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Full-Text Articles in Biology
The Effects Of Thyroid Hormone On Corneal Innervation, Vendana (Jill) Rajarathnam, Mansi Patel, Shinho Kim, Ngan Phan, Tyler Schwend, Faculty Advisor
The Effects Of Thyroid Hormone On Corneal Innervation, Vendana (Jill) Rajarathnam, Mansi Patel, Shinho Kim, Ngan Phan, Tyler Schwend, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
The Bioinformatic Analysis Of A Cluster S Mycobacterium Smegmatis Bacteriophage Tesla, Janna Fitzgerald, Zoephia Laughlin, Colin Page, Bailey Reichert, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
The Bioinformatic Analysis Of A Cluster S Mycobacterium Smegmatis Bacteriophage Tesla, Janna Fitzgerald, Zoephia Laughlin, Colin Page, Bailey Reichert, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
The Isolation, Purification, And Characterization Of Fourteen Mycobacterium Smegmatis Bacteriophages, Marissa Alcala, Alecia Beagles, Caroline Marchi, Samantha Ziomek, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
The Isolation, Purification, And Characterization Of Fourteen Mycobacterium Smegmatis Bacteriophages, Marissa Alcala, Alecia Beagles, Caroline Marchi, Samantha Ziomek, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
The Genomic Investigation And Analysis Of Squint, A Novel J Cluster Mycobacteriophage, Tulasi Jaladi, Jessica Keen, Morgan Reish, Andria Talavera, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
The Genomic Investigation And Analysis Of Squint, A Novel J Cluster Mycobacteriophage, Tulasi Jaladi, Jessica Keen, Morgan Reish, Andria Talavera, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
Brachionus Plicatilis Ability To Ingest, Digest, And Assimilate Dissolved Organic Matter, Brianna Miulli, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
Brachionus Plicatilis Ability To Ingest, Digest, And Assimilate Dissolved Organic Matter, Brianna Miulli, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
Genetic Analyses And Annotations Of Two Newly Discovered C1 Mycobacteriophages, Robert Shafer, Julia Lennon, Megan Dolan, Morgan Braun, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
Genetic Analyses And Annotations Of Two Newly Discovered C1 Mycobacteriophages, Robert Shafer, Julia Lennon, Megan Dolan, Morgan Braun, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Protein From Dinoroseobacter Shibae In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Abigail Brown, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Protein From Dinoroseobacter Shibae In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Abigail Brown, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Photosynthetic bacteria rely on photosynthesis to get energy. Bacteriochlorophylls harvest the light energy in photosynthesis and are important to these bacteria, but several enzymes used to synthesize this macromolecule are not completely understood. The gene bchE, from the marine bacterium Dinoroseobacter shibae, has been proposed to code for a protein used to help catalyze the formation of the bacteriochlorophyll structure. Isolation of polypeptide encoded by the bchE gene was performed to better understand this enzyme. Using conjugation, ST18 E. coli cells with plasmids containing the bchE gene were mated with a Rhodobacter capsulatus strain lacking functional BchE to …
Predicting Incubation Period: A Case Study Of The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx Australis Mantelli) And The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Spp), Meaghan Mormann, Tess Kelley, Jennifer Altman, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor
Predicting Incubation Period: A Case Study Of The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx Australis Mantelli) And The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Spp), Meaghan Mormann, Tess Kelley, Jennifer Altman, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Isolation And Characterization Of Previously Undiscovered Bacteriophages, Ellen Stumph, Daniel Walski, Samridh Gupta, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
Isolation And Characterization Of Previously Undiscovered Bacteriophages, Ellen Stumph, Daniel Walski, Samridh Gupta, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Phage For Thought: Investigating The Ingestion And Assimilation Of Viruses Into Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Tissues, Brittany Straznickas, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
Phage For Thought: Investigating The Ingestion And Assimilation Of Viruses Into Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Tissues, Brittany Straznickas, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Rotifers are a group of suspension-feeding aquatic invertebrate animals that range from approximately 50–2,000 micrometers in size. The typical food sources for rotifers (i.e., unicellular algae, 2-10 micrometers in diameter) are visible with light microscopy. Bacteriophages (viruses that use bacteria as hosts) are too small (30-110 nanometers in diameter) to be seen using light microscopy, but are present in great abundance (~ 1030 in the world’s oceans). If or how particles as small as bacteriophages are consumed as food is incompletely known; Sorenson ('15) reported that rotifers ingest water containing the fluorescently-labeled (Dichlorotriazinylamino fluorescein, DTAF) bacteriophages. We exposed the …
Functional Complementation Of Z-Ring Regulation By Alleles Of Hetp In Anabaena, Christina Khour, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
Functional Complementation Of Z-Ring Regulation By Alleles Of Hetp In Anabaena, Christina Khour, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Use Of A Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Tag For Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Dorota Kulikowska, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
Use Of A Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Tag For Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Dorota Kulikowska, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Elucidating A Mechanism Of Growth Cessation In Heterocysts Of (Anabaena), Blake Beehler, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
Elucidating A Mechanism Of Growth Cessation In Heterocysts Of (Anabaena), Blake Beehler, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Oral presentation abstract.
