Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Exogenous Ubiquitin: Role In Myocardial Inflammation And Remodeling Post- Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Stephanie Scofield Dec 2017

Exogenous Ubiquitin: Role In Myocardial Inflammation And Remodeling Post- Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Stephanie Scofield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sympathetic stimulation occurs in the heart after injuries such as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and myocardial infarction and affects myocardial remodeling. Prolonged sympathetic stimulation can result in myocardial dysfunction through its effects on cardiac myocyte apoptosis and myocardial fibrosis. Ubiquitin (UB) is well known for its role of tagging old or damaged proteins for degradation via the UB-proteosome pathway. The role of exogenous UB however, is not fully understood. Previously, our lab showed that β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation increased levels of extracellular UB in the conditioned media of adult rat ventricular myocytes and that UB inhibits β-AR-stimulated apoptosis. This study investigates the …


The Algz/R Two-Component System Is Responsible For Attenuation Of Virulence In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Danielle A. Williams Dec 2017

The Algz/R Two-Component System Is Responsible For Attenuation Of Virulence In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Danielle A. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen. Many P. aeruginosa virulence factors are regulated by the AlgZ/R two component system. AlgZ is the sensor histidine kinase which phosphorylates AlgR, the response regulator. AlgR activates transcription of different gene targets based upon its phosphorylation state. The genes that encode AlgZ and AlgR are transcribed in an operon. While regulation of algR expression has been well studied, regulation of algZ expression has not. Using a pilW mutant in concert with algZTF-lacZ transcriptional fusion, we conducted a transposon mutagenesis to identify algZ regulators. We identified an unknown autoregulatory loop. The type …


Role Of Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 (Cb2) In Late Stage Atherosclerosis, Makenzie Fulmer Dec 2017

Role Of Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 (Cb2) In Late Stage Atherosclerosis, Makenzie Fulmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of medium and large vessels. Immune signaling and dyslipidemia are two of several processes which influence lesion development in atherosclerosis. Cannabinoids, such as those found in marijuana, exert their effects through two cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. Recent studies using CB2 knockout mice and CB2-selective ligands have shed light on a protective role of CB2 in early stages of atherosclerosis. However, the role of CB2 in advanced stages of atherosclerosis remains unclear. To determine if CB2 plays a role in advanced atherosclerotic lesion composition and progression, we investigated the effects of systemic CB2 gene …


Examining The Understanding Of Inquiry-Based Learning And Teaching Among Undergraduate Teachers And Students, Maren Hudson Dec 2017

Examining The Understanding Of Inquiry-Based Learning And Teaching Among Undergraduate Teachers And Students, Maren Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the main aims of inquiry is to engage students as active, not passive, participants in science. The purpose of this study is to describe science educators’ and students’ views about inquiry-based instruction in order to better understand and improve implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. Inquiry-based techniques have been shown to improve student understanding of scientific concepts, yet, there continue to be challenges in implementing these techniques. This research project utilizes Q Methodology, a research method that captures both common and disparate measures of subjectivity, to identify commonalities and defining viewpoints about inquiry-based teaching and learning. Three significantly different …


Role Of Tlrs, Hippo-Yap1 Signaling, And Micrornas In Cardiac Repair And Regeneration Of Damaged Myocardium During Ischemic Injury, Xiaohui Wang Aug 2017

Role Of Tlrs, Hippo-Yap1 Signaling, And Micrornas In Cardiac Repair And Regeneration Of Damaged Myocardium During Ischemic Injury, Xiaohui Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated pathways have been demonstrated to play a role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We and others have shown that PI3K/Akt signaling is involved in regulating cellular survival and protecting the myocardium from I/R induced injury. In this dissertation, we provide compelling evidence that miR-125b serves to “fine tune” TLR mediated NF-kB responses by repressing TNF-a and TRAF6 expression. We constructed lentiviral expressing miR-125b, delivered it into the myocardium. The data showed that delivery of lentivirus expressing miR-125b significantly reduces myocardial infarct size and improves cardiac …


A Study Of Salmonid Growth In Two Southern Appalachian Headwater Streams, Joshua Argo Aug 2017

A Study Of Salmonid Growth In Two Southern Appalachian Headwater Streams, Joshua Argo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sampled salmonid populations in two headwater streams in East Tennessee, Briar Creek and Left Prong Hampton Creek. Length and weight data were used to calculate the growth of these populations to determine if significant variation exists between isolated brook trout populations. Slope comparisons concluded that there was a difference in growth between brook trout populations of these streams (p


Ecological Informatics: An Agent Based Model On Coexistence Dynamics, Shiva Thapa Aug 2017

