Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of An Animal Model In Which To Study Hiv-2, Taalin Rasmussen, Bradford Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks and destroys the cells of the immune system necessary to mounting an effective immune response to successfully fight off infection. Unchecked, an HIV infection leads to a gradual deterioration of the immune system, giving rise to many opportunistic infections not normally seen in people with a functioning immune system. There are two subtypes of HIV: HIV-1, which accounts for the most HIV infections worldwide, and HIV-2, which is most commonly seen in West Africa and countries with strong socioeconomic ties to West Africa, such as France, Portugal, Spain, Angola, Mozambique, and Brazil (1). There is, …

Illuminating Novel Genes For Escherichia Coli Growth In Varying Phosphate Conditions Using Tnseq And Illumina Sequencing, Tanner Robinson, Dr. William R. Mccleary

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my project is to identify novel genes in the genome of Escherichia coli ( E coli) associated with phosphate homeostasis under high phosphate conditions. The previous efforts that have been employed were great and innovative for their time, but both lacked the technology currently available, and focused solely on lowphosphate response. Other labs have used variations of the TnSeq protocol that I have, to address a variety of questions in many organisms, with great success (Subashchandrabose et al., 2013).

Effects Of Muscle Cooling On Ampk And Protein Synthesis In Skeletal Muscle, Kyle Lyons, David Thomson, Pdbio

Journal of Undergraduate Research

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular protein that regulates many signaling responses including the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which increases protein synthesis1. Recent research suggests that cold-water immersion of the leg activates AMPK in skeletal muscle. It is not known whether cold directly activates AMPK in skeletal muscle or if the aforementioned results are due to systemic or hormonal responses. Furthermore, the direct effect of cooling on protein synthesis-related signaling in skeletal muscle has not been established. If cooling affects the activation of AMPK, then it could also affect mTOR. Therefore, the purpose of this study was …

The Effect Of Microbiota On Lifespan In Drosophila Melanogaster, Melinda Koyle, John Chaston

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Almost all animals are affected by the bacteria found in their intestines (1). Recent research has begun to show the close relationship hosts have with their microbiome. These interactions influence metabolic, respiratory, nutritional, neurological, and immunological functions along with many other biological roles (2). The short lifespans, fruit flies make an excellent model organism for studying host/microbiome interactions (3). By better understanding the correlation between lifespan and host microbiota in D. melanogaster, I hope to help further the knowledge of the relationship between lifespan in humans and our own microbiome.

Continuous Ethanol Production From Synthesis Gas By Clostridium Ragsdalei In A Trickle-Bed Reactor, Mamatha Devarapalli, Randy S. Lewis, Hasan K. Atiyeh

Faculty Publications

A trickle-bed reactor (TBR) when operated in a trickle flow regime reduces liquid resistance to mass transfer because a very thin liquid film is in contact with the gas phase and results in improved gas–liquid mass transfer compared to continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). In the present study, continuous syngas fermentation was performed in a 1-L TBR for ethanol production by Clostridium ragsdalei. The effects of dilution and gas flow rates on product formation, productivity, gas uptakes and conversion efficiencies were examined. Results showed that CO and H2 conversion efficiencies reached over 90% when the gas flow rate was maintained …

Family Structures In Japan And Korea: How Are Children Affected?, Jennifer Burdge, Kristie Rowley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recently, Japan and Korea have experienced increased strain in their society. In Japan, citizens ranging from ages 55 to 64 years make up 38.3 percent of the population, and those 65 years and over account for 24.8 percent of the population. This means those that are 55 years old or more make up over 52 percent of the entire population (“East & Southeast,” 2013). Due to the aging population, and declining birth rates, there is much pressure put upon adults, young adults, and youth. This pressure has dramatically changed marriage and divorce rates, education attainment, and employment, which all impact …

Between Hot Rocks And Dry Places: The Status Of The Dixie Valley Toad, Matthew J. Forrest, Josefin Stiller, Tim L. King, Greg W. Rouse

