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Potential cure for Glioblastomas with the use of Newly Formed Drugs Called PROTACs
No full textGlioblastomas are one of the most aggressive and fast growing brain tumors with currently no cure. Treating Glioblastomas with chemotherapy often leads to the rise of dormant cells, resistance to treatment in the future, and, eventually, a relapse of the tumor. This research focused on an alternative treatment for this type of cancer by using drugs called PROTACs. Benefits of these drugs include being used in lower doses and providing tumor sensitivity to drugs. During an earlier study in this lab, GPD1 was found to be an important regulatory protein in Glioblastomas, but targeting and degrading GPD1 proved to be extremely difficult to execute. Our next plan of action was to target instead the nuclear receptor of GPD1, named GR, which in turn prevents the GPD1 from carrying out its job and thus does not allow the tumor cells to continue to function. We studied this by caring for HeLa cells through cell culture and then live imaging the cells after PEI transfection and drug insertion. To solidify our research, we also carried out multiple Western blots using 20 different PROTACs along with the negative controls to ones that held particular promises. We found PROTACs DKFZ 932 and DKFZ 924 to be extremely promising in the degradation of GR and, thus, the disabling of important regulatory mechanisms that keep cancer thriving and prominent. Finding a cure for Glioblastomas is incredibly important, and PROTACs could very well be the solution to this urgent question
Disabled College Students and Accessibility on Public College Campuses
No full textThere are many benefits to accessibility features in public places. According to The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, “guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else”. Unfortunately on many college campuses across the country, the idea of equal opportunity for many disabled students is simply implausible. This research discusses the success of accessibility measures on public college campuses in South Carolina for disabled students and measured the ADA indicators that are required for public spaces by asking students whether or not they think their college has all of these requirements. This study safely analyzes and compares the extent to which students without disabilities and students with disabilities are able to interact with both their campus and other students/staff. Causal-comparative and case study methods will be used for this research. The case study method has the ability to qualitative data, while the causal-comparative method gathers quantitative data. The correlation test used in this research, was statistically significant with a P-value of 0.045, however, the data is opposite of the hypothesized results. The Chi Squared test is not statistically significant with a P-value of 0.887 for ADA compliance, implying that there is no difference in the compliance at each University, therefore, a significant relationship can not be determined by these results and the null hypothesis cannot be rejected
The Growth of Pleurotus ostreatus in Different Substrates
No full textOver the decades, the cultivation of mushrooms has become more accessible and researchable as many studies seek methods to sufficiently grow them. Oyster mushrooms, scientifically known as Pleurotus ostreatus, are the second most cultivated mushrooms in the world preceded by button mushrooms, or Agaricus bisporus. One method that has been proven successful numerous times is the use of substrates to grow mushrooms. The purpose of this study was to determine which substrate, wheat straw, sawdust, and alfalfa hay are most effective in the growth of P. ostreatus. It was hypothesized that if Pleurotus ostreatus were grown in three different substrates, alfalfa hay, wheat straw, and sawdust then alfalfa hay would have the greatest increase in mass and sawdust would have the least increase in mass. This was due to the fact that alfalfa hay is often given to animals because of its nutritional value, thus possibly having a positive effect on mushroom growth as well. The three substrates, wheat straw, sawdust, and alfalfa hay, along with the control groups were observed and weighed daily during a 16-day growth period to discover which experimental group had the most growth. A one-way ANOVA test was run to find the significance of the raw data collected. It was established that alfalfa hay (M = 23.430, SD = .262) was most effective while the control group (M = 17.573, SD = .644) was least effective for the growth of P. ostreatus. It was also found that the sawdust substrate (M = 21.560, SD = .937) showed the second most significance in growth and the wheat straw substrate (M = 22.180, SD = .412) had the third most significance. It was concluded that the null hypothesis was accepted in this experiment
Comparison of the Combined and Individual Effects of Diphenhydramine on the Mortality rate of Daphnia magna when Co-exposed with Petrol-based Microplastics, and Cellulose-based Microplastics.
