Diseases displaying hypofrontality (e.g. depression, addiction) are among the most common. Both sleep and psychedelics are being explored to treat these diseases. We hypothesized they are working through serotonin 5-HT2A receptors that promote neuroplasticity and dendritic growth in the prefrontal cortex. We reviewed the literature to determine if support exists for this potential mechanism, because understanding it may improve treatments without the negative side effects like hallucinations or sleep deprivation. 

The first step of the project will be to understand the basic ideas of modeling as well as the simple theoretical arguments for the long-term behavior of the SIS model. Those arguments rely on a mix of explicit solutions, quantitative estimates, and the classical study of solutions in the neighborhood of steady states. As part of this first step, we implement numerical methods to illustrate the behavior of solutions to the deterministic SIS model.The final objective is to study an optimal control problem for an epidemic SIVS system. This model incorporates time-dependent and imperfect vaccination rates, which we attempt to optimize in terms of the balance of benefits-cost at the scale of the total population.

Cell walls are composed of many polymers and have great potential to be sources of energy. Extraction of proteins using a column from various plants and different classes of xylanases with cell wall substrate were used to analyze how well XIPs can inhibit the breakdown of cell walls. Results demonstrated that xylanase inhibitor proteins decrease xylanase activity.

Biomolecules assemble into membraneless structures called biomolecular condensates via phase separation. Little is known how condensates behave within a unique physicochemical environment in the cell: the mitochondrion. Here, we develop quantitative image analysis pipelines using Python to study the phase behavior of optogenetically-induced condensates within live mitochondria at super-resolution. We show that these opto-droplets are relatively small, ~200 nm, and have signatures of non-equilibrium fluctuations, which sheds light on the behavior of endogenous mitochondrial condensates.

Perennial crops have been shown to reduce annual weed populations, but do diverse perennial forage mixtures affect weed seed mortality in the soil seedbank? Treatments include monocultures and mixtures of alfalfa, chicory, and orchard grass and their impact on buried pigweed and velvetleaf weed seeds. Preliminary results suggest that composition and diversity did not significantly affect weed seed viability.  However, higher proportions of alfalfa biomass in a mixture correlated with decreased pigweed viability.

Bacterial lipoproteins are recognized by the human immune system receptor TLR2, resulting in a response dependent upon the acylation pattern of the N-terminal cysteine residue. Gram-positive Firmicutes, a dominant phylum of the gut microbiome, demonstrate a wide variation of lipoprotein acylation patterns. Bifidobacterium breve is a member of the Firmicutes associated with anti-inflammation. Characterizing unknown lipoprotein acylation patterns and associated enzymes can lead to distribution of new probiotic species to treat symptoms of inflammatory diseases. 

Variability in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oxycodone in pediatric surgery could be due to genetic polymorphisms. The association between clinical outcomes and pharmacogenes in 89 children undergoing major surgery was studied. Polymorphisms in OPRM1, PXR, COMT and ABCB1 were shown to be associated with average morphine equivalent dose, length of hospital stay and maximum surgical pain. This study demonstrated novel associations between the above pharmacogenes, oxycodone’s pharmacokinetics, and postoperative outcomes in children.

RNA Binding Motif Protein 8a (RBM8A), a component of the exon junction complex, plays a crucial role in neurodevelopmental disorders by regulating gene expression at various levels. While expressed in neurons and astrocytes, RBM8A's specific role in GFAP-positive astrocytes remains unclear. To investigate, we created a conditional heterozygous knockout (KO) mouse line targeting Rbm8a in astrocytes. Reduced RBM8A expression correlated with increased mobility and altered anxiety, revealing the potential role of Rbm8a in neurodevelopmental disorders.

  Adam B. Feinstein1, Christine K. Bowlus1, Matthew Studinski1, Jocelyn M. Delgado1, Jigar Gosalia1, Swapan Mookerjee2, David N. Proctor1. 1Penn State University, University Park, PA, 2Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA Over 15 million people in the U.S. are prescribed cardio-selective beta blockers. However, whether β1-blockade impacts myocardial oxygen demand in combination with the perception of effort during large muscle dynamic exercise has not been explored. PURPOSE: To assess the effects of a cardio-selective beta blocker, esmolol (E), infusion during moderate (MOD) and heavy (HVY) intensity cycling exercise on rate pressure product (RPP) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in young, healthy women. We hypothesized that RPP would be lower and RPE would be higher during E compared to saline (S) treatment conditions during dynamic exercise in young women. METHODS: Thirteen healthy, normally active younger (20-32 yrs) women performed very light (20W warm-up), MOD (85% of estimated lactate threshold, LT) and HVY (50% between LT and the respiratory compensation point) recumbent leg cycling exercise during IV infusion of S and E in randomized order (45 min apart) on a single study visit. Heart rate (HR), brachial blood pressure (BP, automated cuff), RPE (Borg Scale), and VO2 (indirect calorimetry) were measured during the fourth minute of each intensity. RPP (HR x systolic BP) was calculated. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to determine differences in RPP, RPE, and VO2 across intensities and treatments. RESULTS: A significant interaction effect for intensity*treatment on RPP was found. Pairwise comparisons revealed that RPP was significantly lower in MODE compared to MODS (12703±1809 vs 15954±3432, p<0.001) and HVYE compared to HVYS (16433±1864 vs 22155±4041, p<0.001). RPP was not different at rest (6782±1030 vs 7297±1273, p=0.066). A significant effect of both intensity and treatment was found on RPE, pairwise comparisons showed RPE in HVYE was greater than HVYs (14.7±1.4 vs 14.0±1.3, p=0.011). There was no effect of treatment on VO2. CONCLUSION: These findings confirm the myocardial demand lowering effects of β1-blockade in healthy humans and demonstrate perceived effort increases during high intensity exercise. SIGNIFICANCE/NOVELTY: The beneficial effects of β1-blockade drugs may be complicated by the increased perception of effort during exercise, likely due to reduced oxygen delivery to active muscle.  Supported by NIH Grant R21 AG054940

Mathematical applications and websites have been used by students to find solutions to mathematical problems. Plagiarism is defined as using someone else's published or unpublished work and copying their ideas as your own without citing the source. Students who copy down solutions without crediting the sources are guilty of plagiarism in mathematics. The research presented here attempts to understand why mathematical applications and websites are utilized and what students define as plagiarism in mathematics.

Streptococcus mitis is an opportunistic pathogen that is resistant to common antibiotics. The Keiler Lab has identified 46 small molecule inhibitors that block the trans-translation pathway in bacteria. KKL-35, a small molecule inhibitor, was found to be active at 2.5 µM in a S. mitis culture. An in vitro trans-translation assay would be able to confirm if MBX-4204 inhibits trans-translation in S. mitis, and therefore would be a good antibiotic candidate.

Adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency (ASLD) is an inborn error of purine metabolism that causes severe neurological and muscular symptoms in humans and does not currently have viable treatments. Symptoms of the disorder include psychomotor delay, autistic characteristics, and seizures. Having previously established C. elegans as a model for ASLD, we are now interested in testing the use of the drug Malathion as a potential treatment for the disorder.

Realizing the potential of nitro-compounds to reduce ruminant enteric methane emissions, my objective was to research and obtain various natural sources of nitro-compounds that have the potential to be developed into ruminant livestock feed supplements. I researched several plant, bacterial, and fungal species as potential sources of the nitro-compound 3-nitro-1-propionic acid (3-NPA). I will present possible sources and biochemical pathways that will be useful targets to explore the synthesis of 3-NPA through further genetic manipulations.