Western North American Naturalist

In Dixie Valley, Nevada, an isolated population of toads has been the subject of proactive conservation measures by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 2008 due to concerns about potential habitat degradation resulting from exploitation of nearby geothermal energy resources. These toads appear to belong within the Anaxyrus boreas species group but are commonly referred to as Dixie Valley toads (DVTs). The DVT is currently confined to an extremely narrow habitat range (370 ha) that is geographically isolated from any other A. boreas population. In this study, genetic variations in mitochondrial genes and …

Using A Tnp Fluorophore To Identify Adenosine Binding In The Snap25b Snare Binding Protein, David Hallan, Dixon Woodbury

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vesicle fusion is a key step in the cellular process of exocytosis and is at the center of neurotransmitter release by neurons. Fusion is driven by a set of proteins known as SNAREs which includes the protein SNAP25B.

In the synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of the SNAP25B protein, a strong, unexpected 260 nm peak has been seen. This 260 nm peak might correspond to DNA, RNA, or any other adenosine-containing molecule binding to SNAP25B. Previous work indicated that the 260 peak was not due to DNA or RNA. SNAP25B binding to an adenosine-containing substance could be the basis of an …

How Well Can Machine-Learning Algorithms Predict Biomedical Outcomes Based On Gene-Expression Data?, Anna Guyer, Stephen Piccolo

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Biomedical data are increasing in size and complexity. To make sense of these data, biomedical researchers often use “machine-learning” algorithms, which are developed by the computer-science community. Our goal was to perform a systematic comparison of many of these algorithms across 100 data sets to identify which algorithms perform best for this type of data. To help meet this goal, we also planned to carefully curating data from the public domain for others to use in their own comparisons.

Unlike DNA, which changes little from cell to cell, gene-expression levels vary dramatically across different types of tissues and under different …

The Role Of Ip-10 In Muscle Regeneration And Repair After Injury, Jacob Parmley, Robert Hyldahl

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The repair and regeneration processes of skeletal muscle rely on the activation, proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells), which are necessary sources for muscle increase (hypertrophy) and regeneration (Stewart, 2006). A muscles ability to regenerate diminishes due to age or various diseases, such as muscular dystrophy (Mariol, 2001). Interventions aimed at altering the skeletal muscle environment to optimize muscle stem cell activity and regenerative processes represents a promising approach to enhance muscle regenerative capacity. Recent data from our lab has identified increased levels of the cytokine Interferon Gamma-Inducible Protein 10 (IP-10) during the muscle regenerative period …

Visualizing Hemocyte Extracellular Traps In Galleria Mellonella, Timothy Siebach, Davidson Erickson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were recently found to be an additional method that neutrophils use to combat pathogens. They are composed of nuclear DNA and proteins that possess anti-microbial properties. Some studies suggest that in addition to killing pathogens, NETs also serve as a barrier to prevent pathogens from spreading. Mammalian infection models are known to possess NETs, but these models often raise ethical issues and can be quite costly. Using an insect such as Galleria mellonella is a valuable alternative. Insects possess an intricate innate immune response comparable to mammals in many ways. There is already substantial evidence indicating …

Fossil Mustela Nigripes From Snake Creek Burial Cave, Nevada, And Implications For Black-Footed Ferret Paleoecology, Nathaniel S. Fox, Steven C. Wallace, Jim I. Mead

Western North American Naturalist

Morphometric measurements were used to classify 11 mustelid dentaries from Snake Creek Burial Cave (SCBC), a late Pleistocene to early Holocene–aged paleontological locality in eastern Nevada, that were undifferentiated between Mustela nigripes (black-footed ferret) and Neovison vison (American mink) due to their similar size and morphology. We, therefore, classified the SCBC fossils using 10 linear measurements of the dentary using extant M. nigripes and N. vison as proxy. Discriminant function and principal component analyses grouped the 11 unknown SCBC specimens within extant M. nigripes exclusively. Confirmation of M. nigripes at SCBC is significant because Cynomys spp. (their primary prey source …

