Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Oil Palm (Elais Guineensis) Fruit Extracts On Glucose Uptake Activity Of Muscle, Adipose And Liver Cells, Faez S, Muhajir H, Amin I, Zainah A

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The effect of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruit aqueous extract (OPF) on glucose uptake activity of three different cell lines was investigated. The cell lines were incubated with different concentrations of OPF to evaluate the stimulatory effect of OPF towards glucose uptake activity of L6 myotubes, 3T3F442A adipocytes and Chang liver cell line. The glucose uptake activities of all tested cells were enhanced in the presence of OPF extract (basal condition). Nevertheless in combination of OPF extract and 100 nM insulin, the glucose uptake activity was only significantly enhanced in L6 myotubes and 3T3F442A adipocytes cell lines. The extracts enhanced …

A Novel Transcription Factor In Arabidopsis Thaliana Abiotic Stress Response, Achira S. Weerathunga Arachchilage

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Plants respond to environmental stress by altering their gene expression. Under stress conditions some genes are activated and some genes are repressed. Even though a lot of work has been done to understand mechanisms of gene activation under abiotic stress very little information is available on how stress responsive genes are kept repressed under normal growth conditions. Recent work has revealed that plants use transcriptional repression as common mechanism of gene repression. Transcriptional repression is achieved by recruitment co-repressor complexes to the target genes. Recent studies have revealed that the co-repressor LUH complexes with SLK1 and SLK2 to silence Arabidopsis …

Investigation Of Cell-Penetrating Peptide Transformation In Two Regenerable Tissue Culture Systems, Atiyyah S. Ferouz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The genetic engineering of plants allows for the modification of plant genomes, subsequently improving plant traits. There are, however, plants recalcitrant to established transformation methods, requiring the implementation of novel techniques. This study investigates the viability of cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) transformation using Tat₂, a CPP with demonstrated transformation efficiency in plant and animal systems, in two regenerable tissue culture systems, soybean somatic embryos and Arabidopsis protoplasts. Assessments of complex formation, Tat₂ cellular translocation, complex uptake, and CPP-mediated transformation were carried out. The results show the formation of a Tat₂-plasmid complex and the uptake of Tat …

Effect Of Sugars On Artemisinin Production In Artemisia Annua L.: Transcription And Metabolite Measurements, Patrick Arsenault, Daniel Vail, Kristin Wobbe, Pamela Weathers

Kristin K. Wobbe

The biosynthesis of the valuable sesquiterpene anti-malarial, artemisinin, is known to respond to exogenous sugar concentrations. Here young Artemisia annua L. seedlings (strain YU) were used to measure the transcripts of six key genes in artemisinin biosynthesis in response to growth on sucrose, glucose, or fructose. The measured genes are: from the cytosolic arm of terpene biosynthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), farnesyl disphosphate (FPS); from the plastid arm of terpene biosynthesis, 1-deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS), 1-deoxyxylulouse 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR); from the dedicated artemisinin pathway amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS), and the P450, CYP71AV1 (CYP). Changes in intracellular concentrations of artemisinin (AN) and its precursors, …

U.S. Billion-Ton Update: Biomass Supply For A Bioenergy And Bioproducts Industry, Robert D. Perlack, Laurence M. Eaton, Anthony F. Turhollow Jr., Matt H. Langholtz, Craig C. Brandt, Mark E. Downing, Robin L. Graham, Lynn L. Wright, Jacob M. Kavkewitz, Anna M. Shamey, Richard G. Nelson, Bryce J. Stokes, William L. Rooney, David J. Muth Jr., J. Richard Hess, Jared M. Abodeely, Chad Hellwinckel, Danial De La Torre Ugarte, Daniel C. Yoder, James P. Lyon, Timothy G. Rials, Timothy A. Volk, Thomas S. Buchholz, Lawrence P. Abrahamson, Robert P. Anex, Thomas B. Voigt, William Berguson, Don E. Riemenschneider, Douglas Karlen, Jane M. F. Johnson, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Edward P. Richard Jr., John Tatarko, Larry E. Wagner, Kenneth E. Skog, Patricia K. Lebow, Dennis P. Dykstra, Marilyn A. Buford, Patrick D. Miles, D. Andrew Scott, James H. Perdue, Robert B. Rummer, Jamie Barbour, John A. Stanturf, David B. Mckeever, Ronald S. Zalesny Jr., Edmund A. Gee, P. Daniel Cassidy, David Lightle

