Projets : page 9
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2 oct. 2020Effects that Different Mediums Have in the Production of PEG from bacteria in Galleria mellonella Gut, if the PEG can be Extracted, and Used for Fuel
Bacteria in Galleria mellonella (Wax Worm) gut has been shown to biodegrade polyethylene at a rapid rate. The downside is it releases Ethylene Glycol (PEG) which is toxic to them and kills them in the span of 24 hrs. This experiment will be figuring out the medium the bacteria grows on affects the production of PEG in any way. Ethanol fuel is alcohol used for energy. This fuel is less corrosive than methanol and releases fewer greenhouse gases compared to gasoline. The second part of this project is to find a way to extract the by-product so the bacteria won't die so quickly, then the extracted PEG will be turned into Ethanol fuel. This would be done by condensing the PEG, separating the C2H6 and O2 in PEG, and then using a hydration method to create the fuel.
2 oct. 2020Effects of Different Mediums on the Production of PEG from the Bacteria of Galleria mellonella gut and if PEG Can Be Isolated and Turned into Fuel
For this experiment, bacteria will be put in different mediums and the amount of PEG produced will be measured. From there, a method to extract the PEG will be done. The extracted PEG will then be condensed to a liquid and made into Ethanol fuel through a hydration method. I will need help with ways to extract the PEG, how to purify the PEG, and overall guidance on the things I do not understand.
Constructing regression models by identifying the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors on plankton biomass in the USA
Plankton are fundamentally important to aquatic ecosystems. They are responsible for constituting the base of the food chain as well as driving important aquatic cycles. They are also notable during plankton blooms, which can be dangerous to subsurface marine life. Thus, regression models able to capture the patterns of plankton biomass would be very profound. This study correlates 44 different water-quality and water-chemistry variables with plankton biomass to identify statistically significance. 5 variables were identified at the 90\% confidence level. 7 regression models are then trained and evaluated on both interpolation and extrapolation each using all variables and only significant variables. All models performed better using only significant variables in both problems. Decision trees performed best for interpolation, and ridge regression performed best for extrapolation.
A brainstorming idea on detecting disease outbreaks earlier
In light of the recent pandemics that have hit us in recent years, it is now time to reflect on the current outbreak detection systems and figure out where they are letting us down in containing these outbreaks early. It is our duty to come together and find a solution to this major health problem and prevent another global catastrophe in the future.
Laccase Powered Rechargeable battery
The researcher designed an efficient rechargeable battery reliant on biological catalysts for the continual generation of electricity. An experiment was first carried out to investigate the effect of enzymes on voltage. A series of enzymes were immobilized and tested to find the one that resulted in the highest voltage. Each enzyme was made into a bead and tested in sulfuric acid acid electrolyte contained in most rechargeable batteries. The laccase enzyme was selected as the highest voltage producing enzyme, able to reverse the reaction in a rechargeable battery. In a normal rechargeable battery electrical energy from an outside source would be applied to the secondary cell to reverse the negative to positive electron flow that happens during discharge. Instead of electricity the researcher now used the laccase enzyme to perform the reversible changes in the battery. To produce electricity in the battery the electrolyte would be broken down and when completely broken the battery would go flat instead of using electricity to restore the broken down electrolyte the laccase enzyme was introduced to do so. The modified enzyme powered rechargeable battery would be more convenient than the electrically powered one as it could be used in remote areas with no electrical access or to reduce electrical consumption.
A quantitative analysis into the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors on plankton biomass in South East United States
It is well known that plankton is incredibly important to aquatic ecosystems. They are responsible for driving geochemical and biological systems in the ocean on a global scale (Vargas et al., 2015). They are also a major food source that constitutes the bottom of the aquatic food chain (Cardonna & Castello, 1994). Their importance to the ecosystem is so great that they are often used as an indicator species (Beaugrand, 2005). Plankton blooms are also often of interest to researchers, as they can be dangerous to subsurface marine life. The true factors that affect and cause these blooms are still controversial (Behrenfield & Boss, 2014). As such, it is important to clarify and quantify which factors affect plankton biomass changes. This project chooses a still novel domain in National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) data sites within the US on a large scale.
Comparing Coastal and Inland Woodlands: Identifying how Temperature Fluctuations and CO2 Concentration Rates are Connected to Altitude and the Presence of Bodies of Water
Greenhouse gases have increased over the past several decades, contributing to a much broader concern over the extent and impact of global warming. Environmental measures have been taken on a small scale across the North American continent to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases and the resultant heat magnified by the atmosphere. Thus, this research collected information on greenhouse gas indicators, namely CO2 concentration fluxes and air temperature, to locate more volatile sites and regions around the United States. NEON (the National Ecological Observatory Network) collects data on the eddy covariance of its terrestrial sites across the United States, a measurement of how an ecosystem “breathes”. This project investigates geographic connections between measures of air temperature and CO2 concentration rates of change across regionally similar sites, focusing particularly on two terrestrial sites: the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), a coastal woodland, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), an inland deciduous forest. Data analysis found that although there was no substantial difference in air temperatures between the sites, there were definitive deviations in CO2 fluxes at the SCBI and SERC sites. The low altitude of the coastal SERC site was likely impactful in the regulation of CO2 fluxes, as bodies of water tend to act as effective carbon sinks. With this information, measures can be taken to address vulnerable climatic regions.
The Relationship Between Water Quality and Epiphyton Area Density
In the competitive food web of an aquatic ecosystem, microorganisms such as epipthyon make up a large part of the primary level; whatever happens to them affects the rest of the food web. We would like to find out the effect of O2 concentration and pH on epiphyton in the aquatic ecosystems of Lake Suggs and Lake Barco. We chose to focus on epithyton, a type of periphyton found within aquatic plants, mainly consisting of photosynthetic microorganisms.The outcome of this study could provide direct implications on how O2 and pH affect epiphyton density, and therefore their overall health. It also provides indirect implications to the overall health of the ecosystem. Too much epithyton could lead to harmful algal blooms, killing heterotrophs. Too little could lead to less dissolved O2, killing the aerobes in the ecosystem. O2 is a product produced by phytoplankton and epithyton through photosynthesis. The reason we chose to measure a product rather than a reactant is because the O2 product ultimately shows the photosynthetic activity of these organisms (indicating their health), enabling us to see how the abundance/lack of resources affects their density in times of ideal or poor conditions. From this, we can deduce the expected density of phytoplankton when nutrients are abundant or scarce, and if there are limitations to their growth. We also chose to measure pH, because the delicate acidic / basic balance may have major effects on epithyton density, either increasing or decreasing them.While pH is not a direct reactant or product of photosynthesis, it is a crucial factor in maintaining the health of these microorganisms and is typically considered when studying the balance of biochemical systems. Understanding how factors like O2 concentration and pH affects these microorganisms can help us to understand and predict the homeostatic capacity of these microorganisms and the health of an ecosystem.
