Life Sciences Commons^™

Bacteria Unearthed, Tassnime Sebaei, Mark Sourial

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Md Anderson Summer Experience, Vijay Patel

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Md Anderson University Outreach Program, Rosha Chittuluru

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Research Opportunity For Freshmen And Sophomores, Katie E. Crump, Julie Torruellas Garcia, Emily Schmitt

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Using Ecological Diversity Analyses To Characterize The Availability Of Healthy Food And Socio-Economic Food Deserts, Annie Goyanes, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

“Food deserts” are usually defined as geographic areas without local access to fresh, healthy food. We used community ecology statistics in supermarkets to quantify the availability of healthy food and to potentially identify food deserts as areas without a diverse selection of food, rather than a binary as to whether fresh food is present or not. We test whether produce diversity is correlated with neighborhood income or demographics. Abundance and diversity of fresh produce was quantified in supermarkets in Broward County, Florida, USA. Neighborhood income level and racial/ethnic makeup were retrieved from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Although …

Periodically Disturbing The Spatial Structure Of Biofilms Can Affect The Production Of An Essential Virulence Factor In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Rebecca J. Quinn, Ivana Barraza, Laura García-Diéguez, Camryn Pajon, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Kerollos Ibrahim, Laura A. Enzinna, Morgan E. Thorn, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, Travis J. A. Craddock, Robert P. Smith

Biology Faculty Articles

Understanding the environmental factors that affect the production of virulence factors has major implications in evolution and medicine. While spatial structure is important in virulence factor production, observations of this relationship have occurred in undisturbed or continuously disturbed environments. However, natural environments are subject to periodic fluctuations, including changes in physical forces, which could alter the spatial structure of bacterial populations and impact virulence factor production. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, we periodically applied a physical force to biofilms and examined production of pyoverdine. Intermediate frequencies of disturbance reduced the amount of pyoverdine produced compared to undisturbed or frequently disturbed conditions. …

Megafauna Of The German Exploration Licence Area For Seafloor Massive Sulphides Along The Central And South East Indian Ridge (Indian Ocean), Klaas Gerdes, Terue Cristina Kihara, Pedro Martínez Arbizu, Thomas Kuhn, Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera, Christopher L. Mah, Jon L. Norenburg, Thomas D. Linley, Kate Shalaeva, Enrique Macpherson, Dennis Gordon, Sabine Stöhr, Charles G. Messing, Simon Bober, Theresa Guggolz, Magdalini Christodoulou, Andrey Gebruk, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andreas Kroh, Karen Sanamyan, Kathrin Bolstad, Leon Hoffman, Andrew J. Gooday, Tina Molodtsova

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

The growing interest in mineral resources of the deep sea, such as seafloor massive sulphide deposits, has led to an increasing number of exploration licences issued by the International Seabed Authority. In the Indian Ocean, four licence areas exist, resulting in an increasing number of new hydrothermal vent fields and the discovery of new species. Most studies focus on active venting areas including their ecology, but the non-vent megafauna of the Central Indian Ridge and South East Indian Ridge remains poorly known.

In the framework of the Indian Ocean Exploration project in the German license area for seafloor massive …

Metabolomics Of Healthy And Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Affected Montastraea Cavernosa Corals, Jessica M. Deutsch, Olakunle A. Jaiyesimi, Kelly A. Pitts, Jay Houk, Blake Ushijima, Brian K. Walker, Valerie J. Paul, Neha Garg

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Stony coral tissue loss disease, first observed in Florida in 2014, has now spread along the entire Florida Reef Tract and on reefs in many Caribbean countries. The disease affects a variety of coral species with differential outcomes, and in many instances results in whole-colony mortality. We employed untargeted metabolomic profiling of Montastraea cavernosa corals affected by stony coral tissue loss disease to identify metabolic markers of disease. Herein, extracts from apparently healthy, diseased, and recovered Montastraea cavernosa collected at a reef site near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida were subjected to liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Unsupervised principal component analysis reveals wide …

The Design, Production And Validation Of The Biological And Structural Performance Of An Ecologically Engineered Concrete Block Mattress – A Nature Inclusive Design For Shoreline And Offshore Construction, Ido Sella, T. Hadary, A. Rella, Bernhard Riegl, Denise Swack, S. Perkol-Finkel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Over the past decade, the scientific community has studied, experimented, and published a notable body of literature on ecological enhancement of coastal and marine infrastructure (CMI). The Nature-Inclusive Design (NID) approach refers to methods and technologies that can be integrated into the design and construction of CMI to create suitable habitat for native species (or communities) whose natural habitat has been degraded or reduced. To examine the compliance of new environmentally sensitive technologies with structural requirements and fiscal restraints, while providing ecosystem and habitat value, this paper presents the findings of a structural-economical-biological analysis of ecologically engineered Articulated Concrete Block …

