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Measurement Of Proton Flux Through Influenza A Viral Protein M2, J. Craig Moffat, Matthew A. D'Haenens, David D. Busath, Dr. Dixon J. Woodbury Oct 2013

Measurement Of Proton Flux Through Influenza A Viral Protein M2, J. Craig Moffat, Matthew A. D'Haenens, David D. Busath, Dr. Dixon J. Woodbury

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Influenza A viral protein M2 is known to conduct protons across viral, Golgi, and cell membranes. M2 allows acidification of the interior of the virion thus facilitating viral RNA uncoating. In the active form, M2 is a homotetramer. Each subunit consists of 97 amino acid residues with only one membrane-spanning region of 19 residues. The ion channel activity of M2 has been studied at physiological pH in cellular systems. It is also known that the channel is sensitive to the anti-influenza drug amantadine. Understanding M2 activity at pH 7 will give us greater knowledge of viral function, pharmacological sensitivities, …

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Orca: Dna Repair, Clinton Morgan, Derek Mitchell Oct 2013

Orca: Dna Repair, Clinton Morgan, Derek Mitchell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Receiving an ORCA allowed me the time and means to learn how to do research. I personally only receive a portion of the award, so I will report what I personally have done. The most that I accomplished can be seen less in the results of my research and more in me. I have gained many wonderful skills and experiences through doing this research. These include research skills as well as working with a mentor.

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Vesicle Fusion: A Size Dependant Factor? The Role Of Ultrasound In Manipulating Vesicle Size, Eric Richardson, Dr. Dixon Woodbury Oct 2013

Vesicle Fusion: A Size Dependant Factor? The Role Of Ultrasound In Manipulating Vesicle Size, Eric Richardson, Dr. Dixon Woodbury

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vesicles are microscopic spherical capsules that have many important applications in both medicine and biology. They are the cell’s primary vehicles for transporting proteins and other chemicals to and from organelles. In the last half century, artificial vesicles (AVs) have been manufactured to explore many biological mechanisms. More recently, AVs have been used as a drug-delivery tool on a microscopic level. This is a promising technique to fight life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

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Cytotoxicity Of Thirty-Six Moroccan Plants Against Four Cancer Cell Lines And 3t3 Cells, J. Aukai Riordan, Dr. Rex G. Cates Oct 2013

Cytotoxicity Of Thirty-Six Moroccan Plants Against Four Cancer Cell Lines And 3t3 Cells, J. Aukai Riordan, Dr. Rex G. Cates

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It is not hard to believe that eighty percent of the populations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America rely principally on traditional medicine for their primary source of health care. However, many people do not realize that many of the best-selling pharmaceuticals in the Western world are derived directly from medicinal plants. Considering this great potential, it is unfortunate that scientists have only tested a small percent of plants for medicinal activity. At a time when pathogens are developing immunity to traditional antibiotics and when many new and terrifying ailments are cropping up across the world, there is an intense …

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Inferring Demographic Events From Population Level Phylogenies, Steven Woolley, Dr. Keith Crandall Oct 2013

Inferring Demographic Events From Population Level Phylogenies, Steven Woolley, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While I initially proposed to perform a rather thorough comparison of methods designed to infer population level demographic events, during the course of my research, I took a different direction. In order to reliably infer such events, it is first essential to have an accurate phylogeny. Since there was no consensus in the literature about what method or algorithm provides the most accurate reconstruction of the evolutionary relationships of nucleotide data from a population sample, I devoted most of my efforts to a large-scale comparison of the methods commonly used to infer phylogenies from such samples.

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The Final Report On The Effect Of Iodoacetate On Plasmodium Falciparum, - - Oct 2013

The Final Report On The Effect Of Iodoacetate On Plasmodium Falciparum, - -

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The first part of my experiment was to find the lowest concentration of iodoacetate that would kill the parasite. First, I made a stock solution of .1 molar. From the stock solution six different dilutions were made: 10mM, .1mM, .05mM, .01mM, .005mM, and .001mM. These different dilutions were placed in 96 well plates with the parasite. Control group was also placed in the same 96 well plates. After incubating the plate for twenty-four hours, 3H-phenyalanine was incorporated. After another twenty-four hours, the plate was harvested and the amount of incorporated radioactivity was determined.

