Life Sciences Commons^™

Survey Of The Performance Of Gold Nanoparticles Within An Ssdna-Stabilized Biosensor For The Detection Of Hg2+, Madalyn Zagajowski

Pence-Boyce STEM Student Scholarship

Methods

5 nm AuNPs were synthesized by combining solutions of HAuCl4 and sodium citrate, followed by dropwise addition of NaBH4 solution and aging for 24 hours. Additionally, Hg-bound poly(30)T ssDNA oligos were prepared by incubating with HgCl2 solution, with exonuclease I being added to denature unbound DNA. Aliquots of the AuNP solution were then treated with the ssDNA, either Hg-bound or non-Hg bound, and UV-vis and fluorescence spectra were taken of the samples with a Shimadzu UV-1280 spectrophotometer and a Hitachi F-2500 fluorescence spectrophotometer.

Results & Discussion

The UV-vis spectral data of the non-Hg bound AuNP/ssDNA complex samples did not …

Using Bioenergetics To Model The Effects Of Climate Change On Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales Notatus In A Western Kentucky Stream, Christian Slone, Christian Slone

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Bioenergetics considers a variety of factors like consumption, excretion, and metabolism to quantify the energy use of an organism. A common use of bioenergetics modeling is to help solve fish stock problems. This project looks to develop a bioenergetics model for Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales notatus to help predict effects of climate change on the biodiversity of western Kentucky streams. We used R and NetLogo to create an agent-based bioenergetics model to simulate the size distribution of Bluntnose Minnows under various temperature regimes. Bluntnose Minnow metabolism increases, and consumption decreases with an increase in water temperature. Fish growth seems to be …

Analysis Of Botulinum Toxin A And Interacting Proteins In Skeletal Muscle Cells: An Investigation Into The Mechanisms Of Botulinum Toxin A As A Treatment For Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome, Lauren Kee

Pence-Boyce STEM Student Scholarship

Background: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a condition in which muscle tissue expands against the surrounding fascia during activity and is compressed along with the nerves and blood vessels within the muscle compartment, leading to abnormally high intracompartmental pressure (ICP) and debilitating pain. Treatment typically includes fasciotomy, which results in significant levels of CECS recurrence; however, botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) injection has recently been seen to decrease both ICP and pain through an unknown mechanism with little to no recurrence.

Methods: In this study, cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E₂ receptor 4 (EP4), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), …

Exploring Secondary Structure In Bacteriophage Programmed Frameshift Elements, Samuel Okabayashi, Sean Mcclory

HON499 projects

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and reproduce using host bacterial components. Part of the bacteriophage reproduction is assembly of the tail complex, which requires two assembly chaperone (TAC) proteins. In many phages the TAC’s are produced from a single gene through a non-canonical process called programmed translational frameshifting (PTF). The SEA-PHAGES program has produced hundreds of TAC genes that are accessible through phagesdb, a database of sequenced and annotated phage genomes. The sequences for the TAC gene were gathered from phagesdb and analyzed using ClustalOmega; a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) tool which revealed several positions where total conservation was …

Association Of Vasp Polymorphisms And Infectious Disease Burden In Global Populations And Identification Of Candidate Resistance Haplotypes In Sub-Saharan Africa, Melinda Phun, Blake Rosenn, Danny Glenn, Dhanushi Rupasinghe, James Church, David Zuzga, Shaohua Fan, Sarah Tishkoff

HON499 projects

Enteric pathogens employ numerous strategies to breach the intestinal epithelial barrier. One critical target of these pathogens is the host cell cytoskeleton. Pathogens may induce cytoskeletal remodeling to disrupt tight junctions and increase the permeability of the epithelium to gain access to underlying tissue. Alternatively, the cytoskeletal machinery may be directly co-opted to facilitate the attachment, invasion, or intracellular motility of these pathogens. The vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) is a processive actin polymerase that induces membrane remodeling through the polymerization of actin cytoskeletal filaments. Interestingly, VASP is regulated by a variety of pathogens to induce cytoskeletal remodeling in host cells. If …

The Effects Of Chitosan On Resveratrol-Loaded Zein Nanoparticles, Brian Sohn

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound showing health benefits, including anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-HIV/AIDS, neuro-protective, and cardio-protective activities. It has been proposed as a promising dietary supplement or functional ingredient in foods to lower the prevalence of many chronic diseases. However, due to the molecule’s chemical instability, low bioavailability, and poor water solubility, its application was vastly limited. Therefore, extensive research has been conducted regarding microencapsulation of resveratrol. In this study, resveratrol was double encapsulated with zein, a prolamine protein found in maize, and chitosan, a hydrophilic, linear polysaccharide derived from chitin via a deacetylation reaction. Due to their biocompatible, …

Consumer Agricultural Education: Starting At The High School Level Health Class, Cecilia Teresa Acosta

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to analyze and understand the communication gap between the farmer and consumer in order to create a dialogue about misconceptions in the media. Often rumors in the media worry or mislead the consumer in his or her buying choices. In order for consumers to understand what they are buying, and critically analyze media information, it is necessary to teach agricultural education at the high school level health class. This project will showcase how to start this education in order to bridge the communication gap starting with five crucial and common food-packaging labels. These labels …