Ceramides, Mitochondrial Fission, and Reactive Oxygen Species, A Novel Mechanism of Obesity-induced Insulin Resistance

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Braden Tucker and Dr. Benjamin Bikman, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction: With the unabated rise in obesity in the United States and globally (1), increasing efforts are being devoted to understand and prevent both the onset and the consequences of excess fat gain. As evidenced by health trends, efforts to curtail weight gain have proven […]

Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus infection by Kalanchoe pinnata extract

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Lance A. Stutz and Dr. Brian Poole, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Introduction Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common infectious agent which infects more than 95% of adults worldwide (1). EBV is related to a number of diseases, including cancers such as Burkitt’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis (2). […]

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Medication, and Risk of Injury

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Michelle Steele and Ray M. Merrill, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Science Introduction Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a known disorder that mainly effects children but can carry on into adulthood. It is characterized by difficulty focusing, sustaining attention, and controlling behaviors. These characterizations can cause a person with ADHD to have a more difficult […]

Heteroplasmic Mitochondria Project

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Lyndsay Staley Unfortunately, my Heteroplasmic Mitochondria project was picked up by a commercial entity whom we had asked for the sequenced genomes, but they beat me to the answer before releasing the sequenced genomes. I worked on another project involving Alzheimer’s disease genetics. I was able to do the initial analyses in a genome-wide association […]

Appearance-Related Social Pressure in Thai Adolescent Females

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Chelsea Sorensen and Dr. Randy M Page, Department of Health Science Introduction The purpose of this study is to identify appearance-related social pressure experienced by Thai adolescent females and to analyze how various sources and forms of social pressure relate to self-perceptions of body weight and appearance, body dissatisfaction, and behaviors taken to regulate body […]

Dietary Prevention of Prostate Cancer in the TRAMP Mouse Model

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Brett Shaw and Dr. Merrill Christensen, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science Introduction This project utilized histology in determining whether dietary supplementation of selenium and/or isoflavones (a component of soy) had a preventative effect on the development of prostate cancer. Additionally, we explored the timing of introduction of these supplements and observed their individual […]

GPR55: A Potential Enhancer of Learning and Memory in the Hippocampus

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Rachel Schneider and Dr. Jeff Edwards, Physiology and Developmental Biology Introduction My project goal was to understand how G-protein coupled receptor 55, (GPR55), a novel cellular pathway in the hippocampus, contributes to learning and memory. Recent research of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s, has primarily focused on understanding how learning occurs and how memories are encoded […]

Association of Rare Genetic Variants to the Development and Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

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Cameron Schmutz and Dr. Keoni Kauwe, Biology Department INTRODUCTION Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder and is the leading cause of dementia.1,3 It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and is the only one that has no adequate prevention or cure. AD is characterized by a progressive loss […]

Biofilm Regulation in Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis through Elements Downstream of the BarA/UvrY Two-component System

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Jeffrey Schachterle and Dr. David Erickson, Molecular and Microbiology Introduction The bacteria Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of bubonic plague, and its ability to form biofilm in fleas is essential for plague transmission by fleas [1]. Y. pestis recently evolved from Y. pseudotuberculosis (Y. pstb), and the two have nearly identical genomes. Y. pestis […]

Effects of Temperature and Water Potential on the Ability of Fusarium Strains from Die-off Soils to cause Cheatgrass Seed Mortality

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Samuel Saunders, Travis Poh and Dr. Bradley Geary, Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences INTRODUCTION Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a highly flammable invasive annual grass that dominates millions of acres of the Great Basin. A common phenomenon in cheatgrass monocultures is die-off or stand failure (Baughman and Meyer in press). Fungal isolates of the genus […]