expression of LMNA WT or LMNA E358K mutant (EDMD) in lamin A/C deficient MEFs, but not in LMNA L530P mutant that results in EDMD. Additionally, we noted a significant elevation in the protein levels of Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1), a signaling partner that may plausibly control the activity of Cav-1, in Lmna-/- MEFs but not in the Lmna N195K/N195K nor in Emd -/Y MEFs under baseline conditions. In contrast, we noted a significant decline in LKB1 protein levels in lamin A/C-deficient MEFs ectopically expressing LMNA L530P mutant form in comparison to their mock controls under baseline conditions. Furthermore, under H2O2 - induced oxidative stress, we examined a differential pattern of induction in Cav-1 (αβ) expression in both Lmna-/- and Lmna N195K/N195K MEFs in comparison to WT controls at the transcriptional and translational levels. Work is underway to examine putative changes in caveolin-1 expression in striated muscle derived from the aforementioned mouse models. These findings provide a possible path toward a mechanistic understanding of the potential contribution of caveolins in the pathogenesis of muscular laminopathies.

Assessing the viability of Vermiculture in Lebanon: Case Study in WarhaniehNada Ghanem, and Dr. Salma Talhouk

Department of Landscape and Ecosystem Management, American University of Beirut (nrg02@aub.edu.lb)

Oral Presentation

Soil quality deterioration is a problem faced by farmers in Lebanon even though they try to restore it by using chemical and organic fertilizers. The adverse effects on ecosystems and health particularly on water resources and food quality, affect everyone irrespective of age. Such a situation calls for uncovering a new and scientific approach that can initiate and sustain long-term soil quality management, aiming to successfully promote healthy diet, local food security, and environment sustainability. In light of this, a new approach is suggested namely Vermiculture. Vermiculture is the process of composting organic waste using earthworms Eisenia foetida to produce vermicast, known as worm casting or worm manure. This fertilizer is proved effective and is considered the best among all other fertilizers. In addition to the above mentioned benefits, Vermiculture contributes to solid waste management which is a pressing problem in Lebanon. Vermiculture is applied in many countries such as England, Canada, USA, Italy, Philippines, Thailand, China, Korea, Japan, Brazil, France, Australia, Israel, Russia, India and many others. However this technology is innovative for the Arab region. In order to combat this unfamiliarity this study introduced Vermiculture to a rural community “Warhanieh” where the technology was applied at the household level. Furthermore, the study examined the social dimension of vermicomposting including people’s perceptions and attitudes towards it hoping to spread the experience to other communities. The results were promising and will be discussed in my presentation.

Oil Extracts from Spent Coffee Grounds to Modify the Physical Properties of Recycled Asphalt Binder

Jalkh Rita, Dr. Abiad Mohamad American University of Beirut, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences rmj31@mail.aub.edu; ma192@mail.aub.edu Dr. Chehab Ghassan American University of Beirut, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering gc06@mail.aub.edu

Abstract Increased environmental awareness combined with rising fuel costs and energy demands have encouraged researchers around the globe to explore novel and sustainable resources for energy, polymers as well as alternative binders and modifiers. Such resources are highly treasured especially if they stem from reusing existing material and/or waste recycling. These initiatives have pushed for sustainable asphalt production and paving practices in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions, reduced consumption of natural resources, and alleviated pressure on landfills whilst increasing the materials’ cost effectiveness. Currently, alternative binders are produced from biomasses which is considered as one of the largest sources of energy worldwide. On the other hand, utilizing biomass residues spent coffee ground (SCG) could add a new array of applications for hazardous byproducts from the food industry. SCG is a by-product of the coffee industry and it has shown to contain high percentages of oil, 11-20% (w/w dry basis). In Lebanon, the coffee industry imports around 26,000 tons of green coffee beans annually. In this study, oil was extracted from spent coffee grounds (SCG), collected from various coffee shops, using a reflux extractor with hexane as the solvent. The extracted oil was further oxidized at 135℃ for 6, 9, 12, 24 and 48 hours under a controlled air flow of 50ml/min. The oxidized oil was then physically and chemically characterized prior to its use as a rejuvenator for aged asphalt binder. For this purpose, a PG-58 asphalt binder was aged for 24 hours at 165oC using a thin film oven yielding an aged binder with PG of 76. Basically, the objective of this aging was to obtain a more brittle binder simulating an overheated or damaged binder which could then be modified using various percentages of the oxidized oils. Accordingly, mixes incorporating 1, 5, 10, 12 and 15% oil were prepared. The samples were tested for their rheological characteristics, rutting and fatigue performance under constant shear loading as well as multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) as per ASTM and AASHTO standards. Testing results showed that the SCG oil at reception had a peroxide value of 6.73 meq peroxide/kg and an acid value of 10.92 mg KOH/g. As the oxidation time increased, the oil acidity also increased; however, it was observed that beyond 12 hours of oxidation there was a significant decrease in the iodine value, a phenomenon associated with the breaking of double bond. Upon oxidation, the peroxide value reached a maximum of 13.35 meq peroxide/kg after 6 hours of oxidation, followed by a constant decrease until a plateau is reached at 8.6 meq peroxide/kg. Furthermore, the rheological characterization results showed that the addition of 1, 5, 10, 12 or 15% of SCG oil was able to restore the linear behavior of the asphalt binder that had been lost during the induced aging process. It is also worthy to note that adding extracted SCG oil also led to increased softening of the mixes thus decreasing the high temperature grade. Moreover, compared to the control un-aged binder, all mixes resulted in higher recovery at low stress levels; this can be translated into an improved performance with a lower susceptibility to rutting. Based on analysis of the testing results, this research proposes a new potential application for recycling spent coffee grounds by incorporating oxidized bio-oils in asphalt binders to help recover the loss of desired properties and thus increase their resistance to permanent damage. Large scale use of such a project would help alleviate environmental impacts, stress on depleting natural resources and quarry products as well as illegal dumping by decreasing around 160 dump trucks of asphalt and spent coffee grounds per month; whilst providing an innovative solution and new potential uses for their recycling. This methodology has also zero waste since de-fatted SCG could be used as a potential potting mix after oil extraction. It was also calculated that by using In Place Recycling (IPR) as a paving process, all rehabilitated roads in Beirut (40 Km) could be paved yearly if 20% recovery of SCG was assumed. Such a method would require less time, no road closure thus cause less traffic, minimal usage of new binder and quarry products (stones, rocks, aggregates), require less energy hence has less emissions. Moreover, a preliminary financial study using Palate, software developed by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, showed that by using IPR construction costs would be decreased by at least 50%, contribute to 50% savings in energy consumption, have 40% reduction in CO2 emissions and would lead to 80% reduction in energy consumption.

