Matthew Zabik
Faculty Sponsor: Jeff Chiarenzelli, Geology
Inorganic Geochemistry and Drinking Water Quality of Groundwater in St. Lawrence County, New York
Groundwater quality in rural St. Lawrence County, New York is largely unknown. Potential, however, exists for natural inorganic trace element and metal contamination. The first phase of this pilot study, completed in August 2007, sampled groundwater from 60 wells and springs in 16 of the 33 county municipalities. Obtained from homeowners who answered a questionnaire, samples were analyzed for 72 inorganic metal and trace elements using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Results imply that the countyâs groundwater is generally of good quality with three wells exceeding the U.S. EPA Primary Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic (10.2 ppb), copper (1435.1 ppb), and uranium (30.6 ppb), respectively. Nuisance metals such as manganese (n = 6) were sometimes present at concentrations that may aesthetically alter drinking water and are above EPA Secondary MCLs. A GIS geodatabase used to model and analyze trends shows potential for geochemical differences between the carbonate-rich Paleozoic rocks of the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the Precambrian crystalline rocks of the Adirondack Lowlands and Highlands. Because glacial and fluvial deposits vary in thickness, deriving correlations between bedrock and groundwater geochemistry are difficult without accurate well depth measurements and boring logs. Above background levels of boron (1191 ppb), lithium (32.2 ppb), and strontium (8214.86 ppb) in groundwater near the Powerâs Farm tourmaline deposit and elevated concentrations of arsenic near the St. Lawrence Lowlands-Adirondack Lowlands boundary suggest that groundwater studies may be an effective tool for understanding the distribution of minerals and rock units in this area despite the glacial cover.
Brian Chamberlain
Faculty Sponsor: Patti Frazer Lock, Mathematics
Modeling the Environmental Effects of Harvesting in Newfoundland Fisheries
In this paper, we provide an introduction to mathematical models of population growth and decline. We extend the models to examine the impact of different levels and types of harvesting and we discuss environmentally sustainable methods of harvesting. We look specifically at the catastrophic impact of overfishing in Newfoundland cod fisheries, once one of the richest fisheries in the world.
Margot Brooks
Faculty Sponsor: Erika Barthelmess, Biology
ROADS TAKE THEIR TOLL: THE IMPACT OF TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS ON MAMMALS IN NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE
Roadways in the United States stretch more than 13 million km. Road construction has destroyed more than 5 million hectares of wildlife habitat. Road construction and vehicular traffic impact wildlife indirectly by altering the chemical and physical environment in which animals live and directly through automobile collisions with wildlife. In this study we set out to assess the impact of vehicle collisions on mammal populations. We conducted road surveys to measure the level of vehicle-induced mortality and to determine whether there were non-randomly distributed areas with high road kill frequencies (mortality âhotspots). Further, we experimentally tested whether the presence of road-killed animals on the road attracts scavengers and thus results in higher road mortality rates. The minimum average vehicle-induced mortality rate was 10 mammals per week (actual value likely at least 3 times higher). About 50% of road kills were Rodents, 30% Carnivores, 13% Lagomorphs, 5% Artiodactyls and 2% other mammals. The presence of dead animals on roadways did not increase the mortality rate of scavengers. Unlike the case for some amphibians and reptiles, we detected no obvious hotspots of road mortality. Factors determining the locations and rates of road mortality are likely species specific, making generally applicable mitigation strategies difficult.
Christopher Neill
Faculty Sponsor: Erika Barthelmess, Biology
Seasonal Den Use of the North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in Northern New York State
North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) are distributed across a wide variety of habitats. Unlike some of their rodent counterparts of a similar size (e.g. woodchucks, Marmota monax) porcupines remain active year-round and survive the winter months by relying on fat reserves and a nutritionally poor diet of tree bark. In northern New York, porcupines occur most abundantly in northern hardwood forests, and use primarily three types of dens: underground burrows in rocky substrate (rock dens), cavities in trees (tree dens) or occasionally the canopy of hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) trees (roost trees). We monitored a representative group of each type of den between June 2007 and May 2008 with temperature loggers to determine thermal characteristics of each den type across seasons. At each den, we placed one logger in the den cavity and a second logger adjacent to the den to measure ambient temperature. We also monitored porcupine activity at each type of den via camera traps set near den entrances. We also characterized habitat around each den in our study areas. Typical summer average minimum den temperatures were 11.25°C and average maximum den temperatures were 23.32°C. Comparing among den types, roost trees were coolest and tree dens were warmest in the summer but the magnitude of difference between den types was only about 2 degrees. Typical winter average minimum den temperatures were -15.37°C and average maximum den temperatures were -1.14°C. Comparing among den types, roost trees were coolest and rock dens were warmest in the winter and the magnitude of difference between den types was about 4 degrees. In general, porcupine activity was highest between 00:00 h and 03:00 h and lowest between 12:00 h and 15:00 h. Cold temperature did not appear to inhibit nocturnal activity by porcupines.
Jessa Davis
Faculty Sponsor: Aswini Pai, Biology
INDIGENOUS TREATMENT OF MALARIA: AN ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY OF
In much of rural Africa, the cure and treatment of Malaria relies on traditional herbal medicine and healing practices. Many of these herbal medications have shown promising futures as pharmaceuticals and are currently under investigation both in vitro and in vivo. Ewaso-Narok, a rural community in Kenya has a high incidence of malaria. Much of the population composed of immigrant members from several tribes still use traditional herbal medicine to treat malaria. For this study we conducted twenty-four household interviews and three key informant interviews about various remedies and species used. We conducted a market survey to examine the availability of antimalarial remedies. A vegetation survey was conducted to examine availability and population status of herbal raw materials and species at harvest sites. Ewaso-Narok uses 30 different species used for treating malaria. Most remedies were consumed as teas either alone or in conjunction with other medicinal species or allopathic medications. While some remedies are purchased from markets, many are harvested from the wild. At least eight species have proven efficacy or a projected efficacy from phytochemical trends within botanical families. Several of the species in use suggest potential therapeutic properties against malaria rather than a mere placebo effect. Indigenous methods of malaria treatment should be further investigated using bioassays. They may have potential for further pharmaceutical investigation for novel compounds.
Kristen Ehringer
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Robin Lock, Statistics
The Price is Right: Using Monte Carlo Simulation to Price Stock Options
Simulations are used to imitate real-life situations when other analyses are too mathematically complex or too difficult to compute. The Monte Carlo method of simulation generates values for uncertain variables over and over again to simulate a model. The Monte Carlo simulation can be applied to many financial applications, such as the pricing of options. In the case of European options, there exists a formula, known as Black-Scholes, to price these options based on several assumptions and the results for the Monte Carlo simulation will be compared to those of the Black-Scholes equation. In addition to pricing European options, other more complex options that do not have equations to price their value will also be priced using the Monte Carlo simulation.
Isaac Noyes
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Biology
Tissue Localization of TRP-1 Ca2+ channels in C. elegans
Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are a multifaceted family of plasma membrane calcium channels expressed in many organisms. Although mutations in these channels have been linked to multiple human diseases, the physiological role of most identified TRP channels remains unknown. Studying the TRP-1 channel in C. elegans can help further our understanding of the role of other TRP family members in health and disease states. The aim of the present study was to determine the tissue-specific localization of TRP-1 channels in adult C. elegans using immunohistochemical methods. Immunohistochemistry involves the use of fluorescently-tagged antibodies to detect specific proteins. In order to bind to proteins within worm tissues, antibodies must be able to penetrate the tough outer cuticle of the nematode. We modified and adapted a protocol to breakdown this cuticle via freeze-cracking and exposure to hydrogen peroxide to achieve mechanical and chemical disruption, respectively. Once the cuticle was permeabilized, worms were stained with antibodies using standard immunohistochemical techniques and TRP channel expression was observed using confocal microscopy.
Katherine Craig
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Carolyn Johns, Environmental Studies
Composting Proposal for St. Lawrence University
With a commitment to environmental sustainability as a core value at St. Lawrence University, large-scale composting is a practical way of reducing the Universityâs ecological footprint and should be considered a serious endeavor. My project investigates the practicality of composting food and landscaping waste from the St Lawrence University campus. Two site visits, each with a detailed interview, were made to institutions of approximately the same population size as St. Lawrence: Riverview Correctional Facility and Middlebury College. Composting scale, methodologies, and costs for these institutions were compared and analyzed for feasibility on our campus. My report recommends that St. Lawrence begin composting food waste from Dana Dining Hall. Food waste can be transported to a site located across from the St. Lawrence Riding Stables on Rt. 56. The food waste can be mixed with landscaping and barn waste that are already stacked at the described site. After mixing, the compostable material decomposes in windrows which are actively aerated using a University-owned front loader. The finished compost product can be used to supplement landscaping mulches on campus or made available to the broader Canton community for use in home gardens. Requisite equipment, labor, and costs estimates are provided and support feasibility of implementation on campus.
Kirk Donovan
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Biology
Other Participants: Susanne Pritchard '08
AIF/PAR-Polymer Apoptosis Activation in Rat Hippocampal Neurons Under Conditions of Ischemia
Cerebral ischemia, or stroke, is characterized by a decreased blood flow to the brain. If long lasting, neurological function can be impaired due to largely irreversible cell death in specific regions of the brain. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an essential method of cell regulation in most multi-cellular organisms. After a trigger, such as stroke, numerous cascading biochemical pathways activate to kill the cell without affecting the surrounding tissue. The aim of this study was to use confocal microscopy to test the hypothesis that the AIF/PAR-polymer apoptotic pathway is activated in the mouse hippocampus under conditions of ischemia. While cell death in the hippocampus under ischemic conditions has been characterized for decades, it is not entirely clear if apoptosis is the cause of death in some cells. In the pathway we studied, the PARP-1 enzyme creates poly(ADP-ribose) polymers (PAR) following DNA damage. These PAR polymers release Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF) from the mitochondria, which then instigates large-scale DNA fragmentation in the nucleus resulting in cell death. Initial results indicate that brain sections not exposed to ischemic conditions did not have an upregulation of the AIF/PAR-polymer pathway, as expected. Under ischemic conditions, there was a significant increase in AIF translocation to the nuclei of hippocampal cells, suggesting that apoptosis might contribute to hippocampal cell death. Elucidating the molecular details of apoptotic pathways involved in ischemic cell death could aid in the creation of novel drugs to reverse or lessen the effects of the pathway.
Laura Daley
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Schuckers, Statistics
Chance vs. Skill: Assessing Shootouts in the NHL
The shootout was adopted by the NHL in the 2005-06 season. It is used in the event of a tie after five minutes of overtime, in which case three players are named for the shootout. If after the three shooters are done a tie still remains, the game goes into a âsudden deathâ where the game will not end until each team has taken the same amount of shots. With this change, ties are eliminated from NHL competition. This investigation looks at the shootout in the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 NHL seasons. We analyze results for shooters and goalies to determine the probability of scoring and whether it differs significantly from player to player.