Drunken Membranes: Short-Chain Alcohols Alter Fusion Of Liposomes To Planar Lipid Bilayers, Jason Paxman, Dixon Woodbury

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The focus of my project was on understanding the effect of alcohol on the complex process of neural transmission, or how the body sends and receives signals through neurons. This essential communication occurs at junctions where neurons meet known as synapses. Essential to the process of sending any signal is the releasing of neurotransmitters into the synapse where they bind to receptors on the adjacent neuron. This releasing of neurotransmitter occurs through a process known as exocytosis. Exocytosis can only occur when neurotransmitter-containing vesicles fuse to the cell membrane. Alterations to the process of exocytosis can result in drastic consequences, …

A Handy Underwater Solution, Benjamin Murdoch, Matt Ricks, Ales Ball, Jacob Olson, Ethan Durrant, Connor Monson, Lars Watts, Mark Killpack

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hod Lipson once asked an audience at TED, “Where are the robots?” We’ve been waiting for them a long time now and modern robotics still hasn’t caught up with our hopes and dreams. Through our research we hope to address one of the major topics in robotics: movement (or kinematics), and use this moment of exploration to build a new low cost robotic hand capable of use within the exciting realm of aquatics.

Diverse Tissue And Organ Systems Differs Following Exposure To Secondhand Cigarette Smoke, Jason Gassman, Dr. Paul R. Reynolds

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is a pattern recognition receptor expressed in many cell types, including smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, macrophages, and epithelial cells (1). RAGE is capable of binding a variety of endogenous ligands, included advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), S100/calgranulins, amyloid-beta peptides, and HMGB1 (2). RAGE signaling has been identified as a primary mediator in a variety of feed-forward inflammatory pathways and, as such, has been implicated in a variety of chronic conditions of inflammation such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pancreatitis, and diabetic cardiomyopathy (3-5).

Portable Food & Water Sanitation By Means Of Energetic Photons, Jordan Argyle, Matthew Memmott

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At least 1 in 10 people across the globe do not have access to clean water.¹ The World Health Organization considers food and drink contamination to be “the most widespread health problem in the contemporary world.”² An estimated 600 million people fall ill from eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water every year, of which nearly half a million die. Most of those illnesses are caused by pathogens rather than chemical contamination.³

Crispr-Cas9 Directed Pdgf-Β Transcriptional Activation In Fibroblast Cell, Lia Gale, Brian Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Chronic wounds, particularly in the lower limb, represent a huge physical, financial, and social burden to 50 million people worldwide. In 2014, Americans paid an estimated $25 billion for simple wound care for patients. Despite these efforts, traditional methods of trying to heal wounds from the outside via surgical debridement, anti-inflammatory medications, moisture correction, etc. often fail to close wounds (Demidova-Rice et al., 2012). If wound closure does not occur, infection will cause localized tissue death and can lead to sepsis and death. Unfortunately, this leaves amputation as the only resort when wounds don’t close. If primary amputation occurs, …

Localization Of Cell Bodies Of The Stellate And Superior Cervical Ganglia In Relation To Innervation Of Cardiac Muscle And Vasculature Of The Brain, Alistair Hilton, Jonathan J. Wisco

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction: Arrhythmia is a serious heart defect that effects 14 million people in the United States.i When the impulse rhythm becomes irregular or the frequency of atrial and ventricular beats are different it is called arrhythmia.ii The most serious effects of arrhythmia include sudden cardiac arrest and stroke.iii Sympathetic nerve activity from the stellate ganglia increases prior to arrhythmia events leading to sudden cardiac death.iv About 383,000 cases of cardiac arrest are recorded annually in the United States alone.v Current treatment for arrhythmia consists of ablation or intentional, permanent scarring of the heart tissue, rather than a more targeted block …

Response Time Scores On A Reflexive Attention Task Predict A Child's Inattention Score From A Parent Report, Erica Suh, Katherine Christensen, Sarah Kamhout, Kahala Thompson, Yoojin Kim, Cooper Hodges

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

● Children with attention deficits have problems with sustained and reflexive attention tasks

● Few studies measure reflexive attention as a component of day-to-day attention in children

● Parents also have valuable insight into children’s behavior

● We want to identify associations between computer-based reflexive attention task performance and parent-rated attention-related problems.

