Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Competition Between Verbal And Implicit Systems With Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Troy A. Schiebel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In category learning, explicit processes function through the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and implicit processes function through the basal ganglia. Research suggested that these two systems compete with each other. The goal of this study was to shed light on this theory. 15 undergraduate subjects took part in an event-related experiment that required them to categorize computer-generated line-stimuli, which varied in length and/or angle depending on condition. Subjects participated in an explicit "rule-based" (RB) condition and an implicit "information-integration" (II) condition while connected to a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) apparatus, which measured the hemodynamic response (HR) in their PFC. Each condition …

Screening For Anticancer Agents To Inhibit Mitotic Kinases And Proliferation Of Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells, Khoa Nguyen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Current treatments for prostate cancer (PCa) are marred with high relapse frequency and development of progressively aggressive cancers; developing new treatment options for PCa remains crucial. In this project, a series of synthetic compounds based on natural products will be screened to identify inhibitors for Aurora-A kinase (Aur-A). Aur-A facilitates centrosome separation and bipolar spindle formation during mitosis. Aur-A is overexpressed in metastatic PCa cells, and is a good candidate for targeted therapies. Compound libraries are designed using natural compounds that contain simple structural elements as starting points for developing drug like libraries. High-throughput screening of these libraries will be …

Microenvironment Changes In The Pancreatic Stroma Induced By Inflammation, Kathryn Cline

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Pancreatic cancer is the product of microenvironment alterations which emerge from inflammatory signaling and progress to more devastating cases such as Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is extremely aggressive with a statistical five-year survival rate of merely 3%-5%, and is more than relevant to cancer research being that it is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. Unfortunately pancreatic cancer is often unnoticed until reaching its hardly treatable end stages, which perpetuates the low survival rate.

The onset of PDAC may be facilitated by the activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), which secrete collagen and markedly contribute …

Identification And Characterization Of Interactors Of Plasmodium Falciparum Pfpk6, An Atypical Protein Kinase, Andi J. Cummins

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Plasmodium falciparum, the organism that causes the most prevalent and most virulent cases of malaria in humans, poses a major health burden on the developing world, especially in the tropical regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. The burden of the disease is intensified by the fact that the parasite has developed widespread resistance to all current antimalarial therapies, such as chloroquine. This drug resistance underscores the need to develop novel therapeutics that target the parasite, but show low toxicity in the human host. Protein kinases, because of their integral roles in cell signaling networks, are considered to …

Role Of Adrenergic Neurons In Motor Control: Examination Of Cerebellar Purkinje Neurons In Mice Following Selective Adrenergic Cell Ablation In Vivo, Monica Mansour

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (Pnmt) is the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of noradrenaline to adrenaline. These catecholamines are synthesized in the medulla of the adrenal gland and by some neurons of the central nervous system. The precise location of Pnmt action in the brain and its physiological significance are unknown. Prior studies led by Aaron Owji, a graduate student in Dr. Ebert’s laboratory, showed that mice with selectively ablated Pnmt cells show signs of neurological defects such as abnormal gait, weakened grip strength, lack of balance, reduced movement, and defective reflexes during tail suspension tests.

The cerebellum is a small section of …

Vitamin D Clinical Relevance In The Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury Among The Military Population, Yuisa M. Colón

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) still remains a difficult disorder to treat. TBI has been associated to chronic neuroinflammation and a high risk for neurodegenerative disorders. Since 2001 between ten to twenty percent of all deployed military members have suffered a combat-related TBI. Nearly twenty to thirty percent of those will experience chronic cognitive, behavioral and somatic symptoms after suffering a TBI.
Methods: The objective of this review is to evaluate current literature examining vitamin D as a neurosteroid with protective properties and its clinical relevance after traumatic brain injury. Vitamin D is known to participate in neurobiological …

Effects Of A 10-Week Introductory Judo Course On Postural Control During Reactionary Bilateral Gripping Task With Varied Stances And Lower Body Power Performance, Tyler Muddle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is twofold: 1.) Examine the effects of 10-weeks of an introductory judo course on postural control during maximal bilateral isometric handgrip testing using different stance conditions and lower body power performance, and 2.) To analyze the relationship between maximal bilateral handgrip exertions on postural control during varied stance conditions. METHODS: Twenty recreationally active men and women divided into two an experimental group, (JDO) (n = 10; 21.70 ± 3.83 y; 169.91 ± 6.01 cm; 73.89 ± 12.10 kg; 19.01 ± 8.06% BF), and a control group, (CON) (n = 10; 21.50 ± 2.84 …

Determining Factors That Influence Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina Alterniflora Loisel) Transplant Success In Community-Based Living Shoreline Projects, Steven A. Carrion

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Efforts to mitigate shoreline erosion through living shoreline methods along the USA Atlantic seaboard have often incorporated the cultivation and transplantation of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora. Assessments of these transplants at several sites in the Indian River Lagoon have shown that survival is variable after a year (survival: 10-93%). Lower survival has been attributed to environmental variables such as dislodgement by wave energy, and transplant shock due to salinity changes from cultivation to estuarine conditions. To improve living shoreline projects, we examined the effects of cultivation salinity (0 ppt, 15ppt) on transplantation success, and the success of anchoring plants …

Effects Of Harmful Algal Blooms Caused By Aureoumbra Lagunensis (Brown Tide) On Larval And Juvenile Life Stages Of The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica), Panagiota Makris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harmful algal blooms caused by the marine microalga Aureoumbra lagunensis have been associated with negative impacts on marine fauna, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Within the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary system along Florida's east coast, blooms of A. lagunensis in excess of 1×106 cells mL-1 have occurred along with higher than average salinities (> 35 PSU) during times of peak reproduction and growth for the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Field and laboratory studies were used to investigate the effects of A. lagunensis and high salinities on early life stages of eastern oysters, late pediveliger to early juvenile. Natural recruitment of …

