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Effects Of Covid-19 On Education In Healthcare And Stem, Jessica Hallett, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic halted face-to-face classes in most schools, colleges, and universities worldwide, necessitating virtual instruction. This reformation of academics impacted every field of study, especially those students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and in the realm of healthcare science education. Ranging from middle/high school to undergraduate and graduate programs, STEM degrees entail rigorous curricula integrating extensive lectures on theoretical topics, and laboratory exercises to apply those concepts in a practical setting. Likewise, healthcare education involves hands-on, clinical lab components working on patients, guided by supervisors. The guidelines developed by the …

Insights Into Insular Isolation Of The Bull Shark, Carcharhinus Leucas (Müller And Henle, 1839), In Fijian Waters, Kerstin B J Glaus, Sharon A. Appleyard, Brian Stockwell, Juerg M. Brunnschweiler, Mahmood S. Shivji, Eric Clua, Amandine D. Marie, Ciro Rico

Biology Faculty Articles

The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a large, mobile, circumglobally distributed high trophic level predator that inhabits a variety of remote islands and continental coastal habitats, including freshwater environments. Here, we hypothesize that the barriers to dispersal created by large oceanic expanses and deep-water trenches result in a heterogeneous distribution of the neutral genetic diversity between island bull shark populations compared to populations sampled in continental locations connected through continuous coastlines of continental shelves. We analyzed 1,494 high-quality neutral single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in 215 individual bull sharks from widespread locations across the Indian and Pacific Oceans …

Ultracontinuous Single Haplotype Genome Assemblies For The Domestic Cat (Felis Catus) And Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus Bengalensis), Kevin R. Bredemeyer, Andrew J. Harris, Gang Li, Le Zhao, Nicole M. Foley, Melody E. Roelke-Parker, Stephen James O'Brien, Leslie A. Lyons, Wesley C. Warren, William J. Murphy

Biology Faculty Articles

In addition to including one of the most popular companion animals, species from the cat family Felidae serve as a powerful system for genetic analysis of inherited and infectious disease, as well as for the study of phenotypic evolution and speciation. Previous diploid-based genome assemblies for the domestic cat have served as the primary reference for genomic studies within the cat family. However, these versions suffered from poor resolution of complex and highly repetitive regions, with substantial amounts of unplaced sequence that is polymorphic or copy number variable. We sequenced the genome of a female F1 Bengal hybrid cat, the …

Karyotype Evolution In 10 Pinniped Species: Variability Of Heterochromatin Versus High Conservatism Of Euchromatin As Revealed By Comparative Molecular Cytogenetics, Violetta R. Beklemisheva, Polina L. Perelman, Natalya A. Lemskaya, Anastasiya A. Proskuryakova, Natalya A. Serdyukova, Vladimir N. Burkanov, Maksim B. Gorshunov, Oliver A. Ryder, Mary Thompson, Gina Lento, Stephen James O'Brien, Alexander S. Graphodatsky

Biology Faculty Articles

Pinnipedia karyotype evolution was studied here using human, domestic dog, and stone marten whole-chromosome painting probes to obtain comparative chromosome maps among species of Odobenidae (Odobenus rosmarus), Phocidae (Phoca vitulina, Phoca largha, Phoca hispida, Pusa sibirica, Erignathus barbatus), and Otariidae (Eumetopias jubatus, Callorhinus ursinus, Phocarctos hookeri, and Arctocephalus forsteri). Structural and functional chromosomal features were assessed with telomere repeat and ribosomal-DNA probes and by CBG (C-bands revealed by barium hydroxide treatment followed by Giemsa staining) and CDAG (Chromomycin A3-DAPI after G-banding) methods. We demonstrated diversity of heterochromatin among pinniped karyotypes in terms of localization, …

Birds Ruffled By Big-City Lights, Lauren E. Nadler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Tunel Apoptotic Cell Detection In Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (Sctld): Evaluation Of Potential And Improvements, E. Murphy Mcdonald

