IML 346 Midterm
a) TITLE: HAPPINE$$: Flawed Perceptions of Reality
b) ABSTRACT:
I am studying how everyday personal and social decisions affect one's happiness because I want to find out how economic principles can explain differences in people's self-reported levels of happiness. By doing so, I am trying to help the average person gain a better understanding of the discrepancies between how he perceives a decision and the actual reality of the outcome. In turn, the user may learn simple concepts in economic theory so that he is better equipped to make more informed decisions that will have a positive effect on his happiness. Hence, my goal is to help the average layman learn about how to use economic analyses to make better decisions, because people do not always make decisions that will maximize their happiness. I want my project to be both interactive and informative, and since I want this tool to be accessible to everyone, I may design my project as an online website.
c) METHODOLOGY:
I am going about making the argument that the average person does not correctly forecast or backcast his experienced happiness by developing a tool or simulation that mimics the process of making a decision. This may be accomplished by a four-fold method: 1. Have the user complete a questionnaire relating to what is to be learned or decided upon. 2. The user will make an actual decision or complete a simple task similar to those summarized in textbooks. 3. The user will complete a post-task survey. 4. A results section will use economic analysis to explain their decision. The goal is to have the user come to the realization that their perception of a decision may be different from the actual outcome because the average person fails to take into consideration changes in aspirations and adaptation, as well as other social and economic forces that play a role in determining one’s happiness.
d) MEDIA PRESENTATION & JUSTIFICATION:
This thesis will include an interactive media simulation of classic experiments from the field of economics and social psychology in order to show the user how the principles of economic theory relate to happiness. This may include the use of music or unfavorable sounds to mimic an unpleasant situation, or the use of a classical symphony or work of art to induce feelings of pleasure or satisfaction. Rather than simply telling the user about happiness and economics, this thesis will allow the reader to gain first-hand experience with the topic. Such experiences cannot be attained through traditional textbook learning and hence require multimedia.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Matt Jung’s Revised Midterm Proposal
a) Title: “Let’s Go To Jail! The Mashup and the Future of Music”
b) Abstract
Topic: The Mashup Genre of Music (e.g. Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album")
Interface: DVD
Genre: Interactive Game with components being Essayistic and Encyclopedic
Main Message/ Thesis: The mashup genre is important to music's future in our modern remix culture, as it becomes easier for the average person to become a participant. However, the genre will only be allowed to flourish so much as copyright enforcers allow it.
c) Methodology
The project would have two sections.
-An expository presentation of the evolution of the mashup. The presentation would be a timeline where the user could click on certain works and learn more. It would cover the mashup’s roots in jazz and hip-hop to its emergence as an independent genre.
This collection will be an introduction to the genre, and will also show that its popularity is rapidly increasing.
-A display of my new creative work. I will create a mashup album and document my process. Since I am a music performance major, I feel this creative musical process will be a valuable learning experience in my academic field. This will also show how technology is allowing more people (like me) to become participants in our remix culture.
d) Media Presentation & Justification
-The whole DVD experience would be a game, in which every copyright infringement is counted in a video game type counter. Every time a copyrighted piece of music is heard, every time a copyrighted image is shown, and every time an instance of my new work’s infringement is displayed, the DVD will keep track in terms of a jail sentence. The more the DVD is used, the higher the jail sentence. This will hopefully show how limiting copyrights are to the genre. With all the creativity by myself and others showcased on this DVD, it will show how copyrights are hurting that creativity.
Hopefully, this project will:
-Introduce and explore a new and rapidly growing form of music
-Allow me to create musically in the form of a new art piece (as musical creation is central to my major)
-Have a meaningful message and give a meaningful warning to society about the future of music
-----------------------------------------------------
Matt Jung
b) Abstract
Topic: The Mashup Genre of Music (e.g. Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album")
Interface: DVD
Genre: Interactive Game with components being Essayistic and Encyclopedic
Main Message/ Thesis: The mashup genre is important to music's future in our modern remix culture, as it becomes easier for the average person to become a participant. However, the genre will only be allowed to flourish so much as copyright enforcers allow it.
c) Methodology
The project would have two sections.
-An expository presentation of the evolution of the mashup. The presentation would be a timeline where the user could click on certain works and learn more. It would cover the mashup’s roots in jazz and hip-hop to its emergence as an independent genre.
This collection will be an introduction to the genre, and will also show that its popularity is rapidly increasing.
