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Production Of Biscuits By Substitution With Different Ratios Of Yellow Pea Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Xiang Bai, Fengcheng Wang Dec 2019

Production Of Biscuits By Substitution With Different Ratios Of Yellow Pea Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Xiang Bai, Fengcheng Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

To promote the commercialization of yellow pea flour (YPF) due to its nutritional benefits. Four biscuits with different YPF ratio (10%–50%) were conducted to explore the optimal addition percentage. The effects of YPF on the rheological and baking performance of biscuits were performed. The results showed that the substitution ratio of YPF and milling methods had a critical impact on the rheological properties of dough. The dough stability decreased gradually while a softening degree increased with YPF ratio increased. In a term of biscuits, the dimensions of length (L), width (W), thickness (T) and color (L*) of biscuits reduced as …


Predation Of Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus Floridanus) By Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias), Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, J. E. Cifuentes-Lujan Dec 2019

Predation Of Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus Floridanus) By Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias), Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, J. E. Cifuentes-Lujan

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

An opportunistic predation by Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) on Eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) was observed in south Texas on 31 Oct 2019. The Great Blue Heron had already captured the Eastern cottontail rabbit at the first observation but the maneuvering process, killing, and ingestion were recorded photographically, which make this observation unique even though this might constitute the second report on Great Blue Heron eating Eastern cottontail rabbits.


Crossover Interference And Sex-Specific Genetic Maps Shape Identical By Descent Sharing In Close Relatives, Madison Caballero, Daniel N. Seidman, Ying Qiao, Jens Sannerud, Thomas D. Dyer, Donna M. Lehman, Joanne E. Curran, Ravindranath Duggirala, John Blangero, Shai Carmi, Amy L. Williams Dec 2019

Crossover Interference And Sex-Specific Genetic Maps Shape Identical By Descent Sharing In Close Relatives, Madison Caballero, Daniel N. Seidman, Ying Qiao, Jens Sannerud, Thomas D. Dyer, Donna M. Lehman, Joanne E. Curran, Ravindranath Duggirala, John Blangero, Shai Carmi, Amy L. Williams

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Simulations of close relatives and identical by descent (IBD) segments are common in genetic studies, yet most past efforts have utilized sex averaged genetic maps and ignored crossover interference, thus omitting features known to affect the breakpoints of IBD segments. We developed Ped-sim, a method for simulating relatives that can utilize either sex-specific or sex averaged genetic maps and also either a model of crossover interference or the traditional Poisson model for inter-crossover distances. To characterize the impact of previously ignored mechanisms, we simulated data for all four combinations of these factors. We found that modeling crossover interference decreases the …


Use Of >100,000 Nhlbi Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Consortium Whole Genome Sequences Improves Imputation Quality And Detection Of Rare Variant Associations In Admixed African And Hispanic/Latino Populations, Madeline H. Kowalski, Huijun Qian, Ziyi Hou, Jonathan D. Rosen, Amanda L. Tapia, Yue Shan, Deepti Jain, Maria Argos, John Blangero, Juan M. Peralta Dec 2019

Use Of >100,000 Nhlbi Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Consortium Whole Genome Sequences Improves Imputation Quality And Detection Of Rare Variant Associations In Admixed African And Hispanic/Latino Populations, Madeline H. Kowalski, Huijun Qian, Ziyi Hou, Jonathan D. Rosen, Amanda L. Tapia, Yue Shan, Deepti Jain, Maria Argos, John Blangero, Juan M. Peralta

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Most genome-wide association and fine-mapping studies to date have been conducted in individuals of European descent, and genetic studies of populations of Hispanic/Latino and African ancestry are limited. In addition, these populations have more complex linkage disequilibrium structure. In order to better define the genetic architecture of these understudied populations, we leveraged >100,000 phased sequences available from deep-coverage whole genome sequencing through the multi-ethnic NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program to impute genotypes into admixed African and Hispanic/Latino samples with genome-wide genotyping array data. We demonstrated that using TOPMed sequencing data as the imputation reference panel improves genotype imputation …