Meaghan Guckian
Faculty Sponsor: Alan Searleman, Tom Greene, Psychology
Famous Male Voices: Influencing Tip-of-the-Tongue Frequency with Faces
The Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) state can be described as a feeling of knowing something for sure, but not being able to immediately recall the information. In this study we examined the effect of accompanying faces on eliciting TOT states in a voice recognition task. Participants heard a series of 20 famous male voices in one of four conditions: control, facilitate, close blocker, and distant blocker. In the control condition the voice appeared alone whereas in the facilitate condition the voice was presented with the corresponding face. In the close blocker condition, participants viewed the face of a person similar to the actual speaker. In the distant blocker condition, the face presented was of a person highly dissimilar. On each trial, participants indicated how confident they were in knowing the voice, reported if they were experiencing a TOT state, and tried to correctly identify the speaker. The results showed significant main effects for confidence ratings, TOT states, and voice identification as a function of the four conditions. Participants had the highest confidence ratings in the facilitate condition, were most likely to subjectively experience a TOT state in the control condition, and had the most number of correct voice identifications in the facilitate condition. Particularly interesting was the finding that participants were also significantly more likely to misidentify the speaker as the close blocker than the distant blocker. The maximum number of TOT states, in contrast to expectations, occurred in the control rather than the blocking conditions.
Christopher Meyer
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. T. Greene, Dr. A. Searleman, Psychology
On the Tip- of- the -Tongue: Using Names to Influence Recognition of Famous Male Voices
The Tip- of- the-Tongue (TOT) phenomenon occurs when a person cannot recall some information but is absolutely sure that he knows it. This study worked to elicit the TOT state by having participants listen to 20 voices of famous males. The voices occurred in one of four different conditions: a control condition (the voice alone), a facilitate condition (the correct name was presented along with the voice), a close blocker condition (the name of a very similar person appeared with the voice), and a distant blocker condition (the name of a person who was quite dissimilar was presented with the voice). For each trial, participants rated their confidence in knowing the voice, whether or not they were in a TOT state, and tried to identify the speaker. The results revealed significant differences for the four conditions in terms of confidence, number of subjective TOT states achieved, and in the number of voices correctly identified. In the facilitate condition the confidence ratings were highest, participants reported the lowest number of TOT states, and had the most correct voice identifications. Contrary to what the literature suggests, the highest number of TOT states occurred in the control condition rather than in the blocking conditions.
Shawn Golley
Faculty Sponsor: Aileen O'Donoghue, Physics
The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey: The Hunt For Galaxies
The Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey is a blind search for extragalactic emissions of neutral hydrogen (HI) covering 7,000 square degrees of the southern sky over a redshift range of -1,600 to 18,000 km/s. I continued the study of a swatch of sky between 11h43m and 11h53m of right ascension and 12d0m and 14d0m declination begun by Jamie Lomax '07. I used the NASA Extragalactic Database and the ALFALFA Consortium Catalog to flesh out the information about the sources of hydrogen found by Lomax. I began the process of looking at some of the particular structural features of this region, including the Hickson Compact Group of galaxies HCG 059. I also examined the process of hyperfine splitting within the hydrogen atom which produces emissions at a wavelength of 21 cm - the wavelength observed by the ALFA array at the Arecibo Telescope.
Sara Tully
Faculty Sponsor: Cynthia Lonsbary, Psychology
As the Relationship Turns: Implicit Theories of Relationships and Relationship Transitions
Implicit theories of relationships (ITRs) and relationship orientations were investigated in 65 undergraduate students currently involved in romantic relationships. Each person completed 5 weeks of diary data packets that obtained information about their relationships, including satisfaction, conflict, commitment, and if the relationship was terminated, distress. They also were assessed on their current ITRs. It was hypothesized that post-breakup distress would be moderated by ITRs such that those higher, compared to lower, in destiny belief would show the most distress when they are the non-initiators. It was also predicted that relationship orientations would vary as a result of satisfaction changes within the relationship. Currently, ITRs are usually viewed as being stable. This study may show that ITRs actually can fluctuate depending on different relationship factors.
Jamie Wolff
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Schuckers, Statistics
Performance Vs. Pick
Performance vs. Pick: A Study of the NBA Draft Jamie Wolff St. Lawrence University Millions of dollars are invested in the top draft picks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A significant amount of deliberation and analysis is put into determining which athlete to draft. When making this decision, what are the most important factors to consider? This investigation will explore any patterns of recent NBA drafts considered valuable and what would be the advantage, if any, in drafting at on pick over another. We will use NBA career statistics to assess draft-day decisions based on player productivity.
Andrew Ford
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Lock, Statistics
Estimating Atypical Baseball Career Trajectories
It is common in any sport for a player to continue improving throughout their career up until a certain point, at which their production will begin to fall. For example, the number of home runs a player hits generally rises until around age thirty, after which their number of home runs begins to fall. In this investigation we apply different curve fitting methods, such as loess and quadratic regression, to career statistics for individual baseball players to predict a typical career trajectory. Another question that has come up recently is whether or not the career trajectory of a certain baseball player matches that of the typical player. For example, the number of home runs a player hits could be affected by a number of different variables; ranging from being traded to a team that plays in a park with different field dimensions, to intense training in the off-season, medical enhancements, or even random chance. In our study we use statistical techniques to identify when a certain playerâs career trajectory differs significantly from that of the typical player.
Fraser Mackay
Faculty Sponsor: Dr, Nadia Marano, Chemistry
Characterizing the interactions between the protein HypF-N and liposomes composed of phosphotidylcholine and phosphotidylserine
Certain illnesses, among them Parkinsonâs and Alzheimerâs disease, are characterized by the formation of toxic amyloid and pre-amyloid fibril protein aggregates within cells and tissues. On the cellular level, these aggregates can disrupt major cell processes and, on the organismal level, cause harmful protein deposits in joints and organs. Recent research has shown that certain lipids with charged head groups incorporated into cell membranes affect and possibly catalyze the formation of amyloid fibrils in vitro from native protein. The mechanism by which this catalysis takes place is still unclear. HypF-N is a bacterial mutant protein that is pre-disposed to form amyloid fibrils similar in morphology to amyloid fibrils found in Parkinsonâs disease. Expression of HypF-N was attempted in BL21-D3 cells, but ultimately failed to produce usable protein upon analysis with western blotting. Analysis of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of previously made HypF-N upon exposure to liposomes composed of phosphotidylserine (anionic), phosphatidylcholine (neutral), and both lipids suggested that HypF-N is readily denatured by PS and mixed liposomes. Comparisons between liposome-mediated denaturation and guanidine hydrochloride-mediated denaturation are still underway. Thus far, observations suggest that lipid bilayers with PS and PS/PC compositions significantly denature amyloid-prone proteins, a proporsed first step in amyloid fibrillogenesis.
Kelly O'Connell
Faculty Sponsor: Emily Dixon, Biochemistry
Determining the Effect of ârpd3 on the Expression of GAP1 and the Mechanism of Rpd3 Binding in S. cerevesiae Upon Starvation
The small molecule rapamycin inhibits target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins which leads to several downstream effects reminiscent of nutrient depravation, or starvation. Because Saccharomyces cerevisiae are single-celled eukaryotes that are easy to manipulate genetically, they are an ideal model system for studying gene regulation in response to nutrient levels. Nutrient depravation leads to a dramatic change in the transcriptional program of S. cerevisiae. The gene that is most strongly activated following rapamycin treatment is GAP1. Also following rapamycin treatment, Rpd3, a histone deacetylase, becomes bound to the promoter of GAP1. It is widely known that histone deacteylases, HDACs, are required for the repression and, to a lesser extent, the activation of genes, but it is not known whether the rapamycin-induced regulation of GAP1 is dependent on the presence of Rpd3p. It has been suggested that the deletion of Rpd3 effect the recruitment of RNA polymerase II suggesting that ârpd3 may effect the expression of GAP1. Using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) data, we find that the deletion of rpd3 increased the level of expression of GAP1. Due to these effects of Rpd3 on GAP1 transcription, research on the mechanism of binding of Rpd3 to the promoter of GAP1 under starvation conditions is currently in progress.
Jason Coudray
Faculty Sponsor: Jon Rosales, Environmental Studies
Inventorying Green House Gas Emissions from St. Lawrence University
Green house gas (GHG) emissions released from St. Lawrence University were inventoried and evaluated so as to determine the overall carbon footprint of the campus and community since the 1999/2000 academic school year. This inventory was part of a year long independent research project evaluating St. Lawrence Universityâs level of sustainability. Under the American College and University Presidentâs Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) signed by President Sullivan in April of 2007, St. Lawrence University has pledged to become climate neutral in the effort to abate irreversible anthropogenic climate change and raise general public awareness of the issue. The data used in this inventory was collect from various sources both here on campus and from the local community. This information was input into a GHG calculation program develop by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a non profit organization that assists corporations and academic institutions to reduce their environmental impacts and become more sustainable. This project serves as a crucial first step towards the goal of carbon neutrality by determining the levels of GHG emissions created by St. Lawrence University during the time period of the 1999/2000 through the 2006/2007 academic years as required under the ACUPCC. Once the current 2007/2008 academic year officially ends in July, data for this final year will be added to the calculator to determine the Universityâs current emissions total. This value will serve as the starting point from which the university must eventually eliminate or offset all GHG emissions produced.
Kimberly Watcke
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. James Wallace, Psychology
Middle School Students and Organized Activities: Is Participation Related to Risky Behaviors?
What are the effects of participation in extracurricular activities? Are there benefits that extend beyond the activity itself? Are there unintended hazards associated with participation? Most of the research on these questions has focused on high school students and whether or not participation in extracurricular activities relates to academic achievement and drop out rates. The present study investigates the potential relationships between organized activities and risky behaviors in middle school students. Currently, 37 students from the 7th and 8th grade classes in Canton have been tested, and a similar number of Norwood Norfolk students will also be tested. All of the participants complete two surveys. An activities survey collects information such as: gender, grade level, birth date, the extracurricular activities in which the student participates, how much time is spent in each activity, and from which extracurricular activity do the studentâs best friends derive. On the risky behavior questionnaire, students indicate the frequency of their risky actions and the degree to which peers may have influence their decisions. Questions focus on both encouraged and discouraged risky behaviors. I am predicting that 1) the amount of participation in extracurricular activities will have an impact on risky behaviors, with the specific effect being related to the type of activity; and 2) the amount of time that is spent with peers will be a significant predictor of risky behavior. Consequently a leading indicator of engaging in either encouraged or discouraged risky behavior will be the category of activity from which the student has his or her best friends.
