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Articles 1 - 30 of 177

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Electromyographic Changes Before, During, And After The Sticking Point In Dumbbell Bench Press, Frank W. Doyle, Donald V. Fischer May 2024

Electromyographic Changes Before, During, And After The Sticking Point In Dumbbell Bench Press, Frank W. Doyle, Donald V. Fischer

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

PURPOSE: Findings from previous research indicate the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the prime mover muscles in completing a bench press is not significantly different between the pre-sticking, sticking, and post-sticking phases. However, previous research only examined EMG activity during a barbell bench press. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine differences in muscle activation during the pre-sticking, sticking, and post-sticking phases of a six-repetition maximum (6RM) dumbbell bench press. METHODS: Twenty-three (n = 23) resistance-trained males (age, 20.8 ± 1.2 yr; height, 179.8 ± 5.3 cm; body mass, 87.8 ± 15.5 kg; BP 6RM, 87.8 ± 13.0 lb) …

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Physiological Processes During Reading, Elizabeth Morrey, Emma Smith, Catherine Bohn-Gettler, Jennifer Schaefer Apr 2024

Physiological Processes During Reading, Elizabeth Morrey, Emma Smith, Catherine Bohn-Gettler, Jennifer Schaefer

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

There are many different variables that can impact reading comprehension, such as reading level, emotional state, and the content of the text itself. For example, if a text contains inconsistencies (e.g., when a key moment in the text does not align with the information presented earlier in the story), processing slows as readers attempt to resolve the inconsistency. However, little is known about the connection between processing inconsistent versus consistent passages and physiological responses in the body. The goal of this study is to examine whether reading narrative texts containing inconsistent and/or consistent information elicits sympathetic nervous system activation, as …

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Seagrass Conservation And Restoration To Mitigate Ocean Acidification And Climate Change, Tori Benson, Emi Wagner, Jaeger Reed Apr 2024

Seagrass Conservation And Restoration To Mitigate Ocean Acidification And Climate Change, Tori Benson, Emi Wagner, Jaeger Reed

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

For millennia, various seagrass species have been sequestering and anchoring aquatic carbon into oceanic sediment. The crucial role of seagrasses involves helping mitigate climate change, which emphasizes the urgent need to conserve, sustain, and manage them as part of global climate action efforts. Restoration and conservation studies have shown significant reversal of potential damaging effects, however human activity continues to set back efforts faster than they can proceed. Multiple studies have concluded that there has been a decline in seagrass meadows in previously dense areas; and due to this, surrounding pH levels have declined and rising atmospheric carbon poses a …

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A Reliable Diabetic Retinopathy Grading Via Transfer Learning And Ensemble Learning With Quadratic Weighted Kappa Metric, Sai Venkatesh Chilukoti, Liqun Shan, Vijay Srinivas Tida, Anthony S. Maida, Xiali Hei Feb 2024

A Reliable Diabetic Retinopathy Grading Via Transfer Learning And Ensemble Learning With Quadratic Weighted Kappa Metric, Sai Venkatesh Chilukoti, Liqun Shan, Vijay Srinivas Tida, Anthony S. Maida, Xiali Hei

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The most common eye infection in people with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy (DR). It might cause blurred vision or even total blindness. Therefore, it is essential to promote early detection to prevent or alleviate the impact of DR. However, due to the possibility that symptoms may not be noticeable in the early stages of DR, it is difficult for doctors to identify them. Therefore, numerous predictive models based on machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have been developed to determine all stages of DR. However, existing DR classification models cannot classify every DR stage or use a computationally heavy …

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Seeing Eye To Eye? Comparing Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Biomolecular Visualization Assessments, Josh T. Beckham, Daniel R. Dries, Bonnie L. Hall, Rarchel M. Mitton-Fry, Shelly Engelman, Charmita Burch, Roderico Acevedo, Pamela S. Mertz, Didem Vardar-Ulu, Swati Agrawal, Kristin M. Fox, Shane Austin, Margaret A. Franzen, Henry V. Jakubowski, Walter R. P. Novak, Rebecca Roberts, Alberto I. Roca, Kristen Procko Jan 2024

