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Using Metabolic Engineering To Make Cheaper Biofuels, Pooja Nanjannavar Apr 2014

Using Metabolic Engineering To Make Cheaper Biofuels, Pooja Nanjannavar

UROP Posters

This paper attempts to find if metabolic engineering can be applied to more than one aspect of the biofuel production process and significantly reduce costs enough to make biofuels a viable replacement for petroleum. To explore this possibility, this paper analyzed three meta-analysis reviews on decreasing lignin in plant biomass, one meta-analysis on the prospects of changing the structure of lignin in plant biomass, two meta-analyses suggesting consolidated bioprocessing, and two experimental papers on increasing substrate range and efficiency. Based on these analyses, metabolic engineering can make biofuel production most cost effective by changing the biosynthetic pathways of the actual …

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The Fluidity Of Human Intimacy: A Look At Relationship Orientation And Identity With A Focus On Polyamory, Briana Spangler Apr 2014

The Fluidity Of Human Intimacy: A Look At Relationship Orientation And Identity With A Focus On Polyamory, Briana Spangler

UROP Posters

Polyamory (or “Poly”) is an alternative way that people conduct their relationships. My research was aimed at discovering what role relationship structure has to an individual’s identity. In this presentation, identity is defined as characteristics, beliefs and behaviors that make up a person’s self-image. To answer this question, I conducted a small case study involving personal interviews to find out how personal relationship structure played a role to their individual identities, particularly in the case of Polyamorous relationships. According to my findings, it seems that relationship structure has its own orientation, separate from sexual or gender orientation. The importance of …

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Characterization Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Nitrous Oxide, Kellianne J. Richardson Apr 2014

Characterization Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Nitrous Oxide, Kellianne J. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a widely used anesthetic adjunct in dentistry and medicine that is also commonly abused. N2O alters the function of several receptors in vitro and ex vivo, however, the receptors systems underlying its abuse-related intoxicating effects are poorly understood. The goals of this dissertation were to (1) establish N2O as a discriminative stimulus, (2) characterize the temporal properties of the discriminative stimulus, (3) determine the degree of similarity between N2O and other inhalants and (4) explore the neurochemical effects responsible for the stimulus properties of N2O. Twenty-four mice were trained to discriminate 10 minutes exposure to 60% …

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Poiesthetic Play In Generative Music, John Priestley Apr 2014

Poiesthetic Play In Generative Music, John Priestley

Theses and Dissertations

Generative music creates indeterminate systems from which music can emerge. It provides a particularly instructive field for problems of ontology, semiotics, aesthetics, and ethics addressed in poststructuralist literary theory. I outline how repetition is the ultimate basis of musical intelligibility and of memory in general. The extension of these abstractions beyond tonal music to sound in general is afforded by the concrete iterability of audio recording media. Generative systems delineate a music that is repeatable in principle and in certain qualities, though not in specific forms; a music that produces emergent complexities from novel combinations, retaining the potential to surprise. …

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How Diagnostic Terms May Catalyze Or Extend The Duration Of Anorexia Nervosa, Leslie Pyo Apr 2014

How Diagnostic Terms May Catalyze Or Extend The Duration Of Anorexia Nervosa, Leslie Pyo

UROP Posters

Anorexia nervosa (AN) predominantly affects adolescent females and has the highest rate of mortality among psychiatric disorders. It is categorized as an Axis 1 Clinical Disorder in the DSM-IV and a Mental/Behavioural Disorder in the ICD-9. No research, however, has been conducted on how the diagnostic terms and linguistic categorization of AN may psychologically and neurobiologically contribute to the etiology or duration of AN. Peer-reviewed scientific articles, case studies, and books were used to investigate this relationship. Medical terminology loses its original context when used in non-medical society, gaining the power a label that may catalyze the development of AN …

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Alternative Artificial Vein Graft Biomaterials, Alexander Whitehead Apr 2014

Alternative Artificial Vein Graft Biomaterials, Alexander Whitehead

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Current artificial vein grafts for long-term dialysis and bypass surgeries suffer from atherosclerosis and restenosis, and they tend to thrombose after initial patient recovery. The alternative materials, coatings, and polymer interfaces being explored in stents may be useful in graft applications, increasing both the quantity and quality of the patient’s life. To better comprehend the clinical standards and developing alternatives, I collected previously identified physical and chemical venous properties, as well as the corresponding synthetic materials that would support them. I compiled studies of primary and secondary endpoints (such as death, myocardial infarction, thrombosis, and target-lesion revascularization) in various graft …

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Biological Feasibility Of Interstellar Travel, Matthew B. Schneck Apr 2014

