Life Sciences Commons^™

My Experience In Swaziland With Give Hope, Fight Poverty, Megan Kaser

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Megan Kaser, a recent 2017 alum in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, describes her experience with Give Hope, Fight Poverty (GHFP)—a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. GHFP’s mission is “to foster philanthropy domestically by designing service-learning programs that engage U.S. college students with rural communities in Swaziland, Africa, and work together to educate, empower, and lift orphaned and vulnerable children—particularly those living in child-headed households— out of poverty” (Give Hope, Fight Poverty, n.d.). By incorporating college students in ...

The Pharmaceutical Industry: A Pharmacy Student's Guide, Christian Egly, Yaman Kaakeh

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Christian Egly is a fourth-year (P4) pharmacy student in the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. During his years at Purdue, he worked in labs performing bench research in clinical pharmacology and biochemistry. He plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry after graduation. During his fourth year, he completed rotations in business development at Kashiv Pharma, LLC, and was hired there for an internship in 2017. In the article, Christian describes his personal experiences at Kashiv Pharma, LLC, and how industry can positively affect patient communities.

The Development Of Hybrid Lipid-Polymer Nanoparticle Architectures For The Sustained-Release Of Small Hydrophilic Molecules, Keegan Curry, Jill M. Steinbach-Rankins Dr.

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Introduction: Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have been utilized as drug delivery vehicles for a variety of applications. However, achieving sustained-release of small hydrophilic agents is a primary challenge for their use in prolonged delivery applications.

Objective: This study investigates how novel lipid-polymer hybrid particle architectures can be used to improve the release profile of small hydrophilic encapsulants. Here, PLGA NPs were produced via electrospraying and emulsions. Particles with a core-shell architecture were produced via coaxial electrospraying and the ability of this architecture to sustain release was examined. In addition, we combined polymeric core-shell NPs with a lipid coating to improve biocompatibility ...

Utilizing Municipal Compost And Equine Stall Waste As Potential Economic Alternatives In An In-Ground Pot-In-Pot Production System, Ashley Robert, Alyx Shultz

Posters-at-the-Capitol

For Western Kentucky farmers, one viable income source could be a pot-in-pot nursery production. One of the highest costs of production in this system was the planting media that the plants were grown in. Economical alternatives to high-priced, non-renewable peat-based mixes were important to consider. Unique to this region, were two renewable soil amendments that may help farmers to widen their profit margin in a pot-in-pot system. This research looked at the economic viability of locally sourced horse stall waste and municipal compost as soil amendments to a traditional bark and peat based mix. Initial cost projections were favorable for ...

Human Genetic Intervention: How Far Should We Go?, Lance Gregory A. Nunes

Mānoa Horizons

Since the beginning of time, man has treated illness and disease with natural remedies. With the advancement in knowledge and technology, new kinds of treatments have entered the realm of medicine—namely genetic intervention. This paper aims to help determine where we should take our development of this technology. In each branch of genetic intervention—whether it be gene therapy, prevention, remediation, or enhancement—issues of ethics, socio-economics, and religion have casted a cloud over the technology, hindering its progression. In contrary, the power to improve the quality and save the lives of individuals affected by genetic diseases does not ...

Gene Therapy: An Overview Of Approaches And Issues, Tony Head

Mānoa Horizons

For over 25 years, scientists have been researching and testing gene therapy techniques, but this work has only resulted in a single FDA-approved therapy: Kymriah™ from Novartis. Kymriah™ was approved in the U.S. in August 2017, and genetically modifies a patient’s own immune cells to seek out and destroy abnormal blood cells. Although clinical trials continue to test and refine different gene therapy approaches, understanding and evaluating the risks associated with treatment may be overwhelming to patients and caregivers alike. This article attempts to provide readers with an introduction to gene therapy so that anyone considering treatment or ...