Douglas L Karlen

The Report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study or 2005 BTS), was an estimate of “potential” biomass within the contiguous United States based on numerous assumptions about current and future inventory and production capacity, availability, and technology. In the 2005 BTS, a strategic analysis was undertaken to determine if U.S. agriculture and forest resources have the capability to potentially produce at least one billion dry tons of biomass annually, in a sustainable manner—enough to displace approximately 30% of the country’s present petroleum …

How Chip Size Impacts Steam Pretreatment Effectiveness For Biological Conversion Of Poplar Wood Into Fermentable Sugars, Jaclyn D. Demartini, Marcus Foston, Xianzhi Meng, Seokwon Jung, Rajeev Kumar, Arthur J. Ragauskas, Charles E. Wyman

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Background

Woody biomass is highly recalcitrant to enzymatic sugar release and often requires significant size reduction and severe pretreatments to achieve economically viable sugar yields in biological production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. However, because mechanical size reduction of woody biomass can consume significant amounts of energy, it is desirable to minimize size reduction and instead pretreat larger wood chips prior to biological conversion. To date, however, most laboratory research has been performed on materials that are significantly smaller than applicable in a commercial setting. As a result, there is a limited understanding of the effects that larger biomass particle …

Design And Testing Of Novel Anthrax Vaccines Utilizing A Tobacco Mosaic Virus Expression System, Ryan C. Mccomb

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Anthrax is a potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Infection and disease occur after spores gain entry into the body, germinate into vegetative bacteria, and produce toxin. Bacillus anthracis spores have been engineered as bioweapons and have been used repeatedly in warfare and terrorism to inflict casualties in military and civilian populations. Currently, only one vaccine has been approved for prevention of anthrax in the United States. This vaccine is an undefined product that is difficult to produce, requires a long vaccination schedule, and is reactogenic. Efforts to make an improved anthrax vaccine are being pursued. …

The Importance Of Physicochemical Characteristics And Nonlinear Classifiers In Determining Hiv-1 Protease Specificity, Timmy Manning, Paul Walsh

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

This paper reviews recent research relating to the application of bioinformatics approaches to determining HIV-1 protease specificity, outlines outstanding issues, and presents a new approach to addressing these issues. Leading machine learning theory for the problem currently suggests that the direct encoding of the physicochemical properties of the amino acid substrates is not required for optimal performance. A number of amino acid encoding approaches which incorporate potentially relevant physicochemical properties of the substrate are identified, and are evaluated using a nonlinear task decomposition based neuroevolution algorithm. The results are evaluated, and compared against a recent benchmark set on a nonlinear …

Molecular Regulation Of Vascular Calcification In Murine Models Of Atherosclerosis, Shanshan Gao

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Background: Calcification occurs often in the atherosclerotic lesions of patients with coronary heart disease and animals with hypercholesterolemia, such as apolipoprotein-E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. However, the mechanism(s) underlying the development of calcification in atherosclerosis remains unclear. ApoE acts as a lipid transporter, but also has been recognized as a potential regulator of osteogenesis. Little information is available as to whether ApoE has any direct impact on osteogenesis and calcification in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Several signal transduction pathways play a role in regulation of calcification, including the Wnt/β-catenin system and potentially GTAP, an ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme responsible for protein …

Frequency Of Abo, Rhesus Phenotypes And Most Probable Genotypes And The Type Of Rhd Negative Variants Among Uae Nationals In Al Ain District, Mariam Hamad Zaher Saeed Ai Meqbali

Theses

Knowledge of the frequencies and the phenotypes of ABO and rhesus system is very important for blood bank and transfusion services policies. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of ABO, Rhesus phenotype and most probable genotypes in Al Ain area (UAE). The studied group consisted of 500 locals of both gender from different age groups (17-58 years old). ABO and Rh-hr phenotype reactivity were determined using conventional tube method and gel technology, molecular techniques were also applied. Our study shows the distribution of ABO phenotypes was as follows: 0= 56%, A= 26.2%, B= 14.2% and AB= …

