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Compensation For Adding Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (Ssbs) To The Diet In Healthy College-Aged Participants, Gina Reyes

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Compensation for Adding Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) to the Diet in Healthy College-aged Participants

Gina Reyes, Olivet Martinez, Trevor Steele, Sara Rosenkranz

Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics & Health

College of Human Ecology

Background:Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus and other obesity-related diseases. Research evidence has been inconsistent with regard to the effects of increased SSB consumption on metabolic risk factors, potentially due to compensatory dietary-intake behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to determine whether participants compensated for the addition of two servings of SSBs per …

Construction Of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus For Oncolyitc Therapy, Marlene L. Campos Guerrero

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Homologous recombination is a mechanism conducted to exchange nucleotides between two similar sequences, which allows researchers to knock out and add genetic sequences of their interest in vaccinia virus (VACV). In this study, a Western Reserve VACV strain with inserted genes encoding Red Florescence Protein (RFP) and Green Florescence Protein (GFP), will be targeted and replaced with the Thymidine Kinase gene, J2R as well as C11 gene, respectively. This will set the foundation for continual removal of genes as well as additions to make a virus that will more effectively target cancer cells without affecting healthy cells. To conduct this …

Cnt-Tio2 Composites For Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Atmospheric Pollutants, Alison Chan

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The design of catalysts for growth of carbon nanotubes is studied to develop recipes and mechanisms for controlled and scalable growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The objective of the study is to tune the photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) by coupling to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Multiwalled CNTs have been shown to act as an electron sink when coupled with TiO₂, thereby inhibiting electron-hole recombination and enhancing photocatalytic degradation of environmental pollutants. A test using acetaldehyde confirmed our findings in the field, where the loading ratio of 99 wt% TiO₂ (1 wt% CNTs) has a high …

Synthesis And Optimization Of Novel Poly-(Β-Amino Ester) Polymer For Gene-Delivery, Maria Montes

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Gene delivery is one of the most promising methods to treat multiple diseases through the alteration of a genetic code to enhance or inhibit gene expression (NIH). The potential for gene delivery to be used as a treatment for cancerous cells is the beginning for advanced personalized healthcare. Current methods for cancer are costly, nonspecific, and come with major side effects that lowers quality of life in cancer patients. Previous studies have demonstrated Poly-(β-amino ester) (PBAE) to be biodegradable, non-toxic, and capable to deliver payloads in a targeted manner. For this study, PBAE was synthesized and characterized by Nuclear Magnetic …

Reviving Troost: Reactivating Vacant Lots Through Urban Acupuncture, Ayana Belk

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Modern day cities are riddled with vacant lots that attract illicit activity and give a negative impression of the surrounding neighborhood. Vacant lots are born from an urban history of an increasingly privatized public realm and growing socio-political and economic polarization (Foo 2014, 176). Suburbanization, redlining, and urban renewal disproportionately affected lower income neighborhoods, which are rarely able to rebuild without outside financial assistance. “Urban acupuncture” is a theory that views cities as living, breathing organisms and a variety of projects can serve as “needles” that revitalize the community by healing the parts. When applied correctly this theory can help …

Vietnam's Natural Hazards - 1999 Flood, Vu H. Vo

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by natural hazards such as flood. For instance, during the 1990s to the early 2000s, the country experienced numerous floods, particularly in its central and southern regions. Located in Southeast Asia, bordered by China in the north, Laos and Cambodia in the west, and the South China Sea in the east, the country has 2,860 small and large rivers with a total flow of about 867 billion cubic meters per year. The central region of Vietnam is narrow, mountainous, and close to the coastline. Many rivers pass through the region, which had …

Standardization And Extrapolation Of Icing Stability, Shelf Life, And Safety Under Heat Abuse, Jaden Castinado

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Inquiries from Kansas citizens requested information on the stability, shelf life, and safety of icings on baked goods after prolonged exposure to heat without refrigeration, often common at county and state fairs. Methods include compiling a sample of icing recipes from Kansas citizens and entering into a database so that recipes could be sorted by factors such as sugar and/or dairy content. A central composite design will then be used to identify trials with variable amounts of sugar, dairy, and sugar with dairy. Current work is focused on creating a concise and navigable database with sufficient data to create a …

Wastewater Denitrification Using Bhn-Probiotic Solutions As An Alternative External Carbon Source, Guadalupe Arreola

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Wastewater Denitrification Using BHN-Probiotic Solutions as an Alternative External Carbon Source

