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Eating Dirt Does Not Hurt: Antimicrobial Properties Of Tajx1901, Katelyn Whitwell Apr 2025

Eating Dirt Does Not Hurt: Antimicrobial Properties Of Tajx1901, Katelyn Whitwell

Dr. Jay W. Boland Research Day

Antibiotic resistance is becoming an increasing problem due to bacteria evolving faster than the rate of new antibiotic discovery. Finding a new compound that could be used as an antibiotic would be beneficial for limiting the overuse of commonly prescribed antibiotics. This often means exploring environments that have gone unexplored in years. The compound secreted by the soil bacterium, Janthinobacterium lividum strain TAJX1901, which was found in a previously unexplored environment, has been shown to have antimicrobial effects in a lab setting. The compound was isolated and resolubilized into a solution and added to a disk to test for antimicrobial …

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Restoration Reparations: A Communication Analysis, Thomas Yu Apr 2025

Restoration Reparations: A Communication Analysis, Thomas Yu

Liberty University Research Week

A communication analysis examining recent rhetoric about the Church's involvement in reparations. To do so, the symbolic communication of Boston's Embrace Monument is examined as a symbolic representation of reparations through the lens of Thompson and Kwon's Restoration Reparations model. Implications for the church were drawn from the findings.

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Impact Of High Heels On Walking Biomechanics & Foot Arches, Casey Hooper, David Titcomb, Noah Olsen, Larry Daniel Howell Apr 2025

Impact Of High Heels On Walking Biomechanics & Foot Arches, Casey Hooper, David Titcomb, Noah Olsen, Larry Daniel Howell

Liberty University Research Week

Every year, approximately 20,000 women find themselves in the Emergency Room due to accidents from wearing high heel shoes. Indisputably, walking in elevated heels changes the way we walk. The goal of this project was to assess the impact of high heels on walking efficiency and biomechanics. This was achieved by comparing muscle activity in the leg while walking in 4-inch-tall block heels to muscle activity while walking barefoot. Electromyography (EMG) was used to simultaneously assess muscle activity in the medial gastrocnemius (MG), soleus (S), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in a single female participant versed in walking in high …

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Developing A Database Through The Analyzation And Comparison Of Cartridge Casings Fired From Unknown And Known Firearms, Anna Sommerville Apr 2025

Developing A Database Through The Analyzation And Comparison Of Cartridge Casings Fired From Unknown And Known Firearms, Anna Sommerville

Liberty University Research Week

Used cartridge casings are convenient in criminal investigations to trace firearms back to the spent casing found at a scene. Using class characteristic toolmarks found on these casings including headstamp, firing pin impressions, breechface marks, case design, head type, color, and measurements of the neck, body, and head can be useful in eliminating unrelated firearms and narrowing it down to a group of possible firearms. Individual characteristic toolmarks are more exclusive by narrowing it down to one specific firearm by matching striation marks found on the body of the cartridge casing to the grooves on the inside of a firearm's …

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Brewing Better Health: How Coffee Influences Metabolism And The Gut Microbiome, Emily Bayliss Apr 2025

Brewing Better Health: How Coffee Influences Metabolism And The Gut Microbiome, Emily Bayliss

Liberty University Research Week

Type II Diabetes (T2D) is characterized by chronically elevated fasting blood glucose and is a result of chronic insulin resistance. Epidemiologically, the relationship between habitual coffee consumption and T2D has been examined and is contended to be inversely associated with T2D risk. It is widely thought that the gut microbiome is linked to T2D because dysbiosis, which may be caused by chronic overnutrition, increases the inflammatory state. Increased ratios of Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes are consistent in individuals with obesity and T2D. Our lab found that matairesinol, a polyphenol found in coffee, inhibited Firmicutes growth and promoted Bacteroidetes growth. We thus determined the …

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Using Fossil Data To Identify Lungless Salamander Kinds, Kayla Natelborg, Timothy R. Brophy Apr 2025

Using Fossil Data To Identify Lungless Salamander Kinds, Kayla Natelborg, Timothy R. Brophy

