Matching Items (45)
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- All Subjects: Creative Project
- All Subjects: Molecular Biology
- Creators: School of Life Sciences
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
The major goal of this large project is to develop a Recognition Tunneling Nanopore (RTP) device that will be used for determining the structure of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The RTP device is composed of a recognition tunneling junction that is embedded in a nanopore. In order to translocate the GAG molecule through the nanopore, researchers have designed a scheme in which the GAG molecule of interest will be attached to the 5’ end of a DNA primer (figure 1) and the DNA primer will be extended by a biotinylated Φ29 DNA polymerase that is anchored in the nanoslit using streptavidin. This research project specifically is part of a larger project with the main goal of comparing the activity of the wild-type Φ29 DNA polymerase which I have expressed and purified with the mutated Φ29 DNA polymerase devoid of 3’ - 5’ exonuclease activity which was made by Dr. Deng.
ContributorsDadkhah Tirani, Farbod (Author) / Wang, Xu (Thesis director) / Zhang, Peiming (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In medical field today, current diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases fail to diagnose patients prior to the occurrence of damaging neuronal loss. Oftentimes, this means that by the time a patient has been diagnosed with a disease such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease (PD), they have already suffered severe, irreversible neurodegeneration. One of the significant weaknesses in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with AD and PD is the lack of viable biomarkers. Biomarkers are vital tools that can be utilized to identify patients who are in presymptomatic stages of a disease, track and quantify disease progression, and also determine whether or not a patient is responding to a particular treatment. RNAs are involved in all cellular processes, and due to their very specific spatial, temporal, and even cellular-level expression, abnormal expression signatures serve as key indicators of many diseases. Recently, cells have been shown to secrete nanometer-sized microvesicles, called exosomes, which moderate the horizontal transfer of mRNAs and miRNAs between cells. We hypothesize that exosomes obtained from human biofluids, such as cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma, can be used to determine extracellular RNA (exRNA) expression signatures associated with neurodegenerative disease. This experiment used pooled samples of CSF and plasma in order to investigate which of 3 sample enrichment methods would be most conducive to studying exRNA contained within exosomes. The results from this preliminary investigation will be used in later investigations that will seek to determine exRNA biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease.
ContributorsBeecroft, Taylor Alexandria (Author) / Capco, David (Thesis director) / Van Keuren-Jensen, Kendall (Committee member) / Huentelman, Matt (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The purpose of this creative project was to establish the foundation of an educational program that teaches financial literacy to the local homeless population. The name of this program is stillHUMAN. The project consisted of two parts, a needs analysis and a prototyping phase. The needs analysis was conducted at the Phoenix Rescue Mission Center, a faith-based homeless shelter that caters to male "clients", through written surveys and one-on-one interviews. Before interviewing the clients, the team acquired IRB approval as well as consent from the Center to carry out this study. These needs were then organized into a House of Quality. We concluded from Part 1 that we would need to create 3 - 7-minute-long video modules that would be available on an online platform and covered topics including professional development, budgeting, credit, and Internet literacy. In order to commence Part 2, each team member recorded a video module. These three videos collectively conveyed instruction regarding how to write a resume, use the Internet and fill out an application online, and how to budget money. These videos were uploaded to YouTube and shown to clients at Phoenix Rescue Mission, who were each asked to fill out a feedback survey afterwards. The team plans to use these responses to improve the quality of future video modules and ultimately create a holistic lesson plan that covers all financial literacy topics the clients desire. A website was also made to store future videos. The team plans to continue with this project post-graduation. Future tasks include creating and testing the a complete lesson plan, establishing a student organization at Arizona State University and recruiting volunteers from different disciplines, and creating an on-site tutoring program so clients may receive individualized attention. Once the lesson plan is demonstrated to be effective at Phoenix Rescue Mission, we plan to administer this lesson plan at other local homeless shelters and assess its efficacy in a non-faithbased and non-male environment. After a successful financial literacy program has been created, we aim to create lesson plans for other topics, including health literacy, human rights, and basic education. Ultimately stillHUMAN will become a sustainable program that unites the efforts of students and professionals to improve the quality of life of the homeless population.