Guadalupe Arreola, Evan Heronemus, Megan Lehman, and Dr. Prathap Parameswaran

Department of Civil Engineering

College of Engineering

Reducing the amount of Nitrogen found in wastewater is a crucial step for wastewater treatment plants, and denitrification is an essential biological step that could be rate-limiting. To reach the stringent nutrient discharge standards, treatment plants commonly use methanol as an external carbon source; however, there are many safety issues that can arise from using methanol. This problem prompted the study to find and compare other sustainable and environmentally-friendly carbon sources that …

Peptide Functionalized Surfactant Msns, Sonia Barrett

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has become a rising problem since the first antibiotic was created, further aggravated by the improper overuse to treat common infections, because of this pharmaceutical companies must keep making new and stronger antibiotics. Surfactants are plentiful and effective killers of many surface bacteria and are also varied in their structure, all have a hydrophilic head and long hydrophobic carbon chain. These long hydrophobic carbon chains can pierce through the lipid bilayers that make up bacteria cell membranes and cause cytoplasmic leakage and lysis of the cell wall, leading to cell death. One proposed surfactant is synthesized …

Effects Of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages On Glycemic And Insulinemic Outcomes: A Randomized Control Trial, Olivet Martinez

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with improved metabolic health in adults, but there is limited experimental research examining the consequences of adding SSBs to the diet, particularly in healthy individuals. The aim of the current study was to determine whether there were differences in glycemic and insulinemic outcomes following three weeks of added caffeine-free soda, 100% fruit juice, or water in healthy young adults. College-aged participants (21.2±2.8yrs; n=36) were randomized to one of three beverage conditions: water (W), caffeine-free soda (S), or 100% fruit juice (FJ). Participants completed baseline anthropometric measurements, and fasting and SSB-tolerance glycemic and insulinemic …

Using X-Ray Fluorescence To Analyze Fire Impacted Soil And Vegetation Composition, Dylan Darter

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

In our lab, I am using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to measure the concentrations of metals in sediments from subalpine lakes. Our goal is to measure the biogeochemical consequences of wildfires over the last 2000 years. This study looks at the elemental composition of different lake cores, and vegetation samples from areas of the “Big Burn” fire of 1910. This fire burned across several states in the Rocky Mountain region. With our XRF data we are able to see how the fire impacted the soils and how long after the fire proper soil composition can occur. This study can be …

Comparing Soy Protein To Whey Protein With Fbfs Using Rats, Dominic Barker

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Comparing Soy Protein to Whey Protein with FBFs using Rats

Dominic Barker¹, Erin Ward², Dr. Suleria², Dr. Lindshield²

¹Life Sciences College of Arts and Sciences, ²Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Health College of Human Ecology

Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas

Those in developing countries who receive food aid, such as fortified blended foods (FBFs), are at an increased risk for iron deficiency anemia as well as malnutrition. Children in these countries are primarily fed FBFs due to them being malnourished. Being poorly fed causes health issues within the body including …

Heme Expression From Caulobacter Crescentus In E. Coli, Gloriana Tokgozoglu

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The focus of my research is to create a clone of a Heme transporter from Caulobacter crescentus and transformed into E. coli OKN359 and fluorescently label it so that it can detect Heme in the environment. This sensor will be combined with others in a fluorescence assay to analyze pathogenic bacteria and identify drugs that are the most effective in inhibiting their iron transport. To do so, I used Gibson cloning and made a hybrid gene, pITS27, that contains a small initial portion of an E.coli gene fepA followed by the full Caulobacter crescentus gene hutA. The initial portion of …

Effects Of Caffeine On High-Intensity Functional Training Performance, Melitza Ramirez, Jesse Stein, Katie Heinrich

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Caffeine demonstrates an ergogenic effect on endurance exercise performance, however, its efficacy during high-intensity functional training (HIFT) is unknown. HIFT is an exercise program that incorporates a variety of multi-joint movements performed at a relatively high-intensity and designed to improve parameters of general physical fitness and performance. Our study aimed to determine the effects of caffeine on HIFT performance. Thirteen HIFT-trained men (age = 28.5±6.6 years, HIFT experience = 4.1±3.0 years, body weight= 84.3±9.9 kg) were randomized in a double-blind, crossover design. After consent, participants completed two HIFT sessions separated by a 7-day washout period, 60-minutes after consuming 5mg/kg of …

Advantages Of Air Cooling In Thermal Ablation, Alexander Sheikh

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Advantages of Air Cooling in Thermal Ablation

