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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Water Temperature And Harmful Algal Bloom Rate, Geoff Bright, Greg Michalski, Benjamin P. Wilkins Aug 2018

Water Temperature And Harmful Algal Bloom Rate, Geoff Bright, Greg Michalski, Benjamin P. Wilkins

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Harmful algal blooms, made up of cyanobacteria, is an increasing problem in Midwestern lakes. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers used in crops such as corn and soybeans run off into streams and eventually lakes. Nitrogen and phosphorus in the form of nitrate and phosphate respectively is then used by cyanobacteria as a food source, allowing them to bloom at an alarming rate. Massive bloom events can be hazardous to both human health and the natural environment because of the release of neurotoxins, hepatotoxins and others into the air and drinking water. We set out to find if different water temperature can …


Engineering Bioluminescent Sensors Of Cyclic Amp To Study Opioid Signaling, Alexander L. Tesmer, Alexander R. French, Mathew Tantama Aug 2018

Engineering Bioluminescent Sensors Of Cyclic Amp To Study Opioid Signaling, Alexander L. Tesmer, Alexander R. French, Mathew Tantama

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Opioids are small signaling molecules which bind to opioid receptors on the surface of cells. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) is one of three major types of opioid receptors found in human neurons. When an opioid binds to a KOR, a variety of biochemical signaling pathways are activated inside the cell. Each of these pathways are associated with different physiological effects of KOR activation. The production of a small signaling molecule, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), is known to be inhibited during KOR activation of the analgesic (pain-killing) signaling pathway. The ability to interrogate the individual responses of KOR signaling pathways …


Cost-Effective Paper-Based Diagnostic Using Split Proteins To Detect Yeast Infections, Zachary R. Berglund, Kevin V. Solomon, Mohit S. Verma, Moiz Rasheed, Zachary Hartley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Kok Zhi Lee, Janice Chan, Julianne Dejoie, Makayla Schacht, Alex Zavala Aug 2018

Cost-Effective Paper-Based Diagnostic Using Split Proteins To Detect Yeast Infections, Zachary R. Berglund, Kevin V. Solomon, Mohit S. Verma, Moiz Rasheed, Zachary Hartley, Kevin Fitzgerald, Kok Zhi Lee, Janice Chan, Julianne Dejoie, Makayla Schacht, Alex Zavala

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The common yeast infection, vulvovaginal candidiasis, affects three out of four women throughout their lifetime and can be spread to their child in the form of oral candidiasis (thrush). This disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, which is also a major cause of systemic candidiasis, a rarer but deadly disease with up to a 49% lethality rate. Current widely-used diagnostic methods include cell cultures, pH tests, and antibody detection, to assist effective treatment. Despite availability of various diagnostic methods, there is no inexpensive, rapid, and accurate way to detect C. albicans infection. This project aims to …


Engineering Dub-Deficient Viral Proteases From Fipv And Pedv Coronaviruses, Daniel T. Wesenberg, Jozlyn R. Clasman, Andrew D. Mesecar Aug 2018

Engineering Dub-Deficient Viral Proteases From Fipv And Pedv Coronaviruses, Daniel T. Wesenberg, Jozlyn R. Clasman, Andrew D. Mesecar

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Coronaviruses form a class of viral pathogens lethal to humans and livestock. This issue is compounded by a lack of commercially available treatments or vaccines. In 2014, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) emerged in the United States and accounted for an estimated 7 million porcine deaths. Deaths of humans, companion animals, and livestock caused by coronaviruses highlight the need for therapeutic strategies to combat this devastating disease. One strategy involves engineering papain-like protease 2 (PLP2), an enzyme conserved among coronavirus species that is critical for virus replication and pathogenesis. PLP2’s de-ubiquitinating (DUB) activity aids in the suppression of the host’s …