The life history traits of parasites are dependent on the host environment and host immune response. Heligmosomoides bakeri, is an intestinal nematode parasite that infects laboratory mice (Mus musculus). This investigation used rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug, in the diet of the host. Rapamycin is currently being considered as an over the counter drug to extend life expectancy. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if inhibition of the host immune system by rapamycin had a significant effect on parasite life history traits during a secondary infection. Mice were fed either a rapamycin diet or control diet for two months. Mice were then infected with H. bakeri, drug cleared of the primary infection, then re-infected with a secondary H. bakeri infection. Starting eight days after the secondary infection fecal egg counts were done daily to determine worm reproduction in vivo. Eighteen days after the secondary infection the mice were euthanized and worms were removed, sexed and counted. Length of ten female and ten male worms from each mouse was then measured, and 10 females were cultured to measure ex vivo reproduction. After 24 hours of incubation in culture media, egg output and worm motility (an index of viability) were measured. For this experiment I was involved in recording the worm length and was responsible for performing the ex vivo egg count and motility measurements. Results will provide important information about potential over-the-counter use of rapamycin in humans to slow biological aging and how changes in immune function may affect susceptibility to parasite infection.

Tuberculosis (TB) kills more than one million people annually. Bacteria of the Mycobacterium genus, including M. tuberculosis, build a complex cell wall containing mycolic acids. This cell wall is difficult to penetrate, so specialized antibiotics are needed. Even with newly developed drugs, bacteria adapt quickly and exhibit resistance at an alarmingly rapid pace. One adaptation that allows the community to survive is production of biofilms. Formation of biofilm is one of many quorum sensing behaviors known in pathogenic mycobacteria. This additional layer surrounds a microenvironment where bacteria can thrive with a very low concentration of antibiotic. Thus, one alternative method to treat TB is to control biofilm formation. In this research, a set of marine bacterial strains, including several bacteria that exhibited swarming behaviors and several from the same environmental samples that did not, were cultured, extracted, and analyzed by 1H NMR and LC-MS as well as in newly-developed biofilm and growth inhibition assays. Initial results showed one group of bacteria produced an organic compound that induced biofilm production in mycobacteria. This was an unexpected result. One representative strain producing a strong biofilm inducer was grown on large scale (10L) then extracted using progressively less polar eluents on a reversed-phase SPE column. The biofilm-inducing fraction was then separated using flask column chromatography. One major component was analyzed spectroscopically using 1D and 2D NMR techniques along with Mass Spectrometry. This compound could result in a strategy to interfere with biofilm formation in mycobacteria, thus making antibiotics more effective.

In the US more than 100 million people are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. The economic burden caused by these conditions, including medical costs, is approximately $327 billion annually. Conventionally, transgenic Escherichia coli has been the primary source of commercial insulin production, a process that requires extensive purification to ensure shelf stability and complete removal of contaminants. This study seeks to establish an alternative mode of insulin production using polyethelyne glycol (PEG) and agrobacterium to transform the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, with the human insulin gene. P. ostreatus is a valuable target for genetic transformation due to its lack of endotoxins, rapid growth, and fully sequenced genome. P. ostreatus was transformed using PEG and agrobacterium with a plasmid containing the human insulin gene and a carboxin resistance gene. Transformed cells were selected using carboxin, extracted, and regenerated on plates composed of yeast extract, malt extract, and glucose (YMG). Integration of the human insulin gene in to the mushroom genome was confirmed through PCR analysis of the transformants. Successful transformation of P.ostreatus offers a new avenue for insulin production, potentially diversifying the market and treatment options for diabetics.

A protein's function is dependent on its structure, which is made up of amino acids. Proline, (an amino acid) is known to cause the kinks and turns in protein structures. However, little is known about the influence of pH on the isomeric preference of proline-attached dipeptides. For this experiment, the isomeric preference of methionine-proline was measured in 10% solutions for pH levels of 7 and 11, the pH of the human body falls between the range of 6 and 9. At pH 11, NMR-90 spectra showed that the cis- isometric form was preferred at a rate of 14% more than the trans- isometric form, measured by the alpha hydrogen. At neutral pH of 7 trans- isomers are preferred 36% more than the cis- form measured by the alpha hydrogen and 73% more measured by the delta hydrogen. In conclusion, this experiment supports the hypothesis that proline-attached dipeptides’ isomerization is pH dependent and is more likely to be in cis- form when in high pH in comparison to a neutral pH. The purpose of this experiment is to determine if pH levels can change the structure of a protien, with further research exploring if the change of structure changes the function. This is important to determine if medications containing amino acids can have an optimal or range of pH.

Space travel and exploration provides a new perspective of the universe and our place within it. Private companies are taking the leading role in driving the aerospace industry. Many of these companies are looking for new technologies that will lower the cost of spacecraft production and operation. This goal could be achieved through the development of a multi-use modular launch vehicle. This project created a scaled modular rocket utilizing an adjustable ring fin design. The adjustable ring fin allows the user to easily and quickly change the aerodynamics of the rocket to compensate for a variety of payloads. Four test models were created using Callisto rocketry kits. Three of the Callistos were modified with a variety of ring fin diameters, and one was kept as an unmodified control. The live test parameters were based on rail velocity, visual stability, and altitude. After the baseline performance of each ring fin was established, the lengths of the rockets were adjusted to simulate different payloads. This work demonstrates that adjusting the ring fin allows the same base rocket to fly a variety of payloads without needing to construct a new rocket. Successful flights of the test vehicles, with improved performance based on our alterations, provide a new avenue of research into incorporating small modifications to garner a wide array of uses without extensive and costly modification. Further research will involve scaling up to rockets with motors with an impulse up to 10,000 newton seconds, as well as testing other innovative concepts related to modularity and revisions to the ring fin design. The ultimate goal is the design of a single rocket with a changeable ring fin that can be used in a wide variety of applications, saving money on research and development of new launch systems.