Ecological Informatics: An Agent Based Model On Coexistence Dynamics, Shiva Thapa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The coexistence of species is probably one of the most interesting and complex phenomenon in nature. We constructed an agent based model to study the coexistence dynamics of prey - predator populations by varying productivity levels of producers in fragmented and connected habitats along with different levels of quality of predators. Our results indicated that productivity levels of producers in fragmented and connected habitats along with levels of predator quality are significantly responsible for overall predator - prey population size and survivorship. In the absence of predation, competition between identical prey populations is more probable in connected habitats than in …


A Novel Method For Synthesis Of Hydroxytyrosol, Emmanuel Onobun Aug 2017

A Novel Method For Synthesis Of Hydroxytyrosol, Emmanuel Onobun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydroxytyrosol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenolethanol, a naturally occurring polyphenol most common in olive tree (Olea europaea), is one of the most effective member of the polyphenols family, because of its remarkable antioxidant activity, its ability to inhibit oxidation of low density lipids (LDL), and its protection against DNA oxidative damage. Hydroxytyrosol, which is widely used in cosmetics and food supplements industries, can be purchased as an olive oil extract that contains low concentration of hydroxytyrosol besides other polyphenols. The price and low natural abundance of hydroxytyrosol make alternative synthetic sources very attractive. In this research, a novel method for the synthesis of pure …


Outcomes Of An Integrated Approach To Speed And Strength Training With An Elite-Level Sprinter, Eric D. Magrum Aug 2017

Outcomes Of An Integrated Approach To Speed And Strength Training With An Elite-Level Sprinter, Eric D. Magrum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe changes in sprint velocity, ground contact time, and peak force demonstrated by a competitive sprinter following an integrated approach to speed development and strength training. As part of an ongoing monitoring procedure the participant completed 20m sprint testing through an optical measurement system and isometric-strength testing before and after each phase of training. Sprint velocity, ground contact time and peak force were analysed using Tau-U, smallest worthwhile and percent change statistics. Results indicate sprinting velocity statistically improved while changes in peak force were practically significant and ground contact time remained trivial throughout …


Effects Of Acute Sepsis On Renal Structure And Sympathetic Innervation In Mice, Tuqa Alkhateeb Aug 2017

Effects Of Acute Sepsis On Renal Structure And Sympathetic Innervation In Mice, Tuqa Alkhateeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sympathetic nerves are important for renal physiology and sepsis pathophysiology. A recent study showed sprouting of sympathetic nerves in spleen of septic mice. This study was done to test if renal sprouting of sympathetic nerves also happens and to investigate renal morphology in septic mice. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to induce sepsis and kidneys were removed for evaluation. Bowman’s space was diminished with cortical bubble cells present suggestive of acute renal pathology, however, renal function was unchanged. Acute sepsis did not affect either renal sympathetic innervation or non-neuronal cholinergic cells. Mouse kidneys had more epinephrine (EPI) than …


Enemy Exacerbation: Effects Of Predator Stress On Sulfate Lethality In Freshwater Amphipods (Gammarus Minus), Trevor Chapman Aug 2017

Enemy Exacerbation: Effects Of Predator Stress On Sulfate Lethality In Freshwater Amphipods (Gammarus Minus), Trevor Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predator cues can influence how aquatic organisms respond to anthropogenic contaminants. This study examined the effects of predator cues on behavior, metabolic rate, and sulfate (as Na2SO4) toxicity in amphipods (Gammarus minus). Predator cues included alarm cue (macerated conspecifics) and kairomone from mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Amphipods decreased activity and increased time in refuge when exposed to alarm cue, and increased time in refuge when exposed to kairomone. While median lethal concentrations (96-h LC50) were not influenced by predator cues, analysis of dose response curves indicated that kairomone exposure increased amphipod …


Denoising Tandem Mass Spectrometry Data, Felix Offei May 2017

Denoising Tandem Mass Spectrometry Data, Felix Offei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein identification using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has proven to be an effective way to identify proteins in a biological sample. An observed spectrum is constructed from the data produced by the tandem mass spectrometer. A protein can be identified if the observed spectrum aligns with the theoretical spectrum. However, data generated by the tandem mass spectrometer are affected by errors thus making protein identification challenging in the field of proteomics. Some of these errors include wrong calibration of the instrument, instrument distortion and noise. In this thesis, we present a pre-processing method, which focuses on the removal of noisy …


Effects Of Predatory Cues On Copper Sensitivity And Metabolic Rate In Gambusia Affinis, Melissa N. Campbell May 2017