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Landscape Genetics Of The Troglophilic Crayfish Cambarus Tenebrosus, James Bradley Finlay, Dr. Keith A. Crandall Oct 2013

Landscape Genetics Of The Troglophilic Crayfish Cambarus Tenebrosus, James Bradley Finlay, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There has always been a fascination with the great diversity of species that exist on the earth. For my project I chose to investigate this diversity phenomenon by examining the intraspecific relationships between populations of the freshwater crayfish currently considered Cambarus tenebrosus (Hay, 1902) taxonomically (by morphology). This crayfish species is found continuously throughout the central lowlands of the United States (Taylor 1997). C. tenebrosus is unique among other crayfish due to its ability to thrive in a cave environment as well as surface streams and springs. By studying these organisms one can more fully understand the effects that human …

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The Crayfish Identity Crisis: A Morphological And Genetic Assessment Of Biodiversity, Matthew R. Carpenter, Dr. Keith A. Crandall Oct 2013

The Crayfish Identity Crisis: A Morphological And Genetic Assessment Of Biodiversity, Matthew R. Carpenter, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Among the most endangered animal groups of North America is the freshwater crayfish. Their survival has been hindered by rapid growth in the human population, water pollution, and habitat degradation. The American Fisheries Society has estimated that 50% of freshwater crayfishes are in need of conservation measures (Taylor et al. 1996). However, only 1% is currently protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Because crayfish are at the center of invaluable research as top predators, nutrient recyclers, and bio-indicators of our water quality, it is important that conservation measures are taken.

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A Systematic Classification Of Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) Of The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (Gsenm), Utah, Mark Robert Nelson, Dr. C. Riley Nelson Oct 2013

A Systematic Classification Of Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) Of The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (Gsenm), Utah, Mark Robert Nelson, Dr. C. Riley Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mycetophilidae (fungus gnat) is a species-rich family of flies, existing on every continent but Antarctica, which has received little documentation on a global basis and no documentation in Utah (Vockeroth, 1981). In the most recent and comprehensive catalog of flies in North America only about sixty of the thousands of fungus gnats known are predicted to be found in Utah (Laffoon, 1965). My mentor, Riley Nelson, and I believe that this figure is likely a gross underestimate that will be rectified, in part, with the conclusion of my study. Not only will my research document the known fungus gnats in …

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Pioneer Lizards: Speciation In South America, Cameron R. Turner, Dr. Jack W. Sites Oct 2013

Pioneer Lizards: Speciation In South America, Cameron R. Turner, Dr. Jack W. Sites

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Understanding the processes by which new species are formed is a primary objective of evolutionary biology. My project aimed to contribute to this understanding by measuring the genetic and geographic structure of a population of South American lizards, Liolaemus koslowskyi. Previous research (1) had provided evidence for a trend of more complex genetic structure in northern versus southern ends of distribution ranges in several lizard complexes of the genera Liolaemus and Cnemidophorus in temperate South America. L. koslowskyi is limited to the extreme northern end of the genus’ distribution and by sampling its entire range I would be able to …

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An Objective Means Of Diagnosing Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa Using 15n/14n And 13c/12c Ratios In Hair, Kent A. Hatch, Morgan A. Crawford, Amanda W. Kunz, Steven R. Thomsen, Dennis L. Eggett, Stephen T. Nelson, Beverly L. Roeder Oct 2013

An Objective Means Of Diagnosing Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa Using 15n/14n And 13c/12c Ratios In Hair, Kent A. Hatch, Morgan A. Crawford, Amanda W. Kunz, Steven R. Thomsen, Dennis L. Eggett, Stephen T. Nelson, Beverly L. Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

An objective means based on the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of five hairs per individual is presented for distinguishing between individuals with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa from non-clinical individuals (i.e. clinically normal controls).