Stable Isotopes Used To Infer Trophic Position Of Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) From Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf Of Mexico, United States, David C. Roche, Michael S. Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen M. Hart

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA. There is little gene flow between turtles sampled at DRTO and in other rookeries in Florida, underscoring the need to study this distinct population. Between 2008 and 2015 we collected multiple sample types (skin [homogenized epidermis/dermis], whole blood, red blood cells, plasma, carapace) from 151 unique green turtles, including …

Metaplasia Of Respiratory And Digestive Tissues In The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica Associated With The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Deanne Roopnarine, Peter D. Roopnarine, Laurie C. Anderson, Ji Hae Hwang, Swati Patel

Biology Faculty Articles

Metaplasia is a well documented and deleterious effect of crude oil components on bivalved molluscs, including oysters. This reversible transformation of one cell type to another, is a common response to petroleum-product exposure in molluscs. It has been shown experimentally in previous work that eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) exposed to petroleum products will exhibit metaplasia of digestive tissues. Here we document for the first time that wild adult oysters inhabiting coastal waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico during and in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010) exhibited metaplasia in both ctenidia and digestive epithelia …

The Link Between Diabetes Mellitus And Tau Hyperphosphorylation: Implications For Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease, Amy L. Hobday, Mayur S. Parmar

HPD Articles

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by hyperglycemia caused by a lack of insulin, insulin resistance, or both. It is associated with the development of secondary complications resulting in several comorbidities. Recent studies have revealed an increased risk of developing cognitive dysfunction or dementia in diabetes patients. Diabetes mellitus is considered a risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is increasing evidence to support a link between DM and AD. Studies have shown the dysfunction of insulin signaling in the brain, resulting in increased tau protein phosphorylation (hyperphosphorylation), a hallmark and biomarker of AD pathology, leading to …

Validation Of A Single Channel Eeg For The Athlete: A Machine Learning Protocol To Accurately Detect Sleep Stages, Kayla Thompson, Kamil Celoch, Frankie Pizzo, Ana I. Fins, Jaime Tartar

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

There is a large and growing movement towards the use of wearable technologies for sleep assessment. This trend is largely due to the desire for comfortable, burden free, and inexpensive technology. In tandem, given the competitive nature of professional athletes enduring high training load, sleep is often jeopardized which can result in adverse outcomes. Wearable devices hold the promise of increasing the ease of monitoring sleep in athletes which can inform health and recovery status, as well as aid performance optimization. However, wearable devices typically lack sufficient validity to assess sleep – and especially sleep stages. To address this concern, …

A Systematic Review Of Parasites Found Within Selected Teleost Fishes Of The South Florida Hermatypic Coral Reef Tract, Blake A. Roberts

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

This report is a synthetic survey of published accounts of 43 reef-associated fish species and their parasites from the east coast of North America, the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and regions adjacent to the south Florida reef tract. To date, no comprehensive host-parasite list is available for this region, although comparable reviews from other regions have played a vital role in the fields of parasitology and fish ecology, providing valuable guidance on sampling locations, available host fishes inhabiting the region, and inventories of parasites likely to be found infecting these host species. This systematic review of teleost host fish …

Summer To Autumn Population Of Wild Eumaeus Atala On The Ft. Lauderdale Campus Of Nova Southeastern University, Alexandra M. Lens

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Eumaeus atala is an endangered tropical butterfly native to the Caribbean and some parts of Florida, USA. Following population reductions primarily due to habitat loss, E. atala populations are now increasing due to conservation efforts of its cycad host plants, especially Zamia integrifolia (coontie). The purpose of this study was to observe, document, and measure the population of wild E. atala on the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida campus of Nova Southeastern University where landscaping use of host plants supports a natural population of E. atala. Forty-four host plants located in two different sites were observed for 14 weeks. One site …

The Age And Growth Of The Yellow Stingray (Urobatis Jamaicensis) In Southeast Florida, Jessica Schieber

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier 1816), is a coastal species that has limited known life-history information, especially regarding their age and growth patterns. Age estimates were assigned by counting band-pairs deposited on the vertebral centrum of stingrays caught between 2003 and 2019 (n = 195). Marginal increment analysis of different size classes was used to validate age estimates, with the largest class having verified annual band deposition (ANOVA, F(9,7), P = 0.029). Age estimates ranged between females, and rates, but females attained larger sizes with the largest observed DW being 241-mm and 216-mm for females and males, respectively. …