-A display of my new creative work. I will create a mashup album and document my process. Since I am a music performance major, I feel this creative musical process will be a valuable learning experience in my academic field. This will also show how technology is allowing more people (like me) to become participants in our remix culture.
d) Media Presentation & Justification
-The whole DVD experience would be a game, in which every copyright infringement is counted in a video game type counter. Every time a copyrighted piece of music is heard, every time a copyrighted image is shown, and every time an instance of my new work’s infringement is displayed, the DVD will keep track in terms of a jail sentence. The more the DVD is used, the higher the jail sentence. This will hopefully show how limiting copyrights are to the genre. With all the creativity by myself and others showcased on this DVD, it will show how copyrights are hurting that creativity.
Hopefully, this project will:
-Introduce and explore a new and rapidly growing form of music
-Allow me to create musically in the form of a new art piece (as musical creation is central to my major)
-Have a meaningful message and give a meaningful warning to society about the future of music
-----------------------------------------------------
Matt Jung
Pat Skelly's midterm (for the time being)
Title: Tracing the origins of graphic literature in
Abstract: Rather than focusing on the current states of animated literature in both
Drawing from this point, I will also examine (albeit to a nominal extent, or at least as much as pertains to the question/topic/relevance at hand) the influences that underwent the origins of the graphic literature. From Egyptian hieroglyphics to Near-East cylinder seals to cave drawings (?), similarities and differences will be raised to help discern the possible origins.
There will also be a focus on the more contemporary aspects of each – in what format they are in (manga, comic, anime, cartoon), how they are read (serialized strip, short comic, manga, graphic novel, TV/film), audience, and others.
For an audience, I hope to aim this project at a more scholarly group this time, as opposed to the layman. Through this, hoping that the readers have some familiarity with the material at hand, it will be easier to get right into the core analysis of the topic, without having to dumb things down enough so that everyone and anyone can understand. However, this is subject to change depending on how deep into the origins I wish to delve.
Methodology: This should be a relatively simple, straight-forward presentation (at first) of each culture’s origins for their graphic literature and mediums. From this, the project can start with some of the earliest graphic mediums known (hieroglyphics, per se/for example), then move onto each culture’s actual beginnings. In effect, the first part of the project will be a timeline (possibly modeled after the digital wall in the IML).
However, after the timeline, some of the more interesting, interactive features will take place. At this point, the project will show how, if at all, the media relate to each other in the following, but not limited to, categories: artistic style, origin, influence/cultural significance, use of multiple media (only art, mostly art, mostly text, etc.), and layout.
I also hope to examine the current state of each medium as it is seen in each medium’s respective country, as well as on a global scale. Examining how these original multimedia presentations use current media to expand their message and use would add insight not only into their current plight, but possibly the future of graphic literature as well (will the mediums lose the page in exchange for the webpage?).
Media presentation and justification: Hands-down one of the most obvious tools to use will be Flash, as that will allow the viewers/audience to interact best with the project, as well, it is also the most fit way to present the information. Not to mention that a timeline would work best in Flash, as it could act like an interactive movie, if needed.
However, Sophie would also be an apt way to present the information if only because it’s a blend of Flash, Powerpoint, and the like.
Other notes: Since this topic has already gone through two changes, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it goes through at least another one, not only to reflect the new information I come across, but to appease my own ever-changing viewpoints.
Dustin Johnson's Mid-Term Post
Title: Cinematography: A Language Without Words
Abstract:I am focusing on the little studied art of cinematography in critical studies. Any given film has a rich and complex text of its own that can be drawn upon by simply isolating the visuals. Cinematography is a complex semiotic language using such elements as color, grain, exposure, latitude, contrast, composition, shot angles, and depth of field to tell a story or create an emotion. This symbolism can come in the form of a specific motif in a given film, or can become a part of the conventions and iconography of a genre. Because cinematography has been so tied to ceaseless technical innovation from its beginnings, a given implementation of the visual language of cinematography may actually be tied to an era of technical development and experimentation.
First, I wish to expose and decode this language and its complexity to the student, lay-person, or even scholar not already willing to actually materialize the subconscious interpretations of the text on their own. Secondly, I wish to show how this encoded language appears throughout other media in specific relation to a given text. I plan to do so by choosing at least one film from within the last decade with significant use of the elements that I will define, and tracking both the influences that that film has had on films and other media since its release, as well as backtracking to as many of the influences on it as possible, back to the influences on its influences, and so forth.
