Digital Commons Network^™

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Weed And Mexico, Eddy Martinez

Capstones

An American biotech firm named Phylos Bioscience is interested in entering the Mexican marijuana market once it legalizes. Before it can do that, it must deal with the Mexican government and a conservative society.

https://eddymartinezcunyedu.atavist.com/figuring-out-the-mysteries-of-weed-and-mexico

Dopamine Perturbation Of Gene Co-Expression Networks Reveals Differential Response In Schizophrenia For Translational Machinery, Mark Z. Kos, Jubao Duan, Alan R. Sanders, Lucy Blondell, Eugene I. Drigalenko, Melanie A. Carless, Pablo V. Gejman, Harald H. H. Goring

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

The dopaminergic hypothesis of schizophrenia (SZ) postulates that positive symptoms of SZ, in particular psychosis, are due to disturbed neurotransmission via the dopamine (DA) receptor D2 (DRD2). However, DA is a reactive molecule that yields various oxidative species, and thus has important non-receptor-mediated effects, with empirical evidence of cellular toxicity and neurodegeneration. Here we examine non-receptor-mediated effects of DA on gene co-expression networks and its potential role in SZ pathology. Transcriptomic profiles were measured by RNA-seq in B-cell transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines from 514 SZ cases and 690 controls, both before and after exposure to DA ex vivo (100 μM). …

Linkage Mapping For Soybean (Glycine Max) Flood Tolerance, Wade Stiles Hummer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flood tolerance in soybean (Glycine max) is not a well-characterized trait, yet flooding damage is second only to drought stress in terms of yield reduction. The objectives of this study were to determine genetic variation for flooding tolerance in two populations of soybean recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and to identify and confirm flood tolerant QTL. Population A (WHA) consisted of 111 RILs derived from the cross 5002T by 91210-350 and Population B (WHB) consisted of 79 RILs from the cross RA-452 by Osage. Experiments were conducted at the Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) near Stuttgart, AR in 2015 and …

Types Of Tobacco Consumption And The Oral Microbiome In The United Arab Emirates Healthy Future (Uaehfs) Pilot Study, Yvonne Vallès, Claire K. Inman, Brandilyn A. Peters, Raghib Ali, Laila Abdel Wareth, Abdishakur Abdulle, Habiba Alsafar, Fatme Al Anouti, Ayesha Al Dhaheri, Divya Galani, Muna Haji, Aisha Al Hamiz, Ayesha Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Houqani, Abdulla Al Junaibi, Marina Kazim, Tomas Kirchhoff, Wael Al Mahmeed, Fatma Al Maskari, Abdullah Alnaeemi, Naima Oumeziane, Ravichandran Ramasamy, Ann Marie Schmidt, Michael Weitzman, Eiman Al Zaabi, Scott Sherman, Richard B. Hayes, Jiyoung Ahn

All Works

© 2018, The Author(s). Cigarette smoking alters the oral microbiome; however, the effect of alternative tobacco products remains unclear. Middle Eastern tobacco products like dokha and shisha, are becoming globally widespread. We tested for the first time in a Middle Eastern population the hypothesis that different tobacco products impact the oral microbiome. The oral microbiome of 330 subjects from the United Arab Emirates Healthy Future Study was assessed by amplifying the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from mouthwash samples. Tobacco consumption was assessed using a structured questionnaire and further validated by urine cotinine levels. Oral microbiome overall structure and specific taxon …

Evaluation Of Genetic And Environmental Influences On Broiler Meat Quality, Sara Katherine Orlowski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of both genetic and environmental influences on broiler meat quality were evaluated over three experiments. Selection response was assessed for broiler lines selected for high (HBY4) and low (LBY4) four day percentage breast yield which were formed from a random bred control (RAN). A modern random bred population (MRB) created in 2015 was evaluated for differences in 4 day percentage breast yield and the resulting differences in the incidence and severity of the woody breast and white striping myopathies. Additionally, the use of embryonic thermal manipulation to impact cell division and early caloric feed restriction to slow growth …

The Role Of Tumor Suppressor Dear1 In The Acquisition Of Mammary Stem/Progenitor Cell Properties, Uyen Le

