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Does Secretory Phospholipase A Ii Induce Apoptosis In Cells That Have Been Infected By A Virus?, Stephanie Melchor, Dr. John Bell Jun 2013

Does Secretory Phospholipase A Ii Induce Apoptosis In Cells That Have Been Infected By A Virus?, Stephanie Melchor, Dr. John Bell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Well, to be perfectly honest, this project has been fraught with disaster since the beginning. We obtained 400 microliters of the immunosuppressive strain of Minute Virus of Mice (MVMi) at 1 x 109 pfu/mL from Dr. David J. Pintel at the University of Missouri-Columbia. MVMi was the only virus we could find that would infect our cell line (S49 mouse T-lymphoma cells. Because S49 cells are suspension cells and not adherent, they do not form plaques when infected with a virus, which makes it more difficult to quantify how many cells have been successfully infected with the virus. Instead, …

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Effects Of Antiviral Drug Compounds In Blocking Influenza Virus M2 Channels In Xenopus Laevis Ooctyes, Timothy Mcclain, David Busath Jun 2013

Effects Of Antiviral Drug Compounds In Blocking Influenza Virus M2 Channels In Xenopus Laevis Ooctyes, Timothy Mcclain, David Busath

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to research and test various drug compounds to prevent influenza virus infection. A specific target of my research is M2 protein channels that aid in the uncoating of the viral coat. Recent mutations have rendered formerly effective drugs almost completely useless. With recent outbreaks and mutations of the virus, the demand for antiviral drugs has never been greater. The goal of the project was to test several different compounds that had been selected based on unique characteristics, designed to adjust to the mutation, and prevent further infection.

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The Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita Homozygous Mutant: A Model For The Mechanism Of Osteoarthritis, David Macdonald, Dr. Robert Seegmiller Jun 2013

The Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita Homozygous Mutant: A Model For The Mechanism Of Osteoarthritis, David Macdonald, Dr. Robert Seegmiller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Articular cartilage is a hard-wearing and specialized form of hyaline cartilage which allows for an almost frictionless surface during joint movement (Ofek et al. 2008). These unique characteristics are primarily due to chondrocyte secretions, and the composition and properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) (Buckwalter and Mankin 1998). Chondrocytes play a crucial role in cartilage durability because of their extracellular secretions (Knudson and Knudson 2001). Being immotile, chondrocytes depend greatly upon the equilibrium of the ECM for protection, integrity, and regulation (Aszodi et al. 2003). The ECM is composed primarily of type II collagen, glycoproteins, water and aggrecan proteoglycan (Hollander …

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Emotional Involvement With Grandparents As A Key Component Of Prosocial Development: Testing Empathic Concern As A Mediator, Kathryn Leigh Bunnell Gustafson Jun 2013

Emotional Involvement With Grandparents As A Key Component Of Prosocial Development: Testing Empathic Concern As A Mediator, Kathryn Leigh Bunnell Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

Current research shows that grandparents have made significant contributions to at-risk families. However, few studies have examined the benefits of grandparenting in non-at-risk populations. This study considered whether emotional involvement with a grandparent is associated with prosocial behavior in adolescent grandchildren and examines the mediating role of empathy and perspective taking. A longitudinal sample of 500 participants were taken from waves two thru five of the Flourishing Families Project (FFP) and used to construct a latent growth curve model. Results indicate that emotional involvement with a grandparent was positively linked with initial levels of prosocial behavior in grandchildren. Furthermore, results …

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Interaction – Characterizing The Effect Of Chromosome 21 On Both Tau And Aß42 In Alzheimer’S Disease, Mo Lee, Dr. John Kauwe Jun 2013

Interaction – Characterizing The Effect Of Chromosome 21 On Both Tau And Aß42 In Alzheimer’S Disease, Mo Lee, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It turns out that the data for chromosome 21 didn’t come to me at all. There were some problem with the data itself according to our co-researchers. However, the data for the phenotype YKL40, which is a promising gene that might affect the pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Kauwe decided that we should utilize the ORCA grant on this data that we had.

