¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï

For previous Volumes not featured here, please contact our office: Contact

• Volume 18

  Research Articles

  Jacob Lee

  Abstract: Acyl peptide hydrolase (APEH) activity is important for normal cellular function. APEH activity is lower in many different diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Type II Diabetes. Therapeutic activators of APEH are of interest because they may increase cytoprotective mechanisms. Based on the paper by Izishaki, et. al., tea extracts can activate APEH. In this work, additional teas were tested to see if the published results could be replicated and to extend the work by finding additional activators. Tea extracts were brewed and then tested in vitro to determine the APEH activity. Winter spice tea was the only activator in the teas tested and a dose curve was obtained.

  Kathryn Hales

  Abstract: College students deal with a lot of stress, and it can impact their college experience and success. This mixed-methods study helps explain how current Weber State students’ communication with their faculty are affected by stressors. Students responded to a survey answering questions about how they experience and respond to stress and communicate in the classroom, and interviews were conducted to gain more depth on what instructors do that are helpful or not to relieve stress in the classroom.

  Ben Cornwall; Ethan Mayfield; Rebekah Nilson; Tara Tankersley; Ryan Brown; and Jon Henriod

  Abstract: Contaminants in drinking water can be invisible and deadly. ¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï (¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï) has pipe material capable of leaching heavy metals into drinking water. We built a geochemical reaction model to predict metal concentrations based on pipe material and length, then measured actual concentrations of metals in water in buildings of interest. We found lead, copper, zinc, and iron levels below Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) federal action limits.

  Kayden Kawaguchi; Krimson Anderson; Kenley Stanger; Sophie Trafelet; Kami Nalder; Jessika Tobey; Brody Manore; and Carie Frantz

  Abstract: The Great Salt Lake’s hypersaline environment sustains migratory birds, international aquaculture, and unique microbialite reefs. Historic lake level fall from 2021–2022 subjected microbialites to desiccation, with consequences for the lake ecosystem. Summer 2023 saw lake level rebound over five feet, presenting an opportunity to understand the recovery of desiccated microbialites as salinity returned to normal. We collected core samples of microbialites at different lake depths, representing varied durations of submergence to assess the health and recovery of microbial communities. Pigment analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of these samples indicate that microbialites resubmerged for several months show partial recovery of the surface microbial community, expanding on previous research indicating the same over shorter timescales.

  Jordan Brown; Ben Cornwall; and Colten St. John

  Abstract: Candida albicans along with other pathogenic Candida species, especially C. auris, are becoming multidrug resistant and are spreading at alarming rates, especially through hospitals. This is especially of concern to immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients. Filastatin is a drug that has not yet been approved for human use but has been found to uniquely inhibit adhesion of C. albicans to the surface of several biomaterials and human cells. This study assessed filastatin’s ability to inhibit the adhesion of other pathogenic Candida species. Our research determined that filastatin causes a significant reduction in biofilm production among the Candida species tested and should be further investigated as a viable option for treatment, prevention of infection, or as a biofilm inhibiting coating on medical devices.

  Cameron Clark; McLayne Arnold; Ben Laughter; and Misia Farnsworth

  Abstract: Trypanosoma cruzi is an extracellular blood parasite that is primarily transmitted via the reduviid bug in South and Central America. Rarely, it can be transmitted through donated blood products. Although the incidence of trypanosomiasis acquired through blood transfusion is rare, warming temperatures may cause the northern migration of the reduviid species, creating an opportunity for the parasite to infiltrate blood products from asymptomatic donors in other areas. This research was conducted in order to determine a cold storage temperature in which T. cruzi viability in donated blood units would be reduced. A manual hemocytometer was initially utilized to determine viability and parasite counts at various time intervals in cold storage. The use of the hemocytometer for the manual count resulted in values of low statistical significance combined with a laborious procedure. Flow cytometry was later explored in an attempt to detect parasites in inoculated blood based on size and complexity. Control parameters were established, however, when simulated patient blood samples were tested, these parameters were lost due to background scatter. Parasites were not identified clearly within the overlapping cell populations. Although the results of this experiment were inconclusive, flow cytometry has the potential to detect live T. cruzi in blood donor samples once proper differentiation of cell populations is achieved.