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in America. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), one of the earliest pre-invasive forms of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), has a 30-50% risk of progressing to IDC. Understanding the mechanisms regulating progression from DCIS to IDC would help identify biomarkers to stratify patients at higher risk of progression or metastasis. Cumulative literature suggests the earliest phase of dissemination from the primary tumor is driven by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. DEAR1 is a tumor suppressor gene which is mutated, undergoes loss of heterozygosity in breast cancer, and is downregulated in DCIS …

Generation Of Isogenic Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons To Establish A Molecular Angelman Syndrome Phenotype And To Study The Ube3a Protein Isoforms, Carissa Sirois

Doctoral Dissertations

Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopment disorder for which there is currently no cure that is characterized by severe seizures, intellectual disability, absent speech, ataxia, and happy affect. Loss of expression from the maternally inherited copy of UBE3A, a gene regulated by genomic imprinting, causes AS. Currently there are multiple promising therapeutic approaches being explored and developed for AS, some of which involve targeting or expression of the human genetic sequence. Subsequently, it is necessary to establish robust cellular models for AS that can be used to test these, as well as future, potential AS therapies. Toward this aim, …

Evaluation Of The Epigenetic Regulation Of Two X-Linked, Autism Candidate Genes: X-Linked Lymphocyte Regulated 3b And Transketolase-Like 1, Glenn W. Milton

Doctoral Dissertations

According to the CDC the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in males compared to females is approximately 5:1. Skuse et al. hypothesized that imprinted genes on the X chromosome could account for this sex bias. Genomic imprinting is defined as differential gene expression dependent upon the parental origin of the allele. While genomic imprinting on autosomes has been well classified, no imprinting mechanism on the sex chromosomes has been discovered. This work presents an investigation into the regulation of expression governing the imprinted locus of X-Linked Lymphocyte Regulated 3b/4b/4c (Xlr3/4), and closely linked ASD candidate gene, Transketolase-Like …

Gene Expression Changes By Neuroprotectant Novel Antidotes To Organophosphates, Meghan L. Brino

Honors Theses

Recent assassinations and terrorist attacks demonstrate the need for a more effective antidote against nerve agents and other organophosphate (OP) compounds which inhibit the nervous system enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This study explored the changes in gene expression induced by novel phenoxyalkyl pyridinium oximes (U.S. patent 9,277,937) that have demonstrated the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and attenuate brain damage in a rat model. More specifically, this study determined whether rats treated with high levels of a surrogate for the nerve agent sarin (nitrophenyl isopropyl methylphosphonate; NIMP) and rats treated with NIMP followed by a novel oxime displayed significant differences …

Genetics Of The Thrombomodulin-Endothelial Cell Protein C Receptor System And The Risk Of Early-Onset Ischemic Stroke, John W. Cole, Huichun Xu, Kathleen Ryan,, Thomas Jaworek, Nicole Dueke, Patrick Mcardle, Brady Gaynor,, Yu-Ching Cheng, Jeffrey O'Connell, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Section of Neurology

Background and Purpose: Polymorphisms in coagulation genes have been associated with early-onset ischemic stroke. Here we pursue an a priori hypothesis that genetic variation in the endothelial-based receptors of the thrombomodulin-protein C system (THBD and PROCR) may similarly be associated with early-onset ischemic stroke. We explored this hypothesis utilizing a multi-stage design of discovery and replication.

Methods: Discovery was performed in the Genetics-of-Early-Onset Stroke (GEOS) Study, a biracial population-based case-control study of ischemic stroke among men and women aged 15-49 including 829 cases of first ischemic stroke (42.2% African-American) and 850 age-comparable stroke-free controls (38.1% African-American). Twenty-four single-nucleotide-polymorphisms …

Persistent Misconceptions About Mutations Among Graduate Nursing Students, Jane Garvin, Beverly Collins

Nursing Collection

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the ongoing misconceptions about mutations, an area of rising public interest, among graduate nursing students.

Design

Using a prospective cohort design, graduate students entering a public university in the Fall of 2014 were followed to graduation in the Fall of 2016.