Liberty University Research Week

Baraminology is the study of God’s created kinds as described in Genesis 1 (Wise, 1992). Holobaramins are scientific approximations of these kinds identified by building up monobaramins (smaller, continuous groups) and dividing apobaramins (larger, discontinuous groups). The worldwide Flood also aids in approximating created kinds, as the mass extinctions and dramatic shifts in species distributions it caused are preserved in the fossil record. The lungless salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae) are composed of over 500 species in 29 genera and have been grouped together by herpetologists for almost 200 years. This indicates that the family represents a cognitum (group of organisms recognized …

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Curcumin Promotes The Inhibition Irs-1 S1101 Phosphorylation While Restoring Insulin Signaling And Phosphorylation Of Pras 40 And Rps6., Rachael De Klerk, Davis Raz, John Zelenka Apr 2025

Curcumin Promotes The Inhibition Irs-1 S1101 Phosphorylation While Restoring Insulin Signaling And Phosphorylation Of Pras 40 And Rps6., Rachael De Klerk, Davis Raz, John Zelenka

Liberty University Research Week

The search for natural compounds that elicit medicinal effects has increased over the years as synthetic compounds often carry adverse side effects. p300, an acetyltransferase protein recently found to negatively impact the insulin signaling pathway when overexpressed, has often been targeted in research using a synthetic compound called C646. However, curcumin, a natural compound, has been shown to also inhibit p300. Curcumin has been theorized as a potential treatment for diabetes, however the connection between its ability to inhibit the excessive expression of p300 seen when consuming a high fat diet and its ability to restore insulin signaling has never …

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The Effect Of Enzyme Inhibition & Release Of Hydrogen Sulfide: A Medicinally Therapeutic Study, Jonah Petri Apr 2025

The Effect Of Enzyme Inhibition & Release Of Hydrogen Sulfide: A Medicinally Therapeutic Study, Jonah Petri

Liberty University Research Week

The release of a gaseous compound called hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown to lead to increased medicinally beneficial effects in patients with glaucoma. These positive effects are expressed as a decreased level of pruritus (itchiness) and pain located in the eyes. Ongoing research is striving to maximize these positive effects through the formation of various compounds in the endocannabinoid system that release hydrogen sulfide when applied to patients who have glaucoma. Through the formation of various thioureas and carbamates, researchers at Liberty University have found that trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide are released in biologically relevant environments. These compounds …

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Flora Of Candler's Mountain: Documenting Natural Communities And Establishing An Herbarium, Jill Crunkilton Apr 2025

Flora Of Candler's Mountain: Documenting Natural Communities And Establishing An Herbarium, Jill Crunkilton

Liberty University Research Week

Herbaria are natural history collections containing dried plant material and function as the working tool of taxonomists to support understanding plant identification, nomenclature, classification, distribution, ecology, and further consideration of the societal implications of plants. The focus of this study is twofold: (1) the documentation of local flora and (2) establishment of a botanical collection to be used as an educational and research resource. The flora survey of Candler’s Mountain and surrounding area is focused on identifying the >1200 vascular plant species known to be documented in Campbell County, the prevalence of native to invasive species, and distribution across identified …

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Divergent Persecution: The Varied Treatment Of The Disabled In The Third Reich, Dylan Cumbo Apr 2025

Divergent Persecution: The Varied Treatment Of The Disabled In The Third Reich, Dylan Cumbo

Liberty University Research Week

This paper looks at the evolution of the Nazi’s treatment of the disabled. Their persecution changed over time based on public perception and the events of the war. Removing disabled people from Germany society was a practice long advocated for by Nazi leadership, Hitler in particular. With their rise to power, they began implementing policies that targeted the disabled. Initially, they began with prohibiting disabled people from marrying. sterilization of those with undesired traits. These operated publicly and had mixed approval from the broader public. The shift to mass slaughter came in 1939 after a plea from a disabled boy’s …

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The Liability Crisis And Its Ensuing Effects On The Property And Casualty Insurance Industry, Leah Locke Apr 2025