The Increase Of Hiv-1 Infection, Neurocognitive Impairment, And Type 2 Diabetes In The Rio Grande Valley, Roberto De La Garza, Hansapani Rodrigo, Francisco Fernandez, Upal Roy Nov 2019

The Increase Of Hiv-1 Infection, Neurocognitive Impairment, And Type 2 Diabetes In The Rio Grande Valley, Roberto De La Garza, Hansapani Rodrigo, Francisco Fernandez, Upal Roy

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) infection remains a persistent predicament for the State of Texas, ranking seventh among the most documented HIV cases in the United States. In this regard, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas is considered as one of the least investigated areas of the state with respect to HIV infection and HIV associated comorbidities. Considering the 115% increase in average HIV incidence rates per 100,000 within the RGV from 2007-2015, it is worth characterizing this population with respect to their HIV-1 infection, HIV-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND), and the association of treatment with combined antiretroviral …


Mitogenomic Phylogenetic Analyses Of Leptogorgia Virgulata And Leptogorgia Hebes (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) From The Gulf Of Mexico Provides Insight On Gorgoniidae Divergence Between Pacific And Atlantic Lineages, Samantha Silvestri, Diego F. Figueroa, David Hicks, Nicole J. Figueroa Nov 2019

Mitogenomic Phylogenetic Analyses Of Leptogorgia Virgulata And Leptogorgia Hebes (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) From The Gulf Of Mexico Provides Insight On Gorgoniidae Divergence Between Pacific And Atlantic Lineages, Samantha Silvestri, Diego F. Figueroa, David Hicks, Nicole J. Figueroa

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of genetics in recent years has brought to light the need to reevaluate the classification of many gorgonian octocorals. This study focuses on two Leptogorgia species—Leptogorgia virgulata and Leptogorgia hebes—from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). We target complete mitochondrial genomes and mtMutS sequences, and integrate this data with previous genetic research of gorgonian corals to resolve phylogenetic relationships and estimate divergence times. This study contributes the first complete mitochondrial genomes for L. ptogorgia virgulata and L. hebes. Our resulting phylogenies stress the need to redefine the taxonomy of the genus Leptogorgia in its entirety. The fossil-calibrated divergence …


The Complete Mitochondrial Genome Of Tanacetipathes Thamnea Warner, 1981 (Antipatharia: Myriopathidae), Diego F. Figueroa, David Hicks, Nicole J. Figueroa Nov 2019

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome Of Tanacetipathes Thamnea Warner, 1981 (Antipatharia: Myriopathidae), Diego F. Figueroa, David Hicks, Nicole J. Figueroa

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Specimens of the black coral Tanacetipathes thamnea were collected from the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The complete mitochondrial genome of one of these specimens was obtained from genomic DNA by next-generation sequencing technology on the Illumina HiSeq 2500. Only three species of black corals have a completely sequenced mitochondrial genome. These were used to reconstruct the phylogeny for the order Antipatharia. The mitochondrial genome of T. thamnea is 17,712 base pairs and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 2 transfer RNAs in the following order: 16s RNA, COX3, COX1 (with intron), ND4L, COX2, ND4, …


Non-Invasive Methods For Measuring And Monitoring Stress Physiology In Imperiled Amphibians, Edward J. Narayan, Zachery R. Forsburg, Drew R. Davis, Caitlin R. Gabor Nov 2019

Non-Invasive Methods For Measuring And Monitoring Stress Physiology In Imperiled Amphibians, Edward J. Narayan, Zachery R. Forsburg, Drew R. Davis, Caitlin R. Gabor

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Global climate change is negatively impacting global biodiversity and ectothermic vertebrates, with amphibians being the most imperiled vertebrate taxa. Increased mean global atmospheric temperatures, high rates of habitat degradation, and exposure to infectious diseases, such as chytridiomycosis, have contributed to population declines and extinctions of rare and endangered amphibian species. Field-based monitoring of physiological endocrine traits can help determine the sub-lethal effects of environmental stressors and provide early alerts when populations are chronically stressed. Recent advances in amphibian stress endocrinology include the development and use of non-invasive methods to quantify the glucocorticoid, or stress biomarker, corticosterone. Non-invasive methods, such as …


