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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Detection Of Foodborne Pathogens By Micro-Filtration Using A Continuous Cell Concentrator Device, Klaire E. Jeffries, Eduardo Ximenes, Michael R. Ladisch Oct 2013

Detection Of Foodborne Pathogens By Micro-Filtration Using A Continuous Cell Concentrator Device, Klaire E. Jeffries, Eduardo Ximenes, Michael R. Ladisch

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Protecting consumers from foodborne illness is an important health concern facing the food industry today. An important deficiency exposed by foodborne illness is the inability to track contaminated food back to the source in a timely manner. Although there are established methods that detect bacterial pathogen contamination, they are limited in distinguishing viable bacteria reliably and quickly. Currently, food pathogen testing requires lengthy culture steps, which many times are delayed even longer due to the lack of in-house testing labs. Typically, two to three days elapses between when the food is sampled and the test results are available. This study …


Identification Of Set1 Target Genes, William Beyer, Scott D. Briggs Oct 2013

Identification Of Set1 Target Genes, William Beyer, Scott D. Briggs

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The Set1 complex, a histone methyltransferase complex found in S. cerevisiae (budding yeast), is the only histone methyltransferase responsible for catalyzing methylation of histone H3 at Lysine 4. It possesses homologues in other species, humans included. While yeast only have the Set1 complex, the human homologues of the yeast Set1 complex include mixed-lineage leukemia family (MLL1-4), Set1 A, Set1 B, among others. MLL1-4 has been shown to play a role in transcription, cell type specification, and the development of leukemia. One application of characterizing the role of a protein is that the information gained can provide insight into the function …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Nucleic Acid-Functionalized Nanomaterials, Brianna S. Carroll, Jong Hyun Choi Oct 2013

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nucleic Acid-Functionalized Nanomaterials, Brianna S. Carroll, Jong Hyun Choi

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Motor proteins such as kinesin move along microtubules in order to transport cellular cargos throughout the cell by obtaining energy from RNA hydrolysis which allows the cell to complete the tasks needed to stay alive. In this work, we developed synthetic molecular motors using DNA enzymes (DNAzyme) and fluorescent nanomaterials which mimic the functions and structures of motor proteins. A DNAzyme-capped CdS nanoparticle and a RNA-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) were used as a walker and a track in the motor platform, respectively. As a walking mechanism, the DNAzyme cleaved the RNA substrates in the presence of metal cations. The …


Incorporating Satellite Derived Cloud Climatologies To Improve High Resolution Interpolation Of Daily Precipitation., Adam M. Wilson, Benoit Parmentier, Brian Mcgill, Rob Guralnick, Walter Jetz Sep 2013

Incorporating Satellite Derived Cloud Climatologies To Improve High Resolution Interpolation Of Daily Precipitation., Adam M. Wilson, Benoit Parmentier, Brian Mcgill, Rob Guralnick, Walter Jetz

Yale Day of Data

Conservation of biodiversity demands comprehension of evolutionary and ecological patterns and processes that occur over vast spatial and temporal scales. A central goal of ecology is to understand the factors that control the spatial distribution of species and this has become even more important in the face of climate change. However, at global scales there can be enormous uncertainty in environmental data used to model species distributions. Even ‘simple’ metrics such as mean annual precipitation are difficult to estimate in areas with few weather stations and available data sets do not quantify uncertainty in these surfaces. We are developing a …


The Effect Of Burning On Seed Germination And Seedling Growth Rates Of Sullivant’S Milkweed (Asclepias Sullivantii) And Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca), Mary Nafziger, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor Apr 2013

The Effect Of Burning On Seed Germination And Seedling Growth Rates Of Sullivant’S Milkweed (Asclepias Sullivantii) And Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca), Mary Nafziger, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) (SM) and Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)(CM) are native Illinois plants that are often used in prairie restoration efforts. Before the seeds can be planted using traditional mechanical planters, the filamentous coma (i.e., silk-like ballooning material) must first be physically removed from each seed, which requires hours of tedious manual labor. A more expedient way to remove the comas is to burn them. However, the impacts of burning on seed germination and seedling growth rates are unknown, which was the purpose of my study. Germination rates from unburned CM seeds (0%) were significantly …


Isolation And Characterization Of Novel Mycobacteriophages From The Central Illinois Region, Rachel Aron, Blake Beehler, Rachel Ende, Logan Garthe, Netherland Joiner, Tess Kelley, Lauren Killough, Michal Kozdronkiewicz, Jessica Kraut, Jennifer Lang, Matthew Piotrowiak, Prartana Ramachandran, Loni Walker, Faculty Advisor Apr 2013

Isolation And Characterization Of Novel Mycobacteriophages From The Central Illinois Region, Rachel Aron, Blake Beehler, Rachel Ende, Logan Garthe, Netherland Joiner, Tess Kelley, Lauren Killough, Michal Kozdronkiewicz, Jessica Kraut, Jennifer Lang, Matthew Piotrowiak, Prartana Ramachandran, Loni Walker, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Members of the Illinois Wesleyan General Biology Science Education Alliance (SEA) laboratory isolated and characterized fifteen distinctive phages capable of infecting Mycobacterium smegmatis. Each student collected soil samples from the central Illinois area and used direct plating or enrichment techniques to isolate phages. Streak assays were used to purify single phage populations. Individual phage populations were then characterized and DNA was isolated. Based on the following characteristics; plaque morphology (size and turbidity), life style (temperate or lytic) and DNA restriction patterns, we determined that each student has isolated a unique phage. The DNA from a single Mycobacteriophage, Kazan, was …