The Liability Crisis And Its Ensuing Effects On The Property And Casualty Insurance Industry, Leah Locke

Liberty University Research Week

The Liability Crisis of the 1980s occurred due to an expansion of Tort Law and was aided by other industry factors that caused increased premiums and made coverage harder to obtain. The Liability Crisis of the 1980s impacted the property and casualty insurance industry that prompted states to focus on alternative options to handle the increase in costs through regulation that changed the way the industry operated and ultimately affected the consumer. This research was important because no other research had been conducted determining the effects of this crisis on the industry. Using primary source material from state regulations passed …

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Fostering The First Amendment: Analyzing The Constitutionality Of The Safe & Appropriate Foster Care And Designated Placement Federal Rules Through Religious Discrimination, Hailey Donovan Apr 2025

Fostering The First Amendment: Analyzing The Constitutionality Of The Safe & Appropriate Foster Care And Designated Placement Federal Rules Through Religious Discrimination, Hailey Donovan

Liberty University Research Week

Examining the Biden Administration's implementation of the Safe & Appropriate Foster Care and Designated Placement Federal Rules, this commentary seeks to address the conflict presented in this execution under the constitutionality of the First Amendment. The comment will analyze notable regulations over the years regarding foster and adoptive systems and compare amongst these recent federal rules and case law. This will pinpoint the purpose of such child welfare programs and the government's role in regulating true protection over these and the rights of those involved. Addressing the unconstitutionality and conflict, emphasis on awareness and change for future generations of the …

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A Crown In Death: A Dramaturgical Approach To The Trojan Women Of Euripides, Stephanie Lester Apr 2025

A Crown In Death: A Dramaturgical Approach To The Trojan Women Of Euripides, Stephanie Lester

Liberty University Research Week

In the action-packed, visually-oriented market for modern media, some may assume a 2,400-year-old classical play to be slightly past its expiration date, especially if that play features little to no action on stage like in Euripides’ The Trojan Women. However, it is important to remember that literature is lost when the world fails to cherish it, so if a text survives that long, it may be worth another cursory glance. In this case, that glance involved a full dramaturgical study featuring qualitative script analysis of multiple translations of The Trojan Women with related texts to explore context, themes, common literary …

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Population Characteristics Of Freshwater Turtles At Lake Hydaway, Joshua Sorenson, Ariana Cardenas, Tate Gardner Apr 2025

Population Characteristics Of Freshwater Turtles At Lake Hydaway, Joshua Sorenson, Ariana Cardenas, Tate Gardner

Liberty University Research Week

Freshwater turtles are an important part of the ecological systems in central Virginia. They are found throughout the state wherever there is a suitable body of water, often in large numbers. At Lake Hydaway, there are several turtle species for which their population characteristics were unknown after the lake’s area was expanded. These included the typically prolific Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) and Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris). For five weeks, a section of the lake was surveyed for turtles using hoop nets baited with sardines and vegetables, and the turtles were marked and measured and released back into the …

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Challenges Of A Changing Environment: Urban Development Impacts A Population Of Eastern Box Turtles, Valerie Bell, Nathan Wilkins Apr 2025

Challenges Of A Changing Environment: Urban Development Impacts A Population Of Eastern Box Turtles, Valerie Bell, Nathan Wilkins

Liberty University Research Week

The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a terrestrial turtle, which lives in woodlands. Populations of these turtles are threatened by drastic changes to their environment, such as development projects. This is what happened to a population of box turtles in downtown Lynchburg, VA. We have been researching this population since 1999 using a capture-mark-recapture method. The population was undisturbed until 2020 when a large portion of the study site was timbered for urban development, reducing the size of the habitat from 11 to 2.2 ha. We hypothesize that if the population of box turtles in the post-development forest …

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Synthesis And Ftir Analysis Of Caffeine And Quinine In Sodium Chloride Powder, Breanna Barstow Apr 2025

Synthesis And Ftir Analysis Of Caffeine And Quinine In Sodium Chloride Powder, Breanna Barstow

