University Research Conference 2020 | Page 18

Samantha Gonzalez The Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Compounds in Devario aequipinnatus and Amatitlania nigrofasciata Mucus Against Human Pathogens The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of antimicrobial properties of mucus extracts in Giant Danios, Devario aequipinnatus, and Convict Cichlids, Amatitlania nigrofasciata against select human pathogenic bacteria. Overall, the whole mucus samples from the fish showed no significant antibacterial activity; however, greater activity was observed in the acidic extracts than both the aqueous and crude extracts. Erin Hallahan Effect of Ethanol on Classical Microglial Cell Activation Alcohol use disorder has been associated with neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. It was hypothesized that alcohol may contribute to neurodegeneration by enhancing classical microglia activation. Data shows that alcohol partially blocks classical activation, which suggests that alcohol may interfere with the ability of microglia to self-limit their activation, which could promote a low level of chronic activation. Business Peter Fabiani & Shreeni Patel Valuing Stock Prices Estimating the intrinsic value of stock price in very important for investors and portfolio managers. This presentation will demonstrate the procedures used to determine the intrinsic value of a stock price. The Capital Asset Pricing model will be used to derive the cost of equity that is an important component in determining the intrinsic value of a stock price. Chemistry Joseph Giordano REDD1 Induces Oxidative Stress via Nrf2 Regulation Leading to Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness. Oxidative stress, resulting from errors in insulin signaling, is a major contributor to DR. Oxidative stress is caused by REDD1, a stress response protein, and is normally mediated by Nrf2, an antioxidant transcription factor. It is hypothesized that, in DR, REDD1 attenuates the synthesis of Nrf2 or increases its degradation. Experimental results indicate that both processes work in tandem in DR. 16