Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: School of Life Sciences
Description
Single cell heterogeneity plays an important role in the onset and progression of a variety of disease pathologies. One of the most notable examples of the impact of heterogeneity in the complexity of a disease is cancer. Traditionally, molecular analyses on cancer-related samples have been performed on bulk populations of cells, with the resultant data only representative of an average of the population, thereby concealing potentially relevant information about individual cells. Performing these studies at the single cell level is proposed to address this issue. However, current methods for the isolation and analysis of single cells often require specialized and expensive equipment that may be prohibitive to labs wishing to perform such analyses. Herein, a method for the isolation and gene expression analysis of single cells is described that (1) relies only on readily available, inexpensive materials, (2) is compatible with phase and fluorescent microscopy, and (3) allows for the ability to track specific cells throughout all measurements. This method utilizes random seeding of single cells on 72-well Terasaki plates (also called microtest plates) that have 20 µl, optically clear flat-bottomed wells in order to circumvent the need for specific hardware for cell isolation. Suspensions of the Barrett’s esophagus epithelial cell line CP-D stably expressing turboGFP and a related, GFP-negative BE cell line, CP-A, were prepared, seeded at a concentration of approximately 1-2 cells/well and incubated overnight. Wells containing single cells were visually identified using phase-contrast and fluorescent microscopy. Single cells were then lysed directly in the well, total RNA was isolated, and RT-qPCR was performed. RT-qPCR results reflected the ability to distinguish between turboGFP-expressing and non-expressing cells that matched previous identification by microscopy. These results indicate that this is a convenient and cost-effective method for studying gene expression in single cells.
ContributorsZiegler, Colleen Patricia (Author) / Chao, Joseph (Thesis director) / Tran, Thai (Committee member) / Yaron, Jordan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
DescriptionThis paper provides an analysis of the differences in impacts made by companies that promote their sustainability efforts. A comparison of companies reveals that the ones with greater supply chain influence and larger consumer bases can make more concrete progress in terms of accomplishment for the sustainability realm.
ContributorsBeaubien, Courtney Lynn (Author) / Anderies, John (Thesis director) / Allenby, Brad (Committee member) / Janssen, Marco (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
There are numerous strategies for determining an organism's metabolic rate, one of which is the heart rate method. The heart rate method is based on a relationship between an organism's heart rate and its oxygen consumption (V(O2)). Although validations of the heart rate method have focused on adult animals, researchers could benefit from applying this method to embryonic animals. In this study, the heart rate's reliability as an indicator of oxygen consumption in early stage embryos of reptiles (or more specifically, lizards) is evaluated. The focus is primarily on the earliest stages of cardiovascular detection. The results suggest that while it may be possible to use a reliable heart rate method to find an accurate value for oxygen consumption of a group of early embryos in lizards if the oxygen pulse can be accurately identified, it is more likely that in the earliest stages of cardiovascular development, the heart rate cannot serve as a reliable indicator of V(O2) because it may not be the primary manner in which oxygen is distributed in Sceloporus undulatus.
ContributorsHambsch, Zakary Jordan (Author) / Angilletta, Michael (Thesis director) / DeNardo, Dale (Committee member) / Condon, Catriona (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Civil litigation and medical malpractice both seem to be plagued by similar misperceptions. The general public, lawyers, physicians and our elected officials are all in considerable error regarding the reality behind civil litigation. The perception is that there are an increasing number of claims filed, and that in those cases that are filed the plaintiff is likely to win and be awarded a large sum of money. Regarding medical malpractice, in particular, is the belief that such litigation increases the over-all costs of healthcare by a significant dollar amount through the costs of litigation as well as the increasing instances of defensive medicine. Physicians further state that it is the absurd awards all too common in medical malpractice cases that are to blame for the out of control increases seen in medical malpractice premiums. These increases in premiums are said to have forced a large number of physicians out of practice that will hurt the general public's access to health care. These perceptions are at least reinforced by the media coverage that reports on the rare multimillion-dollar cases and from reports by insurance companies and physicians, in their attempt to lower their business costs by decreasing medical malpractice insurance premiums. By understanding the prevalence of such misperceptions, the truth behind the claims, and how such misinformation reaches the public and has spread to all levels of society, empirical data must be presented to the public in order to overcome the misperceptions.
