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Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Molecular Biology
From The Headlines: A Textual Analysis Of Social Polarization And Discord In Times Of Pandemic Across A Century In The United States, Alexa Demarco
From The Headlines: A Textual Analysis Of Social Polarization And Discord In Times Of Pandemic Across A Century In The United States, Alexa Demarco
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Within the past century, three major pandemics have affected the United States – the Spanish Flu, AIDS, and COVID-19. Each of these pandemics has tested the capabilities of the public health sector and the social resilience of the population. Scientists have studied the viruses and implemented public health measures to limit viral transmission, but the social responses to these preventative measures proved to be difficult to predict and control. The dissonance and polarization between the public health initiatives and the response of the general public in the most recent pandemic was apparent. Was this a pattern in other pandemics? Was …
Qualitative Proteomic And Genomic Analysis Of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Bacteriophage Kaomega, Emilee Carr
Qualitative Proteomic And Genomic Analysis Of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Bacteriophage Kaomega, Emilee Carr
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae that is a common nosocomial pathogen causing pneumonia, infections in the bloodstream, wound infections, and meningitis. It has developed natural resistance to multiple antibiotics, most notably carbapenems which are often seen as the last line of defense against multi-drug resistant pathogens. Bacteriophages are being investigated as a promising alternative treatment to antibiotics in fighting these resistant pathogens. KaOmega, a Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteriophage, was isolated, sequenced, and annotated to characterize and understand its potential for use in a phage therapy. Characterization included Phyre2 analysis to predict putative protein functions based on structural homology, burst size …
Exploring Melatonin As A Treatment For Oral Ulcers, William H. Sutherland
Exploring Melatonin As A Treatment For Oral Ulcers, William H. Sutherland
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The hormone melatonin is best known for its role in the sleep-wake cycle, but its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects have significant implications that have not been fully explored in oral health. Some studies use melatonin to treat gastrointestinal ulcers, including duodenal ulcers and oral mucositis, but we found no study reporting its effects on more common oral ulcers, like aphthous stomatitis. We hypothesize that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics of melatonin could effectively prevent and heal oral ulcers. In this paper, we review the literature on melatonin to propose its use as a treatment for oral ulcers. We also include …
On The Relationship Of Diabetes And Sleep Apnea: Evolution And Epigenetics, Nancy Wilson
On The Relationship Of Diabetes And Sleep Apnea: Evolution And Epigenetics, Nancy Wilson
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This thesis gives an overview of the relationship between diabetes, sleep apnea, obesity, and heart disease. It then addresses evidence that the traditional understanding of this relationship is incomplete or misleading. In the process, there is a brief discussion of the evolutionary rationale for the development and retention of sleep apnea in light of blood sugar dysregulation, as an adaptive mechanism in response to environmental stressors, followed by a brief overview of the general concepts of epigenetics. Finally, this paper presents the results of a literature search on the epigenetic marks and changes in gene expression found in sleep apnea …
Sunflower Seedlings Fail To Remove Uranium Pollution In The Navajo Nation: Participatory Science As A Path To Build Community And Address Environmental Injustice, Zak R. Webber
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Mid-20th century mining on Naabeehó Bináhásdzo (Navajo Nation) polluted groundwater with high concentrations of uranium and arsenic. The Navajo Nation and other rural residents of this region use groundwater for drinking, livestock, and irrigation. However, many individuals and communities must purchase and transport treated water from locations that are often hours away. Sunflowers have been shown to preferentially take up heavy metals, including uranium and arsenic, potentially representing a tool to improve water quality through on-site, low-cost phytoremediation. We carried out a collaborative research project with a high school class on the Navajo Nation in 2018 and 2019. The students …
Evaluation And Improvement Of A Novel Method For Rapid Promoter Characterization In A Zebrafish Model, Hunter Giles
Evaluation And Improvement Of A Novel Method For Rapid Promoter Characterization In A Zebrafish Model, Hunter Giles
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This thesis examines a novel technique for characterizing promoters using a zebrafish model. The proximal upstream cis-regulatory elements, also known as promoters or promoter regions, are essential for the precise regulation and timing of gene expression. Often the characterization of these regions relies on imprecise methods involving large deletions or bioinformatic predictions rather than experimental data. However, high-throughput sequencing technology could potentially allow large libraries containing hundreds of thousands of variants of a single promoter to be simultaneously analyzed. We have been working to develop a novel method for promoter characterization that takes advantage of this technology. We tested this …
Functional Implications Of Nlrp1 Variants For Autoimmune Disease, Laura J. Westhoff
Functional Implications Of Nlrp1 Variants For Autoimmune Disease, Laura J. Westhoff
Undergraduate Honors Theses
NLRP1 is a protein-coding human gene that plays a crucial role in the NLRP1 inflammasome. Variants to the NLRP1 gene have been associated with autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. We examined the effects of polymorphisms at two SNPs on cytokine levels and NLRP1 gene expression in 50 human volunteers without diagnosed autoimmune disease. NLRP1 was genotyped at SNPs rs2670660 and rs12150220 and individuals who were homozygous at one or more SNP were selected for further analysis. Serum IL-18 and IL-1β levels were quantified using ELISA. NLRP1 gene expression was measured using real-time PCR. A strong linkage was found between genotypes of …
The Chelation Of Metal Ions By Vicibactin, A Siderophore Produced By Rhizobium Leguminosarum Atcc 14479, Joshua Stinnett
The Chelation Of Metal Ions By Vicibactin, A Siderophore Produced By Rhizobium Leguminosarum Atcc 14479, Joshua Stinnett
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Vicibactin is a small, high-affinity iron chelator produced by Rhizobium leguminosarum ATCC 14479. Previous work has shown that vicibactin is produced and secreted from the cell to sequester ferric iron from the environment during iron-deplete conditions. This ferric iron is then transported into the cell to be converted into ferrous iron. This study uses UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as ion trap-time of flight mass spectroscopy to determine that vicibactin does form a complex with copper(II) ions, however, at a much lower affinity than for iron(III). Stability tests have shown that the copper(II)-vicibactin complex is stable over time. The results of …
Further Understanding Of Bacteriophages That Infect The Bacterial Family Enterobacteriaceae, Paul Flake
Further Understanding Of Bacteriophages That Infect The Bacterial Family Enterobacteriaceae, Paul Flake
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Despite the eclectic nature of bacteriophage genomes, nucleotide comparison is an effective method for grouping phages into cluster and subcluster classifications. This process is facilitated by making preliminary cluster assignations based on the identity of the major capsid protein. As more phages continue to be sequenced and integrated into cluster/subcluster groupings, adjustments may need to be made to the genomic similarity percentages that have previously defined cluster/subcluster classifications. Implementing proteomic comparison in addition to nucleotide homology may provide added clarity to this process. Protein conservation and diversity among lytic phages that infect the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae is discussed and the …