Water‐Borne And Plasma Corticosterone Are Not Correlated In Spotted Salamanders, Alice R. Millikin, Sarah K. Woodley, Drew R. Davis, Ignacio T. Moore, James T. Anderson Nov 2019

Water‐Borne And Plasma Corticosterone Are Not Correlated In Spotted Salamanders, Alice R. Millikin, Sarah K. Woodley, Drew R. Davis, Ignacio T. Moore, James T. Anderson

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water‐borne hormone measurement is a noninvasive method suitable for amphibians of all sizes that are otherwise difficult to sample. For this method, containment‐water is assayed for hormones released by the animal. Originally developed in fish, the method has expanded to amphibians, but requires additional species‐specific validations. We wanted to determine physiological relevance of water‐borne corticosterone in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) by comparing concentrations to those taken using established corticosterone sampling methods, such as plasma. Using a mixture of field and laboratory studies, we compared water‐borne corticosterone levels to other traditional methods of sampling corticosterone for spotted salamander larvae, metamorphs, and …


Investigations Of Aerobic Methane Oxidation In Two Marine Seep Environments: Part 1—Chemical Kinetics, Eric W. Chan, Allan M. Shiller, Dongjoo J. Joung, Eleanor C. Arrington, David L. Valentine, Molly C. Redmond, John A. Breier, Scott A. Socolofsky, John D. Kessler Nov 2019

Investigations Of Aerobic Methane Oxidation In Two Marine Seep Environments: Part 1—Chemical Kinetics, Eric W. Chan, Allan M. Shiller, Dongjoo J. Joung, Eleanor C. Arrington, David L. Valentine, Molly C. Redmond, John A. Breier, Scott A. Socolofsky, John D. Kessler

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microbial aerobic oxidation is known to be a significant sink of marine methane (CH4), contributing to the relatively minor atmospheric release of this greenhouse gas over vast stretches of the ocean. However, the chemical kinetics of aerobic CH4 oxidation are not well established, making it difficult to predict and assess the extent that CH4 is oxidized in seawater following seafloor release. Here we investigate the kinetics of aerobic CH4 oxidation using mesocosm incubations of fresh seawater samples collected from seep fields in Hudson Canyon, U.S. Atlantic Margin and MC118, Gulf of Mexico to gain a fundamental chemical understanding of this …


Investigations Of Aerobic Methane Oxidation In Two Marine Seep Environments: Part 2—Isotopic Kinetics, Eric W. Chan, Allan M. Shiller, Dongjoo J. Joung, Eleanor C. Arrington, David L. Valentine, Molly C. Redmond, John A. Breier, Scott A. Socolofsky, John D. Kessler Nov 2019

Investigations Of Aerobic Methane Oxidation In Two Marine Seep Environments: Part 2—Isotopic Kinetics, Eric W. Chan, Allan M. Shiller, Dongjoo J. Joung, Eleanor C. Arrington, David L. Valentine, Molly C. Redmond, John A. Breier, Scott A. Socolofsky, John D. Kessler

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

During aerobic oxidation of methane (CH4) in seawater, a process which mitigates atmospheric emissions, the 12C‐isotopologue reacts with a slightly greater rate constant than the 13C‐isotopologue, leaving the residual CH4 isotopically fractionated. Prior studies have attempted to exploit this systematic isotopic fractionation from methane oxidation to quantify the extent that a CH4 pool has been oxidized in seawater. However, cultivation‐based studies have suggested that isotopic fractionation fundamentally changes as a microbial population blooms in response to an influx of reactive substrates. Using a systematic mesocosm incubation study with recently collected seawater, here we investigate the fundamental isotopic kinetics of aerobic …


Trust And Influence In The Gulf Of Mexico’S Fishery Public Management Network, Anthony Lima, Dongkyu Kim, Andrew M. Song, Gordon M. Hickey, Owen Temby Nov 2019

Trust And Influence In The Gulf Of Mexico’S Fishery Public Management Network, Anthony Lima, Dongkyu Kim, Andrew M. Song, Gordon M. Hickey, Owen Temby