A New Technique For Imaging Real-Time Cytokine Secretion, Sydney Muchnik, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor, Ramesh Ramji, Faculty Advisor, Kathryn Miller-Jensen, Faculty Advisor
A New Technique For Imaging Real-Time Cytokine Secretion, Sydney Muchnik, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor, Ramesh Ramji, Faculty Advisor, Kathryn Miller-Jensen, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Functional Analysis Of A Putative Homing Endonuclease, Nikhilesh Thapa, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
Functional Analysis Of A Putative Homing Endonuclease, Nikhilesh Thapa, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Endonucleases are enzymes that cleave phosphodiester bonds within polynucleotide chains such as DNA and RNA. A subgroup, homing endonucleases (HEase) are also able to propagate their encoding genes by transforming host genes to incorporate the homing endonuclease gene (HEG). This process is initiated by the expression of the HEase from the HEG, which then cleaves a homolog. The homolog subsequently undergoes a homologous recombination event as a repair mechanism, and in the process integrates a copy of the HEG. Based on predicted sequence, gene product (gp126) from the mycobacteriophage Gizmo is thought to encode for a HEase. Previous work constructed …
Genome Annotation Of 3 New Rhodobacter Capsulatus Bacteriophages, Seth Borrowman, Niyant Vora, Emily Erdmann, Madeline Gibson, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
Genome Annotation Of 3 New Rhodobacter Capsulatus Bacteriophages, Seth Borrowman, Niyant Vora, Emily Erdmann, Madeline Gibson, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Assessment Of Cranial Neural Crest Proliferation Patterns Between The Redeye Tetra Moenkhausia Sanctaefilomenae And The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Lesly Ingram, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor
Assessment Of Cranial Neural Crest Proliferation Patterns Between The Redeye Tetra Moenkhausia Sanctaefilomenae And The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Lesly Ingram, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Among teleost fishes, there is a substantial amount of diversity regarding craniofacial morphology. This study investigated the cellular processes directing the morphological variations observed in the Meckel’s and ceratohyal cartilages of the zebrafish Danio rerio and the redeye tetra Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae. Utilizing BrdU incorporation, significant interspecific variations relating to cartilage formation were determined. Specifically, interstitial proliferation was found to be more important for the shaping and subsequent growth of the cartilages in D. rerio than in M. sanctaefilomenae. Correspondingly, the expansion of the pharyngeal arches was more dramatic in M. sanctaefilomenae than in D. rerio. This study demonstrates …
A Transposon Mutagenesis Screen For Heterocyst Production In A ∆Hetp Strain Of The Cyanobacterium Anabaena, Rachel Ende, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
A Transposon Mutagenesis Screen For Heterocyst Production In A ∆Hetp Strain Of The Cyanobacterium Anabaena, Rachel Ende, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Determining The Viability Of Preserved Cell Suspensions Frozen Over Time With Varied Glycerol Concentrations, Elyse Mccormick, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor
Determining The Viability Of Preserved Cell Suspensions Frozen Over Time With Varied Glycerol Concentrations, Elyse Mccormick, Brian Walter, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Isolation And Characterization Of Six Novel Rhodobacter Capsulatus Bacteriophages, Addison Ely, Alexandria Paradis, Brook Koebele, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
Isolation And Characterization Of Six Novel Rhodobacter Capsulatus Bacteriophages, Addison Ely, Alexandria Paradis, Brook Koebele, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Restoration Of Heterocyst Production To A ∆Hetp Strain Of Anabaena, Megan Smeets, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
Restoration Of Heterocyst Production To A ∆Hetp Strain Of Anabaena, Megan Smeets, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Poster presentation abstract.
