In restoration ecology it is important to understand the processes that promote abundance in plant communities. Two of these processes are plant functional traits and plant-soil feedback. Plant traits have been proven useful in predicting abundance across many ecosystems due to their reflection of varying resource allocation in different environments. Plant-soil feedback estimates emerge through […]
C10: Determining How Activation of the DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase Impacts Adenovirus Replication
While human adenovirus (Ad) infection can cause severe illness, antiviral treatments often cause serious adverse effects and have limited efficacy against severe Ad infection. Ad infection activates the cellular DNA damage response (DDR), which triggers activation of protein complexes such as the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) that hinder viral infection. However, Ad wields several viral […]
C16: Investigation of Captopril and QDP-1 for Inhibition of NDM Clinical Variants
This project explores the ability of various compounds to inhibit variants of the New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase (NDM) enzyme. Metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) are enzymatic resistance mechanisms expressed by a growing number of bacteria found to exhibit antibiotic resistance. While other resistance mechanisms can be treated, no clinically-viable inhibitor exists for MBL enzymes. Due to this looming threat, […]
C17: Normal Phase and Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography Using Dimethylcarbonate as the Mobile Phase Modifier Solvent
A growing focus in the field of green analytical chemistry has been the development of greener solvents. Thus, the idea of replacing toxic solvents used in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has become a priority. Previous work has shown that dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is a useful replacement for acetonitrile in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). […]
C18: Role of Hypoxia on Chick Retinal Pigment Epithelium Reprogramming
The retina is one of the most important tissues since it is responsible for sight. Injury to the retina can lead to irreparable visual loss. Therefore, studying the process of retinal regeneration in vertebrates that are capable of doing so is important for understanding how the retina can be healed, instead of scarred, after an […]
C19: Establishing Genome Editing Tools for Studying Lens Regeneration
Regeneration has been a topic of research since the 18th century. Researchers have sought to understand and manipulate the mechanisms of regeneration, in the hopes of, applying these to humans. Human regenerative abilities are vastly different from those of salamanders. Interestingly, salamanders such as the newt possess high regenerative abilities and will, therefore, be used […]
C20: Insights Into Cell-cycle Dynamics and Regulation During Lens Regeneration in Pleurodeles waltl
Regeneration, or the ability to recover the architecture and function of the injured tissue, is a property shared by many organisms in the animal kingdom. However, for most organisms, including humans, regeneration capacity is lost or becomes limited after embryonic development, and declines with age. The mechanisms responsible behind the decline of regeneration capacity with […]
C21: Ganges River
The general research area was the overall health of the Ganges River in India. While the religious and spiritual significance of the Ganges River holds great value in the community, the industrial pollution, human waste, and sewage is devastating the health of this river. The Ganges River is a lifesource to the society surrounding it, […]
C23: Behavioral Ecology of Wild Woolly Monkeys Vs. Captive Woolly Monkeys: Implications for Better Captive Management Strategies of genus Lagothrix
Woolly monkeys (genus Lagothrix) are large, frugivorous primates from South America that live in large, mixed-sex groups. Populations range from being critically endangered (yellow-tailed woolly monkey) to vulnerable (brown woolly monkey). Not counting rehabilitation centers in South America, the number of woolly monkeys living in captivity has dwindled from tens of thousands to ~85 in […]
C25: Interactions Between Limiting Nutrients in Northern Hardwood Forests
Nutrient availability is a key factor in determining the productivity of an ecosystem. The concentration of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus is regulated by several mechanisms within the soil including their interactions with one another. These mechanisms, often referred to as co-limitation or stepwise co-limitation, often allow the availability of one nutrient to either […]