1999 SENIOR THESIS POSTER DIRECTORY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY LISA M. ARANYOS 29 The Predisposition to Breast Cancer in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population Due to Mutations on BRCA1 and BRCA2 CORRADINA V. BALDACCHINO 10 The Use of Forensic Entomology in the Assessment of Postmortem Interval Involving Temperature-Dependent Rates of Larval Development KELLY BYRNE-FORSTER 33 Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease JESSICA A. CHYBINSKI 21 The Genetic Variation and Gene Flow Within and Among Six Populations of the Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, in Eastern and Central Pennsylvania DAVID DAVIDSON 3 The Role of the bcl-2 and P53 Genes In Apoptosis in the Cardiovascular System PATRICIA DEVLIN-RANIERI 2 The Effects of Retinoic Acid in Limb Regeneration in Amphibians COREY F. DILELLA 28 Feline Postvaccinal Fibrosarcomas: The Role of Inflammation EDWARD M. FREY 1 The Effects of the Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinase Activityon the Proliferation and Metastasis of Malignant Tumor Cells ERIN GALLAGHER 16 Hantavirus Mechanisms of Cellular Infection and Pathogenesis; Hantavirus Pulmonary SyndromeROBERT N. GIERINGER 35 The Role of Latent Membrane Protein 1 in Immortalizing Reed-Sternberg Cells Derived from Crippled Germinal Center B Cells in Epstein-Barr Virus-positive Hodgkin’s Disease ROBERT E. KILLEA 8 The Genetic Basis of Familial Alzheimer's Disease LISA A. KREISHER 24 The Molecular and Genetic Basis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy KAREN LEUNG 13 The Permissive and Inhibitory Functions of Extracellular Matrix Molecules in Neural Crest Cells Migration FRANK MARKLEY 34 Epidemiology of Bubonic Plague SONDRA H. MC DANIEL 22 Maternally Inherited Diabetes and Deafness Syndrome as a Mitochondrial Disorder MICHAEL S. MC HALE 31 Limiting Secondary Damage Due to Lipid Peroxidation in Spinal Cord Injury TORI MILLER 19 Behavioral Study of Sprague Dawley Rats Given Motor Enrichment After Surgical Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery MATTHEW L. MUSKET 18 Comparison of In Vitro Measures of Oxidative and Glycolytic Capacity of Muscle Fibers DANIELLE NICKLOUS 15 Effects of Sensory Stimulation on Recovery Following Unilateral Ischemia in Rats ROBERT J. NORGROVE 5 Ankylosing Spondylitis and the Significance of the HLA-B27 MoleculeF. BRIAN OLKOWSKI 32 Characterization and Coagulopathy of the Complete Prothrombin Activator in the Venom of the Australian Common Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) FALGUNI C. PATEL 12 Role of HBV in Liver Cancer and Prevalence of myc Gene in Tumor Formation JENNIFER PATOKI 26 The Reproducibility of Ratings of Perceived Exertion in the Elderly GARY PETNER 14 Cleavage of Plasminogen Generates the Angiogenesis Inhibitor Angiostatin MICHAEL PISANO 17 Limnologic Factors Affecting the Presence of Craspedacusta sowerbii (the Freshwater “Jellyfish”) in Seven Pennsylvania Water Bodies CHRISTINE QUINN 15 Effects of Sensory Stimulation on Recovery Following Unilateral Ischemia in Rats STEPHANIE A. RIDER 30 A Comprehensive Ten-Year Study of the Water Quality of Ashokan Reservoir, Shokan, NY MARTIN W. ROGERS 23 Pfiesteria Toxic Outbreaks in the Chesapeake Bay JENNIFER ROWAND 19 Behavioral Study of Sprague Dawley Rats Given Motor Enrichment After Surgical Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery LAURA K. SAMANNS 36 GABA Cell Transplant Therapy in the Treatment of EpilepsyPAULINE SCHULTZ 4 The Role of the Human Papillomavirus-16 E6 and E7 Oncoproteins in Cervical Cancer KRISTEN SOCK 26 The Reproducibility of Ratings of Perceived Exertion in the Elderly DEBRA A. TERESCHUK 9 Rituximab and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma MICHAEL THOMAS 27 A Study of Genetic Variation and Gene Flow Within and Amongst Three Populations of the Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, in Southwestern Massachusetts TIMEA TOROK 25 Role of T Lymphocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis DONALD M. TRAPOLSI 20 I2PP2A Inhibitory Effects May Be Enhanced by the Presence of c-Jun, a Product of the Insulin Signal Cascade TODD UPDIKE 11 The Role of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration JANET WARD 6 The Effects of p53 and MDM2 on the Cell Cycle and Their Role in Tumor Formation ANGELA N. WHITE 7 Corticotropin-Releasing Factor is Hypersecreted in Patients With Major Depressive DisorderLISA M. ARANYOS Library Investigation 29. The Predisposition to Breast Cancer in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population Due to Mutations on BRCA1 and BRCA2 Breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2) gene mutations were identified as tumor suppressor genes or anti-oncogenes. Tumor suppressor genes are recessive mutations. Recessive mutations must have damage to both gene pairs to cause cancer. The mutations on BRCA1 and BRCA2 occur due to a malfunction of the G1 checkpoint in the cell cycle. Low amounts of a protein cause the malfunction of the cell cycle. The mutation causes a loss of information on that gene. The loss of information from genes allows for the determination of the exact location of the mutation. The Ashkenazi Jewish population has a high rate of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations at three specific loci. Currently, scientists are looking for a reliable indicator for cancer by isolating the protein marker that controls the cell cycle. Thesis Advisor: Raymond W. RoseCORRADINA V. BALDACCHINO Library Investigation 10. The Use of Forensic Entomology in the Assessment of Postmortem Interval Involving Temperature-Dependent Rates of Larval Development Forensic entomology is the analysis of insects and other arthropods inhabiting a corpse. Its main focus is on the sequence of faunal infestation due to decomposition progression of the remains and rates of larval development attributed to the various stages of offspring maturation of the insect. At different stages of decomposition, insects are attracted to the odors liberated by certain products of tissue breakdown. Once insects become attracted to the body, they lay eggs which will hatch into larvae. These larvae feed on the decomposing soft tissues of the corpse. During this time, the larvae develop quickly and go through many changes in structural development. During development, there are certain identifiable anatomical structures associated with each stage. Likewise, there is a general