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What Fatty Acids In Dairy Cow Feces May Predict Resistance Or Susceptibility To Production-Related Metabolic Diseases, Brian Melville, Beverly Roeder Jun 2013

What Fatty Acids In Dairy Cow Feces May Predict Resistance Or Susceptibility To Production-Related Metabolic Diseases, Brian Melville, Beverly Roeder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Dairy cows supply an important food source for humans, and any disease that hurts production threatens this source. Once a cow has a PRMD (production related metabolic disease) there are many signs and symptoms that are readily observed and tested for, but it would be useful to use diagnostic techniques to discover if an animal is at risk of a future disease when the cow is clinically normal. These diagnostic tools could be used with clinically normal healthy appearing cows, empowering producers to make more informed decisions about animal care to improve milk production. Other exciting possibilities exist, such as …

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Polyomavirus Phylogenetics In Relation To Host Switches, David Morris, Dr. Keith Crandall Jun 2013

Polyomavirus Phylogenetics In Relation To Host Switches, David Morris, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Evolutionary Biology is not a branch of biology that spends much time in the public eye. It just doesn’t have flashy results like cloning or evocative naturalist documentaries to captivate the imagination. However, this doesn’t mean that evolutionary biology is any less essential to our understanding of life and how it may eventually impact people in their daily lives.

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Effects Of Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation On Ampk-Activity And Mitochondrial Biogenesis In Lkb1 Knockout Mice, Lisa Mccoy, Dr. David Thomson Jun 2013

Effects Of Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation On Ampk-Activity And Mitochondrial Biogenesis In Lkb1 Knockout Mice, Lisa Mccoy, Dr. David Thomson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the medical school interview of the school I will be attending next Fall, my interviewer asked me to speak of a time in which I had failed or suffered an obstacle in my academic career. He laughed and said that I probably hadn’t even had one because of the numbers he had observed in my application. I rebutted and told him I very recently had faced difficulty. I spoke of this experience. Throughout my entire academic career, I have never really had to face failure. I was blessed with motivation and the capacity to excel and my grades consistently …

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The Effects Of Emotion On Acoustic Characteristics Of Vocal Vibrato In Trained Singers, Sharee Oakes Holmes Jun 2013

The Effects Of Emotion On Acoustic Characteristics Of Vocal Vibrato In Trained Singers, Sharee Oakes Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of emotion on several key acoustic features of vibrato including vibrato rate, extent, and steadiness (measured by FM rate COV and FM extent COV). We hypothesized that intensity of emotion would have a significant effect on vibrato rate, extent, and periodicity, although the direction of these changes was undetermined. There were 10 participants, including eight females and two males, who were graduate student singers with high competency ratings. Each participant completed a series of tasks including sustained vowels at several pitch and loudness levels, an assigned song that was determined …

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Mdck Gene Expression During Emt, Jason Burton, Marc Hansen Jun 2013

Mdck Gene Expression During Emt, Jason Burton, Marc Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding into the function of cancer and the different mechanisms it uses to spread. The process by which cancer cells detach from the primary tumor and spread to form metastases is known as Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). EMT is a process whereby specialized epithelial cells undergo a transformation back to primitive, mobile cells (see figure 1). These cells can travel through the basement membranes and enter the nervous and vascular systems and spread throughout the body. This process has …

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Validation Of Possible Blood Serum Biomarkers Linked To Genetic Risk Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Jesse Cobell, Dr. John Kauwe Jun 2013

Validation Of Possible Blood Serum Biomarkers Linked To Genetic Risk Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Jesse Cobell, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2011, the Alzheimer’s Association released in their annual facts and figures that 5.4 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and is the only disease in the top ten that cannot be prevented or cured. The report explains that diagnosis is a significant difficulty and emphasizes the importance of identifying another method such as serum biomarkers to use in the diagnosis of the disease (Alzheimer’s Association). The ability to diagnose early or detect risk factors before onset would make an enormous impact on management of the disease for …

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Rho Kinase Pathway Inhibition And Its Effect On Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Jacob Hoj, Dr. Marc Hansen Jun 2013

Rho Kinase Pathway Inhibition And Its Effect On Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Jacob Hoj, Dr. Marc Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Rho Kinase Pathway is a cellular pathway that is thought to be involved in cancer metastasis, as previous research has indicated1. As indicated by the name, the Rho group of proteins are central to this pathway. Over the past year, we set out to analyze this pathway and to further our understanding of its role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a biological process common in many metastatic cancers. Through experimental analysis, we were able to look at this pathway in ways that no one else has been able to. While our results were very intriguing, obtaining the data …

