Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- DNA (2)
- Gene therapy (2)
- Macroinvertebrates (2)
- 1D and 2D solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1)
- Academic performance; cognitive development; geographic information systems; geographically weighted regression; lead; Missouri Assessment Program (1)
-
- Anatoxin-a (1)
- Antibiotic-resistance (1)
- Antifungal (1)
- Antimicrobial (1)
- ArcGIS (1)
- BI/BII (1)
- Bacterial impairment (1)
- Bacterial pathogens (1)
- Base Excision Repair (1)
- Big River (1)
- Bioconjugation (1)
- Biopolymer cytotoxicity (1)
- Black walnut (1)
- Block copolymers (1)
- Carbon nanoparticle (1)
- Chitosan nanoparticles (1)
- Coiled-coils (1)
- Confocal microscopy (1)
- Conformations (1)
- Conservation (1)
- Cover crops (1)
- Crop residue (1)
- Cyanobacteria (1)
- Cyanotoxins (1)
- Cyanoximes (1)
Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Modeling Growth And Stress Factors For Converted Silvopasture Systems In The Missouri Ozarks, Bailee N. Suedmeyer
Modeling Growth And Stress Factors For Converted Silvopasture Systems In The Missouri Ozarks, Bailee N. Suedmeyer
MSU Graduate Theses
Silvopasture systems are becoming increasingly popular among sustainable agriculture ranchers, due to the increase in knowledge of benefits to the cattle and ability to grow cool season grasses beneath the canopy. This project focuses on the forest crop aspect of silvopasture systems from monitoring of the health of the trees over time to recommendations for thinning management to keep it functioning as viable silvopasture. The study site consists of five acres of upland hardwood forest area in Southern Missouri with 18 monumented fixed area plots. Arial and ground data was collected at each plot throughout the growing season, along with …
Impact Of Sample Conditions On Dna Phosphodiester Backbone Bi/Bii Conformational Equilibrium Dynamics, Autumn C. Pilarski
Impact Of Sample Conditions On Dna Phosphodiester Backbone Bi/Bii Conformational Equilibrium Dynamics, Autumn C. Pilarski
MSU Graduate Theses
DNA damage, such as single base lesions and mismatches, is highly prevalent within cells. If these DNA damage events are not repaired, they could lead to mutations and thus disease and cancer. Intricate repair mechanisms are in place to fix these damage events, one such being Base Excision Repair (BER) and associated enzyme: Thymine DNA Glycosylase (TDG). The first step of this repair process, recognition of the lesion by TDG, is not well understood. The following thesis presents results to better understand the fundamental biophysical question of how a DNA lesion within a mismatch context is recognized in a million …
Decomposition And Macroinvertebrate Shredder Colonization Of Autumnal Shed Sycamore Leaves In Mining-Contaminated Streams, Leslie Marie Hatch
Decomposition And Macroinvertebrate Shredder Colonization Of Autumnal Shed Sycamore Leaves In Mining-Contaminated Streams, Leslie Marie Hatch
MSU Graduate Theses
Leaf decomposition in streams is an important ecological function facilitated by bacteria, fungi, and macroinvertebrates. Metal contamination can decrease leaf decomposition rates and reduce macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. In the current study, I focused on mining-contamination in well-buffered streams in two different Missouri mining districts with varying extents of mining contamination, Big River and Pierson Creek. I measured decomposition rates of sycamore leaves, and abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate shredders in leaf pack experiments with a full-factorial design to determine the effects of metal contamination of leaves and stream substrates. Comparisons were made between leaf packs upstream and downstream of …
Largemouth Bass In The Upper Mississippi River: An Evaluation Of Management Strategies And Understanding Potential Factors Influencing Dynamic Rate Functions, Kylie Beth Sterling
Largemouth Bass In The Upper Mississippi River: An Evaluation Of Management Strategies And Understanding Potential Factors Influencing Dynamic Rate Functions, Kylie Beth Sterling
MSU Graduate Theses
The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) supports ecologically and economically important commercial and recreational fisheries. One recreational fishery in the UMR is the Largemouth Bass fishery. Recreational fisheries can be effectively managed using information on population dynamics, though little is known about Largemouth Bass population dynamics in large river ecosystems. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate recruitment, growth, and mortality of three Largemouth Bass populations in the UMR, specifically within Pools 4, 8, and 13, and 2) to use those estimates of recruitment, growth and mortality to inform exploitation models to evaluate best management practices for each …
Investigation Into Bacterial Impairment Of Greene And Polk County Water Systems, John C. Kincaid
Investigation Into Bacterial Impairment Of Greene And Polk County Water Systems, John C. Kincaid
MSU Graduate Theses