  Alexandra Kelley; Angelina Macwan; and Wanutchaporn Sonsawat

  Abstract: Candida auris (C. auris) has recently become a cause for concern in healthcare facilities worldwide due to its ability to cause severe infections and its resistance to a limited arsenal of antifungals, including azoles, amphotericin B, and echinocandins. Utilizing a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, it may be possible to eliminate C. auris without the need to rely on antifungals and can potentially eliminate antifungal-resistant fungi. However, little research has been done regarding utilizing RNP mechanisms to abrogate
  resistance or promote apoptosis in multi-drug resistant yeast such as C. auris. The objective of this research is to identify potential genes necessary for crucial cellular function and study the effects of manipulating these genes to see if the changes will lead to the elimination of C. auris without the use of antifungal drugs. Two groups of C. auris isolates—one control and one modified—will test the hypothesis. The control group of C. auris will contain an off-target green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the experimental modified group will consist of C. auris with ADE2, a housekeeping gene, as a target via an RNP complex. Both the control and experimental groups will undergo incremental culturing to effectively monitor growth pre- and post-transfection in varying organism concentrations.

  Angelina Macwan, MLS (ASCP)CM

  Abstract: Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) can withstand various environmental stresses due to spore and biofilm formation. Rice is often contaminated with B. cereus spores during the harvesting and processing stages. In many countries, cooked rice is stored at room temperature for prolonged periods and may be consumed days later, increasing the potential pathogenic risk of B. cereus. Commercial high-end decontamination processes are unavailable to individual households; hence, studying B. cereus growth under varying circumstances like pressure and storage temperatures using household appliances is essential. To test this hypothesis, rice inoculated with B. cereus spores was cooked using household cooking appliances (stovetop pot, pressure cooker, and Instant pot) and was incubated for twenty-four hours at three different temperatures (4 degrees Celsius, Room temperature, and 30 degrees Celsius). The post-cooking survival of the spores was estimated using the colony forming units (CFU) and flow cytometer. Spores’ survival was noticed by higher bacterial colonies and absolute count of spores on the stovetop-cooked rice, and the most negligible growth and count in the refrigerated rice, implying that pressure cooking is better than stovetop cooking, and storing rice at lower temperatures is better.

  Jennifer Nava; McKenna Hogan; and Braydon Pesnell

  Abstract: Clostridioides difficile (C.diff), a common healthcare-associated infection (HAI), is a gram-positive bacteria that causes life-threatening diarrhea (12,800 deaths in the US in 2017), especially in immunocompromised individuals. Patients who receive extensive broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment are at an increased risk of developing this infection and it is highly contagious in clinical environments. Despite it being primarily spread through exposure in hospitals, there are no standardized procedures between clinical settings on sanitizing surfaces after coming into contact with a patient who is positive for C.diff. The goal of this research is to compare cleaning procedures between healthcare facilities in different regions of the United States. Surveys will be sent to various medical facilities nationwide, categorized by region, inquiring about patient
  history and cleaning techniques. Their status of being a reporting versus a non-reporting state will also be evaluated to determine its effect on their overall cleaning procedures. Following their responses, each procedure will be evaluated on its efficacy in eliminating spores based on CDC guidelines and procedures using their cleaning supplies.

  Travel Abstracts

  Every year the Office of Undergraduate Research has the opportunity to send students to conferences all over the world to present their research. These students represent ¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï and our commitment to research and scholarly advancement. What follows is a summary of these industrious students and their hard work that they presented to the world.

  Locations Traveled: 

  San Diego, California
  Rochester, New York
  Boston, Massachusetts
  Gramado, Brazil
  Chicago, Illinois
  Denver, Colorado
  Albuquerque, New Mexico
  Pasadena, California
  Erfurt, Germany
  New Orleans, Louisiana
  Spokane,Washington
  Fort Hall, Idaho
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Spokane, Washington
  New York, New York
  Atlanta, Georgia
  National Harbor, Maryland
  San Francisco, California
  Chicago, Illinois
  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
  Orlando, Florida

• Volume 17 

  Research Articles

  Cecilia Gibby and Rebekah Nilson

  Abstract: In recent years, the water level at Great Salt Lake reached record breaking lows, exposing microbialite communities for the first time in recorded history. Subaerial conditions are bleaching these complex and keystone communities, making their future uncertain. This study asks: If the lake level rises and the now severely stressed microbial communities are re-submerged into water, will they recover their previous healthy state? By combining DNA and pigment extractions, we were able to quantify the degree of microbialite community recovery over the course of 40 days incubation in lake water. Our findings suggested that when microbialites are re-submerged, an exponential regrowth of these microbial communities can be found. This brings hope to the possibility of Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem recovering.