Biological Feasibility Of Interstellar Travel, Matthew B. Schneck

UROP Posters

Exposure to the space environment has resulted in numerous alterations to homeostatic mechanisms within the human body. Immune suppression, musculoskeletal degradation, decreased cardiac output and fluid redistribution have all been reported throughout short and long term space flight. The goal of this review is to discover if long term interstellar travel is biologically possible for humans. The relative influence of cosmic radiation, microgravity, and high velocity travel on homeostasis has not been previously established for interstellar space travel. Real-time space flight data and ground-based studies were compiled from other researchers. This data was analyzed with the goal of establishing the …

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The Role Of Television On Early Onset Puberty, Salman Salman Apr 2014

The Role Of Television On Early Onset Puberty, Salman Salman

UROP Posters

The trend of early onset puberty has been increasing in recent years. As several studies have shown, a strong link between diet and puberty has been established in animals as well as in humans. However, not much attention has been paid to the cultural influences that have emerged recently such as television, computers, and gaming devices. Several different aspects of this trend were carefully studied and analyzed such as television and diet habits, children with early onset puberty, hormonal changes in children with early onset puberty, as well as the methodology of administering treatment. By connecting television to early onset …

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Determination Of The Factors That Affect The Gas-Phase Reactivity Of Metal-Centered Cyclopropanation Catalysts And Examination Of The Properties Of Their Reaction Products, Jamal Aldajaei Apr 2014

Determination Of The Factors That Affect The Gas-Phase Reactivity Of Metal-Centered Cyclopropanation Catalysts And Examination Of The Properties Of Their Reaction Products, Jamal Aldajaei

Theses and Dissertations

Gas phase studies of organometallic systems have provided deep insight into reaction mechanisms and reaction intermediates. In this thesis, several metal/ligand systems were examined in an effort to form metal carbenes in the gas phase. With cobalt and iron porphyrins, the carbene undergoes metal-ligand insertion. With copper bis-oxazolines, metal carbenes tend to undergo metal-ligand insertion and a Wolff rearrangement. To avoid insertions, we turned to a rigid ligand, 1, 10-phenanthroline. Under ESI conditions, a copper (I) complex with phenanthroline can be formed. When treated with diazoacetate esters, the dominant product results from addition with loss of nitrogen followed by loss …

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The Correlation Of The Order Effect And Anxiety In Relation To The Carbon Dioxide Challenge And Screaming Lady Task, Tulsi Shah Apr 2014

The Correlation Of The Order Effect And Anxiety In Relation To The Carbon Dioxide Challenge And Screaming Lady Task, Tulsi Shah

UROP Posters

In the current study, juvenile twins aged 9-13 were asked to perform two psychophysiological tasks, referred to as the carbon dioxide (CO2) challenge and the Screaming Lady task. In the CO2 challenge, participants were asked to breathe enriched air for eight minutes that contained 7.5% CO2 for. Subjective anxiety was assessed every two minutes during a baseline, CO2 inhalation, and recovery period using the subjective units of distress scale (SUDS). The Screaming Lady task was designed to assess a fear-potentiated startle response. Participants were exposed to a classical conditioning paradigm in which loud screams were paired with images of a …

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Evaluation Of Maxillary Molar Furcations, Clinical Measurements Versus Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Jessica Allen Apr 2014

Evaluation Of Maxillary Molar Furcations, Clinical Measurements Versus Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Jessica Allen

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: The use of three-dimensional imaging has shown to provide advantages to the clinician in assessing bone morphology. The aim of this study will be to compare the diagnostic efficacy of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) versus diagnostic clinical measurements in patients presenting with furcation involved maxillary first molars. METHODS: The study population included 20 patients with 34 maxillary first molar teeth with furcation involvement. Clinical horizontal and vertical probing measurements were compared to CBCT measurements taken by two calibrated examiners. RESULTS: Horizontal measurements showed a significant difference between Glickman class II and class III. There were no statistical significant …

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The Effects Of Racial Socialization And Parent-Child Relationship Quality On Emerging Adult Reports Of Racial Discrimination To Parents, Nathasha Cole Apr 2014

The Effects Of Racial Socialization And Parent-Child Relationship Quality On Emerging Adult Reports Of Racial Discrimination To Parents, Nathasha Cole

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are examined in an African American emerging adult population. The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are also considered. The influences of demographic characteristics on reports of racial discrimination are also assessed. The purpose of this study is to examine if there are relationships between cultural origin, gender, socio-economic status and reports of racial discrimination to parents. The study also aims to determine if parent-child relationship quality has an effect on whether or not black …