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Development Of Software Program For Organizing Dna Sequence Data From Genbank, Heather Vernon, Dr. David Mcclellan Oct 2013

Development Of Software Program For Organizing Dna Sequence Data From Genbank, Heather Vernon, Dr. David Mcclellan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Nucleotide sequence data on GenBank (a government sponsored repository located on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/) is organized in a flat file format that can be accessed by searches. Obtaining a large volume of sequences from GenBank is a tedious process because the sequence data must be extracted from the flat files for every sequence. The goal of this project was develop a java program to upload many sequences from GenBank in one file, extract the gene names to allow the user to group synonyms, and save the data into either tab-delimited or FASTA format for easy importation into other sequence manipulating programs. This …

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A Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Genus Habromys (Rodentia: Muridae), Christopher Funk, Dr. Duke Roger Oct 2013

A Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Genus Habromys (Rodentia: Muridae), Christopher Funk, Dr. Duke Roger

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Habromys (crested-tailed mice) is a rodent genus that historically has not been analyzed well enough to be accurately classified. Before 1980, Habromys had been relegated as a subgenus of Peromyscus (deer mice), a closely related genus. As a subgenus, Habromys consisted of only three arboreal species living in the cloud forests of Southern Mexico and Central America (P. simulatus, P. lophurus, and P. lepturus – Hooper and Musser, 1964; Hall, 1981; Musser, 1969). Despite the distinct morphological features of Habromys, it remained as a subgenus due to small sample size and limited morphological analysis. Upon more closely examining its morphology, …

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Functional Comparisons Of Lta And Tnf-A Gene Protein, Raymond Gram Ii, Dr. David Mcclellan Oct 2013

Functional Comparisons Of Lta And Tnf-A Gene Protein, Raymond Gram Ii, Dr. David Mcclellan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

TNF-a is a cytokine released by activated macrophages and lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) is a cytokine released by activated lymphocytes. Both proteins act as modulators of the immune response and competitively bind to the same protein receptors TNFR-1 and TNFR-2. The protein sequences themselves are 35% identical and 50% homologous to one another.

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The Effects Of Stage Of Reproduction On Survival Of The Livebearing, Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis), Jacob Michael Condon, Dr. Mark C. Belk Oct 2013

The Effects Of Stage Of Reproduction On Survival Of The Livebearing, Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis), Jacob Michael Condon, Dr. Mark C. Belk

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Reproduction is costly not only in terms of energy allocated to form embryos (allocation costs), but also because of a potential decrease in the probability of survival of the female as a result of reproduction (viability costs).

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The Cftr Protein: Evolution And Disease, Adam Allred, Dr. David Mcclellan Oct 2013

The Cftr Protein: Evolution And Disease, Adam Allred, Dr. David Mcclellan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The principal aim of my research has been to aid in the understanding of complex molecular pathologies by identifying evolutionary patterns that maintain the structural and functional integrity of a particular protein product. A disease phenotype often results when such delicate patterns are disturbed. The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR), an epithelial chloride channel, has proven to be an especially worthy vehicle for understanding the link between molecular evolution and human disease. Aberrant functioning of this physiologically important channel results in cystic fibrosis, the most common lethal genetic disorder among European-derived populations.

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The Effect Of Celecoxib On 17-Estradiol (E2) Treated Mcf-7 Cells Using The Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (Elisa), Jason Kinyon Oct 2013

The Effect Of Celecoxib On 17-Estradiol (E2) Treated Mcf-7 Cells Using The Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (Elisa), Jason Kinyon

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There has been evidence that shows inhibiting Cyclo-oxygense 2 (COX-2) enzymes may decrease angiogenic factors such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), which may prove beneficial in halting angiogenesis and metastasis, stopping cancer progression. It has been shown that there is a significant positive correlation between COX-2 and VEGF mRNA expression in breast cancer specimens. 17b-Estradiol (E2) has shown to increase VEGF production by binding to estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell lines such as MCF-7. The COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib can be added to E2 treated MCF-7 cells to determine its effect on VEGF production using the Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbent …

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The Effects Of A Restoration Project On The Feeding Habits Of Local Trout Populations In The Provo River System, Lance Bastian, Dr. Dennis Shiozawa Oct 2013

The Effects Of A Restoration Project On The Feeding Habits Of Local Trout Populations In The Provo River System, Lance Bastian, Dr. Dennis Shiozawa

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the fall of 1999, the state of Utah began to implement a plan involving several diversions of the Provo River. Over the course of the next several years, there arose a heated debate between the state, local ecologists and local fisherman with regard to the trout populations that inhabit the river. The fishermen claimed to be pulling out overly skinny fish, and the restoration project was blamed. Many claimed that debris from the project had washed down the river and settled on the feeding areas of the local species of insects and gastropods. As a result, these primary prey …

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The Effect Of P53 And Resveratrol On Cell Growth And Repair, Meredith Bergin, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill Oct 2013

The Effect Of P53 And Resveratrol On Cell Growth And Repair, Meredith Bergin, Dr. Kim L. O'Neill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF) induces many positive immune activities, but it has been implicated in causing cancer, specifically through its inhibition of p53, a tumor suppressing protein. It has been suggested that resveratrol, a grape seed extract, activates p53, thus suppressing tumors by inducing apoptosis.

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Relative Rates Of Molecular Evolution In Antarctic Nematodes, Tj Bliss, Dr. Byron J. Adams Oct 2013

Relative Rates Of Molecular Evolution In Antarctic Nematodes, Tj Bliss, Dr. Byron J. Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Molecular evolution is defined as any change in the genetic makeup of an organism. Since organisms of the same species and community tend to undergo similar molecular changes, rates of molecular evolution are often measured at the species level. It is well established that different species appear to evolve at different rates across evolutionary time. Comparing the rates of evolution among different species determines the relative rate of molecular evolution in those species. Many things are known to affect the rate of molecular evolution of a species. These influences include, but are not limited to: body size, generation time, and …

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Selection, Horizontal Gene Transfer And Convergent Molecular Evolution In Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Adler Ray Dillman, Dr. Bryon J. Adams Oct 2013

Selection, Horizontal Gene Transfer And Convergent Molecular Evolution In Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Adler Ray Dillman, Dr. Bryon J. Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The phylum Nematoda is a large and diverse group, making-up an estimated 80% of Metazoans [1]. Of specific agricultural importance are the plant-parasitic nematodes, which are responsible for the loss of an estimated 12.3% of the world’s annual crop production [2]. We looked at the most destructive members of the family Heteroderidae, the cyst (Heterodera and Globodera spp.) and root-knot (Meloidogyne spp.) nematodes.

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Comparison Of Microbial Community Biodiversity Between Pristine And Disturbed Sediments In Timpanogos Cave, National Monument, Andre Bennin, Dr. Keith A. Crandall Oct 2013

Comparison Of Microbial Community Biodiversity Between Pristine And Disturbed Sediments In Timpanogos Cave, National Monument, Andre Bennin, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cave microbiology has been of great interest to microbial ecologists in recent years because it has enabled them to assess microbial diversity within an isolated system. An excellent example of subterranean microbial life is found in Lechuguilla Cave Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico,where the interactions of microbial communities in cave deep subsurface environments have been studied. With respect to the Timpanogos Cave system in American Fork Utah, our study relates to a system that is highly visited (60% of the cave system) contrary to the Lechuguilla cave system where public access is only allowed into 2% of the cave …

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Isolation Of A 55 Kd Protein That Specifically Binds The 3′ Au-Rich Element Of Interleukin-1b Messenger Rna, David Emergy Skarda, Dr. Roger L. Kaspar Oct 2013

Isolation Of A 55 Kd Protein That Specifically Binds The 3′ Au-Rich Element Of Interleukin-1b Messenger Rna, David Emergy Skarda, Dr. Roger L. Kaspar

