Life Sciences Commons^™

The Use Of Argumentation In Socio-Scientific Issues: Enhancing Evolutionary Biology Instruction, Heath R. Marchand

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), further emphasis in science education is being placed on preparing students to become more informed voters regarding social, ethical, economic and political topics that affect contemporary society. Parallel to this shift is a stronger emphasis on integrating evolutionary theory as a unifying concept in the biological sciences. Given that evolution is one of the aforementioned topics commonly discussed and debated about in social and political arenas, ensuring that instruction provides students from all backgrounds a comprehensive understanding of its principals is becoming increasingly important in contemporary science education. Chapter II ...

A Prototype On-Line Aotf Hyperspectral Image Acquisition System For Tenderness Assessment Of Beef Carcasses, Govindarajan Konda Naganathan, Kim Cluff, Ashok Samal, Chris Calkins, David D. Jones, Carol Lorenzen, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Faculty Publications in Food Science and Technology

A prototype on-line acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)-based hyperspectral image acquisition system (λ = 450– 900 nm) was developed for tenderness assessment of beef carcasses. Hyperspectral images of ribeye muscle on stationary hanging beef carcasses (n = 338) at 2-day postmortem were acquired in commercial beef slaughter or packing plants. After image acquisition, a strip steak was cut from each carcass, vacuum packaged, aged for 14 days, cooked, and slice shear force tenderness scores were collected by an independent lab. Beef hyperspectral images were mosaicked together and principal component (PC) analysis was conducted to reduce the spectral dimension. Six different textural feature ...

Identifying Temporal Differences In Vibration Receptor Activation In The Sand Fiddler Crab, Uca Pugilator, Andre' Matthew Agassi

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Land Cover Change Due To Petroleum Exploration And Production In The Haynesville Shale Region Using Remote Sensing, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Kenneth W. Farrish, Darinda Dans

Faculty Publications

The Haynesville Shale lies under areas of Louisiana and Texas and is one of the largest gas plays in the U.S. Encompassing approximately 2.9 million ha, this area has been subject to intensive exploration for oil and gas, while over 90% of it has traditionally been used for forestry and agriculture. In order to detect the landscape change in the past few decades, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery for six years (1984, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2011) was acquired. Unsupervised classifications were performed to classify each image into four cover types: agriculture, forest, well pad, and other ...

Cell Viability Assessment Using The Alamar Blue Assay: A Comparison Of 2d And 3d Cell Culture Models, Franck Bonnier, Mark Keating, Tomasz P. Wrobel, Katarsyna Majzner, Malgorzata Baranska, Amaya Garcia, Alfonso Blanco, Hugh J. Byrne

Articles

Comparisons of 2D and 3D cell culture models in literature have indicated differences in cellular morphology and metabolism, commonly attributed the better representation of in vivo conditions of the latter cell culture environment. Thus, interest in the use of 3D collagen gels for in vitro analysis has been growing. Although comparative studies to date have indicated an enhanced resistance of cells on collagen matrices against different toxicants, in the present study it is demonstrated that non-adapted protocols can lead to misinterpretation of results obtained from classical colorometric dye-based cytotoxic assays. Using the well established Alamar Blue assay, the ...

Proceedings Of The 2nd Annual Symposium Of The German Society For Paleo Nutrition Held In 2014, Rainer J. Klement, Ulrike Gonder, Evelyn Orsó, Sabine Paul, Philipp Rauscher, Florian Schilling, Jörg Spitz

Journal of Evolution and Health

We present the scientific abstracts of the 2^nd Annual Symposium of the German Society for Paleo Nutrition (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Paläoernährung e.V.) which was held on November 8^th 2014 in Schweinfurt, Germany. The topics presented had a great variety that included (i) a discussion of specific foods (one talk addressed the potential problems associated with cow’s milk consumption and one talk dealt with the staple foods of the Hadzda hunter-gatherers); (ii) the emerging role of ketogenic diets in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer; (iii) an overview of intermittend fasting and its effects on health ...

