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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Establishing Benchmark Criteria For Single Chromosome Bacterial Genome Assembly, Timothy Krause Dec 2018

Establishing Benchmark Criteria For Single Chromosome Bacterial Genome Assembly, Timothy Krause

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adequate recommendations for the amount and types of sequencing data necessary to optimize the recovery of single chromosomes from bacterial sequencing projects do not exist. Broad estimates for coverage depths needed to recover complete bacterial genomes are present in the literature, but required sequencing depths across bacterial and archaeal phylogenies needed for high-quality assembly are not known. Additionally, correlations between genomic complexity and expected quality of assembly have not been properly defined. Furthermore, the capabilities of multiplexing (sequencing more than one sample simultaneously on one flow cell) with long-read sequencing platforms in order to recover complete bacterial chromosomes are poorly …


Evaluation Of A Human Papillomavirus Genotyping Assay For Cervical Cancer Screening In Tanzania, Kandali Kapie Aug 2018

Evaluation Of A Human Papillomavirus Genotyping Assay For Cervical Cancer Screening In Tanzania, Kandali Kapie

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Abstract: Mucosal high-risk Human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been identified as the primary factor in causing cervical cancer, the most common cancer in women of low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cervical cancer screening, incorporating the HPV test shown to be more advantageous than screening by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) alone. However, due to resources constrain these countries could not afford the available HPV tests. We, therefore, validated a cost-effective Multiplex PCR HPV (mPCR) assay, a recently developed assay for detecting sixteen genital HPV, fourteen HR-HPV and 2 low-risk genotypes. We postulate that this HPV multiplex assay will be …


Contributions Of The Gp120 Variable Loops To Envelope Glycoprotein Trimer Stability In Primate Lentiviruses, Dane Bowder Aug 2018

Contributions Of The Gp120 Variable Loops To Envelope Glycoprotein Trimer Stability In Primate Lentiviruses, Dane Bowder

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the etiological agent of AIDS and is responsible for the AIDS pandemic worldwide. According to UNAIDS, as of 2016, there were approximately 36.7 million people living with HIV globally, and 1.8 million new infections that year. While antiretroviral therapies and education continue to reduce these numbers, a preventative vaccine is still required to curb this epidemic. The envelope glycoprotein trimer of HIV, which is the sole protein on the surface of the virus and facilitates entry of the virus into host cells, is of keen interest to the HIV vaccine and drug-development field. Recently, the …


Influenza D Virus M2 Protein Exhibits Ion Channel Activity In Xenopus Laevis Oocytes, Evan Daniel Kesinger Apr 2018

Influenza D Virus M2 Protein Exhibits Ion Channel Activity In Xenopus Laevis Oocytes, Evan Daniel Kesinger

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Influenza virus M2 ion channel has good potential as a target for antiviral drugs, as the channel is necessary for viral replication. M2 of Influenza A and B viruses has beenstudied extensively, and is understood to function as a proton channel. Antiviral drugs like amantadine and rimantadine have been used to block the function of Influenza A virus M2. Influenza C virus M2 has also been researched and is understood to act as a chloride ion channel. However, the M2 channel of Influenza D virus (DM2) has been studied very little, and the activity and mechanism of the channel …