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainable fishery management is a complex multi-sectoral challenge requiring substantial interagency coordination, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. While scholars of public management network theory and natural resource management have identified trust as one of the key ideational network properties that facilitates such interaction, relatively few studies have operationalized and measured the multiple dimensions of trust and their influence on collaboration. This article presents the results of an exploratory study examining the Gulf of Mexico fishery management network comprised of more than 30 stakeholder organizations. Using an empirically validated survey instrument, the distribution of four types of trust, three gradations of influence, …


Increasing Impacts Of Extreme Droughts On Vegetation Productivity Under Climate Change, Chonggang Xu, Nate G. Mcdowell, Rosie A. Fisher, Liang Wei, Sanna Sevanto, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Engsheng Weng, Richard S. Middleton Nov 2019

Increasing Impacts Of Extreme Droughts On Vegetation Productivity Under Climate Change, Chonggang Xu, Nate G. Mcdowell, Rosie A. Fisher, Liang Wei, Sanna Sevanto, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Engsheng Weng, Richard S. Middleton

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Terrestrial gross primary production (GPP) is the basis of vegetation growth and food production globally1 and plays a critical role in regulating atmospheric CO2 through its impact on ecosystem carbon balance. Even though higher CO2 concentrations in future decades can increase GPP2, low soil water availability, heat stress and disturbances associated with droughts could reduce the benefits of such CO2 fertilization. Here we analysed outputs of 13 Earth system models to show an increasingly stronger impact on GPP by extreme droughts than by mild and moderate droughts over the twenty-first century. Due to a dramatic increase in …


Culturing Embryonic Cells From The Parthenogenetic Clonal Marble Crayfish Marmorkrebs Procambarus Virginalis Lyko, 2017 (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae), Heriberto Deleon Iii, Juan Garcia Jr., Dionn Carlo Silva, Oscar Quintanilla, Zen Faulkes, John M. Thomas Iii Nov 2019

Culturing Embryonic Cells From The Parthenogenetic Clonal Marble Crayfish Marmorkrebs Procambarus Virginalis Lyko, 2017 (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae), Heriberto Deleon Iii, Juan Garcia Jr., Dionn Carlo Silva, Oscar Quintanilla, Zen Faulkes, John M. Thomas Iii

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, or Marmorkrebs (Procambarus virginalis Lyko 2017), is an emerging model organism. We describe a method to isolate cells from early-stage embryos and culture them in vitro. The identity of the cells was confirmed by sequencing the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. This technique can be applied for use in the manipulation of embryonic parthenogenetic crayfish cells.


Remote Sensing Of The Terrestrial Carbon Cycle: A Review Of Advances Over 50 Years, Jingfeng Xiao, Frederic Chevallier, Cecile Gomez, Luis Guanter, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Alfredo R. Huete, Kazuhito Ichii, Wenjian Ni, Yong Pang, Abdullah F. Rahman Nov 2019

Remote Sensing Of The Terrestrial Carbon Cycle: A Review Of Advances Over 50 Years, Jingfeng Xiao, Frederic Chevallier, Cecile Gomez, Luis Guanter, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Alfredo R. Huete, Kazuhito Ichii, Wenjian Ni, Yong Pang, Abdullah F. Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

  • We review 50 years of history and advances in remote sensing of C fluxes and stocks

  • We present an overview of terrestrial C cycle, remote sensing, and key milestones

  • We review remote sensing platforms/sensors, data, methods, findings, and challenges

  • We also discuss the uncertainty and validation of the C flux and stock estimates

  • A forward-looking perspective and insights for future research are provided

Abstract

Quantifying ecosystem carbon fluxes and stocks is essential for better understanding the global carbon cycle and improving projections of the carbon-climate feedbacks. Remote sensing has played a vital role in this endeavor during the last …


Biochar Enhances Nitrous Oxide Reduction In Acidic But Not In Near-Neutral Ph Soil, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Jerome Lechot, Rafaela Feola Conz, Abmael Da Silva Cardoso, Johan Six Oct 2019

