Vaccination continues to be one of the most effective measures available to prevent the spread of infectious diseases (Hussain et al., 2018). Establishing the main factors that deter parents from vaccinating their children is one of the most important steps to be made that can educate those about the importance of vaccination and how it […]
B46: Improvements to Blood Flow Measurement Technology
Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is a non-invasive method to measure blood flow in deep tissue. Typically, DCS equipment consists of a laser, photon counter, and hardware autocorrelator. Photons diffuse through tissue and are detected a short distance away from the source. The resulting signal is sent to a hardware autocorrelator to mathematically determine the blood […]
C25: Regenerative Hallmarks of Aging: Insights Through the Lens of Pleurodeles Waltl
Cataracts can cause blindness and affects mostly older individuals. Traditionally, treatment for cataracts is an invasive ophthalmological procedure in which the lens of the eye is replaced by a physician. However, exploration of regeneration-competent vertebrates, such as the newt Pleurodeles waltl (P. waltl) has offered exciting models to study natural, in vivo lens regeneration. Regarded […]
C24: Role of Nitric Oxide and Cricket’s Agonistic Behavior
Agonistic behavior is a critical aspect of animal behavior that is essential for survival and reproduction. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key neurotransmitter that has been shown to regulate a wide range of behaviors in both insects and mammals. In insects, NO has been demonstrated to modulate aggression, mating, feeding, and many other behaviors. In […]
C22: Phenotypic characterization of Foxe3 knockouts and a streamlined protocol for fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)
Foxe3 is a DNA-transcription factor (TF) that is vital to the normal development of the lens. The lens is a structural component of the eye that is responsible for transmitting and focusing light onto the retina. Here we examine the role that Foxe3 plays in regulating networks of genes that are essential for cellular differentiation. […]
C21: Changes in Interior Alaskan Flying Insect Biomass
In recent decades, there has been a notable decline in flying insect biomass levels. Since insects act as key contributors to various ecosystem services, it is important to understand changes in biomass levels for conservation purposes. Unfortunately, areas around the globe lack historical data on flying insect populations. This study attempts to establish a baseline […]
C19: Regulation of Lysozyme Expression and Activity by the Fragile X Mental Retardation Gene
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a genetic disorder involving mutation of the Fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene, accounts for up to 50% of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cases. While many studies have examined cognitive deficits associated with FXS, effects on the immune system have not been well-researched. ASD patients are reported to have increased blood […]
C18: Effects of Invasive Amur Honeysuckle on Spring Wildflowers
Invasive species, those being species that spread and thrive when outside of their native habitat, are a big issue in wildlife areas today. Amur honeysuckle, the focus of my research, is a particular problem in the Eastern United States. Compared to most native plants, Honeysuckle will leaf out sooner and keep leaves longer into the […]
C16: Moth Diversity and Abundance in an Old Growth Eastern Deciduous Forest
Flying insect biomass is rapidly declining, despite insects being the most abundant and diverse group of animals on the planet. Research is only now revealing the extent of this ongoing decline, as most entomology-based research has remained focused on pest species in the past. It is vital that we begin to examine the extent of […]
C38: The Effect of the Network Properties on a Dissociative Dynamic Covalent Bond System
For our project, we are making polymers using thiol adduct. Crosslinked polymers were made using post polymerization modification process with thiol monomers with different chain lengths and different crosslinking densities to find out the activation energy of each system. And in our project, we used GPC and rheometer to analyze our material to make sure […]