Alex Sheikh, Dr. Punit Prakash, Hojjat Fallahi

Department of Electrical and computer Engineering

Thermal ablation is the method of destroying tumors through the application of extreme temperatures. For this experiment, heat is used and supplied by an amplifier/power generator. The heat is transported out through a catheter device and into the designated area of the tumor. Cooling the tip of the device can be used to control this heat in effort to expand the ablation size and cut down on the destruction of unwanted tissue. Thus far, water has been the primary strategy …

Manufacture Of Dual Sided Microstructured Semiconductor Neutron Detectors, Jared Medina

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The world is in need of a new way to detect neutrons. The best current detectors rely on ³He, which is in short supply. The ³He detectors are extremely expensive. The goal of this project is to produce inexpensive and robust detectors that do not rely on ³He. Instead of using gas, the Dual Sided Microstructured Neutron Detectors (DS-MSNDs) are made from a semiconductor material. The DS-MSNDs have been simulated to have up to 70% efficiency, which is comparable to the ³He detectors efficiency of about 80%. The DS-MSNDs have micro-trenches that are back filled with …

The Effects Of Amphetamine On Rats From Varying Rearing Conditions, Cameron Comstock

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Drug use is an important problem that causes many social, mental, and physical problems to millions of individuals worldwide. Research is often conducted to analyze the effects of gender and rearing conditions on drug abuse, as well as to investigate the neurobiological basis behind drug use. In this study, groups of rats of different gender and rearing condition were put into amphetamine self-administration testing chambers for six hours at a time to see what differences there were in infusions, lever responses, and timeout responses. It was found that gender and rearing condition had little effect between each other, but an …

Fresh Start: A Program To Promote Physical Activity Among College Freshmen, Mia Taylor

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Fresh Start: A Program to Promote Physical Activity Among College Freshmen

Mia Taylor, Emily Mailey, Eryn Coates, Jerica Garcia,

Hailey Hunter, Courtney Moore

Department of Kinesiology

College of Human Ecology

Physical activity levels tend to decline as students transition from high school to college, and freshmen college women have been a population of interest. It is possible providing unique physical activity information via text messages could support freshmen women in increasing their physical activity levels. Freshmen females (n=30) were recruited to participate in a 9-week program that involved wearing an ActivPal for 3 individual weeks (beginning, middle, and end) and …

Peptide Conjugation Of Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules, Baltazar Claro-Martinez

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

In recent years, nanocarrier cellular therapy has been a rapidly growing area for research in the treatment of malignant and infectious diseases – most notably cancer. Conventional cancer treatment has consisted of highly toxic, highly insoluble, untargeted delivery of drugs that kill both cancerous and healthy cells. Research in the Tomich lab consists of the synthesis of Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules (BAPCs), which are self-assembling peptide nanospheres composed of one or both of these branched peptide sequences: h5 and h9. These peptides possess similar molecular characteristics of phosphoglycerides but are synthesized chemically within the lab. Previous publications by the Tomich …

Does Quorum Sensing Regulate The Conjugation Of The Two Co-Resident Megaplasmids Of Agrobacterium Tumefaciens 15955, Christopher Carter

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

While the effects of Agrobacterium tumefaciens can be easily observed and have been studied closely, the mechanisms for their virulence habits have not. Several studies have suggested the mechanisms for plasmid transfer and conjugation, particularly concerning plasmid Ti (pTi), the TraR (TraR1) regulator, and the quorum sensing (QS) system associated with it. Very little is known, however, about the second plasmid (pAt) present within the bacteria nor its regulatory QS systems. To further understand these mechanics of plasmid conjugation, we have devised a series of experiments in order to find connections between the conjugation of both pTi and pAt and …

Comparison Of Immunohistochemistry Methods For Visualization Of Middle Eastern Respiratory Viral Antigen, Elena Carlos

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS), caused by MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Although there have been less than 2,400 cases reported, the case fatality rate is 35%. Dromedary camels are the known host animal for the virus. However, they are difficult to manage experimental animals. In a recent study, alpacas proved to be a suitable experimental animal to further characterize MERS-CoV infection. Our work is part of a wider project focused on studying the efficacy of MERS-CoV antigen and RNA labeling in infected alpaca tissues, when these tissues are preserved in novel modular alcohol fixatives …

Therapeutic Peptide Sequences And Gatekeepers Loaded With Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles, Dursitu Hassen

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The research community is developing and looking into new ways of effectively delivering anti-cancer treatment. According to National Cancer Institute over 1.5 million new cases of cancer are predicted in the United States, just alone in 2018. The major hurdles that have been identified by scientists are finding mechanisms that assist in decreasing the side effects of cancer treatment and to increase the effectiveness of the drug. In our lab, a highly toxic peptide sequence, SA-K₆L₉-AS is encapsulated in MSNs (mesoporous silica nanoparticles) and capped with a gatekeeper. The function of a gatekeeper is preventing the …