A New Species Of Frog Of The Genus Pristimantis (Strabomantidae) From A Cloud Forest In Southern Peru, Anton Baltuska, Edgar Lehr, Faculty Advisor Apr 2013

A New Species Of Frog Of The Genus Pristimantis (Strabomantidae) From A Cloud Forest In Southern Peru, Anton Baltuska, Edgar Lehr, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Frogs of the genus Pristimantis are found throughout northern South America in various habitats ranging from lowland rainforest, cloud forest and up to 4000 m in the puna. Members of the family Strabomantidae breed terrestrially without a free swimming tadpole; instead froglets hatch from terrestrially deposited eggs. Of the 455 known species of Pristimantis 123 are known from Peru. Here we describe a new species from the Cordillera Central in the Andes of southern Peru. The new species is known from only one female specimen. It is readily distinguished from all other members of the genus by a combination of …


Leaf Identification Using Image Processing And Automatic Pattern Recognition, Thomas E. Humbert, Joseph E. Niemiec, Joshua M. Kaster Apr 2013

Leaf Identification Using Image Processing And Automatic Pattern Recognition, Thomas E. Humbert, Joseph E. Niemiec, Joshua M. Kaster

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

No abstract provided.


Cellular Life Beyond An Individual’S Death, Emily Schmitt Apr 2013

Cellular Life Beyond An Individual’S Death, Emily Schmitt

CAHSS Intellectual Conversations

One of the most famous examples of cell lines surviving long after a person has died comes from a tumor found in the body of Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in 1950. The study of approximately 50 million tons of her cells, which would conservatively equal the amount of cells in one billion people, has resulted in nearly 11,000 patents, including the polio vaccine. These cells have become a focus of public attention since Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This talk will discuss what happens to cells once they leave our bodies, …


Phosphorylation Regulates Myosin Driven Organelle Movements, Peter Andrew Duden Mar 2013

Phosphorylation Regulates Myosin Driven Organelle Movements, Peter Andrew Duden

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Cytoplasmic streaming in plant cells is the continuous flow of cytoplasm and organelles throughout the cell, with the first observation of cytoplasmic streaming being publicized in 1774. However, the mechanism of cytoplasmic streaming remained unclear until components of the cytoskeleton were researched. Research now supports that the motive force generating cytoplasmic streaming is the interaction of myosin XI motor proteins with organelles while sliding along actin filaments. From this, a key topic of interest is how myosin driven organelle movement is regulated. Our research focuses on whether phosphorylation affects the regulation of myosin XI motor proteins. Specifically, the goal of …


The Effects Of Blocking Hippocampal Acetylcholine On Meal Onset In Male Rats, Jasmine Nicole Gentry Mar 2013

The Effects Of Blocking Hippocampal Acetylcholine On Meal Onset In Male Rats, Jasmine Nicole Gentry

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Outcrossing And Phenotypic Analysis Of A Hlh-25 Mutant, Emma K. Blasingame Mar 2013

Outcrossing And Phenotypic Analysis Of A Hlh-25 Mutant, Emma K. Blasingame

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Cloning And Initial Characterization Of A Likely Heme Binding Protein From Group B Streptococci, Darius J. Devlin Mar 2013

Cloning And Initial Characterization Of A Likely Heme Binding Protein From Group B Streptococci, Darius J. Devlin

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Daily Variation In Ctenophore Abundance During Summer 2012 In The Long Term Skidaway River Monitoring Program (Srimp) Site, Mariya Campbell Mar 2013

Daily Variation In Ctenophore Abundance During Summer 2012 In The Long Term Skidaway River Monitoring Program (Srimp) Site, Mariya Campbell

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Under Graduate Curriculum Integration: Bringing Students Together Through Research, Clay Runck, James Russell, Allison D’Costa Mar 2013

Under Graduate Curriculum Integration: Bringing Students Together Through Research, Clay Runck, James Russell, Allison D’Costa

Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (2012-2019)

At Georgia Gwinnett College we are integrating the undergraduate educational experience for our Bachelor of Science students in the Biology discipline. We are using the opportunities presented by the genetic information revolution to combine biology courses in a longitudinal and integrative research project aimed at cataloguing biological diversity over space and time on the developing Georgia Gwinnett College campus.


Undergraduate Research In Biology: Field Studies, Eric Walters Feb 2013

Undergraduate Research In Biology: Field Studies, Eric Walters

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Chair: Eric Walters, Department of Biological Sciences


Undergraduate Research In Biology: Ticks, Holly Gaff Feb 2013

Undergraduate Research In Biology: Ticks, Holly Gaff

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Chair: Dr. Holly Gaff, Department of Biological Sciences


Undergraduate Research In Biology: Aquatic, David Gauthier Feb 2013

Undergraduate Research In Biology: Aquatic, David Gauthier

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Chair: Dr. David Gauthier, Department of Biological Sciences


04. Botany, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

04. Botany, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


02. Animal Science, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

02. Animal Science, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


05. Chemistry, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

05. Chemistry, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


03. Biology, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

03. Biology, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


09. Environmental Science, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

09. Environmental Science, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


12. Kinesiology, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

12. Kinesiology, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


07. Criminal Justice, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

07. Criminal Justice, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


11. Genetics, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

11. Genetics, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


08. Engineering, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

08. Engineering, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


15. Pharmacy, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

15. Pharmacy, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


13. Mathematics, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

13. Mathematics, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.


14. Optometry, University Of Central Oklahoma Jan 2013

14. Optometry, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.