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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Circadian Rhythms In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Khyla Rose Alorro, Sean Mcnabney
Circadian Rhythms In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Khyla Rose Alorro, Sean Mcnabney
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Circadian rhythms are endogenous, time-oriented cycles that cause physical or behavioral changes in organisms. While several studies suggest that such rhythms are ubiquitous for life, recent experiments demonstrate that the regulatory mechanisms behind them differ for each organism. Little is known about the molecular machinery that governs the circadian clock in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but its output appears to directly influence the enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and peroxiredoxin. This project centered on linking GAPDH concentrations to various stages of the circadian rhythm in order to inductively determine components of the circadian clock. Spectroscopic assays and Western blots were used to determine …
Diversity And Abundance Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Associated With Different Benthic Substrates In The East Branch Of The Little Calumet River, Halina Hopkins, Ali Olson
Diversity And Abundance Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Associated With Different Benthic Substrates In The East Branch Of The Little Calumet River, Halina Hopkins, Ali Olson
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
As part of an ongoing study of the effect of removing logjams to open the East Branch of the Little Calumet River for recreational purposes, we worked with park staff at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on a study of the abundance and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates. We used a quantitative sampling technique to obtain samples of macroinvertebrates from five substrates in reaches of the river above and below four focal logjams. Diversity as measured by the Shannon-Weiner index varied with river substrate (sand=1.467, root wad=1.854, wood=1.64). Sand had the lowest average number of macroinvertebrates (92, as compared to 191 …
The Effects Of Tarp Wrapping On Blow Fly Oviposition During Decomposition Of Pigs, Natasha Lobosky, Jordan Stein
The Effects Of Tarp Wrapping On Blow Fly Oviposition During Decomposition Of Pigs, Natasha Lobosky, Jordan Stein
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The effects of blow fly oviposition on 12 young, recently deceased pigs were studied during a one month period in the fall semester of 2012. This project follows similar techniques that Dr. Bugajski used during her research project at Purdue. Using tarp-wrapped bodies as the sole variable, bare pigs were held as the control. The data that were collected included the presence or absence of larvae or adult flies, daily temperatures, samples of both larvae and adult flies, and the start and end of maggot migration. The samples of larvae and adult flies were later identified in the lab and …
Method For Instant Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Kill Of Samples, Melissa Kohner, Sara Dick
Method For Instant Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Kill Of Samples, Melissa Kohner, Sara Dick
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
It is essential when studying the circadian rhythm in cells to be able to effectively stop them in time. In this experiment, we tested what would be the most successful killing agent on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Six different agents were tested at different concentrations and amounts. After the S. cerevisiae was added to the test tube containing the agent, it was streaked on a plate after 5 and 10 minutes. The plates were incubated and then checked for growth. Ethanol was the most efficient killing agent. After an effective killing agent is determined, it can be used in further experiments measuring …
Circadian Rhythm In Yeast, Jake Yablonowski, Michael Borchert
Circadian Rhythm In Yeast, Jake Yablonowski, Michael Borchert
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Circadian rhythms are found in a variety of organisms and are involved in controlling activity of the organism. However, a circadian rhythm for yeast has not been discovered yet. The goal of this study is to find evidence for a circadian rhythm in yeast by looking for changes in GAPDH concentrations and peroxiredoxin levels. GAPDH and peroxiredoxin have been shown to be controlled by the circadian clock in many organisms. A continuous yeast culture is sampled every two hours over a period of about 104 hours. Each sample is processed and tested for the concentration of GAPDH using GAPDH reagent. …
Modeling Of Early Siv/Hiv Infection, Krista Schaefer, Cecilia Noecker, Kelly Zaccheo, Vitaly Gunasov, Judy Day, Yiding Yang
Modeling Of Early Siv/Hiv Infection, Krista Schaefer, Cecilia Noecker, Kelly Zaccheo, Vitaly Gunasov, Judy Day, Yiding Yang
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Although HIV has infected over 20 million people worldwide, it is a rather poorly transmitted virus since less than 1 out of 100 to 1,000 acts of sexual intercourse results in virus transmission. The factors that could potentially explain why the probability of transmission is so small are poorly understood. It is nearly impossible to study HIV replication in the first 2-3 weeks of infection because the virus is undetectable until after that duration. By using stochastic simulations of mathematical models of early virus replication, we investigate how the duration of the eclipse phase prior to virus production (eclipse stage) …
Siltation Related To Beaver Dam Decomposition In The Little Kankakee River, Mckenzie Kelly, Chris Bitcheno, Alyssa Thacker, Jon Gardow, Arissa Wallis
