Wei Meng and Kim O’Neill, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Introduction Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths. Studies have shown that the early detection of cancer leads to better patient prognosis and a greater five-year survival rate. [1] Diagnostic and […]
Determining the Mechanism of Cocoa-Derived Epicatechin Enhancement of Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion
Benjamin Bitner, and Jeffery Tessem; Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, Food Science Introduction Due to recent increases in incidence, diabetes is now classified as a global epidemic. Diabetes results from the eventual destruction of β-cell mass, which causes decreased insulin secretion. Increasing functional β-cell mass may provide a cure for diabetes. A previous study has shown […]
Transition From Cardiovascular Disease to Cancer as the Leading Cause of Death in US States, 1999-2014
Michael C. Harding and Evan Thacker, Department of Health Sciences INTRODUCTION: In 1900 the three leading causes of death in the United States were pneumonia and influenza; tuberculosis; and gastritis, enteritis, and colitis.1 However, through a combination of improved sanitation, the discovery of antibiotics, and the advent of vaccination programs, deaths from infectious diseases subsided […]
Proposal of a New Genus and a New Species of Chrysomelid Beetle
E. Russell Anderson and Shawn Clark, Department of Biology Introduction The beetle family Chrysomelidae contains many species and genera which are of agricultural importance, which can cause millions of dollars of damage. While studying Triarius, a genus largely overlooked among Chrysomelidae because of its low agricultural impact, we have recognized that Triarius vittipennis (Horn, 1893) […]
The Efficacy of TGFβ Inhibition via SGI-1252 in the Prevention and Reversal of Diet-induced Obesity and Diabetes
Blake Dallon and Benjamin Bikman, Department of Physiology & Developmental Biology Introduction The growing worldwide incidence of obesity and its associated pathologies, like type 2 diabetes, has received much deserved attention. However, despite this attention and substantial research efforts, little meaningful progress has been made in slowing or reversing the growing cost and trends of […]
Eccentric vs. Concentric Exercise Intervention during Extreme Post-Surgery Weight Loss
Joshua Kelley and Lance Davidson, Department of Exercise Science Department Introduction In the past decade severe obesity (body mass index of greater than 35 kg/m²) has increased by 70 percent and is considered the fastest growing BMI category in the United States. Severe obesity has been linked with a low quality of life and a […]
The Role of IP-10 in Muscle Regeneration and Repair after Injury
Jacob Parmley and Robert Hyldahl, Department of exercise Science Introduction The repair and regeneration processes of skeletal muscle rely on the activation, proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells), which are necessary sources for muscle increase (hypertrophy) and regeneration (Stewart, 2006). A muscles ability to regenerate diminishes due to age or various […]
Using a TNP fluorophore to identify adenosine binding in the SNAP25B SNARE binding protein
David Hallan and Dixon Woodbury, Department of Physiology & Developmental Biology Introduction Vesicle fusion is a key step in the cellular process of exocytosis and is at the center of neurotransmitter release by neurons. Fusion is driven by a set of proteins known as SNAREs which includes the protein SNAP25B. In the synthesis and spectroscopic […]
How Well Can Machine-learning Algorithms Predict Biomedical Outcomes Based on Gene-expression Data?
Anna Guyer and Stephen Piccolo, Department of Biology Introduction Biomedical data are increasing in size and complexity. To make sense of these data, biomedical researchers often use “machine-learning” algorithms, which are developed by the computer-science community. Our goal was to perform a systematic comparison of many of these algorithms across 100 data sets to identify […]
Geogrid-Reinforcement’s Zone of Influence
Shaun Hilton and W. Spencer Guthrie, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Introduction Geogrid is a polypropylene material manufactured with approximately 1-in. wide openings, called apertures. A triaxial geogrid configuration is illustrated in Figure 1. Geogrid reinforcement is typically positioned beneath and/or within an aggregate base layer in a pavement structure and is designed to […]