Isolation And Characterization Of An A4 Mycobacteriophage From Central Illinois, Aida `Cheung, Jadeah Spindler, Ruchen Tian, Jordan Miller, Audrey Smith, Meghan Linder, Tiffany Remijas, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
Isolation And Characterization Of An A4 Mycobacteriophage From Central Illinois, Aida `Cheung, Jadeah Spindler, Ruchen Tian, Jordan Miller, Audrey Smith, Meghan Linder, Tiffany Remijas, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Sixteen mycobacteriophages were isolated by students at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington IL using a soil enrichment technique and a Mycobacterium smegmatis host. Each student created and archived a high titer lysate of his or her mycobacteriophage, and of these sixteen, two were selected to be sent in for sequencing, Eidsmoe and Morrow. Morrow was found just outside the Morrow Plots at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014, and was found to be one of 64 members of the A4 subcluster. Its 51,411 base pair genome is comparable to the average A4 genome of 51,395 base pairs. However, …
Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Jennifer Chlebek, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Jennifer Chlebek, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Bacteriochlorophyll plays an essential role in the process of photosynthesis in photosynthetic bacteria, but several of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of this tetrapyrrole are yet to be entirely understood. The step in which the ring structure of the tetrapyrrole is formed is catalyzed by the enzyme Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase (MPE-cyclase) which converts the substrate MPE into protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) and incorporates an oxygen atom from water. The gene bchE has been suggested to encode a protein required for MPE-cyclase activity in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. In order to study the cyclase enzyme, we attempted to isolate …
Creating And Implementing A Teaching Module For The High School Biology Classroom, Elizabeth Smith, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
Creating And Implementing A Teaching Module For The High School Biology Classroom, Elizabeth Smith, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
The “nature of science” is an educational concept that encourages science teachers to teach students about the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. One way for students to experience the nature of science is through the creation and implementation of hands-on experiments. As a future biology teacher, I created a teaching module that incorporates an inquiry-based experiment that could be implemented into a high school biology curriculum. In this experiment, egg masses from the locally common freshwater snail Physa acuta were used to test the effect of rearing temperature on the rate of embryo development and survival. Within …
Expression Of Gene Product 126 From Phage Gizmo And Creation Of A Substrate, Manish Mandava, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
Expression Of Gene Product 126 From Phage Gizmo And Creation Of A Substrate, Manish Mandava, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
Endonucleases are enzymes which cleave DNA at specific nucleotide sequences. Homing Endonucleases (HEase) are a group of endonucleases that reside as open reading frames within self-splicing introns or inteins. After expression of the gene containing the HEase the HEase goes on to cleave a target site in a homolog of the hosting gene to induce homologous recombination turning the vacant homolog into a homing endonuclease gene (HEG). It is predicted that gene product (gp126) from the mycobacteriophage Gizmo encodes a HEase. To test whether the gene encodes a HEase the phage sequence of gp126 Gizmo was transferred into the his-tag …
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
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
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
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 …
A New Species Of Frog (Strabomantidae: Pristimantis) From Peru With Comments On Its Ectoparasites (Acari: Trombiculidae), Alan Brus, Edgar Lehr, Faculty Advisor
A New Species Of Frog (Strabomantidae: Pristimantis) From Peru With Comments On Its Ectoparasites (Acari: Trombiculidae), Alan Brus, Edgar Lehr, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
Comparison Of Regional Eggshell Porosity Between The Brood Parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird (Moluthrus Ater) And Its Hosts: The Dickcissel (Spiza Americana), And Two Non-Parasitic Relatives, The Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius Phoeniceus) And The Common Grackle (Quiscalus Quiscula)., Brittany Childs, W. B. Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, R. G. Harper, Faculty Advisor, M. Kiefer, J. W. Rivers, B. D. Peer
Comparison Of Regional Eggshell Porosity Between The Brood Parasitic Brown-Headed Cowbird (Moluthrus Ater) And Its Hosts: The Dickcissel (Spiza Americana), And Two Non-Parasitic Relatives, The Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius Phoeniceus) And The Common Grackle (Quiscalus Quiscula)., Brittany Childs, W. B. Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, R. G. Harper, Faculty Advisor, M. Kiefer, J. W. Rivers, B. D. Peer
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.