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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Antimicrobial Activity Of Bacterial Virus Components: An Empirical Investigation Of The Killing Capacity Of Toxins From Burkholderia, Kyle Walny Dec 2021

Antimicrobial Activity Of Bacterial Virus Components: An Empirical Investigation Of The Killing Capacity Of Toxins From Burkholderia, Kyle Walny

Honors Projects

Given the growing issue in healthcare of antibiotic resistance, effective and safe alternative treatment methods are required. One of these possible alternative treatment methods is bacteriotoxins including bacteriocins and tailocins. The focus of this study is a bacteriotoxin from Burkholderia cenocepacia (ATCC 25608), which was induced for toxin using a modified UV light induction procedure and tested against a variety of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia for its killing capacity. Various other pathogenic strains were then induced with UV light and tested. The results showed that the toxin from ATCC 25608 was very effective against most of the Burkholderia tested and warrants …


Assessment Of Non-Saccharomyces Yeast Species As Secondary Fermenters In Beer, Paul J. Clark Sep 2021

Assessment Of Non-Saccharomyces Yeast Species As Secondary Fermenters In Beer, Paul J. Clark

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Secondary fermentation of beer is traditionally used to condition and refine the sensory profile of a beer. During methods such as barrel aging or lagering, the yeast continues to produce flavor-active compounds. Some methods include the intentional inoculation of microorganisms or the utilization of natural consortia associated with a barrel, fruit, or additive for the generation of desired sensory profiles. As unique products increase in popularity, brewers have begun to experiment with secondary fermentation using alternative yeast species as bioflavorants. To assess the viability of an organism’s application to brewing, the physiochemical properties of beer and their impact on the …


Predator-Prey Interactions Between Escherichia Coli Strains And Caenorhabditis Elegans At Various Temperatures And Resource Levels, Elizabeth Haynes Whitaker May 2021

Predator-Prey Interactions Between Escherichia Coli Strains And Caenorhabditis Elegans At Various Temperatures And Resource Levels, Elizabeth Haynes Whitaker

Honors Theses

Predation is an important component of both evolutionary and ecological interactions across nature. The predator-prey relationship can be altered by differential species’ responses to changes in abiotic factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of temperature, resource levels, and their potential interactions using two strains of Escherichia coli prey and a Caenorhabditis elegans predator. It is concluded that an interaction exists between temperature and resource level on this predator-prey relationship however further testing must be done to confirm results due to contamination in the results.


Pushing The Limits: Increasing The Speed And Specificity Of Sars-Cov-2 Testing, Grayson Way Jan 2021

Pushing The Limits: Increasing The Speed And Specificity Of Sars-Cov-2 Testing, Grayson Way

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence and spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of continual improvements upon current microbiological testing methods. Rapid and accurate testing can help mitigate spread by improving on the time to quarantine and quarantine duration required. As of the writing of this thesis, COVID-19 has been responsible for more than 500,000 deaths in the United States of America, and greater than 2 million deaths globally. The work done in this thesis has shown improvements in the current SARS-CoV-2 testing methodology by reducing the time it takes for patient testing while maintaining accuracy and the sensitivity required …


Investigating Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Adenovirus Co-Infections Of Lung Epithelial Cells, Mark Nicholas Calabro Jan 2021

Investigating Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Adenovirus Co-Infections Of Lung Epithelial Cells, Mark Nicholas Calabro

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Co-infection is common among viruses and bacteria in the human respiratory system. Adenovirus (AdV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae are clinically relevant respiratory pathogens that cause morbidity and mortality in a variety of patient populations with the highest morbidity occurring among immunocompromised individuals, but also prevalent in infants and the elderly. Acute respiratory distress syndrome may become severe in healthy individuals when co-infection with S. pneumoniae and AdV occurs due to synergistic effects of the pathogens on the host. I hypothesized that S. pneumoniae infection decreases AdV transduction of airway epithelia. To test this hypothesis, we utilized the polarized immortalized airway epithelial …


Il-10 And Tgf-Beta Increase Connexin-43 Expression And Membrane Potential Of Hl-1 Cardiomyocytes Coupled With Raw 264.7 Macrophages, Cora B. Cox Jan 2021

Il-10 And Tgf-Beta Increase Connexin-43 Expression And Membrane Potential Of Hl-1 Cardiomyocytes Coupled With Raw 264.7 Macrophages, Cora B. Cox

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Cardiomyocytes and macrophages have been found to interact via connexin-43 hemichannels. The role of connexin-43, however, is not fully understood. This study shows that these interactions aid in increasing the membrane potential of cardiomyocytes allowing contraction of the cells. HL-1 cardiomyocytes and RAW 264.7 macrophages in coculture increased expression of connexin-43 compared to cardiomyocytes alone. Co-cultures also increased the fluorescence of Di-8-ANEPPS potentiometric dye indicating an increase in cardiomyocyte membrane potential. Treatment with IL-10 and TGF-beta further increased connexin-43 expression and membrane potential. Treatment with SOCS3 inhibited the effects of TGF-beta and IL-10 while having no effect on its own. …


Investigating Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Adenovirus Co-Infections Of Lung Epithelial Cells, Mark Nicholas Calabro Jan 2021

Investigating Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Adenovirus Co-Infections Of Lung Epithelial Cells, Mark Nicholas Calabro