The Art Of Botany: The Effect Of Drought On Plant Anatomy, Amanda Wong

Mānoa Horizons

Plants are negatively affected by water deficiencies, and water stress is expected to increase due to more frequent and prolonged droughts from climate change. I investigated the effect of drought on the internal anatomy of the invasive Syzygium cumini plant. In the greenhouse, S. cumini plants were grown, such that half of the plants were watered daily, while the remaining number of plants did not receive any water for the entire experiment. After nine weeks, the base of the main stem was cut into thin disks, stained, and the center was viewed through a microscope for the pith cells that ...

Who Owns Our Genes?, Julia Fujisaka

Mānoa Horizons

In June of 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others in a case arguing against the patentability of human genes. Critics of gene patenting had long suggested that instead of promoting innovation, human gene patents posed a significant roadblock to the development of important diagnostics and therapeutics, and had a negative impact on public health. Myriad Genetics, Inc., the opposing party, argued that the patenting of human genes encouraged researchers and scientists to try to find alternate paths to reach end goals. However, Myriad Genetics strictly defended patents ...

Lipofibroblast Specific Transcription Factor Required For Lung Alveolar Development, Ga Young (Sally) Park

Mānoa Horizons

Respiratory Distress Syndrome occurs in preterm births. Premature lungs lack pulmonary surfactant produced by alveolar type II (ATII) cells. Understanding signaling pathways that promote maturation of ATII cells could reduce time spent in neonatal care units. Tcf21, a bHLH transcription factor, is expressed during lung development, and loss of Tcf21 leads to respiratory failure and dysregulation of Wnt signaling. It is hypothesized that lipofibroblasts secrete Wnt ligands to induce ATII cell differentiation. Using genetically engineered mice that permit isolation of ribosomes from Tcf21 lineage cells, the profile of Wnt ligand RNA expressions were determined. To confirm whether Tcf21 is sufficient ...

Exposure To Herbicide Is Linked To Elevated Homocysteine And Folic Acid Deficiency, Tony Head, Julia Fujisaka, Jasmine Padamada, Steffanie Sobitz

Mānoa Horizons

SciFiToxin (SFT) is the active ingredient in a popular non-selective herbicide, RoundUpTM. Introduced in 2020, SFT obtained regulatory approval for general use and has since become the leading residential and agricultural herbicide, especially among farmers of genetically modified (GM) crops. Results from two recent studies indicate a rise in the average homocysteine level in humans worldwide and implicate SFT as a possible cause for this phenomenon as well as folic acid deficiency, due to SFT’s effect on key enzymes in the body. Elevated homocysteine levels in the blood may lead to a number of life-threatening conditions, and folic acid ...

The Right To Know: Should Gmo Labeling Be Mandatory In The U.S.?, Steffanie Sobitz

Mānoa Horizons

From the commercial release of the first successful genetically modified food to the current debate about the safety of GM foods, one issue has stayed on the forefront of consumers’ minds: the right to know what is in our food. While the history of genetically modified products is easy to follow, the arguments surrounding these high-tech consumables have become convoluted at best. One of the most prominent issues regarding GM foods is the argument that companies who produce, grow, market and sell genetically modified foodstuffs should be required to label them as such. Some iterate the right to know what ...

Virtual Reality And Visualization In Research And Cultural Preservation, Lynn Nguyen

Mānoa Horizons

There are purported links between central obesity and incidence of various cancers. Visceral fat, which includes both pancreatic and liver fat, wraps around major organs, while subcutaneous fat is surface level “belly fat.” The significance of this research is due to its potential to act as another method of measuring fat, as the only methods now are imaging by a CT scan, which is a cross-sectional X-ray of a body area, or an MRI scan, which is imaging done via magnetic resonance. Cross-sectional analyses of scaled MRI images from 228 subjects of Black, Hawaiian, Japanese, Latino, and White ethnicity in ...