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The polypeptide Interleukin- 1(IL-1) is one of the key mediators of the body’s response to microbial invasion, inflammation, immunological reactions, and tissue injury.1 IL- 1gene expression regulation occurs at many steps. One of the steps currently being researched is translation. Recent research indicates that the translational regulation mechanisms of IL- 1include an AU-rich element in the 3′ untranslated region (Fig. 1).2 In this mechanism, an induced protein binds to the AU-rich element (ARE) causing a decrease in translation efficiency. Isolation and subsequent identification of the ARE binding protein may lead to effective new drugs that induce the ARE binding protein …

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Determining Treatment Of Children Suffering From Protein-Energy Malnutrition, Mary Ann Zarkou, Dr. Bruce Woolley Oct 2013

Determining Treatment Of Children Suffering From Protein-Energy Malnutrition, Mary Ann Zarkou, Dr. Bruce Woolley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Severe malnutrition is one of the most devastating health problems in the world, particularly in developing countries. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is one of the most prevalent types of malnutrition, and is divided into three major types: Kwashiorkor, Marasmus, and Marasmic-kwashiorkor. These diseases in children cause stunted growth, many physiological problems, and lead to increased risk for developing chronic diseases and increased morbidity rates. No effective treatment has been discovered.

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Analysis Of Electrical Current As An Agent For Bacterial Killing, Taylor Turner, Dr. William Pitt Oct 2013

Analysis Of Electrical Current As An Agent For Bacterial Killing, Taylor Turner, Dr. William Pitt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Previously it has been shown that antibiotic killing of bacteria, especially biofilms, can be enhanced by various non-invasive treatments. Low-level electric current has been shown to increase killing of Streptococcus gordonii biofilms when applied during treatment with gentamicin.1 Others have partially tested the feasibility of electrically killing bacteria on prosthetic joints.2 Ultrasonic exposure has also been shown to increase killing of bacterial biofilms.3 Our group previously observed that ultrasound increased the transport of gentamicin through biofilms.4 Electrical treatment of S. gordonii in the absence of gentamicin also generates a 1.9 log reduction in biofilm cell counts.1 Our previous findings showed …

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Cell-Free Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporation With Alternative Energy Systems And Linear Expression Templates, Prashanta Shrestha, Mark Thomas Smith, Bradley Charles Bundy Oct 2013

Cell-Free Unnatural Amino Acid Incorporation With Alternative Energy Systems And Linear Expression Templates, Prashanta Shrestha, Mark Thomas Smith, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (uAAs) during protein synthesis expands the proteomic code through the addition of unique residue chemistry. This field provides a unique tool to improve pharmacokinetics, cancer treatments, vaccine development, proteomics and protein engineering. The limited ability to predict the characteristics of proteins with uAA-incorporation creates a need for a low-cost system with the potential for rapid screening. Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis is a compelling platform for uAA incorporation due to the open and accessible nature of the reaction environment. However, typical cell-free systems can be expensive due to the high cost of energizing …

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Saharasia: Geographical Comparisons Of World Cultures And Civilizations, James Demeo Oct 2013

Saharasia: Geographical Comparisons Of World Cultures And Civilizations, James Demeo

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

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Laina Farhat-Holzman: Worldchangers: Ten Inventions That Changed Everything., George Von Der Muhll Oct 2013

Laina Farhat-Holzman: Worldchangers: Ten Inventions That Changed Everything., George Von Der Muhll

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

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Europe As A Civilization: The Revolution Of The Middle Ages & The Rise Of The Universities, Toby E. Huff Oct 2013

Europe As A Civilization: The Revolution Of The Middle Ages & The Rise Of The Universities, Toby E. Huff

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

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David J. Rosner, Conservatism And Crisi, The Anti-Modernist Perspective In Twentieth-Century German Philosophy., J. Randall Groves Oct 2013

David J. Rosner, Conservatism And Crisi, The Anti-Modernist Perspective In Twentieth-Century German Philosophy., J. Randall Groves

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

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