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NIH
Bridges
to the Baccalaureate
Program
2005
Summer
Research
Presentation
Friday,
June 27
10:00
AM
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| Schedule
of Presentations |
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| Comparison
of
the
Efficacy
of
Novel
Organoselenium
Compounds
in
the
Inhibition
of
NMU
Tumor
Cell
Growth |
| Marissa Goberdhan |
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Joanne
Tillotson |
|
Organoselenium
compounds
have
shown
promising
results
in
a
variety
of
chemo-preventative
studies.
We
determined
the
effect
of
changes
to
the
structure
of
the
compound
on
its
ability
to
kill
NMU
rat
mammary
tumor
cells.
Benzylselenocyanate
(BSC)
and
analogs
with
substituents
such
as
methyl,
bromo,
methoxy,
nitro
and
fluoro
on
the
phenol
ring
were
tested
to
determine
the
efficacy
of
larger
compounds.
Cell
survival
was
estimated
after
four
hours
of
exposure
to
the
compound.
Chemopreventative
effectiveness
was
evaluated
by
calculating
the
EC50:
the
concentration
at
which
half
of
the
original
number
of
cells
was
killed.
Lower
EC50
values
indicated
a
more
effective
compound.
Preliminary
results
suggested
that
analogs
with
larger
substituents
on
the
ring
may
have
higher
EC50
values,
for
example,
Bromo
BSC
is
less
effective
than
Fluoro
which
is
less
than
BSC.This
indicates
an
inversely
proportional
relationship
between
size
and
efficacy.
Thus
BSC
may
interact
with
a
target
molecule
having
a
relatively
small
active
site.
If
this
were
true,
then
larger
substituents
on
the
ring
would
reduce
efficacy
by
preventing
the
approach
to
the
reaction
site.
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| The
Effects
of
Omega
Fatty
Acids
on
NMU
Mammary
Tumor
Cells |
Luis
Jusino
(Dutchess
Community
College)
Marie
Pierre
(Sullivan
Community
College)
Velgan
Rodriguez
(Sullivan
Community
College)
|
| Sponsor:
Dr. Joanne Tillotson |
Different
types
of
fatty
acids
have
been
shown
to
affect
proliferation
in
NMU
mammary
rat
tumor
cells.
We
have
concentrated
on
Omega-3
and
Omega-6
Fatty
acids.
By
using
Linoleic
Acid
an
Omega-6
fatty
and
DHA
(docosahexanoic
acid)
an
Omega-3
fatty
acid,
we
were
able
to
determine
how
the
cells
reacted
by
the
presence
of
the
different
fatty
acids.
While
concentrating
on
those
specific
fatty
acids,
we
also
used
other
Omega-3
and
Omega-6
Fatty
acids
to
help
better
understand
whether
they
correlated
with
the
specific
Linoleic
Acid
and
DHA.
Previous
results
have
shown
that
Linoleic
acid
has
increased
cell
proliferation
while
DHA
has
decreased
cell
proliferation.
We
expected
to
see
a
correlation
among
Omega-3
fatty
acids
as
well
as
Omega-6
fatty
acids
to
understand
how
the
cells
are
utilizing
the
fatty
acids.
NMU
mammary
tumor
cells
were
used
to
test
how
the
cells
reacted
to
the
fatty
acids.
The
Fatty
acids
at
concentrations
of
.5,
1
and
2 µg/mL
were
added
to
a
1%
FBS
(Fetal
Bovine
Serum)
in
RPMI
1640
medium
with
penicillin
and
streptomycin.
All
conditions
were
tested
in
triplicate
in
a
24
well
plate.
Final
cell
counts
were
then
determined
by
using
MTT
(Tetrazolium)
and
analyzing
the
results
at
570nm
in
a
spectrophotometer.
In
the
experiments,
there
were
seven
types
of
fatty
acids
used;
omega-6
fatty
acids
included
Linoleic
Acid,
Arachidonic
Acid,
and γ-Linolenic
Acid.
The
omega-3
fatty
acids
included
DHA,
EPA
(Eicosapentanoic
Acid),
and α-Linolenic
Acid,
and
the
omega-9
fatty
acid
included
was
Oleic
acid.
Overall
the
fatty
acids
resulted
in
less
effect
on
cell
growth
then
we
expected
from
previous
results.