Siltation Related To Beaver Dam Decomposition In The Little Kankakee River, Mckenzie Kelly, Chris Bitcheno, Alyssa Thacker, Jon Gardow, Arissa Wallis
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The Little Kankakee River (LKR) in LaPorte County, Indiana is an uncommon example of a good, cold-water fishery in northwest Indiana. However, the river has variable sedimentation levels; deep silt often covers gravel and sand, smothering invertebrates, a key food source for higher trophic organisms. The LKR contains a naturally-decomposing, abandoned beaver dam. The purpose of this study is to monitor its impact upon upstream and downstream silt levels. This research intends to identify possible sources of variability in silt levels, benefiting restoration teams in determining effects of dam removals. Furthermore, understanding the impact and pattern of silt levels could …
Testing The Potential Of Using Fungi To Convert Human Waste Into Protein, Alex Zapata, Elizabeth Phillippi, Blair Mitchell, Jon Schoer, Michael Watters
Testing The Potential Of Using Fungi To Convert Human Waste Into Protein, Alex Zapata, Elizabeth Phillippi, Blair Mitchell, Jon Schoer, Michael Watters
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
We report on the results of a pilot experiment designed to test the potential of filamentous fungi (mold) to reduce solid waste (feces) while converting it into a consumable, high protein food product. Feces represent an untapped resource. Filamentous fungi are natural decomposers with the ability to use this resource. Many filamentous fungi are safe to eat. We examined growth in order to determine the conditions which maximized the rate of conversion of solid waste into fungal biomass. For this pilot, we compared the effect of different lengths of incubation, different methods of aeration, and different available surface area. The …
Impacts Of The Species Elaeagnus Umbellate On The Soil And Water Quality Of The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Ecosystem, Yacoub Aljobeh, Kristin Engerer
Impacts Of The Species Elaeagnus Umbellate On The Soil And Water Quality Of The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Ecosystem, Yacoub Aljobeh, Kristin Engerer
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The species Elaeagnus umbellate, more commonly known as autumn olive, is a shrub that is invasive to the United States and indigenous to East Asia. Even though the autumn olive is not native to North America, it was able to thrive and adapt to the new environment by using its ability to fix nitrogen. Nitrogen-fixing is a process where plants intake molecular nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into other forms of nitrogen that can be used by the plants. One of the nitrogen-fixing by-products is nitrate. Excessive amounts of nitrate can easily leach from the plant’s root …
National Park Service Nonnative Plant Control In The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Jacob Halpin, Laurie Eberhardt, Laura Thompson
National Park Service Nonnative Plant Control In The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Jacob Halpin, Laurie Eberhardt, Laura Thompson
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Invasive plants have become a growing threat to plant diversity and hydrology in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Invasive plants compete with native plants for nutrients and sunlight, and certain invasive species have been known to completely take over certain areas of wetlands, nearly destroying entire ecosystems. The Dunes Lakeshore contains over 1,400 plants species and is one of the top ten most diverse national parks in the United States. The mission statement of the National Park Service is to “preserve for the educational, inspirational, and recreational use of the public certain portions of the Indiana Dunes.” In order …
Improving Ecological Monitoring Of Restoration Sites In Northwest Indiana Through A Glisten-Nirmi Partnership., Danyi Harper, Don Meola
Improving Ecological Monitoring Of Restoration Sites In Northwest Indiana Through A Glisten-Nirmi Partnership., Danyi Harper, Don Meola
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Northwest Indiana is an area of active ecological restoration with 169 documented restoration projects. However, the ability to assess the success of restoration projects is incomplete because monitoring of the progress of these restorations does not exist. NIRMI was created in 2010 to establish a system of evaluating and quantifying plant species in local habitat restoration projects throughout Northwest Indiana. NIRMI uses a standardized approach to collect data that is placed within an open-access database for use by other researchers, restoration groups, and individuals in evaluation of restoration efforts. Data collection uses the CVS-EEP protocol for recording vegetation, a standard …
Deer Browse Monitoring Of The Lupine Population At John Merle Coulter Prairie And The Trillium Population At Hildebrand Lake, Jana C. Cram, Heather Dulaney
Deer Browse Monitoring Of The Lupine Population At John Merle Coulter Prairie And The Trillium Population At Hildebrand Lake, Jana C. Cram, Heather Dulaney
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
A facet of ecological restoration practices in northwest Indiana involves monitoring and supporting the growth of various plants native to the region, including wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) and large-flowering trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). White-tailed deer are a common threat to these species because they eat, or browse, the flowers from these plants. This project investigated the amount of wild lupine and large-flowering trillium browsed by white-tailed deer at Coulter Prairie and Hildebrand Lake, respectively, over a four-year period. Plant counts are taken from permanent transect lines of 30 and 50 meters in length and measured in one …