Background Differences In Baseline And Stimulated Mmp Levels Influence Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Susceptibility, Matthew A. Dale, Melissa K. Suh, Shijia Zhao, Trevor Meisinger, Linxia Gu, Vicki J. Swier, Devendra K. Agrawal, Timothy Greiner, Jeffrey S. Carson, B. Timothy Baxter, Wanfen Xiong

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Objective: Evidence has demonstrated profound influence of genetic background on cardiovascular phenotypes. Murine models in Marfan syndrome (MFS) have shown that genetic background-related variations affect thoracic aortic aneurysm formation, rupture, and lifespan of mice. MFS mice with C57Bl/6 genetic background are less susceptible to aneurysm formation compared to the 129/SvEv genetic background. In this study, we hypothesize that susceptibility to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) will be increased in 129/SvEv mice versus C57Bl/6 mice. We tested this hypothesis by assessing differences in aneurysm size, tissue properties, immune response, and MMP expression.

Methods: Mice of C57Bl/6 or 129/SvEv background underwent AAA induction …

Production And Harvest Of Microalgae In Wastewater Raceways With Resource Recycling, Alexander Colin Roberts

Master's Theses

Microalgae can be grown on municipal wastewater media to both treat the wastewater and produce feedstock for algae biofuel production. However the reliability of treatment must be demonstrated, as well as high areal algae productivity on recycled wastewater media and efficient sedimentation harvesting. This processes was studied at pilot scale in the present research.

A pilot facility was operated with nine CO₂-supplemented raceway ponds, each with a 33-m² surface area and a 0.3-m depth, continuously from March 6, 2013 through September 24, 2014. The ponds were operated as three sets of triplicates with two sets continuously fed …

Biomechanical Performances Of Networked Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate: Effect Of Photoinitiator Concentration, Temperature, And Incubation Time, Morshed Khandaker, Albert Orock, Stefano Tarantini, Jeremiah White, Ozlem Yasar

Publications and Research

Nutrient conduit networks can be introduced within the Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate (PEGDA) tissue construct to enable cells to survive in the scaffold. Nutrient conduit networks can be created on PEGDA by macrochannel to nanochannel fabrication techniques. Such networks can influence the mechanical and cell activities of PEGDA scaffold. There is no study conducted to evaluate the effect of nutrient conduit networks on the maximum tensile stress and cell activities of the tissue scaffold.The study aimed to explore the influence of the network architecture on the maximum tensile stress of PEGDA scaffold and compared with the nonnetworked PEGDA scaffold. Our study …

Early Seed Development Responses In Cereals Under Environmental Stresses, Kevin Begcy

Kevin Begcy

Plants are influenced by a large number of environmental factors. The search for higher yields at lower costs requires detailed knowledge of physiology, biochemistry, molecular and genetic level of plants, in order to optimize the relationship between different factors of production for maximum performance. Reproductive development has been demonstrated to be especially highly sensitive to environmental stresses. Within environmental stresses, drought and heat stress are the major restrictors of food production worldwide. With decreasing supplies of freshwater, increase in average temperature and predictions for the increased frequency of extreme precipitation events, there is a critical need for developing crops that …

Physical, Thermal, And Spectroscopic Characterization Of Biofield Energy Treated Potato Micropropagation Medium, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Khemraj Bairwa, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Physicochemical And Spectroscopic Characterization Of Biofield Energy Treated Gerbera Multiplication Medium, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Ragini Singh, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Next-Generation Mrna Sequencing Reveals Pyroptosis-Induced Cd4+ T Cell Death In Early Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Lymphoid Tissues, Wuxun Lu, Andrew J. Demers, Fangrui Ma, Guobin Kang, Zhe Yuan, Yanmin Wan, Yue Li, Jiangqing Xu, Mark Lewis, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Lymphoid tissues (LTs) are the principal sites where human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replicates and virus-host interactions take place, resulting in immunopathology in the form of inflammation, immune activation, and CD4+ T cell death. The HIV-1 pathogenesis in LTs has been extensively studied; however, our understanding of the virus-host interactions in the very early stages of infection remains incomplete. We investigated virus-host interactions in the rectal draining lymph nodes (dLNs) of rhesus macaques at different times after intrarectal inoculation (days postinoculation [dpi]) with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). At 3 dpi, 103 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected using next-generation …