One example could be the extremely unique style of Tony Scott's film, Man On Fire, as it is clearly influenced by the Director of Photography's experiments on the BMW film Beat the Devil which can be seen as an extension of the styles used in Swordfish and Gone in Sixty Seconds, which are arguably influenced by the type of standout cinematography seen in Traffic, which not surprisingly came shortly after Three Kings, one of the more notable uses of the now well known “skip bleach” process. After Man on Fire came works like Last King of Scotland, Jarhead, and even Babel that used similar styles, influenced likely by the most recent as well as that which influenced the most recent and so forth. The similarities in style will, in the actual project, be broken down into more specific elements, and definitive examples of each element being compared will be given as each connection is drawn.
The project will be pedagogical in that it teaches its users how to look at cinematography as a cultural art. The concept explores the layered effects of the influences on the subject film and the film's influences on other media, therefore is also multi-layered. The interface design will combine still photos (screen shots) with video clips, and with text as various means of exploring the concepts, therefore it is also comparative. The project is interactive to the extent that the user decides how he or she wishes to explore the multi-layered content through the interface. The project is visualization both in how it shows the material of the subject media, as well as visualizes the theories. In a straight forward way, the project is also annotation, as it combines images and moving images with textual explanations.I will probably do the entire project in Flash (a program in which I can call my self a fully competent designer, if not a programmer) and allow the user to navigate it.
Methodology:I am going to solve the scholar's conundrum of discussing cinematography as a critical and theoretical aspect of film. Often we study the cinematography of one film, or even of certain genres, but never in depth, and never are those concepts of cinematographic theory applied to the entire study of film. I hope to take cinematography from a film to film context into the broader context by connecting cinematography among different films, and perhaps even among other cultural products that relate such as advertising, commercials, print design, web design, music videos, book covers, etc. If this is going too far, it is enough for me to just bring out patterns and contexts among films for distinct styles of cinematography that are weakly discussed and defined as of yet. The use of an interactive multimedia platform like Flash will allow the user to explore at their own pace the information that I can present to them, and hopefully it will be in the order that makes the most sense to them and that best satisfies their curiosity.
Media Presentation and Justification:Because the terminology that exists to describe cinematographic theory is so limited and or so poorly known, using media to visualize and exemplify every part of the thesis will no doubt make possible what would otherwise be a tedious and confusing mixture of description and definition. So rather than writing a paper that would force the reader to look up information to figure out what the author is talking about, using a multimedia interface, the author can provide that information as he goes.
Here we go, here we go again...Ashley Hsieh Midterm Proposal
TITLE:
Welcome to the Hong Kong Drive-Thru: how Wong Kar-Wai depicts the relationship between the transnational and the local
ABSTRACT:
In recent years, films are more and more becoming a global commodity. Films are being co-produced and distributed internationally, featuring transnational film stars and transcultural elements. However, how does transnationalism affect the idea of national identity?
I am interested in analyzing Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 film, Chungking Express, because I am trying to find out how his works express transnational qualities and concerns. I want to show my audience how transnationalism helps a film’s international distribution and reception but also obscures the idea of the “local”.
My thesis will be aimed at a peer audience consisting of people, college-aged and older, possessing some, but not expert, knowledge of cinema. The audience will be able to engage in an interactive and experiential interface.
METHODOLOGY:
The primary aim of my thesis is to illustrate the relationship between the transnational and the local. I am arguing that transnationalism weakens the concept of national identity.
Transnationalism is a relatively new concept that has stemmed from efforts to globalize and loosen national borders. In terms of the film industry, transnationalism can be quite positive. It allows for the global distribution of films meaning that a film can seek a larger, international audience. However, transnationalism also has its downside. In order to appeal to this larger, international audience, many “local” or national qualities are watered down. Wong Kar-Wai’s films depict the tension that exists between the transnational and local, especially his 1994 hit Chungking Express. Chungking Express was internationally acclaimed and found a global, pan-Asian and western, audience; as a result, Wong Kar-Wai became a world-renowned filmmaker. This perked heightened international interest in Hong Kong films.
Wong Kar-Wai both accepts and is wary of transnationalism. He embraces his international audience and he showcases many of his transnational influences in his films. In Chungking Express, he draws from French New Wave and Hollywood Film Noir for inspiration. However, he also brings attention to the loss of national identity through his thematic depiction of characters experiencing major identity crises.