Drew Barber
Faculty Sponsor: Loraina L. Ghiraldi , Psychology
Effect of Stress and Propranolol on Spatial Learning and Memory in Mice
Research with rodents has revealed that mild stress can enhance the formation of learning and memory abilities. These effects may be attributed to the release of stress hormones, such as epinephrine and norepinpehrine, from the adrenal glands. The present study was designed to assess how the adrenergic receptor antagonist, propranolol, would affect spatial leaning and memory in stressed and non-stressed mice. Male mice were administered either propranolol (1.0 mg/kg) or saline. After a 30-min delay, half of the subjects in each drug condition were subjected to restraint stress in a pie-cage for 30 min. Immediately thereafter, mice were trained in a Morris-Type water maze and the latency to find the hidden platform was recorded. Acquisition training occurred over 4 consecutive days, with 4 trails per day. 48 h following the last training session, mice were tested in 2 trails for spatial memory. The average latency to platform was calculated for each test day. It was hypothesized that stressed animals treated with saline would perform the best (shortest latencies), while non-stressed animals treated with propranolol would perform the worst (longest latencies). Preliminary results (n = 4/ group) revealed a significant decrease in latency over test sessions, indicating that animals learned the location of the platform (p < .05). Although no significant effects of stress were found, non-significant trends in the direction of the predictions were observed for the drug treatment, in that subjects treated with propranolol had longer latencies than saline-treated subjects during the memory testing (p < .08).
Amanda Ouellette
Faculty Sponsor: Cynthis Lonsbary, Psychology
Terror Management Theory and Social Perceptions of Interracial Relationships: Have We Evolved or Stagnated?
Terror management theory attempts to explain how behaviors change when humans are forced to think about their own mortality. The current research explores how this theory relates to interracial relationships. Participants will be asked to set a bail amount for a couple who have been arrested for selling illegal drugs in order to save money for expensive fertility treatments. Participants will be randomly assigned to groups, one being shown a photo depicting a same race white couple, while the others will be shown a interracial couple. These participants will also be randomly assigned to a mortality salience or control group. It is expected that participants in the mortality salience group only will assign a higher bail amount to the interracial couple than the same race couple. An additional analysis of personality type and susceptibility to mortality salience effects will also be carried out based on findings from previous research exploring authoritarian personality types. It is expected that participants with authoritarian personality will react more negatively to the interracial couple when they are in the mortality salience group than those with other personality types. Participants will be recruited from psychology classes at St. Lawrence University. This experiment will help scientists understand the humanâs experiences as mortal creatures and how this realization is related to behaviors and relationships with others.
Ariel Riezenman
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ana Estevez and Dr. Lorraine Olendzenski, Biochemistry
Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression During Anoxia in C. elegans
In humans, periods of hypoxia (low oxygen) or anoxia (no oxygen) are associated with many diseases, including cancer, stroke and cardiac failure. During cerebral ischemia, for example, lack of oxygen due to a decrease in blood flow to the brain can cause severe brain damage if it lasts more than five minutes. A better understanding of the cellular changes occurring during oxygen deprivation will be important in increasing the survival rate for patients suffering from a stroke. The nematode C. elegans is an excellent model organism for these studies, because their neurons go through cell death pathways similar to humans and their entire genome has been sequenced. Importantly, C. elegans can also adapt to environments of anoxia by entering a state of suspended animation. The aim of the current study is to examine the changes in gene expression that occur during anoxic conditions in C. elegans. We are conducting DNA microarray analysis to identify neuronal genes that change expression (upregulated or downregulated) after exposure to 4 and 24 hours of anoxic stress. By analyzing the change in gene expression at both short term (4 hours) and long term (24 hours) exposures, we hope to be able to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms that enhance cell survival after anoxic stress in C. elegans.
Michael Seaman
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Matthew Skeels, Biochemistry
Utilizing Intrinsic Tryptophan Fluorescence in the Androgen Receptor: Characterizing an Intermediate in the Ligand Binding Process
Recent evidence suggests that the process of ligand binding in nuclear steroid receptors involves large conformational changes. It has been demonstrated that nuclear steroid receptors can transiently access an intermediate state, one which aids in the process of ligand binding and unbinding. The discovery of this intermediate has implications in drug design and discovery. The overarching goal of our work is to use the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the human androgen receptor ligand binding domain (AR-LBD) to search for and characterize a molten globular intermediate in the ligand binding process. Currently, preliminary data suggests that the AR-LBD can transiently access this intermediate state.
Lisa Romas
Faculty Sponsor: Brad Baldwin, Biology
Do wetlands increase the amount of mercury present in the biota of connecting streams in the Tug Hill region of upstate New York?
Mercury is a harmful contaminant and two-thirds of its presence is attributed to anthropogenic activities. In the northeastern United States, a significant amount of mercury is produced by coal-fired electric utilities in the Midwestern U.S and eventually deposited upon the landscape via atmospheric deposition. Once mercury is deposited in the terrestrial environment, it is transported to the aquatic environment mainly by hydrologic processes and the transport of allochthonous leaf debris. Mercury may also enter into wetlands, which serve many important functions, including the disintegration of harmful contaminants. Wetlands are major sites for the breakdown of inorganic mercury into its organic form, known as methylmercury. Unfortunately, methylmercury can bioaccumulate in individual organisms and biomagnify up a food chain, resulting in detrimental health effects. This study sought to assess the effect of wetlands on the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of mercury in the biota of outlet stream habitats in a suspected biological hotspot known as the Tug Hill region of upstate New York. Samples measured for total mercury (in ppm dw) included: autochthonous matter (periphyton and macrophytes), macroinvertebrates (herbivores, and predators), and fish (lower and higher trophic levels). Using ArcGIS, an index was created that took into account a siteâs distance from the closest upstream wetland and the area of upstream wetlands directly connected to the stream site. It was expected that total mercury levels would be directly related to the ratio of wetland area to distance.
Juan Medina
Faculty Sponsor: Bill DeCoteau, Psychology
Other Participants: Juan Medina
The Development of a Rodent Model of CO2- Induced Anxiety
Anxiety and panic attacks can be triggered by the inhalation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in both healthy individuals and patients with panic disorder (PD). PD patients report panic attack symptoms when administered a 35% CO2 challenge, and during continuous exposure of 5% CO2. This is especially true for individuals genetically predisposed to anxiety, which supports the idea that some forms of PD are physiologically-based. An animal model may be useful for understanding the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of PD, and could be employed as a screening tool in the search for novel therapeutic agents. The objective of this study was to assess a new mouse behavioral paradigm modeled after tests of human CO2-induced anxiety. The testing apparatus was a standard elevated plus-maze enclosed in a translucent, air-tight, Plexiglas box. The breathing environment within the box was monitored continuously by a capnometer and adjusted via a line of polyethylene tubing attached to a tank of compressed CO2. Male and female C57-BL/6 and CD1 mice were given successive 5-minute exposures to either room air or 5% CO2. Treatment order was counterbalanced across subjects. The second exposure was given 6 days after the first to minimize habituation to the apparatus. Exploration and other ethologically relevant anxiety behaviors (e.g., defecation and grooming) were monitored by an overhead digital camera attached to computer-controlled tracking software. Results will be discussed in terms of our hypothesis that all mice, irrespective or sex or strain, will show elevated levels of anxiety during 5% CO2 compared to room air exposure.
Lisa Weingates
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David E. Hornung, Biology
An Evaluation of the Female Axillary Response to Different Video Genres
An analysis of the smell of human axillary secretions suggests males perceive pornography as being more similar to an action video than to romantic or documentary films. In the present study, the hypothesis tested was that axillary secretions reveal the same perception holds for females. To test this, a golden-retriever was used to evaluate the similarities of axillary secretions. The dog was first trained to recognize a target pad worn while females viewed a pornographic video. After sampling three test boxes, the dog exhibited a sit/stay response in front of the box containing the target. Initially, the dog learned to correctly identify the target from unscented pads. Then, distracters, pads worn while the same subject watched the other genres of videos, were introduced as choices. An error analysis was used to judge the commonality between the distracters and the target. In other words, the more often the dog confused a particular distracter for the target, the more similar that distracter was assumed to be to the target. Unlike males, the axillary secretions females produced while watching the romantic video was more often confused with the target (p < 0.05). This observation leads to the new hypothesis that axillary responses produced while viewing pornographic videos are gender specific. Since an analysis of the changes in heart rate recorded while viewing the various video genres suggests the response is not simply related to cardiac acceleration, these results are at least consistent with the possibility that human axillary secretions may be âpheromone like.â
Brian Congiu
Faculty Sponsor: Jeff Chiarenzelli, Geology
An Investigation of the Water Quality of Lakes and Ponds in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, NY
Northern New York possesses a large number of lakes and ponds which are spread throughout geographically and geologically different areas and have differing susceptibility to shoreline development. This project investigated both the influence of residential shoreline development, as well as, geology of watersheds on the water quality of lakes and ponds in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, NY. The relationship between shoreline development and water quality degradation in water bodies was investigated in two phases. The first phase involved the construction of a geo-spatial model which ranked the susceptibility of water to water quality degradation. ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 software was used to spatially analyze data within a 200 meter buffer around the water body shorelines. Analyses within this buffer were conducted using the following parameters: degree of residential shore line development, degree of total development, water body area, surficial geologic material, impervious surface area, slope, and aspect. The water bodies were ranked by susceptibility as low medium or high. The second phase utilized the model results to select 12 representative water bodies for water quality testing. Each selected water body was tested by measuring biological and chemical parameters which included depth, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, specific conductivity, total dissolved solids, chlorophyll, secchi disk transparency, levels of nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, sulfate, and total chlorine. In addition, water samples from each water body were analyzed by ICP-MS for seventy two elements and used to evaluate the influence of geologic materials on lake water geochemistry.
Brian Congiu
Faculty Sponsor: Amanda Lavigne, Environmental Studies
Mapping Existing and Potential Forest and Grassland Biomass Resources in St. Lawrence County, NY
As energy costs continue to rise, alternatives to current residential and commercial heating fuel sources are increasing in popularity and demand. One alternative that has been adopted by many residents in St. Lawrence County (SLC) is the use of biomass pellets derived from wood or certain types of grasses in order to fuel stoves. As interest in pellet stove heating intensifies, the need for local biomass resources to produce pellets is predicted to increase. Since SLC possesses an abundance of forest and grassland as well as abandoned agricultural properties, creating an inventory of these lands has become a focus of the SLC Planning Office. This project, supervised by the SLC Planning Office, utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify the location and quantity of existing and potential forest and grassland biomass sources throughout the county. Suitable areas were identified using soil, elevation, cadastral, hydrographic, and land use data. Through a series of analyses involving numerous datasets, the land area of SLC was successively evaluated and refined to pinpoint specific areas capable of accommodating biomass resources. For instance, areas of actively farmed cropland, poor topological and soil characteristics, in close proximity to wetlands and water resources, and protected lands were removed from the inventory. The resulting areas of forest and grassland biomass resources were complied into a series of maps depicting their occurrence within both privately and publicly owned land. This inventory will be of importance should large scale, sustainable harvesting of biomass be considered for SLC in the future.