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Gabra2 And Frequency Of Alcohol Consumption In A College Population, Marcus-David Peters Apr 2014

Gabra2 And Frequency Of Alcohol Consumption In A College Population, Marcus-David Peters

UROP Posters

Spit for Science: the VCU Student Survey aims to understand how genes and the environment come together to influence substance use and emotional health. Many studies have investigated the potential relationship between genetic variants in the GABRA2 gene and an individual’s subjective level of response to alcohol. Evidence suggests that individuals with specific GABRA2 variants have a lower subjective level of response to alcohol thus causing them to drink more, which in turn increases their risk for becoming alcohol dependent. The goal of the current study was to investigate the association between specific GABRA2 variants and alcohol use frequency in …

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Examining The Relationship Between Gabra2 & Alcohol Drinking Frequency, Jessica Joseph Apr 2014

Examining The Relationship Between Gabra2 & Alcohol Drinking Frequency, Jessica Joseph

UROP Posters

Past research has shown that an individual’s level of alcohol use may depend on various factors, both genetic and environmental, along with the interaction between them. Several studies have found that certain variants within the GABRA2 gene may be associated with elevated levels of alcohol use. This issue is of particular concern in college campuses, where social pressure becomes an important environmental factor. To better understand how genetic and environmental factors come together to influence substance use and emotional health, a group of students attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA submitted DNA samples and answered survey questions as part …

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Relationships Between Gabra2, Alcohol, And Peer Deviance, Kenyada Williams Apr 2014

Relationships Between Gabra2, Alcohol, And Peer Deviance, Kenyada Williams

UROP Posters

Kenyada Williams Spit for Science 24 March 2014 Mentor: Dr. Dick Title: My friends made me do it: peer deviance, alcohol, and GABRA 2 Abstract The Spit for Science research study aims to understand how genetic and environmental factors unite to influence substance use and environmental health. This research was done in order to determine the relationship between the GABRA2 gene and alcohol use along with the effects of peer deviance and amount of consumption. To determine these results, the Spit for Science research team has collected survey questions and DNA samples from voluntary first year participants at Virginia Commonwealth …

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A Performance Effectiveness Model For The Assessment Of Anxiety's Effect On Muscle Activation In Trumpet Players, Hannah Rumsey, Sahil Aggarwal, Erin Hobson, Jeeyun Park Apr 2014

A Performance Effectiveness Model For The Assessment Of Anxiety's Effect On Muscle Activation In Trumpet Players, Hannah Rumsey, Sahil Aggarwal, Erin Hobson, Jeeyun Park

UROP Posters

The purpose of this research study is to analyze the relationship between anxiety and muscle activation in undergraduate trumpet players. sEMG will be used to measure three muscle groups: the upper trapezius, sternoclidomatoid, and masseter. This data will be analyzed along with State Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety reports of each subject, and with VAS data of perceived anxiety after performing the repeated playing trials. Through covariate data obtained from the anxiety reports and an anxiety-induction experimental protocol, we hope to discover what effect anxiety will have on general muscle activation and fatigue in trumpet players. We hypothesize that subjects with …

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Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Monitoring, Parental Acceptance, And Externalizing Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents, Rachel Garthe Apr 2014

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Monitoring, Parental Acceptance, And Externalizing Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents, Rachel Garthe

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of aggression and delinquency increase during adolescence and are associated with psychosocial adjustment difficulties. It is important to identify aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship that may protect adolescents from these externalizing behaviors. The current study examined longitudinal relations between parental monitoring behaviors, child disclosure, and externalizing behaviors. Participants included 326 African American adolescents and their primary maternal caregivers, recruited from urban neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violence and low socioeconomic status. Participants provided data annually (three waves across two-year timeframe) through face-to-face interviews. Results of longitudinal path models showed that child disclosure predicted parental knowledge, and parental …

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Gabra2, Peer Deviance And Illicit Drug Use In College-Aged Students, Justin Joseph Apr 2014

Gabra2, Peer Deviance And Illicit Drug Use In College-Aged Students, Justin Joseph

UROP Posters

Recent studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GABRA2 gene may influence one’s susceptibility to illicit drug use. In order to determine whether an association is present in young adults, we will be performing a study within the Spit for Science research project at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. The Spit for Science project aims to understand how genetic and environmental factors come together to influence substance use and emotional health. A cohort of 1523 incoming freshman donated a saliva sample in the fall of 2011 and answered surveys regarding their use of the following categories …