Application of advanced oxidation processes using iron-based industrial scrap for persulfate activation toward ranitidine degradation in water.

Sahar Naim* and Antoine Ghauch1

American University of Beirut, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of ChemistryP.O. Box 11-0236 Riad El Solh – 1107-2020 Beirut – Lebanon

* Graduate Student

This work assessed the use of iron-based industrial scrap in the activation of persulfate (PS) into sulfate radicals (SRs) for the removal of ranitidine (RAN), an H2 receptor antagonist, from aqueous systems. RAN (28.5 μM) was monitored by HPLC, PS (100 μM) by spectrophotometric KI complexation, and dissolved iron species by Atomic Absorption. The employment of industrial iron (iFe) in PS-based AOPs was evaluated with respect to Fe2+ salt and commercial iron (cFe). Results showed that when Fe2+ salt was used, almost complete RAN removal in one hour was achieved at optimal ratio of Fe2+:PS of 1:1. However, when a low load of iFe (1mg/20 mL) was used, it was feasible to get complete RAN removal with a ratio of dissolved iron species (equivalent to Fe2+):PS of only 0.166:1. Furthermore, a comparative study revealed that iFe present also some advantages over cFe in terms of RSE and sludge formation. Additional work for evaluating iFe efficiency was conducted to study the effect of ionic strength and ionic interactions in the presence of chloride and bromide, the main seawater components. Halides appeared enhancing PS activation for RAN removal rather than quenching. The reactivity of bromide was slightly more advantageous than the reactivity of chloride. In both ionic matrices, iFe has sustained its activity with optimum concentration of Br- and Cl- of 1 mM. Total organic carbon was analyzed at different iFe:PS ratios showing that iron corrosion products (ICPs) formation is directly related to the amount of iFe used. Mineralization is negligible at low iFe levels. However, co-precipitation may be more important at higher iFe levels. The HPLC/MS chromatograms showed the presence of hydroxylated RAN intermediate detected at 331 m/ z that dissipates rapidly throughout the treatment.

1 Corresponding author. Tel.: +961 1 350 000; fax: +961 1 365 217. E-mail address: antoine.ghauch@aub.edu.lb

Functional characterization of CLIPA14 a novel serine protease homolog involved in mosquito immunity

Johnny Nakhle and Mike A. Osta

Functional genetic studies showed that the immune system of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae eliminates the majority of ookinete stage Plasmodium parasites as they egress from the midgut epithelial cells into the basal labyrinth. Ookinete killing occurs through killing and/or melanization. Melanization of Anopheles ookinetes is rarely observed in wildtype A. gambiae, however studies in lab reared strains showed that silencing of C-type lectins specifically CTL4 and CTLMA2 genes lead to massive ookinete melanization. Preliminary data suggest that this phenotype is probably due to enhanced complement-like activity. In order to shed light on the modes of action of CTL4/CTLMA2 complex, a proteomic based approach was conducted to identity the spectrum of proteins that co-immunoprecipitate with this complex from the hemolymph of naive mosquitoes. Among the identified candidates is CLIPA14, a serine protease homologue of the clip domain family. CLIPA14 knockdown by RNAi resulted in a similar phenotype to that of CTL4 kd, characterized by massive ookinete melanization. In order to determine whether CLIPA 14 and CTL complex act through the same pathway, we assessed CLIPA14 RNAi phenotype using different infection models. Bacterial proliferation assays revealed that CLIPA14 kd compromises the proliferation of Gram-positive and Gram-negative following systemic infections as compared to control groups, which contrasts with the anti-bacterial role previously described for the CTL complex. Additional bioassays with bacterial and fungal infections will be conducted in order to identify the extent of overlap in the RNAi phenotypes of both genes and whether they functional in the same or different pathways.