Impact Of Aerobic Compost Tea On Growth Of Lactuca Sativa Within A Peat-Based Growing Media, Ella Potts, Jessica Stoner, Alyx Shultz, Iin Handayani

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Compost and compost tea have been shown in practice to be valuable soil amendments across many horticultural applications; however, little rigorous quantitative work has been completed. Researchers designed a side-by-side trial with two replications to quantifiably study the impact of compost tea on the growth and vigor of soil-grown lettuce. A recycled poultry-litter-based aerobic compost tea was used for the treatment. Six lactuca sativa plants received each treatment or control. Researchers hypothesized the treatment plants would show more vigor and vegetative growth than control. The null hypothesis was treatment plants would be identical to control lettuce. Researchers failed to reject ...

Funding Opportunities Specifically For Early Career Unh Investigators: Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) – Sponsors Other Than Federal Agencies -- 11.14.18, Lynnette Hentges

Early Career Investigators

This comprehensive list of funding opportunities specifically for early career investigators offered by foundations and other nonprofit sponsors that are appropriate for UNH researchers working in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math provides information about program focus, eligibility requirements, funding amount and time period, as well as deadlines and links to program web sites and application instructions.

Funding Opportunities Specifically For Early Career Unh Investigators: Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) – Federal Agencies -- 11.14.18, Lynnette Hentges

Early Career Investigators

This comprehensive list of funding opportunities for early career investigators offered by federal agencies that are appropriate for UNH researchers working in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math provides information about program focus, eligibility requirements, funding amount and time period, as well as deadlines and links to program web sites and application instructions.

Opportunities available from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are listed separately.

Funding-Opportunities-And-Strategies-For-Early-Career 11.15.18, Lynnette Hentges

Early Career Investigators

Slides and handouts from the November 15, 2018 workshop that presented strategies and resources for taking advantage of the special funding opportunities provided to early-career scholars by federal agencies, not-for-profits, professional societies, and other sponsors

Does A Vegan Diet Contribute To Prevention Or Maintenance Of Diseases?, Malia K. Burkholder, Danae A. Fields

Kinesiology and Allied Health Senior Research Projects

This literature review deals with the topic of, does a vegan diet contribute to prevention or maintenance of diseases? Our main focus was to look at what a vegan diet entailed, the history of veganism, and why people decide to adhere to this diet type. Multiple research studies were looked over on the topics of how a vegan diet effects the disease processes of cancer, diabetes, gastral intestinal issues, weight loss, and heart disease. The overall arching theme that was found in the research is that a vegan diet is beneficial in helping to lessen the risk or aid in ...

Effects Of A Low Carbohydrate Diet On Energy Expenditure During Weight Loss Maintenance: Randomized Trial, Cara B. Ebbeling, Henry A. Feldman, Gloria L. Klein, Julia M.W. Wong, Lisa Bielek Bielek, Sarah K. Steltz, Patricia K. Louto, Robert R. Wolfe, William W. Wong, David S. Ludwig

(FS)2 Scholarly Publications

From the abstract "OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of diets varying in carbohydrate to fat ratio on total energy expenditure. DESIGN Randomized trial. SETTING Multicenter collaboration at US two sites, August 2014 to May 2017. PARTICIPANTS 164 adults aged 18-65 years with a body mass index of 25 or more. INTERVENTIONS After 12% (within 2%) weight loss on a run-in diet, participants were randomly assigned to one of three test diets according to carbohydrate content (high, 60%, n=54; moderate, 40%, n=53; or low, 20%, n=57) for 20 weeks. Test diets were controlled for protein and were energy ...

Case Study: Robin Hood Or Criminal? The Case Of A Bank Loan Officer, Vincent Agnello, Joseph F. Winter, Hai Ta

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Employees who deviate from established rules at work face suspension or termination from their employment. Yet, knowing these dire consequences employees may still find themselves walking on a different path of business policy. Most employee wrongful conduct is done with the specific intent of benefitting the employee. In some cases, the authorities are brought in to intervene and criminal charges are brought against the employee, as in the case of embezzlement. Some acts are done by employees who do not believe in their company’s rules and are willing to deviate from them, not for their own benefit, but rather ...

Usury And The Common Good, Jim Wishloff

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.