Digital Commons Network^™

Present-Day Pattern Variations In The Central And Eastern Pacific El Nino, Szandra Peter

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a cycle that is initiated in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and is recognized on interannual timescales by oscillating patterns in tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SST) and atmospheric circulations. Using correlation and regression analysis of datasets that include SST’s and other interdependent variables including precipitation, surface winds, sea level pressure, this research seeks to quantify recent changes in ENSO behavior. Specifically, the amplitude, frequency of occurrence, and spatial characteristics (i.e. events with maximum amplitude in the Central Pacific versus the Eastern Pacific) are investigated.

The research is based on the question; “Are …

Can Permaculture Design Save The World?, Dante Digiacomo

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

This project will create a blueprint for an eco-settlement in the South Florida area that will house a total of ten people on a five acre plot of land. Using a combination of permaculture design principles and simple tech solutions, this settlement will be capable of supporting its inhabitants “off the grid”, or with no reliance on outside public utilities. More specifically, the settlement will be capable of supporting its inhabitants by producing a minimum of 80% of its resources on site using only all natural farming techniques, proper water management, companion planting and various other techniques. Instead of using …

A Rapid And Sensitive High-Throughput Screening Method To Identify Compounds Targeting Protein–Nucleic Acids Interactions, Nicole Alonso, Roboan Guillen

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

DNA-binding and RNA-binding proteins are usually considered ‘undruggable’ partly due to the lack of an efficient method to identify inhibitors from existing small molecule repositories. Here we report a rapid and sensitive high-throughput screening approach to identify compounds targeting protein–nucleic acids interactions based on protein–DNA or protein–RNA interaction enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (PDI-ELISA or PRI-ELISA). We validated the PDI-ELISA method using the mammalian highmobility- group protein AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) as the protein of interest and netropsin as the inhibitor of HMGA2–DNA interactions. With this method we successfully identified several inhibitors and an activator for HMGA2–DNA interactions from a collection of 29 …

Screening For Ampr-Specific Inhibitors To Combat P. Aeruginosa Infections, Kevin Morales

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium, an opportunistic pathogen that infects individuals suffering from reduced immunity or damaged tissue. The treatment of these infections has become a major problem due to its increasing antibiotic resistance. Many multi-drug resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa can thwart most antibiotic classes including ?- lactams, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. Its ability to combat ?-lactams is in part due to expression of AmpC, a major chromosomally encoded ?-lactamase. The expression of ampC is positively regulated by AmpR. Besides antibiotic resistance, AmpR is an important regulator of various factors that are required for establishing acute and chronic infections. Loss …

Using Stable Isotopes To Investigate Trophic Interactions Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In The Coastal Everglades, Valerie Paz

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Top predators are best known for their ability to affect their communities through inflicting mortality on prey and inducing behavioral modifications (e.g. risk effects). Recent scientific evidence suggests that predators may have additional roles in bottom-up processes such as transporting materials within and across habitat boundaries. The Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) is an “upside-down” oligotrophic estuary where productivity decreases from the mouth of the estuary to freshwater marshes. Research in the FCE suggest that predators can act as mobile links between disparate habitats and can potentially affect nutrient and biogeochemical dynamics through localized behaviors (e.g. American alligators and juvenile bull …

User Interface Design For Electronic Learning Software: Promoting Usability And Facilitating Learning For Children, Cesar G. Villa-Garcia

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Computing devices have become ubiquitous in our technologically-advanced world, serving as vehicles for software applications that provide users with a wide array of functions. Among these applications are electronic learning software, which are increasingly being used to educate and evaluate individuals ranging from grade school students to career professionals. This study will evaluate the design and implementation of user interfaces in these pieces of software. Specifically, it will explore how these interfaces can be developed to facilitate the use of electronic learning software by children. In order to do this, research will be performed in the area of human-computer interaction, …

Insight Into The Calmodulin And Dream Protein Complex Interaction, Mechanism And Function, Walter Gonzalez

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

DREAM (Downstream regulatory element antagonistic modulator) is a neuronal calcium sensor which has been shown to modulate gene expression as well as being involved in numerous neuronal processes. In this report, we show that association of calcium bound calmodulin (CaM) with DREAM is mediated by a short amphipathic amino acid sequence located between residues 29 and 44 on DREAM N-termini The association of CaM with a peptide analogous to DREAM(29-44) or to full length DREAM protein is calcium dependent with the dissociation constant of 136 nM and 3.4 ?M, respectively. Thermodynamic and kinetic studies show that the observed decrease in …

Tamed And Compatible Symplectic Forms On Four-Dimensional Almost Complex Lie Algebras, Andres Cubas

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

We are able to give a complete description of four-dimensional Lie algebras g which satisfy the tame-compatible question of Donaldson for all almost complex structures J on g are completely described. As a consequence, examples are given of (non-unimodular) four-dimensional Lie algebras with almost complex structures which are tamed but not compatible with symplectic forms.? Note that Donaldson asked his question for compact four-manifolds. In that context, the problem is still open, but it is believed that any tamed almost complex structure is in fact compatible with a symplectic form. In this presentation, I will define the basic objects involved …

Conformational Kinetics Study Of Mp-11 Using Tims-Ms And Molecular Dynamics, Christopher Harrilal, Jaroslava Miksovska, Emily R. Schenk

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

In the present work, we studied the conformational kinetics of microperoxidase 11 (MP-11), a digest fragment of cytochrome C that contains 11 amino acids with a covalently attached heme group. In particular, a novel technique recently developed at FIU in collaboration with Bruker Daltonics Inc. combined with theoretical calculation was used for the characterization of MP- 11 conformational space [1-3]. Accurate ion-neutral collision cross sections were measured for all MP-11 generated charge states. Since MP-11 (like cytochrome C) undergoes conformational changes as a function of the solvent state, MP-11 ions were produced by electrospray ionization (ESI) in order to preserve …

Validation Of An Analytical Method For The Identification Of Smartwater Csi Forensic Marking Technology, Demi Moreda, Claudia Martinez

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

SmartWater is a chemical taggant used as a crime deterrent. The chemical taggant is a colorless liquid that fluoresces yellow under ultra-violet (UV) light and contains distinctive, identifiable and traceable elemental composition. For instance, upon a break and entry scenario, the burglar is sprayed with a solution that has an elemental signature custom-made to a specific location. The residues of this taggant persist on skin and other objects and can be easily recovered for further analysis. The product has been effectively used in Europe as a crime deterrent and has been recently introduced in South Florida. In 2014, Fourt Lauderdale …

Expression And Purification Of 15n, 13clabeled Hmga2 For Nmr Structural Studies, Ashley Tschiggfrie, Roboan Guillen

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

The mammalian high mobility group protein AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a nuclear oncoprotein, and its abnormal expression is directly linked to tumorigenesis. The HMGA2 gene is located on the chromosomal bands 12q13-15. Rearrangement of these bands disrupts the normal functions of HMGA2 and causes the formation of benign tumors, such as lipomas, and malignant tumors, such as lung cancer. In this study, our objective was to make sufficient amounts of 15N-, 13C-labeled HMGA2 for NMR studies to obtain a high-resolution structure of HMGA2-DNA complexes. In order to label this protein, E. coli strain BLR(DE3), containing a plasmid expressing HMGA2, was …