No full textConsidering the persistence and prevalence of plastics in the environment, specifically in aquatic ecosystems, investigation into the effects of co-exposure of organisms to plastics and various pollutants is essential. Microplastics (MPs) are microscopic pieces of plastic that have been identified in all bodies of water and in the air. Biodegradable plastics have been found to be unable to biodegrade in most environmental conditions, and can also break down into microbioplastics (MBPs) in the environment. Polymer adsorption is a process that allows a microplastic to carry increased amounts of a pollutant into the body of an organism when ingested, potentially increasing the effects of these pollutants. Diphenhydramine is one of the most commonly identified over-the-counter medicines in bodies of water around the world, and is traditionally used to treat insomnia in humans. Previous literature used concentrations of around 250μ/L of Diphenhydramine, and around 10 mg/L of microplastics to test the effects of these pollutants individually on Daphnia magna. This study used six solutions containing varying presences of MPS, MBPS, and Diphenhydramine, and measured mortality over a 96 hour experimentation period. The mortality rate in the six solutions: Control, Diphenhydramine, Microplastics, Microbioplastics, MPS+D, and MBPS+D were 23.33%, 50%, 26.67%, 33.33%, 63.33% and 63.33% respectively, and a two-way ANOVA test was conducted to determine the statistical significance of each mortality rate. With a p-value of 0.05, it was determined that the two combined solutions containing MPS & D, and MBPS & D, were found to have statistically significant effects on mortality
The Effect of Different Dyes on the Voltage Produced by Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
No full textAs the technology evolves, the environment gets increasingly endangered by the non-renewable resources that are being used to power these technologies, such as the use of metals in solar cells. A potentially more eco-friendly alternative to metal-based solar cells are dye-sensitized solar cells. Dye-sensitized cells can perform better than current cells under higher temperatures and are also more cost effective to produce. The purpose of this experiment is to test natural dye and synthetic dye, based solar cells, and the combination of the two, to see which one can generate the most amount of electricity (measured in millivolts). The main goal of this research is to the use of non-renewable resources because they negatively affect the environment. It was hypothesized that if the combination of synthetic and natural dye is used instead of the individual components to make a dye-sensitized solar cell, then a greater voltage will be produced because of the anthocyanins in Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra as well as the chemical components of red congo acidic dye. ANOVA and tukey statistical tests were performed on the raw data to determine if the data recorded was significant
The Effect of a Concentrated Oxybenzone Solution on Water pH Levels Based on Biological Responses of Red Corallina Algae in an Environment with a High Relative Acidity
No full textThe impact of human interference on physical environments has triggered major global events such as ocean acidification due to climate change and the direct chemical pollution of marine habitats. While research exists regarding the relationships between marine algal biological processes and current ecological patterns, calcification and photosynthetic characteristics of Corallina have not been sufficiently observed under these conditions. (Nash et al., 2019) The purpose of this study was to measure the change in water pH level exposed to Coralline algae samples and varying concentrations of oxybenzone in water with a high acidity level. It was hypothesized that as the concentration of oxybenzone in the water increased, and the algae was exposed to an environment with a high acidity, the photosynthetic abilities of the Corallina samples would decrease due to the weakening properties of oxybenzone on coral reefs. Lowering the pH level of the water by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the water. In order to perform this experiment, Corallina samples were exposed to water with an initial pH level of 7.9 and varying concentrations of oxybenzone. After several days, the water pH was recorded again as a measure of how well the biological processes of the algae responded to the treatment. The results of this experiment indicated that there was no significant difference in the pH levels after treatment exposure based on a one way ANOVA test with an alpha value of 0.05, (F(2,12) = [3.37], p = 0.07), as p \u3c 0.05. Meaning that the null hypothesis could not be rejected, and that there was no significant evidence to suggest that the biological processes of Corallina are lessened by a combined effect of high acidity and oxybenzone exposure
Reducing the Effects of EMF Radiation in Plants with Faraday Technology
No full textThe project starts with studying high emitting EMF sources, in this project a microwave and light switch were used. This involved using a gauss meter to measure the EMF levels for each device. Using the new found data about high emitting EMF devices gives inspiration for the future development of the experiment. This is important because it has motivated the next part of the experiment. Testing the effects of EMF on the germination of wheat seeds is planned to be tested. This will be done to see if there is a correlation between high amounts of EMF and the rate of germination of wheat seeds and their overall vitality. This will benefit individuals who work alongside plants, or potentially hobby gardeners. If there is a correlation between high EMF emitting devices harmed plant vitality it can help change the techniques that people grow plants. This project is different because it is studying a potential growing issue that affects plants. With the advancement of man made technology many everyday devices produce high frequencies of EMF radiation that are known to affect humans and other organisms. The project will be examined and revised using instruments fit to monitor EMF and plant life. Results that favor there is a correlation between EMF and stunted plant development will be tested on other species of plants. Following tests will also include testing EMF on invertebrates such as crickets and beetles. A testing arena will be created where select invertebrates will be exposed to high levels of EMF radiation. If the subjects show signs of injury, or death it is evidence that supports the harmful effects of EMF. This will allow for more data to be compared if EMF has the same harmful effects in invertebrates that are found in plants. The results will be concurrent if the plants and invertebrates show signs of damage, death, or stunted growth. This will assist in the experiment\u27s future, by giving learned data on how to further improve testing
M. Judson Booksellers
No full textThis exhibit, created using ArcGIS StoryMaps, focuses on the Old Courthouse Building in Greenville, SC which is now M. Judson Booksellers.https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/storytelling/1004/thumbnail.jp
From the Vault: A Difference That Endures
Get PDFA name has the power to evoke. It can stir our hopes and inspire our efforts. At Furman, named gifts also symbolize academic prestige, athletic excellence, the embrace of community and oppostunities that transform lives