Biology Commons^™

Evaluation Of Anticancer Activity Of Heterocyclic Arylidenes On The U87mg Cancer Cell Line, Bernadette Flores

Honors Theses

Glioblastoma multiforme, is a type of brain cancer that develops from glial cells, which surround neurons and provide support and insulation. Previous investigation has shown that some heterocyclic compounds are key in improving the properties of anticancer drugs by enhancing lipophilicity, polarity, and other varying physiochemical features. Synthetic heterocyclic compounds used as anticancer drugs attempt to imitate naturally-occurring ligands and substrates so as to disturb the natural balance in cells. Testing was done to determine the anticancer abilities of hybrid compounds, heterocyclic arylidenes, containing various functional groups, including boronic acids, through a three-day testing process. These compounds were previous synthesized …

Post‐Dispersal Factors Influence Recruitment Patterns But Do Not Override The Importance Of Seed Limitation In Populations Of A Native Thistle, Tatyana A. Rand, Natalie M. West, F. Leland Russell, Svata M. Louda

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Whether plant populations are limited by seed or microsite availability is a long-standing debate. However, since both can be important, increasing emphasis is placed on disentangling their relative importance and how they vary through space and time. Although uncommon, seed addition studies that include multiple levels of seed augmentation, and follow plants through to the adult stage, are critical to achieving this goal. Such data are also vital to understanding when biotic pressures, such as herbivory, influence plant abundance. In this study, we experimentally added seeds of a native thistle, Cirsium canescens, at four augmentation densities to plots at two …

365— Clobetasol-Induced Quiescence In The Vulvar Carcinoma Cell Line Umscv-4 Can Be Overcome By Repeated Removal And Re-Exposure To This Ultrapotent Corticosteroid, Nolberto Jaramillo Jr., Nina Mustico

GREAT Day Posters

Vulvar cancer is rare, mostly afflicting women aged 60 and older. The cancer is often preceded by a common vulvar rash, Lichen sclerosis, that is usually treated with the ultra-potent corticosteroid, clobetasol propionate. This treatment may, in turn, be associated with vulvar carcinogenesis. Quiescence, a common characteristic of stem cells, is a reversible state of growth arrest. Our results suggest that clobetasol is causing UMSCV-4 vulvar carcinoma cells to enter quiescence, and may allow them to evade the standard treatments that target rapidly proliferating populations. Furthermore, when these cells are removed from clobetasol and re-exposed, they proliferate at higher levels. …

194— Plant Diversity & Allergies, Catherine Kilada

GREAT Day Posters

The impact of industrialization and its resulting decline in biodiversity may be a contributing factor to the rapidly increasing prevalence of allergies across the United States. This decline in biodiversity reduces the contact between people and various tree species, causing an increase in the number of individuals who experience moderate to severe allergies. I predict there may be a correlation between myriad allergies and geographic location within New York State. Using an online survey distributed to the Geneseo Student Body, I will determine if there are certain areas of New York State that have higher reports of certain allergy types. …

333— Effectiveness Of Batesian Mimicry In The Ant Mimicking Spider Myrmarachne Formicaria, Alanna Richman, Bea Dipzinski

GREAT Day Posters

Myrmarachne formicaria is a non-native ant-mimicking spider that was first recorded in New York in 2006. Little is known about its natural history in its native range in Europe and Asia or in its newly colonized range in North America. Some spider species are Batesian mimics that resemble ants in order to avoid being eaten, since many potential predators will not prey on ants. To assess the effectiveness of Batesian mimicry in this species, we staged encounters with a larger salticid spider species that could be a potential predator of M. formicaria. In total, 12 predator spiders were observed …

484— Modeling Social Distancing Methods And Their Effectiveness In Combating The Spread Of Ebola, Rachel Fair