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a highly lethal coral disease that has caused a dramatic loss of coral tissue along the Florida Reef Tract and throughout the Wider Caribbean. This study seeks to understand whether programmed cell death (apoptosis) is involved in the pathology of the highly virulent SCTLD tissue loss lesion. Tissues from diseased colonies of Pseudodiploria strigosa collected in 2018 and 2020 were stained using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyltransferase (TdT) mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay to visualize areas of programmed cell death. The archived tissue samples collected in 2018 exhibited a significantly higher degree of …

Seasonal Patterns In Stable Isotope And Fatty Acid Profiles Of Southern Stingrays (Hypanus Americana) At Stingray City Sandbar, Grand Cayman, Lisa A. Hoopes, Tonya M. Clauss, Nicole E. Browning, Alexa J. Delaune, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Mahmood Shivji, Jessica C. Harvey, Guy C.M. Harvey

Biology Faculty Articles

Ecotourism opportunities in the marine environment often rely heavily on provisioning to ensure the viewing of cryptic species by the public. However, intentional feeding of wildlife can impact numerous aspects of an animals’ behavior and ecology. Southern stingrays (Hypanus americana) provisioned at Stingray City Sandbar (SCS) in Grand Cayman have altered diel activity patterns and decreased measures of health. This study looked at seasonal changes in stable isotope (SI) and fatty acid (FA) profiles of provisioned stingrays at SCS. Plasma δ15N was higher in male stingrays (11.86 ± 1.71‰) compared to females (10.70 ± 1.71‰). Lower values for δ15N in …

Shrinking Salmon: Is Climate Change Linked To Animal Body Size?, Monica D. Bacchus

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Mapping Of Diabetes Susceptibility Loci In A Domestic Cat Breed With An Unusually High Incidence Of Diabetes Mellitus, Lois Balmer, Caroline Ann O'Leary, Marilyn Menotti-Raymond, Victor David, Stephen James O'Brien, Belinda Penglis, Sher Hendrickson, Mia Reeves-Johnson, Susan Gottlieb, Linda Fleeman, Dianne Vankan, Jacquie Rand, Grant Morahan

Biology Faculty Articles

Genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) are important for identification of individuals at risk and can provide insights into the molecular basis of disease. Analysis of T2D in domestic animals provides both the opportunity to improve veterinary management and breeding programs as well as to identify novel T2D risk genes. Australian-bred Burmese (ABB) cats have a 4-fold increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to Burmese cats bred in the United States. This is likely attributable to a genetic founder effect. We investigated this by performing a genome-wide association scan on ABB cats. …

Science Alive, Shweta Zinzuwadia

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Science Alive is a not-for-profit organization based at NSU started by Dr. Emily Schmitt Lavin and Dr. Aarti Raja. This organization promotes community outreach and engagement by volunteering at Nova Blanche Forman Elementary School. Through this weekly afterschool program, NSU students promote and encourage STEM-related topics to the elementary students through various interactive activities. The main goal of Science Alive is to get kids excited about Science and be engaged within the Broward Community. If you have any questions, please email Shweta Zinzuwadia (sz241@mynsu.nova.edu) or Dr. Schmit (eschmitt@nova.edu)

Dermatology Office, Michelle Volis

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

I intern at a local dermatology office where I primarily shadow the head dermatologist but also shadow another dermatologist, a nurse practitioner, and a physician assistant. I shadow surgical procedures such as Mohs surgery which is a technique used to remove cancerous cells from the skin one layer at a time for the purpose of preserving healthy tissue. I also shadow cosmetic surgeries like injections and laser procedures. During my internship, there have been interesting clinical cases, so I am working on publishing articles about them with the help of the head dermatologist. I have also spent time in the …

Effects Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Derived Sphingolipids On Osteoclastogenesis, Geena Song, Michelle Hoang

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

This was an independent study focused on literary research about the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis on osteoclastogenesis. This opportunity was gained by emailing Jeff Hartman (jhartman2@nova.edu) and setting up a meeting with the professor, Dr. Movila. We gathered variety of research papers and analyzed it to write a peer reviewed article ourselves. Throughout this experience, we learned variety of skills, such as organizing materials into a coherent narrative and learned materials that showed up in future classes, such as microbiology and cellular molecular biology.