I will depict these ideas and concerns through an interactive and experiential interface. In the main menu, the audience member will be presented with three different platforms he/she can choose from: “The Mu-Shu Delight: or Hong Kong’s fictitious national identity”, “The Hong Kong Hamburger: or transnational elements”, or “The Happy Meal Prize: or international reception”.
“The Mu-Shu Delight” will explore the absence of national identity in Hong Kong, including a brief history of Hong Kong, tracing its colonial history, the international immigration to Hong Kong and relating the events surrounding its return to mainland China. I will then explore Wong Kar-Wai’s treatment of characters, desperately trying to reinvent and discover their identities.
“The Hong Kong Hamburger” will allow the audience to maneuver around certain spaces within Hong Kong. Hot spots will be present revealing transnational elements and influences present within Chungking Express.
The last platform, “The Happy Meal Prize”, will trace Chungking Express’ global reception and success.
MEDIA PRESENTATION & JUSTIFICATION:
My thesis will be presented as a DVD-ROM. I will use programs such as DVD Studio Pro to create an exploratory and interactive interface in order to illustrate the “local” Hong Kong space and the ubiquitous transnational elements that exist within this space.
In order to illustrate transnational themes present in Wong Kar Wai’s work, his transnational influences, as well as international reception of his work, the interface will have three platforms. Each platform will allow the audience to maneuver around and click on informational hot spots. These hot spots will utilize text, using After Effects, images, music, narration, and video, using Final Cut Pro.
Welcome to the Hong Kong Drive-Thru: how Wong Kar-Wai depicts the relationship between the transnational and the local
ABSTRACT:
In recent years, films are more and more becoming a global commodity. Films are being co-produced and distributed internationally, featuring transnational film stars and transcultural elements. However, how does transnationalism affect the idea of national identity?
I am interested in analyzing Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 film, Chungking Express, because I am trying to find out how his works express transnational qualities and concerns. I want to show my audience how transnationalism helps a film’s international distribution and reception but also obscures the idea of the “local”.
My thesis will be aimed at a peer audience consisting of people, college-aged and older, possessing some, but not expert, knowledge of cinema. The audience will be able to engage in an interactive and experiential interface.
METHODOLOGY:
The primary aim of my thesis is to illustrate the relationship between the transnational and the local. I am arguing that transnationalism weakens the concept of national identity.
Transnationalism is a relatively new concept that has stemmed from efforts to globalize and loosen national borders. In terms of the film industry, transnationalism can be quite positive. It allows for the global distribution of films meaning that a film can seek a larger, international audience. However, transnationalism also has its downside. In order to appeal to this larger, international audience, many “local” or national qualities are watered down. Wong Kar-Wai’s films depict the tension that exists between the transnational and local, especially his 1994 hit Chungking Express. Chungking Express was internationally acclaimed and found a global, pan-Asian and western, audience; as a result, Wong Kar-Wai became a world-renowned filmmaker. This perked heightened international interest in Hong Kong films.
Wong Kar-Wai both accepts and is wary of transnationalism. He embraces his international audience and he showcases many of his transnational influences in his films. In Chungking Express, he draws from French New Wave and Hollywood Film Noir for inspiration. However, he also brings attention to the loss of national identity through his thematic depiction of characters experiencing major identity crises.
I will depict these ideas and concerns through an interactive and experiential interface. In the main menu, the audience member will be presented with three different platforms he/she can choose from: “The Mu-Shu Delight: or Hong Kong’s fictitious national identity”, “The Hong Kong Hamburger: or transnational elements”, or “The Happy Meal Prize: or international reception”.
“The Mu-Shu Delight” will explore the absence of national identity in Hong Kong, including a brief history of Hong Kong, tracing its colonial history, the international immigration to Hong Kong and relating the events surrounding its return to mainland China. I will then explore Wong Kar-Wai’s treatment of characters, desperately trying to reinvent and discover their identities.
“The Hong Kong Hamburger” will allow the audience to maneuver around certain spaces within Hong Kong. Hot spots will be present revealing transnational elements and influences present within Chungking Express.
The last platform, “The Happy Meal Prize”, will trace Chungking Express’ global reception and success.
MEDIA PRESENTATION & JUSTIFICATION:
My thesis will be presented as a DVD-ROM. I will use programs such as DVD Studio Pro to create an exploratory and interactive interface in order to illustrate the “local” Hong Kong space and the ubiquitous transnational elements that exist within this space.