Seeing Eye To Eye? Comparing Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Biomolecular Visualization Assessments, Josh T. Beckham, Daniel R. Dries, Bonnie L. Hall, Rarchel M. Mitton-Fry, Shelly Engelman, Charmita Burch, Roderico Acevedo, Pamela S. Mertz, Didem Vardar-Ulu, Swati Agrawal, Kristin M. Fox, Shane Austin, Margaret A. Franzen, Henry V. Jakubowski, Walter R. P. Novak, Rebecca Roberts, Alberto I. Roca, Kristen Procko

Chemistry Faculty Publications

While visual literacy has been identified as a foundational skill in life science education, there are many challenges in teaching and assessing biomolecular visualization skills. Among these are the lack of consensus about what constitutes competence and limited understanding of student and instructor perceptions of visual literacy tasks. In this study, we administered a set of biomolecular visualization assessments, developed as part of the BioMolViz project, to both students and instructors at multiple institutions and compared their perceptions of task difficulty. We then analyzed our findings using a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative analysis was used to answer the following research questions: …

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Unveiling Novel Avenues In Mtor-Targeted Therapeutics: Advancements In Glioblastoma Treatment, Shilpi Singh, Debashis Barik, Karl Lawrie, Iteeshree Mohapatra, Sujata Prasad, Afsar R. Naqvi, Amar Singh, Gatikrushna Singh Oct 2023

Unveiling Novel Avenues In Mtor-Targeted Therapeutics: Advancements In Glioblastoma Treatment, Shilpi Singh, Debashis Barik, Karl Lawrie, Iteeshree Mohapatra, Sujata Prasad, Afsar R. Naqvi, Amar Singh, Gatikrushna Singh

Biology Student Work

The mTOR signaling pathway plays a pivotal and intricate role in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma, driving tumorigenesis and proliferation. Mutations or deletions in the PTEN gene constitutively activate the mTOR pathway by expressing growth factors EGF and PDGF, which activate their respective receptor pathways (e.g., EGFR and PDGFR). The convergence of signaling pathways, such as the PI3K-AKT pathway, intensifies the effect of mTOR activity. The inhibition of mTOR has the potential to disrupt diverse oncogenic processes and improve patient outcomes. However, the complexity of the mTOR signaling, off-target effects, cytotoxicity, suboptimal pharmacokinetics, and drug resistance of the mTOR inhibitors pose …

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Environmental Isolate Developing Antibiotic Resistance By Complementation, Mary Ridgeway, Ashley Fink, David Mitchell Aug 2023

Environmental Isolate Developing Antibiotic Resistance By Complementation, Mary Ridgeway, Ashley Fink, David Mitchell

Biology Faculty Publications

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern within the scientific community. With few new antibiotics being introduced and an increasing number of resistant microbes, routine bacterial infections are becoming more difficult to treat in clinics and hospitals. The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of two environmental isolates – Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Exiguobacterium undae (E. undae) to grow in solutions of increasing concentrations of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. After the bacteria showed grow in the solutions, antibiotic susceptibility was tested by examining zones of inhibition on Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) plates. Our results …

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Anterior Chamber Depth In Mice Is Controlled By Several Quantitative Trait Loci, Demelza R. Larson, Allysa J. Kimber, Kacie J. Meyer, Michael G. Anderson Aug 2023

Anterior Chamber Depth In Mice Is Controlled By Several Quantitative Trait Loci, Demelza R. Larson, Allysa J. Kimber, Kacie J. Meyer, Michael G. Anderson

Biology Faculty Publications

Anterior chamber depth (ACD) is a quantitative trait associated with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). Although ACD is highly heritable, known genetic variations explain a small fraction of the phenotypic variability. The purpose of this study was to identify additional ACD-influencing loci using strains of mice. Cohorts of 86 N2 and 111 F2 mice were generated from crosses between recombinant inbred BXD24/TyJ and wild-derived CAST/EiJ mice. Using anterior chamber optical coherence tomography, mice were phenotyped at 10–12 weeks of age, genotyped based on 93 genome-wide SNPs, and subjected to quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. In an analysis of ACD among …