Impact Of Covid-19 On Global Education And Research In Healthcare And Stem, Stephanie Autore, Jessica Hallet, Michelle Hoang, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The independent study focused on Covid-19 from the perspectives of global education and research in healthcare and STEM. Our aim was to determine the impact of the pandemic on each global sector and the associated transition to virtual modes. The research was conducted using peer-reviewed articles and papers. Each week, our group held zoom meetings to present our research and provide peer feedback. At the end of the experience, we all wrote three separate manuscripts on the topics regarding Covid 19 and global education, research in healthcare, and research in STEM.

Clear Vision Center Internship, Maria Sanchez

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Come to learn more about my experience at Clear Vision Center as I gained first hand experiences working with patients and immersing myself within a healthcare setting.

Medical Scribe Experience, Naziba A. Nuha

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

A medical scribe is a trained medical information manager who specializes in charting physician-patient encounters in real-time during medical exams. Come to learn more about my experience at Scribe America.

Expression & Localization Of The 14-3-3 Protein Family Within Mammals, Neha Kumrah, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

This past summer, I was able to complete a remote Independent Study with Dr. Santanu De. As a team of four, we interacted via Zoom meetings and shared documents. Together, we researched and analyzed the 14-3-3 protein family, a class of molecular chaperones found in essentially all mammals. I was able to conclude that this protein family has many implications in cellular biology, and that expression levels could potentially be used as a diagnostic tool for various cancers. Overall, this was a beneficial experience as I was able to strengthen my research skills, publish a manuscript, and gain a newfound …

Functions Of 14-3-3 Proteins And Their Isoforms Across Various Mammaliam Species, Cells, Tissues, Organs And Developmental Stages, Elizabeth Barley, Santanu De

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Throughout the Fall 2020 term, I had the opportunity to partake in an internship in biology with Dr. Santanu De as my faculty sponsor. The study that I completed focused on the 14-3-3 protein isoforms in various mammalian species, cells, tissues, organs and developmental stages. This experience allowed me to delve deeper into a topic in biology which supported my field of interest. Completing this study provided me with useful knowledge on an upper-level biology topic while providing me with a guided space to nurture my continued learning. The 14-3-3 proteins consist of seven isoforms in various mammalian species. My …

Survival And Development Of Zebra Longwing, Heliconius Charithonia, On Native And Non-Native Passion Vines, Passiflora Sp., In South Florida, Madelyn Rinka

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

Working on this project since last fall has given me a lot of experience regarding writing abstracts, making presentations, following methodologies, and much more. Also, I've learned about the challenges that can go hand in hand with research in environmental science, including the unpredictability of finding a specific species in nature and the potential roadblocks caused by weather. The project was accepted for NSU's Undergraduate Student Symposium for Winter 2020 and the Florida Native Plant Society's Annual Conference (both were cancelled due to COVID-19). Overall, working on this project has allowed me to get a better understanding of research in …

Draft Genome Of Bugula Neritina, A Colonial Animal Packing Powerful Symbionts And Potential Medicines, Mikhail Rayko, Aleksey Komissarov, Jason C. Kwan, Grace Lim-Fong, Adelaide C. Rhodes, Sergey Kliver, Polina Kuchur, Stephen James O'Brien, Jose Lopez

