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The Effects of Ibuprofen and Methylene Blue Chloride on Mortality of Caenorhabditis elegans with the Cl2006 Strain
No full textAlthough Alzheimer’s Disease is one the most common forms of dementia and affects millions of humans around the world, there is still no discovered cure or treatment for this disease. The purpose of this experiment was to test theorized Tau and Amyloid Beta Inhibitors in order to determine if these inhibitors can minimize the effect both kinds of protein have on the cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. It was hypothesized that a group treated with both Ibuprofen and Methylene Blue Chloride (MTC) would be most successful in reducing the effects both Tau and Amyloid Beta Protein have on neurons in the brain. In order to conduct this experiment with accuracy, a specific strain of C. elegans (2006) was used to mimic Alzheimer’s Disease. A total of ten petri dishes were used and cultured with this strain of C. elegans. After a four day period, three areas from each petri dish were observed to calculate the mortality rate. After the data was collected (in percentages), an ANOVA test was performed with the alpha value being 0.05. After the statistical analysis test was performed, it was found that the p value was \u3c0.001, indicating that the results were statistically significant. The Tukey test was also performed and the results indicated that there was significant difference in the control Ibuprofen group, the MTC group, and the group of both MTC and Ibuprofen The hypothesis was supported by the statistical analysis test run as the group with both Ibuprofen and MTC reduced the mortality the most compared to the other groups tested within this experiment. These results can be used as a basis in the search for a cure of treatment for Alziemer’s Disease
The Affect of Different Irrigation Types on Dwarf Green Sugar Peas
No full textIn April of 2023, 2000 Gallons of Sewage was lost to Lake Murray. Sewage Contains many harmful particles and chemicals including heavy metals. Due to the growing number of residents on Lake Murray who also draw water for irrigation purposes and have a garden, contamination of fruits and vegetables grown in these gardens could be contaminated. Thus, This study proposes the question to what extent is there causation between the usage of different water sources such as Lake Murray water, tap water, hose water, and fridge water, for irrigation in a home garden and levels of heavy metal contamination in Pisum sativum cv. (dwarf grey sugar pea pods) in Chapin, South Carolina? First, all of the plants were grown from seed and irrigated with their respective water type. Then, data regarding the height and number of leaves was collected every couple of weeks. When the plants fruited and pea pods finished growing, they were collected and analyzed for heavy metals using Clemson University’s extension services. Water used to irrigate the plants was also collected and analyzed for heavy metals to be compared to the heavy metals that showed up in the plants. The heavy metal data was analyzed using a one-predictor linear regression test. It was found that although there wasn’t a high level of significance, the plants irrigated with Lake Water had a higher level of heavy metals. The height and number of leaves was analyzed using an anova test
The Effect of Microplastic Size and Type on the Growth of Brassica rapa
No full textConcerns have been raised about the effects of the growing amount of plastic pollution in soil, particularly microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter), on the physicochemical characteristics of the soil and, consequently, on the nutrient cycle and plant health. Biodegradable plastics have been introduced as an alternative, but issues persist as they break down into smaller pieces easily consumed by animals and microbes. This study investigates the effects of microplastic size and biodegradability on Brassica rapa growth to imitate soil health and stimulate more research on plastic biodegradability and size effects in terrestrial ecosystems. This study aimed to compare the non-biodegradable polystyrene and biodegradable polylactic acid, hypothesizing that smaller non-biodegradable microplastics hinder the growth of Brassica rapa compared to their counterparts. 150 Brassica rapa plants were used to evaluate the effects of 1 mm and 5 mm microplastic lengths and their biodegradability throughout a 17-day period by being grown with the microplastics directly. At the end of the 17 days, the Brassica rapa were measured by stem height, and data was used to run an ANOVA. The results found there was no significant difference in the size of microplastics. This finding eliminates the need for a two-way ANOVA comparing microplastic size and type. An unpaired one-way ANOVA, focusing on microplastic type, suggests no statistically significant differences between the polystyrene and polylactic acid groups at 1 mm (p = .223) and 5 mm (p = 0.063). Accordingly, it was concluded the evidence is insufficient to determine a clear difference
Computational Analysis for Determining Differentially-Expressed Genes in Port Wine Stain Mesenchymal Stem Cells