Effects Of Predatory Cues On Copper Sensitivity And Metabolic Rate In Gambusia Affinis, Melissa N. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organisms living in aquatic environments are subject to a number of stressors from natural (temperature, predation, food availability) and anthropogenic origins (pesticides, metals, etc). Natural stressors may amplify the effects of contaminants and increase an organism’s sensitivity to them. Understanding the impact of these combined factors is therefore essential for the practical management of contaminants. This study sought to examine how predatory cues affect copper tolerance in the mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. The influence of predatory cues on fish metabolic rate was also evaluated to gain insight on any interactive effects between the natural stressor and copper. Alarm cues, chemicals released …


Range-Wide Prevalence And Impacts Of Pseudocercosporella Inconspicua On Lilium Grayi And An Assessment Of L. Superbum And L. Michauxii As Reservoirs, Cindy L. Barrett May 2017

Range-Wide Prevalence And Impacts Of Pseudocercosporella Inconspicua On Lilium Grayi And An Assessment Of L. Superbum And L. Michauxii As Reservoirs, Cindy L. Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lilium grayi (Gray’s Lily), a southern Appalachian endemic species, is threatened by a Lilium-specific fungal pathogen, Pseudocercosporella inconspicua. The disease is characterized by tan lesions that can cause early senescence, while also lowering seed production and viability. This project tested for P. inconspicua conidia and accessed health at nine locations. The disease was present and ubiquitous across the range of L. grayi. Through identification of P. inconspicua conidia in the field, L. superbum (Turk’s Cap Lily) was identified as an additional host, while L. michauxii (Michaux’s Lily) was disease-free. However, infection was inducible in both species. With …


Cranial Morphological Distinctiveness Between Ursus Arctos And U. Americanus, Benjamin James Hillesheim May 2017

Cranial Morphological Distinctiveness Between Ursus Arctos And U. Americanus, Benjamin James Hillesheim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite being separated by millions of years of evolution, black bears (Ursus americanus) and brown bears (Ursus arctos) can be difficult to distinguish based on skeletal and dental material alone. Complicating matters, some Late Pleistocene U. americanus are significantly larger in size than their modern relatives, obscuring the identification of the two bears. In the past, fossil bears have been identified based on differences in dental morphology or size. This study used geometric morphometrics to look at overall differences in cranial shape and used step-wise discriminant analysis to identify specific characters that distinguish cranial morphology between …


Late Quaternary Dragon Lizards (Agamidae: Squamata) From Western Australia, Julie Rej May 2017

Late Quaternary Dragon Lizards (Agamidae: Squamata) From Western Australia, Julie Rej

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fossil Agamidae from Western Australia have been the subject of limited study. To aid in fossil agamid identification, Hocknull (2002) examined the maxilla and dentary of several extant species from Australia and determined diagnostic characters for various species groups. In the study here, fossil agamids from two localities in Western Australia, Hastings Cave and Horseshoe Cave, were examined, grouped, and identified to the lowest unambiguous taxonomic level. Morphometric analyses were conducted to compare morphotypes, and find additional diagnostic characters. From Hastings Cave there were two maxilla morphotypes and three dentary morphotypes. Based on identifications, taxa present at this locality were …


Inclusive Teaching Strategies: An Evaluation Of Course Structure And Summative Assessment In Introductory Biology, Oluwaseun O. Agboola May 2017

Inclusive Teaching Strategies: An Evaluation Of Course Structure And Summative Assessment In Introductory Biology, Oluwaseun O. Agboola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several active learning strategies have been used when increasing the structure of a course as increasing course structure has been known to improve student learning in introductory STEM courses. Much has been studied on the value of frequent formative assessment; however, few studies have evaluated the effective modes of delivering summative assessment. This study examines the use of summative assessment as an inclusive teaching practice to improve first generation college student success in introductory biology and also uses faculty surveys to find out how instructors structure their introductory biology course and why they are structured that way. Final exams were …


Niche Modeling For The Giant Panda, Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, And The Original Panda, Ailurus Fulgens: Habitat Preferences And Evolutionary Consequences, Lauren M. Lyon May 2017

Niche Modeling For The Giant Panda, Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, And The Original Panda, Ailurus Fulgens: Habitat Preferences And Evolutionary Consequences, Lauren M. Lyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The well-known symbol for conservation, the giant panda bear, and the original red panda have been forced into remote habitats due to anthropogenic disturbance, making ecological study difficult. Therefore the first known species distribution model was created to predict the most likely areas of occurrence within the known range of these elusive animals. These models were then projected onto North America and evaluated against existing breeding programs. Additionally, the close proximity of the Gray Fossil Site and the discovery of the most complete fossil red panda specimens in the world allowed ecomorphological comparisons between the modern red panda, Ailurus fulgens …