Biology Faculty Articles

Many animal phyla have no representatives within the catalog of whole metazoan genome sequences. This dataset fills in one gap in the genome knowledge of animal phyla with a draft genome of Bugula neritina (phylum Bryozoa). Interest in this species spans ecology and biomedical sciences because B. neritina is the natural source of bioactive compounds called bryostatins. Here we present a draft assembly of the B. neritina genome obtained from PacBio and Illumina HiSeq data, as well as genes and proteins predicted de novo and verified using transcriptome data, along with the functional annotation. These sequences will permit a better …

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome Of A Gray Reef Shark, Carcharhinus Amblyrhynchos (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), From The Western Indian Ocean, Ela Patel, Andrea Bernard, Marissa Mehlrose, Sydney Harned, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Cristin K. Fitzpatrick, James S. Lea, Mahmood S. Shivji

Biology Faculty Articles

We present the mitochondrial genome sequence of a gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker 1856), a coral reef associated species. This is the first mitogenome for this species from the western Indian Ocean. The mitogenome is 16,705 bp in length, has 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a non-coding control region, and demonstrates a gene arrangement congruent with other shark and most vertebrate species. This mitogenome provides a genomic resource for assisting with population, evolutionary and conservation studies for the gray reef shark, which is increasingly under threat from fisheries.

Nest Moisture Content Affects Loggerhead Hatchling Size And Neonate Development, Kelly M. Detmer

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Global Education, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been one of the most dreaded, recent pandemics impacting multifarious global sectors, including education. To control contagion, affected nations ordered academic campus closures and home-schooling plans. Schools, colleges, and universities underwent a paradigm shift adopting internet-based delivery of lectures, synchronously or asynchronously (recorded), with virtual labs. Medical education suffered significantly; suspending student internships in hospitals decreased practical exposure to clinical specialties, impairing students’ performance, and competency.Teachers of traditional classes, with technical assistance, undertook rigorous trainings to restructure pedagogical and assessment strategies online using web/mobile applications and other digital tools.

Strategies Of Plant Biotechnology To Meet The Increasing Demand Of Food And Nutrition In India, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

A groundbreaking application of biotechnology research during the recent past has been improvement of crop health and production. India being one of the most rapidly developing countries with an enormous population and remarkable biodiversity, plant biotechnology promises significant potential to contribute to characterization and conservation of the biodiversity, increasing its usefulness. However, India’s green revolution was noted to be insufficient to feed the country's teeming millions. Therefore, novel approaches in crop biotechnology had to be aimed at ensuring better productivity and quality of cultivars. This paper provides a comprehensive review of research undertaken mainly in the last couple of decades …

The 14-3-3 (Ywha) Proteins In Mammalian Reproduction, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

The 14-3-3 (YWHA or Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/Tryptophan 5-Monooxygenase Activation protein) is an acidic and homologous protein family involved in regulation of key biological events including cell cycle, signal transduction and development. They are highly conserved and are expressed ubiquitously across a wide variety of species ranging from plants to animals. Seven isoforms of 14-3-3 exist in mammals, which are encoded by separate genes, have tissue-specific, developmental stage-specific as well as isoform-specific presence and consequences. It is known that these proteins play significant roles in mitosis of mammalian cells and meiosis of amphibians. However, their effects on development and functioning of mammalian …

Are Pangolins Scapegoats Of The Covid-19 Outbreak-Cov Transmission And Pathology Evidence?, Siew Woh Choo, Jinfeng Zhou, Xuechen Tian, Siyuan Zhang, Shen Qiang, Stephen James O'Brien, Ka Yun Tan, Sara Platto, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Agostinho Antunes, Frankie Thomas Sitam

