Friday, April 07, 2006

By Steven Nelson, PR Intern

Wilmington, NC - Ten University of North Carolina Wilmington seniors were selected to present their undergraduate research projects on March 31-April 1at the Colonial Academic Alliance's fourth annual Undergraduate Research Conference at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Their work is also being featured through April 12 in UNCW's Randall Library.

Developed by Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Thomas E. Yeager and the provosts of the CAA member institutions, the Colonial Academic Alliance is a consortium that brings the 12 schools together in academic programs that benefit faculty and students. It includes UNCW as well as Drexel University, Georgia State University, Hofstra University, James Madison University, Northeastern University, Old Dominion University, University of Delaware, Towson University, George Mason University Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of William and Mary.

A total of 75 undergraduates from each CAA school presented their research in poster and oral presentation sessions. UNCW students included:

Rebecca Raab of South Boston, VA, Anthropology (Dr. Patricia Lerch)

The Development and Influence of Pentecostal Protestantism in the Predominately Catholic Community of Indian Church Village, Belize.

Ethnographic research conducted in May and June of 2005 illustrates the effects that Pentecostal Protestantism has had on community development, providing an interesting micro-level account of the Protestant movement in Central America.

Rebecca Hamner of Greensboro, NC, Biology and Marine Biology (Dr. Wilson Freshwater)

The use of mitochondrial DNA to investigate the lionfish invasive to the western Atlantic Ocean

The recent invasion of lionfish in the western Atlantic triggered investigations using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. It was found that Pterois volitans along with a small number of P. miles are present in the Atlantic, a strong genetic bottleneck accompanied the invasion, and the founders were most likely from an Indonesian population.

Josh K. Bolton of Locust, NC, Health and Applied Human Sciences (Dr. Robert Boyce)

Ergonomic Discomfort Profile of a Telecommunication Company with Health Promotion Implications

This project was designed to report the findings from an ergonomic and exercise questionnaire in a call center that required sitting and answering telephones for 8 hour shift and to discuss the implications for exercise, nutrition and safety programming. The questionnaire was administered to 393 volunteers in a communication company (71% female; mean age 33.6 yrs).

Matt Sayball of Greenville, NC, Philosophy and Religion (Dr. Ferenc Altrichter)

Conditional Statements: Logic and Ordinary English

My project is focused on the syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of conditional statements in classical logic, modal logic, and ordinary English. The major issues that I take up include the classification of conditionals, the meaning of conditional connectives like 'if', and the processes by which the conditionals of ordinary English are translated into logical form, and vice versa.

Gailyn McClung of Southport, NC, Political Science (Dr. Raymonde Kleinberg)

European integration: pragmatic cooperation and its theoretical implications

This body of research uses theory and case studies to argue that the continuing process of European Union enlargement alongside NATO expansion demonstrates that we are moving toward a global architecture concerned with more than just relative gains. Complex interdependency is the main theoretical paradigm employed.

Jay Sanguinetti of Natchez, Mississippi, Psychology (Dr. Julian Keith)

Brain Electrical Activity During Recognition Memory: An Event-related Potential Study

We are interested in the underlying biological and cognitive processes in human memory. The current experiment was devised to study recognition memory processed in human subjects by using the EEG. We are looking for neuronal signatures associated with recognition memory. In this experiment, subjects were presented a series of pictures of animals and plants. Presentation frequency varied such that during initial training pictures were seen 0, 1, 3, or 10 times. The purpose of this study is to replicate previous findings by extending the ERP "repetition effect" beyond the scope of previous paradigms. Is the repetition effect controlled by repetition frequency?

Nick Yaroch of Winston-Salem, NC, Chemistry (Dr. Sridhar Varadarajan)

Synthesis of DNA Minor Groove Methylating Compounds That Target Pancreatic Cells

I began working with Dr. Varadarajan in May 2005. Since then I have been working on the synthesis of sequence specific DNA-methylating molecules that can target insulin producing pancreatic beta-cells. I am currently in my second semester of an extended DIS working on this project and I hope to begin my honors project this summer or Fall 2006 semester.

Shannon Cook of Wilmington, NC, Chemistry (Dr. Sridhar Varadarajan)

DNA Major Groove Methylation by Minor-groove Binding Agent-An HPLC Study

My focus has been to determine and quantify the different kinds of DNA damage caused by specific DNA-modifying compounds which have been synthesized in our laboratory. These compounds have a structural design enabling them to bind and damage in the minor groove of DNA at A/T rich regions. These compounds have been shown to be efficient at selectively damaging adenines at the N3-position in the minor groove at certain sequences. However, in the presence of a competitive inhibitor that inhibits the formation of N3-methyladenine, these compounds damage in the major groove of DNA and produce N7-methyl guanine adducts. My goal has been to develop HPLC methodology with UV-VIS and electrochemical detection to find out how selective these compounds are in the kind of damage they inflict on DNA. In a second project, I am making DNA-binding compounds containing a fluorescent tag in order to use fluorescence as an indicator of the strength of DNA binding for various compounds.

Kristen McReynolds of Hubert, NC, Biology (Dr. Sridhar Varadarajan)

The Design and Synthesis of PARP-1 Inhibitors Targeted to Specific Cells

The main focus of the research in this lab is the synthesis of cytotoxic agents which are targeted to specific cells. The compounds being made target the minor groove of DNA and form cytotoxic adducts thus killing those specific cells and remaining non-detrimental to the healthy cells of the body. I am synthesizing a compound that will aid the aforementioned compounds and alter the mode of cell death exhibited by those affected cells. Currently I am in the midst of the multi-step synthesis of this compound, Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 inhibitor, which will target insulin producing pancreatic beta-cells as well as breast cancer cells. By inhibiting PARP-1, which is active in cells when damage to their DNA is recognized, the mode of cell death will be shifted from necrosis to apoptosis. Working in this particular lab has proven to be the most vital portion of my undergraduate career. Because of the research I have conducted I am one of two UNCW students who were chosen to participate in the GlaxoSmithKline Women in Science Scholars Program.

Kathryn Roege of Fairfax Stati, VA, Chemistry (Dr. Sridhar Varadarajan)

Fluorescence Assay Development for the Measurement of Binging of Weak DNA-Minor Groove Binders

I am part of a research team which is trying to develop drugs that can inflict selective DNA-damage in specific cells. Such compounds have potential applications in cancer chemotherapy. The goal is to produce compounds that can bind to DNA in A-T rich regions located in the minor groove and alkylate the N-3 site on adenine. Alkylation of this site is known to cause cell death. Based on earlier experiments, it is known that the compounds must have a DNA-binding constant of at least 105 for the alkylation to take place efficiently. However, too high a binding constant (> 107) is to be avoided in order to prevent the compound from remaining bound to the DNA after alkylation has been accomplished. My goal is to develop an assay which will enable us to measure the binding constant of various compounds to the desired A-T rich site on DNA. In order to achieve this goal, I am first synthesizing a fluorescent compound that will bind to the same site on DNA as the other compounds being synthesized in our laboratory. This compound is expected to exhibit different fluorescent properties when it is bound to the DNA as opposed to when it is free in solution. Therefore, the extent to which this fluorescent compound is displaced from the DNA by the other compounds being tested can be measured as a change in the observed fluorescence, and this would enable us to measure the binding constant of the various candidates being tested.