  Botao Cao

  Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between the exchange rate and the trade balance between the United States and Canada. Quarterly time series data from 1991(Q1) to 2021(Q4) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression method is used to examine the relationship between variables of interest. I find a positive but insignificant relationship between exchange rate and U.S.-Canada trade balance.

  Joseph Markin, Diana Mora, Davis Opheikens, Ashley Sargent, and Carson Wilkins

  Abstract: We have examined the many facets of the question of wind power development in Utah. We have researched topics such as Utah’s current growth rate of wind power output. We found that the rate we would need to adopt if we were to arrive at the output of maximum potential by 2050 is even less than the current growth rate of Texas.

  Calculating this output depends on a value we found in our research for viable land in Utah, determined by the Utah Renewable Energy Zones (UREZ) Task Force.

  Advancements in technology have increased rapidly as the need for renewable energy sources has increased. We determined based on the changes taking place in the technology industry that changing the wind turbine blades in Utah by 2026 would produce a cost-effective way to increase output.

  Offering clean electricity at a reasonable rate to customers is our goal. With great advancements in technology already being made, wind power has become increasingly reasonable. Our findings show that there is much to be improved in Utah for wind power, and a real opportunity to become a competitor in clean energy.

  Jacob Sandgathe, Kaydee Davis, and Jazmin Ramirez

  Abstract: With the spread of SARS-COV2 on the rise, healthcare providers are in search of a test that is rapid, accurate, and requires minimal training. The gold standard for SARS-COV2 is nucleic acid amplification testing (NAATs). The drawbacks to NAATs are high complexity laboratory tests with extensive sample preparation and specialized post-analytical determinations. While rapid antigen lateral flow immunoassays fulfill the needs that NATs cannot, rapid antigens tests have a higher limit of detection and thus miss a lot of positive samples. The goal of this project is to design a device that harnesses the sensitivity of genomic testing with the convenience of point-of-care testing. This can be accomplished with the specificity of the enzyme, CRISPR Cas-9, and with the sensitivity of graphene field-effect transistors, as shown in previous research detecting large gene deletions in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients (Hajian 2019). This project has been executed in phases. This abstract is for Phase I of the project.

  Cas-9 guide RNAs (gRNA) was designed with a proprietary search engine from Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and was ordered through IDT. D gRNAs were incubated in equimolar concentrations with deactivated and biotinylated Cas-9 to form two final ribonucleoproteins (RNPs). Fluorescent RNA probes were used to evaluate the binding affinity of the RNPs to on-target and off-target sequences. Three separate experiments were run in an attempt to optimize the assay, as no previous protocols were defined. The first RNP designed showed marginal binding affinity to on-target sequences, while the second RNP did not show any preference to on-target sequences. One of the limitations to the final results is that there were not enough sample replicates performed due to reagent shortages.

  Kaydee Davis, Jacob Sandgathe, and Jazmin Ramirez

  Abstract: The coronavirus SARS-CoV2 has caused a public health crisis throughout the world. It has caused nearly a million deaths in the U.S. alone in about two years (CDC, 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic has created demand for testing that is rapid, reliable, accurate, and cost effective while requiring minimal operator training. The current gold standard identification techniques for SARS-CoV2 are nucleic acid tests (NATs). The drawbacks to NATs include complicated sample processing, use of expensive instrumentation, need for highly-trained operators, and complicated post-analysis data interpretation.

  Our goal is to design a simple-to-operate device that does not require nucleic acid amplification and can be used in a variety of clinical settings. This can be accomplished using the specificity of the enzyme, CRISPR-Cas9, and the sensitivity of graphene field effect transistors (FETs). This project has 3 phases, and this research focuses on phase II: fabrication of the FET and peripheral circuitry. This phase will be followed by a validation phase. Many aspects of this project are rather novel, but this research builds off previous fabrication applications and validation methods.

  The final product is a complete, wire-bonded circuit in which a potentiostat measures the current running through a sample-containing FET integrated with CRISPR-Cas9 proteins. The device can screen samples for the detection of SARS-CoV2. Presence of the virus in a sample should be evident via a significant change in current running through the device; absence of the virus should show no such change. Unideal phase I data, which failed to prove accurate binding of the CRISPR-Cas9 proteins, and imperfect experimental methodologies in phase II led to suboptimal measurement results. However, the proof of concept provides promising potential for future research and experimentation.