In order to illustrate transnational themes present in Wong Kar Wai’s work, his transnational influences, as well as international reception of his work, the interface will have three platforms. Each platform will allow the audience to maneuver around and click on informational hot spots. These hot spots will utilize text, using After Effects, images, music, narration, and video, using Final Cut Pro.
Alexis' Midterm Proposal
alindquistMT346.doc
The Language We Don't Talk About:
Hearing Time and Place in Film Scores
“I am exploring the film score as a universal language, because even the lowest lay-man can understand the musical color that creates a sense of time and place, in order to elicit the cinematic and cultural importance of this “ignored” art.”
Abstract: This project delves into the world of musical color specifically in relation to the creation of the sensation of a time and place in cinema. It is targeted for any film listener (even the blind). A pedagogical website will launch a multi-layered, interactive game.
Methodology: The project will be accessed via the internet through a flash site. The flash site will explain the purpose of the project, give directions for the game both through literature and audibly, and will have teaching tools in regards to musical color in film scores. The game will be accessible via the flash site and will also be created in Flash. The game is completely audio based. The user will be assigned missions, for example “Go to Scotland.” The user will hear a score; if it does not implicate Scotland, then the user may left click and a new score will play. It is as though the user is digging forward in search of Scotland. When the user finds the assigned time or destination, then they may right click and sounds will notify them of their correct or incorrect answer. There are no points and the game loops; it literally could go on forever. It is just a simple exercise to allow the user to become aware of their personal interpretation of musical color.
Why in General? As a whole, this project will effectively argue that musical color has become a language across cinema and American culture. The user’s experience will leave them with a greater awareness of the power of the film score in their film experiences and even life.
Media Presentation & Justification: This thesis will include a flash website with film clips, sound clips, visual images, and game devices to allow decision making in order to let the user to declare their own connotations when they hear score motifs. This project should be in multimedia because film scores are a language that is heard, not written. Also, this project requires the allowance of users to make decisions in a way that cannot be done in an essay.
::The changes I made between my initial proposal and this one are that I immensely simplified the flash game and educational material covered in general. There is only one 'world' in the game instead of three and the idea of exploring the evolution of film scores was discarded completely. Even though the project is much simpler now, there is always the possibility that next year I will be able to expand it again.::
Beth's Midterm Proposal
TITLE
The Role of Toxin-Antitoxin Gene Pairs in Cell Death/Cell Survival in Escherichia coli
ABSTRACT
Toxin-antitoxin pairs are pairs of genes that encode the information necessary for the generation of a toxin and an antitoxin. Within a healthy cell, toxin and antitoxin proteins are simultaneously produced, and bind together to form a complex that is harmless to the cell; however, in an abnormal cell, the toxin protein accumulates, disrupting normal cellular functions and ultimately causing cell death. For this reason, toxin-antitoxin pairs have been implicated as key components of programmed cell death mechanisms and the plasmid addiction system (a mechanism in which a cell dies if it does not receive a copy of a small, circular piece of DNA called a plasmid). Understanding the basic mechanisms underlying programmed cell death and plasmid addiction is an important step in gaining insight into disorders/diseases caused by uncontrolled cell proliferation like cancer, and may yield important molecular tools for initiating death in specific, undesired cells in laboratory experiments.
The aim of this project is to generate a miniature database documentary about toxin-antitoxin pairs, and more specifically toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli. This will be a referential and educational tool that includes a review of toxin-antitoxin pair literature, as well progress on toxin-antitoxin pair research being conducted in the Finkel laboratory at the University of Southern California.
PROJECT GOAL
The primary goal of this multimedia project is to generate a miniature database of information regarding toxin-antitoxin pairs in Escherichia coli. This will be an interactive project that can be used as either a source of reference for people conducting research on toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli, or an educational experience for people, both in the general public and in other scientific fields, that have an interest in learning about toxin-antitoxin pairs.
To accomplish this goal, the information contained within this project will be made accessible to both the lay person and the professional researcher: a researcher can browse through the project, looking at current information and research about toxin-antitoxin pairs and bypassing explanations and images that describe basic knowledge (e.g. transcription and translation), while a lay person can browse through the project, bringing up annotations (textual and/or visual) that explain concepts they do not know or understand.