In
some
of
our
experiments,
the
omega-6
fatty
acids
showed
more
proliferation
than
the
omega-3
fatty
acids.
We
also
observed
less
effect
of
the
fatty
acids
in
lower
concentration
of
FBS.
These
results
are
suggestive
that
all
omega-6
fatty
acids
increase
cell
proliferation
while
all
omega-3
fatty
acids
decrease
cell
proliferation.
In
addition,
it
appears
that
fatty
acids
effects
are
dependent
upon
a
FBS
component,
perhaps
growth
factors.
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| The
Effects
of
Omega-3-Fatty
Acids
and
Omega-6-Fatty
Acids
on
NMU
Mammary
Tumor
Cells |
John
Vega
(Dutchess
Community
College)
Marianela
Feliu
(Dutchess
Community
College)
Yadzia
Simov
(Nassau
Community
College) |
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Joseph
Skrivanek
|
Biological
processes
have
evolved
into
sophisticated
mechanisms
that
shape
the
way
one?s body interacts with the world. Despite the continual progress, there are still many short comings with evolution. One of these short comings is cancer. In this experiment, analysis of the effect that omega-6-fatty acids and omega-3-fatty acids have on NMU cells were studied, specifically the effect of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids on the proliferation of NMU cancer cells.. Omega-6-Fatty Acids are typically found in preparation oils for cooking, such as corn oil; while, Omega-3-Fatty Acids are found in fish oils. NMU cells are more susceptible to cell proliferation using Omega-6-Fatty Acids, where an Omega-3-Fatty Acid is more likely to minimize cell proliferation. In these studies, DHA (Docosahexanoic Acid) is the Omega-3-Fatty Acid and LA (Linoleic Acid) is the Omega-6-Fatty Acid.
Lipids are a necessity for cells vitality. Some lipids are synthesized by the cell and others are not. One group of fats not synthesized by our cells are called Essential Fatty Acids. In this study, N-nitrosomethylurea (NMU) induced mammary cancer cells were grown in a growth medium containing Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) and different concentration of fatty acids such as DHA, EPA, 1%, and LA. These fatty acids are used up by the cells to help them grow. After a designated amount of time, each set of cells is analyzed to determine exactly how the cell processes the fatty acids in the growth medium. These cells remained in a modified growth medium for 3 days and 6 days.
After three or six days, cells were harvested and extracted with 5/5/1 C/M/W and separated on an LH-20 Column. Lipids were analyzed by Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC). Fatty Acids were analyzed by Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC). Lipids were quantified by measurement of lipid phosphorous.
Results for the TLC plate indicated a more complex lipid pattern for six day cells, than for three day cells showing more cholesterol esters and triglycerides. In
addition,
fatty
acid
analysis
indicated
a
more
complex
pattern
by
revealing
an
additional
fatty
acid
such
as
16:1.
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| Gangliosides of NMU Tumor Cells |
| Tracy Stevens (Dutchess Community College)
|
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Joseph
Skrivanek
|
Gangliosides, negatively charged acidic glycolipids which contain sialic acid, are found on the surface of all animal cells. These glycosphingolipids consist of both a hydrophobic ceramide unit which anchors the ganglioside to the plasma membrane, and a hydrophilic oligosaccharide chain with one or more sialic acid groups attached. Gangliosides play a major role in cell signaling and structure including membrane transport, cell adhesion, cell recognition phenomena, and activity in the extra cellular matrix. In this study, gangliosides were isolated according to the method of Byrne et al found in rat tumor cells treated with a carcinogenic reagent used for tumor growth N-nitrosomethylurea (NMU). Gangliosides have been implicated in cell proliferation and apoptosis in malignant cells leading to the investigation of the relationship between ganglioside manipulation and cancer treatment. Isolated gangliosides were quantified by Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) of sialic acid. Ganglioside patterns were determined using Thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Total lipids were quantified by determination of lipid phosphorus.
Analysis of ganglioside pattern by TLC revealed the presence of GD3, one of the major gangliosides found in transformed cells.
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| Out-Of-School Care
|
Rebecca
Bertrand
(Rockland
Community
College)
Paul
Gomez
(Westchester
Community
College) |
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Peggy
A.