Jared Fostveit
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Lock, Statistics
Using Tournament Seedings to Predict the Results of the Accenture Matchplay Golf Championship
Scott Berry wrote an article in the magazine Chance in 2000 in which he used NCAA Menâs Basketball Tournament data from 1986-2000 to determine the likelihood of winning based on seeding, probabilities of each seed reaching each round and expected number of upsets per round. We further this approach to golf. For example, we use historical data to create a model that will predict winners of the World Golf Matchplay Championships. The golf tournament uses a 64-golfer bracket similar to NCAA basketball. We discover whether golf is more or less predictable than the âMadnessâ of March.
Amber Palumbo
Faculty Sponsor: Lorraine Olendzenski, Biology
The Effect of Multicolonial Fungi on Desert Rock Varnish
Desert rock varnish is an amorphous film on the surface of a rock due to exposure to an arid environment. Multicolonial fungi (MCF) might contribute to desert rock varnish by secreting organic acids to dissolve and redeposit manganese and iron. Rocks taken from near Death Valley, CA used in my study are granitic rocks, while the rocks found in Paramount Springs, CA are basaltic rocks. Using SEM, I am comparing bare rock surfaces, naturally varnished rocks and bare rock surfaces colonized by MCF isolates. Previously cultured MCFâs from these varnished rock samples were purified on Czapek antibiotic agar plates and inoculated onto unvarnished surfaces of autoclaved rock samples from both Death Valley and Paramount Springs. From SEM elemental composition analysis of both naturally unvarnished rocks, it is clear that silicone and oxygen dominate the varnish, followed by substantial levels of aluminum, manganese, and iron. The varnished specimens from Death Valley showed more manganese than the Paramount Springs samples. The elemental composition of the varnished samples proved to be dramatically different: Death Valley varnish contained a substantial amount of oxygen followed by significant amounts of iron and silicone, while Paramount Springs varnish contained substantial amounts of silicone followed by oxygen and showing very little evidence of iron. It is possible that MCFâs are more prevalent in the natural varnish from Death Valley sample because of the increased iron composition.
Vanessa Allen
Faculty Sponsor: Thomas Greene, Psychology
The Role of Music-Induced Mood on Creativity
Whether the domain is art, literature, science or music, authorities agree that creativity requires both original and worthwhile new arrangements of accumulated experiences. Researchers have also discovered significant, and sometimes complex, relationships between affective states and creativity. Music, unquestionably a domain for expressing creativity, is also one of the most common avenues for altering affective states in experimental investigations. In line with the past research, we hypothesized that positive affect (in this case, promoted by happy music) would elicit a greater variety of unique responses, but that participants would be less self-critical and responses would be of lesser quality. Participants completed a paper-and-pencil stress inventory and the first administration of Mednickâs Remote Associates Test (RAT) before the music mood induction began. Then they listened to either two happy or two sad songs (selected by a pretest group) while completing Guilfordâs Uncommon Uses task, a second RAT, a free-write paragraph and a âdroodles taskâ that asked them to name a series of ambiguous cartoons. Sad music did not significantly change negative imagery in the free write, but there were moderate facilitative effects on the number of RAT items generated, response latency and the number of unusual uses for familiar items. Responses may have resulted from the pace of the music rather than their affective tone because a post-test manipulation check found little affective difference between participants in the two treatment conditions.
Andra Kowalczyk
Faculty Sponsor: Bill DeCoteau, Psychology
Other Participants: Adam Benson, Mackenzie Ewing, Rebecca Klar
Basal Ganglia and High-Order Cognition: Effects of Ventral Striatum Lesions on Behavioral Flexibility
Learning is a complex process that often requires the flexible expression (or inhibition) of multiple forms of information. Prefrontal cortical regions are known to serve a critical role in such behavioral plasticity. For example, the prelimbic-infralimbic cortex is known to be recruited when rats are required to switch between response- and place-based forms of a plus-maze learning task. The prelimbic-infralimbic cortex may be but one component of a broader neural pathway governing such cross-modal decision-making. Recently, it has been reported that basal ganglia and limbic forebrain circuits in the rat interact dynamically during the acquisition and performance of a tone-turn, conditional discrimination task. The goal of this study was to assess the degree to which the limbic striatum sub-region of the rodent basal ganglia participates in processing different decision rules, learned successively. Rats received ibotenic acid or vehicle control injections into the ventral striatum and then, upon recovery, were trained successively on two types of plus-maze tasks. The two versions shared the same general behavioral parameters but differed in the type of learning cues used to solve each task. The "place task" called for the use of extra-maze spatial cues; the "response task" required the use of egocentric response cues. Task order was counterbalanced across subjects. Behavioral flexibility was measured by assessing how readily rats acquired one task after learning the other. Results will be discussed in terms of our hypothesis that ventral striatum lesions will impair flexible transfer from the first to the second task, irrespective of task type.
Jonathan Whicher
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Emily Dixon, Biochemistry
Determination of the role of Bmh1p and Bmh2p in Transcriptional Regulation of Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiea in a Low Nitrogen Source Environment
The Tor pathway in yeast regulates gene expression in response to nutrient availability (Beck, 1999). Rpd3p is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) utilized by the Tor pathway to bind gene promoters and inhibit transcription during limited nutrient conditions (Humphrey, 2004). However, the mechanism by which Rpd3p becomes localized at these gene promoters is unknown. Prior studies indicate that the 14-3-3 family of proteins bind to HDACs (Wang, 2000),(McKinsey, 2000),(Kao, 2001) and bind to cruciform DNA, which is found in many gene promoters (Callejo et al, 2002). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that 14-3-3 proteins, Bmh1p and Bmh2p in Saccharomyces cerevisiea, bind to and transport Rpd3p to gene promoters to regulate transcription in a limited nitrogen source environment, which is mimicked by rapamycin treatment. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with quantitative PCR analysis indicated that Bmh2p binds to the promoter of the Rpd3p regulated gene GAP1, to a greater extent during rapamycin treatment compared with a control treatment. However, utilizing the same method Bmh1p was shown to bind to the GAP1 promoter to a similar extent during both rapamycin and control treatments. Also, preliminary results of a coimmunoprecipitation experiment suggest that Bmh2p and Rpd3p may interact with each other during both rapamycin and vehicle treatment. The binding of Bmh2p to both Rpd3p and promoters of Rpd3p-regulated genes during rapamycin treatment support the proposed mechanism of Rpd3p transport to gene promoters by 14-3-3 proteins.
Susanne Pritchard
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Joseph Erlichman, Neuroscience
Other Participants: Olga Bloomberg, Paul Metzler
Effects of antioxidant cerium oxide on ischemic brain injury.
Ischemic stroke is the number one leading cause of disability in elderly populations of developed nations and usually results from occlusion of a cerebral blood vessel. This results in delivery of little to no glucose or O2 and accumulation of CO2 in the area fed by the vessel. This causes an increase in production of nitric oxide (NO), which generates the reactive oxygen specie peroxynitrite. Once produced, peroxynitrite can damage DNA and oxidize fatty acids, amino acids, and co-factors leading to destruction of plasma membranes and proteins, and interrupting function of enzymes. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles, a potent antioxidant, administered following ischemia. For these experiments, 400 um thick, living brain slices from adult CD 1 mice were sectioned and maintained in artificial cerebral spinal fluid (acsf) and bubbled with 95% O2/5% CO2. Ischemic treatment lasted 30 minutes and consisted of submersion of slices in solutions that mimicked ischemia (low glucose, low oxygen and acidosis). The nucleic acid dye, Sytox Blue, was then used to assess cell death, which was quantified as area and intensity of fluorescence in the CA fields and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We generated a dose-response curve showing that CeO2 was protective at most concentrations tested. To evaluate the effects of CeO2 post ischemia we added CeO2 to the tissue at 1,2, and 4 hours post ischemic insult. Our data show that CeO2 spares tissue death when administered earlier than 4 hours post ischemia but not after. Currently, the best candidates for drugs entering clinical trials demonstrate protection when given 3-4 hours post ischemia. Our findings suggest that the unique, antioxidant properties of CeO2 nanoparticles may hold therapeutic value in the future.
Kadine Hamilton
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Biology
Bioassy for Testing Potential Anti-Nociceptive Compounds that Target Vanilloid Channels: What Worms Sensing Hot Peppers Can Tell us About Pain
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels are non-selective cation channels that are expressed in mammalian primary sensory neurons. In humans, these channels are polymodal nociceptors and are responsible for detecting both noxious chemical and thermal stimuli. Because of their role in the pain pathway, this subfamily of receptors is of particular interest for use as therapeutic analgesic targets. The aim of this project was to develop a bioassay that can be used to effectively evaluate the potency of novel TRPV1 agonists and antagonists that can function as analgesics. A transgenic strain of the non-parasitic soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), that expresses rat TRPV1 channels was used in this study. Capsaicin, a compound that is derived from hot chili peppers and is responsible for the burning sensation felt when eating spicy foods, is a well documented agonist for TRPV1 channels. Exposure to this compound causes nociceptors to become excited leading to a perception of pain. As such, worms expressing rat TRPV1 channels readily reverse their movement when they encounter a drop of capsaicin solution. We are using this simple reversal response to evaluate the potency of novel agents in blocking TRPV1 activity. We have synthesized and tested N- cyanoguanidine analogs of SB 366791 and E-Capsaicin and will present the results of these data.
Kent Goodrow
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Brad Baldwin, Biology
Importance of Ecological Productivity on Mercury Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Fish
Mercury contamination in our rivers, lakes, and streams in northern New York has become an increasing concern. In order to determine whether ecological productivity had a significant influence on mercury concentrations in freshwater fish, Black Lake, Cranberry Lake, and the St. Lawrence River were examined. Black Lake was confirmed to be the most productive of the three water bodies, followed by Cranberry Lake and finally the St. Lawrence River. Muscle tissue samples from yellow perch, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and walleye were analyzed for mercury content at Texas A&M. The results of this study determined that Cranberry Lake presented fish samples with the highest concentration of mercury. Surprisingly, Black Lake and the St. Lawrence River returned very similar data. The current NYS Department of Health advisory on sportfish does not include Black Lake in its list of problematic water bodies. It appears from these numbers, however, that the advised mercury concentration limit of 0.30 ppm is exceeded in most samples from the lake.
