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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Dynamic Protein Movement Involved In Photoreceptors, Daisy Spoer
Dynamic Protein Movement Involved In Photoreceptors, Daisy Spoer
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Ciliopathies are a class of genetic diseases which affect the function of primary cilium within multiple organs throughout the body. Although ciliopathies are known to present high morbidity and mortality rates, there are no current cures and only a limited amount of treatments. A universal function of cilia is to regulate cellular activities through the transduction of signals. Disruption of the localization of proteins following the reception of a stimuli can be responsible for the phenotypic effects of dysfunctioning cilia in ciliopathies. In order to address the pathogenesis, we must first understand how proteins move within the cilia, so that …
Effect Of Rapamycin As An Inhibitor Of The Mtor Cell Cycle Entry Complex On The Selective Lysis Of Human Leukemia Cells Lines In Vitro Using 20 Khz Pulsed Low-Frequency Ultrasound, Yasmine Hemida
Honors Capstone Projects - All
It has been shown that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which regulates cell growth and proliferation, is aberrant in many hematological malignancies. Rapamycin inhibits mTOR signaling which regulates cell growth and cell cycle progression. This study sought to determine the effects of mTOR inhibitors on the cell sizes of normal and neoplastic cells and to determine ultrasonic sensitivity of normal and neoplastic cells treated with mTOR inhibitors. The effects of rapamycin (rapa), an extensively studied natural product that affects cell cycle entry by inhibiting mTORC1, and its analogs temsirolimus (tems) and everolimus (eve), were examined on leukemic cell …
Lactate As A Memory-Enhancing Metabolite Across The Lifespan In Male Fischer 344 Rats, Brooke Hamling
Lactate As A Memory-Enhancing Metabolite Across The Lifespan In Male Fischer 344 Rats, Brooke Hamling
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Aging is often associated with cognitive decline, including problems with working memory and difficulties forming new memories. These deficits can be directly linked to the hippocampus, an area of the temporal lobe of the brain that is engaged during spatial working memory. Age-related declines may be influenced by changes in important modulatory pathways that impact hippocampal function, including regulation of the metabolite lactate. When astrocytic stores of glycogen are hydrolyzed, lactate is released into the extracellular space where it can be taken up by neurons and used as fuel during moments of activation. We previously found that the extracellular concentration …
The Role Of Intermediate Filament Proteins In Retinal Degeneration And Regeneration, Alexandria Aruck
The Role Of Intermediate Filament Proteins In Retinal Degeneration And Regeneration, Alexandria Aruck
Honors Capstone Projects - All
More than 30 million Americans are blind or visually impaired due to injury or disease. Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that initially causes death of rod photoreceptor cells and is followed by the progressive degeneration of the retina, the light sensing tissue of the eye, ultimately leading to blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa leads toretinal gliosis, a process in which a specialized neuroglial cell that is specific to the retina, known as Müller glia, undergoes hypertrophy and migration as a reaction to retinal stress or damage. I am investigating the mechanisms that are responsible for this type of degeneration in the …
Estrogens Regulate Metabolic Substrate Concentrations In Brains Of Young Adult Female Rats: A Multiple Memory Systems Approach, Ella D'Amico
Estrogens Regulate Metabolic Substrate Concentrations In Brains Of Young Adult Female Rats: A Multiple Memory Systems Approach, Ella D'Amico
Honors Capstone Projects - All
As the most potent circulating form of estrogen in most young adult female mammals, estradiol has extensive effects on physiological functioning. Estradiol effects are especially notable with the drop in the hormone observed when a woman transitions into menopause, with accompanying changes not only in overall physiology but also in brain functions. Recent research reveals the complex effects estradiol has on regulating learning and memory that vary by type of cognitive task among other variables. In particular, increased estradiol levels improve performance on hippocampus-dependent tasks, but impair performance on striatum-dependent tasks through direct actions on these different memory systems. Estradiol’s …
Improving The Nutrient Content Of Agriculture Crops Through Community Ecology, Margo Malone
Improving The Nutrient Content Of Agriculture Crops Through Community Ecology, Margo Malone
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Agriculturists continually look for ways to improve the nutrient content of crops without decreasing yield or economic benefits. Mutualistic relationships have the potential to enhance the nutrient content without sacrificing the production needs of the farmer. Mutualisms occur when two or more species interact and both members of the association benefit. An exceedingly important and often overlooked mutualism is the one formed between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants. This interaction has been shown to be a critical component of most ecosystems, yet our understanding of these relationships is still limited. We know that in exchange for photosynthetically derived carbon, …
Overexpression And Gene Profiling Of Asparagine Synthetase In Hybrid Poplar, Kristopher Murray
Overexpression And Gene Profiling Of Asparagine Synthetase In Hybrid Poplar, Kristopher Murray
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Plants with polysaccharide-rich secondary cell walls have great potential as a source of carbohydrates for bioethanol production. However, the presence of phenolic lignin inhibits the isolation of bioethanol precursors cellulose and hemicellulose from the secondary cell wall. Recent studies have linked nitrogen availability to secondary cell wall development and composition, making nitrogen metabolism genes an interesting target in the improvement of plant cell walls for biofuels production. Plants use a nitrogen assimilation pathway to convert inorganic nitrogen sources into organic sources, included amino acids, which play key roles in metabolism and cell wall development. Asparagine synthetase (AS), a key enzyme …
Maternal Obesity And Incidence Of Depression, Caroline A. Habjan
Maternal Obesity And Incidence Of Depression, Caroline A. Habjan
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Obesity is a national epidemic in the United States, which both directly and indirectly affects the social productivity of individuals, the American macro economy and individuals’ personal health and well being. Depression often interferes with an individual’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. A maternal state of both obesity and depression may cause serious adverse medical conditions in the mother’s child. Taking steps to treat depression and obesity are critical in the construct of modern medicine. This project yields results that have the potential to make treatment options better tailored, more efficient, effective and economically-sound for the …
Design And Implementation Of A Shoulder Simulator, Chelsea Lynn Kowal
Design And Implementation Of A Shoulder Simulator, Chelsea Lynn Kowal
Honors Capstone Projects - All
The main objective of this thesis project is to build a shoulder simulator to be able to understand the mechanics of the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles. The shoulder simulator should be able to mimic the important motions of the human shoulder by pulling on tendons of cadaver shoulders and moving the shoulder in various specified motions. In my thesis project, I worked on creating a shoulder simulator that would control the rotator cuff muscles along with the three deltoid muscles. In order to do this, I needed to design and test the shoulder simulator using cadaver …