GREAT Day Posters

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare but severe disease that is transmitted among humans through direct-contact with, and close proximity to, infected bodily fluids. From 2014-16, West Africa experienced the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, infecting over 28,000 people, and killing over 11,000. Although the symptoms of EVD are treatable, the disease can be extremely deadly, with an average of 50% EVD cases resulting in fatality. In areas where healthcare is scarce and vaccinations are not readily available, the practices of social distancing and self-quarantining have been shown to be highly effective in combating the spread of EVD. To …

147— The Effect Of A Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor On Pd-L1, Hla-Abc, Hla-E, And Hla-G On Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Nikhil Reddy, Alec Toufexis

GREAT Day Posters

Increased expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allows tumor cells to be more easily detected by the immune system. In previous research, epigenetic modifiers including the histone deacetylase inhibitor 3 (HDAC3), RGFP966, has been shown to decrease PD-L1 expression. PD-L1 expression inhibits T cell cytotoxicity, and decreasing it can enhance the immune response. We hope to elucidate whether or not HLA-ABC expression similarly decreases upon exposure to the HDAC3 inhibitor which would be detrimental to immune detection. Two breast cancer cell lines that express HLA-ABC are MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Our initial results show that HLA-ABC is expressed on the MDA-MB-231 …

465— Modeling Vaccine Efficacy For Tuberculosis In A Prison Population, Kaitlyn Mundackal

GREAT Day Posters

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease and is particularly problematic in confined communities such as prisons. I simulated how Tuberculosis moves through a prison population and tested how much vaccination effort is needed to control its spread. To explore this, I tested adding ever increasing numbers of randomly placed edges in a network and determined the size of the largest component. Afterwards, I removed edges in the model using two different methods, one illustrating if the edges were removed randomly and the other starting with prisoners that had the most connections, to simulate the effect of vaccination. My results show …

298— Rural Economic Growth And Disease Intervention In Ghana; The Edward Pettinella '73 Endowed Ambassadorship In Business, Lucas Sutton

GREAT Day Posters

Schistosomiasis is a leading parasitic infection that debilitates many individuals in sub Saharan Africa. Because this parasitic infection involves a snail as an intermediate host, we use a native prawn species as a natural predator to decrease the population of this snail community. This study focuses on Tomefa, a primarily fishing peri-urban community located oi the outskirts of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. A survey was also given to the local community measuring economic characteristics. In the laboratory, Macrobrachium spp prawn exhibit preference of Bulinus snails over Biomphalaria snails while non-parasitic snails were consumed in higher proportion to parasitized …

470— Quantifying The Shape Of A Plant (Brassica Rapa) During Growth Under Different Light Intensities Using Fractal Geometry, Matthew Cotroneo

GREAT Day Posters

Over time plants not only increase in size but also change their shape. Quantifying this change in shape, however, is challenging. Fractal dimension, a measure of how these plants fill space, can provide a wholistic understanding of plant shape and how that shape changes as the plants react to their environments. I used a high-resolution, three-dimensional scanner to estimate the shape of Brassica rapa plants during growth under three different light intensities: low (40 Einsteins), medium (75 Einsteins) and high (100 Einsteins). From these data, each plant's above-ground shape was quantified using fractal geometry. The fractal dimension (D) of plants …

135— Coral-Sponge Interactions On Rocky Point Reef, San Salvador, Bahamas, Michael Harvey, Anna Meichenbaum, Brooke Stickles

GREAT Day Posters

We surveyed the intensity of competition for reef space between sponges and corals at the Rocky Point patch reef adjacent to San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. Our working hypothesis was that, because of a dearth of predators, fast growing, chemically unprotected sponges more likely to be involved in competitive interactions. Results indicate that competition for reef space was widespread, but contrary to our hypothesis no sponge or coral species was disproportionately more involved in these interactions. These results contradict previous studies on Rocky Point reef and in our discussion we propose an explanation for this discrepancy.