Biochar Enhances Nitrous Oxide Reduction In Acidic But Not In Near-Neutral Ph Soil, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Jerome Lechot, Rafaela Feola Conz, Abmael Da Silva Cardoso, Johan Six

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We quantified nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes and total denitrification (N2O + N2) in an acidic (Ferralsol) and a near-neutral pH soil (Cambisol) to determine whether biochar’s alkalinization effect could be the mechanism inducing potential reductions in N2O fluxes. In Ferralsol, decreases in N2O emissions and in the N2O to N2O + N2 ratio were observed in both biochar and lime treatments. In Cambisol, neither biochar nor lime decreased N2O emissions, despite significantly increasing soil pH. The abundance and community structure of nosZ gene-bearing microorganisms indicated that gene abundances did not explain biochar effects, but a higher diversity of nosZ gene-bearing …


Spatial And Seasonal Differences In The Top Predators Of Easter Island: Essential Data For Implementing The New Rapa Nui Multiple‐Uses Marine Protected Area, Naiti A. Morales, Erin E. Easton, Alan M. Friedlander, Euan S. Harvey, Rodrigo Garcia, Carlos F. Gaymer Oct 2019

Spatial And Seasonal Differences In The Top Predators Of Easter Island: Essential Data For Implementing The New Rapa Nui Multiple‐Uses Marine Protected Area, Naiti A. Morales, Erin E. Easton, Alan M. Friedlander, Euan S. Harvey, Rodrigo Garcia, Carlos F. Gaymer

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

  1. Reef fishes are an important component of marine biodiversity, and changes in the composition of the assemblage structure may indicate ecological, climatic, or anthropogenic disturbances. To examine spatial differences in the reef fish assemblage structure around Easter Island, eight sites were sampled during autumn and summer 2016–2017 with baited remote underwater video systems.
  2. To determine seasonal changes, quarterly (seasonal) sampling was conducted at five of those eight sites. Fifteen pelagic species of fishes were recorded during this study, some of which have not previously been recorded in scuba surveys, including the Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis, Snodgrass & Heller, …


Broadband Sound Propagation In A Seagrass Meadow Throughout A Diurnal Cycle, Kevin M. Lee, Megan S. Ballard, Gabriel R. Venegas, Jason D. Sagers, Andrew R. Mcneese, Jay R. Johnson, Preston S. Wilson, Abdullah Rahman Oct 2019

Broadband Sound Propagation In A Seagrass Meadow Throughout A Diurnal Cycle, Kevin M. Lee, Megan S. Ballard, Gabriel R. Venegas, Jason D. Sagers, Andrew R. Mcneese, Jay R. Johnson, Preston S. Wilson, Abdullah Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Acoustic propagation measurements were conducted in a Thalassia testudinum meadow in the Lower Laguna Madre, a shallow bay on the Texas Gulf of Mexico coast. A piezoelectric source transmitted frequency-modulated chirps (0.1 to 100 kHz) over a 24-h period during which oceanographic probes measured environmental parameters including dissolved oxygen and solar irradiance. Compared to a nearby less vegetated area, the received level was lower by as much as 30 dB during the early morning hours. At the peak of photosynthesis-driven bubble production in the late afternoon, an additional decrease in level of 11 dB was observed.


Modeling The Effects Of Climate Change On The Distribution Of Tagetes Lucida Cav. (Asteraceae), Julianna Katherine Schaefer Kurpis, Miguel Angel Serrato-Cruz, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo Oct 2019

Modeling The Effects Of Climate Change On The Distribution Of Tagetes Lucida Cav. (Asteraceae), Julianna Katherine Schaefer Kurpis, Miguel Angel Serrato-Cruz, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change threatens the future distributions of native, tropical species all around the world as increasing global temperature and, in several regions decreasing precipitation cause less suitable habitat to become available. Of particular interest in this paper is to construct a model of the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of the Pericón or Mexican Mint Marigold, Tagetes lucida, a native medicinal plant of important cultural and economic value in Mexico. We projected the future distribution of this species using the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) and five bioclimatic variables. Models were created using three global circulation …


