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Description
A prominent aspect of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the presence of neuroinflammation is mediated by the activation of microglial cells, which are the immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS) that express an array of cytokines that may promote an inflammatory response. The main cytokines produced are: tumor

A prominent aspect of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the presence of neuroinflammation is mediated by the activation of microglial cells, which are the immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS) that express an array of cytokines that may promote an inflammatory response. The main cytokines produced are: tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The presence of these cytokines in the CNS may lead to neuronal death, to the production of toxic chemicals (such as nitric oxide), and to the generation of amyloid beta (a major pathological feature of AD). Previous studies have shown that modulation of the inflammatory response in the nervous system can potentially prevent and/or delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. Therefore, it is important to identify the process that induces CNS inflammation. For example, mitochondrial lysates have been found to produce an inflammatory response due to their ability to stimulate TNF-, Aβ, and APP mRNA [10]. Interestingly, extracellular mitochondria have been detected in the brain due to neurons degrading old mitochondria extracellularly. Therefore, we set out to study the effect of whole mitochondria isolated by differential centrifugation from human neuroblastoma cells (BE(2)-M17 cells) on the neuroinflammatory response in a human microglia model (THP-1 cells). Despite our best efforts, in the end it was unclear whether the mitochondrial fraction or other cellular components induced the inflammatory response we observed. Thus, further work with an improved mitochondrial isolation method should be carried out to address this issue.
ContributorsStokes, Laura Jean (Author) / DeCourt, Boris (Thesis director) / Sweazea, Karen (Committee member) / Gonzales, Rayna (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Heliobacterium modesticaldum (H. modesticaldum) is an anaerobic photoheterotroph that can fix nitrogen (N2) and produce molecular hydrogen (H2). Recently, the Redding and Jones labs created a microbial photoelectrosynthesis cell that utilized these properties to produce molecular hydrogen using electrons provided by a cathode via a chemical mediator. Although this light-driven

Heliobacterium modesticaldum (H. modesticaldum) is an anaerobic photoheterotroph that can fix nitrogen (N2) and produce molecular hydrogen (H2). Recently, the Redding and Jones labs created a microbial photoelectrosynthesis cell that utilized these properties to produce molecular hydrogen using electrons provided by a cathode via a chemical mediator. Although this light-driven creation of fuel within a microbial electrochemical cell was the first of its kind, its production rate of hydrogen was low. It was hypothesized that the injection of electrons into H. modesticaldum was a rate-limiting step in H2 production. Within the H. modesticaldum genome, there is a gene (HM1_0653) that encodes a multi-heme cytochrome c that may be directly involved in this step. From past transcriptomic experiments, this gene is known to be very poorly expressed in H. modesticaldum. Our hypothesis was that increasing its expression with a strong promoter could result in faster electron transfer, and thus, increased H2 production in the photoelectrosynthesis cell. In order to test this hypothesis, different promoters that could lead to high expression in H. modesticaldum were included with a copy of HM1_0653 in various plasmid constructs that were first cloned into E. coli before being conjugated with H. modesticaldum. Cloning in E. coli was possible with the newly derived transformation system and by reducing the copy-number of the vector system. When overexpressed in E. coli, the protein appeared to be expressed, but its purification proved to be difficult. Moreover, conjugation with H. modesticaldum was not achieved. Our results are consistent with the idea that high level overexpression in H. modesticaldum was toxic. An inducible promoter may circumvent these issues and prove more successful in future experiments.
ContributorsSmith, Chelsea Elizabeth (Author) / Redding, Kevin (Thesis director) / Cadillo-Quiroz, Hinsby (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The concept of the Mediterranean Diet was described by Ancel Keys from the Seven Countries study, occurring in the 1960s. Unlike other diets, the Mediterranean Diet is a cultural tradition of nations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It involves the healthy pattern of food consumption and physical activity, which developed as