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Mammary Epithelial Cells Cultured Onto Non-Woven Nanofiber Electrospun Silk-Based Biomaterials To Engineer Breast Tissue Models, Yas Maghdouri-White Apr 2014

Mammary Epithelial Cells Cultured Onto Non-Woven Nanofiber Electrospun Silk-Based Biomaterials To Engineer Breast Tissue Models, Yas Maghdouri-White

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in the world today. To better understand breast cancer initiation and progression modeling biological tissue under physiological conditions is essential. Indeed, breast cancer involves complex interactions between mammary epithelial cells and the stroma, both extracellular matrix (ECM) and cells including adipocytes (fat tissue) and fibroblasts (connective tissue). Therefore, the engineering of in vitro three-dimensional (3D) systems of breast tissues allows a deeper understanding of the complex cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions involved during breast tissue development and cancer initiation and progression. Furthermore, such 3D systems may provide a …

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An Examination Of The Relationship Of Abo Blood Group And Lifespan In A Hospitalized Population In The Southeastern United States, Tara Moon Apr 2014

An Examination Of The Relationship Of Abo Blood Group And Lifespan In A Hospitalized Population In The Southeastern United States, Tara Moon

Theses and Dissertations

The clinical significance of ABO blood group is evident and universally accepted with regards to blood transfusion and pregnancy; however, the importance of ABO blood group as it relates to other diseases or disorders and overall mortality is not fully understood by the scientific community. Many studies have suggested associations between blood groups and disease, but consensus has not been reached regarding overall survival or longevity. This epidemiological, retrospective review of ABO blood group and age at the time of death in a hospitalized population in the Southeastern United States is the first multi-site study to examine this relationship. The …

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Diagnostics Of Brain Rehabilitation, Nathalie Spita Apr 2014

Diagnostics Of Brain Rehabilitation, Nathalie Spita

UROP Posters

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term morbidity among the young resulting in significant societal impacts. Yet advances in TBI therapeutic care have been largely limited by the complexity of the pathobiology, heterogeneity among patients, and imprecise endpoint assessments with which to evaluate efficacy. Thus, there remains a significant need for improved diagnostics, particularly for guiding novel therapeutic use and outcomes. So-called theragnostic assays are of particular interest in the new area of TBI rehabilitation, which ideally would target a window of heightened brain plasticity during which circuit remodeling would support recapitulation of lost function. The biochemical …

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Behavioral Inhibition And Anxiety, Alexis Exum Apr 2014

Behavioral Inhibition And Anxiety, Alexis Exum

UROP Posters

Behavioral inhibition is the relationship between the tendency to experience distress, and the level of withdrawal from unfamiliar situations, people, or environments (Fox et al., 2004). The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) measures one of the underlying systems of behavior. The goal is to gauge one’s reactions to aversive motive, or the movement away from something unpleasant. Previous studies have examined the relationship between inhibition levels and anxiety or nervousness. Results have shown that adults who suffer from higher levels of anxiety or nervousness as measured by self-reports of nervousness (Carver et al., 1994) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Newman …

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Gene Therapy Evolution: How Gene Therapy Has Evolved Preventive Medicine, Kayuri Shah Apr 2014

Gene Therapy Evolution: How Gene Therapy Has Evolved Preventive Medicine, Kayuri Shah

UROP Posters

Gene therapy technologies offers a prospect for preventive medicine; before the trait can harm the recipient, genetically engineered transgenes will either alter the genetic disorder beforehand, or allow for regeneration of the tissue. The basic goal in bone formation and regeneration is to find a quick, easy, and cost-effective method to help bone growth, formation, and regeneration where surgery may be impossible or too risky. Gene therapy provides that, whether as a technology or product. Cells have the ability to be engineered, or manipulated, within the recipient’s body, or by removal and reimplantation. While treatments such as surgery are available, …

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Associations Between Cultural Beliefs And Asthma Self-Efficacy In Pediatric Asthma, Crystal Mcnair Apr 2014

Associations Between Cultural Beliefs And Asthma Self-Efficacy In Pediatric Asthma, Crystal Mcnair

UROP Posters

Cultural beliefs about medication effectiveness have been shown to differ by racial and ethnic backgrounds and can contribute to pediatric asthma disparities. Given that child asthma is managed within the family system, the caregiver beliefs about asthma medications may impact a child’s efficacy to manage their asthma. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between caregiver beliefs about asthma medications and child asthma self-efficacy.