RESEARCH GOALS / METHODLOGY
The specific aim of this research project is to conduct an extensive literature review of toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli. This project will be comprised of five major components: (1) general information about toxin-antitoxin pairs, (2) toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli, (3) proposed theories for the role of toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli death and/or survival, (4) potential applications of toxin-antitoxin pair research, (5) progress with research that I am conducting in the laboratory.
The first component of this project will present a broad overview of toxin-antitoxin pairs – the background information. It will begin with two basic concepts that are crucially important to toxin-antitoxin pair action, programmed cell death and plasmid addiction (a mechanism in which a cell dies if it does not receive a copy of a circular piece of extra-genomic DNA called a plasmid). The discussion will continue with the identification of toxin-antitoxin pairs on bacterial genomes, what they are, how they are thought to act, and their potential significance for cell death or survival.
The second component of this project will concentrate on the main focus of this project, toxin-antitoxin pairs on the E. coli genome. This section will include information about each of the toxin-antitoxin pairs identified in E. coli, their locations on the E. coli genome, their putative modes of action, and other pertinent information.
The third section will be focused on the major theories regarding the purposes of these toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli. The theories proposed by the two major camps of toxin-antitoxin pair research, the Gerdes laboratory and the Engelberg-Kulka laboratory, will be discussed here, as well as the theory proposed by the Finkel laboratory.
The fourth, and final section of the literature review, will be concerned with the potential applications of toxin-antitoxin pair research. Understanding the mechanisms of toxin-antitoxin pairs is a major step forward in understanding programmed cell death mechanisms, and possibly the mechanisms underlying the termination of programmed cell death abnormal proliferation of cells (e.g. cancer). Additionally, toxin-antitoxin pairs have the potentially of being a very useful molecular technique that can be used to terminate certain, unwanted cells in controlled experiments.
The final component of this project will be concerned with my own research. This section will consist primarily of the protocols and processes that are involved in my research, with a little bit of data. Realistically, there will be little data to present, as current research endeavors are focused on the generation of mutant E. coli strains required for the study of toxin-antitoxin pairs.
PROJECT FORMAT AND JUSTIFICATION
Data presentation is one of the most important aspects of the scientific process, regardless of whether the project is a literature review or laboratory-based research. The publication of papers and the presentation of works at conferences and symposiums allow researchers to present their findings to the scientific community, as well as the general public. This generates a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas, which is inherently important to scientific progress.
There are three primary modes of presentation in scientific disciplines: paper publications, oral presentations, and poster presentations. Despite the inherently scholastic nature of science, which demands careful note-taking, attention to detail, and the analysis and interpretation of data, there are many aspects of science that are better explained through images, especially for lay audiences or those unfamiliar with the research topic. These components include physical, chemical, or physiological mechanisms, experimental procedures, and data. For instance, it is much easier to understand how a neurotoxin can cause paralysis via a schematic drawing or an animation, than it is to read a dense passage detailing each step in the process. Likewise, it is much easier to understand data presented as a graph than as a list of numbers.
For this reason, the multimedia format of this project will be a database documentary. It is critically important to maintain a textual, scholarly component in the presentation of this project because of the scientific nature of the research: at the core of this project is a literature review of toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli, and secondarily, data collected from ongoing research. However, there are multiple components of this project that are far better served by visual aids: pictures, animations, interviews, etc. A database documentary will allow for the incorporation of both scholastic and multimedia components, as well as allow the audience to explore and learn about toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli at their leisure and personal level of understanding.
The Role of Toxin-Antitoxin Gene Pairs in Cell Death/Cell Survival in Escherichia coli
ABSTRACT
Toxin-antitoxin pairs are pairs of genes that encode the information necessary for the generation of a toxin and an antitoxin. Within a healthy cell, toxin and antitoxin proteins are simultaneously produced, and bind together to form a complex that is harmless to the cell; however, in an abnormal cell, the toxin protein accumulates, disrupting normal cellular functions and ultimately causing cell death. For this reason, toxin-antitoxin pairs have been implicated as key components of programmed cell death mechanisms and the plasmid addiction system (a mechanism in which a cell dies if it does not receive a copy of a small, circular piece of DNA called a plasmid). Understanding the basic mechanisms underlying programmed cell death and plasmid addiction is an important step in gaining insight into disorders/diseases caused by uncontrolled cell proliferation like cancer, and may yield important molecular tools for initiating death in specific, undesired cells in laboratory experiments.