No full textPort wine stain (PWS) is a vascular malformation present at birth with an occurrence of 0.3%. PWS appears as red or pink skin lesions and progressively dilates. However, there is a lack of information on the pathways that may lead to the development of PWS, only being researched recently. The purpose of this study was to determine dysregulated pathways that may lead to the development of PWS. It was hypothesized that there would be dysregulation of genes in the pathways of cells as compared to healthy cells because many mutations, such as PI3K and MAPK, are present in PWS cells and cause various effects such as abnormal cell growth. RNA sequences were extracted from two PWS mesenchymal stem cell lines and were sequenced using bioinformatics. Diseased cells were compared against each other and a healthy cell line. The top 50 dysregulated pathways based on the lowest p-value were given for each comparison. A quasi-likelihood f-test was used to determine the p-value of the dysregulated genes. The hypothesis was supported as all the pathways in the top 50 of the comparison were significantly dysregulated (p \u3c 10–4). When comparing the diseased cell lines against the control, there were significant differences in blood vessel development and cell-to-cell contact. When comparing the diseased cell lines against each other, there were differences in cholesterol and sterol metabolism. Specific pathways were further investigated for each comparison. It was concluded that pathways in PWS mesenchymal stem cells have dysregulated genes compared to healthy mesenchymal stem cells
An Approach to Decrease the Density of Crowd Congestion From the Layout of High School Hallway Designs Using AnyLogic
No full textCrowd congestion has become increasingly hard to control due to continuous developing urbanization. However, many studies have found that a space’s design impacts the decision of pedestrians and that conflicting architectural designs do not improve the efficiency with which a pedestrian moves. Although there have been a few studies on merging crowd dynamics, none of them have conducted a study on crowd behavior in an educational setting. The engineering goal of this research sought to study the relationship between hallways designed on Spring Valley High School’s first floor and the amount of congestion traffic produced by each model. Using Anylogic simulation software, a remodel was built, incorporating a modeling process based on probability distributions to accurately show students walking to different classrooms. When comparing the remodel to the layout’s original design, results showed that the original had an average of 78.357 pedestrians crossed after 300 seconds, almost twice as large as the remodeled design. During the duration of 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 seconds, Spring Valley High School’s remodeled design showed a decrease in the mean traffic compared to the durations of the original design
The Effect of a Water/Air Hybrid Cooling System on Solar Panel Energy Efficiency
No full textTraditional energy sources, such as fossil fuels, have begun to show their limits and renewable energy sources have consequently increased in demand. Photovoltaics, more commonly known as solar panels, have become a popular device for residential and commercial energy production alike, but encounter overheating issues. The purpose of this paper is represented by an experimental cooling design that consists of two active cooling methods, forced convection and liquid-based cooling. It was hypothesized that when those methods were united to create a hybrid system by making use of a water pump and a fan proportionate in size to the photovoltaic, the electrical production of the photovoltaic would increase due to the system’s cooling ability. A submersible water pump and 12 Volt fan were implemented to effectively provide cooling to the front and rear of the photovoltaic device without being too bulky, fragile, or inefficient. Using a halogen lamp to provide light, this photovoltaic cooling system resulted in an average mean increase of 2.064 volts compared to an uncooled photovoltaic, resulting in an increase of 2480% in voltage output from the solar modules used. The data proved statistically significant as it had an average of 0.00197, which was less than the value of 0.01 (F(3, 116) = 4.97, p = .003). It was determined that the proposed cooling system proved significantly effective at cooling photovoltaics and has considerable benefits to its voltage production
The Effect of Using the Wash Soap Method in Order to Test the Purity of Homemade Green and Brown Algal Based Fuels
No full textIn today’s fuel industry fossil fuels are not a dependable source of energy and are starting to become scarce. Many efforts have been made to create different types of fuel makeups to replace modern day diesel fuel. Renewable energy in the forms of compost and organic material has shed a new light on the recent concerns. These fuels are categorized by generations and every generation that increases has a more renewable way of producing fuel. Although, the most newly researched fuel and renewable is algae based fuel. Algae based fuel is the most promising replacement to modern day diesel, although it presents some challenges. This third generation fuel has very minimal research and has high cost rates to be able to mass produce. To help this cause, numerous purity tests need to be implemented to ensure the cleanliness of this new generational fuel. In this experiment, algae based fuels were tested for purity using the inexpensive, but efficient Wash Soap Test. The Wash Soap Test served as a critical tool in assessing the purity of homemade green and brown algae biofuel blends in comparison to traditional diesel. In this purity evaluation, the fuel is mixed with dish soap and water, and later observed by a spectrophotometer. Through a meticulous analysis of soap content, the test aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the production processes and the overall cleanliness of these alternative biofuels. Despite the promise of green and brown algae biofuels as sustainable alternatives, the results revealed higher soap content in these homemade blends compared to normal diesel. The findings underscored the superior cleanliness of traditional diesel, which undergoes stringent refining processes to meet industry standards. The findings of an ANOVA test yielded a statistically significant result when comparing the purity of each biofuel chemical group, p \u3c 0.00001. The Wash Soap Test outcomes not only highlighted the existing challenges in the production of algae-based biofuels but also emphasized the need for further optimization to align with the cleanliness benchmarks set by conventional diesel