Characterization Of A Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin, Diana Najera

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Characterization of a Membrane-Bound Insect Transferrin

Diana G. Najera, Michelle E. Coca, Kayla E. Nutsch, and Maureen J. Gorman

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University

Transferrins are extracellular proteins that bind iron. Vertebrate transferrins have well-characterized roles in iron transport and immunity, but the functions of transferrins in most other animals are poorly understood. The goals of this study are to identify the functions of transferrin-3 (Tsf3) from Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), and to determine whether Tsf3 is conserved in other species of insects. Our experimental approach has been to predict important features of the protein, analyze …

Investigating Rnai In Manduca Sexta Using Bapcs, Kierra Holloman

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The goal of this research is to find an improved method for interfering with gene expression in insects, which can be important agricultural pests. Genes contain the information that tell cells/organisms how to function. When a gene is expressed, a copy of the gene is made of RNA; this copy is known as messenger RNA (mRNA). One method to study a gene’s importance would be to interfere with its expression and observe the effect it has on the organism. This can be accomplished by a technique called RNA interference (RNAi). When double stranded RNA (dsRNA) is introduced into a cell, …

Pilot Studies Of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms In Insect Cells, Michelle Coca

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells

Michelle E. Coca, Diana G. Najera, and Dr. Maureen J. Gorman

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

College of Arts and Sciences

Iron plays an important role in energy metabolism and other essential physiological processes; however, because iron can also be toxic, its uptake by cells must be strictly regulated. In humans, there is a well-understood pathway of iron uptake and multiple poorly understood pathways. How iron is transported into insect cells is unknown. The goal of this study was to test two models of iron uptake by cultured …

Changing Asylum Policies And Practices In The United States, Citlally Orozco

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

On February 11, 2019, the National Immigrant Justice Center reported that 49,000 people were being detained in American detention facilities. This report highlights the process of Central American families and unaccompanied minors beginning to apply for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. In my study, I aim to investigate how child and family detention, past and present asylum policies, and treatment of migrants at the border suggest a shift in immigration policy in the Obama and Trump Administrations. The project was divided into two parts; in the first part, I analyzed scholarly literature to compare immigration policy and practice across the …

Identifying Sentences With Recipe Information With Natural Language Processing, Erick Saenz-Gardea

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

As our world becomes enhanced by the digital age, the amount of data can be, at times, overwhelming. To combat this, we have begun to use machine learning algorithms and text mining techniques to help us understand all of this readily available information. This work uses machine learning and Natural Language Processing to identify ingredients and recipe containing sentences within manufactured material documents. Utilizing this technology, text documents in the STEM field can be transformed into meaningful values that a computer can interpret and understand. One of our goals is to assist future scholars in their research by cutting down …

Examination Of Preference And Tolerance For Exercise Intensity And College Student Fitness, Blanca Delatorre

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Individuals who prefer and tolerate higher intensity exercise demonstrate higher fitness levels over time. PURPOSE: To examine relationships between Preference (P) and Tolerance (T) for exercise intensity and fitness before and after 8-week college activity courses. METHODS: Participants were students in 8-week high-intensity functional training (HIFT; n=54, 54% male, age= 22±3 years) or traditional weight training (TWT; n=41, 71% male,age= 23±4 years). During the first and last class sessions, participants completed the 16-item Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire [score range=8 (low)-40 (high)]. After a standardized warm-up, they completed vertical jump, hand grip, 2-min push-ups and …

The Role Of Iron Fortification And Supplementation In Addressing Iron Deficiency, Kevin Loya

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Affecting an estimated 2 billion people, iron deficiency continues to be a leading risk factor causing disability and death worldwide. Iron deficiency is caused when the body fails to produce hemoglobin due to the lack of iron uptake. Ultimately, this can cause iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent type of anemia in the world. There are many different forms that can be supplemented to avoid iron deficiency anemia but determining the most effective form will help us understand future directions of iron fortification. We reviewed randomized controlled trials using electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, …

Mechanical Systems That Function Like Living Organisms, Dallas Rice

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between the human body and technologically advanced mechanical systems or robotics. More specifically, we looked at how robotics plays a part in prosthetics for other living organisms. During the research we looked at the anatomy of the human body, focusing on the nervous system, bone structure and movements, tissue and muscle relationships, and the neurological response of the brain. We also looked at how the human body reacts and responds to artificial limbs as a way to identify the best ways to introduce unnatural mechanical systems to the body. Different …