UC Mercd Magazine-Volume XVI, Issue 2

Research ROUNDUP

Mucus Molecules Thwart Fungal Infection

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Green Power From Hydrogen A UCMerced lab is partnering with researchers in the Philippines to generate hydrogen efficiently and convert it into electricity. Professor Po-Ya Abel Chuang’s team is optimizing cell design and modeling hybrid systems to evaluate the feasibility of large-scale deployment. Chuang said the green-energy technology can be used anywhere because fuel cells are reliable, easy

Professor Clarissa Nobile and an international team of researchers have discovered which component in mucus prevents a fungus found in most humans from turning destructive. In its harmful form, the fungus Candida albicans can cause conditions such as oral thrush,

vaginal yeast infections or even a life threatening infection. The researchers identified specialized sugar molecules, or glycans, as being able to suppress the fungus’s dark side. “I am really excited about this new work because I think it has important implications for how we develop new antimicrobial therapies in the future,” Nobile said.

to implement and have long lifespans. Chuang has a long history of fuel-cell research, working for General Motors

developing fuel-cell cars and continuing that work at Purdue University before coming to UC Merced in 2014.

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Dentist, Professor Devise a Smart Retainer AMerced dentist and a UCMerced computer science and engineering professor are developing a retainer that senses occlusion -- how upper and lower teeth contact each other when chewing or speaking, or when the mouth is at rest. Bad alignment can cause a variety of problems, including teeth grinding and uneven wear, toothaches and fractures, headaches, and speech and sleep disorders. Professor Shijia Pan was inspired by a visit to Dr. Jun Ho Lee, a Merced dentist. The two are working with Professor VP Nguyen from the University of Texas, Arlington, on the retainer project.

Professor Joins Cutting-Edge Chemistry Field

What might emerge froma revolutionary field of study Professor Christine Isborn has entered? She’s not entirely sure. And that’s exciting. “We don’t really know how it works or what is possible yet,” Isborn said of the field of polariton chemistry. “It's a new area for me, but thankfully the rest of the teamare pioneers who have been working to understand this new field for a while.” Isborn is partnering

with researchers at UC San Diego, City University of New York and Pennsylvania State University. Polaritons are the optical excitations that emerge when molecular transitions interact strongly with confined electromagnetic fields.

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