Mapping Legume Roots Can Determine Best Performing Crops, Frédérique C. Guinel

Clear Language Summaries

Legume plants have a mutually beneficial relationship with bacteria. These beneficial bacteria live in nodules found on plant roots. Until recently there was no way to systematically measure the roots the nodules are found on and to place accurately the nodules on these roots. The research team created software and a method to measure multiple root parameters which were not available previously. This allows different plant varieties to be compared with precise measurements of the root structure in order to figure out which plants will grow better.

Effects Of Postmortem Aging Time And Muscle Location On Objective Measures Of Semitendinosus Steak Tenderness, M. B. Da Silva, L. D. F. Miranda, K. J. Phelps, S. M. Ebarb, C. L. Van Bibber, T. G. O'Quinn, J. S. Drouillard, J. M. Gonzalez

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Beef tenderness is the most important trait affecting consumer beef eating satisfaction. Cuts from muscles with superior tenderness (tenderloin, ribeye, striploin) are consequently most highly valued, but because of recent record-high beef prices, the need to identify more economical cuts that will meet consumer expectations for tenderness is greater than ever. The eye of round (Semitendinosus) has traditionally been marketed as a lower-value cut, primarily owing to its inherent toughness. Tenderness improves throughout postmortem aging and continues to improve in muscles aged for greater than 35 days. Retail steaks from the Semitendinosus receive, on average, 17 days of aging, with ...

Effects Of Growth-Promoting Technologies On Muscle Structural Characteristics And Meat Tenderness, S. M. Ebarb, J. S. Drouillard, K. J. Phelps, J. A. Noel, M. A. Vaughn, D. D. Burnett, J. M. Gonzalez

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Skeletal muscle tissue consists of two main structures that elicit strong influences on cooked meat tenderness: myofibrillar and connective tissues. The myofibrillar component consists of contractile and cytoskeletal proteins that aid in muscle contraction and support. A large portion of meat science literature documents the effects that postmortem aging elicits in terms of weakening the myofibrillar component to improve tenderness. Connective tissue is primarily comprised of collagen, the most abundant protein within the body. The function of this tissue is to support the myofibrillar component and transfer the force of contraction. Collagen, characterized by its solubility, is most commonly identified ...

Effects Of Growth-Promoting Technologies On Feedlot Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Crossbred Heifers, S. M. Ebarb, K. J. Phelps, J. E. Axman, C. L. Van Bibber, J. S. Drouillard, J. M. Gonzalez

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

The use of growth-promoting technologies has become a common practice in the beef cattle industry as producers strive for efficient growth and greater lean deposition. Two common technologies include exogenous hormonal implants and beta-adrenergic agonists (β-AA). Combination implants containing estrogen and testosterone increase muscle mass by elevating protein synthesis and/or reducing protein degradation. The increase in protein synthesis allows the animal to produce more lean muscle tissue. Optaflexx (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) is a popular β-AA that works as a repartitioning agent to redirect nutrients toward muscle deposition and away from adipose tissue production. The two technologies utilize ...

The Leishmania Years At Unl (Or, My Life As A Cell Biologist, 1966-1981), John J. Janovy Jr.

Faculty Publications from the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology

Slides for a talk during which Professor Janovy discussed the methods he used in researching Leishmania during the years 1966-1981. Includes lists of references.

The Real Trouble With Risk Assessment, Valery E. Forbes

Valery Forbes Publications

In their article, “Pesticide regulation amid the influence of industry,” Boone and colleagues (2014) contend that a major weakness of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s pesticide risk assessment is the use of industry-supplied data, which has inherent conflicts of interest. Therefore, studies performed by industry scientists or funded by indus!try sources are considered by the authors to be inherently biased and therefore not to be trusted, the implication being that publications by academic scientists or those funded by nonindustry sources are bias free and, therefore, by definition, suitable for use in risk assessment. However, the funding source is ...

An Analysis Of Dna Methylation In Human Adipose Tissue Reveals Differential Modification Of Obesity Genes Before And After Gastric Bypass And Weight Loss, Miles C. Benton, Alice Johnstone, David Eccles, Brennan Harmon, Mark T. Hayes, Rod A. Lea, Lyn Griffiths, Eric P. Hoffman, Richard S. Stubbs, Donia Macartney-Coxson

Integrative Systems Biology Faculty Publications

Background

Environmental factors can influence obesity by epigenetic mechanisms. Adipose tissue plays a key role in obesity-related metabolic dysfunction, and gastric bypass provides a model to investigate obesity and weight loss in humans.