Liberty University Research Week

Adulterants are over-the-counter medications that are added to illicit drugs to increase quantity but decreases the purity. Caffeine is a popular additive in illicit drugs like methamphetamines, amphetamine, and cocaine. It is found in many products and regularly consumed throughout the world due to its psychostimulant properties. Sodium chloride was chosen due to the minimal absorbance peaks shown in an IR spectrograph so that the peaks of caffeine are shown clearer. Grinding the mixture of caffeine and sodium chloride allows for even mixture and similar physical nature as an evidentiary sample that is collected from a crime scene. Analysis through …

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Evaluation Of Human Cadaver Tissue For Undergraduate Medical Histology Education, Levon Shukrian, Brooke Chapple, Shanice Rerrie Apr 2025

Evaluation Of Human Cadaver Tissue For Undergraduate Medical Histology Education, Levon Shukrian, Brooke Chapple, Shanice Rerrie

Liberty University Research Week

Histology is a foundational component of medical education, providing critical insights into tissue structure and function. While undergraduate biomedical sciences students traditionally use animal tissues for histological studies at Liberty University, this research explores the feasibility of using human cadaveric tissue to enhance undergraduate medical histology education. The research question guiding this study is: “Can human cadaver tissue serve as a viable and educationally valuable alternative to animal tissue in undergraduate histology education?” We hypothesize that cadaveric tissue will display preserved histological structures comparable to live tissue references, making it a useful educational tool. To test this hypothesis, testicular and …

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Differences In Anterior Knee Laxity And Genu Recurvatum Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Legs In Healthy College Students, Adam Ellett Apr 2025

Differences In Anterior Knee Laxity And Genu Recurvatum Between Dominant And Non-Dominant Legs In Healthy College Students, Adam Ellett

Liberty University Research Week

Background: The non-dominant leg has been associated with higher risk of knee injury due to biomechanical and sensorimotor asymmetry compared to the dominant leg. Anterior knee laxity (AKL) and genu recurvatum have been identified as a leading risk factors for serious knee injuries. However, the difference in AKL and GR between the dominant and non-dominant knees remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the leg dominance difference in AKL and GR (knee hyperextension). It was hypothesized that the dominant leg would have lower AKL and genu recurvatum values than non-dominant leg. Methods: Thirty-two healthy and physically active …

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Dna Extraction From Ancient Conehead Mummy Teeth, Abigail Mcdowell Apr 2025

Dna Extraction From Ancient Conehead Mummy Teeth, Abigail Mcdowell

Liberty University Research Week

Between 1880-1947, ancient burial sites in the Paracas peninsula of Peru were found and excavated by archaeologists. Several mummified remains were procured from these expeditions (Jones, K, 2018). These mummies presented apparent cranial deformations, which is what gave rise to the popular name "Conehead mummy". Their unusually elongated skulls and enlarged eye sockets sparked a wide range of speculative theories regarding their genetic origins. Some archaeologists and geneticists attributed the deformation to the cultural practice of cranial binding, which uses pressure to morph the skull – often a societal symbol of wealth or importance. Others believed the Conehead mummies were …

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Civil War Field Hospital: Str Analysis Of Samples Collected From A Bloody Surgical Table, Nadia Walter Apr 2025

Civil War Field Hospital: Str Analysis Of Samples Collected From A Bloody Surgical Table, Nadia Walter

Liberty University Research Week

During the last battle of the Civil War, the Hillsman House was used as a field hospital to treat hundreds of soldiers. In 2018, Jones and McClintock demonstrated the ability to profile aged bloodstains, by traveling to the Hillsman House and analyzing bloodstains found on the floorboards5. During their study, marks observed on the floor were presumed to be from the surgical table, however, the original table was no longer at the house. Since then, the original wooden surgical table was acquired and presumed bloodstains were visualized using an alternate light source (ALS) and collected via swabbing and scraping. The …

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Single-Step Fingerprint Fumigation With Common Dyes, Jared Filegar, Abigail Proffitt, Jonathan Pelletier Apr 2025