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Community-Derived Core Concepts For Neuroscience Higher Education, Audrey Chen, Kimberley A. Phillips, Jennifer E. Schaefer, Patrick M. Sonner Jun 2023

Community-Derived Core Concepts For Neuroscience Higher Education, Audrey Chen, Kimberley A. Phillips, Jennifer E. Schaefer, Patrick M. Sonner

Biology Faculty Publications

Core concepts provide a framework for organizing facts and understanding in neuroscience higher education curricula. Core concepts are overarching principles that identify patterns in neuroscience processes and phenomena and can be used as a foundational scaffold for neuroscience knowledge. The need for community-derived core concepts is pressing, because both the pace of research and number of neuroscience programs are rapidly expanding. While general biology and many subdisciplines within biology have identified core concepts, neuroscience has yet to establish a community-derived set of core concepts for neuroscience higher education. We used an empirical approach involving more than 100 neuroscience educators to …

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Advancing College Food Security: Priority Research Gaps, Matthew J. Landry, Emily Heying, Zubaida Qamar, Rebecca L. Hagedorn-Hatfield, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Cara L. Cuite, Victoria A. Zigmont, Kendra Oonorasak, Susan Chen May 2023

Advancing College Food Security: Priority Research Gaps, Matthew J. Landry, Emily Heying, Zubaida Qamar, Rebecca L. Hagedorn-Hatfield, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Cara L. Cuite, Victoria A. Zigmont, Kendra Oonorasak, Susan Chen

Nutrition Faculty Publications

Despite over a decade of both quantitative and qualitative studies, food insecurity among US college/university students remains a pervasive problem within higher education. The purpose of this perspective piece was to highlight research gaps in the area of college food insecurity and provide rationale for the research community to focus on these gaps going forward. A group of food insecurity researchers from a variety of higher education institutions across the United States identified five thematic areas of research gaps: screening and estimates of food insecurity; longitudinal changes in food insecurity; impact of food insecurity on broader health and academic outcomes; …

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Effects Of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Following Eccentric Exercise On Soreness And Heart Rate Variability, Annemarie D. Luzum May 2023

Effects Of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Following Eccentric Exercise On Soreness And Heart Rate Variability, Annemarie D. Luzum

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

BACKGROUND: The use of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) may provide relief from delayed onset muscle soreness due to strenuous lower body exercise. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of 20 minutes of IPC following strenuous eccentric exercise on heart rate variability (HRV) and perceived soreness (PS). METHODS: 10 subjects (aged 21.2 +/- .4) who did not regularly participate in resistance training completed 2 trials, no less than 1 week apart. Each exercise session consisted of a 5-minute warmup followed by 3 sets of a superset of 5 Nordic hamstring curls (5 seconds eccentric) and isometric split …

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Effects Of A Short-Term Mindfulness Meditation On A Battery Of Muscular Fitness In Active College Individuals, Lauren N. Dueland May 2023

Effects Of A Short-Term Mindfulness Meditation On A Battery Of Muscular Fitness In Active College Individuals, Lauren N. Dueland

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Mindfulness meditation programs of long-term duration have been used by prior research as long-term meditation programs implemented for collegiate athletes. However, there was a lack of short-term based programs and the effects on exercise performance. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of short-term mindfulness meditation effect on exercise performance by examining the effects of mindfulness on strength, power, and endurance exercises. METHODS: Nine college individuals, ages of 20.7±1.0, who were physically active participated in this study. Participants completed pre- and post- exercises of hand grip, vertical jump for height, and plank hold for time. Participants were randomly assigned to either complete …

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On The Resurrection Of Microbes: An Eco-Christological Approach To The Resurrection, Denys Janiga Osb May 2023

On The Resurrection Of Microbes: An Eco-Christological Approach To The Resurrection, Denys Janiga Osb

Obsculta

This article attempts to bring ecology and Christology into conversation through a transdisciplinary approach. It looks at the pastoral implications of eco-anxiety, resurrection ecology in the field of biotechnology, Church teaching on the Resurrection, and concludes by initiating an interpretation of the resurrection appearances in the Gospel of Luke through the lens of the microbiome.