Allie McKee
Faculty Sponsor: Joe Erlichman, Neuroscience
Other Participants: Sarah Tersegno, Sara Clark
Development of an Animal Model for CO2-induced Anxiety
Panic disorder (PD) is a commonly observed mental disorder affecting up to 3% of the general population. Hyperactive neurotransmitter circuits between the cortex, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus and peri-aqueductal grey matter have been implicated in PD. This includes hypofunction of serotonergic neurons arising from the rostral raphe nucleus and over activity of noradrenergic neurons arising from the locus coeruleus. In addition, CO2-induced PD is shown to be activated in humans resulting from inhalation of 5-7% CO2. The purpose for this experiment was to develop an animal model to study the neuronal pathway of the 5-HT1A receptor in response to CO2 and a natural protective odorant. An open field model was used to measure the effects of CO2 on anxiety in mice. Experimental results showed that mice have a decreased velocity and distance traveled when exposed to 5% CO2 with P < 0.05, N = 23. In conclusion, exposure to 5% CO2 induces anxiety in mice which is consistent with findings in humans suffering from Panic Disorder.
April Spearance
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stuntz, Psychology
Multidimensional Relationships and Motivation in Sport
Past research has shown that peer and coach-athlete relationships are important predictors of motivation, confidence, and emotions in sport. This body of work has focused on behaviors and aspects of relationships that occur within sport (e.g., sport-focused feedback, sport-only aspects of social relationships). However, we feel that knowing and caring about the athlete outside of the sport domain also contributes to motivation. This multidimensional aspect of coach and peer relationships was the focus of this study. We hypothesized that more multidimensional relationships with coaches and teammates would lead to higher levels of enjoyment, commitment, perceived competence and lower levels of anxiety. Participants included 209 intercollegiate athletes (112 females, 97 males) from nine different athletic teams. Participants completed a short questionnaire measuring enjoyment, commitment, perceived competence, anxiety, and sport-only and multidimensional aspects of coach-athlete and teammate relationships. Results from the analyses partially supported the hypotheses. Canonical correlation analysis found that there was a moderately strong relationship between coach and teammate multidimensional relationships and motivational variables. Specifically, greater coach and teammate multidimensional relationships related to elevated enjoyment, commitment, and perceived competence. In addition, path analysis further suggested that both coach and teammate multidimensional relationships predict enjoyment and commitment. Coach multidimensional relationships also predicted perceived competence, while teammate multidimensional relationships did not. Perceived competence predicted enjoyment and commitment as well. Essentially, the results confirmed that knowing and caring about all aspects of an athleteâs life rather than just focusing on sport leads to greater motivation in sport.
Victor Kai-Rogers
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Lock , Statistics
Measuring the Effects of 9/11: Intervention Models in Time Series
Intervention Analysis has been applied to a variety of topics in order to observe the impact of various policy implementations, regime changes and more recently effects of terrorism on time series data. There are several ways to model an intervention function namely, impulse function, gradually changing function, prolonged impulse function and a pure jump function. Specifically, I am interested in knowing if and when an Intervention Model is appropriate by observing its improvement over a univariate analysis. The main event of interest in this project is the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks on the US and how they have affected various companies and indexes traded on the US stock exchange.
Shannon Buckley
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Neuroscience
Does TRP-1 function as a Store-Operated Calcium Channel in C. elegans?
Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are cation channels that have been evolutionarily conserved; however, the physiological function of most identified TRP channels remains unknown today. We do know, however, that the mutation of certain TRP channels in humans can result in disease. If more was known about these particular TRP channels or other channels within the TRP super-family, we could extrapolate that information to assist in the search for a cure for these diseases. The purpose of this study is to examine the activation method of the TRP-1 channels in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. ceTRP-1 is a homolog to the human TRPC5 channel. Since it has been proposed that TRPC5, as well as other members of the TRP channel family, act as store-operated calcium (SOC) channels, our overall aim is to test the hypothesis that ceTRP-1 channels act as store-operated calcium channels. In order to identify cells expressing TRP-1 channels, we created a transgenic worm strain expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) driven by the trp-1 promoter (ptrp-1::GFP). Using ultraviolet irradiation mutagenesis, we then successfully integrated this transgene into the organismâs genome. Outcrossing by mating to wildtype males was done to eliminate extraneous mutations potentially induced by the mutagenesis. Finally, calcium imaging of the cultured C. elegans neuronal and muscle cells will be done in order to determine whether TRP-1 channels act as store-operated calcium channels.
Shreya Kamath
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.Aswini Pai & Dr. Matthew Skeels, Biochemistry
Investigating rhizosphere leaching and alkaloid content in three closely related medicinal species.
Coptis trifolia (American goldthread), Coptis chinensis (Chinese goldthread and Hydrastis canadensis (Goldenseal) are closely related species that are important to various ethnopharmacoepia. The commercial potential of C. trifolia is yet to be realized, unlike C.chinesis and H.canadensis, which are harvested extensively. A mixture of alkaloids present in the rhizomes of these species imbues them with antipathogenic activities. Leaching of plant compounds through the roots into surrounding soil has been observed in several plant species. I investigated the leaching of alkaloids in H.canadensis and C.trifolia rhizospheres. I also compared the concentrations of individual alkaloids in the three species to determine which species might be most commercially desirable with respect to alkaloid content. I used microwave assisted extraction followed by HPLC analysis of the alkaloids on a reverse phase-C18 column to quantify alkaloid content in rhizome samples and check for alkaloid traces in soil samples. A one way analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences in alkaloid content among the three species. Based on the HPLC chromatograms obtained, I conclude that alkaloid leaching does not occur in C.trifolia and H.canadensis rhizospheres. The berberine content analysis indicates that H. canadensis might be most suitable for commercial purposes, but other key alkaloids contained in the rhizomes such as palmatine and coptisine are being analyzed to evaluate alkaloid yield from rhizomes of each species.
Benjamin Young
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Lorraine Olendzenski, Biology
Genetic Variation of Domestic, Hybrid, and Wild Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Brook trout populations have declined dramatically during the past century and thus New York State has an extensive stocking program in place to supplement native populations. New York State stocks domestic, hybrid, or wild fish in its waters. I am determining if there is any genetic variation between domestic, hybrid, or wild brook trout. Genetic variation in stocked varieties may contribute to survivability of these introduced populations and the level of variation within these three populations is currently unknown. Genetic variation within a population increases genetic variability which can increase the evolutionary fitness of a population. Domestic and hybrid brook trout were collected from a New York State fish hatchery in October of 2007 and the wild brook trout were purchased from a private hatchery in Paul Smith, NY. These fish were used for an in-lab experiment during the fall of 2007. After the experiment the fish were anesthetized and then frozen at -80 degrees Fahrenheit. DNA will be extracted using an easy-DNA kit and the D-loop region of the mitochondria will be amplified by running a PCR with primers specific for this region. This region has been used previously by other investigators to compare genetic diversity among fish populations. PCR products will be digested with a variety of restriction enzymes and then compared using gel electrophoresis to compare genetic variation in the three populations.
Meredith Kane
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Brad Baldwin, Biology
Mercury Transfer to Piscivorous Birds on Oneida Lake and Lake Ontario
Mercury has become an increasingly important research topic as its effects have become more pronounced in the environment through the process of bioaccumulation within species. This study was aimed at understanding how mercury accumulates in the aquatic food web, specifically in the feathers of piscivorous birds, which are predators located at the top of the food chain. Two birds were studied, the common tern (Sterna hirundo) and the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). Common terns eat fish from a lower level on the food chain, compared to cormorants, which feed higher on the food chain. Primary flight feathers were collected from these two species from both Oneida Lake and Lake Ontario. It was found that mercury levels in the feathers of common terns were significantly less than that of cormorants (p=0.000). In the future, elevated mercury concentrations in piscivorous birds may cause negative effects, and toxicity can lead to decline in reproductive success and sometimes death. These ramifications have been reported for the common loon (Gavia immer), a more commonly known species. In comparison, it has been recorded that for common loons found in the Adirondack Park, mercury concentrations have a mean of 11.92 ppm. In the future, we intend to study the differences in mercury accumulations in the feathers of common terns and cormorants from both Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake, two lakes that differ in productivity.
Todd Loffredo
Faculty Sponsor: Erika Barthelmess, Biology
Assessing the distribution, abundance, and arboreality of small mammals in northern New York
This studyâs objectives were two-fold. First, we attempted to monitor the distribution and abundance of small mammal species on the Kip Tract of St. Lawrence University, focusing closely on the northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus and the southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans, as their ranges overlap in northern New York. Second, we attempted to compare habitat use and arboreality among small mammal species. We set up four trapping grids in the St. Lawrence University Kip Tract with two Sherman traps (at different heights) at each of 25 trap sites per grid, and we restored several nest boxes in hopes that small mammals would begin to use them. Additionally, we made several habitat assessments of factors that are present at trap and nest sites including tree species, number of snags, and percentage of woody debris. Although we trapped southern flying squirrels, we found no northern flying squirrels in the Kip Tract. We also found flying squirrels, red squirrels and deer mice to display arboreality, while chipmunks, short-tailed shrews and red-backed voles showed no such behavior. We gathered this information in hopes that it might help with the management and conservation of these important woodland species in the future.
Kevin O'Connor
Faculty Sponsor: Lorraine Olendzenski , Biology
Other Participants: Mike Stafford
THE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF INFECTED AND HEALTHY CANINE EARS
Canine Otitis Externa (ear infection) is prevalent in nearly 20% of all dogs, and has yet to be fully characterized. In prior studies of the canine ear, all results were obtained using culture based methods. This study aims to characterize the bacterial community using non-culture based methods. One culture-based study showed no difference in the bacteria cultured from the ears of infected and healthy dogs. A study based on 16S rRNA clone libraries made from PCR amplified DNA obtained from healthy and infected dog ears will allow identification of the non-cultivable portion of the ear biota. Samples were taken from both healthy and infected dogs. We tried a number of DNA isolation techniques. The most successful was the FastDNA soil kit which uses a Bead Beater for cell disruption. Once this was determined, this kit was used for all samples. After the DNA was isolated, PCR was done to amplify the 16S rRNA gene. The PCR products were purified using the Promega Wizard Kit. After samples were purified, cloning was attempted using the TOPO TA cloning kit for Sequencing. Currently we have been able to isolate DNA from a few of our samples. We are in the process of creating clone libraries from these. Once these libraries are sequenced, we should be able to compare the bacterial communities of healthy and infected dog ears.
Dennis Willette
Faculty Sponsor: Erika Barthelmess, Biology
Impact of porcupine feeding and resource use on forest structure in relation to den site location
My project involved observing the impact porcupine feeding has on the area surrounding their den sites. The study site was the Kip Tract area where there is continued work done on the porcupine population living in that area. I constructed circular study areas with a radius of 18 meters around each of the six den tree. Every tree within the sample area was identified by species name and numbered using aluminum tree tags: DBH and height were also collected. Lastly, each tree was assigned a wound score, representing the percentage of the tree that had bark removed by porcupine feeding. I used the data I collected to find which tree species were most common, general sizes of trees in the area, and which species and/or size of trees porcupines preferred to use for feeding. My work was the beginning of a long-term monitoring of the impact the porcupine population has on the surrounding environment.