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A Novel Role For Amp-Activated Protein Kinase As A Selective Inhibitor Of De Novo Ceramide Biosynthesis, Kate Erickson, Dr. Benjamin Bikman Jun 2013

A Novel Role For Amp-Activated Protein Kinase As A Selective Inhibitor Of De Novo Ceramide Biosynthesis, Kate Erickson, Dr. Benjamin Bikman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to determine the cellular mechanisms that mediate AMPK-induced reductions in lipotoxicity. We predicted that AMPK activation inhibits lipotoxic ceramide biosynthesis via targeted reduction in transcription of a critical, rate-limiting enzyme involved in de novo ceramide synthesis.

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Cellular Mechanisms Behind Memory Formation In The Developing Brain, Spencer Bell, Dr. Jeffrey Edwards Jun 2013

Cellular Mechanisms Behind Memory Formation In The Developing Brain, Spencer Bell, Dr. Jeffrey Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Carrying out my research project with my mentor’s assistance has provided valuable experiences and important lessons. At the present time, however, my research has not produced the results we had anticipated. We had hoped to demonstrate that a certain receptor in the brain called transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) modulated memory formation in the developing brain by influencing a process known as long-term depression, or the weakening of a chemical connection between two brain cells. Although we have not yet produced statistically significant results, our observations indicate that we may simply need to conduct more experiments to acquire enough …

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Comparisons Of Amantadine Analogues Against The Dominant Influenza A Virus M2 Proton Channel Mutant Via Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy And Tryptophan Fluorescence Anisotropy, Trevor Anderson, David Busath Jun 2013

Comparisons Of Amantadine Analogues Against The Dominant Influenza A Virus M2 Proton Channel Mutant Via Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy And Tryptophan Fluorescence Anisotropy, Trevor Anderson, David Busath

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The influenza A virus is a severe ongoing threat to public health, accounting for over 250,000 fatalities worldwide each year. In order to actuate the virus, it is necessary for the M2 proton channel to be activated upon fusion with an endosome.

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Memory Processes In Pregnant Women, Quentin Smith, Dr. Brock Kirwan Jun 2013

Memory Processes In Pregnant Women, Quentin Smith, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pregnancy is a complicated biological process that is often accompanied by reported cognitive changes among pregnant women. Pregnant women commonly report diminished cognitive functioning during pregnancy, with “forgetfulness” and “a poor memory” as the most common complaints (Brett & Baxendale, 2001; Crawley, 2002). However, despite these anecdotally reported deficits, the evidence suggesting memory impairments in pregnancy are equivocal. In a recent meta-analysis of 14 studies of memory in pregnancy, it was concluded that pregnancy disrupts some, but not all, memory processes (J. D. Henry & Rendell, 2007). In particular, memory tasks that place high demands on executive cognitive control seem …

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Exploring The Narrative-Oriented Qualities Of The Learner's Encounter With Unfamiliarity, Jonathan S. Spackman Jun 2013

Exploring The Narrative-Oriented Qualities Of The Learner's Encounter With Unfamiliarity, Jonathan S. Spackman

Theses and Dissertations

Learning, as embodied familiarization, is described as an embodied, non-representational, and non-mechanistic experience. Within this theoretical framework, a qualitative study is presented that offers a deeper understanding of the learner's encounter with unfamiliarity -- a key lived experience of embodied familiarization. Assertions related to encounters with unfamiliarity are made through a multiple case study analysis and a deeper understanding of the assertions is offered by way of a narrative-oriented framework. From this perspective, agentive, concernful, dispositional and meaningful aspects of learning are discernible.