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Microbial Biofortification: A Sustainable Solution To Feed 10 Billion People, Perrin Thompson, Kathryn Tschida May 2023

Microbial Biofortification: A Sustainable Solution To Feed 10 Billion People, Perrin Thompson, Kathryn Tschida

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

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Impact Of Physical Activity Levels On College Student Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Sophia R. Sullivan Almquist May 2023

Impact Of Physical Activity Levels On College Student Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Sophia R. Sullivan Almquist

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

A moderate to high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress have been found in undergraduate students. Physical activity has been shown to decrease anxiety, depression, and stress. Examining the impacts of physical activity on the mental health of college students might show to be beneficial. PURPOSE: To assess if self-reported physical activity levels impact depression, anxiety, and stress levels in college students. METHODS: A total of 92 college students from private institutions in central Minnesota completed an online survey. The survey collected demographics including age, gender, height, weight, and year in school. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used …

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Csb Student-Athlete Mental Health Promotion, Ally Frantzick Apr 2023

Csb Student-Athlete Mental Health Promotion, Ally Frantzick

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

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Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) Aggressive Behaviors In The Retima Hippo Pool, Orangi River, Tanzania, Lydia Hoffman, Connor Veldman Apr 2023

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) Aggressive Behaviors In The Retima Hippo Pool, Orangi River, Tanzania, Lydia Hoffman, Connor Veldman

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) are known to forage on land during the night and spend the daytime in shallow pools to thermoregulate and to protect their skin from UV radiation. Daily use of pools may lead to competition for space and facilitate aggressive interactions between hippopotamuses. In this study, we looked at the difference in occurrence of aggressive behavior in the morning and evening hours between hippopotamuses (hippos). Our hypothesis was that hippos will be more aggressive at different times of the day, and we predicted that the higher aggressive activity will be in the morning hours, as hippos …

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The Effect Of Light Availability On Planktonic Communities Under The Ice In Stumpf Lake, Samantha Schug Apr 2023

The Effect Of Light Availability On Planktonic Communities Under The Ice In Stumpf Lake, Samantha Schug

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Ice cover is a part of the yearly cycle in bodies of water that are exposed to temperatures below the freezing point. Though the body of water is completely covered, many communities under the ice are still present and active during this time. I hypothesized that as the area cleared of snow increased, the increased light availability under the ice will cause a decrease in zooplankton abundance, as they avoid light and increase the chlorophyll concentration. Three different light availabilities were imposed on the ice by clearing three different sized areas of snow on the ice (0m, 1m and 2m). …

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The Role Of Sars-Cov-2 Orf8 Protein Arks Motif On Novobiocin Binding, Si Chun Chiu, My T. Nguyen Apr 2023

The Role Of Sars-Cov-2 Orf8 Protein Arks Motif On Novobiocin Binding, Si Chun Chiu, My T. Nguyen

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the COVID-19 pandemic required scientists to develop medical solutions to reduce infectivity, severity of symptoms, and death. Although vaccines and drugs provided urgent assistance, the need to continue developing better drugs is necessary long term, and understanding the structure of the virus and finding potential inhibitors would prove vital to discovering solutions to this worldwide health problem. This experimental project focuses on targeting the unique accessory protein, Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8) in SARS-CoV-2 through studying its interactions with a repurposable drug, novobiocin. Importantly, ORF8 specializes in helping evade immune system checks by …

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Impact Of Drought And Fertilizer Use On The Photosynthesis Rate Of Cucumber And Sweet Corn Under Ambient And Elevated Atmospheric Co2 Conditions, Kate Fenske Apr 2023

Impact Of Drought And Fertilizer Use On The Photosynthesis Rate Of Cucumber And Sweet Corn Under Ambient And Elevated Atmospheric Co2 Conditions, Kate Fenske

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation On Anaerobic Performance, Ava G. Swart Apr 2023

The Effects Of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation On Anaerobic Performance, Ava G. Swart

