Rotavirus is a virus that infects both humans and animals. Group A Rotaviruses are comprised of five genogroups P[1] through P[V], which are further organized into 37 genotypes P[1] through P[37]. These categorizations are based on sequence comparisons of spike proteins VP4 and VP7. As a general rule, P[I] RV’s infect animals, and P[II] infect […]
C33: Engineering Auto-catalytic CRISPR-Cas Sensors for Ultra-sensitive Lead Detection
Lead is an industrially useful element, but too much exposure is known to be extremely dangerous to human health. Toxicity and poisoning can result with symptoms such as anemia, kidney and brain damage, and death. A particular concern is lead toxicity in children due to the irreversible neurological damage and developmental defects that can occur. […]
C32: Revamp, Review, Renew: Developing Codes for YouTube Content Using Updated Mayer’s Multimedia Principles
Chemistry courses are often referred to as “weed out classes” due to the complexity of the subject. While chemistry can be daunting to comprehend, there are ways to aid students in reaching comprehension. Through multimedia such as YouTube, students are able to take in words and visuals simultaneously to enhance learning. Mayer’s research for multimedia […]
C31: Bringing the Heat: Characterizing YouTube videos about Enthalpy using Mayer’s Multimedia Principles
Many students look to YouTube videos for help with general chemistry concepts, but how well do these videos adhere to the guidelines set in place by literature that aims to increase cognitive processing without overloading it? In our study, we create a codebook based on Richard Mayer’s Multimedia Principles that we systematically apply to a […]
C30: Effects of Salinity on Microdiversity of Enrichment Cultures from Antarctic Lakes
Lake Bonney is a saline Antarctic lake inhabited by a diverse microbial community. Algae are key members of the community and often have a sizable associated population of heterotrophs, providing them with more accessible organic carbon. The community is stratified throughout the water column, especially along the strong shifts in salinity (the chemocline) beginning 15 […]
C27: Investigating the Morphology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Does it Change Shape Under Stress?
For this project titled “Investigating the Morphology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Does it Change Shape Under Stress?”, my general research area is bacteriology and morphological studies. I asked the question of whether or not M. pneumoniae cells experience a change in shape when grown in reduced oxygen concentrations, a question very relevant for research on the […]
C35: The Effects of Sex and Early Life Stress on Conditioned Inhibition of Fear in Rodents
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that occurs in a subset of individuals who experience one or more traumatic events. It is marked by recurrent memories of the traumatic event, heightened anxiety states, altered mood, and avoidance behaviors. Importantly, adverse early childhood experiences yield increased vulnerability to the development of PTSD later in […]
C15: The Role of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons in Fentanyl Consumption
The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis in the United States with a growing number of overdoses related to illicit opioids such as fentanyl. Ohio, in particular, has been greatly affected. One of the neural circuits implicated in opioid-related behaviors is the mesolimbic dopamine system –a reward pathway involving the ventral tegmental area […]
C12: The Effects of Sucrose on Chat-MOR Knockout Mice in an Operant Conditioning Chamber
The mesolimbic dopamine pathway is important for reward and motivation. However, neurobiological mechanisms behind these behaviors are complicated. This animal study gives us insight about how such mechanisms work. Here, we test how mu opioid receptors (MORs) expressed on cholinergic interneurons mediate the reward seeking behaviors for a natural reward (sucrose) to investigate the possible […]
B60: Vocal Communication and Group Decision Making in Lowland Woolly Monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii)
In group living species, animals must form a consensus about when and where to perform daily activities (e.g., traveling, foraging, resting) in order to maintain cohesion, otherwise the benefits of group living will be lost. Here, we use behavioral, geospatial, and vocal data of wild lowland woolley monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) to examine what role […]