Jenna Dodge
Faculty Sponsor: Erika Barthelmess, Biology
Winter home range characteristics of North American porcupines in northern New York
Selection of habitat and the establishment of home range are factors that influence an individualâs ability to capitalize fitness and are determinants of natural selection, which are stressed or restricted during the winter season. I studied the winter movement patterns of two radio-collared North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) on the Kip Tract of St. Lawrence University in northern New York from February to April of 2008. Home ranges of the two females were limited throughout the three month period, in which they roughly utilized the same amount of space and frequently overlapped. For one of the individuals this pattern of range shift from fall to winter season was as expected, in which its expansive fall range was drastically limited in the winter. However, the other individualâs use of space did not follow this general trend wherein its winter range exceeded the fall range. Understanding and recording home range for a species is a valuable method to determine appropriate management strategies whether it is for something as broad as conservation or for something on a more local scale, such as employing a harvesting quota.
Linnea Smolentzov
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Bill DeCoteau, Psychology
Other Participants: Daniel McElvaine Emily Maine
Knowing What Goes Where: The Effects of Prefrontal Cortex Lesions on Visual
The pre-frontal cortex is believed to be involved in a multitude of âhigh orderâ or âexecutiveâ cognitive functions that permit flexible responses to a constantly changing external environment. Previous research has highlighted the role of this brain region in mediating working memory for spatial and visual object information. However, little is known about the function of the pre-frontal cortex in long-term storage of spatial information. The aim of the present study was to assess the contribution of the pre/infralimbic region of the rodent pre-frontal cortex in spatial long-term memory. Recent in vivo electrophysiological work indicates this area is active during the repetitive performance of a spatial goal task. This finding is suggestive of a contribution by the pre/infralimbic cortex to spatial long-term memory. For the present study, a scene discrimination task was used in which rats were trained to discriminate between scenes of toy objects that varied in their spatial arrangement. After learning the task, neurotoxin or vehicle control solution was infused into the pre/infralimbic region of the prefrontal cortex. Following a 1-week recovery period, rats were re-tested. For some animals, probe trials were intermittently inserted during post-surgery testing to help assess the behavioral strategies control versus lesion animals utilize to solve the task. All animals were subsequently trained on a simpler, single-object, spatial task. Results will be discussed in terms of our hypotheses that animals with pre/infralimbic cortical lesions will be impaired at the retention of spatially-manipulated multiple-object scenes, but will show savings on the less complex single-object task.
Todd Loffredo
Faculty Sponsor: Alison Del Rossi, Economics
Alumni Donations to St. Lawrence University: What Gives?
Institutions of higher education thrive from charitable donations which contributed approximately $28 billion to the revenues of colleges and universities in the United States during the 2006 fiscal year. The economics of charity focuses specifically on the giving behavior of alumni to colleges and universities as donations have many effects on the ranking, prestige, and endowment of the institution. Furthermore, donations help fund financial aid, expand study abroad opportunities, and increase faculty development. This paper focuses exclusively on SLU alumni in an effort to discover which specific attributes and experiences make them contribute money to their alma mater. We tested many variables having to do with an alumâs traits, financial background, academics, connectivity at SLU, and post-SLU connection. We have found that, in general, those alumni with stronger connections to SLU, such as having a parent who attended SLU or volunteering for SLU, tend to give and give more than those without. We have also found that mathematics, economics, and government majors tend to donate more than there alumni counterparts with different majors. The findings of this study might be important to the SLU administration for solicitation of donations from alumni, recruitment of prospective students, and enhancement of the general knowledge of the SLU community.
David Baker
Faculty Sponsor: Alexander Stewart, Geology
Morphological analyses of mesas and knobs in the northwest fretted terrain of Mars
The fretted terrain on Mars (found 30°N to 50°N and 0°E to 80°E) is a transitional zone between highly cratered uplands and younger, less cratered lowlands, which exhibits flat-topped, steep-walled mesas and knobs. These mesas and knobs are separated by younger flat-lying lowlands and lineated lobate debris aprons thought to result from ice-facilitated mass-wasting processes. Although the origin of lobate debris aprons is still unclear, formational processes may be constrained from the morphological analyses of the adjacent mesas and knobs. The distribution and morphology of mesas and knobs within 38ºN to 51ºN and 12ºE to 37ºE were analyzed using recent data from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), and Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), with GIS tools. Mesa and knob areas were delineated from their base up and calculated as a function of distance from the dichotomy boundary escarpment. Results indicate no systematic decrease in mesa area northward away from the escarpment. Maximum mesa relief also decreases from nearly 2 km to 100-200 m northward. These results differ from a pattern of decreasing mesa size from the highland escarpment, as suggested for the majority of the fretted terrain. Ice-assisted mass-wasting processes may be less active in mesas near or above 50ºN due to low mesa relief or latitudinal variations in ice placement. Determining the type and the presence of ice-assisted mass-wasting processes in the fretted terrain may provide valuable insight on the past and present distribution of ice on Mars.
Mukhaye Muchimuti
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Neuroscience
The Effects of Berberine on the Thrashing and Pharyngeal Pumping Behaviours of Caenorhabditis elegans
Berberine, a common isoquinoline alkaloid found in the Coptis genus, has been shown to possess antiarrhythmic action. To analyze the physiological activity of this alkaloid, we used the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The aim of the present study was to develop an assay to assess the effects of berberine on the thrashing ability (locomotion) and pharyngeal pumping of the nematode. The rhythmic activity of the buccopharyngeal muscles pumps bacteria into the gut of C. elegans. These muscles are analogous to human cardiac muscle because they express similar voltage-gated ion channels. C. elegans UNC-103, a K+ channel, shares 70% amino acid identity with the pore region of the Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) protein, a cardiac K+ channel. UNC-103 is expressed in body-wall muscles, egg-laying muscles, pharyngeal muscles and their associated neurons. Further, the pharyngeal pumping activity of the nematode is maintained by action potentials which are very similar to the cardiac action potentials in vertebrates. unc-103 mutants display pumping and locomotion behavioural defects manifest in a pumping pause length that is 40 times longer than wild type worms and a thrashing rate which is 15-fold lower than wild type. We hypothesize that berberine will rescue the pumping and motor defects in the unc-103 mutants.
Claire Jenkins
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ronald Sigmundi, Psychology
The Role of Acquiescence in the Social Contagion of Memory
Memory reports of an event are sensitive to post-event misinformation. Social contagion refers to cases where the misinformation is provided from recollections made by a cohort. Social contagion seems consistent with source misattribution accounts that explain misinformation effects as arising from the mistaken belief that the source of post-event information was the to-be-remembered event, rather than the cohort. Source misattribution would lead participants to believe in the validity of their reports, but alternatively, social contagion might reflect merely acquiescence to peer pressure from the cohort. In the case of acquiescence, but not necessarily true beliefs, discrediting the cohortâs reliability would be expected to reduce the misinformation effect as shown in college students (Meade & Roediger, 2002). The proposed research would investigate source discrediting with children. Two groups would be tested: college students and 5 â 7 year olds. Participants would be exposed to a pictoral scene and then asked to recall items from the scene in cooperation with a confederate of the same age, serving as a cohort. The confederate would recall primarily true objects, but also 4 false, deceptive objects. Next, participants would engage individually in a private recall task about the initial scene. Before private recall, half of the participants in each group would have their confederateâs credibility discredited. Memory of fewer target deceptive objects because of the discrediting of the confederate would support the theory of acquiescence rather than source misattribution in social contagion in children.
Kelly O'Malley
Faculty Sponsor: Loraina Ghiraldi, Psychology
Effects of Prenatal and Early Postnatal Phytoestrogen Exposure on Postpartum Aggression in Mice
Research has demonstrated that dietary phytoestrogens (plant-derived nonsteroidal estrogens found in soy food products) can alter physiology and behavior. The present experiment was designed to investigate how exposure to phytoestrogens (PE) during early development might influence maternal aggression in mice. CD-1 female mice were time-mated and randomly exposed to one of three levels of PE in their diet during gestation and through postpartum day 21: High (810 ÎŒg/g), Medium (459 ÎŒg/g), or Low (< 1.0 ÎŒg/g). At weaning, female young were group-housed, and at adulthood, were time-mated. Following parturition, litters were culled to 6 pups and aggression toward an unfamiliar male conspecific was assessed on postpartum days 1, 5, 9, and 13 in the femaleâs home cage. During the 10-minute encounter, mild (boxing, hip throws) and intense (attacks, lunges) aggression were recorded. It was hypothesized that prenatal exposure to high PE would increase aggression. Pup number, sex, and weights, and mom weights were also recorded. Preliminarily analyses (n = 6/group) did not reveal a significant difference in aggression as a function of PE exposure; however, a non-significant trend supporting the hypothesis was observed: High PE females displayed the most aggression, while the Low PE females displayed the least aggression. Also, a marginally significant effect of diet on lactation performance was found, such that pups nursed by Low PE moms tended to weigh less than pups nursed by Medium PE moms (p = .082). This research has important implications for humans and animals whose diet may contain high levels of phytoestrogens.
Christy Tobia
Faculty Sponsor: Loraina Ghiraldi, Psychology
Effects of Prenatal and Early Postnatal Phytoestrogen Exposure on Postpartum Aggression in Mice
Research with rodents has shown that consumption of phytoestrogens (PE), plant-derived estrogens found in soy food products, can alter reproductive physiology (e.g., increase uterine weight, alter estrous cyclicity) and impact behavior (e.g., aggression, stress response, social interaction). Because fetal development depends on hormonally-mediated processes, maternal consumption of PE may modify the development and/or behavior of offspring. In the present study, female CD-1 mice were time-mated and exposed to one of three PE levels in their diet during gestation and through day 21 postpartum: High (810 ÎŒg/g), Medium (459 ÎŒg/g) or Low (casein-based) diet (<1.0 ÎŒg/g). Mom and pup weights were recorded. Following delivery and weaning, male young were group-housed, and then at adulthood, were isolated and tested for aggression toward an unfamiliar adult male conspecific in the subjectâs home cage during a 10-minute test session. Mild aggression (boxing, hip throws) and intense aggression (attacks, lunges), among other behaviors displayed by subjects were recorded at 7 and 14 days following isolation. Preliminary results (n = 10/group) reveal a significant interaction of diet by test session (p < .03), such that males exposed to High PE during early development tended to show more aggression at the second testing than the other groups. With respect to weight, moms fed the High PE diet weighed more on gestation day 18 and on postpartum day 1 than those fed the Low PE diet (p < .04). These results have important implications for humans and animals whose diet may contain high levels of phytoestrogens.