A Comparative Analysis of Chemotherapeutic Administrations in Inhibiting Glioblastoma Multiforme Cellular Growth Utilizing an Integration of Differentiation-Based Growth Models and Pharmacokinetic Equations
No full textGlioblastoma multiforme, a disease of grade IV astrocytoma, accounts for 60-70% of malignant brain tumors (D’Alessio et al., 2019). Despite its low survival rate, little is known about GBM and its treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the comparative effectiveness of the most common drugs (temozolomide, carmustine, bevacizumab) in reducing tumor growth within GBM chemotherapy. It was hypothesized that due to their properties as alkylating agents inhibiting growth genes within GBM, temozolomide and carmustine would provide the most reduction in cellular growth mathematically (Thomas et al., 2013). VisualPDE simulations were used to model administration of temozolomide, carmustine, bevacizumab, and none in chemotherapy and provide the cellular GBM counts at any given time within five months (60 time points were used). Results showed cell growth reduction by temozolomide and carmustine, but most drastically by bevacizumab, and upon further analysis, a One-Way ANOVA yielded that the difference between at least two chemotherapeutic administrations were statistically significant (F(3, 236)=281.049, p\u3c0.001). A post-hoc Tukey HSD test revealed a significant difference between no administration and each chemotherapeutic administration (TMZ: p\u3c0.001, BCNU: p=0.046, BEV: p\u3c0.001), as well as significant differences compared to bevacizumab, which was drastically more effective than TMZ and BCNU (p\u3c0.001, p\u3c0.001). Thus, it was concluded that BEV provided the optimal treatment in slowing GBM growth with the mathematical model through its ability to regulate proteins and drug resistance, allowing for its integration in future chemotherapy
The Effect of Different Vegetable Oils (Macadamia Nut Oil and Walnut Oil) on the Coefficient of Friction as a Finish for Oak Wood
No full textSlipping due to insufficient friction with flooring can cause fatal injuries in workplaces and homes. Oak wood flooring is commonly used in construction to build these environments. In the manufacturing process, wood finishing is conducted at the end of the process to strengthen the properties and longevity of the wood, although it could impact the coefficient of friction (COF) causing slip falls. Vegetable oils, such as macadamia nut and walnut oils, used as wood finishes have gained prominence due to their beneficial aspects to the environment. However, little is known about their effectiveness as a safe coating for wood floors. It was hypothesized that if oak wood was coated with macadamia nut oil, it would be the most effective at increasing the COF as it is the most viscous of the finishes. Both vegetable oil finishes were compared to a control group with no finish, as well as a common polyurethane finish. After being coated, the COF of the wood materials was measured by sliding a rubber shoe sole along the wood, attached to a Vernier Force Sensor. A one-way ANOVA with an alpha value of 0.05 suggested the results were significant (p \u3c .001). The post-hoc Tukey test found significant differences in all experimental groups, with polyurethane finish having the highest mean COF of 0.77, while macadamia nut had a COF of 0.40. Both vegetable oils were considered unsafe by OSHA guidelines of a COF of 0.5, emphasizing the effectiveness of chemical finishes such as polyurethane
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Inhibits Senescence in Neural Cells
No full textOne in three people above the age of 65 dies from Alzheimer\u27s disease or another form of dementia in the United States. High levels of oxidative stress have been demonstrated to induce neuron cell damage through increasing cell senescence, a common feature in Alzheimer\u27s disease. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a proteinase inhibitor that plays a critical role in maintaining normal lung function, with additional anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects. The goal of this study is to test whether AAT can suppress oxidative stress-induced neuron cell death via the regulation of cellular senescence facilitated through the P21/P16 cell pathways. Samples of the neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y (ATCC), were cultured in DMEM with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% antibiotics in 5% CO2 atmosphere. Cells (0.1x106) were seeded in 6-well plates treated with 100 μM of H2O2 to induce oxidative stress. Control cells were cultured in media without H2O2. In some groups, cells were pre-treated with different concentrations (0.1-0.5 mg/ml, Grifols) of AAT for 2 hours before being stimulated with H2O2. Cells were collected 24 hours after treatment. Cell morphology was observed. Cell deaths were measured by counting the number of surviving (attaching) cells divided by the total number of control cells. The presence of senescence cells was identified by acidic senescence-associated-β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining. Cells from 5 random areas were selected and counted. Each experiment was repeated 3 times with triplicates in each sample. Differences were compared using the ANOVA test. Cells treated with H2O2 showed obvious signs of cell shrinkage, rounding, or elongation compared to untreated healthy control cells which were oval-shaped and spreading to each other. In contrast, AAT pre-treated cells showed similar morphology as untreated cells, suggesting less damage. Protein samples have been collected to analyze if AAT changes the cell cycle via flow cytometry and western blot analysis