Single-Step Fingerprint Fumigation With Common Dyes, Jared Filegar, Abigail Proffitt, Jonathan Pelletier

Liberty University Research Week

The goal of this research project is to develop a fingerprint fumigation method that effectively visualizes latent fingerprints in a single fumigation step, making a secondary visualization method (like dusting) unnecessary. This will be done by dyeing the cotton balls used during the fumigation process with common dyes found in permanent markers (Sharpie), washable markers (Crayola), and other name brand markers. As cyanoacrylate glue reacts with the dyed cotton balls (treated with baking soda), the colored vapors will adhere to the latent prints. This will color the latent prints to increase the contrast between the print and the surface. Other …

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Analyzing Decomposition Levels In Cadaveric Tissue Using Gc/Ms, Lydia Buxa Apr 2025

Analyzing Decomposition Levels In Cadaveric Tissue Using Gc/Ms, Lydia Buxa

Liberty University Research Week

Human decomposition is associated with qualitative changes to the body, which causes some ambiguity when determining the time since death, or postmortem index (PMI). There has been a recent push in the field of forensic science to quantify decomposition with reliable scientific or analytical methods. During decomposition, bacteria perform putrefactive processes to break down the macromolecules of the body, including amino acids. Two of these amino acids, lysine and ornithine, get decarboxylated to produce diamines known as cadaverine (CAD) and putrescine (PUT). Another biogenic amine produced in a variety of reactions during decomposition is methylamine (MEA). Recent research has indicated …

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Analyzing The Impact Of Adulterants On Marquis Presumptive Drug Tests, Rachel Byrum, Noelle Murray Apr 2025

Analyzing The Impact Of Adulterants On Marquis Presumptive Drug Tests, Rachel Byrum, Noelle Murray

Liberty University Research Week

Presumptive Color testing is used in order to identify the potential presence or absence of a drug or drug class. This technique is especially useful for law enforcement to detect illicit substances during field tests due to their ease of use and portability (1). The Marquis color test is commonly used to identify opium derivatives, amphetamines, and other alkaloids, including fentanyl. Fentanyl is a rising threat in the US (2). For example, its presence in illicit drugs has contributed to 62.9% of 2024 overdose deaths in one US county (3). Drugs such as fentanyl are often cut with adulterants. These …

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The Effects Of Type 1 Diabetes On Anti-Müllerian Hormone Gene Expression In Mouse Gonads, Audrey Lach, Abigail Hurley Apr 2025

The Effects Of Type 1 Diabetes On Anti-Müllerian Hormone Gene Expression In Mouse Gonads, Audrey Lach, Abigail Hurley

Liberty University Research Week

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), a disorder that destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas, manifests in youth and negatively effects metabolism. Reproductive health of individuals with T1D is of growing concern, specifically in relation to Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH). In males, AMH is secreted by the Sertoli cells in postnatal testes and is known to be valuable in assessing testicular development and function. In females, AMH is secreted by granulosa cells of the preantral and small antral follicles. AMH production decreases as antral follicles grow, allowing the follicles to mature for ovulation. This research aims to study the effects of T1D …

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Vaccine-Based Immunotherapy Delays Murine Tumor Growth And Prevents Metastasis, Andrew Brola, Cade Wycoff, Sarah Light, Tatfiq Ahmed Fahmi, William Wycoff Apr 2025

Vaccine-Based Immunotherapy Delays Murine Tumor Growth And Prevents Metastasis, Andrew Brola, Cade Wycoff, Sarah Light, Tatfiq Ahmed Fahmi, William Wycoff

Liberty University Research Week

Cancer persists as a leading cause of death globally, and metastatic disease contributes to a large proportion of cancer deaths. Tumor-specific vaccines may be viable immunotherapeutic options for eliminating malignant cells. Since endogenous retrovirus reactivation has been demonstrably linked to tumor metastasis, we propose a novel method to exploit these viral particles in murine tumor models. Methods: Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment included thirty C57BL/6 mice inoculated with MC38 tumor cells. When tumors were palpable, five mice were vaccinated with MC38 infected cells (infect-10), 4T1 cells, BT-20 cells, or 4T1 supernatant (MMTV), while ten mice served as unvaccinated …