Chemical Inhibition Of Fatty Acid Absorption And Cellular Uptake Limits Lipotoxic Cell Death, Constance Ahowesso, Paul N. Black, Nipun Saini, David Montefusco, Jessica Chekal, Chrysa Malosh, Craig W. Lindsley, Shaun R. Stauffer, Concetta Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Chronic elevation of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels is commonly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Experimental evidence indicates FFA and their metabolites contribute to disease development through lipotoxicity. Previously, we identified a specific fatty acid transport inhibitor CB16.2, a.k.a. Lipofermata, using high throughput screening methods. In this study, efficacy of transport inhibition was measured in four cell lines that are models for myocytes (mmC2C12), pancreatic ß-cells (rnINS-1E), intestinal epithelial cells (hsCaco-2), and hepatocytes (hsHepG2), as well as primary human adipocytes. The compound was effective in inhibiting uptake with IC₅₀s between 3 …

Identification Of Arabidopsis Candidate Genes In Response To Biotic And Abiotic Stresses Using Comparative Microarrays, Salma Omar Al Ameri

Theses

Plants have evolved with intricate mechanisms to cope with multiple environmental stresses. To adapt with biotic and abiotic stresses, plant responses involve changes at the cellular and molecular levels. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of combinations of different environmental stresses on the transcriptome level of Arabidopsis thaliana genome using public microarray databases. We investigated the role of cyclopentenones in mediating plant responses to environmental stress through TGA (TGACG motif-binding factor) transcription factor, independently from jasmonic acid. Candidate genes were identified by comparing plants inoculated with Botrytis cinerea or treated with heat, salt or osmotic stress with …

Anti-Colon Cancer Activity Of Origanum Majorana, Nedaa Faisal Al Tamimi

Theses

In the present project, we extend the previous studies of Origanum majorana by evaluating the anti-cancer potential of this plant extract on proliferation of colon cancer. Toward this, we first evaluated the effect of the plant extract on the proliferation and DNA damage, in vitro, of the human colon cancer HT-29 cell line. We also determine the mechanism by which Origanum majorana induced cell death by this extract using biochemical approach. Our results revealed that O. majorana inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells by effecting the cells viability. Further work showed the ability of the extract to cause DNA damage, …

Physicochemical Characterization Of Biofield Treated Orchid Maintenance/Replate Medium, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Ragini Singh, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Mcnamara 201412 Nih Scap Innocentive Challenge Solution - T-Bow Rainbow T-Cells And Tumor Cells Spatial Multiplexing Gene Expression Reporter System – Plus Supplement Plus Posters - 20151027 - Please Download "75" Instead, George Mcnamara

George McNamara

McNamara 201412 NIH SCAP InnoCentive Challenge Solution - T-Bow Rainbow T-cells and Tumor Cells Spatial Multiplexing Gene Expression Reporter System – plus supplement plus posters - 20151027.

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Please download the current 20151027 (October 27, 2015) Tattletales and T-Bow update from

http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/75/

The bepress web site is not letting me replace the old pdf here at "65" with the additional 10 pages update.

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The download is my/Cooper lab solution (submission) to the 2014 NIH Single Cell Analysis Program (SCAP) InnoCentive Challenge, "Follow That Cell". I submitted the Solution on 20141215Mon (with 20 minutes to spare). The Challenge web page …

Tattletales And T-Bow Update 20151027tue, George Mcnamara

George McNamara

20151027Tue this "75"

http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/75

is my update of "65" posting

See text at

http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/65/

for text summary. The PDf here in "75" supersedes "65".