ContributorsKohl, Mitchell Anthony (Author) / Robert, Jason (Thesis director) / Maienschein, Jane (Committee member) / Mossman, Kenneth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Curanderos are Hispanic traditional healers who attend to their clients through spiritual, natural, and physical techniques. Recent studies have shown that a subset of the Hispanic population refer to these healers for HIV and STD treatment and believe they are important in a collaborative targeted HIV intervention. Thus, curanderos were interviewed and the lay population of Phoenix was sampled in order to get a better idea of the utility of these healers in an HIV prevention effort targeted at the Hispanic community. Due to the limitations of this study there was not sufficient enough data to make significant conclusions; however the interviews with the curanderos were surprising in the they had significant roles as healers in the Phoenix area, patients have referred to them for HIV and STD treatment, and a couple of the healers have integrated western medical knowledge into their practice.
ContributorsMartinez, Justin Anthony (Author) / Maupin, Jonathan (Thesis director) / Hruschka, Daniel (Committee member) / Aguilera, Miguel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) is a polyspecific monoamine transporter
found in the human and rat brain. In Rats, OCT3 is the only known monoamine transporter inhibited by physiological concentrations of corticosteroids. We hypothesized that CORT- mediated inhibition of OCT3 blocks the clearance of serotonin (5-HT) leading to an increase 5-HT receptor-mediated signaling. In experiment 1, due to conflicting reports on the location of OCT3 mRNA in the rat brain, in situ hybridization was performed on brain tissue sections. RNA was extracted from rat brain tissue, reverse transcribed into cDNA, and then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to generate riboprobe templates. The riboprobe templates were then used for in vitro transcription of digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled riboprobes complementary to OCT3. In experiment 2, 12 rats from an identical cohort were exposed to a chronic restraint stress paradigm (two hours/day for seven days, STRESS group), while the other 12 remained in their home cages (CTRL group). Twenty-four hours after the last stressor, all animals were euthanized and their brains immediately removed and frozen. Bilateral tissue punches were collected from 300μm coronal sections from the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus, basolateral amygdala (BLA), and dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH). The relative OCT2, OCT3, and 5HT2a mRNA levels from each tissue punch were determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results of experiment 1 confirmed the presence of OCT3 mRNA in the CA1, amygdala, and the DMH. The results of experiment 2 show that chronic restraint stress did not alter gene expression for 5-HT2A, OCT2, and OCT3. These data may help reveal new information involving OCT3’s role in the hippocampus, amygdala and DMH in regards to localization and mRNA expression levels after exposure to a stressor.
found in the human and rat brain. In Rats, OCT3 is the only known monoamine transporter inhibited by physiological concentrations of corticosteroids. We hypothesized that CORT- mediated inhibition of OCT3 blocks the clearance of serotonin (5-HT) leading to an increase 5-HT receptor-mediated signaling. In experiment 1, due to conflicting reports on the location of OCT3 mRNA in the rat brain, in situ hybridization was performed on brain tissue sections. RNA was extracted from rat brain tissue, reverse transcribed into cDNA, and then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to generate riboprobe templates. The riboprobe templates were then used for in vitro transcription of digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled riboprobes complementary to OCT3. In experiment 2, 12 rats from an identical cohort were exposed to a chronic restraint stress paradigm (two hours/day for seven days, STRESS group), while the other 12 remained in their home cages (CTRL group). Twenty-four hours after the last stressor, all animals were euthanized and their brains immediately removed and frozen. Bilateral tissue punches were collected from 300μm coronal sections from the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus, basolateral amygdala (BLA), and dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH). The relative OCT2, OCT3, and 5HT2a mRNA levels from each tissue punch were determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results of experiment 1 confirmed the presence of OCT3 mRNA in the CA1, amygdala, and the DMH. The results of experiment 2 show that chronic restraint stress did not alter gene expression for 5-HT2A, OCT2, and OCT3. These data may help reveal new information involving OCT3’s role in the hippocampus, amygdala and DMH in regards to localization and mRNA expression levels after exposure to a stressor.