Biology Faculty Articles

The COVID‐19 outbreak has infected over 6 million people across the world. The origin of COVID‐19 coronavirus (CoV) remains unknown, although pangolins have been suggested as potential hosts. We investigated two pangolins seized in Guangdong Province, China. Molecular screening revealed CoV in one pangolin (“Dahu”), while another (“Meidong”) was infected by Ehrlichia ruminantium. Dahu exhibited difficulty breathing, infections of lung, intestines, and nostrils, as revealed by computed tomography imaging and necropsy. Previous phylogenetic analyses showed bat coronavirus RaTG13 is closer to COVID‐19 CoV compared to pangolin coronavirus. Over 20 caregivers have had close physical contact with CoV‐positive Dahu, but …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Microcystis Aeruginosa Fd4, Isolated From A Subtropical River In Southwest Florida, Hidetoshi Urakawa, Taylor L. Hancock, Jacob H. Steele, Elizabeth K. Dahedl, Haruka E. Urakawa, Luka K. Ndungu, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Barry H. Rosen, Jose V. Lopez

Biology Faculty Articles

We report the first complete genome of Microcystis aeruginosa from North America. A harmful bloom that occurred in the Caloosahatchee River in 2018 led to a state of emergency declaration in Florida. Although strain FD4 was isolated from this toxic bloom, the genome did not have a microcystin biosynthetic gene cluster.

To Feed Or Not To Feed: Examining The Effects Of Provisioning Tourism On Nurse Sharks In Caye Caulker, Belize, Carlee Jackson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Wildlife tourism is increasing in popularity around the world, creating the need to understand alterations in animal behavior and spatial distributions that may occur due to associated anthropogenic disturbances. Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum, Bonnaterre 1788) are commonly used for wildlife tourism within the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve in Belize. Shark and Ray Village (SRV) is a site within the reserve where nurse sharks are consistently fed by tour/snorkel boats to create an interactive experience with tourists, termed provisioning tourism. Prior to this experiment, no studies had been conducted in SRV to evaluate the impact of provisioning tourism (tourism …

Disruption Of Pyoverdine Synthesis In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Through Periodic Disturbance Of Biofilm Structure, Rebecca J. Quinn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Infections due to bacteria were once easily treated using antibiotics. However, the effective shelf life of antibiotics is diminishing due to the rise and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Accordingly, novel approaches to treating infections are required. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multi-drug resistant, biofilm forming opportunistic pathogen. A determinant of P. aeruginosa’s pathogenicity is pyoverdine, a siderophore that is used to sequester iron from the environment. After being produced by a bacterium, pyoverdine is secreted into the environment where it complexes with iron. The pyoverdine-iron complex is then returned to the bacteria through diffusion, where it drives the synthesis of …

Combined Edna And Acoustic Analysis Reflects Diel Vertical Migration Of Mixed Consortia In The Gulf Of Mexico, Cole G. Easson, Kevin M. Boswell, Nicholas Tucker, Joseph D. Warren, Jose V. Lopez

Biology Faculty Articles

Oceanic diel vertical migration (DVM) constitutes the daily movement of various mesopelagic organisms migrating vertically from depth to feed in shallower waters and return to deeper water during the day. Accurate classification of taxa that participate in DVM remains non-trivial, and there can be discrepancies between methods. DEEPEND consortium (www.deependconsortium.org) scientists have been characterizing the diversity and trophic structure of pelagic communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). Profiling has included scientific echosounders to provide accurate and quantitative estimates of organismal density and timing as well as quantitative net sampling of micronekton. The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) can …

Impact Of Pyriproxyfen On Virus Behavior: Implications For Pesticide-Induced Virulence And Mechanism Of Transmission, Paula A. Faria Waziry, Aarti Raja, Chloe Salmon, Nathalia Aldana, Sruthi Damodar, Andre Rinaldi Fukushima, Bindu S. Mayi

Biology Faculty Articles

Background

More than 3 years since the last Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil, researchers are still deciphering the molecular mechanisms of neurovirulence and vertical transmission, as well as the best way to control spread of ZIKV, a flavivirus. The use of pesticides was the main strategy of mosquito control during the last ZIKV outbreak.

Methods

We used vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) as our prototypical virus to study the impact of insecticide pyriproxyfen (PPF). VZV-GFP infected and uninfected Jurkat, HeLa and trophoblast cells were treated with PPF and compared to untreated cells (control). Cell …