487— Controlling The Spread Of Measles In An Unvaccinated School Population, Ruth Van Der Heide

GREAT Day Posters

The Orthodox Jewish population in Rockland County, NY does not vaccinate due to religious beliefs, which allows diseases to spread quickly through the population. A caveman model was created to represent a private Jewish school typical of those in Rockland County, where n.caves = 25 and cave.size = 20 to create a population of 500 unvaccinated students. A measles infection (R₀ = 15) was introduced and infected individuals were removed from the school during the eight day infectious period at a varying number of days after infection, ranging from Day 0 to Day 8 of the infectious period. The …

224— Analysis Of Foraging Bat Species On The Suny Geneseo Campus, Stephen Loce

GREAT Day Posters

Bats are often an overlooked or vilified taxon, but they perform numerous important ecosystem services including pest control, pollination, as well as nutrient cycling. Their nocturnal behavior, quick movements, and small size make them difficult to study. Audio recording is among the most effective ways to study bat populations, as the echolocation they use to find and capture prey can be recorded using high-frequency recording devices without the need to capture individuals.This study analyzed the patterns of bat foraging populations around the SUNY Geneseo campus from early June until late September with high-frequency audio recording to estimate the number of …

158— Optimization And Development Of The Luria-Delbrück Experiment For Geneseo Genetics Labs, Abigail Scheffler

GREAT Day Posters

The classic genetics experiment by Salvador Luria and Max Delbruck showed that mutations are present prior to selection rather than arising in response to selective pressures. In this experiment, we used Escherichia coli as our model organism and the antibiotics streptomycin and rifampicin to show students in a laboratory setting how this hypothesis can be applied. Specifically, we optimized antibiotic concentrations and the amount of bacterial cells to use in order for the activity to run smoothly and consistently in a student laboratory. We found that the ideal conditions are 1000 cells/ml and 25 micrograms/ml of streptomycin. These concentrations showed …

Biol 488: The Assessment And Analyzation Of Threats To Marine Life And Habitats And Project Proposals To Combat These Threats., Reece Theakston

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

For overfishing I propose that periodically we slightly expand fish sanctuaries and modify regulations to allow populations more time and more areas to grow. For pollution, the areas of pollution should be sectioned and ranked, then starting with the highest priority areas start pollution cleanup with both man and machine. Once the pollution is collected, I propose that the use of plastic eating bacteria and caterpillars be implemented to further break pollution down. In regard to habitat destruction I think the best approach is to treat the areas like a garden, plant new seeds, give them the nutrients and support …

Biol 488: Overview Of Health Consequences In The Ketogenic Diet And Efficacy In Treating Type-2 Diabetes, Talbot Thames

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

The ketogenic diet is an increasingly popular tool for weight loss. It has shown benefits for Type II Diabetes patients in reducing the use of medication for treatment and keeping blood glucose levels to manageable levels. This approach to diabetes management is stunted, however, due to a multitude of adverse effects such as acidosis and atherogenic risk factors. Dietary trials were performed to assess the efficacy of both diets in reducing blood glucose levels and other against the contemporary western diet, composed of a moderate-carbohydrate and moderate-fat macronutrient profile. Upon completion, diabetic subjects in both the high-carbohydrate and low ketogenic …

Possible Roles For Essential Oils In Chemoprevention And Suppression Of Cancer, Chad Kirk Lillestolen

Senior Honors Theses

Cancer represents one of the costliest and most prevalent diseases to afflict the modern world, even though treatments have evolved steadily over the years and produce an increasingly positive outlook with each development and innovation. Essential oils have been used medicinally- among other purposes- for thousands of years and have begun to attract attention for possible applications to the field of oncology. Numerous investigations and publications have shed light on the possible chemopreventative (antioxidant and antimetastatic) uses of these oils, alongside cancer suppressive (apoptosis-inducing and cytotoxic) abilities that they may possess. With the high annual incidence of cancer and the …

Biol 250: Curly Hair Trait: Homozygous Or Heterozygous, Kaysi Bing

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Research Aim: To connect the SNP rs17646946 AG genotype and curly hair

Hypothesis: People expressing a GG genotype at the SNP rs17646946 are most likely to have the curly hair trait

Biol 250: Dna Identificaion Of Blue/Brown Eyed Snp Using Polymerase And Sequencing Data Analysis, Roxana Salas

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

The specific aim of this experiment was to determine the genotype of a SNP, collected from human cheek cells. The hypothesis is that sample 3a will have a heterozygous genotype.