Results

Here, we investigate DNA methylation in adipose tissue from obese women before and after gastric bypass and significant weight loss. In total, 485,577 CpG sites were profiled in matched, before and after weight loss, subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue. A paired analysis revealed significant differential methylation in omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue. A greater proportion of CpGs are hypermethylated before weight loss and increased methylation ...

Structural Mechanism Of Laforin Function In Glycogen Dephosphorylation And Lafora Disease, Madushi Raththagala, M. Kathryn Brewer, Matthew W. Parker, Amanda R. Sherwood, Brian K. Wong, Simon Hsu, Travis M. Bridges, Bradley C. Paasch, Lance M. Hellman, Satrio Husodo, David A. Meekins, Adam O. Taylor, Benjamin D. Turner, Kyle D. Auger, Vikas V. Dukhande, Srinivas Chakravarthy, Pascual Sanz, Virgil L. Woods Jr., Sheng Li, Craig Vander Kooi, Matthew S. Gentry

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publication

Glycogen is the major mammalian glucose storage cache and is critical for energy homeostasis. Glycogen synthesis in neurons must be tightly controlled due to neuronal sensitivity to perturbations in glycogen metabolism. Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal, congenital, neurodegenerative epilepsy. Mutations in the gene encoding the glycogen phosphatase laforin result in hyperphosphorylated glycogen that forms water-insoluble inclusions called Lafora bodies (LBs). LBs induce neuronal apoptosis and are the causative agent of LD. The mechanism of glycogen dephosphorylation by laforin and dysfunction in LD is unknown. We report the crystal structure of laforin bound to phosphoglucan product, revealing its unique integrated ...

The Effects Of Environmental Prompts On Stair Usage, Lori Andersen, Tim Bungum, Sheniz Moonie Phd

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Experts have advocated exercise with little success, and have turned to encouraging physical activity by incorporating it into daily activities such as taking the stairs over elevators. Much literature exists suggesting that environmental prompts can encourage the use of stairs and literature has established that some messages may be more effective than others. This study aimed to assess the effects of selected signage prompts on stair usage. Methods: Stair and elevator use were monitored in three, two-story buildings. One building served as a control, while a fitness message was placed in another building, and the final building received a weight ...

Fishes Of The Choctawhatchee River System In Southeastern Alabama And Northcentral Florida, Thomas P. Simon, Charles C. Morris, Bernard R. Kuhajda, Carter R. Gilbert, Henry L. Bart Jr., Nelson Rios, Paul M. Stewart, Thomas P. Simon Iv, Mitt Denney

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The diversity and distribution of fish species occurring in the Choctawhatchee River drainage in southeastern Alabama and northcentral Florida were surveyed to obtain historical baseline information. Three hundred seventy-four sites were evaluated for species diversity and distribution in the drainage, including compilation of unpublished records from southeastern natural history museums. The greatest diversity at any single site was 37 species. Sixty-eight sites were represented by 15 species or more, and 26 sites were represented by a single species. The most frequently encountered species includes Gambusia holbrooki, Percina nigrofasciata, Esox americanus, Notropis texanus, Lepomis macrochirus, Cyprinella n. sp. cf venusta, Notropis ...

Denitrification And Nitrous Oxide Emissions In Annual Croplands, Perennial Grass Buffers, And Restored Perennial Grasslands, Javed Iqbal, Timothy B. Parkin, Matthew J. Helmers, Xiaobo Zhou, Michael J. Castellano

Agronomy Publications and Papers

Inclusion of perennial vegetation filter strips (PFSs) in the toeslope of annual cropland watersheds can decrease NO₃⁻–N losses to ground and surface waters. Although PFSs are similar to riparian buffers, the processes responsible for NO₃⁻–N removal from PFSs are not well understood. Our objectives were to (i) determine the importance of denitrification as a sink for NO₃⁻–N loss from PFSs and (ii) evaluate how PFSs alter the biophysical processes that affect the relative importance of N₂O and N₂ emissions. To address our objectives, we used a coupled field laboratory approach with ...