Bacterial impairment of water systems is a major issue facing mankind. Bacteria that are introduced into a system have the potential to cause harmful diseases to wildlife and humans. In Greene and Polk counties, many water systems have become bacterially impaired over the years. Despite this, little is known about the contamination of known harmful bacteria in this region. To address this issue, I investigated the presence of known human pathogens across water systems in these two counties, many of which have displayed high levels of E. coli and fecal indicator microorganisms over many years. I used a high-throughput sequencing …
Stimuli Responsive Dye-Containing Peg-Pla Block Copolymer Micelles And Computationally Assisted Design Of A Stapled Peptide Bundle, Tyler L. Odom
Stimuli Responsive Dye-Containing Peg-Pla Block Copolymer Micelles And Computationally Assisted Design Of A Stapled Peptide Bundle, Tyler L. Odom
MSU Graduate Theses
In this thesis, I report the preparation and characterization of dye-containing PEG-b-PLA block copolymer micelles and the computational design of a novel coiled-coil peptide bundle. The PEG-b-PLA micelles encapsulate hydrophobic molecules into their core and have strong potential as nanocontainers or delivery vesicles. In theory, these internalized molecules can be released upon exposure to mechanical forces that disrupt the micellar structures. This force-responsive nature is one of the inherent properties of micellar systems. However, there is a stark lack of research that utilize this property in applications. Along those lines, I have studied the behavior of …
Long-Term Hydrological Impacts Of Historical Logging On Recent Hydro-Geomorphic Conditions, Big Barren Creek Watershed, Mark Twain National Forest, Shoukat Ahmed
MSU Graduate Theses
Despite their important role of headwater watersheds as a buffer for upland soil and vegetation disturbances, there has been little research about the effects of historical logging practices on present-day watershed hydrology and channel form. Middle Big Barren Creek (MBBC) watershed (48 km2 ) drains Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozark Highlands and was heavily logged from 1880 to 1920, reducing native shortleaf pine forest by 90%. Additionally, the frequency of intense rainfall events has increased in the region over the past 30 years. In this study, field surveys and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling were used to evaluate the historical timber …
Factors Affecting Irrigation Water Use In Southwest Missouri And Soil Microbial Response To Irrigation And Crop Residue, Shirley M. Dobbs
Factors Affecting Irrigation Water Use In Southwest Missouri And Soil Microbial Response To Irrigation And Crop Residue, Shirley M. Dobbs
MSU Graduate Theses
Sustainable use of water resources in Southwest Missouri requires a better understanding of factors that influence groundwater use by crop producers. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of weather patterns and edaphic factors on water used for agricultural irrigation. Groundwater withdrawal data from 14 high-use agricultural irrigation wells were monitored between 2009 and 2016 as part of the Southwest Missouri Irrigation Project. Stepwise and linear regression was used to assess the relationship of weather and edaphic factors in response to annual water use from each well. Precipitation volume, number of precipitation events, average maximum and minimum …
Observing Changes In Vegetable Production Through Alternative Agricultural Practices, Austin Grey Livingston
Observing Changes In Vegetable Production Through Alternative Agricultural Practices, Austin Grey Livingston
MSU Graduate Theses
Locally, responsibly grown produce is becoming more popular as consumers are shifting to organic products or those obtained at a local farmer’s market. The importance of soil health through conservation practices is increasing as the negative effects of industrial production are apparent. The over-application of synthetic fertilizers, soil erosion from wind and water, and nutrient leaching in high vegetable production areas has initiated a need for the investigation of alternative management practices. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of tillage and cover crops in the production of green beans and okra. In 2019 and 2020, …
Fish And Macroinvertebrate Response To Restoration And Conservation Efforts, Madison C. Cogar
Fish And Macroinvertebrate Response To Restoration And Conservation Efforts, Madison C. Cogar
MSU Graduate Theses
Fish and macroinvertebrate response to restoration and conservation efforts varies in regards to the size and structure of the system (e.g. headwater streams in WV versus large rivers such as the Mississippi River). This project reviews fish and macroinvertebrate rebound in treated acid mine drainage (AMD) streams in WV as well as macroinvertebrate drift patterns in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. AMD is a product of a chemical reaction resulting in an acidic water outflow from mining sites, which may harm aquatic life. As a response, passive AMD treatment systems have been installed. I tested the effectiveness of remediation by …
Application Of Carbon Nanoparticles As Dna Detection Probe And Fluorescent Ink, Luckio Frank Owuocha
Application Of Carbon Nanoparticles As Dna Detection Probe And Fluorescent Ink, Luckio Frank Owuocha
MSU Graduate Theses
There is a significant interest in developing a sensitive, selective, efficient, and inexpensive method for rapid molecular diagnostic tests. This research aims to develop an inexpensive nucleic acid detection method by using DNA-conjugated carbon nanoparticles that exhibit fluorescence in the visible region. Carbon nanoparticles of this class can be detected without specialized equipment and have great promise toward the development of analytical methods that can be used in resource-limited environments with a lack of access to proper diagnostic and healthcare. We employed EDC-NHS (two-step) and EDC (one-step) coupling techniques to prepare DNA-conjugated carbon nanoparticles. The dot blotting method was adapted …
Investigating Chitosan Modified With Triethylammonium Butanamide And Triethylphosphonium Butanamide As Non-Viral Gene Delivery Vectors By Examining Cytotoxicity And Transfection Efficiency, Deborah C. Ehie
MSU Graduate Theses
Gene therapy is a very challenging field, especially with new emerging genetic disorders. Chitosan (CS), due to chitosan’s flexibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, has been of interest in the world of gene therapy especially as researchers are gravitating towards non-viral vectors due to the problems caused by viral vectors. Nevertheless, there are still issues regarding solubility, cellular uptake of cargos being transported in vitro or in vivo, increased cytotoxicity levels, as well as many other things that prevent chitosan from being an efficient gene delivery agent. Here I present five derivatives of chitosan, which were all modified with either triethylphosphonium …
Synthesis, Characterization, And Biological Studies Of Novel Organoantimony(V) Cyanoximates, Kevin Anthony Pinks
Synthesis, Characterization, And Biological Studies Of Novel Organoantimony(V) Cyanoximates, Kevin Anthony Pinks
MSU Graduate Theses
The requirement of new antimicrobial treatments has become an urgent field recently. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria are now resistant to common antibiotics. To antagonize such bacteria 8 novel organoantimony(V) cyanoximates were synthesized to be characterized and submitted for biological activity studies. Eight organoantimony(V) cyanoximates were characterized by elemental analysis, thermal analysis, IR-, 13C{1H} NMR, some with UV-visible spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray analysis. Antimicrobial Disk studies indicated Sb(Ph)4(ACO) and Sb(Ph)4(ECO) had significant antimicrobial effect against all three strains: two gram-negative a) Escherichia coli strain S17 and b) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1, alongside a …
Effects Of The Dihydrouracil Lesion On Dna Using 1h/31p 1d And 2d Solution Nmr, Benjamin M. Boyd
Effects Of The Dihydrouracil Lesion On Dna Using 1h/31p 1d And 2d Solution Nmr, Benjamin M. Boyd
MSU Graduate Theses
The effects of the dihydrouracil lesion in DNA were studied using two dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The sequence used was based off of the Drew-Dickerson Dodecamer, with the cytosine in the three position replaced by a dihydrouracil. All of the nonexchangeable proton chemical shifts, with the exception of the H2, H5’, and H5’’, of the lesioned DNA were identified using NOESY spectra and then compared to the chemical shift values of the Drew Dickerson Dodecamer. The largest differences in chemical shifts were observed in the nucleotides neighboring the lesion, both within the strand and on the opposite strand. The imino exchangeable …
Synthesis, Stabilization, And Modification Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles For Biological Applications, Allison Kimberly Freese
Synthesis, Stabilization, And Modification Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles For Biological Applications, Allison Kimberly Freese
MSU Graduate Theses
Nanoparticles have become very useful as delivery systems in biomedicine. The nanoparticles can be layered with different compounds to produce a vessel for transport of biological materials. Specifically, gold nanoparticles layered with a reducing agent, lysozyme, and polyelectrolytes can be synthesized to transport lysozyme into a cell. However, zinc oxide nanoparticles are cheaper, biocompatible nanoparticles that can be used for the same process. Here in, zinc oxide nanoparticle conjugates were synthesized, modified, and analyzed to be used as a biological material delivery system. The zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using zinc chloride and sodium hydroxide. The particles were then layered …
Modeling The Response Of Black Walnut -Dominant Mixed Hardwoods To Seasonal Climate Effects With Uav-Based Hyperspectral Sensor And Aerial Photogrammetry, Tyler G. Bradford
Modeling The Response Of Black Walnut -Dominant Mixed Hardwoods To Seasonal Climate Effects With Uav-Based Hyperspectral Sensor And Aerial Photogrammetry, Tyler G. Bradford
MSU Graduate Theses
The development of compact sensors in recent years has inspired the use of UAS-based hyperspectral and aerial imaging techniques for small-scale remote sensing applications. With increasing concerns about climate change, spectrally-derived vegetation indices (VIs) have proven useful for quantifying stress-induced vegetation response. The goal of this study was to develop predictive models and assess methodology for modeling the biological response of a black walnut -dominant mixed hardwood stand to seasonal climate events using UAV-based hyperspectral remote-sensing. The derived VIs were evaluated against the means of four seasonal measures of climate calculated for a two-week period prior to the flight date. …