De
Cooke
|
The majority of mothers in our society know work. The prominent problem among many working mothers in our society is finding out-of-school-care for their children. Whether it?fs early morning hours waiting for the bus or the dragging hours of the afternoon waiting for a parent to get out of work, children need safety and supervision. Further, children who attend productive out-of-school care programs are less likely to commit crimes, do drugs, get pregnant, and are more likely to succeed in school, go on to higher institutions, and be more socially active (Newman, Fox, Flynn, & Christeson, 2000).
This study examined the impact of parent stress and child temperament on parent?fs satisfaction with their children?fs out-of-school care arrangements. The participants for this study were 94 families from the Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut areas. Participants completed 5 questionnaires that assessed perceived stress, parenting stress, work stress related to child care issues, temperament, and coping. The findings of this study suggest that despite the affluence of our sample, parents are placing their children in care that they find less than ideal. Further, parents who emphasize the benefits of care for their children experience more satisfaction with the care, whereas parents who dwell on their worries about care experience more work-related stress due to child care issues. Finally, our findings suggest that parents may have difficulty in finding ways to cope with care arrangements that are not working.
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| WETLAND HABITAT USE BY BOG TURTLES: PREPARATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THEIR HABITAT |
Beverly
Leon
(Orange
County
Community
College)
Diana
Gutierrez
(Sullivan
County
Community
College) |
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Jim
Utter |
The decline of a species often results from loss or degradation of its habitat. Addressing the recovery of such species requires understanding their specific habitat requirements and determining what makes a high quality habitat. Conservation strategies can therefore emerge from studying the movement patterns and habitat use of individuals in habitats differing in quality.
This summer we studied the bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii), a NY State Endangered Species, in order to determine how they utilize the components of six contrasting wetland habitats. We found turtles through visual search and the use of box traps. Each captured turtle was weighed, measured, marked for individual recognition (if not previously marked), and had a radio transmitter attached to its carapace before being released at the capture point. Each transmitter has a specific frequency which becomes a unique signal for the turtle, so by tuning the receiver specific individuals can be tracked one at a time using a unidirectional antenna. The movements of individual bog turtles are monitored over two different time scales: one focusing on weekly movements and the other on a shorter hourly pattern of movement. Each site was visited every two to four days at which time we attempted to locate all of the turtles. For each turtle found, we recorded information on the types of vegetation present, the availability of water, the turtle?fs behavior, and it?fs location in regards to specified landmarks and previous sightings. At two sites we selected three female bog turtles that were then located three times at half hour intervals to obtain information on the short term movements of individuals.
We are currently monitoring four bog turtles at Site 1, five at Site 2 and at Site 3, nine at Site 4, 21 at Site 5, and three at Site 6. Trapping success rate was very low, but did result in the capture of individuals that we had not found in our searches, as well as young bog turtles that are harder to find through search methods. Juvenile turtles were found at sites 3, 4, and 5, indicating reproductive success and suggesting better quality habitat than at sites 1, 2, and 6 where no young have been found.
We hypothesize that (a) turtles in poorer habitats move more frequently and travel greater distances than turtles in more productive habitats and (b) that the destinations of such movements contain the critical habitat factors that need to be addressed in future habitat modifications. Current data seems to support these hypotheses, but further research is needed. We find, for example, that turtles move significant distances in search of water when areas have dried up, returning to their previous areas when water levels rise.
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| Educating Young Adults on the Advantageous Unknowns of the Web via Internet Gaming Technology |
Catherine
Banks(Sullivan
County
Community
College)
Raulwin
Bailey(Sullivan
County
Community
College)
Mario
Eworo(Sullivan
County
Community
College)
Alex
Fierro(Orange
County
Community
College)
Jeffery
Magliore(Sullivan
County
Community
College)
|
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Peter
Ohring,
Travis
Cox
|
The internet is considered to be among the most rapidly evolving technologies in the world. As the internet broadens, new techniques must be developed to ensure its usability and navigational ease. Many new and innovative web pages are created in abundance each year, some of them being great sources for information and entertainment. Unfortunately, many high school students are not aware of certain internet sites that encourage personal growth and educational enrichment. The objective of this project is to expose young adults to these aspects of the internet by means of modern entertainment.
For this project, a web-based application was created in order to introduce several websites. This particular application acts as a game containing several stages with puzzles. The player will acts as a sixteen year old teenager focused on tending to his family needs. His encounter with each deranged family member brings forth a puzzle based on a specific web site. In order to complete each stage, the player is obligated to utilize helpful hyperlinks listed within the puzzles. The game should give the user a general knowledge of each website; furthermore, the player will gain savvy web browsing skills that will prove useful when exploring the internet.
