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The Effect of Chlorhexidine on the Fluorescence of Dugesia tigrina in a Planarian Toxicity Fluorescent Assay
No full textEye irritation tests are conducted to determine the toxicity of chemicals in eye products that may be potentially harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. However, many ocular irritation tests are seen as inaccurate, unethical, and expensive. These issues suggest that there needs to be more research conducted on ocular irritation tests. The purpose of this study was to determine how chlorhexidine, an eye drop preservative, affects the fluorescence of Dugesia tigrina in a planarian toxicity fluorescent assay. This research will help determine if the planarian toxicity fluorescent assay is valid for evaluating eye irritants. It was hypothesized that higher concentrations of chlorhexidine would result in higher fluorescence in Dugesia tigrina than lower concentrations of chlorhexidine. The D. tigrina were put in 0%, 0.004% and 0.02% concentrations of chlorhexidine for one minute. Then, they were placed in sodium fluorescein for one minute and placed under UV light. Pictures were taken and the fluorescence was evaluated in ImageJ. A one-way ANOVA (F(5.36E-6, 0.0001) = 90.1261, p﹤0.0001) was conducted and one or more significant differences were found between the groups. A post-hoc Tukey Kramer test was used to determine where the differences were. Each concentration group was found to be significantly different from the others. The results supported the hypothesis that higher concentrations of chlorhexidine would result in higher fluorescence. These results indicate that the planarian toxicity fluorescent assay can be used to detect different concentrations of eye drop preservatives
The Effect of Various Polyphenols on Associative Memory Loss and Dementia in a Drosophila melanogaster Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
No full textAlzheimer’s Disease (AD), a prominent neurodegenerative disease (NDD), is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (National Institute of Aging, 2021), however, little is known about prevention. As a result, polyphenols (plant-based compounds) and other natural substances have been studied for their therapeutic potential in improving cognition and memory in AD cases. While the impacts of each polyphenol (phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans) contain fundamental similarities, each varies slightly in its impacts on the brain (Cory et al., 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of polyphenol subgroups on associative memory in AD, tested by building an olfactory association, through the use of Drosophila melanogaster. It was hypothesized that if Drosophila groups were each fed a different polyphenol, the flavonoid group would display the least associative memory loss when tested for a learned memory because flavonoids reduce acetylcholine deficiency, aggregations, and neurotoxicity in the brain (Ayaz et al., 2019). To test this, Drosophila were administered a phenolic acid, flavonoid, stilbene, lignan, or control solution for one week before experimentation. They were conditioned on olfactory appetitive assays (linking the odor 1-octanol to a sucrose reward) and then tested for memory acquisition using a Y-maze across four intervals (Simonnet et al., 2014). The results of this research rejected the null hypothesis, X²(4, N=150)\u3e9.488, p\u3c0.05; thus, it was concluded that polyphenols (including flavonoids) do cause a significant improvement in the associative memory of AD mutant Drosophila, with stilbenes and flavonoids providing the most effective response to memory loss
The Effect of Corrugation Widths of Steel Sheets on Sound Insulation of Trumpet Frequencies
No full textSound insulation is important in musical settings, where volume is highly important, and other settings where excessive noise can lead to hearing loss and other complications. With differences in inherent sound insulation, certain materials are preferred in certain settings based on the needs of the environment. Steel has long since been considered a poor sound insulator; the only focus of contemporary research being the composite structures where the use of steel is necessary due to structural needs. Due to the common nature of steel, investigation is needed as to how to potentially improve the sound insulation of an object that finds such common use. The purpose of this study was to determine if the presence of corrugation, and the adjustments of distance between peaks and valleys of the corrugation, could lead to any change in sound insulation. It was hypothesized that the corrugated sheet with the largest distance between the peaks, 7.62 cm, would have the lowest transmitted amplitude due to having the highest mass. An adaptation of the two-room method was used: the sound initiator was isolated on one side of the sheet in question, and the sound amplitude was measured on the other side of the surface. The results of a one-way ANOVA test indicated no significance in the results, F(2, 267) = 1.12, p = 0.33. As a result, it was concluded that there was no significant difference between the sound insulation of the flat steel sheet and either of the corrugated sheets
Using Electromyography and Biomedical Engineering to Assist Muscular Atrophy Patients
No full textPatients with Muscular Atrophy disorders such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy suffer from decreased muscular capacity making complex motor functions such as walking or eating difficult. However, these muscular weaknesses do not always fully destroy the muscles. By using Electromyography, it could be possible to detect if a patient is trying to use one of these weaker muscles by measuring the amount of voltage the nervous system and brain is sending to the muscle. This study was conducted to test if it was possible to record muscle flexion data in a patient with a Muscular Atrophy disorder. Data was recorded with a Sichiray Muscle Sensor and an Arduino Uno with numerical results measured in microvolts (µV) displayed on a computer monitor in real time. Our results found that our patient with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 3 (a type of Muscular Atrophy) could cause a significant enough shift in the amount of microvolts to be recorded. When compared to a patient without muscular Atrophy the recorded difference in voltage shift was negligible. However we also found that our sensor seemed to only function in a limited range regardless of being used on a person with or without Muscular Atrophy meaning further testing with better equipment and larger sample sizes would be required. However, if what these findings suggest is true then major advancements in bionics and quality of life for Muscular Atrophy patients could be made
The Effects of Salinity on Mycorrhizal Association and Corn
No full textSalinity is a significant problem regarding plant growth. Salinity hinders plant reproduction and growth by impeding nitrogen uptake and by interfering with a seed\u27s capability of germinating. High salinity in a seed\u27s environment can lead to a low osmotic potential, which may eventually result in little to no water uptake. Mycorrhiza fungi are specific fungi that establish a mutualistic association between plant roots and fungi. This relationship often permits plants to uptake nutrients and water more readily. Mycorrhizal fungi helps plants tolerate stressful conditions like salinity, heat, and extreme temperatures. This experiment was conducted under four different treatments: 0.5M salt concentration with wildroot organic mighty mycorrhizae, 0.2M salt concentration with mycorrhizae, no salt concentration but mycorrhizae added, and a control group (no salt concentration and no mycorrhizae), with all treatments containing an equal amount of soil (miracle grow potting mix soil) and corn seeds. These four separate treatments were placed in a growth chamber set to 12 hours of light at 26℃ (to represent daytime) and 12 hours of darkness at 23℃ (to represent nighttime). The measurements were taken over the course of three weeks. A significant finding was that the presence of salinity significantly inhibited the growth of corn plants. In addition, the presence of mycorrhizae allowed for relatively faster and healthier growth of the plants. These revealed that salinity has a negative effect on plant growth. However, if mycorrhizae are present, this negative effect is mitigated as the plant ] develops a remarkable tolerance against salinity. Furthermore, the results indicate that the plant grown with mycorrhizae will more readily uptake more nutrients and water, overall producing a healthier plant
Jim Leavell Interview
No full textAs a founding member of Furman\u27s Asian Studies Department, Dr. Jim Leavell recounts the history behind Furman\u27s adoption of a Non-Western curriculum (later called the Asian-African requirement) and subsequent establishment of an Asian Studies curriculum and department in the late 1980s. Between 1995-1998, Leavell held the position of Chair of Asian Studies. In this interview, Leavell also traces his journey to Furman and scholarly interests in studying Japanese history and culture.
This oral history is part of the Untold Journeys project.https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/oral-histories/1048/thumbnail.jp
[Complete Volume] Kharbintsy Volume Two
Get PDFA complete volume of sheet music by various composershttps://scholarexchange.furman.edu/periphery-kharbintsy2/1000/thumbnail.jp
