Childhood abuse has severe and lasting effects throughout an individual's life, and may even have long-term biological effects on individuals who suffer it. To learn more about the effects of abuse in childhood, Li and Yearwood analyze gene expression data to look for genes differentially expressed genes in individuals with a history of childhood abuse.
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Evaluating cinnamaldehyde as an antibacterial agent in a produce wash for leafy greens
Recognizing a growing demand for organic produce, the authors sought to investigate plant-based antibiotic solutions to meet growing consumer demand for safe produce and also meet microbial standards of the USDA. The authors investigated the use of cinnamaldehyde as an antibacterial again E. coli, finding that lettuce treated with cinnamaldehyde displayed significantly lower colony-forming units of E. coli when compared to lettuce treated with chlorine bleach.
Read More...Microbes Cultured from Garden Soil Positively Impact Seed Germination and Plant Growth
In this study, the authors investigate whether the addition of microbes from native soil enhanced the seed germination and growth of mung beans, pumpkins, and pea flower plants.
Read More...Alkaloids Detection in Commonly Found Medicinal Plants with Marquis Reagent
This study investigates the presence of alkaloids in a variety of medicinal plants using the Marquis reagent. They reveal some surprising results and how useful the Marquis reagent is.
Read More...Sepia bandensis ink inhibits polymerase chain reactions
While cephalopods play significant roles in both ecosystems and medical research, there is currently no assembled genome. In an attempt to sequence the Sepia bandensis genome, it was found that there was inhibition from the organism during DNA extraction, resulting in PCR failure. In this study, researchers tested the hypothesis that S. bandensis ink inhibits PCR. They then assessed the impact of ink on multiple methods of DNA extraction
Read More...Repulsion of Ants Using Non-Toxic Household Products
Ant invasion causes damage exceeding $5 billion annually in North America. In this study, Ambati and Duvvuri aim to identify natural products with ant-repelling properties using a custom ring apparatus designed to quantify ant-repellence. They report that cinnamon and lemon were the most effective ant repellents of the tested products. These data suggest that compounds found in non-toxic household products, such as cinnamon oil and lemon juice, could be used in low-dose combinations as potent, effective, eco-friendly, and safe ant repellents.
Read More...Correlations between Gray-White Matter Contrast in Prefrontal Lobe Regions and Cognitive Set-Shifting in Healthy Adults
This study uses neuroimaging to investigate cognitive set-shifting, a type of executive function that involves shifting from one task to another. This study tested whether cortical gray-white matter contrast in subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was associated with set-shifting abilities in adults.
Read More...The Effect of Antioxidant Vitamins on Mustard Plants in a Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Injury Model
In this study, the authors assess the antioxidant properties of vitamins A, C and E given to mustard plants after oxidative damage. This research shows an interesting comparison of the vitamins' effect on plant recovery and health.
Read More...Transcriptional Regulators are Upregulated in the Substantia Nigra of Parkinson’s Disease Patients
This article investigates differences in gene expression in the brains of patients with and without Parkinson's disease. The authors identify a crucial transcriptional regulator may be a relevant target for future therapeutic treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Read More...The effect of wild orange essential oil on ascorbic acid decay in freshly squeezed orange juice
The goal of this project was to see if the addition of wild orange essential oil to freshly squeezed orange juice would help to slow down the decay of ascorbic acid when exposed to various temperatures, allowing vital nutrients to be maintained and providing a natural alternative to the chemical additives in use in industry today. The authors hypothesized that the addition of wild orange essential oil to freshly squeezed orange juice would slow down the rate of oxidation when exposed to various temperatures, reducing ascorbic acid decay. On average, wild orange EO slowed down ascorbic acid decay in freshly squeezed orange juice by 15% at the three highest temperatures tested.
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