Life Sciences Commons^™

"In The Beginning, God Created Atoms", Samiya L. Henry

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Genesis 1:1 states “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This is the defining statement in the Bible and acts as the foundation of creation and God’s power in the Christian faith. On the other hand, many scientists believe the Big Bang Theory and the discoveries made in other fields of science solely define the creation of the universe and explain life as we know it, also disproving the Christian creation story and the overall existence of God. However, the exact opposite is true; God is science.

Alone, neither of these concepts (faith and science) fully solve …

Developing A Multimedia Interface For Electrical Biosignal Interpretation, Christopher Cox

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In the last ten years, a great deal of interest has been generated around the practice of using plants’ electrical signals to create sound or music. In order to render biosignals capable of producing sound electronically, some kind of interface is necessary that converts a plant’s natural electrical signals into data that a computer can understand. Existing commercial interfaces cost at minimum $3001,2 . Worse yet, two popular off-the-shelf interfaces conform their output signals to stereotypical human notions of what a plant might “sound like”. In this project we fabricated a simple but high-performance interface for less than $5 in …

Understanding The Effect Of Adaptive Mutations On The Three-Dimensional Structure Of Rna, Justin Cook

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are variations in the genome where one base pair can differ between individuals.¹ SNPs occur throughout the genome and can correlate to a disease-state if they occur in a functional region of DNA.¹According to the central dogma of molecular biology, any variation in the DNA sequence will have a direct effect on the RNA sequence and will potentially alter the identity or conformation of a protein product. A single RNA molecule, due to intramolecular base pairing, can acquire a plethora of 3-D conformations that are described by its structural ensemble. One SNP, rs12477830, which …

Project Alien, Rebecca Mccallin, Madelyn Hoying, Alex Evans, Matthew Nestler, Karli Rae Sutton, Garett Craig, Lucia Secaia Del Cid, Alexander Guy, Rachel Fernandez, Amanda Trusiak, Paige Aley, Ingabire Gakwerere, Nina Dorfner, Maria Mosbacher, Mary Flavin, Selvin Hernandez, Audrey Steen, Benjamin Kazimer

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar …

Development Of A Rapid Drug Detection Method For Insects Using Paper Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Psi-Ms), Alexandria Plyler

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Insects have the ability to reflect the chemical environment that they have developed in. Thus, necrogenous insects can reflect the chemical environment of cadavers they have fed on. Forensic scientists can potentially utilize insect larvae as an alternate biological matrix to detect drugs in cadavers that are skeletonized, burned, or otherwise badly damaged. Analysis of insects using paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PSI-MS), an analytical method requiring little to no sample preparation, could prove a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive alternative form of toxicological analysis. Traditional tissue analysis via GC and LC-MS often require lengthy sample preparation, use expensive reagents, and …

An Analysis Of Extraction Efficiencies Of Various Swabs On Sperm Recovery, Lindsey Campany

Graduate Student Research Symposium

With advancements in the DNA technology and methodology, more complete DNA profiles can be obtained. Extraction procedures and their reagents have been optimized for maximal DNA yield, but the cotton swab used and provided for sexual assault examinations has not advanced. Despite research suggesting the cotton swab’s absorbent nature and its inclination to retain cellular material, the field of forensic nursing has not yet implemented another swab.

Three swabs that this research will be evaluating are nylon flocked swabs, cotton swabs, and the cytobrush swab. The nylon flocked and cotton swabs have been studied for their efficiency, but no studies …

Testing Kinship Via Mitochondrial Dna On Colony Vs. Non-Colony Cats, Ashley Ruddy

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Populations of feral cats (Felis catus) have drawn public attention due to a variety of reasons, including the increasing population size and decreasing native fauna populations. Several communities have implemented the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method, developed in Rome. This study examined whether cats that live in a certain social environment (colony cats) are more likely to be related than cats of the general population (non-colony cats). The degree of relatedness was to be determined separately for the populations. The alternative hypothesis for this study is that colony cats are more related than non-colony cats.