Genetic Population Dynamics Of The Critically Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna Lewini) In The Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, Sydney P. Harned

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, is a Critically Endangered, migratory species known for its tendency to form large aggregations of mostly adult females, especially in the heavily-fished Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) Ocean. This species forms iconic, visually spectacular, seasonal aggregations in the northern Galápagos Islands, and it is hypothesized based on telemetry studies that pregnant females from these aggregations migrate to mainland coastal nurseries for parturition. This study investigated the population genetic dynamics of the scalloped hammerhead across most of its coastal and offshore distribution (Mexico to Ecuador) in the ETP, focusing on young-of-the-year animals sampled from nursery …

The Distribution, Composition, And Management Of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (Dfads) In The North Atlantic Ocean, Erin E. Kimak

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) are a gear accessory utilized on a global scale by commercial fishers to increase catch size and efficiency of target pelagic fishes such as tuna and dolphinfish. Despite their widespread use, there are few scientific estimates of the total number of abandoned or beached dFADs in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Basin or the compliance of dFAD use with t-RFMO recommendations. Previous studies have utilized the modeled drift trajectories of dFADs to predict beaching probability and location, but this study is the first of its kind, analyzing true beaching events. This study identifies the beaching …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Global Research In Stem, Michelle Hoang, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

A global public health emergency like the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires accurate and timely data collection in the research community. High impact research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been prioritized in the fight against COVID-19. The present study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on STEM research and the collaboration between global research institutions and industries. It was noted that COVID-19 had caused significant delays in non-COVID-19-related research projects and the onset of several remote studies. Most importantly, researchers in the STEM fields directed their attention and expertise to help mitigate virus transmission, treat patients, …

Short- And Long-Term Effectiveness Of Coral Disease Treatments, Karen L. Neely, Colin P. Shea, Kevin A. Macaulay, Emily K. Hower, Michelle A. Dobler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has led to large-scale mortality of over 20 coral species throughout the Florida Reef Tract. In 2019, in-water disease intervention strategies were implemented to treat affected corals. Two treatment strategies were employed: (1) topical application of an amoxicillin paste directly to disease margins, and (2) application of a chlorinated epoxy to disease margins as well as an adjacent “disease break” trench. Effectiveness of treatments on 2,379 lesions from 725 corals representing five species was evaluated using mixed effects logistic regression models which demonstrated substantially greater effectiveness of amoxicillin compared to chlorine-treated lesions …

Sexual Conflicts In Sand Tiger Sharks Carcharias Taurus (Rafinesque, 1810) In An Artificial Environment, Elizabeth Claus, Alan Henningsen, Mahmood Shivji, Bradley Wetherbee

Biology Faculty Articles

Understanding reproductive behaviours and the environmental conditions that facilitate reproduction is important for successful reproduction in managed care. Complex reproductive behaviours have been observed in both aquarium and free-ranging elasmobranchs. Sexual conflicts, including pre-copulatory behaviours in sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus in managed care have been previously documented. This study reports observations that corroborate the previous accounts of reproductive behaviours as well as describing novel consexual conflicts between males and detailing the male dominance hierarchy in six sand tigers at the National Aquarium. The observations suggest that male behaviours are not strictly pre-copulatory, as consexual male conflicts occurred to the …

Genetic, Social And Behavioral Risk Factors Associated With Alzheimer’S Disease, Vineela Nagamalla, Jay Patel, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition which consists of stages of mental, memory, and cognitive decline. As it continues to stand as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., 44 million people worldwide are affected. The objective of this paper is to explore the risk factors for AD in an attempt to examine potential causes for the incidence of AD. We examined genetics, lifestyle, and pre-existing conditions as risk factors for AD. We found that there are various alleles, such as APP, PSEN, ADAM, APOE, and TREM2, that play a role in the development of AD. It …

Correction To: Latitudinal Variation In Monthly-Scale Reproductive Synchrony Among Acropora Coral Assemblages In The Indo-Pacific, Jessica Bouwmeester, Alasdair J. Edwards, James R. Guest, Andrew G. Bauman, Michael L. Berumen, Andrew H. Baird

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Keri O’Neil, Cheryl M. Woodley, Jennifer Moore, Zach Ransom, Amelia Moura, Ken Nedimyer, David Vaughan

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use …

Experimental Evidence That Metapopulation Structure Can Accelerate Adaptive Evolution, Partha Pratim Chakraborty, Louis R. Nemzer, Rees Kassen