A series of usability tests is critical in regards to the function and design of the application. Programmers and level designers depend on the feedback from these tests in order to refine the software and improve the overall user experience. Testing took place at Purchase College, where a small group of high-school students volunteered their time to test the application.
Different elements of the project will be presented along with usability test results and a demo of the game. These elements include storyboard framework, artwork, and client and server-side scripting.
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| An Investigation of the Effects of Knowledge, Working Memory Capacity, Problem Complexity and Relational Inference on Analogical Reasoning in Young Children |
Edward Urena Rockland Community College)
Aneudi Hernandez (Rockland Community College) |
| Sponsor:
Dr.
Karen
Singer-Freeman
|
Current work investigated the relative influence of relational knowledge, relational inference, working memory capacity, and problem complexity in children?fs analogical reasoning. Thirty-six 4- to 5-year-old children completed picture analogy problems, a relational knowledge test, and the digit-span task. Half of the analogy problems involved a single change (e.g. clean boy : dirty boy :: clean pig : dirty pig) and half involved two changes (e.g. clean boy : dirty and wet boy :: clean pig : dirty and wet pig). Children participated in 1 of 3 conditions. 1) Didactic: Children were told the relation between the a- and b-terms. 2) Socractic: Children were asked questions to help them infer the relation between the a-and b-terms. 3) Control: Children were not shown the a- or b-terms. We found that children in the Socratic and Didactic conditions answered more single change problems correctly than double change problems even when relational knowledge was controlled. Children in these conditions answered more problems correctly than did children in the control condition. We did not observe any difference in performance between children in the Socratic and Didactic Conditions. Performance on double-change problems was predicted by digit span only for children in the Didactic condition. These results suggest that the Socratic condition was not an effective way of supporting relational inference in children.
This research was conducted at the Purchase College Children?fs Center. We thank the children, teachers and parents for their support.
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| An
Investigation
of
the
Effects
of
Knowledge,
Working
Memory
Capacity,
Problem
Complexity
and
Relational
Inference
on
Analogical
Reasoning
in
Young
Children |
Jennifer
Tulley
Nassau
Community
College)
Jennifer
Daguste
(Rockland
Community
College)
Kate
Martinez
(Dutchess
Community
College)
David
Hernandez
(Orange
County
Community
College)
|
Sponsor:
Dr.
Jim
Daly
|
Archaea,
Prokaryotic
microorganisms
with
diverse
phenotypic
characteristics
are
classified
in
three
major
sub-groups:
Eurarchaeota,
Korarchaeota
and
Crenarchaeota. The
Euryarchaeota
include
a
mixture
of
Methanogens
(anaerobic
),
extreme
halophiles
and
some
sulfur-metabolizing
hyperthermophiles
and
acidophiles.
These
are
chemoautotrophic
anaerobes
known
to
thrive
at
temperatures
from
80
to
115
degrees
Celsius.
The
Crenarchaeota
are
the
main
concern
for
our
experiments.
Recently,
research
has
concluded
that
Crenarchaota
also inhabit
quite
cool
non-extreme
areas.
They
survive
in
marine
water
in
the
Atlantic
Ocean,
Boreal
forests
in
Scandinavian
Europe
and
Lake
Michigan
sediment.
The
basic
purpose
of
our
research
is
to
determine
if Archaea and
crenarchaota
exist
in
Purchase,
New
York.
However,
this
task
has
proven
quite
difficult. Archaea unfortunately
are
difficult
to
culture
by
conventional
methods.
With
the
use
of
PCR
we
can
replicate
the
gene
for
the
16s
rRNA
a
signature
sequencing
gene
to
distinguish, Archaea from Bacteria. Purchase,
New
York
is
diverse
in
its
landscape,
due
to
its
proximity
to
a
significant
amount
of
fresh
and
salt
water.
There
also
exists
a
rare
salt
water
marshland
where
sediment,
water
and
Spartina
grass
roots
were
sampled
along
with
water
and
sediment
from
the
Long
Island
Sound,
at
Edith
Reed
Sanctuary
and
fresh
water
from
the
slow
running “Blind
Brook” in
Purchase,
New
York.
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