Reflective Blankets Do Not Effect Cooling Rates After Running In Hot, Humid Conditions, Kory A. Reynolds, John Jacob Evanich, Lindsey E. Eberman

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 97-103, 2015. Reflective blankets (RB) are often provided at the conclusion of endurance events, even in extreme environments. The implications could be dangerous if increased core body temperature (CBT) is exacerbated by RB. To evaluate the effect of RB on cooling rate for individuals walking or sitting after intense running. Pilot, randomized control trial experimental design. Environmental chamber. Recreational runners (age=25±5y; mass=76.8±16.7kg; height=177±9cm) completed an 8km (actual mean distance=7.5±1.1km). We randomly assigned participants into one of four groups: walking with blanket ...

Resistance Training Recovery: Considerations For Single Vs. Multi-Joint Movements And Upper Vs. Lower Body Muscles, John A. Korak, James M. Green, Eric K. O'Neal

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 85-96, 2015. This study examined muscle recovery patterns between single-joint (SJ) versus multi-joint (MJ), and upper-body (UB) versus lower-body (LB) exercises and the utility of perceptual measures (ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and perceived recovery scale (PRS)) to assess recovery status. A 10 rep max (10-RM) was determined for 6 SJ and 4 MJ exercises (5 UB and 5 LB) for male recreational weightlifters (n = 10). Participants completed a baseline protocol including 8 repetitions at 85% of 10-RM followed by a set to failure with 100% of 10-RM. In a counter-balanced crossover design ...

The Acute Effect Of Hip External Rotator Stretches On Hip Internal Rotation Range Of Motion, Cody B. Bremner, Tedd J. Girouard, Michelle N. Samuel, Catherine L. Turner, Antonio S. Santo, John A. Mercer

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1): 75-84, 2015. The effects of static stretching on range of motion have been widely studied. However, most of the research has focused on hamstring stretching. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effect of two commonly used static stretches on hip internal rotation passive range of motion (HIR-PROM). Participants (N=30, 15 male, 15 female; 22±1.8 yrs.; 173.5±8.5cm; 73.8±12.7 kg) were randomly assigned (with gender controlled) to one of three groups: control, figure 4 stretch and modified lunge stretch. Pre-test and post-test ...

Acute High Intensity Anaerobic Training And Rhabdomyolysis Risk, William Goodenkauf, Matt Heesch, Brent Hassenstab, Robert J. Shute, Dustin Slivka

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 65-74, 2015. The current popularity of high intensity anaerobic training has caused concerns over the safety and prevalence of conditions such as rhabdomyolysis; thus it is important to understand the possible risks of participating in this type of activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of muscle damage associated with a single high intensity anaerobic training session, and the relationship of this response to markers of fitness. Fifteen recreationally trained male participants (age 22.9 ± 4.3 y, mass 87.3 ± 15.6 kg, body fat 16.8 ± 6 ...

The Effects Of Vascular Occlusion Training On Respiratory Exchange Ratio And Energy Expenditure When Coupled With Cardiovascular Training, Justin Sprick, Richard Lloyd, James Eldridge

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 57-64, 2015. Vascular occlusion training is a novel training modality that has received considerable attention in the exercise science literature. The current study is the first of its kind to look at the effects of vascular occlusion training on substrate utilization when combined with aerobic training. This study examined the effects of pairing a vascular occlusion training protocol with a bout of submaximal aerobic exercise on energy expenditure (EE) and fuel use during exercise. Subjects performed a 20 minute bout of sub-maximal aerobic exercise either exclusively, or after performing a body weight squat ...

The Effects Of A 12-Week Faculty And Staff Exercise Program On Health-Related Variables In A University Setting, Michael J. Rebold, Mallory S. Kobak, Kylene Peroutky, Ellen L. Glickman

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 49-56, 2015. The obesity epidemic has grown in the past decade due to physical inactivity (i.e., having a sedentary job) and an increase in caloric intake. This problem combined with the reluctance of many faculty and staff members exercising in the same environment as student’s presents a unique challenge in an academic setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program focused toward the faculty and staff in improving several health-related variables such as curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. Fifty-seven faculty and staff participated ...