ContributorsKim, Michael (Co-author) / Gulati, Guneet (Co-author) / Vanood, Aimen (Co-author) / Ganesh, Tirupalavanam (Thesis director) / Shrake, Scott (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, more commonly referred to as drones, have been a hot subject for the past few years. In the news, stories about drones cause the public alarm because of their seemingly increasing use. Problems have arisen with drones congesting airspace where manned aircraft fly, posing a huge threat to pilots and passengers of those aircraft. They have also caused concern of the public in matters of privacy. Drones are a go-anywhere and see-anything type of tool. They go where manned aircraft cannot, and where humans on the ground cannot. This video takes an in depth look at the issue of increasing civilian drone use, new regulations on users, categorizing types of drones, and possible solutions to the problems. Throughout the video, there will be three interviews. These interviews will be with experts in the field. The first person is Dr. Sarah Nilsson, Esq. She is a lawyer in drone law with her own practice. She has her PhD, CFI, and CFII as well as professional flying experience. The second person is Mr. Chris Andres. He is the Airport Administrator of Chandler Municipal Airport and offers a unique perspective on drones from an airport management standpoint. Lastly, the third person interviewed is a salesman at Viper Hobbies located in Mesa, AZ. He offers a perspective of drone use from the retail side, and also insight in FAA requirements of retailers and how retailers might offer education on regulation to the public.
ContributorsKataria, Sunil (Co-author) / Wren, Nicholas (Co-author) / Kimberly, Jimmy (Thesis director) / Nullmeyer, Robert (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Military Science (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Gluten is another name for natural proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains that are commonly found in most boxed, pre-made, or baked items. However, the number of people diagnosed with Celiac's Disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or Wheat Allergy has risen dramatically over the past few decades. In fact, the Gluten-Free Market is estimated to be worth 6.6 billion dollars by 2017. Therefore, this cookbook was made to provide quick, easy, and diverse recipes for people unable to ingest gluten without hurting their wallets.
ContributorsDas, Surina Maria (Author) / Morse, Lisa (Thesis director) / Grgich, Traci (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) has been identified in a broad range of eukaryotes and have been shown to carry genes and regulatory sequences. Additionally, they can amplify within a cell by autonomous replication or reintegration into the genome, effectively influencing copy number in cells. This has significant implications for cancer, where oncogenes are frequently amplified on eccDNA. However, little is known about the exact molecular mechanisms governing eccDNA functionality. To this end, we constructed a fluorescent reporter at an eccDNA-prone locus of the yeast genome, CUP1. It is our hope that this reporter will contribute to a better understanding of eccDNA formation and amplification within a cell.
ContributorsKeal, Tula Ann (Author) / Wang, Xiao (Thesis director) / Tian, Xiaojun (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Soiled: An Environmental Podcast is a six episode series where common environmental topics are discussed and misconceptions surrounding these topics are debunked.
ContributorsJones, Cassity Rachelle (Co-author) / Kuta, Tiffany (Co-author) / Turner, Natalie (Co-author) / Boyer, Mackenzie (Thesis director) / Ward, Kristen (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Oxymonas is a genus of Oxymonad protist found in the hindgut of drywood termites (family Kalotermitidae). Many genera of drywood termites are invasive pests globally. The hindgut microbiome of Cryptotermes brevis, the West Indian drywood termite, has not been described in detail, and only one published sequence exists of Oxymonas from C. brevis. This study aims to analyze Oxymonas sequences in C. brevis from whole gut genetic material, as well as to dissect its place in phylogenetic trees of Oxymonas and how it fits into specific and evolutionary patterns. To amplify the 18S rRNA gene Oxymonas from C. brevis, the MasterPure DNA extraction kit was used, followed by PCR amplification, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis, followed by purification of the resulting gel bands, followed by ligation/transformation on to an LB agar plate, followed by cloning the resulting bacterial colonies, and topped off by colony screening. The colony screening PCR products were then sequenced in the Genomics Core, assembled in Geneious, aligned and trimmed into a phylogenetic tree, along with several long-read amplicon sequences from Oxymonas in other drywood termites. All whole gut sequences and one amplicon from C. brevis formed a single clade, sharing an ancestor with a sister clade of Oxymonas sp. from C. cavifrons and Procryptotermes leewardensis, but the other long-read fell into its own clade in a different spot on the tree. It can be conjectured that the latter sequence was contaminated and that the C. brevis clones are a monophyletic group, a notion further corroborated by a distantly related clade featuring sequences from Cryptotermes dudleyi, which in turn has a sister taxon of Oxymonas clones from C. cavifrons and P. leewardensis, pointing toward a different kind of co-diversification of the hosts and symbionts rather than cospeciation.