Production Of Commodity Chemicals With A Glycerol Feedstock, Zachary Pribyl, Kara Stowers

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years there has been a growing interest to move away from petroleum feedstocks and instead use renewable fuel sources. As this interest has increased and biofuel has been used in greater volume, glycerol (a byproduct of biofuel production) has become over-produced in the world market because it has limited commercial use as a non-edible oxygenated hydrocarbon. The ability to utilize this by-product in commercial bulk chemicals would correspondingly increase the demand for biofuel, promoting a greater shift toward renewable sources.

Cytosolic Delivery Of Doxorubicin From Liposomes To Multidrug-Resistant Cancer Cells Via Vaporization Of Perfluorocarbon Droplets, Jacob B. Williams, Clara M. Buchanan, Ghaleb Husseini, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

A common mechanism of multidrug resistance is the upregulation of efflux pumps in the cancer cells that can more rapidly export unwanted materials (e.g. cancer drugs) out of the cell, compared to sensitive cancer cells. This research seeks to overcome this mechanism by vaporizing a perfluoropentane emulsion droplet inside of a drug-containing liposome (eLiposome) that was endocytosed into a cancer cell. Folate attached to the eLiposome facilitates uptake into the cell as observed by confocal microscopy. Ultrasound was examined as a trigger to initiate the vaporization of the perfluoropentane droplet and release doxorubicin from folated eLipsosomes (feLD). Two seconds of …

Cytosolic Delivery Of Doxorubicin From Liposomes To Multidrug-Resistant Cancer Cells Via Vaporization Of Perfluorocarbon Droplets, Jacob B. Williams, Clara M. Buchanan, Ghaleb A. Husseini, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

A common mechanism of multidrug resistance is the upregulation of efflux pumps in the cancer cells that can more rapidly export unwanted materials (e.g. cancer drugs) out of the cell, compared to sensitive cancer cells. This research seeks to overcome this mechanism by vaporizing a perfluoropentane emulsion droplet inside of a drug-containing liposome (eLiposome) that was endocytosed into a cancer cell. Folate attached to the eLiposome facilitates uptake into the cell as observed by confocal microscopy. Ultrasound was examined as a trigger to initiate the vaporization of the perfluoropentane droplet and release doxorubicin from folated eLiposomes (feLD). Two seconds of …

Mr. Bunbury, The Abandoned Manuscript, And A “True Lover’S Knot:” The Price Of A Social Identity In Oscar Wilde’S The Importance Of Being Earnest, Charlotte Scholl

BYU English Symposium

In this paper I argue that in The Importance of Being Earnest, social identity replaces individuality. Algy, Miss Prism, and Cecily each defy the social norms of birth, death, or marriage, which places them outside of society’s boundaries but gives them individuality. Over the course of the play, their mis-performances of society’s scripts are erased. This eradicates the differences of the characters and effaces their individuality, but is also the way in which the characters bargain for a social identity. To demonstrate this, I discuss Algy’s creation of Mr. Bunbury, Miss Prism’s loss of infant Jack, and Cecily’s engagement to …

The Beauty, The Beast, And The Subverted Fairy Godmother Figure, Sarah A. Brown

BYU English Symposium

There are several adaptations of The Beauty and the Beast, but three in particular are intriguing because of their use of a dark female force. The goddess Diana in the film La Belle et la Bête (Cocteau), Bertha Mason in the novel Jane Eyre (Brontë), and Mrs. Bates in the film Psycho (Hitchcock) all qualify as subverted fairy godmothers in their respective tales because of their role as “other,” their exertion of the female gaze, and their ability to undermine the Belle and Beast figures’ ability to love. Though traditional fairy godmothers utilize magic to aid the protagonists, these …