Frankie’s Friends, spay and neuter …

A Case Study Of Suicide By Hemlock Intoxication, Erica Maney

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), the infamous plant responsible for the death of Socrates, is toxic to humans and animals. In cases where hemlock led to death, the cause of death is usually associated with respiratory arrest, muscle paralysis or complications of acute renal failure. While the entire plant is toxic, the most dangerous part is the seeds, which contain the highest alkaloid concentration. It contains eight piperidine alkaloids, with the most potent one being coniine. Coniine is a neurotoxin that disrupts the function of the peripheral nervous system, causing respiratory paralysis. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, …

Recombinant Expression Of Human Semenogelin Proteins And Creation Of Novel Antibodies For The Detection Of Human Semen, David Brown

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The protein component of human semen largely consists of a group of proteins called the semenogelins. After ejaculation, they undergo protein-protein interactions to form the coagulation of seminal fluid for protection of spermatozoa prior to fertilization. Because of their abundance, the semenogelin proteins are an effective marker to detect human semen at crime scenes, even after substantial degradation. The goal of this study is to create an optimized method for producing novel antibodies for the semenogelin proteins that can be used to detect seminal fluid. Segments of the semenogelin 1 gene were amplified, cloned into three mammalian expression vectors, and …

Electrochemical Synthesis Of Electrocatalysts Ni-Fe, Ni-Co, Co-Fe Double And Ni-Co-Fe Triple Hydroxides For Efficient Water Splitting To Oxygen And Hydrogen, Meron Metaferia

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In this study we have electrochemically fabricated the naturally abundant and stable electrocatalysts Ni-Fe, Ni-Co, Co-Fe-double hydroxides and Ni-Fe-Co-triple hydroxides, for efficient splitting of water to oxygen and hydrogen. Oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) activity of these electrocatalysts electrodeposited on different substrates were examined in an alkaline solution of potassium (KOH). The substrates used were Ni-foam, electrodeposited Ni-Co-oxide on Ni-foam and pressed porous Ni-Co oxide under varying electrodeposition bath composition, electrodeposition time under potential and current controls. The results clearly showed the pronounced effect of substrate on the electro-catalytic activity of these double and triple hydroxides. The synergetic effect of multiple hydroxides …

Analysis Of Metallic Components Of Gsr From Various Types Of Ammunition And Firearms Utilizing An Sem-Edx, Jenna A. Campbell

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Gunshot residue (GSR) is a chemical reaction that occurs when a firearm is discharged, which emits a cloud of gases from the barrel of the gun. It consists of both the burned and unburned propellant and primer components. These components are either organic or inorganic in nature, respectively. The organic components are located in the gunpowder part of the bullet, while the inorganic components are located in the primer part of the bullet. The primer consists of lead, barium, and antimony. These elements are considered heavy metals. Additionally, lead, barium, and antimony are the three key elements found in the …

Tracking The Sexual Assault Kit Backlog, Kallie Crawford, Lyndsie Ferrara

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

The backlog of untested sexual assault kits is a national problem. Numerous federal funding opportunities offer the forensic science and law enforcement communities valuable resources needed to test the kits, but issues still remain. The majority of resources are focused on the collection and testing of sexual assault kits, but the tracking of the kits has not been a primary focus. This research highlights improvements that can be made to better understand the current backlog and improve the future processing and tracking of kits. Given the lack of a universal evidence tracking database among agencies, tracking sexual assault kits seems …

Effects Of Macromolecular Crowding On Ferredoxin And Ferredoxin-Nadp+ Reductase Kinetics, Danielle Bautista, David W. Seybert Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Macromolecular crowding refers to the intrinsic occurrence of high concentrations of macromolecules found within cells, which may alter biomolecular properties of other macromolecules. Simulating these environments in vitro should enable a more accurate understanding of these modifications. We have employed in vitro studies to specifically examine the effects of macromolecular crowding on biological redox reactions. The iron-sulfur protein ferredoxin (Fdx) and the FAD-containing flavoprotein ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR), from Spinacea oleracea, were utilized as a model electron transfer system. Utilizing NADPH as a reductant, the Fdx-FNR complex reduces mammalian cytochrome c as a surrogate electron acceptor. Reduction of the heme moiety …

Modeling Chronic Bladder Pain In Male And Female Mice: Exploring The Chronicity Of Repeated Cyclophosphamide Injections., Abigail Cox, Katelyn Sadler, Benedict Kolber

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Millions of people in the United States are afflicted with chronic bladder pain syndromes including interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). IC/BPS and CP/CPPS patients suffer from generalized pelvic pain, frequent urination with a decrease in urine volume, a constant urge to urinate, and psychological comorbidities in the absence of infection. The etiology is undetermined and treatments are limited. To better understand the mechanisms of IC/BPS and CP/CPPS, many animal models have been developed. In one such model, rodents are injected with cyclophosphamide (CYP), a chemotherapeutic drug that causes cystitis. We are …