2008 Proceedings - St. Cloud State University

Abstracts
Session T All Disciplines Ballroom
Teaching Leisure Activities to Individuals with Autism
Autism significantly impairs areas of social interaction, communication and individual‘s exhibit restricted and repetitive behavior. These
individuals tend to have difficulty in typical everyday interactions. With deficits in social skills, engaging in appropriate social interactions
with staff and peers can be very difficult. It is therefore, necessary to teach appropriate social skills. Doing so may enhance the quality of
life for these individuals. For example, a leisure activity, such as using a digital camera to take photographs requires interaction with
multiple persons. In this study we taught an adult with Autism to use a digital camera to put together a photo album. This required that the
individual learn not only to operate the camera, but interact with staff to retrieve the camera, ask permission if he wanted to take a photo of
a person, and finally get help with processing the photos. A task analysis was used to teach each step of the activity. Experimental control
was demonstrated in a multiple baseline design and evaluated taking photographs across three social vignettes, staff, peers and groups.
Results and implications for future research are discussed.
Presentation Index: T58
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Community Psychology
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Vesel, Shawn; Meyer, William; Knutson, Lacy;
Edrisinha, Chaturi
Doyle, Lyndsay; Smith,Chelsey; Wesenberg, John;
Johanson, Cassandra
Oxidation of Ethylene Glycol Ethers by Class 3 Aldehyde Dehydrogenase
Ethylene glycol ethers (EGEs) are commonly used as organic solvents in a multitude of consumer and commercial products due to their
favorable solvent properties. The EGEs produced in the largest quantities in the United States are ethylene glycol butyl ether and its
acetate, diethylene glycol butyl ether and its acetate and the methyl, ethyl and butyl glycol ethers. Previous studies show that EGEs cause
delayed encephalopathy, metabolic acidosis, hemolysis, hemoglobinuria, decreased WBC, hypocellular bone marrow, renal tubular
degeneration and necrosis as well as esophageal and stomach tumors in animal models. Aldehyde dehydrogenases catalyze oxidation of
EGEs to their corresponding acids and the acids formed are responsible for the toxicities of EGEs. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is
to investigate the role of class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH 3A1) in the oxidation of certain EGE aldehydes. Human ALDH3A1 was
purified from a human cDNA clone overexpressing the enzyme in E. Coli, using reactive blue 2-sepharose liquid chromatography.
Enzymological studies are on-going.
Presentation Index: T59
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Chemistry
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Ong, Ta Re
Sreerama, Lakshmaiah
The First Annotation of the Arginine and Proline Biosynthetic Pathways of Ammonifex Degensii
Ammonifex degensii is an obligate anaerobic chemolithoautotrophic (obtains energy from inorganic compounds and carbon from carbon
dioxide) bacteria isolated from a volcanic hot spring in East Asia in 1994. Ammonifex is the archetype of a new genus (ammonium maker).
Ammonifex degensii is an extremely thermophilic gram negative rod shaped bacterium with optimal growth occurring at 70 degrees C and
a pH of 7.5. The genome of ammonifex degensii is 85% complete, funded by the Department of Energy Joint Genome Program. Saint
Cloud State University is part of a consortium of institutions that make up the Collaborative Undergraduate Genomic Annotation Team.
SCSU has undertaken the responsibility of using comparative genomics to identify the amino acid biosynthetic pathways. Proline and
arginine are polar uncharged amino acids. Proline is of particular interest due to its unusual chemical structure for an amino acid. We
hypothesize that these amino acids have biosynthetic pathways in ammonifex degensii, and that we will be able to identify the genes
responsible for the synthesis of these amino acids using a comparative genomics approach.
Presentation Index: T60
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Department: Biological Sciences
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Ong, Ta Re; Lennemann, Nick; Navara, Stephanie;
Kvaal, Christopher
Rajbhandari, Labchan
St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium 67
April 22, 2008