“We’Ve Had Our Fall”: O’Connor, Tolkien And Pelagianism, Taylor Topham

BYU English Symposium

This paper compares the work of Flannery O’Connor and J.R.R. Tolkien and examines the religious and historical influences that inspired each author. It shows how each author responds to the Pelagianistic ideas of self-improvement and perfection. By exploring the feeling of mourning and the corruption of protagonists portrayed by both O’Connor and Tolkien the paper reveals that each rejects Pelagian theory, preferring instead the traditional Catholic doctrine of Original Sin. The paper further explores how both authors rely on divine grace to help their characters achieve ultimate progress and victory, thus showing that both follow traditional Catholic doctrine very closely. …

O'Connor's Search For The Father, Mallory L. Dickson

BYU English Symposium

This paper analyzes the works of Flannery O’Connor, noting the absence of a father figure in many of her short stories. This absence leads to an exploration of how this affects her characters, as well as a parental absence in her personal life. This paternal gap allows O’Connor, who claimed to write about grace, to close the paternal hole with a Heavenly Father. The Bible, as well as Catholic beliefs, are used to illustrate this Christian belief. The paper goes on to explore three of O’Connor’s short stories: “Greenleaf,” “The Enduring Chill,” and “Parker’s Back”. Careful analysis of the children …

Identifying Novel Cognitive Therapy Targets: Expression Of Nachr Mrna In Rat Hippocampal Interneurons, Spencer Thompson, Maxwell Wright, Taylor Grant, Brady Vance, Nicholas Ahern, Jeffrey Ogden, Romaine Drecketts, David Pugh, Zach Fisher, Sara Werner, Jaron Fowlers, Bradley Klienstuber, Richard Burgon, Ashley Sego, Doris Jackson, Sterling N. Sudweeks

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

We quantified mRNA subunit expression in the CA1 rat hippocampus. The a3 and B2 nAChR subunits are the highest expressed mRNA subunits while the a4 is the least. Current nAChR targeted cognitive therapies focus on the a4B2 and a7 nAChRs. These results provide a new avenue in cognitive therapies by targeting a3 containing nAChRs.

Scholastic Discover More: Human Body, Aylea Stephens

Children's Book and Media Review

Bodies are amazing. Starting from the basics of atoms and molecules, this book talks about how bodies work. With a mix of high-color photographs and detailed illustrations, the colorful pages explain how bodies work in an encyclopedia format. The book is divided into six sections. “Your Amazing Body” talks about what bodies are made out of, “On the Move” discusses muscles and bones that allow bodies to move, “Skin You’re In” talks about how the skin works, “Body Engines” talks about how blood and organs power the body, “Fuel for the Body” talks about how bodies need to eat and …

The Case Of The Vanishing Honeybees: A Scientific Mystery, Aylea Stephens

Children's Book and Media Review

Beekeepers have discovered that several of their bees have inexplicably gone missing. Without honeybees, many foods cannot get pollenated and be able to grow. In January 2007, beekeepers from across the world gathered to discuss the loss of the bees, calling the problem Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Without the essential worker bees, the hive cannot survive. Scientists have tried to find the problem with the disappearing bees, researching to see if urban development, overwork from farmers transporting bees year-round across the country for pollination, cell phones, mites, fungi, and other issues have contributed to CCD. No one knows for sure …

Language Acquisition With English Language Learners Who Have Developmental Delays, Eliza Racquel Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of language instruction with two preschool age students who are English language learners who have developmental delays using the incidental teaching method. Language targets were randomly chosen according to the language level of each student and the targets were either in Spanish (L1) or English (L2). The students were in a special education classroom and researchers worked with them one-on-one, using the natural learning environment to teach and to better implement learning objectives. Targets were withheld during play and students had to mand, tact, or use intraverbal skills to receive the item. Their reward …