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The Effect Of Prenatal And Postnatal Care On Childhood Obesity, Michael M. O. Seipel, Kevin Shafer Jun 2013

The Effect Of Prenatal And Postnatal Care On Childhood Obesity, Michael M. O. Seipel, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. If this problem is unresolved, some children will be at risk for disorders such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer and will become a high economic and social burden for society. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child and Young Adult sample (N = 6,643), this study examined the relationship between the effect of pre- and postnatal characteristics and obesity. The findings of this study show that the probability of childhood obesity can be lessened if pregnant women do not smoke and …

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Miniaturized Electrostatic Ion Beam Trap Mass Analyzer, Junting Wang Jun 2013

Miniaturized Electrostatic Ion Beam Trap Mass Analyzer, Junting Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The electrostatic ion beam trap (EIBT) was designed by D. Zajfman during the previous decade. This ion trap combines many properties of the Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass analyzer and time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer. There are several advantages for the electrostatic ion beam trap. First, large mass-to-charge particles in an electrostatic field could be easier to analyze. Second, there is a folded flight path, which could make the mass analyzer smaller compared to conventional TOF mass analyzer. This principle of operation of this ion trap is analogous to an optical resonator. The ions are trapped in a voltage valley …

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Genetic Diversity And Conservation Of Old-Growth Cross Timbers Forest, Warren Chatwin, Dr. Leigh Johnson Jun 2013

Genetic Diversity And Conservation Of Old-Growth Cross Timbers Forest, Warren Chatwin, Dr. Leigh Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project “Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Old-Growth Cross Timbers Forest” has been undoubtedly the best learning experience of my undergraduate career. The project did not go at all like I had planned, but it gave me a taste of realworld scientific exploration and allowed me to practice some of the things I’ve learned in class. I’ve adapted to challenges, changed my plans, overcome obstacles through creative thinking and sheer diligence, and collaborated with colleagues who are working on the same organism. These skills will be invaluable in my future career as a research professor. I will see this project …

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Detection Of Genetic Variants Affecting Mmp Protein Expression: A Genome-Wide Association Study Approach, Krista Klingler, Dr. John Kauwe Jun 2013

Detection Of Genetic Variants Affecting Mmp Protein Expression: A Genome-Wide Association Study Approach, Krista Klingler, Dr. John Kauwe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 35 million people worldwide. However, the pathology of the disease is not fully understood. Because of this, no cure for the disease currently exists, and once a patient has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, death usually occurs within ten years.1 This has led to a concentrated effort on understanding the genetics behind Alzheimer’s disease.

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The Neuroprotective Effects Of Exercise On Ltd In The Hippocampus, Adam Field, Dr. Jeff Edwards Jun 2013

The Neuroprotective Effects Of Exercise On Ltd In The Hippocampus, Adam Field, Dr. Jeff Edwards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In April of 2012, IACUC committee approved the methods which we had set forth for the carrying out of the experiment. At this point we began gathering the tools and materials needed for the performing of the experiment. Mice were obtained, and the electrophysiological research begun.

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The Efffect Of Precipitation Frequency And Magnitude On Engelmann Spruce, Sarah Karlinsey, Dr. Richard Gill Jun 2013

The Efffect Of Precipitation Frequency And Magnitude On Engelmann Spruce, Sarah Karlinsey, Dr. Richard Gill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I was able to present my findings in poster-­‐form at the Ecological Society of America conference in Portland, Oregon in August. Dr. Gill and I are now in the process of writing up a paper about our work to be submitted to Tree Physiology or the Canadian Journal of Forest Research.

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Student Resistance To The Inquiry Method Of Instruction In The Biological Sciences, Liahona Hamblin, Dr. Jamie Jensen Jun 2013

Student Resistance To The Inquiry Method Of Instruction In The Biological Sciences, Liahona Hamblin, Dr. Jamie Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to test student resistance to the inquiry method of instruction in tertiary introductory biology classes. Proven to be beneficial, the “inquiry” method differs from confirmatory “cookbook” laboratory experiences in that students explore phenomena and solve problems (Prince & Felder, 2007). This research was sparked by evidence that students tend to show resistance to student-centered instruction (of which inquiry is a part) (Felder, 2011; Prince & Felder, 2007). This research began with three specific aims: to define resistance based on learning theory, to quantify that resistance, and to test our hypotheses that reasoning ability, learning …

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Novel And Integrative Approaches To Articulating The Pancrustacean Tree Of Life, Alan Colver, Dr. Keith Crandall Jun 2013

Novel And Integrative Approaches To Articulating The Pancrustacean Tree Of Life, Alan Colver, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The taxonomic group Pancrustacea encompasses more than half of the world species. The two main groups within Pancrustacea are the crustaceans and hexapods (insects). Understanding these two groups will aid in preservation, population control, and economic pursuits involving these groups. In our evolutionary analysis, six different genes, which are good indicators of evolutionary divergence (Felsenstein, 2003), were analyzed to gain a much deeper understanding of the relationships among these species than ever before and to hopefully resolve much of the controversy in the scientific community concerning their evolution (Jenner, 2010).

