Chris Chronowski

Effect of Sleep on Physiological Response to Academic Stress
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As students progress through their college careers, they are expected to take more difficult classes. Having more difficult classes increases the amount of stress the student experiences. Stress is defined as the consequence of the failure of an organism to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, whether real or imagined. The goal of this research was to determine the effect of sleep on physiological response to academic stress. The current body of research anticipates determining whether different sleeping patterns result in a change in perceived stress and salivary cortisol concentration. It is the hypothesis of this study that the greatest self-reported stress will correlate with the highest concentration of salivary cortisol and that the levels of cortisol will remain constant for those who consistently sleep at least 8 hours every night. I predict that the participants who have had the same sleep consistently will have stable levels of cortisol as their stress increases over the term. To date the study has found an increase of stress over the course of the term, with cortisol analysis to be determined.

Sean Fitzgerald

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Application of Quantum Dot Molecular Beacons for Real-Time PCR Analysis

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a scientific technique used in the field of molecular biology to amplify a target sequence of DNA. Current PCR product detection methods are typically executed post-reaction, therefore providing no real-time data on the success or failure of the intended DNA amplification. Due to the time-consuming nature of a PCR reaction, a method by which to determine whether or not a specific product is being amplified within the first couple of minutes would be highly beneficial for scientific researchers. A potential solution to this issue would be the incorporation of quantum dot molecular beacons (QDMB’s) into the reaction mixture of a PCR reaction. The QDMB’s would be specifically generated to hybridize to the target DNA sequence being amplified. As the PCR reaction progressed, the QDMB’s would attach to the amplified product, resulting in a change in fluorescent properties of the quantum dots. QDMB detection methods can be used for a wide range of applications, from bioterrorism threat detection to cancer gene expression analysis. My research has focused on creating a QDMB that would be stable at the extreme temperatures of a PCR reaction, by altering the coating on the quantum dots.

Johanna Geoghegan

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Presence of Follicle Stimulating Hormone Receptor in Lipid Rafts

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is an anterior pituitary glycoprotein hormone crucial for proper spermatogenesis in males and oocyte development in females. The follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) is a G-protein coupled receptor found exclusively on the membranes of Sertoli cells in the testes and granulosa cells in the ovaries. It has been proposed that FSHR localizes to detergent resistant portions of the membranes called lipid rafts, areas of the cell membrane with high percent composition of cholesterol and sphingolipids. To determine where FSHR resides in the cell membrane, strong detergents were used to extract and isolate detergent resistant membranes. Prior to extraction, cells were treated with FSH and/or the cholesterol depleting drug methyl- β-cylcodextrin (M βCD) and western blot analysis was conducted. FSHR was observed in both the detergent soluble and insoluble portions of the membrane. FSH treatment resulted in increased FSHR localization to lipid rafts. Understanding FSHR localization in the plasma membrane may lead to greater understanding of its signaling pathways.

Brian Goldman

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Membrane microdomain dependence of FSH receptor activation

The human follicle stimulating hormone receptor (hFSHR) is a G protein-coupled receptor involved in reproduction in both males and females. hFSHR is involved in complex networks of signaling molecules beyond the G proteins and understanding the ability of the receptor to participate in many signaling pathways is of significant interest for those looking to modulate receptor function. One possibility is that microdomains in the plasma membrane, such as lipid rafts, play an important role in signal transduction. The aim of this study was to determine the role of plasma membrane microdomains in hFSHR function. To analyze this, lipid rafts were disrupted using the cholesterol withdrawing agent methyl-beta cylcodextrin (MBCD) and hFSH activation of MAP kinase pathways was investigated. Removal of membrane cholesterol caused the loss of hFSH induced p38-MAP kinase activation but did not alter p42/44 MAP kinase activation. By gaining a better understanding of factors regulating FSH receptor signaling, then it may be possible to control the effects of FSH on the body. This could mean contraception could be improved or the chances of pregnancy may increase with the ability to control the function of the FSH receptor.

Kelly Parkes

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Investigating the Stress of Students in the Sorority New Member Process

The undergoing of my current research was based on my interest in studying the additional stress that participating in a new member education process would bring on Union Students. Many are skeptical about this additional time commitment and how it adds to the already demanding work load of Union Students and I was interested in seeing if it was indeed an additional stress and what psychological and physiological effects it had on the students. I hypothesize that the perceived stress of students would be higher during the new member education
process as compared to the winter term when they were no longer involved in it. I also hypothesize that their stress hormone levels would also be increased during the fall term. My approach was to give students several questionnaires as well as test their serum cortisol levels between the fall and winter term to see if the process was a stress factor. From my current research I have seen that during the end of the new member process students had higher reported stress and I expect to see higher elevated stress
hormones in the body. Understanding this stress will help Greek life organizations to better understand the needs of their colleagues going through the new member process.

Honorary Members:

  • Melissa Pinchinat

Sophomore Scholars

  • Lucas First ’12- Chemistry, Chinese Culture and Medicine: A Look
    Inside Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Science Behind It
  • Kayla Lawrence ’13- Membrane Location of Human Follitropin Receptor