ContributorsSharma, Noah (Author) / Gile, Gillian (Thesis director) / Shaffer, Zachary (Committee member) / Coots, Nicole (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
T cells, a component of the adaptive immune system, play an instrumental role in directing immune responses and direct cell killing in response to pathogens and cancers. T cells recognize and signal through the T cell receptor, a protein heterodimer on the surface of T cells. The T cell receptor is a highly variable structure formed via somatic recombination; the structure recognizes peptides presented on the surface of nucleated cells by major histocompatibility complex proteins in a specific receptor-restricted, peptide-restricted manner. This balance between T cell diversity and T cell specificity stands as a barrier to efficacious development of articificial T cell receptors capable of clearing disease. T cell receptors may be tailored to produce pathogen- or cancer-specific immune responses from autologous T cell populations. This necessitates a pipeline for amplification, cloning, and expression of antigen-specific T cell receptors. This study aims to utilize influenza-specific T cell receptor chains from healthy donor T cells to test a model for T cell receptor cloning and expression. This study utilizes Gateway recombination for high-throughput cloning into mammalian expression vectors. This study has successfully amplified and cloned T cell receptor chains from a population of influenza-specific T cells from donor cell transcripts into mammalian cell expression vectors. Additionally, CD8, a coreceptor for the T cell receptor complex, was successfully cloned and inserted into a vector for expression in mammalian cells. Sanger sequencing has confirmed sequences for influenza-specific T cell receptor chains and the CD8 chain. Future application of this project includes expression in mammalian non-T cells to test for efficacy of expression and, ultimately, expression in cytotoxic cells to create lymphocytes capable of antigen-specific recognition and cytolytic killing of cells of interest.
ContributorsVale, Nolan Richard (Author) / Anderson, Karen (Thesis director) / Blattman, Joseph (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The rise in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and the ability of the organism to develop resistance to antibiotics necessitate new treatment methods for MRSA. Geopolymers (GPs) are cheap, porous materials that have demonstrated adsorptive capabilities. In this study, GPs were investigated for their ability to adsorb whole MRSA cells and MRSA secreted proteins [culture filtrate proteins (CFPs)] as a complementary method of controlling MRSA infections. GPs have been synthesized with variable pore sizes (meso/macro scale) and further modified with stearic acid (SA) to increase surface hydrophobicity. Four GPs (SA-macroGP, macroGP, SA-mesoGP, and mesoGP) were incubated with whole cells and with CFPs to quantify GP adsorption capabilities. Following MRSA culture incubation with GPs, unbound MRSA cells were filtered and plated to determine cell counts. Following CFP incubation with GPs, unbound CFPs were separated via SDS-PAGE, stained with SYPRO Ruby, and analyzed using densitometry. Results indicate that macroGP was the most effective at adsorbing whole MRSA cells. Visual banding patterns and densitometry quantitation indicate that SA-mesoGP was the most effective at adsorbing CFP. Ultimately, GP-based products may be further developed as nonselective or selective adsorbents and integrated into fibrous materials for topical applications.
ContributorsGanser, Collin (Co-author, Co-author) / Haydel, Shelley E. (Thesis director) / Seo, Don (Committee member) / Borges, Chad (Committee member) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05