Andra Kowalczyk
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David Hornung, Biology
Other Participants: Lisa Weingates
Do Individual Parts of the Human Body Have Their Own Unique Smell?
In some non-human animals, apocrine secretions are one of the confirmed vehicles for pheromone communication between individuals with the nature of these secretions varying according to the location of the glands on the body. It has been hypothesized that human apocrine secretions are also vehicles for pheromone communication, although there is not yet any really compelling data for the existence of a human pheromone. To add to the data suggesting the existence of a human pheromone, it was hypothesized in the present study that human apocrine secretions from different body parts will have different smells. To test this hypothesis, secretions were collected, using gauze pads, from the armpits, neck, back of the legs, and genital area of human female subjects as they watched a pornographic video. A golden-retriever was used to evaluate the similarities of the apocrine secretions collected from the various parts of the body. After the dog was trained to recognize a target scent (the right armpit), distracters, pads from other body locations, were introduced as choices. An error analysis was used to judge the commonality between the distracters and the target. The results reveal a statistically significant difference among the apocrine secretions from various regions of the body. Distracters from the left armpit and the back of the neck were chosen more often than those from the other body locations. These results suggest another similarity between human and non-human apocrine secretions and, therefore, may provide another step toward the demonstration of human pheromone activity.
Tristan Wolfe
Faculty Sponsor: Aileen O'Donoghue, Physics
Finding Masses of Neutral Hydrogen Sources in the ALFALFA Survey
I have contributed to the ongoing Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA Survey (ALFALFA). This is a blind survey using the Arecibo Radio Telescopeâs L-Band Feed Array (ALFA, a new receiver) seeking clouds of neutral hydrogen (HI) over a 7000 square degree portion of sky. HI is detected with ALFA by its emission of energy at a wavelength of 21 cm in the L-band of radio frequencies at 1420 MHz. I worked with a cube of data from ALFALFA; a 2.4 square degree section of sky centered about 11h48m+13Ë, in the constellation Leo across a frequency space spanning 1335 to 1435 MHz in 4096 5-MHz channels. The frequencies correspond to a Doppler-shifted velocity range of -1,600 km/s to 18,000 km/s. The negative range includes approaching, blueshifted, sources such as clouds of HI within our galaxy. Taking the velocities of the receding, redshifted, sources as due to the expansion of the universe gives a corresponding distance range out to 850 million lightyears. My project was the construction of a computer program used to calculate the total flux density of these sources, or their rates of energy flow through given areas of space, from graphs of their spectral flux densities (flux density per channel of frequency space). The total flux was given by the area under the curve of the spectral flux graphs, a summation of the spectral flux values multiplied by the number of frequency channels within the appropriate range. The program then calculated the masses from the total flux density. The resulting masses were compared to expected values of HI masses in certain sources, as well as stellar masses given by optical counterparts of some of the sources.
R. Matthew Cambareri
Faculty Sponsor: David Hornung, Biology
Pungent Puzzles: The Olfactory-Tetris Project
Research has shown that odors can improve human performance in physical and/or mental tasks. Since the relaxing odors of sandalwood and lavender have been shown to improve athletic performance, it was hypothesized that these odors would improve performance of a complex visuospatial/motor task, the video game Tetris. Since commercially-available colognes and perfumes are marketed as having gender-specific âarousalâ effects, it was further hypothesized that womenâs perfume (Victoriaâs Secret Lovespell) and menâs cologne (Abercrombie FIERCE) would improve performance in each scentâs targeted gender. During the study, twenty college students (10 men, 10 women) played Tetris for 10 minutes attempting to score as high as possible. During play, subjects were exposed to one of five odorants (cologne, lavender, perfume, sandalwood, and a distilled water control) via an âodor patchâ applied to the subjectâs upper lip. Each odorant was presented twice in two five-trial blocks. Since very different levels of performance were observed from subject to subject, the data was âstandardizedâ by calculating, for each subject, the percent change for the odorant trial scores as compared to water control. Although subjects played the game for only ten minutes per day, a significant practice effect was observed, making it difficult to isolate the odorantsâ effects. Still, gender-exclusive trends were observed. Men performed best when smelling the womenâs perfume, whereas the smell of lavender produced the greatest score improvement in women. Since the relaxing odors did not always produce the greatest improvement in score, the hypothesis concerning odorant effects upon performance needs to be revised. **I would like to note that upon submission of my prior abstract, I noticed several grammatical and stylistic errors. I have corrected these errors with this submission, and I ask that the Festival of Science Committee will accept this abstract as my official submission.**
Peter McGoldrick
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Lock, Statistics
Thinking Outside the Box Score
The article A Starting Point for Analyzing Basketball Statistics is just that â a starting point. Do point totals, turnover totals, and rebound counts really give us the best statistical explanation of basketball player and team performances? This study resulted in the formulation of a number of statistics that aim to give a clearer understanding of the quality of both individual and team play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Based on a central theme of per possession statistics, we discuss the efficiency of team statistics. We will evaluate a playerâs performance more accurately by using per minute statistics. With these variations on our classical basketball box score, we are also able to compare basketball statistics from league to league. We will review a few NBA games as cases in which more conventional basketball statistics do not give an accurate description of the performances. Instead, we will take the newer generation of statistics into account for the game data. This will ultimately show that measures such as effective field goal percentage, rebound rate, and free throw rate are more useful than similar statistical categories like field goal percentage, rebounds and free throw percentage.
Derek Hansen
Faculty Sponsor: Emily Dixon, Biochemistry
Does Rap1 mediate the binding of Rpd3 to the promoters of rapamycin repressible genes?
The small molecule, rapamycin, mimics nutrient deprivation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Rapamycin inhibits the nutrient sensitive TOR complex, which regulates cell growth. Rapamycin-dependent inhibition requires the histone deacetylase, Rpd3p, which is localized to the promoter region of rapamycin repressible genes upon treatment only. We tested whether or not the transcription factor, Rap1, was responsible for recruiting Rpd3p to the promoter of RPS11B, a rapamycin repressible ribosomal protein gene. A mutant strain was created by transforming the plasmid yCplac 33, containing an RPS11B âRap 1 insert, into a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that had RPD3 Myc-tagged at the endogenous site. After treatment with rapamycin, a chromatin immunoprecipitation reaction was carried out to precipitate out DNA bound to Rpd3p. Preliminary quantitative PCR analyses, have found that Rap1p may recruit Rpd3p to the promoter of rapamycin repressible genes upon treatment. Current results also replicate previously reported data that Rpd3p is present at the promoters of rapamycin repressible genes upon treatment only.
John Munsey
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Estevez, Neuroscience
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) mediated generation of a DsRed2 Construct for Studying TRP-1 calcium channels in C. elegans.
Because calcium is a very broad controller of cellular function, its levels within a cell must be tightly regulated to ensure that biological processes are controlled correctly. Calcium channels are proteins present on the plasma membrane of cells that can regulate calcium entry. In order to investigate how specific patterns of calcium signals are generated, it is vital to understand how the calcium permeable channels function. Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are a family of calcium channels found in a wide variety of organisms, including nematodes, flies, and mammals. Although TRP channels have been conserved throughout evolution, the precise biological function of most TRP channels is uncertain. We are using the nematode C. elegans to study the role of a member of this family, TRP-1, in neuronal signaling. The aim of the present study was to generate a DNA construct that will be used to make transgenic worms in which TRP-1 expressing cells are easily identifiable for study. Using polymerase chain reaction, the promoter region of the trp-1 gene was cloned and then combined with the gene for DsRed2, a red fluorescent protein. In the future, this construct will be injected into the ovaries of C. elegans to create a transgenic strain in which the cells that express TRP-1 will be easily visible due to red fluorescence.
Joe Shehata
Faculty Sponsor: Catherine Jahncke, Physics
Quantum DotâSensitized Solar Cell
The recently developed dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) has attracted much attention due to its potential for high solar conversion efficiency and low manufacturing and maintenance costs. It functions based on the sensitization of mesoscopic oxide films by dyes and has demonstrated strong potential as a clean, renewable energy source. A variation of this new type of cell incorporates quantum dots (QDs) as a substitute for the conventional dye molecules. The QD-sensitized solar cell has shown to have several advantages over the DSC owing to the many unique properties of QDs, most notably, the tunability of their optical properties with size. We have shown through fluorescent and absorption spectroscopy that indium phosphide (InP) quantum dots exhibit a shift in band gap energy that is inversely related to their size. Since the electronic structure of a material, particularly its band gap energy, strongly corresponds to its effectiveness as a sensitizer, having the ability to adjust the band gap energy becomes a very useful technique. Here, an InP QD-sensitized solar cell is constructed and characterized via short-circuit photocurrent and open circuit voltage measurements. Those static measurements are used to calculate the conversion efficiency of the cell in order assess the benefits of incorporating a variable-band gap sensitizer in a solar cell.
Kit Wright
Faculty Sponsor: Karen Johnson, Physics
Radon Mitigation in Concrete by Applying Covering Materials
Radioactive radon gas is emitted from concrete and enters indoor environments causing a health hazard. I assessed the effectiveness of using covering materials to prevent or reduce Radon emission from concrete. Sample concrete slabs were made from Quikcrete ready mix concrete and covered with linoleum tile, paint, and plastic sheeting. I measured the decays of radon per hour using a scintillation detector to evaluate the concentration of radon in an enclosed space. While incomplete, the data thus far do not indicate large variations in effectiveness among covering materials. In general, the addition of covering materials to a slab reduces the equilibrium level of radon in a closed space by nearly 50% compared to slabs with no covering materials. It appears that an airtight barrier is a simple, yet effective solution. Upon completion, this project will determine the effectiveness of several common covering materials in mitigating Radon gas. In addition, I will determine whether the radioactivity levels of the covered concrete slabs fall below published standards for safe indoor environments.
Rob LaMere
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Lock, Statistics
Determining Win Probabilities Based on Betting Lines on Sporting Events
We use betting lines and point spread systems to determine probabilities of winning in various sports. In this study we examine different types of betting for major sports such as football, basketball, baseball and hockey. We analyze data from previous seasons to assess the effectiveness of point spreads and betting lines. The goal is to use the odds-makers information to predict who will win the game and the chance of an upset.
Andy Rampersaud
Faculty Sponsor: , Neuroscience
Mapping Genes Identified in Microarray Analysis as Targets of Estradiol and Dioxin in Developing Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus
Ovulation, the rupture of a mature ovarian follicle an oocyte, is a complex process governed by a number of hormones. The characteristic surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland is controlled by a group of dual-phenotype GABA/Glutamate nerve cells in the anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nucleus of the brain. Males do not show a LH surge because of insufficient numbers of these dual-phenotype neurons resulting from cell death during development. However, if males are exposed to a single dose of a potent dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) during perinatal development, they show an LH surge release as adults. The process of cell death is triggered by perinatal release of testosterone, a testicular hormone that is converted to estradiol in the brain. Conversely, exposure to dioxins interferes with the cell death process so that males have the same number of GABA/Glutamate neurons as females in the AVPV. The receptor s for both estrogen and dioxin act by regulating gene transcription, but the cell death genes they regulate are unknown. In this study, in situ hybridization histochemistry was used to verify that a novel group of cell death genes (previously identified as potential sex-specific estradiol and TCDD targets in a microarray screen) is found in GABA/Glutamate AVPV neurons.