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Multiple studies have been conducted on the effect of creatine monohydrate supplementation on muscular strength. However, evidence of the effect of creatine supplementation on anaerobic performance is less clear. PURPOSE: To determine if creatine supplementation impacts sprint speed and vertical jump height. METHODS: 10 females and 9 males (N=19) aged 21 ± 0 from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University participated in this randomized single blind study. Participants ingested creatine monohydrate or a placebo for 21 days and were tested on days 1, 6, 14, and 21. Day one tests were completed prior to the consumption of …

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The Influence Of Gmos On The Composition Of The Gut Microbiome, Shawnia Rakhshani, Hailey Wight Mar 2023

The Influence Of Gmos On The Composition Of The Gut Microbiome, Shawnia Rakhshani, Hailey Wight

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Genetically modified organisms have been used for decades in agriculture across the world. The use of GMOs has been advertised as a solution to many agricultural issues. However, people have raised concerns about GMOs reshaping human health, and more importantly, the composition of the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome has a vital role in human health through digestion, immune abilities, and protection against disease-causing bacteria. If any disturbances occur in the microbiome, it can have negative effects on an individual’s overall health and wellbeing. Our paper investigates the pros and cons of ingesting GMOs in relation to our human gut …

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Ecophysiological Implications Of Low Lignin In Eastern Leatherwood (Dirca Palustris L.), Anna Cole, Kayla Marie Rigdon, D. Gordon Brown, Katharine Lora Cary Feb 2023

Ecophysiological Implications Of Low Lignin In Eastern Leatherwood (Dirca Palustris L.), Anna Cole, Kayla Marie Rigdon, D. Gordon Brown, Katharine Lora Cary

Biology Faculty Publications

Dirca palustris L. (eastern leatherwood) is an understory shrub found throughout much of eastern North America. Dirca palustris wood has a low concentration of lignin, which is a molecule that grants structural rigidity to cell walls. The branches of D. palustris are thus remarkably flexible, but their low lignin content could cause greater vulnerability to water stress. We examined the conductivity, vessel anatomy, and field water potential of D. palustris and conducted ecological surveys. The data showed that D. palustris was not experiencing substantial drought-induced dysfunction in the field, even during an exceptionally hot and dry summer. Its water potentials …

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Oak Savanna Restoration And Climate Change Mitigation Through Silvopasture In Minnesota, James Siems Dec 2022

Oak Savanna Restoration And Climate Change Mitigation Through Silvopasture In Minnesota, James Siems

Environmental Studies Student Work

Reducing emissions of world food systems will be critical to combatting climate change. Silvopasture systems, which integrate managed forests with pastureland, have been shown to be a more sustainable alternative to traditional livestock production and have the ancillary benefit of diversifying the sources of income for farmers. Silvopasture may also have the capacity to serve as a mechanism for ecological restoration. This paper combines existing literature with an interview of a farmer who is engaging in silvopasture to evaluate the potential of silvopasture as means to restore Minnesota’s disappearing oak savanna ecosystem, while improving the sustainability of food production within …

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Arsr Family Regulator Msmeg_6762 Mediates The Programmed Cell Death By Regulating The Expression Of Hnh Nuclease In Mycobacteria, Xiangke Duan, Xue Huang, Junqi Xu, Xue Li, Jingjing Niu, Xiaoli Du, Xiaoyu Wang, Jiang Li, Michael Kelly, Jiaohan Guo, Ke Zhang, Yu Huang, Biao Kan, Jianping Xie Jul 2022

Arsr Family Regulator Msmeg_6762 Mediates The Programmed Cell Death By Regulating The Expression Of Hnh Nuclease In Mycobacteria, Xiangke Duan, Xue Huang, Junqi Xu, Xue Li, Jingjing Niu, Xiaoli Du, Xiaoyu Wang, Jiang Li, Michael Kelly, Jiaohan Guo, Ke Zhang, Yu Huang, Biao Kan, Jianping Xie

Biology Student Work

Programmed cell death (PCD) is the result of an intracellular program and is accomplished by a regulated process in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Here, we report a programed cell death process in Mycobacterium smegmatis, an Actinobacteria species which involves a transcription factor and a DNase of the HNH family. We found that over-expression of an ArsR family member of the transcription factor, MSMEG_6762, leads to cell death. Transcriptome analysis revealed an increase in the genes’ transcripts involved in DNA repair and homologous recombination, and in three members of HNH family DNases. Knockout of one of the DNase genes, MSMEG_1275, …