Testing Kinship Via Mitochondrial Dna On Colony Vs. Non-Colony Cats, Ashley Ruddy

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Populations of feral cats (Felis catus) have drawn public attention due to a variety of reasons, including the increasing population size and decreasing native fauna populations. Several communities have implemented the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method, developed in Rome. This study examined whether cats that live in a certain social environment (colony cats) are more likely to be related than cats of the general population (non-colony cats). The degree of relatedness was to be determined separately for the populations. The alternative hypothesis for this study is that colony cats are more related than non-colony cats.

Frankie’s Friends, spay and neuter …

A Case Study Of Suicide By Hemlock Intoxication, Erica Maney

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), the infamous plant responsible for the death of Socrates, is toxic to humans and animals. In cases where hemlock led to death, the cause of death is usually associated with respiratory arrest, muscle paralysis or complications of acute renal failure. While the entire plant is toxic, the most dangerous part is the seeds, which contain the highest alkaloid concentration. It contains eight piperidine alkaloids, with the most potent one being coniine. Coniine is a neurotoxin that disrupts the function of the peripheral nervous system, causing respiratory paralysis. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, …

Recombinant Expression Of Human Semenogelin Proteins And Creation Of Novel Antibodies For The Detection Of Human Semen, David Brown

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The protein component of human semen largely consists of a group of proteins called the semenogelins. After ejaculation, they undergo protein-protein interactions to form the coagulation of seminal fluid for protection of spermatozoa prior to fertilization. Because of their abundance, the semenogelin proteins are an effective marker to detect human semen at crime scenes, even after substantial degradation. The goal of this study is to create an optimized method for producing novel antibodies for the semenogelin proteins that can be used to detect seminal fluid. Segments of the semenogelin 1 gene were amplified, cloned into three mammalian expression vectors, and …

Cancer: The Role Of Bax Inhibitor In C. Elegans, Ibrahim Abaherah, Michael Bittner, Kevin Ly

Biology Student Scholarship

Ibrahim Abaherah ’20
Major: Biology

Michael Bittner '21
Major: Biology

Kevin Ly '23
Major: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Silvestrini, Biology

Bax inhibitor-1 is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of apoptosis and ER stress in cells. Bax inhibitor-1 is regulated by IRE-1, a transmembrane protein in the ER that is responsible for detection of ER-induced stress and activation of downstream targets involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR) to maintain homeostasis. Our goal is to determine whether the C. elegans Bax inhibitor-1 homolog tmbi-4 is dependent on the IRE1 pathway in C. elegans. Our preliminary data in the lab suggest that …

Development Of "Sharkavir": A Hypothetical Inhibitor For Hiv-1 Protease, Matthew Hunt, Feza Abbas, Lyla Abbas, Mina Ghali, Helana Ghali, Alesa Chabbra, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Arthur Sikora

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects approximately 37 million people worldwide and results in over 1 million deaths annually. A class of drugs first developed in 1995 inhibits the enzyme HIV‐1 protease, thus preventing the maturation of an HIV precursor protein. There are now over 10 protease inhibitors available to treat HIV. Multiple mutations in the protein have made this treatment less effective. The CREST (Connecting Researchers, Educators, and STudents) team at Nova Southeastern University modeled the interaction between HIV‐1 protease and its competitive inhibitors. Darunavir is currently one of the strongest competitive inhibitors, as it binds effectively to the substrate …