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Co-infection is common among viruses and bacteria in the human respiratory system. Adenovirus (AdV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae are clinically relevant respiratory pathogens that cause morbidity and mortality in a variety of patient populations with the highest morbidity occurring among immunocompromised individuals, but also prevalent in infants and the elderly. Acute respiratory distress syndrome may become severe in healthy individuals when co-infection with S. pneumoniae and AdV occurs due to synergistic effects of the pathogens on the host. I hypothesized that S. pneumoniae infection decreases AdV transduction of airway epithelia. To test this hypothesis, we utilized the polarized immortalized airway epithelial …


The Effects Of Priming Eruca Sativa Seeds With Short-Chain Ahl C6-Hsl At Bard Farm, Shannon M. Ryan Jan 2021

The Effects Of Priming Eruca Sativa Seeds With Short-Chain Ahl C6-Hsl At Bard Farm, Shannon M. Ryan

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Many gram-negative bacteria use quorum sensing to assess population densities and cooperate with another. The quorum sensing autoinducers N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) have been found to cause altered gene expression patterns in plants, resulting in increased root and shoot growth as well as induced pathogenic resistance in various species. Researchers have begun exploring the ways AHLs may be used in agricultural systems to reduce the use of environmentally harmful synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. In this study, the effect of priming arugula (Eruca sativa) seeds with the short-chain AHL C6-HSL was investigated at Bard Farm in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York. Leaf lengths …


Characterizing The Effects Of 14-3-3 Isoforms On Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity In A Yeast Model, Angela Marie Braunschweiger Jan 2021

Characterizing The Effects Of 14-3-3 Isoforms On Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity In A Yeast Model, Angela Marie Braunschweiger

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein encoded by SNCA is the primary component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites which are the histopathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease. While the etiology of Parkinson’s remains unclear, SNCA mutations and copy number variations are one of several genes linked to Parkinson’s. The family of highly conserved chaperone proteins 14-3-3 have been shown to co-aggregate and share regions of 40% homology with alpha-synuclein. Mitochondrial dysfunction also plays a role in Parkinson’s disease with abnormalities in mitochondrial respiration due to interference of complex I in the electron transport chain being found in Parkinson’s patients. Alpha-synuclein increases fragmentation …


Functional Characterization Of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Matrix Protein In Host Cellular Responses, Jeffery Ringiesn Jan 2021

Functional Characterization Of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Matrix Protein In Host Cellular Responses, Jeffery Ringiesn

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a deadly fish pathogen that poses a global threat to aquatic ecosystems and the aquaculture industry. For decades, research has focused on developing vaccine therapeutics utilizing a variety of techniques and strategies. While these studies have met with some success in identifying potential vaccine targets that provided protective immunity, a commercially viable IHNV vaccine is currently unavailable. Here we explore the relationship between the structure and function of the IHNV matrix (M) protein through the introduction of mutations that reduce anti-host effects, with the goal of developing a novel recombinant IHNV with reduced pathogenicity …


Hydrocarbon Biodegradation And Microbial Community Composition In Freshwater Systems And Enrichment Cultures, Emma Byrne Jan 2021

Hydrocarbon Biodegradation And Microbial Community Composition In Freshwater Systems And Enrichment Cultures, Emma Byrne

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this study, we investigated if significant differences existed seasonally in the microbial response to oil in the Straits of Mackinac, and if crude (Bakken) and refined (non-highway diesel) oil exposure had impacts on microbial community composition and hydrocarbon biodegradation across seasons using a microcosm-level experiment. Ambient microbial communities differed between seasons, with significantly enriched microbial groups present between all sample types except for between fall 23 ℃ and fall 4 ℃ microcosms. We found significantly different microbial communities between control samples and oil-amended samples in every season, but no significant community differences between either oil type. We found Amplicon …


Investigation Of Fermentation Efficiency In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Through Telomere Integrity And Maltase Expression, Dana Bennett Jan 2021

Investigation Of Fermentation Efficiency In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Through Telomere Integrity And Maltase Expression, Dana Bennett

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Many microbreweries practice serial fermentation, or serial repitching. Serial repitching is the process by which one yeast culture is reused for multiple batches of beer. Each batch of subsequent beer is called a “pitch.” This technique helps breweries limit production costs. However, fermentation is difficult to predict throughout serial fermentation. This leads to beer quality issues such as fluctuation in alcohol production, buildup of unwanted flavor compounds, and decreased carbon dioxide production, which results in reduced profit. To combat this issue, many breweries will attempt to predict fermentation efficiency through viable cell counting in order to ensure a consistent number …


Network And Ecological Methods To Study Enteric Pathogen Co-Infections, Connor L. Klopfer Jan 2021

Network And Ecological Methods To Study Enteric Pathogen Co-Infections, Connor L. Klopfer

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Diarrhea remains a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, especially inchildren under 5 years of age. Enteric pathogen co-infection has been found to cause increased diarrheal severity and some pathogens may work in tandem to enhance infection. It is important to identify patterns of pathogen co-infection and their impact on diarrhea to inform intervention strategies for improving child health. In this thesis, I use data from the MAL-ED and PROVIDE birth cohort studies in Bangladesh to generate bipartite networks that represent the relationship between stool samples and pathogens. I randomly rewire the network while preserving connectivity to randomize the …