Methods

Knowledge of mutations was assessed with an anonymous pre-test and post-test using three items from the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory - 2011 beta version developed by Ward. Differences in pre-test and post-test scores were assessed by T-test. Post-test items with > 30% marked incorrectly were examined further; the most frequent …

Genome Wide Association Studies For Identification Of Markers Linked To Sucrose Traits In Sugarcane, Nathanael Darrell Fickett

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sugarcane, being a complex aneu-polyploid, poses unique challenges to fine mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling agronomic traits of interest. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) could be a better alternative to identify molecular markers associated with specific traits due to high linkage disequilibrium in sugarcane. In the first study, marker-trait associations (MTAs) were evaluated for three sucrose traits, Brix, total recoverable sugar (TRS), and percent sucrose on 48 elite and historic Louisiana breeding clones using 1,062 alleles. These sucrose traits were highly correlated (P-value < 0.0001) at >0.96. TASSEL 5.1 and JMP Genomics 8.0 were compared with eight models run in each program. …

Re-Thinking Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutic Targets Using Gene-Based Tests, Man Ki Kwok, Shi Lin Lin, C Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating condition with no known effective drug treatments. Existing drugs only alleviate symptoms. Given repeated expensive drug failures, we assessed systematically whether approved and investigational AD drugs are targeting products of genes strongly associated with AD and whether these genes are targeted by existing drugs for other indications which could be re-purposed.

Methods: We identified genes strongly associated with late-onset AD fromthe loci of genetic variants associated with AD at genome-wide-significance and from a gene-based test applied to the most extensively genotyped late-onset AD case (n=17,008)-control (n=37,154) study, the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project. …

Uncovering The Complex Genetics Of Human Temperament, Igor Zwir, Javier Arnedo, Coral Del-Val, Laura Pulkki-Råback, Bettina Konte, Sarah S. Yang, Rocio Romero-Zaliz, Mirka Hintsanen, Kevin M. Cloninger, Gabriel A. De Erausquin

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Experimental studies of learning suggest that human temperament may depend on the molecular mechanisms for associative conditioning, which are highly conserved in animals. The main genetic pathways for associative conditioning are known in experimental animals, but have not been identified in prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human temperament. We used a data-driven machine learning method for GWAS to uncover the complex genotypic–phenotypic networks and environmental interactions related to human temperament. In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified …

The Fight Against Overweight And Obesity Among Adolescents, Jordan Reichel

All Student-Created Educational Resources

The purpose of this handout is to use evidence-based research to educate the adolescents population about the growing problem of overweight and obesity among youth in this age group. This handout describes the criteria for being considered overweight or obese during adolescence. Possible risk factors for adolescent overweight and obesity are identified. The handout discusses the burden of disease and the potential consequences associated with being overweight or obese as an adolescent. Behavior modification strategies for preventing or treating overweight and obesity in adolescent’s are also described.

Epidemiology Of Moderate Alcohol Consumption And Breast Cancer: Association Or Causation?, Samir Zakhari, Jan B. Hoek

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Epidemiological studies have been used to show associations between modifiable lifestyle habits and the incidence of breast cancer. Among such factors, a history of alcohol use has been reported in multiple studies and meta-analyses over the past decades. However, associative epidemiological studies that were interpreted as evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer incidence have been controversial. In this review, we consider the literature on the relationship between moderate or heavy alcohol use, both in possible biological mechanisms and in variations in susceptibility due to genetic or epigenetic factors. We argue that there is a need to incorporate …

The Influence Of Tissue Plasminogen Activator I/D Polymorphism On The Tpa Response To Exercise, Adam M. Coughlin

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(3): 1136-1144, 2018. The purpose was to determine if the Alu-insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism of the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) gene influences the tPA response to maximal exercise. Fifty male subjects (age = 23.6 ± 4.7 yrs) completed a maximal treadmill exercise test. Blood samples were drawn before and immediately after exercise for determination of plasma tPA antigen and activity. Isolated DNA was amplified via polymerase chain reaction, electrophoresed, and visually amplified to determine tPA genotype. Subjects were classified as possessing the D allele (D) (n = 28) or being homozygous for the I allele …

From Rusty Genetics To Octopussy’S Garden, Stacy Alaimo

The Goose

Alaimo critiques the “rusty” understanding of genetics, gender, and sex in Middlesex, advocating instead for queer ecological futurism.