ContributorsTompkins, Heather Camila (Author) / Orchinik, Miles (Thesis director) / Neisewander, Janet (Committee member) / Talboom, Joshua (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Persons with Down Syndrome (DS) have been repeatedly shown to have timing deficits, to move slowly, and to not follow metronomes. This timing deficit in persons with DS requires further study because timing is fundamental to movement control. Furthermore, brain imaging studies have proposed a rate effect in which increased cortical activation in the primary motor cortex was observed during increased finger movement frequency. The aim of the current study was to determine if the rate effect was present in persons with DS by comparing brain activation in self-selected and as fast as possible rates. Eight participants with DS performed unimanual drumming at their self-selected and maximal rates. Movement rate was measured at EEG was collected in the alpha (8-12 Hz) and Beta (13-30 Hz) frequencies from C3 and C4. The results showed that overall, their self-selected rates were slower than their maximal rates, indicating that they are capable of modifying their movement rate with general instructions. Furthermore, there were significant differences in Beta in which there was more activation during as fast as possible than self-selected tapping in both sides of the primary motor cortex in persons with DS. This suggests that their brains are activated in a similar manner as the typical population with respect to movement rate. Overall, our results suggest that while interventions that involve timing to specific rates are difficult, people with DS can perform at self-selected and maximal rates. The results of our study show that they can alter movement rate when provided with general instruction or additional motivation.
ContributorsCarrington, Elise Almader (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Crews, Debbie (Committee member) / Hillman, Charles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The phytoplankton communities in the open oceans are dominated by picophytoplankton (0.7-2µm) and nanophytoplankton (3-5µm). Studying the community dynamics of these phytoplankton is important to learn about their role in the carbon cycle and food web of the oceans. Dilution experiments were used, along with microscopy and molecular techniques, to determine abundance, biomass and phytoplankton growth and grazing rates in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea (western North Atlantic subtropical gyre) around the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series Station (BATS) in the summer of 2012. With low biomass and chlorophyll a, the Sargasso Sea appears to be unproductive at first glance, but I found that pico- and nanophytoplankton have high instantaneous growth rates that are balanced by the high grazing rates of microzooplankton.
Mesoscale eddies are important features in the Sargasso Sea that can increase or decrease the available nutrients in the euphotic zone. Two different mesoscale eddies were sampled: an anti-cyclonic eddy and the BATS station which was located at the edge of a cyclonic eddy. The results indicated that BATS had overall higher instantaneous growth (µ between 0.1 d-1 and 3.7 d-1) and grazing rates on pico- and nanophytoplankton, as well as diatoms, compared to the anti-cyclonic eddy (µ between 0.2 d-1 and 3 d-1). I also determined taxon-specific rates using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the order Mamiellales, one of the smallest representatives of the abundant prasinophytes. This method yielded surprisingly high growth (9.7 d-1 ) and grazing rates (-8.2 d-1) at 80m for BATS. The euphotic zone (~100m) integrated biomass of all phytoplankton did not vary significantly between BATS (379 mg C m-2) and the anti-cyclonic eddy (408 mg C m-2) and the net growth rates at both locations were very close to zero for most of the groups. Although the biomass and net growth rates did not vary greatly between the two locations, the high instantaneous growth and grazing rates of pico- and nano-eukaryotic phytoplankton indicate an increase in the rate of the marine microbial food web, or microbial loop, compared to the anti-cyclonic eddy. This could have been due to the input of new nutrients in the edge of the cyclonic eddy at BATS. Thus, my study suggests that mesoscale variability is of considerable importance for the dynamics of the phytoplankton community and their role in the microbial loop. Much can be learned when using DNA based taxon-specific rates, especially to understand the relative importance and contribution of specific taxa.
More taxon-specific molecular studies will have to be carried out to quantify specific rates of more phytoplankton groups, which will supply a more complete knowledge of phytoplankton community dynamics in the Sargasso Sea. This will increase our understanding of the role of specific groups to the biological carbon dynamics in the euphotic zone into the deep ocean.