The aim of this project is to generate a miniature database documentary about toxin-antitoxin pairs, and more specifically toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli. This will be a referential and educational tool that includes a review of toxin-antitoxin pair literature, as well progress on toxin-antitoxin pair research being conducted in the Finkel laboratory at the University of Southern California.
PROJECT GOAL
The primary goal of this multimedia project is to generate a miniature database of information regarding toxin-antitoxin pairs in Escherichia coli. This will be an interactive project that can be used as either a source of reference for people conducting research on toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli, or an educational experience for people, both in the general public and in other scientific fields, that have an interest in learning about toxin-antitoxin pairs.
To accomplish this goal, the information contained within this project will be made accessible to both the lay person and the professional researcher: a researcher can browse through the project, looking at current information and research about toxin-antitoxin pairs and bypassing explanations and images that describe basic knowledge (e.g. transcription and translation), while a lay person can browse through the project, bringing up annotations (textual and/or visual) that explain concepts they do not know or understand.
RESEARCH GOALS / METHODLOGY
The specific aim of this research project is to conduct an extensive literature review of toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli. This project will be comprised of five major components: (1) general information about toxin-antitoxin pairs, (2) toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli, (3) proposed theories for the role of toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli death and/or survival, (4) potential applications of toxin-antitoxin pair research, (5) progress with research that I am conducting in the laboratory.
The first component of this project will present a broad overview of toxin-antitoxin pairs – the background information. It will begin with two basic concepts that are crucially important to toxin-antitoxin pair action, programmed cell death and plasmid addiction (a mechanism in which a cell dies if it does not receive a copy of a circular piece of extra-genomic DNA called a plasmid). The discussion will continue with the identification of toxin-antitoxin pairs on bacterial genomes, what they are, how they are thought to act, and their potential significance for cell death or survival.
The second component of this project will concentrate on the main focus of this project, toxin-antitoxin pairs on the E. coli genome. This section will include information about each of the toxin-antitoxin pairs identified in E. coli, their locations on the E. coli genome, their putative modes of action, and other pertinent information.
The third section will be focused on the major theories regarding the purposes of these toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli. The theories proposed by the two major camps of toxin-antitoxin pair research, the Gerdes laboratory and the Engelberg-Kulka laboratory, will be discussed here, as well as the theory proposed by the Finkel laboratory.
The fourth, and final section of the literature review, will be concerned with the potential applications of toxin-antitoxin pair research. Understanding the mechanisms of toxin-antitoxin pairs is a major step forward in understanding programmed cell death mechanisms, and possibly the mechanisms underlying the termination of programmed cell death abnormal proliferation of cells (e.g. cancer). Additionally, toxin-antitoxin pairs have the potentially of being a very useful molecular technique that can be used to terminate certain, unwanted cells in controlled experiments.
The final component of this project will be concerned with my own research. This section will consist primarily of the protocols and processes that are involved in my research, with a little bit of data. Realistically, there will be little data to present, as current research endeavors are focused on the generation of mutant E. coli strains required for the study of toxin-antitoxin pairs.
PROJECT FORMAT AND JUSTIFICATION
Data presentation is one of the most important aspects of the scientific process, regardless of whether the project is a literature review or laboratory-based research. The publication of papers and the presentation of works at conferences and symposiums allow researchers to present their findings to the scientific community, as well as the general public. This generates a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas, which is inherently important to scientific progress.
There are three primary modes of presentation in scientific disciplines: paper publications, oral presentations, and poster presentations. Despite the inherently scholastic nature of science, which demands careful note-taking, attention to detail, and the analysis and interpretation of data, there are many aspects of science that are better explained through images, especially for lay audiences or those unfamiliar with the research topic. These components include physical, chemical, or physiological mechanisms, experimental procedures, and data. For instance, it is much easier to understand how a neurotoxin can cause paralysis via a schematic drawing or an animation, than it is to read a dense passage detailing each step in the process. Likewise, it is much easier to understand data presented as a graph than as a list of numbers.
For this reason, the multimedia format of this project will be a database documentary. It is critically important to maintain a textual, scholarly component in the presentation of this project because of the scientific nature of the research: at the core of this project is a literature review of toxin-antitoxin pairs in the bacterium Escherichia coli, and secondarily, data collected from ongoing research. However, there are multiple components of this project that are far better served by visual aids: pictures, animations, interviews, etc. A database documentary will allow for the incorporation of both scholastic and multimedia components, as well as allow the audience to explore and learn about toxin-antitoxin pairs in E. coli at their leisure and personal level of understanding.
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