Diversity And Phylogeny Of Sargassum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) In Singapore, Zhi Ting Yip, Randolph Z. B. Quek, Jeffrey K. Y. Low, Bryan Wilson, Andrew G. Bauman, Loke Ming Chou, Peter A. Todd, Danwei Huang

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Sargassum species play key ecological roles on coral reefs, yet their diversity remains poorly known. Precise identification of Sargassum species, however, is improving with molecular genetic tools, though these have yet to be applied rigorously in Singapore. Historical records list 41 species, but no more than ten were verified based on herbarium vouchers, and even fewer (five species) were confirmed in the field based on a single nuclear gene marker in a previous study. Here, we revised the diversity of Sargassum in Singapore by examining all the morphologically distinct forms collected from the local coral reef environment. A total of …

Dobi Studies, Teaches The Marvels Of Genetics, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“When I was in third grade, a parent of one of the other students brought a number of cats to the library on a Saturday and talked about how there are all these different hereditary patterns that contribute to their coat colors and appearance, like spots, stripes, and white paws. I was just hooked because I loved cats, and I said this is what I want to do.”

That’s how Dr. Krista Dobi explains why she became a geneticist. A native of North Brunswick, New Jersey, Dobi received a bachelor of arts from Princeton University and a doctorate in genetics …

Random Genetic Drift And Selective Pressures Shaping The Blattabacterium Genome, Austin Alleman, Kate L. Hertweck, Srini Kambhampati

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Estimates suggest that at least half of all extant insect genera harbor obligate bacterial mutualists. Whereas an endosymbiotic relationship imparts many benefits upon host and symbiont alike, the intracellular lifestyle has profound effects on the bacterial genome. The obligate endosymbiont genome is a product of opposing forces: genes important to host survival are maintained through physiological constraint, contrasted by the fixation of deleterious mutations and genome erosion through random genetic drift. The obligate cockroach endosymbiont, Blattabacterium – providing nutritional augmentation to its host in the form of amino acid synthesis – displays radical genome alterations when compared to its most …

Genetic Dissection Of Non-Host Resistance To The Wheat Stem Rust Pathogen, Using An Interspecific Barberry Hybrid, Radhika Bartaula

Doctoral Dissertations

Stem rust, caused by the macrocyclic fungal pathogen P. graminis (Pg), is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat and other small grains globally; and the emergence of new stem rust races virulent on deployed resistance genes brings urgency to the discovery of more durable sources of genetic resistance. Given its intrinsic durability and effectiveness across a broad range of pathogens, non-host resistance (NHR) presents a compelling strategy for achieving long-term rust control in wheat. However, NHR to Pg (Pg-NHR) remains largely unexplored as a protection strategy in wheat, in part due to the challenge of developing a genetically …

Liability Rules For Health Information, Jorge L. Contreras, Francisca Nordfalk

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

The recent trend toward propertization of health data could pose significant challenges to biomedical research and public health. Property rule systems can result in sizable up-front costs in the acquisition of consent from individual data subjects, as well as the ongoing risk that data subjects will retract consent or object to unanticipated data uses, thus compromising existing data resources and analyses. We argue that property-based approaches to health data should be rejected in favor of liability rule frameworks for the protection of individual privacy interests. We demonstrate that liability rule frameworks for data governance are not only desirable from a …

Epigenetics And Autoimmunity, Alaa E. Abd El Hamid, Sabery A. Shoeib, Salah M.S Abozied

Menoufia Medical Journal

Objectives The aim of the study was to review epigenetics and its role in the evolution and treatment of autoimmune disorders. Data sources Data were obtained from Medline databases (PubMed, Medscape, and Science Direct) and from materials available on the Internet from 2003 to 2016. Study selection The initial search presented 100 articles, of which 30 met the inclusion criteria. The articles studied the role of epigenetics in the pathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune disorders. Data extraction A special search was carried out on Medline with keywords (epigenetics and autoimmune) in the papers, and extraction was made, including assessment of …