The concept of the Mediterranean Diet was described by Ancel Keys from the Seven Countries study, occurring in the 1960s. Unlike other diets, the Mediterranean Diet is a cultural tradition of nations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It involves the healthy pattern of food consumption and physical activity, which developed as an outcome of the locality's available food, other environmental resources, and overall cultural characteristics such as the polychromic time orientation of the Mediterranean nations. The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle structured around understanding a locality's natural conditions and resources and sustaining positive relationships between individuals, the community, and the components of their environment. The diet is largely plant based, where daily foods include grains, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and dairy products. Seafood is eaten several times a week, while other animal products (poultry, meats, eggs) and sweets are eaten less often and in moderation. Alcohol, for those who drink it, is consumed several times a week. Research has shown a variety of health benefits from this diet. These benefits include preventing cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, age related macular degeneration of the eyes, kidney disease and osteoporosis. It also has been shown to improve conditions of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and depression. These favorable health outcomes are a result of the beneficial components within the foods commonly eaten. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, which are needed to support cellular and overall organismal functioning, and nuts, vegetables, and fish also provide essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6. The unifying component for all regions adhering to the Mediterranean Diet is the use of olive oil. Beyond being a healthy source of fat, it contains numerous chemical components with antioxidant properties. The Mediterranean region is an optimal region for olive tree growth and olive harvest, based on temperature and soil conditions. However, geographic differences, nutrient availability and age of olive trees can impact the quality of olive fruits and olive oil. Furthermore, climate change presents a challenge for sustaining the Mediterranean diet as it adds stress to plants and aquatic life environments. However, the diet shows promise of protecting the environment, as plant-based diets are found to have lower negative environmental impacts. In conclusion, the Mediterranean diet is an interconnected system of relationships that adapts to a locality's community, land, and climate.
ContributorsKaneris, Marianna Irene (Author) / Vitullo, Juliann (Thesis director) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate what correlations exist between the immunization and personal belief exemption (PBE) rates and selected characteristics of Arizona schools. The demographic information of a school's student body, the percentage of student who are on free or reduced lunch, the presence of a Title

The purpose of this study was to investigate what correlations exist between the immunization and personal belief exemption (PBE) rates and selected characteristics of Arizona schools. The demographic information of a school's student body, the percentage of student who are on free or reduced lunch, the presence of a Title I program at the school, the median household income of the zip code the school resides in, and the presence of a school nurse were all compared with immunization and PBE rates. Using data provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the United States Census Bureau, these factors were investigated for kindergarten and 6th grade students. It was found that a higher percentage of white students in a student body was correlated with an higher rate of PBE and a lower immunization rate for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), polio, and hepatitis B. A higher percentage of Hispanic students in a student body was correlated with a lower rate of PBE and a higher immunization rate for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, and hepatitis B. There was little to no correlation between the percentage of students on free or reduced lunch and immunization or PBE rates. A higher median household income was correlated with a higher rate of PBE in public and private schools. Additionally, the immunization rates at schools with a nurse were significantly higher and the rate of PBE was significantly lower than at schools without a nurse. Finally, schools with a Title I program had mean immunization rates that were significantly higher and a mean PBE rate that was significantly lower than schools that did not have a Title I program.
ContributorsSellers, Abigail Leigh (Author) / Hendrickson, Kirstin (Thesis director) / Lefler, Scott (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
This research looks at the epidemic of suicide among Nigerian Americans specifically based in the United States. The Work of Emile Durkheim in his 1897 book, Suicide will inform most of the research works in discussing suicide in general. This research draws mostly on primary sources including published articles, books,

