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.

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.

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.

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 Plagiarism is defined as using someone else's published or unpublished work and copying their ideas as your own without citing the source.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.

  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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Tropical forests, including the biodiverse Brazilian Atlantic Forest, are crucial for global climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. Conservation efforts seek to regenerate these forests, although herbivory can pose a threat to these secondary succession forests. Previous work suggests that plant diversity can influence herbivore communities, which can influence plant condition and performance. This paper explores the impact of plant neighborhood diversity on herbivory rates and arthropod communities in experimental early-successional tropical forests in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pioneer plant community assembly experiments conducted in deforested areas adjacent to fragments of Brazilian Atlantic Forests reveal that higher plant neighborhood diversity correlates with lower herbivory rates and greater arthropod species richness, although plant diversity had no impact on arthropod abundance. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how biotic interactions between plants, herbivores, and arthropod assemblages are shaped by plant neighborhood diversity, and therefore of community assembly processes.

FQA001 is a Vibrio fischeri that uses the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS). The T6SS mechanism is found on an operon with the AHH Nuclease alongside an Immunity Factor that protects FQA001 from its own T6SS. However, when the immunity factor is truncated, the effect on FQA001 utilization of T6SS is unknown. Preliminary results indicate that when competed with FQA001 with an intact immunity factor, the strain without one is dominated in proximity.

I am interested in analyzing the diverse outcomes in gender equality levels following the Arab Spring protests, as levels vary across the countries affected in the Middle East and North Africa region. I expect to observe this relationship because there exists a complex ability for political shocks like social movements to impact a society’s political and cultural arenas. In terms of tangible advances for women, demonstrations have been found to possess the capacity to create new political openings for gender-inclusive policy and women’s activism and leadership in the public sphere. Additionally, social movements can catalyze societal changes through their ability to influence public opinion, mobilize constituents, and empower certain peripheral groups, like women. I employ qualitative case studies to compare and contrast cases of varying protest intensity during the Arab Spring, and I observe how these occurrences manifested into varying outcomes in gender equality.

We present the Elliptica code for generation of initial data in simulated binary neutron star mergers. The relevant theoretical models of numerical relativity are described, and we demonstrate the generation of initial data for a simple binary neutron star system. Further, we analyze the accuracy of the numerical model it converges exponentially to the correct solution of Einstein's equations with respect to the computational grid size.

Cnidarians owe their success to endosymbionts of Family Symbiodiniaceae by providing hosts  energy via photosynthetic products. The phenomenon of bleaching is defined by the loss of these microalgae. Former collections of symbiotic cnidarians from the Indo-Pacific were reassessed with a modern multi-marker approach. Phylogenetic analysis identified multiple, independent groups of coevolution between host and symbionts, providing a better understanding of the evolution of this symbiosis, and revealing underlying host-symbiont association patterns critical to reef conservation.

The current study aims to examine the role that physical and mental well-being plays in falsely remembering information in both younger and older adults. Participants completed 4 memory tasks and well-being measures. Whereas older adults had better mental well-being, younger adults had better physical well-being; however, well-being was not related to their likelihood of falsely remembering stimuli. Results suggest that well-being varies between age groups but is not related to false memories. 

The aim of this project was to categorize anxiety, social, and cognitive behaviors in transgenic (Tg) Alzheimer Disease (AD) zebrafish to validate them as a viable model for AD. This was accomplished via light-dark, sociality, and novel object recognition tests that measured each behavior respectively. Anxiety and sociality behaviors in Tg fish deviated from predictions, while cognitive behaviors were consistent with predictions. These results create a foundation for future research involving these specific Tg fish.

Focusing on the impact of Ismael Rivera on Tego Calderón and Bad Bunny, this paper investigates the interplay of legacy, influence, and connections between these artists and their relationship with the Puerto Rican community. It explores the varied perceptions of Ismael Rivera's influence on Tego Calderón and Bad Bunny, as well as the connections perceived between Reggaetón and Salsa. Through case studies and oral histories, the research involves interviews with four individuals to gather insights on their connections with Salsa and Reggaetón, centering on the contributions of Ismael Rivera, Tego Calderón, and Bad Bunny.

Examined metabolic effects of a vegan diet (VD) on pregnant mice.Female-wild-type mice were fed a control diet (CD) or a VD (reduced-B12-content) for 18 weeks and bred twice. Body weights, glucose tolerance, and a marker of B12-insufficiency were measured.VD-mothers only displayed B12 insufficiency, while their female offspring sustained B12-insufficiency, glucose intolerance, and higher body weights. Greater impacts were observed in the second breeding attempt.B12-deficiency induced significant metabolic disturbances in the first generation.

Adenylosuccinate Lyase (ADSL) Deficiency is a rare disorder associated with severe neuromuscular symptoms that arise from unknown mechanisms. Disruption of adsl-1 function in C. elegans results in a distinct inability to regulate body bend angles during swimming movement. We use this locomotive phenotype to study the role of adsl-1 in neuromuscular coordination. Our results suggest neuromuscular coordination could be regulated by adsl-1 in the neuron rather than in muscle, tyramine signaling, or energy production alone.

Cognitive maps are regarded as 'internally represented schemas or mental models for particular problem-solving domains that are learned and encoded as a result of an individual's interaction with their environment' (Swan, 1997, p. 188). Cognitive maps can be viewed as an externalization of a schema encoded in a learner’s long-term memory. They are often used as media for constructive learning activities and as communication aids in lectures, study materials, and collaborative learning (Cafias et al.,2003).  This learning tool has become popular in various educational settings. However, the existing research has not fully explored the effectiveness of cognitive mapping as a learning tool nor analyzed its utility as an assessment tool in mathematics-particularly calculus.This study will report on the implementation and evaluation of a novel assessment, cognitive mapping, in a university calculus course (N = 40). We will investigate relationships between cognitive mapping performance and two major outcome variables: academic achievement and assessment self-efficacy.