Confirming World-Wide Distribution Of An Agriculturally Important Lacewing, Chrysoperla Zastrowi Sillemi, Using Songs, Morphology, Mitochondrial Gene Sequencing, And Phylogenetic Reconstruction, Zoe Mandese

Honors Scholar Theses

The Chrysoperla carnea-group of green lacewings is a cryptic species complex. Species within the group are morphologically similar, yet isolated from one another via reproductive mating song. Chrysoperla zastrowi, a species within the carnea-group, is currently described with a distribution ranging from South Africa to the Middle East and India. However, recent collections of carnea-group lacewings from Guatemala and California were preliminarily identified as Chrysoperla zastrowi based upon similarities in their vibrational courtship songs. This analysis aims to place six specimens, collected by collaborators in Guatemala, Armenia, Iran, and California, into a pre-existing phylogeny of the …

Genetics Of A De Novo Origin Of Undifferentiated Multicellularity, Matthew D. Herron, William C. Ratcliff, Jacob Boswell, Frank Rosenzweig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The evolution of multicellularity was a major transition in evolution and set the stage for unprecedented increases in complexity, especially in land plants and animals. Here, we explore the genetics underlying a de novo origin of multicellularity in a microbial evolution experiment carried out on the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that large-scale changes in gene expression underlie the transition to a multicellular life cycle. Among these, changes to genes involved in cell cycle and reproductive processes were overrepresented, as were changes to C. reinhardtii-specific and volvocine-specific genes. These results suggest that the genetic basis for the experimental evolution …

Eco-Evolutionary Implications Of Environmental Change Across Heterogeneous Landscapes, Jared J. Homola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Species use a variety of mechanisms to adapt to environmental change. These range from spatially tracking optimal environments, to phenotypically plastic responses and evolutionary adaptation. Due to increases in anthropogenic influence on environments, characteristics of change such as their duration and magnitude are undergoing fundamental shifts away from the natural disturbance regimes that shaped species’ evolution. This dissertation uses empirical data and simulation models to examine the ecological and evolutionary consequences of environmental change across real, heterogeneous landscapes for multiple species, with an emphasis on anthropogenic changes. I used landscape genetics to evaluate the effects of urbanization on two native …

Genome Analysis Of Multiple Mycobacteriophage, Emily Kerstiens, Kari Clase, Yi Li, Gillian Smith, Sarah Bell

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Bacteriophage are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They can be used as treatments for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections, but more knowledge is needed about phage and how they interact with bacteria in order to develop safe and effective phage therapy treatments. This study examines the genomes of eighteen mycobacteriophage that were isolated from the environment on and surrounding Purdue University. Phage genomes were annotated using several bioinformatics software, including DNA Master, GeneMark, and PECAAN. Evidence was examined to determine the correct location within the genome and the potential function. Approximately two thousand genes were annotated in this study. A …

Hpa Axis Genetic Variation And Life Stress Influences On Functional Connectivity In Resting State Networks, Tara Ann Miskovich

Theses and Dissertations

Stressful or traumatic experiences are a key risk factor for developing psychopathology, primarily through the impact that chronic stress has on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. The HPA axis regulates the stress response but can become dysregulated with chronic activation and impact brain functioning. In addition to environmental stressors, genetic variation in genes in the HPA axis appear to influence HPA axis functioning and is also related to disruption in brain functioning, particularly in the context of high life stress. The current study focused on examining potential mechanisms through which trauma and stress interacts with HPA axis genes to impact key …

Molecular Survey For The Honey Bee Trypanosome Parasites Crithidia Mellificae And Lotmaria Passim, Mary-Kate Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Honey bee populations have been fluctuating within recent years. No one cause has been attributed to colony fluctuations due to the theory that multiple stressors interact with one another to impact colony health. Consequently, microorganisms such as internal parasites of honey bees have been understudied as a contributor to colony health decline.

Molecular diagnostics were utilized to detect the presence of two honey bee trypanosome parasites, Crithidia mellificae and Lotmaria passim, in managed and feral honey bee populations from eight states in the United States (USA). Because studies on trypanosome infections are lacking in the USA, it is important to …