The PDF here has 10 pages added to the end from the "65" version (pages 40-49 of PDF when including the bepress cover page)..

here is the text in my cover page (bepress may add its own cover):

20151027Tue: added 10 page e-poster at bottom explaining Binary Tattletales and T-Bow. That is, binary with respect to protein components. For one color (number of repeats, epitope tags, FPs are examples, here rounded to convenient numbers):

1. 100 …

Antibiogram, Biochemical Reactions And Genotyping Characterization Of Biofield Treated Staphylococcus Aureus, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Sambhu Charan Mondal, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

A Tail Of Two Phages: Genomic And Functional Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes Phages Vb_Lmos_188 And Vb_Lmos_293 Reveal The Receptor-Binding Proteins Involved In Host Specificity, Aidan Casey, Kieran Jordan, Horst Neve, Aidan Coffey, Olivia Mcauliffe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The physical characteristics of bacteriophages establish them as viable candidates for downstream development of pathogen detection assays and biocontrol measures. To utilize phages for such purposes, a detailed knowledge of their host interaction mechanisms is a prerequisite. There is currently a wealth of knowledge available concerning Gram-negative phage-host interaction, but little by comparison for Gram-positive phages and Listeria phages in particular. In this research, the lytic spectrum of two recently isolated Listeria monocytogenes phages (vB_LmoS_188 and vB_LmoS_293) was determined, and the genomic basis for their observed serotype 4b/4e host-specificity was investigated using comparative genomics. The late tail genes of these …

Evaluation Of Effective Operational Cycle Time And Bioprocess Parameters In A Sequential Batch Reactor For Efficient Organic And Nutrient Removal From Domestic Sewage, Sandip S. Magdum, Siva Kumar Varigala, Yogesh N. Patil, Gauri P. Minde, Janardhan B. Bornare, V. Kalyanraman

Sandip S. Magdum

Anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic environment can be simulated in the single stage sequential batch reactor (SBR) . Various design conditions viz., combinations of different phase time and different cycle time, hydraulic residence time (HRT), substrate loading rate, sludge age (SRT) and aeration time were analyzed for optimum biological treatment. The pilot runs were evaluated with the design conditions of food/microbe ratio (F/M) 0.2 per day and MLSS of 4950 mg/L. For the given design conditions 4, 5 and 6 hours cycle lengths were analyzed for their efficient performance with 30-33% of decant volume for sewage containing C:N:P of 100:8:2. Studies …

Label-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Linked Immunosensor Assay (Slisa) For Environmental Surveillance, Vinay Bhardwaj

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contamination of the environment, accidental or intentional, in particular with chemical toxins such as industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents has increased public fear. There is a critical requirement for the continuous detection of toxins present at very low levels in the environment. Indeed, some ultra-sensitive analytical techniques already exist, for example chromatography and mass spectroscopy, which are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency for the detection of toxins. However, these techniques are limited to the detection of known toxins. Cellular expression of genomic and proteomic biomarkers in response to toxins allows monitoring of known as well as …

Feeding, Nourishing And Medicating An Exploding Global Population: An Argument For Genetic Modification, William A. Price Phd

Explorer Café

No abstract provided.

Fatty Acid Transport Protein-2 Inhibitor Grassofermata/Cb5 Protects Cells Against Lipid Accumulation And Toxicity, Nipun Saini, Paul N. Black, David Montefusco, Concetta Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The inhibition of the fatty acid uptake into non-adipose tissues provides an attractive target for prevention of lipotoxicity leading to obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. Fatty acid transport proteins (FATPs) are bifunctional proteins involved in the uptake and activation of fatty acids by esterification with coenzyme A. Here we characterize Grassofermata/CB5, previously identified as a fatty acid uptake inhibitor directed against HsFATP2. The compound was effective in inhibiting the uptake of fatty acids in the low micro-molar range (IC₅₀ 8–11μM) and prevented palmitate-mediated lipid accumulation and cell death in cell lines that are models for …

Application Of 3d Printing Technology In Porous Anode Fabrication For Enhanced Power Output Of Microbial Fuel Cells, Bin Bian

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are widely researched for application in wastewater treatment. However, the current anodes used in MFCs often suffer from high fabrication cost and uncontrollable pore sizes. In this thesis, three-dimensional printing technique was utilized to fabricate anodes with different micro pore sizes for MFCs. Copper coating and carbonization were applied to the printed polymer anodes to increase the conductivity and specific surface area. Voltages of MFCs with various anodes were measured as well as other electrochemical tests such as linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. 3D copper porous anode produced higher maximum voltages and power densities …