Abiotic And Biotic Limitations To Nodulation By Leguminous Cover Crops In South Texas, Stephanie Kasper, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Pushpa Soti, Alexis Racelis Sep 2019

Abiotic And Biotic Limitations To Nodulation By Leguminous Cover Crops In South Texas, Stephanie Kasper, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Pushpa Soti, Alexis Racelis

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many farms use leguminous cover crops as a nutrient management strategy to reduce their need for nitrogen fertilizer. When they are effective, leguminous cover crops are a valuable tool for sustainable nutrient management. However, the symbiotic partnership between legumes and nitrogen fixing rhizobia is vulnerable to several abiotic and biotic stressors that reduce nitrogen fixation efficiency in real world contexts. Sometimes, despite inoculation with rhizobial strains, this symbiosis fails to form. Such failure was observed in a 14-acre winter cover crop trial in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of Texas when three legume species produced no signs of nodulation or …


Identification Of Key Parameters Controlling Demographically Structured Vegetation Dynamics In A Land Surface Model: Clm4.5(Fates), Elias C. Massoud, Chonggang Xu, Rosie A. Fisher, Ryan G. Knox, Anthony P. Walker, Shawn P. Serbin, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Jennifer A. Holm, Lara M. Kueppers, Daniel M. Ricciuto Sep 2019

Identification Of Key Parameters Controlling Demographically Structured Vegetation Dynamics In A Land Surface Model: Clm4.5(Fates), Elias C. Massoud, Chonggang Xu, Rosie A. Fisher, Ryan G. Knox, Anthony P. Walker, Shawn P. Serbin, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Jennifer A. Holm, Lara M. Kueppers, Daniel M. Ricciuto

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vegetation plays an important role in regulating global carbon cycles and is a key component of the Earth system models (ESMs) that aim to project Earth's future climate. In the last decade, the vegetation component within ESMs has witnessed great progress from simple “big-leaf” approaches to demographically structured approaches, which have a better representation of plant size, canopy structure, and disturbances. These demographically structured vegetation models typically have a large number of input parameters, and sensitivity analysis is needed to quantify the impact of each parameter on the model outputs for a better understanding of model behavior. In this study, …


Precipitation Mediates Sap Flux Sensitivity To Evaporative Demand In The Neotropics, Charlotte Grossiord, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, Heidi Asbjornsen, Luiza Maria T. Aparecido, Z. Carter Berry, Christopher Baraloto, Damien Bonal, Isaac Borrego Sep 2019

Precipitation Mediates Sap Flux Sensitivity To Evaporative Demand In The Neotropics, Charlotte Grossiord, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, Heidi Asbjornsen, Luiza Maria T. Aparecido, Z. Carter Berry, Christopher Baraloto, Damien Bonal, Isaac Borrego

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transpiration in humid tropical forests modulates the global water cycle and is a key driver of climate regulation. Yet, our understanding of how tropical trees regulate sap flux in response to climate variability remains elusive. With a progressively warming climate, atmospheric evaporative demand [i.e., vapor pressure deficit (VPD)] will be increasingly important for plant functioning, becoming the major control of plant water use in the twenty-first century. Using measurements in 34 tree species at seven sites across a precipitation gradient in the neotropics, we determined how the maximum sap flux velocity (vmax) and the VPD threshold at which …


The Convolvulaceae Family In The Municipality Of Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Estefania Guadalupe Fernandez-Puga, Arturo Mora-Olivo, J. Andrew Mcdonald, Edilia De La Rosa-Manzano Sep 2019

The Convolvulaceae Family In The Municipality Of Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Estefania Guadalupe Fernandez-Puga, Arturo Mora-Olivo, J. Andrew Mcdonald, Edilia De La Rosa-Manzano

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The Convolvulaceae a plant family of near-cosmopolitan distribution includes 58 genera and 1,880 species. This family presents a remarkable amount of morphological diversity and even includes parasitic species. Knowledge of Convolvulaceae in Mexico is still scanty, since few geographical areas of Mexico have been investigated with respect to this family or any of its genera.

Questions: How many and which species of Convolvulaceae are found in the municipality of Victoria? How are they distributed within the study area and worldwide?