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The Effects Of Climate Change On The Transmission Of Lyme Disease, Schuyler Hedican, Katherine Kistler, Iveth Martinez Granados May 2022

The Effects Of Climate Change On The Transmission Of Lyme Disease, Schuyler Hedican, Katherine Kistler, Iveth Martinez Granados

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Lyme disease currently affects approximately 300,000 people annually in the United States, but climate change threatens to increase this number. Rising temperatures, humidity, and levels of rainfall are impacting the relationship and interactions between the bacterium that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi), its vectors, and associated hosts. Climate change models predict a northward expansion of these disease-carrying vectors and hosts into new territories in North America, as formerly unsuitable territories become more hospitable, most notably in Canada. Human exposure to the bacteria through the bite of an infected tick can lead to the characteristic symptoms of Lyme disease, such as …

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Protein Engineering Of A Spectroscopic Probe Into Malate Dehydrogenase (Mdh), Equoia S. Gibson, Mary E. Ludwig, Olivia H. Thompson, Genevieve M. Woods, Ella M. Young Apr 2022

Protein Engineering Of A Spectroscopic Probe Into Malate Dehydrogenase (Mdh), Equoia S. Gibson, Mary E. Ludwig, Olivia H. Thompson, Genevieve M. Woods, Ella M. Young

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) is an enzyme that has a key role in biological processes, like the Krebs cycle. Specifically, it reversibly catalyzes the interconversion of (S)-malate with NAD+ to oxaloacetate and NADH. Once oxaloacetate is synthesized, MDH dispatches it to citrate synthase, but it is not clear how this happens. One theory is that MDH channels it to citrate synthase by forming a metabolon, a mechanism for direct channeling, preventing diffusion of reaction intermediates into a bulk matrix. There is a lack of research in this area due to the absence of a spectroscopic probe necessary to visualize MDH’s conformational …

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The Development Of Inhibitors For Sars-Cov-2 Orf8, My Thanh Thao Nguyen Apr 2022

The Development Of Inhibitors For Sars-Cov-2 Orf8, My Thanh Thao Nguyen

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

An unexpected outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020. Many repurposed drugs were tested, but there are currently only three FDA approved antivirals (Merck’s antiviral Molnupiravir, Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid, and Remdisivir).1 Most of the antiviral drugs tested SARS-CoV-2 main protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. However, it is important to explore different drug targets of SARS-CoV-2 to prepare for the virus mutations of the future. This research looks at an alternative approach in which SARSCoV- 2 Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8), which has been shown to be a rapidly evolving hypervariable gene, was chosen to be the protein of …

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Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Repurposed For Hiv-1 Protease Binding, Jacob Minkkinen Apr 2022

Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Repurposed For Hiv-1 Protease Binding, Jacob Minkkinen

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) led to the COVID-19 global pandemic, with over 460 million cases of infection and over 6 million deaths since the start of the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is a retrovirus that utilizes a main protease (Mpro). Mpro is a catalytic cys/his protease. Several treatments were proposed to stop the pandemic including repurposing drugs to inhibit the Mpro. Another retrovirus that uses a protease is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) which has been a global epidemic for 40 years and is a devastating disease that attacks the immune system. HIV-1 has infected 79.5 million people and has killed an …

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Rethinking Public Health Risk Mitigation Strategies: Recognizing The Biosocial Nature Of Covid-19, Grace Savard Mar 2022

Rethinking Public Health Risk Mitigation Strategies: Recognizing The Biosocial Nature Of Covid-19, Grace Savard

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has rippled throughout every aspect of society and influenced how we live, breathe, and interact with one another. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the interdisciplinary biosocial impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resulting disease, COVID-19. In order to understand the complexities of caregiving during COVID-19, we conducted 75 semi-structured interviews with 55 healthcare providers across 18 states over a span of two years. This research assesses how COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies were designed with the primary intention to stop the spread of the virus rather than account for the longer-term social and biological …

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