miRNA Expression Profile Analysis of Lebanese Breast Cancer Tissues

Farah Nassar 1 , Rabih Talhouk1, Nathalie K. Zgheib2, Maya El Sabban3, Arafat Tfayli4, Fouad Boulos5, Mark Jabbour5, Claude Chelala6, Rose-Mary Boustany7, Nagi El Saghir4, Ali

Bazarbachi4, George Calin8, Rihab Nasr3# 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon2Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon 3Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon4Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

5Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon6 Centre for Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London,Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK7Departments of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon8Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

#Corresponding Author: Rihab Nasr, Ph.D.Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, E-mail: rn03@aub.edu.lbKeywords

microRNA, microarray, breast cancer, biomarkers, Lebanon.

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer in Lebanese women with a higher percentage of young-aged patients than the West. microRNA (miRNA), a large group of small noncoding RNA, regulate 60% of all protein-coding genes and play a vital role in cancer development. Since the etiology of BC initiation is still not well-studied, we are interested in studying differentially expressed miRNA with potential tumor initiation function. We have recently shown that differential expression of certain miRNA in Lebanese BC tissues could be variable to what is reported in West. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate the global miRNA profile in Lebanese BC tissues and to identify through in silico tools the relation of dysregulated miRNA to tumor initiation.

Methods: miRNA profiling was performed using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 3.0 array after RNA extraction of formalin fixed paraffin embedded 45 tumor and 17 normal adjacent tissues from Lebanese BC patients. Validation of dysregulated miRNA was done using quantitative reverse transcription real time PCR. In silico tools such as Diana tools and ingenuity pathway analysis were used to predict the tumor initiation role of dysregulated miRNA.

Results: A total of 74 miRNA were significantly differentially expressed between tumor and normal adjacent breast tissues. The top differentially expressed miRNA were validated. Using in silico tools, most of dysregulated miRNA were found to be involved in cancer and p53 signaling pathway. More analysis of the targets of miRNA and their implication in BC initiation is still in progress.

Conclusion: Lebanese BC patients have a set of dysregulated miRNA expression profile mostly implicated in cancer. Further functional studies will be done on the dysregulated miRNA to comprehend BC onset especially in young patients.

Funding Source

Medical Practice Plan and Kamal A. Shair CRSL

Presentation Type Preference Oral

Perceptions of How Language Anxiety Affects Achievement ofAdult English Language Learners in Lebanon

(in progress; will be finished before April 28)

Thesis advisor: Dr. Kassim Shaaban, Professor of English – AUB(PhD, MA University of Texas at Austin; BA, American University of Beirut)

Thesis committee member: Dr. Lina Choueiri, Associate Professor of English Language– AUB (PhD, MA University of Southern California; MS Georgetown University; BA Université Saint-Joseph)

Thesis committee member: Dr. Rula Diab, Associate Professor of English/ Applied Linguistics – LAU (PhD, University of Texas at Austin; BA, MA American University of Beirut)

Author: Arcella Delica Reyes, Graduate Student, Department of English - AUB(MA Candidate English Language AUB; BA University of Houston; AA North Harris Community College)

AbstractThe affective factor of anxiety has been found to significantly hinder the language learning process although the nature of foreign language anxiety (FLA) has yet to be agreed upon. The purpose of this in-progress MA thesis project is to investigate the personal and contextual factors that are associated with FLA in relation to achievement in English language learning in the context of Lebanon as perceived by adults in a working class vocational language program. In phase one, students were asked to fill out a background questionnaire and a modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope (1986). Afterwards, participants were separated into groups according to their scores on the FLCAS. In phase two, participants were randomly selected to participate in focus groups, which were separated into low-, medium- and high-anxiety levels; the question guide was based on Yan and Horwitz (2008) in which university Chinese learners of English were prompted for their perceptions. A total of 17 adult students from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco and Iraq participated. Grounded-Theory Analysis will be used to evaluate the corpus of focus group transcripts and a theoretical model of perceived FLA factors will be generated. This exploratory study will help fill the significant knowledge gap resulting from the scarcity of FLA literature in the Lebanese context; to the author’s knowledge no such study on adult foreign language education has been conducted in Lebanon. As English is vital to the Lebanese economic, educational, and social domains and as FLA varies from culture to culture, this investigation will contribute to the worldwide body of FLA research.

Keywords: foreign language anxiety (FLA), Grounded-Theory Analysis (GTA), adult education, English language learning, Lebanon

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.

Yan, J. K. and Horwitz, E. K. (2008). Learner’s perceptions of how anxiety interacts with personal and instructional factors to influence their achievement in English: A qualitative analysis of EFL learners in China. Language Learning, 58, (1), 151- 183.

Submission for Department of English adr01@aub.edu.lb Presentation Preference: Oral