Volume 1, No. 1, 2015
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Acta Spartae is the undergraduate journal of sciences and mathematics at The University of Tampa, and is designed to recognize and promote the vibrant undergraduate research community at UT by providing a forum for the dissemination of research and ideas produced at the University.
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Browsing Volume 1, No. 1, 2015 by Subject "Department of Biology"
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Item Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli inhibition from varying concentrations of Vitamin C(College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2015) Victoria Suslovitch; Madeleine Kenton; Eric C. FreundtThe effects of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on the gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) were studied using a serial dilution of concentrated vitamin C applied in a Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay. It was observed that higher concentrations of ascorbic acid are more effective in killing bacteria. It was also observed that the gram positive bacteria, S. aureus, is more susceptible than the gram negative bacteria, E. coli. Lastly, it was shown that a saturation of vitamin C at high concentrations was not achieved within the experimental parameters, as no plateau effect was observed. The possibility of ascorbic acid as an antimicrobial agent is worthy of future research due to its safety, versatility, and availability.Item Comparative Analysis of Triclosan Resistance in E. coli, S. aureus, and S. cerevisiae(College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2015) Michael L. Koren; Omari M. Richins; Eric C. FreundtThe introduction of antibiotics into everyday life has led to untreatable infections because some bacteria are resistant to nearly all forms of antibiotics. One antimicrobial, triclosan, has been used for over 30 years in an attempt to control microbe growth on commercial products. In this study, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used as model organisms to demonstrate the effects of triclosan on gram-negative, gram-positive, and eukaryotic organisms, respectively. The organisms were grown in a 96-well plate that contained serial dilutions of triclosan. This study propagated triclosan resistance over several generations, which could provide insight into which group of organisms are more susceptible or resistant to triclosan. The results of this study showed that E. coli is sensitive to triclosan, whereas S. aureus and S. cerevisiae demonstrated higher levels of resistance.Item Experimental Hybridization Between Two Species of Subtropical Sea Urchins from Tampa Bay, Arbacia punctulata and Lytechinus variegatus: An Analysis of Skeletal Morphology Using the Scanning Electron Microscope(College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2015) Erin M. Meadows and Stanley A. RiceTwo genera of subtropical sea urchins, Arbacia punctulata and Lytechinus variegatus are common in the Tampa Bay area. A. punctulata is typically found in deeper coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, while L. variegatus typically inhabits the inshore sea grass beds of Tampa Bay. A. punctulata has recently expanded its range to include the shallow coastal waters near the mouth of Tampa Bay and now overlaps the range of L. variegatus. The two species broadcast spawn during overlapping seasons and hybrid embryos, from L. variegatus male with A. punctulata female and A. punctulata male with L. variegatus female, have been generated and raised in the laboratory up to the pluteus larval stage. In order to determine if the two genera are hybridizing in the field, specimens from Tampa Bay have been collected, acclimated to lab conditions, spawned, and the skeletal morphometrics of the larvae from four crosses, including two within species crosses used as controls and the two reciprocal hybrid crosses, have been examined at both the light and electron microscopy level. Mean percent fertilization was highest, 87%, in the L. variegatus control cross, 45% in the A. punctulata control cross, 37% in the L. variegatus female × A. punctulata male hybrid cross, and below 5% in the A. punctulata female × L. variegatus male hybrid cross. The prism stage of each control cross had minor differences so the focus of this study was on the four arm pluteus stage skeletal features at the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) level.The pluteus larvae from each control cross for A. punctulata and L. variegatus had distinctive skeletal features. The skeletal features of the pluteus larvae from the hybrid cross were very similar to those of the maternal parent, but some variations were observed. In the A. punctulata control cross, the Anterolateral Rods (AR) of the larvae initially grew at day four and then shrank at day six while the Post-oral Rods (PR) continued to grow. Total Rod Length of A. punctulata control was generally always smaller than L. variegatus control. Also, the total rod length of L. variegatus female × A. punctulata male hybrids was about the same as L. variegatus control and sometimes larger. Growth patterns of all treatments, L. variegatus and A. punctulata controls as well as L. variegatus female × A. punctulata male hybrids, did not follow a clear trend as expected; as time proceeded total rod length shrunk, grew, and shrunk again. When live larval and skeletal measurements (SEM) were compared, skeletal measurements seemed to be more accurate.Item Phylogenetic Analysis of a Chlorovirus Isolated from New York State(College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2015) Tara D. Temkar; Eric C. FreundtChloroviruses are large icosahedral viruses that contain about 50 structural proteins, and typically infect certain green eukaryotic algae. Recently, chlorovirus sequences were isolated from throat swabs of healthy adults and were associated with cognitive impairment. Here, we analyzed a pond water sample from New York for the presence of chlorovirus. Cytopathic effects were observed in Chlorella heliozoae, strain SAG 3.83. A portion of the chlorovirus polymerase gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction using degenerate primers. The PCR product was bidirectionally sequenced. The sequence of the polymerase gene was compared to known chloroviruses and shown to be 98% identical to ATCV-1. The sequence of the environmental isolate was phylogenetically compared to related chloroviruses, and genetic relatedness to known viruses is presented.Item The Search for a Model Organism for Panspermia: Examining the Effects of Vacuum and Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure on Differently Encysted Artemia Embryos(College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2015) Corinne Speight; Ethan DeneaultPanspermia, or the idea that sources of life are distributed throughout the Universe via transportational units such as meteoroids, has become a tantalizing possibility throughout the realm of astrobiology. In this experiment, Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp a.k.a. Sea Monkey) embryos under different encystment states (dehydrated, hydrated-capsulated, and hydrated-decapsulated) were exposed to extreme vacuum and ultraviolet radiation conditions similar to those found in space in order to determine whether or not they could be a prototypical organism for this theory. Quantitative analyses were done by calculating Artemia hatch rates for umbrella, naupliar, and both umbrella & naupliar stages following treatments. Although hatch rates varied, exposure to these extreme space-like conditions did not completely impede the viability of the encysted Artemia studied. This suggests that encysted Artemia franciscana may be a model organism supporting the theory of panspermia, although the effects of encystment state during exposure to other space-like conditions besides extreme vacuum and UV radiation warrants further investigation.