Mesoscale eddies are important features in the Sargasso Sea that can increase or decrease the available nutrients in the euphotic zone. Two different mesoscale eddies were sampled: an anti-cyclonic eddy and the BATS station which was located at the edge of a cyclonic eddy. The results indicated that BATS had overall higher instantaneous growth (µ between 0.1 d-1 and 3.7 d-1) and grazing rates on pico- and nanophytoplankton, as well as diatoms, compared to the anti-cyclonic eddy (µ between 0.2 d-1 and 3 d-1). I also determined taxon-specific rates using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the order Mamiellales, one of the smallest representatives of the abundant prasinophytes. This method yielded surprisingly high growth (9.7 d-1 ) and grazing rates (-8.2 d-1) at 80m for BATS. The euphotic zone (~100m) integrated biomass of all phytoplankton did not vary significantly between BATS (379 mg C m-2) and the anti-cyclonic eddy (408 mg C m-2) and the net growth rates at both locations were very close to zero for most of the groups. Although the biomass and net growth rates did not vary greatly between the two locations, the high instantaneous growth and grazing rates of pico- and nano-eukaryotic phytoplankton indicate an increase in the rate of the marine microbial food web, or microbial loop, compared to the anti-cyclonic eddy. This could have been due to the input of new nutrients in the edge of the cyclonic eddy at BATS. Thus, my study suggests that mesoscale variability is of considerable importance for the dynamics of the phytoplankton community and their role in the microbial loop. Much can be learned when using DNA based taxon-specific rates, especially to understand the relative importance and contribution of specific taxa.
More taxon-specific molecular studies will have to be carried out to quantify specific rates of more phytoplankton groups, which will supply a more complete knowledge of phytoplankton community dynamics in the Sargasso Sea. This will increase our understanding of the role of specific groups to the biological carbon dynamics in the euphotic zone into the deep ocean.
ContributorsHamill, Demetra Scott (Author) / Neuer, Susanne (Thesis director) / Elser, Jim (Committee member) / De Martini, Francesca (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Temnothorax ants are a model species for studying collective decision-making. When presented with multiple nest sites, they are able to collectively select the best one and move the colony there. When a scout encounters a nest site, she will spend some time exploring it. In theory she should explore the site for long enough to determine both its quality and an estimate of the number of ants there. This ensures that she selects a good nest site and that there are enough scouts who know about the new nest site to aid her in relocating the colony. It also helps to ensure that the colony reaches a consensus rather than dividing between nest sites. When a nest site reaches a certain threshold of ants, a quorum has been reached and the colony is committed to that nest site. If a scout visits a good nest site where a quorum has not been reached, she will lead a tandem run to bring another scout there so that they can learn the way and later aid in recruitment. At a site where a quorum has been reached, scouts will instead perform transports to carry ants and brood there from the old nest. One piece that is missing in all of this is the mechanism. How is a quorum sensed? One hypothesis is that the encounter rate (average number of encounters with nest mates per second) that an ant experiences at a nest site allows her to estimate the population at that site and determine whether a quorum has been reached. In this study, encounter rate and entrance time were both shown to play a role in whether an ant decided to lead a tandem run or perform a transport. Encounter rate was shown to have a significant impact on how much time an ant spent at a nest site before making her decision, and encounter rates significantly increased as migrations progressed. It was also shown to individual ants did not differ from each other in their encounter rates, visit lengths, or entrance times preceding their first transports or tandem runs, studied across four different migrations. Ants were found to spend longer on certain types of encounters, but excluding certain types of encounters from the encounter rate was not found to change the correlations that were observed. It was also found that as the colony performed more migrations, it became significantly faster at moving to the new nest.
ContributorsJohnson, Christal Marie (Author) / Pratt, Stephen (Thesis director) / Pavlic, Theodore (Committee member) / Shaffer, Zachary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
In vitro measurements of cellular respiration have proven to be key biomarkers for the early onset of tumor formation in certain pathological mechanisms.1 The examination of isolated single cells has shown promise in predicting the onset of cancerous growth much earlier than current methods allow.2 Specifically, measurements of the oxygen consumption rates of precancerous cells have elucidated outliers which predict the early onset of esophageal cancer.2 Single cell profiling can fit in to current pathology studies and can serve as a step along the way, much like PCR or gel assays, in detecting biomarkers earlier than current clinical methods.3 Measurement of these single cell metabolic rates is currently limited to 25 cells per experiment. It is the aim of this project to increase throughput from 25 cells to 225 cells per experiment via the implementation of new hardware and software which fit with current methods to allow the same experimental structure. Successful implementation of such methods will allow for more rapid and efficient data collection, facilitating quantitative results and nine times the yield from the same experimental manpower and funding. This document focuses on the implementation ultra high density (UHD) hardware consisting of a pneumatic molar design, angular adjustment features and a mechanical Z-stage. These components have produced the most encouraging results thus far and are the key changes in transitioning to higher throughput experiments.
ContributorsUeberroth, Benjamin Edward (Author) / Kelbauskas, Laimonas (Thesis director) / Ashili, Shashanka (Committee member) / Myers, Jakrey (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05