This research looks at the epidemic of suicide among Nigerian Americans specifically based in the United States. The Work of Emile Durkheim in his 1897 book, Suicide will inform most of the research works in discussing suicide in general. This research draws mostly on primary sources including published articles, books, and personal accounts on the topic. The goal of this research is to shine a much-needed light on the growing rate of suicide among minorities in America, specifically Nigerian Americans, looking at the history of Nigerian presence in the U.S. till now. The aspect explored include religion, values, home, and immigration as considerable factors when dealing with suicides among Nigerian American populations. As part of this thesis, I conducted a survey on suicide to see what Nigerian Americans think of suicide and to better understand the reasons for suicide among young Nigerian Americans. The majority of the respondents are from Arizona and Colorado. Results of the survey conducted suggest that loneliness, academic failure, family issues, depression increase or contribute to the risk of suicide among young Nigerian Americans. This research will provide adequate information on suicide in general and identifying markers as to which types are likely occurring when concern rises.
ContributorsOladoye, Victoria Oluwatosin (Author) / Gallab, Abdullahi (Thesis director) / Usman, Aribidesi (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory bacterium that may serve as a living antibiotic by destroying biofilms and invading gram-negative bacteria. Swimming at over 100μm s-1, these predators collide into their prey and invade them to complete their life cycle. While previous experiments have investigated B. bacteriovorus’ motility, no study has

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory bacterium that may serve as a living antibiotic by destroying biofilms and invading gram-negative bacteria. Swimming at over 100μm s-1, these predators collide into their prey and invade them to complete their life cycle. While previous experiments have investigated B. bacteriovorus’ motility, no study has yet collected swim speed variations over the lifespan of B. bacteriovorus. In this study, we used state-of-the-art bacterial tracking methods to record the speed of tens of thousands of bacteria. These results were used to describe their metabolic state under starvation conditions in which they lose energy in a dissipative manner by propelling themselves at high speeds through solution. In particular, we investigated the metabolic response of starved predators to the addition of prey-lysate.
ContributorsCarlson, Mikayla Lynn (Co-author) / David, Rowland (Co-author) / Presse, Steve (Thesis director) / Gile, Gillian (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
This study was conducted to understand the reactivity of APE1 in repairing abasic sites associated with clustered DNA damages and to determine if the efficiency of APE1 enzyme is affected by the type of bases (purines or pyrimidines) neighboring the AP site. DNA damages are always occurring in living cells

This study was conducted to understand the reactivity of APE1 in repairing abasic sites associated with clustered DNA damages and to determine if the efficiency of APE1 enzyme is affected by the type of bases (purines or pyrimidines) neighboring the AP site. DNA damages are always occurring in living cells and if left uncorrected can lead to various problems such as diseases and even cell death. Cells are able to recognize and correct these DNA damages to prevent further damages to the genome, and the Base Excision Repair (BER) pathway is one of the mechanisms used in repairing DNA damages. A former student in the Levitus Lab, Elana Maria Shepherd Stennett, henceforth referred to as Elana worked on this project. She observed that the activity of the APE1 enzyme increased some when the base opposing the abasic site was changed from thymine (T) to adenine (A) while no difference was observed when the surrounding bases were changed. Thus, this experiment was conducted to further study the results she obtained and to possibly validate her findings. The AP sites used in this study are natural abasic sites created by UDG glycosylase enzyme from a double stranded uracil-containing DNA samples ordered from IDT technologies. Each reaction was carried out at physiological temperature (37degrees Celsius) and analyzed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
ContributorsOnyeabor, Moses Ekenedilichukwu (Author) / Levitus, Marcia (Thesis director) / Van Horn, Wade (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The rise of the average life span in developed countries in the past couple of centuries can be traced back to implementation of relatively simple health interventions. Also, accompanying the rise in the average life span is the rise in chronic disease. Current treatments for chronic disease is often very