Species study: Species of the family Convolvulaceae.

Site and years of study: Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico, 2017-2018.

Methods: Botanical material …


Don Reduction Of Wheat Grain Without Compromising The Lab-Scale Milling Properties Of Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Fengcheng Wang Sep 2019

Don Reduction Of Wheat Grain Without Compromising The Lab-Scale Milling Properties Of Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Fengcheng Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wheat bran was investigated to be the most commonly contaminated raw material by mycotoxins. However, there are no economical and practical pretreatment methods for industrial on-line application until now. The effect of light debranning on deoxynivalenol (DON) removal, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and flour quality from lab-scale milling were performed. For on-line production, the DON concentration in wheat decreased 15.89% at debranning ratio of 1.2%. For lab experiment, the maximum DON removal for wheat and flour was 23.35% and 21.95%, respectively. However, the PPO activity, browning of dough sheet and flour qualities in lab scale exhibited no significant variation. …


Rare Degs1 Variant Significantly Alters De Novo Ceramide Synthesis Pathway, Nicholas B. Blackburn, Laura F. Michael, Peter J. Meikle, Juan M. Peralta, Marian Mosior, Scott Mcahren, Hai H. Bui, Melissa A. Bellinger, Corey Giles, Satish Kumar, Ana C. Leandro, Marcio Almeida, Jacquelyn M. Weir, Michael C. Mahaney, Thomas D. Dyer, Laura Almasy, John L. Vandeberg, Sarah Williams-Blangero, David C. Glahn, Ravindranath Duggirala, Mark Kowala, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran Sep 2019

Rare Degs1 Variant Significantly Alters De Novo Ceramide Synthesis Pathway, Nicholas B. Blackburn, Laura F. Michael, Peter J. Meikle, Juan M. Peralta, Marian Mosior, Scott Mcahren, Hai H. Bui, Melissa A. Bellinger, Corey Giles, Satish Kumar, Ana C. Leandro, Marcio Almeida, Jacquelyn M. Weir, Michael C. Mahaney, Thomas D. Dyer, Laura Almasy, John L. Vandeberg, Sarah Williams-Blangero, David C. Glahn, Ravindranath Duggirala, Mark Kowala, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The de novo ceramide synthesis pathway is essential to human biology and health but genetic influences remain unexplored. The core function of this pathway is the generation of biologically active ceramide from its precursor, dihydroceramide. Dihydroceramides have diverse, often protective, biological roles; conversely, increased ceramide levels are biomarkers of complex disease. To explore the genetics of the ceramide synthesis pathway, we searched for deleterious nonsynonymous variants in the genomes of 1,020 Mexican Americans from extended pedigrees. We identified a Hispanic ancestry−specific rare functional variant, L175Q, in DEGS1, a key enzyme in the pathway that converts dihydroceramide to ceramide. This amino …


Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus In Amphibians From, Drew R. Davis, Jillian K. Farkas, Taylor R. Kruisselbrink, Jessa L. Watters, Elyse D. Ellsworth, Jacob L. Kerby, Cameron D. Siler Aug 2019

Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus In Amphibians From, Drew R. Davis, Jillian K. Farkas, Taylor R. Kruisselbrink, Jessa L. Watters, Elyse D. Ellsworth, Jacob L. Kerby, Cameron D. Siler

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Several infectious diseases are threatening amphibian species worldwide and have resulted in massmortality events across the globe. An emerging group of viral pathogens (ranaviruses) are documented to cause die-offs in amphibian populations worldwide, including in several regions of the U.S. Unfortunately, large gaps remain in our understanding of the distribution of this systemic pathogen in the U.S., including within the state of Oklahoma. To address this gap in our understanding, we carried out surveys of this infectious pathogen across 14 sites in seven southeastern Oklahoma counties in spring 2015, screening 17 amphibian species from this region. Using liver and tail …


Sand And Pumice Filter Amended With Activated Carbon And Biochar For Phosphorus Retention, James Jihoon Kang, Marissa Davila, Sergio Mireles, Jungseok Ho Aug 2019