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Developing Improved Procedures For Lipstick Chromatography, Madison Smith Apr 2025

Developing Improved Procedures For Lipstick Chromatography, Madison Smith

Liberty University Research Week

Background: Lipstick chromatography can be used by law enforcement and crime labs to identify if lipstick samples collected as part of an investigation are or are not from the same type of source.3 This method is studied in Liberty University’s Trace Evidence course as the focus of the final lab assignment.3 Problems with the lab surfaced when it was performed during the fall 2024 semester, with most students having no visible transfer of lipstick pigments on their chromatography paper. The purpose of this study was to identify why the students in the lab did not have successful results, and to …

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Fluoxetine Reveals Nuances To Memory Task Interpretation In An Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mouse Model, Maximiliano Pino, Rohaam Ooi Apr 2025

Fluoxetine Reveals Nuances To Memory Task Interpretation In An Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mouse Model, Maximiliano Pino, Rohaam Ooi

Liberty University Research Week

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease characterized by poor blood-glucose regulation. DM patients are 2x more likely to develop cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety. While research reliably reports cognitive dysfunction, preclinical studies have noted heightened freezing behavior in the fear conditioning test (FCT),which is traditionally indicative of improved memory. It is suggested that this is mediated by a depressive-like phenotype, whereby animals are expressing heightened reactivity to the negative stimuli, not improved memory. ​ Based off prior research, this study tested depression-mediated sensitivity to aversive stimuli using an antidepressant, fluoxetine (FLX), to modulate the relationship between FCT results and depressive-like …

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Formalin-Induced Neuropathic Pain In Mice, David Mendes Apr 2025

Formalin-Induced Neuropathic Pain In Mice, David Mendes

Liberty University Research Week

Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition of the nervous system often associated with inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and chemotherapy-induced damage. Current therapies are ineffective, highlighting the need for improved preclinical models. Neuropathic pain in mice has been modeled using invasive procedures such as spinal nerve ligation (SNL) and chronic constriction injury (CCI), which require survival surgery. In contrast, this study investigates the use of subcutaneous formalin injection as a non-surgical, reproducible alternative for modeling chronic pain in mice. Formalin is known to produce a biphasic pain response and has been used to model nociceptive pain. Recent studies …

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Pcr Mapping Of Leu2 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae To Identify Deleterious Mutations, Emily Bayliss Apr 2025

Pcr Mapping Of Leu2 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae To Identify Deleterious Mutations, Emily Bayliss

Liberty University Research Week

The LEU2 gene, a 1095 bp sequence, encodes 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase, an enzyme which plays a critical role in the leucine biosynthetic pathway.1 In the context of a three-part undergraduate genetics lab, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, baker’s yeast, was used as the model system on which the students performed genetic recombination because of the model’s high efficiency and simplicity. The yeast strain (EAY 235), which contained a deleterious mutation, was given to the students. The students were tasked with integrating the LEU2 gene as a linear fragment into the yeast genome through homologous recombination, and the results were scored for 235 LDO transformants. …

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Characterization Of Endogenous Sas3 In C. Neoformans Via Co-Immunoprecipitation, Kayla Riggleman Apr 2025

Characterization Of Endogenous Sas3 In C. Neoformans Via Co-Immunoprecipitation, Kayla Riggleman

Liberty University Research Week

The predicted amino acid sequence of Something About Silencing 3 (SAS3) gene in Cryptococcus neoformans suggests that it contains a putative Histone Acetyltransferase (HAT) domain. Its role as a response/transcriptional modulator is further implied by its upregulation that is associated with Cryptococcal meningitis. Thus, there is a possible etiological correlation between SAS3 activity and cryptococcosis infection. To date, it has been determined that recombinant SAS3 does not display HAT activity on recombinant histones in vitro. Current experimentation is seeking to ascertain its endogenous role. This may point to the idea that endogenous SAS3 requires post-translational modifications before it is active, …

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