Functional Performance In Older Adults After A Combination Multicomponent Exercise Program And Bingo Game, K. Jason Crandall, Ciaran Fairman, James Anderson

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 38-48, 2015. Inexpensive exercise interventions are needed to attract and retain older adults to participate in sufficient amounts of exercise to improve functional performance (FP). This study examined the addition of a program enhancing game, bingo, to a multicomponent exercise program (Bingocize^TM). Older adults (18 women, M age = 75.1 (8.63) years, participated 2 days per week (45- 60 minute sessions) for 10 weeks. Participants sat at tables with bingo cards, balance pads, and exercise bands. Exercises were alternated with rolls of bingo until a participant won the bingo game. Pre ...

Use Of Sports Science Knowledge By Turkish Coaches, Koray Kilic, Mustafa Levent Ince

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 21-37, 2015. The purpose of this study is to examine the following research questions in Turkish coaching context: a) What are coaches’ perceptions on the application of sport science research to their coaching methods? b) What sources do coaches utilize to obtain the knowledge they need? c) What barriers do coaches encounter when trying to access and apply the knowledge they need for their sport? In addition, differences in research questions responses were examined based on gender, years of coaching experience, academic educational level, coaching certificate level, coaching team or individual sports, and ...

Acute Effects Of Whole-Body Vibration And Resistance Exercise On Cortisol Levels In Young Men, Zhaojing Chen, Pragya Sharma-Ghimire, Xin Ye, Daeyeol Kim, Michael Bemben, Debra A. Bemben

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 11-20, 2015. Few studies have focused on the acute hormone responses to whole-body vibration (WBV) combined with resistance exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare the cortisol response to a single bout of WBV combined with resistance exercise (WBV + RE) and resistance exercise only (RE) in young men (n=9). This study used a cross-over repeated measures design. 1-RM testing was performed for four lower body and two upper body isotonic resistance exercises. Subjects performed the RE condition (80% 1-RM, three sets, 10 reps) and the WBV+RE condition (20 Hz ...

Actual Versus Predicted Cardiovascular Demands In Submaximal Cycle Ergometer Testing, Amanda M. Hoehn, Megan J. Mullenbach, Charles J. Fountaine

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 4-10, 2015. The Astrand-Rhyming cycle ergometer test (ARCET) is a commonly administered submaximal test for estimating aerobic capacity. Whereas typically utilized in clinical populations, the validity of the ARCET to predict VO_2max in a non-clinical population, especially female, is less clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the ARCET in a sample of healthy and physically active college students. Subjects (13 females, 10 males) performed a maximal cycle ergometer test to volitional exhaustion to determine VO_2max. At least 48 hours later, subjects performed the ARCET ...

2014 International Journal Of Exercise Science Reviewer List

International Journal of Exercise Science

2014 International Journal of Exercise Science Reviewer List. International Journal of Exercise Science 8(1) : 1-3, 2015.

Estimation Of Breed-Specific Heterosis Effects For Birth, Weaning, And Yearling Weight In Cattle, Lauren N. Schiermiester, R. M. Thallman, Larry Kuehn, Stephen D. Kachman, Matthew L. Spangler

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

Heterosis, assumed proportional to expected breed heterozygosity, was calculated for 6834 individuals with birth, weaning and yearling weight records from Cycle VII and advanced generations of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) project. Breeds represented in these data included: Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Simmental, Limousin and Composite MARC III. Heterosis was further estimated by proportions of British × British (B × B), British × Continental (B × C) and Continental × Continental (C × C) crosses and by breed-specific combinations. Model 1 fitted fixed covariates for heterosis within biological types while Model 2 fitted random breed-specific combinations nested within ...

An Efficient And Sensitive Method For Preparing Cdna Libraries From Scarce Biological Samples, Catherine H. Sterling, Isana Veksler-Lublinsky, Victor R. Ambros

Program in Molecular Medicine Publications and Presentations

The preparation and high-throughput sequencing of cDNA libraries from samples of small RNA is a powerful tool to quantify known small RNAs (such as microRNAs) and to discover novel RNA species. Interest in identifying the small RNA repertoire present in tissues and in biofluids has grown substantially with the findings that small RNAs can serve as indicators of biological conditions and disease states. Here we describe a novel and straightforward method to clone cDNA libraries from small quantities of input RNA. This method permits the generation of cDNA libraries from sub-picogram quantities of RNA robustly, efficiently and reproducibly. We demonstrate ...