Sand And Pumice Filter Amended With Activated Carbon And Biochar For Phosphorus Retention, James Jihoon Kang, Marissa Davila, Sergio Mireles, Jungseok Ho

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phosphorus (P) loss via stormwater runoff is a water quality concern. The objective of this study was to investigate two commercial biochars relative to an activated carbon as an additive to geomedia (sand and pumice) for P removal. The batch adsorption experiment was conducted to assess P sorption of the geomedia and carbon materials while the leaching experiment was conducted in sand and pumice columns amended with carbon materials (5 % by weight). The batch adsorption test revealed that only activated carbon showed an appreciable P adsorption up to 19 %. Tested biochar materials showed no adsorption capacity for P …


Adaptive Responses Of Animals To Climate Change Are Most Likely Insufficient, Viktoriia Radchuk, Thomas Reed, Céline Teplitsky, Martijn Van De Pol, Anne Charmantier, Christopher Hassall, Peter Adamík, Frank Adriaensen, Markus P. Ahola, Karl S. Berg Jul 2019

Adaptive Responses Of Animals To Climate Change Are Most Likely Insufficient, Viktoriia Radchuk, Thomas Reed, Céline Teplitsky, Martijn Van De Pol, Anne Charmantier, Christopher Hassall, Peter Adamík, Frank Adriaensen, Markus P. Ahola, Karl S. Berg

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Biological responses to climate change have been widely documented across taxa and regions, but it remains unclear whether species are maintaining a good match between phenotype and environment, i.e. whether observed trait changes are adaptive. Here we reviewed 10,090 abstracts and extracted data from 71 studies reported in 58 relevant publications, to assess quantitatively whether phenotypic trait changes associated with climate change are adaptive in animals. A meta-analysis focussing on birds, the taxon best represented in our dataset, suggests that global warming has not systematically affected morphological traits, but has advanced phenological traits. We demonstrate that these advances are adaptive …


Wrap-Around Services To Older Adults With Dementia: Collaboration, Education, And Prevention As A Model For Integration Of Primary Care And Neurobehavioral Health, Gladys E. Maestre, Francisco Fernandez Jul 2019

Wrap-Around Services To Older Adults With Dementia: Collaboration, Education, And Prevention As A Model For Integration Of Primary Care And Neurobehavioral Health, Gladys E. Maestre, Francisco Fernandez

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background: Medical care in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is fragmented and difficult to navigate, especially for older adults with cognitive decline and dementia. The communities are eager to have a new healthcare delivery system that integrate community-based aging services to provide integrated, team collaborative better health care in our communities. The University of Texas RGV School of Medicine, in collaboration with its affiliates in the regional healthcare systems, is a partner providing comprehensive care across the life-cycle bridging science, social services and patient care. Our interprofessional team collaborative emphasizes safe, appropriate, and effective neurobehavioral care, employing evidence-based medicine in …


Herbivory And Inbreeding Affect Growth, Reproduction, And Resistance In The Rhizomatous Offshoots Of Solanum Carolinense (Solanaceae), Chad T. Nihranz, Rebecca L. Kolstrom, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Mark C. Mescher, Consuelo M. De Moraes, Andrew G. Stephenson Jun 2019

Herbivory And Inbreeding Affect Growth, Reproduction, And Resistance In The Rhizomatous Offshoots Of Solanum Carolinense (Solanaceae), Chad T. Nihranz, Rebecca L. Kolstrom, Rupesh R. Kariyat, Mark C. Mescher, Consuelo M. De Moraes, Andrew G. Stephenson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Resource sharing within clonal plant networks can occur via the translocation of water, nutrients, and photoassimilates through rhizomes and stolons. Similar mechanisms may mediate the sharing of information (e.g., about herbivory or other environmental stressors) among ramets via molecular or biochemical signals. The storage of such information in belowground structures could facilitate the transmission of appropriate phenotypic responses across growing seasons in perennial species. However, few previous studies have explored the potential transfer of ecologically relevant information within such networks. This study addresses the effects of foliar herbivory and belowground overwintering on the growth and flowering, physical defenses, and herbivore …