The benefits of vaccination are demonstrated through the eradication and significant decrease in vaccine-preventable disease incidence, although the coverage of highly recommended vaccines is often below the threshold. This threshold is the minimum coverage required to eliminate the circulation of the virus and development in susceptible subjects. By not achieving the minimum coverage, cases will […]
C28-P: Microbial Stress Resistance in Antarctic Lake Communities
The microbial communities of Antarctic lakes have evolved to thrive under the extreme conditions present in their niche habitats. Ranging from low temperatures to high salinity, a number of obstacles are present which these communities must overcome to survive. We exposed enrichment cultures isolated from two different Antarctic lakes, Lake Bonney, and Lake Fryxell, as […]
C34-P: MBI 223/224: Writing pages about phages: A genomic analysis of novel bacteriophages of Microbacterium foliorum and Mycobacterium smegmatis
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a smaller than usual Miami University Microbiology 223/224 class of 2020-2021 set out to culture, characterize, and annotate genomes of bacteriophages from Ohio and Pennsylvania soil and leaf samples capable of infecting the soil bacterium Microbacterium foliorum strain NRRL B-24224. In the fall semester of 2020, six lytic bacteriophages were isolated […]
C37-P: Internet of Things Botnet Detection Using Network Flow Analysis
Our general research area is cybersecurity in the Internet of Things(IoT). The Internet of Things proposes an unprecedented opportunity as everything can be interconnected; however, it also raises countless security risks. Adversely, a network of bots can be deployed to attack a variety of systems and devices, causing malicious activity. We are working on creating […]
C38-P: Role of β-Adrenergic Signaling in Infant Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning
Early life stress (ELS) produces an increased vulnerability for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmark characteristics of PTSD is an increase in fear responding over time (Elharrar et al., 2013). Using a well-established rodent model developed in our lab between early life adversity and the development of PTSD-like phenotype, which we call stress-enhanced […]
C40-P: The Impact of Early Life Stress on the Development of Obesity and Anxiety Behavior in Adulthood
Individuals who experience early adversity are vulnerable to numerous somatic (e.g, obesity, heart disease) and psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression) health consequences later in life. Obesity affects one in six children and more than one-third of all adults in the United States. Current stress indicators range from absence of, or neglect by, the mother to a […]
C45-P: The Role of Social Support on Mental Health of Bhutanese Refugees in Ohio
This research focuses on the mental health of Bhutanese refugees. The specific research objective was to explore the association between social support and mental health conditions among the Bhutanese refugee community in Columbus Ohio. Interviews were conducted with 200 resettled Bhutanese refugees using convenience and snow-ball sampling methods. Participants were asked questions adapted from the […]
C48-P: Distinguishing Between Cellular Respiration and Oxidative Stress Using Autofluorescence Spectroscopy in a Tissue-like Background
My project involves using laser autofluorescence spectroscopy paired with spectral phasor analysis, a biophysical technique, to distinguish metabolic changes in yeast cells. I have specifically focused on measuring changes associated with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), which are metabolic cofactors associated with cellular respiration and oxidative stress, respectively. Their […]
A09-P: Understanding the Developmental Barriers to Retina Regeneration Using the Embryonic Chick
Visual impairments are widespread in the population due to common retinal ailments such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and visual decline with age. Unfortunately, humans lack the ability to regenerate damaged retina tissue and therefore, research exploring gene regulation in regenerative animals can provide important insight to combat retinal diseases. At day four of embryonic […]
C43-P: The Joys and Pains of Popular Science Writing
Efficient communication to a non-scientific audience requires unique skills, as the author must ‘translate’ complex scientific findings in an understandable fashion for the public. This skillset is captured in popular science writing, a writing subdiscipline where scientifically literate authors attempt to communicate scientific principles and discoveries to the general public. The Microbiology Club undertook a […]