Could Dietary Peroxidized Lipids Provoke An Intestinal Inflammatory Response?, Mitsushita Doomra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Crohn's disease represent chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases. It is suspected that bacterial infection is one of the causes of gut inflammation. Studies from others as well as from our laboratory have indicated that peroxidized lipids and their decomposition products are pro-inflammatory. As we consume considerable amounts of dietary oxidized lipids (arising from deep frying of vegetable oils), we hypothesize that dietary peroxidized lipids may also lead to intestinal inflammation. To test this hypothesis, intestine from C57BL/6J mice were collected and used in this study. The intestinal epithelial tissue as well as intestinal lymphoid tissues [Peyer's Patches …

Aptameric Sensors: In Vitro Selection Of Dna That Binds Bromocresol Purple, Derek B. Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aptamers being used as sensors is an emerging field that has capabilities of being tomorrow’s diagnostic tools. As aptameric sensors have become more popular, their visualization systems have been limited. The majority of today’s aptameric sensors require expensive machinery such as a fluorometer in order to visualize results. We propose a system that will cut the need for instrumentation and be detected via the naked eye. With the selection of an aptamer to bind the pH indicating dye bromocresol purple (BCP) this may be achieved. When rendered active, the binding towards BCP will facilitate a color change from yellow to …

Aeromonas Hydrophila In Amphibians: Harmless Bystander Or Opportunistic Pathogen, Zachary P. Rivas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For several decades amphibian populations have been declining. Historically, the bacterium A. hydrophila (Ah) was hypothesized to be the causal factor in amphibian disease and population declines. However, with the discovery of a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 1998, which was identified on the skin of amphibians during documented mortality events, Ah research became of minor interest as focus shifted to Bd. Recent studies into the immunocompromising abilities of Bd, however, have opened new questions about its relationship with Ah and their combined effects on a host.

In this study, I explore the …

Characterization Of Hemerythrin-Like Protein Rv2633c, Michelle D. Cherne

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hemerythrin-like protein Rv2633c is a small 18 kDa protein that is expressed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Sequence analysis of Rv2633c predicts the presence of a hemerythrin-like domain, which binds dioxygen using a µ-oxo-bridge (Fe-O-Fe), rather than a heme group. Though it is noticeably upregulated during macrophage infection and during in vitro acidification, the role of Rv2633c in Mtb survival has yet to be elucidated. This project aims to characterize the function of Rv2633c by studying the in vitro response of the recombinant protein to conditions present in the macrophage lysosome, such as reduced oxygen levels or the …

The Difference In Ventilatory Threshold Among Adolescent Males Based On Maturity Status, Dyane Loney

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Previous research has shown an inverse relationship between age and the relative intensity at which ventilatory threshold (VT) occurs in adolescent boys. However, no study has examined the effect of maturity status on VT in the differences in boys from the onset of puberty, adolescents. The purpose of this study was to compare VT among adolescent boys of different maturational groups. Methods: For this study, moderately active adolescent male participants (14 ± 3 y) completed this study. Maturational status of the participants was determined via years from peak height velocity (PHV), which is an estimation of somatic maturity status derived …

The Effect Of Caffeine On Migraine Headaches, Deborah Shimshoni

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As the most widely consumed drug around the globe, there is a vast array of contradicting research available on caffeine. One of the most debated and researched topics on caffeine is its effect on the brain. Meanwhile, the data on the neurological condition of migraine has information scattered throughout countless research articles and experiments.

Although neither migraine or caffeine are completely understood by the medical world, this analysis attempts to give a more coherent understanding of the relationship between the two. This is done by first understanding the known and theorized mechanisms of caffeine as well as the pathologies of …

The Role Of The Intermembrane Domain Of Mulan In Mitophagy And Cell Death, Jared M. Herbert

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Mulan is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and an E3 SUMO ligase embedded in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Mulan plays a major role in various cell processes including cell growth, mitophagy, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dynamics. In addition, its deregulation is involved in the development and progression of several human disorders such as neurodegeneration and heart disease. There are two main discernible domains in Mulan: a large cytoplasmic domain that encodes the RING-finger motif and carries out the catalytic activity of the protein; the second domain of Mulan is exposed to the intermembrane space of mitochondria, and its function remains unknown. This …

Medical Claims At Ncaa Institutions: The Athletic Trainer's Role, Tyler P. Killinger

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Context: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions are required to certify insurance coverage of medical expenses that result from athletically related injuries sustained while partaking in an NCAA event. This means that the student-athlete must be covered either by their parent’s/guardian’s insurance, their own personal insurance coverage, and/or the institution’s insurance program. Institutions assign this role to a variety of employees, including head athletic trainers (ATs), assistant ATs, athletic administrators, business managers, secretaries, or other institution employees. In 1994 Street, Yates, Lavery, and Lavery observed that the head AT was responsible for administering medical insurance/claims payment at 51% of the …

Chlamydia Trachomatis Transformants Show A Significant Reduction In Rates Of Invasion Upon Removal Of Key Tarp Domains, Christopher Parrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate, intracellular bacterium which is known to cause multiple human infections including nongonococcal urethritis (serovars D-K), lymphogranuloma venereum (serovars L1, L2, L3) and trachoma (serovars A-C). The infectious form of the bacterium, called the elementary body (EB), harbors a type III secreted effector known as Tarp (translocated actin recruiting phosphoprotein) which is a candidate virulence factor and is hypothesized to play a role in C. trachomatis' ability to invade and grow within epithelial cells in a human host. C. trachomatis L2 Tarp harbors five unique protein domains which include the Phosphorylation Domain, the Proline Rich Domain, …