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Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding (Cpeb) Protein 2 Splice Variants Cpeb2a And Cpeb2b Affect The Hypoxic Response And Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis, Ryan Johnson Apr 2014

Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding (Cpeb) Protein 2 Splice Variants Cpeb2a And Cpeb2b Affect The Hypoxic Response And Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Metastasis, Ryan Johnson

UROP Posters

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are tumors that lack the estrogen-receptor (ER), the progesterone-receptor (PR), and the epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and are responsible for 15-20% of all breast cancer. TNBCs provide poor prognoses and higher rates for metastases compared to other breast cancers. We have found that cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 2 (CPEB2) mRNA splicing is dysregulated in cells that display resistance to anoikis (attachment-dependent cell death). Importantly, CPEB2A:B ratio decreases in patient-matched tumor tissue when compared to normal control tissue. Furthermore, downregulation of each isoform produced opposing effects on both AnR and HIF1alpha and TWIST1 levels …

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An Evaluation Of Prenatal Care Clinic Selection And The Association With Subsequent Process/Outcome Measures Among Medicaid Beneficiaries, Lynn Vanderwielen Apr 2014

An Evaluation Of Prenatal Care Clinic Selection And The Association With Subsequent Process/Outcome Measures Among Medicaid Beneficiaries, Lynn Vanderwielen

Theses and Dissertations

In 2010 Medicaid financed approximately 48% of all births in the United States and nearly 30% of all births in Virginia. Due to strict state-specific eligibility criteria, many low-income women qualify for Medicaid coverage exclusively as a result of pregnancy status. As the nation moves forward with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), state-elected Medicaid expansion has the potential to expand services to women of reproductive age that would precede pregnancy events and offer continuous access to care postpartum. Despite this potential influx of newly insured women, little is known about how this population may make decisions regarding …

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Technologies And Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Through Ihde And Latour, Kathryn Lynch Thibault Apr 2014

Technologies And Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Through Ihde And Latour, Kathryn Lynch Thibault

Theses and Dissertations

Technologies and Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration through Ihde and Latour discusses and applies the phenomenological framework described by the philosopher of science and technology Don Ihde, in his text Technology and the Lifeworld, in relation to recent artworks of sculpture and performance that incorporate technologies. The study considers closely Ihde’s embodiment, hermeneutic, and alterity variants for the purpose of developing conceptual tools to investigate the complicated human-technology relationships present in the works considered. A subsequent discussion of psychasthenia and its relationship to Ihde’s embodiment variant demonstrates the limitations of Ihde’s approach and the need for additional sources in order to …

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Factors Influencing Personality In Prothonotary Warbler Nestlings?, Jenna Dodson Apr 2014

Factors Influencing Personality In Prothonotary Warbler Nestlings?, Jenna Dodson

UROP Posters

Animal personality is defined as consistent expressions of an individual’s behavior when exposed to stressful conditions. Avian nestling personality traits can be determined through simple stress handling tests that measure breath rate and docility. Individuals with lower measures tend to be more bold and aggressive adults, traits that are correlated with increased fitness. Other developmental factors that correlate with increased fitness include egg size, parental provisioning rates, and body condition. The objective of this project was to determine if there is a relationship between handling stress and: egg size and parental provisioning in the migratory songbird, Prothonotary warbler (PROW). This …

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Virtually Scanning Jamestown 1607-1610, Lauren Volkers Apr 2014

Virtually Scanning Jamestown 1607-1610, Lauren Volkers

UROP Posters

The Virtual Curation Laboratory, located at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been 3D scanning artifacts in collaboration with Jamestown Rediscovery from a very narrow period of time,1607 to 1610. This short time period includes the founding of the Jamestown colony and the Starving Time, where colonists consumed dogs, their seven horses, and at least one young woman. The intersection of Native Americans and Europeans can also be seen with native-made artifacts found in European contexts or altered by European contact. This poster will feature a butchered dog mandible and a butchered horse tibia from the Starving Time, native-made and European-made pipes …

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Examining A Link Between Paraquat, Alpha-Synuclein Fibrillation And Neurodegeneration: A Review, Nikhil Ailaney Apr 2014

Examining A Link Between Paraquat, Alpha-Synuclein Fibrillation And Neurodegeneration: A Review, Nikhil Ailaney

UROP Posters

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and chronic disorder that causes motor system dysfunction due to a lack of dopamine in the central nervous system. Although this disorder has been researched extensively, the etiology of Parkinson’s disease remains unknown. Paraquat, a commonly used pesticide, is a known neurotoxin and is used extensively worldwide. In order to determine if people who live in agricultural regions that use paraquat are more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease I examined a possible link between paraquat, the fibrillation of the protein alpha-synuclein and neurodegeneration. To conduct this review, I analyzed epidemiological studies on the correlation between pesticides …

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