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Life Sciences Commons

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2017

Honors Theses

University of Dayton

Discipline

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama Apr 2017

Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama

Honors Theses

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing porphyrins has emerged as a possible ancillary treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Porphyrins, such a novel zinc containing porphyrin designated ZnP, create reactive oxygen species that are toxic to bacterial cells utilizing light by a mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Previous experiments have shown ZnP to be able to kill microorganisms in the dark which is unique to few porphyrins. The aim of this research is to understand the effect ZnP has on Mycobacterium smegmatis, a model organism for the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuburculosis which causes the lung infection tuberculosis. Further experimentation is …


Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne Apr 2017

Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age related progressive neurodegenerative disease. The exact mechanisms that lead to cell death are not entirely understood. It has been shown that accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques generated by mis-cleavage of amyloid-precursor-protein is the cause of neurodegeneration seen in AD. This is due to the hydrophobic nature of Aβ42 due to extra two amino acids added to the typical and naturally occurring Aβ40 in the body. These Aβ42 plaques trigger neuronal death because of the toxic nature and stress they exert on the neurons. In this study, Drosophila melanogaster transgenic model where human Aβ42 coding …


Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth Apr 2017

Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth

Honors Theses

The invasive plant Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) has had a variety of ecological effects as it continues to spread through the eastern United States including the loss of plant biodiversity and alterations in ecosystem function in forests. Streams meander through many forests where Amur honeysuckle is present and recent evidence suggests that this terrestrial invasion has consequences for stream biology. Leaves of Amur honeysuckle have been shown to have strong negative effects on terrestrial insects and we hypothesized that these negative effects may also occur in aquatic macroinvertebrates. In this set of experiments we used a sequence of microcosm assays …


Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum Apr 2017

Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum

Honors Theses

Background: Aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane water channels that facilitate osmotically-driven transmembrane water flux. AQP1 is abundantly expressed in vascular endothelium, where it functions in endothelial cell migration, wound healing, and cell volume regulation in response to mechanical stimuli. AQP1 protein abundance is enhanced in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in response to fluid shear stress. Statins, a pharmacological class of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, suppress the early development of vein graft intimal hyperplasia by improving endothelial cell function, most likely by affecting endothelial response to arterial shear stress. Statins may also differentially regulate the expression of specific AQPs by …


Understanding The Effects Of Propionic Acid On Listeria Monocytogenes Growth, Survival, And Virulence, Elizabeth A. Abrams Apr 2017

Understanding The Effects Of Propionic Acid On Listeria Monocytogenes Growth, Survival, And Virulence, Elizabeth A. Abrams

Honors Theses

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes illnesses with a high fatality rate immunocompromised and elderly individuals. It colonizes the human intestine, which contains low levels of oxygen but high levels of fermentation acids. This work investigates how that environment affects various aspects of Listeria pathogenesis. Based on these results, we can ascertain whether propionate supplementation can be explored as an effective method of protecting individuals from Listeria infection.


Seasonal Changes In Physical, Chemical, And Biotic Factors In Silver Lake, Ohio, Jacob J. Clancy Apr 2017

Seasonal Changes In Physical, Chemical, And Biotic Factors In Silver Lake, Ohio, Jacob J. Clancy

Honors Theses

The chemical makeup of a body of water can vary greatly depending on what kind of lake it is, the time of year and what kind of runoff enters the water. There are many abiotic factors that make up the water chemistry of a lake such as nutrient availability (Nitrogen and Phosphorous), pH, temperature, oxygen content and conductivity. Each of these factors plays important roles in the successes of many organisms that reside in the lake. The many species of zooplankton and phytoplankton thrive in different water chemistry conditions. Silver Lake is a unique lake in Ohio, because it was …


Does Riparian Forest Invasion By The Exotic Shrub Amur Honeysuckle Influence Nutrient Dynamics In Headwater Streams?, Charlotte Anne Shade Apr 2017

Does Riparian Forest Invasion By The Exotic Shrub Amur Honeysuckle Influence Nutrient Dynamics In Headwater Streams?, Charlotte Anne Shade

Honors Theses

Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) invasion is extensive in forests across much of Ohio and the Midwest. Amur honeysuckle has been shown to influence headwater streams and its organisms, which depend on a certain water chemistry to survive. Little has been done to understand how honeysuckle affects water chemistry and nutrient cycling. As honeysuckle canopies prevent native organic matter from entering the streams below, while also adding its own organic matter that is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, and low in lignin, the amount and types of nutrients present in both forests and streams may be significantly altered. Over a one-year …