The Effects Of Leaf Litter On Predation Cue Response In Gray Tree Frog Tadpoles, Hyla Versicolor, Dani Mccauley

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Plant litter is an important resource for consumers, particularly in freshwater environments where it influences the development processes of larval amphibians. Leaf litter alters the physiochemical environment by lowering dissolved oxygen while increasing nitrogen, tannin, and phenolic acid levels. Many anuran species show plastic responses to the threat of predation. This is communicated through a kairomone when a tadpole is consumed, allowing surviving tadpoles to alter their behavior and morphology to evade predators. The purpose of this study was to analyze the interactive effects of leaf litter and predation on gray treefrog tadpoles (Hyla versicolor). The chemical output of the …

Organized Caudal Photoreceptors In The Medicinal Leech, Baylee Bancroft

Honors Theses

Visual systems are essential to an organism’s survival. There are a wide range of photosensory organs across the animal kingdom, varying by means of structure, complexity, and the way in which they transduce information. Regardless of variation, visual systems provide the organism with information regarding external stimuli based on how light interacts with surrounding matter. The medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, is one of the many important model organisms of neurobiology as this segmented annelid possesses a relatively simple nervous system and a rudimentary visual system. The leech also exhibits a restricted range of quantifiable overt behaviors and is capable of …

Assessment Of The Toxicological Effects Of Cnt-Ab In Mice Followed By Microwave Hyperthermia 14 Days Post Treatment., Andrew C. Mixson

Honors College Theses

Serious side effects and treatment resistance are the main impediments to successful cancer therapy. A variety of nanoparticles have been used for localized, site-specific treatment that prevent or circumvent these impediments. Microwaves alone have been previously used for thermal ablation of various tumors, setting precedence for their successful use in live organisms. In cell culture studies, it has been observed that multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) instantly and efficiently absorb microwaves, causing hyperthermia of cells in direct contact with them with unnoticed harm to other cells. It is hypothesized that a treatment can be developed based on a safe microwave heating …

Biol 404- The Effects Of Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) On The Development Of Myeloid Suppressor Cells, Emma Rogers, Ryan Servis, Talbot Thames, Amorette Barber

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a man-made organic compound consisting of two phenyl rings connected by a single bond, with any number of chlorine molecules occupying positions around the rings. They are most commonly used as a dielectric and coolant fluid in electrical generators and transformers. Manufacture has declined drastically since the 1970s in America due to their exertion of estrogen-mimicking effects in the body, although they continue to persist in harmful concentrations in the environment. PCBs are endocrine-disrupting, and through estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects have been shown to increase breast cancer risk by changing gene expression in several genes common …

Biol 404- Effects Of Estrogen-Mimicking Compounds, Progesterone And Estriol, On Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Development, Raquel Perez, Tatyana Green, Haley Bresnahan, Matthew Jones, Amorette Barber

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Estrogen is primarily known for being a female sex hormone. It has three major subcategories estrone, estradiol, and estriol. They are known to have a role within regulation of the reproductive system and menopause. Progesterone is also a well-known steroid sex hormone that is usually associated with menstruation. These sex hormones are commonly used in oral contraceptive pills. The purpose of this study is to see if progesterone and estriol will have the same effects that estrogen has on MHC II and B7 expression. With the use of flow cytometry, T cell isolation, T cell proliferation, and ELISAs we are …

Biol 404- Effects Of Phytoestrogens - Lycopene And Trans-Resveratrol - On The Development Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (Mdsc), Kayla Cooksey, Adrianna Doggett, Debbie Pitt, Maya Young, Amorette Barber

Virtual 2020 Spring Student Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Trans-Resveratrol and Lycopene are chemical compounds found in the skin of red grapes and tomatoes respectively. This study investigates the effects of these two phytoestrogens on MDSCs.We hypothesized that these phytoestrogens will bind to estrogen receptors and block estrogenic activity, effectively decreasing the production of MDSCs in murine cells.