Seth Hussey
Faculty Sponsor: , Neuroscience
Other Participants: Sarah Tersegno
Developing a Biosensor Device to Link Electromyography (EMG) Patterns of Forearm and Hand Muscles with Digitized Handwritten Characters
The study and improvement of computer-human digital interfaces is important for developing technologies for an array of products including those with digital handwriting capability and neural prosthetic device drivers. Our study introduces the digital hand concept, which utilizes intrinsic muscular electrical signals to reconstruct handwriting. Using the digital hand frees people from the restrictions of a keyboard or handwriting tools like tablets. We investigated the activity and coordination of eight muscles in the hand and forearm during handwriting. We simultaneously collected handwritten numbers from a digitizing tablet and electromyography (EMG) recordings of superficial forearm and hand muscle activity using skin-surface electrodes. The subject's EMG patterns and tablet records were then stored in a database. Digitally analyzing this data showed that handwritten numbers have specific and unique EMG patterns for superficial forearm and hand muscles. Further an alysis of the data yielded three additional conclusions. First, mathematical algorithms can decode written characters from their respective EMGs. Secondly, we can closely recreate original handwriting traces of characters from the EMGs. Finally, template-matching algorithms can recognize handwritten characters, which allows them to be formatted as a font. The accuracy of handwriting recognition was highest for a subject within a session (89%), intermediate for within subject between sessions comparisons (58%) and lowest for between subject comparisons (28%). This experiment is the first to show a correlation between muscle firing strength and duration and motor output that is recordable, predictable and repeatable. Improvement upon recording and analyzing the data will allow for the development of technology with digital handwriting capability and for neural prosthetic device drivers.
Brian Congiu
Faculty Sponsor: , Environmental Studies
Storm Water Runoff and Impervious Surface Area: Developing a Hydrologic Drainage Model for the St. Lawrence University Campus
The use of hydrologic models to investigate the relationship between storm water drainage and impervious surface area have been applied to numerous areas throughout the United States and are an important tool for planning and development sectors. This project utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to create a drainage model for the St. Lawrence University (SLU) campus and part of the surrounding village of Canton, NY. The purpose for developing the model was to attempt to identify the volume of runoff and how that runoff drained from the SLU campus. Using aerial imagery, impervious surfaces such as building roof tops, driveways, pathways, streets, and side walks within the study area were digitized in order to quantify impervious surface area. Elevation survey points were used to build a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) which was used to develop an elevation model of study area. The impervious surface area and TIN, as well as soil and storm water drain age system data, were compiled into the campus drainage model. The model was used to identify drainage pathways and areas of runoff accumulation. The model was imported into ESRI ArcScene and translated into a three-dimensional representation of the SLU campus. The volume of runoff from the SLU campus was calculated using annual average precipitation data and hydrologic formulas. The results of this model were used to assess the drainage network of the SLU campus and investigate options for utilizing SLU campus runoff.
Marcus Tuttle
Faculty Sponsor: , Chemistry
Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Novel 12-Metallacrown-4 Compounds
Metallacrowns, which are also referred to as metallamacrocycles, are metal-organic ring structures synthesized from transition metal ions and organic ligands. Many of the organic ligands used to prepare metallacrowns contain a hydroxamic acid functional group. These hydroxamic acid based metallacrowns have a repeating –M-N-O- motif at their core, where M is a transition metal like copper. In this research, twelve membered ring metallacrowns, which contain four –M-N-O- repeats, were synthesized from novel ligands that are analogues of the traditional salicylhydroxamic acid ligand used for metallacrown syntheses. While salicylhydroxamic acid utilizes a hydroxyl group in conjunction with the hydroxamic acid functional group to coordinate to metal ions, the novel ligands 2-methoxybenzohydroxamic acid and 2-methylthiobenzohydroxamic acid replace the hydroxyl group with a methoxy and methylthio group, respectively. My research includes the characterization of these newly s ynthesized ligands and the characterization of copper metallacrowns synthesized from them. Mixed ligand metallacrowns, which contain two different ligands, were also attempted during this project. Finally, a metallacrown-metallacrown salt using a metallacrown anion and metallacrown cation pair was attempted.
Evan Blumberg
Faculty Sponsor: , Geology
INSIGHT FROM CORES IN THE POTSDAM GROUP, NORTHERN NEW YORK
Drill core within the Potsdam Group near Ellenburg, New York provides further insight into the depositional environments that existed prior to blanketing of the area by subarkosic to quartz arenites of the Ausable Formation. Three of the four cores taken within a few hundred meters of one another show variable lithologies ranging from thin (1-2 cm or less) hematitic, clay-rich mudstones, and siltstones, sandstones, pebbly granulestones, and upward fining conglomerates. A fourth core is dominated by a prominent 10 m thick layer(s) of hematitic, mud-supported conglomerate interpreted as the distal portion of debris flow(s). This core has abundant and dispersed, vertical water-escape pathways as shown by differences in color and texture defining discrete zones where fines were washed out. Major and trace element and petrographic analysis provide insight into the source of the sedimentary deposits. Silica ranges from 42.29-69.38%, whereas most other major elements, aside from MgO and CaO (carbonate alteration), fall within tight ranges (e.g. K2O = 5.3-8.94%; Na2O = 0.41-0.78%). Most trace elements also fall into narrow ranges, except those dominated by resistant heavy minerals like zircon (Zr = 319.7-1265.0 ppm and Hf = 8.1-33.1 ppm). Rare earth elements yield consistent patterns generally 2-3x UCC abundances but depleted slightly in the LREEs. These patterns match nearby Precambrian basement rocks (Lyon Mountain Gneiss - LMG). Numerous, large grains of perthitic feldspar and large zircon grains, with cores and metamorphic rims characteristic of the LMG, document the likely source of the sequence. Samples with the highest amount of silica and largest grain-size closely match the geochemistry of the LMG, suggesting little dilution by other sources, minimal alteration, and rapid burial. These observations expand the inventory of depositional environments found at the base of the Potsdam sandstone to include debris flows, and strengthen paleogeogra phic models for an Adirondack source shedding sediment derived from fault scarps to the south (present coordinates) into the Ottawa Embayment. Stratigraphically these rocks may be similar to coarse clastics sporadically exposed at the base of the Hannawa Falls Member of the Ausable Formation, or proximal equivalents to the newly defined basal Jericho Member (B. V. Sanford, dissertation, Ottawa University, 2006).
Rafferty Sweeney
Faculty Sponsor: , Geology
Other Participants: David Mosher
Calcareous sediments of modern brackish to hyper-saline ponds, San Salvador Island, Bahamas.
This study examines modern calcareous sediment from a number of water bodies in the interior of San Salvador Island. The lakes and ponds studied include, from largest to smallest: Osprey Lake, Reckely Hill Settlement Pond, North Goat Pond, South Goat Pond, and Stink Pond. Energy levels in all ponds studied were very low, deviations from are attributed to storm events. The lakes have no direct connection with the ocean; a groundwater connection is assumed due to the porous nature of the Plestocene bedrock. Samples were taken 5 meters from the shore, and mangrove stands if present. Each was taken with a shallow core up to 30 cm where possible. Core depth was limited by the presence of large rock clasts in the sediment. Samples were collected during dry season (March 20th-21st), and should reflect the highest possible salinity for the water bodies. Sediment collected from the water bodies was analyzed under microscope and consisted of mud layers, bivalve fragment layers, algal mats, and plant material. There is a range of biota present in the ponds. Some of the biota observed includes mangroves, green algae, ostracods, gastropods, families of muscles, other bivalves, and possibly some small fish. Comparing the sediments from each pond studied, as well as sediment from the Pigeon Creek lagoon, it is possible to identify differences that are influenced by variations in salinity, the more saline the environment the lower the biota and higher mud content of the sediment.
Charlie Harman
Faculty Sponsor: , Geology
Other Participants: Lauren Chrapowitzky
Comparison of Two Modern Carbonate Shallow Subtidal Environments, San Salvador Island, Bahamas
This study focuses on two modern shallow subtidal environments, Snow Bay and Grotto Beach on San Salvador Island, eastern Bahamas. Two transects (5 surface samples from each) describe each environment by its respective water depth, sediment type, biota, and sediment producers. Snow Bay is dominated by turtle grass (Thalassia) meadows and clusters of calcareous green algae (Halimeda and Penicillus). The sediment is a pelloid algal grainstone lithofacies with upper fine to very coarse poorly sorted sand-sized grains. The two transects at Snow Bay are 600 feet apart and extend 300 feet offshore; both exhibiting a consistent slope and a maximum water depth of about 6 feet, with moderate wave energy throughout. The bay is on the windward (eastern) side of the island and faces southeast; it is protected from ocean swells by barrier reefs and cays. Grotto Beach is a sandy bay with sparse patch reefs exhibiting rare coral and algal life. Its sediment is pelloid grainstone lithofacies with well developed ripples and very well sorted fine to medium-sized sand, coarsening from west to east. The two transects are 300 feet apart and extend 300 feet offshore each with variable slope and depth. Grotto Beach is on the leeward (western) side of the island; here patch reefs offer little protection from the storm waves. The beach faces northwest with a vertical cliff bordering it to the east; wave energy is high. The differences between the studied carbonate depositional environments are likely controlled by wave energy and the local bathymetry.
Dennis Lock
Faculty Sponsor: Mike Schuckers, Statistics
Beyond +/-: A Rating System to Compare NHL Players
While there are many statistics, such as plus/minus, to evaluate a hockey player’s performance, few of these statistics effectively compare the worth of different kinds of players. We propose a new, more comprehensive rating method, extending the concept of plus/minus, which aims to take most aspects of a player’s game into account. Each player will be rated on the same scale, where the value of each play is determined by how that play increases or decreases the likelihood of victory. This creates a method of rating where one can compare the value of a pure goal scorer to a defensive specialist, and everyone in between.
Royce Lawrence
Faculty Sponsor: Mike Schuckers, Statistics
Bowling and the Hot Hand
Hot hand, or just luck? Ever wonder why streaks come as they do? In this presentation we will discuss the results of a study of the hot hand; the tendency to perform at a higher level for a period of time. For example, a bowler may be more likely to continue to throw strikes after previous strikes. Using frame by frame bowling data and statistical methods, we will determine if the hot hand actually exists.