Development Of Rapid, Homogeneous Assay For Investigating Isopeptide Bond Formation Using Fluorescence Polarization/Depolarization Measurements, Samuel Patricc Kasson
Development Of Rapid, Homogeneous Assay For Investigating Isopeptide Bond Formation Using Fluorescence Polarization/Depolarization Measurements, Samuel Patricc Kasson
MSU Graduate Theses
Autocatalytic intramolecular isopeptide bonds have been found in nature in certain gram-positive bacterial pilus structures. Recently, splitting of these domains that are capable of autocatalytic intramolecular isopeptide bond formation have been applied to create stable, selective, bio-orthogonal Catcher/Tag systems. The CnaB2 domain found in the FbaB pilus structure of Streptococcus pyogenes, has yielded the Catcher/Tag, Protein/Peptide systems termed SpyCatchter and SpyTag. Recent study has focused on tag optimization, stability and bio-orthogonality evaluation, along with applications in bioconjugation. I have recombinantly expressed SpyCatcher and SpyTag-fused proteins in E.coli, and conjugated them to fluorescent probes in order for use in fluorescence polarization/depolarization …
Functionalization Of Indium-Based Quantum Dots For Use As A Non-Viral Gene Therapy Vector, Nicholas A. Mundt
Functionalization Of Indium-Based Quantum Dots For Use As A Non-Viral Gene Therapy Vector, Nicholas A. Mundt
MSU Graduate Theses
This work aims to develop functionalized, water-soluble indium-based quantum dots (QDs) as a non-viral gene therapy vector. The QDs were solubilized in water by exchanging native hydrophobic surface ligands with 11-mercaptoundecanioc acid (MUA); an amphiphilic ligand providing terminal carboxylate groups that impart water solubility to the QDs. The aqueous QDs were then functionalized with a terminal tertiary amine to impart a positive surface charge, allowing negatively-charged DNA to complex with the nanoparticles. The QDs were characterized via electrophoresis to determine their ability to bind DNA. Results show that further work is needed to optimize DNA binding. In addition, this work …
Influence Of Prescribed Burning On Upland Soil Properties In Mark Twain National Forest, Southeast Missouri Ozarks, Megan Lynn Hente
Influence Of Prescribed Burning On Upland Soil Properties In Mark Twain National Forest, Southeast Missouri Ozarks, Megan Lynn Hente
MSU Graduate Theses
In the Mark Twain National forest there is a collaborative effort to restore parts of the forest to its original shortleaf pine-oak woodland areas by using a combination of silviculture and prescribed fire. The purpose of this project is to assess the effects of prescribed burning on upland forest and soil physical properties that influence erosion processes across a gradient of burned sites of different ages and unburned sites. A combination of geospatial, field, laboratory, statistical (one-way ANOVA) and modeling (USLE) methods were used to assess the effects of prescribed burns on forest and soil characteristics in Big Barren Creek …
The Relationship Between Lead In Groundwater And Elementary School Students' Academic Performance In Missouri, Lynnette Xiangling Li
The Relationship Between Lead In Groundwater And Elementary School Students' Academic Performance In Missouri, Lynnette Xiangling Li
MSU Graduate Theses
Lead exposure can come from various sources, e.g., lead mines, industrial areas, and lead based paint. Missouri has more than 4,128 lead mines. Lead is a neurotoxin. The objectives of the study were to investigate i) the spatial relationship between lead mines and lead distribution in groundwater, ii) the statistical impact of lead in groundwater on students' Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores, and iii) the geographic variations of lead's impact on students' MAP scores. Geographic Information Science spatial analysis tools were used to analyze the concentration of lead in groundwater within school districts in Missouri. Regression analysis was utilized to …
Land Use And Land Cover Classification And Change Detection Using Naip Imagery From 2009 To 2014: Table Rock Lake Region, Missouri, Dexuan Sha Sha
Land Use And Land Cover Classification And Change Detection Using Naip Imagery From 2009 To 2014: Table Rock Lake Region, Missouri, Dexuan Sha Sha
MSU Graduate Theses
Land use and land cover (LULC) of Table Rock Lake (TRL) region has changed over the last half century after the construction of Table Rock Dam in 1959. This study uses one meter spatial resolution imagery to classify and detect the change of LULC of three typical waterside TRL regions. The main objectives are to provide an efficient and reliable classification workflow for regional level NAIP aerial imagery and identify the dynamic patterns for study areas. Seven class types are extracted by optimal classification results from year 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 of Table Rock Village, Kimberling City and Indian …