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Premature Osteoarthritis In The Temporomandibular Joint Of Heterozygous Disporportionate Micromelia Mice, Jason Farrell, Dr. Robert Seegmiller Jun 2013

Premature Osteoarthritis In The Temporomandibular Joint Of Heterozygous Disporportionate Micromelia Mice, Jason Farrell, Dr. Robert Seegmiller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study, as also summarized in the proposal for this research grant, was to analyze the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) of mice with a specific collagen defect, Disproportionate Micromelia. Examining these joints was done to provide an animal model to be used in Osteoarthritis research, and to propose a potential mechanism for osteoarthritis in this joint in humans. Better understanding of Osteoarthritis in this joint using an animal model can help lead to potential future treatments for a wide variety of TMJ disorders.

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Kenneth Burke As Educator: What His Theories Of Aesthetic Form And (Non-Symbolic) Motion/(Symbolic) Action Suggest For Teachers In The Literature Classroom, Tara Brock Boyce Jun 2013

Kenneth Burke As Educator: What His Theories Of Aesthetic Form And (Non-Symbolic) Motion/(Symbolic) Action Suggest For Teachers In The Literature Classroom, Tara Brock Boyce

Theses and Dissertations

Burke scholars oftentimes overlook Burke's fundamental role as educator and how his work can and should be applied to the classroom. This paper explores Burke's theoretical works and centers on two concepts important to developing rhetorical skills necessary for functioning and participating in a democratic society: his theory of aesthetic form and his distinction between motion and action. Specifically, this paper (1) clarifies these concepts and explains how they relate to each other and the emotional experience of literature, and (2) demonstrates how these concepts work together to imply a new method of practicing rhetorical criticism in the literature classroom …

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Promoter Polymorphisms In Interferon Regulatory Factor 5, Daniel N. Clark Jun 2013

Promoter Polymorphisms In Interferon Regulatory Factor 5, Daniel N. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The promoter region of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) contains the rs2004640 T or G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and a CGGGG indel. Both of these polymorphisms have been implicated as genetic risk factors for several autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, whose pathology involves altered apoptosis and cytokine signaling. The polymorphisms' overall effect is to increase IRF5 levels. IRF5 is a transcription factor of several cytokines, including interferon, and is pro-apoptotic. Thus an alteration of cytokine levels and apoptosis signaling due to high IRF5 levels is the proposed source of autoimmune risk. Each of IRF5's four first exons (1A, …

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The Effects Of Mismatches And Probe Tethering Configurations On The Stability Of Dna Duplexes On Surfaces, Kyle Evan Pratt Jun 2013

The Effects Of Mismatches And Probe Tethering Configurations On The Stability Of Dna Duplexes On Surfaces, Kyle Evan Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

DNA microarrays are chip-based, analysis tools which can perform hundreds of thousands of parallel assays to determine the identity of genes or gene expression levels present in a sample. They have been identified as a key technology in genomic sciences and emergent medical techniques; however, despite their abundant use in research laboratories, microarrays have not been used in the clinical setting to the fullest potential due to the difficulty of obtaining reproducible results. Microarrays work on the principle of DNA hybridization, and can only be as accurate as this process is robust. Fundamental, molecular-level understanding of hybridization on surfaces is …

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Evaluating A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum, Strong Kids, Implemented School-Wide, Thomas Jonathan Kramer Jun 2013

Evaluating A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum, Strong Kids, Implemented School-Wide, Thomas Jonathan Kramer

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to explore whether Strong Kids could result in improved social and emotional competence when implemented as a school-wide universal intervention. No prior studies have examined this question. This study also evaluated whether teachers could implement Strong Kids as it was designed and whether they viewed it as socially valid. It used a non-equivalent control group design. The treatment school in the study involved 348 students and 17 teachers from a Title I school. School demographics indicated that 61% of students were Hispanic, 37% White, and 2% of other ethnicities. Approximately 82% of the students …

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