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Whether the spatial arrangement of a population influences adaptive evolution has been a long-standing question in population genetics. In contrast to standard population genetic models, evolutionary graph theory (EGT) predicts certain topologies amplify (increase) the probability that a beneficial mutation will spread in the population relative to a well-mixed population. Here, we test these predictions empirically by tracking the fixation dynamics of an antibiotic resistant mutant under positive selection as it spreads through networks of different topologies both in vitro and in silico. We show that star-like topologies involving bi-directional dispersal between a central hub and peripheral leaves can …

Temperature Stress And Disease Drives The Extirpation Of The Threatened Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra Cylindrus, In Southeast Florida, Nicholas P. Jones, Lystina Kabay, Kathleen Semon Lunz, David S. Gilliam

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Rare species population dynamics can elucidate the resilience of an ecosystem. On coral reefs, climate change and local anthropogenic stressors are threatening stony coral persistence, increasing the need to assess vulnerable species locally. Here, we monitored the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, population in southeast Florida, USA, in relation to consecutive heat stress events in 2014 and 2015. In the fall of each year, D. cylindrus colonies bleached following intense thermal stress and by June 2020 all monitored colonies died from a white-syndrome type disease. This resulted in the ecological extinction of D. cylindrus in the Southeast Florida Coral …

Persistent Dyspnea, Declined Moderate To Vigorous Physical Activity, Functional Status, And Quality Of Life During The Post-Acute Phase Of Covid-19 Infection: A Pilot Case Control Study., Hussain Aslan Mph. Ed., Msc., Corey Tomczak Phd, Darcy Marciniuk Md, Scotty Butcher Phd

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the multifaceted impacts of post-acute phase of COVID-19 infection on the sense of dyspnea, select intensities of physical activity, functional, and psychological variables among survivors compared to age matched healthy participants and their implications for rehabilitation programs in this population.

Methods: Seventy-eight (male, female age 30-70 yrs.) participants (39 COVID-infected, CI and 39 age-matched healthy controls, HC). Four questionnaires were used to assess the variables in this study: dyspnea scale of the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ), and the RAND-36 measure …

Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, And Clinical Manifestations Of Acute Esophageal Necrosis In Adults, Obaid Rehman, Urooj Jaferi, Inderbir Padda, Nimrat Khehra, Harshan Atwal, Mayur Parmar

HPD Articles

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN), also termed "black esophagus," is a unique and uncommon occurrence observed in severely sick patients. Other terminologies include acute necrotizing esophagitis and Gurvits syndrome. This condition is described as a darkened distal third of the esophagus observed on endoscopy and presents as an upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, fever, syncope, nausea, and vomiting. The etiology of AEN has been linked to several possibilities, such as excessive gastric acid reflux, hypoperfusion, and ischemia due to impaired vascular supply and hemodynamic instability. Risk factors include increased age, sex (male), heart disease, hemodynamic insufficiency, alcohol use, …

Stable Isotopes And Community Surveys Reveal Differential Use Of Artificial And Natural Reefs By South Florida Fishes, Christopher Blanar, Joseph R. Hornbeck, David Kerstetter, Amy Hirons

Biology Faculty Articles

Artificial reefs may enhance the biological production of reef-associated flora and fauna, but their trophic structure relative to that of natural reefs remains understudied. We assessed trophic relationships by 1) comparing reef fish communities and 2) comparing δ13C and δ15N in 43 fish species from both artificial reef sites and adjacent natural reef tracts in Broward County, Florida. We tested the effect of sampling location (artificial, first, and second reef), general feeding strategy (herbivore, omnivore, invertivore, and carnivore), phylogeny, and standard length on δ13C and δ15N. The reef fish communities of the artificial and natural reef tracts were significantly different; …

Toxoplasma Gondii Infections Are Associated With Costly Boldness Toward Felids In A Wild Host, Eben Gering, Zachary M. Laubach, Patty Sue D. Weber, Gisela Soboll Hussey, Kenna D. S. Lehmann, Tracy M. Montgomery, Julie W. Turner, Wei Perng, Malit O. Pioon, Kay E. Holekamp, Thomas Getty

Biology Faculty Articles

Toxoplasma gondii is hypothesized to manipulate the behavior of warm-blooded hosts to promote trophic transmission into the parasite’s definitive feline hosts. A key prediction of this hypothesis is that T. gondii infections of non-feline hosts are associated with costly behavior toward T. gondii’s definitive hosts; however, this effect has not been documented in any of the parasite’s diverse wild hosts during naturally occurring interactions with felines. Here, three decades of field observations reveal that T. gondii-infected hyena cubs approach lions more closely than uninfected peers and have higher rates of lion mortality. We discuss these results in light …