The rise of the average life span in developed countries in the past couple of centuries can be traced back to implementation of relatively simple health interventions. Also, accompanying the rise in the average life span is the rise in chronic disease. Current treatments for chronic disease is often very costly and only offers partial alleviation to the problem. Preventing the chronic disease upstream of the problem happening in the first place is both significantly more effective and cheaper. Raised bed gardening helps prevent chronic disease processes from happening through mental, physical, and nutritional health benefits. A subset of people that would particularly benefit from raised bed gardening would be families receiving homes from Habitat from Humanity for many different reasons including susceptibility to a gardening intervention, availability of materials, and location of the homes. A guide to implement these gardens is provided which is supplemented with a combination of research and personal experience.
ContributorsBarker, Kenneth Holland (Author) / Collins, Michael (Thesis director) / Kizer, Elizabeth (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium and opportunistic pathogen that is the leading cause of chronic infection in the lungs of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). During chronic lung infections, P. aeruginosa populations adapt genetically to the CF lung, selecting several important mutations required for long-term persistence. These genetic adaptations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium and opportunistic pathogen that is the leading cause of chronic infection in the lungs of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). During chronic lung infections, P. aeruginosa populations adapt genetically to the CF lung, selecting several important mutations required for long-term persistence. These genetic adaptations lead to phenotypic changes that are associated with the transition from early-stage to late-stage chronic CF infection.
The goal of this project was to develop tools for gene transfer between P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. These tools will allow shuffling of early/late stage of infection genes to restore wild-type phenotypes in late chronic infection isolates and create single-phenotype mutants in the early infection strains. This will allow isolation and investigation of single phenotypes in the clinical isolates to identify metabolic biomarkers specifically for detecting the target phenotypes.

The gene transfer mechanisms of transformation by electroporation, transformation by heat shock, and conjugation were tested using the plasmid pMQ30 with a construct to create an in-frame deletion of the rhlR gene (rhlR) via allelic exchange. The disruption of the P. aeruginosa wild-type rhlR gene leads to rhamnolipids-deficient mutant strains; therefore, rhamnolipids production was assessed to validate successful in-frame deletion of the rhlR gene in the P. aeruginosa clinical isolates and laboratory strains. Based on the efficiencies determined from the gene transfer mechanisms tested, the conjugation mechanism was determined to be the most efficient method for gene transfer in P. aeruginosa laboratory strains, and was used to investigate gene transfer in the P. aeruginosa clinical isolates.
ContributorsBhebhe, Charity Ntando (Author) / Bean, Heather (Thesis director) / Misra, Rajeev (Committee member) / Jenkins, Carrie (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Current wound closure technology is limited, and lacks key elements \u2014 such as the formation of an immediate seal \u2014 that could otherwise resolve some of the common and life threatening complications associated with certain surgeries. Previous research has produced nanosealants capable of providing that immediate seal through the use

Current wound closure technology is limited, and lacks key elements \u2014 such as the formation of an immediate seal \u2014 that could otherwise resolve some of the common and life threatening complications associated with certain surgeries. Previous research has produced nanosealants capable of providing that immediate seal through the use of laser activation with a near infrared laser. Here, we have developed a biocompatible suture utilizes the same mechanics to provide the tensile strength needed to replace or supplement existing suture lines. Laser activated tissue integrating sutures (LATIS), are shown to have 75% of the tensile strength of commercially available PGA sutures, while still exhibiting the same laser mediated localized heating effect at power densities of as low as 1.6 W/cm2. LATIS has been shown to reach the temperature ranges needed for protein interdigitation, but suffers from low wet mechanical strength. Preparatory steps or solvents for chemical crosslinking generally dehydrate LATIS sutures, causing a shriveling effect that weakens the overall mechanical strength of the suture. To resolve this, a new method of drying, by which LATIS sutures are dried under tension on a suspended platform, has been shown to decrease control suture strength, but restore the strength of chemically treated LATIS sutures to the level of control sutures or above. These promising results suggest that follow-up work with chemical cross-linkers may produce the increases in LATIS wet strength that are needed for its implementation in deeper tissue surgeries.
ContributorsChang, Andy (Author) / Rege, Kaushal (Thesis director) / Goklany, Sheba (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05