  Skylar Dearden, Tyler Calder, and Easton Van de Walle

  Abstract: COVID-19 associated coagulopathy (CAC) was found in more than 70% of non- survivors of COVID-19. CAC is when blood clots in the vasculature of the lungs, causing damage and eventual organ failure. The goal of this study was to determine the effect on von Willebrand factor (vWF) in pulmonary artery endothelial cells when stimulated with interleukin- 6 (IL-6). The cytokine IL-6 compromises vascular endothelial cell membrane integrity causing a release of vWF, a protein that mediates blood clotting; both IL-6 and vWF are increased in CAC. Cell cultures in 105 concentrations made from primary endothelial cells were exposed to several concentrations at different time periods. Each combination was done in triplicate. The supernatant was extracted, and the cells were lysed for RNA collection. This was then amplified and the rate of vWF was measured via reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). It was hypothesized that the samples with the highest concentrations of IL- 6 and longest incubation time would show an increased vWF when compared to other combinations. Our results showed that the majority of our PCR samples failed to amplify, and our experiment cannot provide further insight into the causes of CAC and potential treatments at this time.

  Amy Z. Lund and Ryan C. Kohli

  Abstract: Blood transfusion is a strictly monitored field of laboratory medicine with multiple regulatory bodies in charge of establishing and enforcing standards for the collection, testing, and transfusion of blood products. However, there are few standards in place for the increasingly popular blood product low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB). The lack of robust standards for the collection, testing, and transfusion of LTOWB forces facilities utilizing this blood product to establish their own practices, thus leading to inconsistencies from one facility to another. This survey illustrates the degree of variation in those practices and clearly demonstrates the need for the regulatory bodies to establish and enforce standards to ensure the consistency and safety of LTOWB products–no matter the facility. Additionally, the survey provides data as to what the majority of facilities’ current practices are, which can be used as a resource for establishing standards for all participating facilities to adopt.

  Sydney Boyer, Coleman Barnson, Ariel Laub, and Aubree Wood

  Abstract: The food industry uses colored dyes to improve the appearance of their products. Many colorants have not been adequately tested for carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and hypersensitivity. Normal flora of the oral and gastrointestinal systems is exposed to foods, medications, and cleansers manufactured with dyes. Disruptions in the indigenous microbiota may increase susceptibility to infections. Brilliant Blue, Allura Red, Tartrazine, and Curcumin dyes were added to aerobic and anaerobic normal flora of the oral and gastrointestinal tracts to study possible effects on growth and dysbiosis of the microbiome. The most significant results included Allura Red decreasing the growth rates of P. acnes and S. pyogenes, with p-values of 2.7E-8 and 4.2E-7, respectively. Tartrazine decreased the growth rates of E. coli and P. acnes with p-values of 2.2E-16 and 4.9E-6. The growth rate of P. acnes was increased by Curcumin and Brilliant Blue; p-values of 0.038, 0.042. The dyes were also tested for mutagenic properties through the Ames test. Brilliant Blue showed similar mutagenicity to the positive control, ethidium bromide. No other dyes had significant mutagenic properties. In conjunction, no single dye affected all the bacteria. Some dyes decreased the growth rate while others increased it. Some bacteria experienced no change in growth with any dye.

   

  Travel Abstracts

  Every year the Office of Undergraduate Research has the opportunity to send students to conferences all over the world to present their research. These students represent ¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï and our commitment to research and scholarly advancement. What follows is a summary of these industrious students and their hard work that they presented to the world.

  Locations Traveled: 

  Boston, Massachusetts
  Washington D.C.
  Albuquerque, New Mexico
  San Diego, California
  Denver, Colorado
  Kobe, Japan
  Pasadena, California
  San Francisco, California
  Phoenix, Arizona
  Rochester, New York
  Las Vegas, Nevada
  Sandy, Utah
  Gramado, Brazil
  New Orleans, Louisiana
  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  Boulder, Colorado
  Boise, Idaho
  Minneapolis, Minnesota
  Alexandria, Virginia

• Volume 15 & 16 (Coming soon)

  Access Volume Here

   

  Research Articles

  Article 1: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 2: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 3: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 4: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 5: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 6: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 7: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

  Article 8: 

  Author

  Abstract: 

   

  Travel Abstracts

  Every year the Office of Undergraduate Research has the opportunity to send students to conferences all over the world to present their research. These students represent ¶¶Òô³Ô¹Ï and our commitment to research and scholarly advancement. What follows is a summary of these industrious students and their hard work that they presented to the world.

  Click here for Travel Abstracts

  Locations Traveled: