Life Sciences Commons^™

Cytochrome B5 Protects Photoreceptors From Light Stress-Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Retinal Degeneration, Xinping Chen, Hana Hall, Jeffrey P. Simpson, Walter D. Leon-Salas, Donald F. Ready, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Lipid peroxides are generated by oxidative stress in cells, and contribute to ageing and neurodegenerative disease. The eye is at special risk for lipid peroxidation because photoreceptors possess amplified sensory membranes rich in peroxidation-susceptible polyunsaturated fatty acids. Light-induced lipid peroxidation in the retina contributes to retinal degeneration, and lipid peroxidation has been implicated in the progression of age-associated ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Here, we show that exposing Drosophila melanogaster to strong blue light induces oxidative stress including lipid peroxidation that results in retinal degeneration. Surprisingly, very young flies are resilient to this acute light stress, suggesting …

Sip And Spit Or Sip And Swallow: Choice Of Methods Differentially Alters Taste Intensity Estimates Across Stimuli, Cordelia Running, John E. Hayes

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

While the myth of the tongue map has been consistently and repeatedly debunked in controlled studies, evidence for regional differences in suprathreshold intensity has been noted by multiple research groups. Given differences in physiology between the anterior and posterior tongue (fungiform versus foliate and circumvallate papillae) and differences in total area stimulated (anterior only versus whole tongue, pharynx, and epiglottis), small methodological changes (sip and spit versus sip and swallow) have the potential to substantially influence data. We hypothesized instructing participants to swallow solutions would result in greater intensity ratings for taste versus expectorating the solutions, particularly for umami and …

An Automated Workflow For Quantifying Rna Transcripts In Individual Cells In Large Data-Sets, Matthew C. Pharris, Tzu-Ching Wu, Xinping Chen, Xu Wang, David M. Umulis, Vikki M. Weake, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Advanced molecular probing techniques such as single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) or RNAscope can be used to assess the quantity and spatial location of mRNA transcripts within cells. Quantifying mRNA expression in large image sets usually involves automated counting of fluorescent spots. Though conventional spot counting algorithms may suffice, they often lack high-throughput capacity and accuracy in cases of crowded signal or excessive noise. Automatic identification of cells and processing of many images is still a challenge. We have developed a method to perform automatic cell boundary identification while providing quantitative data about mRNA transcript levels across many …

A Programmable Optical Stimulator For The Drosophila Eye, Xinping Chen, Walter D. Leon-Salas, Taylor Zigon, Donald F. Ready, Vikki M. Weake

Department of Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A programmable optical stimulator for Drosophila eyes is presented. The target application of the stimulator is to induce retinal degeneration in fly photoreceptor cells by exposing them to light in a controlled manner. The goal of this work is to obtain a reproducible system for studying age-related changes in susceptibility to environmental ocular stress. The stimulator uses light emitting diodes and an embedded computer to control illuminance, color (blue or red) and duration in two independent chambers. Further, the stimulator is equipped with per-chamber light and temperature sensors and a fan to monitor light intensity and to control temperature. An …

Exposing Problems Teaching Students Morphological Species Identification, Trevor Stamper, Lauren Weidner, Gregory Nigoghosian, Ludmila D. Nunes

IMPACT Presentations

When dealing with physical remains, morphological assessment for species is a traditional approach to entomological specimen identification. A dichotomous key guides the user through taxa determination for a specimen by providing a series of dual-choice nodes that center around morphological differences. Each nodal choice leads to either a new set of dichotomous choices or a taxa decision. We evaluated student’s ability to utilize a dichotomous key down to species for a limited set of taxa, by reviewing their nodal decisions along with their confidence level using a Likert scale (1-5).

Along with individual decision recording, students conducted a post-decision group …

Dataset Of Water Activity Measurements Of Alcohol: Water Solutions Using A Tunable Diode Laser, Matthew Allan, Lisa Mauer

Department of Food Science Faculty Publications

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled “RH-temperature phase diagrams of hydrate forming deliquescent crystalline ingredients” (Allan and Mauer, 2017) [1]. The data are water activity measurements of alcohol:water solu- tions (methanol:water and ethanol:water solutions at varying molar ratios) at different temperatures collected using the Tunable Diode Laser by Decagon Devices. The measured water activities of ethanol:water solutions were correlated to the initial volumetric ratios to produce polynomial equations that can be used to cal- culate the needed initial volumetric ratios for water activity con- trolled solutions. The data sets and polynomial equations are …

A Model Of The Use Of Evolutionary Trees (Muet) To Inform K-14 Biology Education, Yi Kong, Ankita Thawani, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Evolutionary trees are powerful tools used in modern biological research, and also commonly used in textbooks and classroom instruction. Studies have shown that K-14 students have difficulties interpreting evolutionary trees. To improve student learning about this topic, it is essential to teach them how to understand and use trees like professional biologists. Unfortunately, few currently used teaching frameworks for evolution instruction are designed for this purpose. In this study we developed the Model of the Use of Evolutionary Trees (MUET), a conceptual model that characterizes how evolutionary trees were used by professional biologists as represented in their research publications. The …

Degree Of Free Fatty Acid Saturation Influences Chocolate Rejection In Human Assessors, Cordelia Running, John E. Hayes, Gregory R. Ziegler

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

In foods, free fatty acids (FFA) traditionally have been viewed as contributing an odor, yet evidence has accumulated that FFA also contribute a unique taste (“oleogustus”). However, minimal work has been conducted using actual foods to test the contribution of FFA to taste preferences. We chose to investigate flavor, taste, and aroma contributions of added FFA in chocolate, as some commercial manufacturers already use lipolysis of triglycerides to generate unique profiles. We hypothesized small added concentrations of FFA would increase preferences for chocolate while higher added concentrations would decrease preferences. We also hypothesized a saturated fatty acid (stearic C18) would …

Teaching Morphological Species Identification To Forensic Science Students: Advantages, Problems And Results, Gregory Nigoghosian, Lauren Weidner, Ludmila Nunes, Trevor Stamper

IMPACT Presentations

Poster presented at the 69th American Academy of Forensic Science Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA. The poster discusses findings of a study of how students identify morphological species.

Investigating The Needs Of Agriculture Scholars: The Purdue Report For Ithaka S+R, Jane Kinkus Yatcilla, Marianne Stowell Bracke

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This is Purdue's final report for the Ithaka S+R sponsored mutli-institutional study, "Investigating the Needs of Agricultural Scholars."

Loss Of Myod Promotes Fate Transdifferentiation Of Myoblasts Into Brown Adipocytes, Chao Wang, Weiyi Liu, Yaohui Nie, Mulan Qaher, Hannah Elizabeth Horton, Feng Yue, Atsushi Asakura, Shihuan Kuang

Department of Animal Sciences Faculty Publications

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) represents a promising agent to ameliorate obesity and other metabolic disorders. How- ever, the abundance of BAT decreases with age and BAT paucity is a common feature of obese subjects. As brown adipocytes and myoblasts share a common Myf5 lineage origin, elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the fate choices of brown adipocytes versus myoblasts may lead to novel approaches to expand BAT mass. Here we identify MyoD as a key negative regulator of brown adipocyte development. CRISPR/CAS9-mediated deletion of MyoD in C2C12 myoblasts facilitates their adipogenic transdifferentiation. MyoD knockout downregulates miR- 133 and upregulates the miR-133 …

Evaluating West Virginia Organic Heritage Beans For Commercial Markets In West Virginia, Lewis Jett

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Muskmelon Variety Trial In Southwest Indiana — 2016, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

2016 Butternut Squash Cereal Rye Cover Crop Tillage And Fertility Trial, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Yield Of 17 Summer Squash Varieties In Southwest Michigan, Ron Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

2016 Pumpkin Cultivar Evaluations In West Virginia, Lewis Jett

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Watermelon Variety Evaluations In Southwest Indiana, 2016, Wenjing Guan, Dan Egel, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Potassium Applications And Yellow Shoulder Disorder Of Tomatoes In High Tunnels, Elizabeth Maynard, Israel S. Calsoya, Jill Malecki

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

Tomatoes grown in unheated high tunnels can suffer significant loss in quality due to yellow shoulder disorder, particularly in susceptible varieties. This paper reports on a preliminary trial to determine whether incidence and severity of the disorder could be influenced by applying potassium fertilizers. Plots with higher leaf potassium content tended to have less fruit with severe yellow shoulder disorder, but increasing the amount of potassium fertilizer applied did not significantly reduce the disorder. From this study it isn’t possible to make specific recommendations for reducing yellow shoulder disorder with potassium applications.

Muskmelon Variety Trial In Southwest Indiana — 2016, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

This is a compilation of 21 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included.

Strawberry Variety Evaluation For High Tunnel Production In Southwest Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Larry Sutterer

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

This is a compilation of 21 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included.

Midwest Vegetable Trial Report For 2016, Elizabeth Maynard, Brad Bergefurd

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

This is a compilation of 21 research trial reports from six land-grant universities in the midwestern United States. Crops include dry beans, cantaloupe, cucumber, pepper, pumpkin, sweet corn, summer squash, winter squash, strawberry, tomato, watermelon, and winter melon. Several crops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoop houses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. Three reports addressed specific growing practices: the use of poly-coated urea to supply nitrogen to sweet corn, potassium fertilization for high tunnel tomatoes, and use of cereal rye cover crop in butternut squash.

Watermelon Variety Evaluations In Southwest Indiana, 2016, Wenjing Guan, Dan Egel, Dennis Nowaskie

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

This is a compilation of 21 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included.

Prediction Of Local Quality Of Protein Structure Models Considering Spatial Neighbors In Graphical Models., Woong Hee Shin, Xuejiao Kang, Jian Zhang, Daisuke Kihara

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Protein tertiary structure prediction methods have matured in recent years. However, some proteins defy accurate prediction due to factors such as inadequate template structures. While existing model quality assessment methods predict global model quality relatively well, there is substantial room for improvement in local quality assessment, i.e. assessment of the error at each residue position in a model. Local quality is a very important information for practical applications of structure models such as interpreting/designing site-directed mutagenesis of proteins. We have developed a novel local quality assessment method for protein tertiary structure models. The method, named Graph-based Model Quality assessment method …

Potassium Applications And Yellow Shoulder Disorder Of Tomatoes In High Tunnels, Elizabeth Maynard, Israel S. Calsoya, Jill Malecki

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Tomatoes grown in unheated high tunnels can suffer significant loss in quality due to yellow shoulder disorder, particularly in susceptible varieties. This paper reports on a preliminary trial to determine whether incidence and severity of the disorder could be influenced by applying potassium fertilizers. Plots with higher leaf potassium content tended to have less fruit with severe yellow shoulder disorder, but increasing the amount of potassium fertilizer applied did not significantly reduce the disorder. From this study it isn’t possible to make specific recommendations for reducing yellow shoulder disorder with potassium applications.

2016 Evaluation Of Standard Pickling Cucumber Varieties In Kansas, Stephanie Gruetze, Kimberly Oxley, Cary L. Rivard

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

2016 Evaluation Of Hybrid Bell Pepper Varieties For High Tunnel Production In Kansas, Kimberly Oxley, David Loewen, Cary L. Rivard

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Pumpkin Cultivar Performance Trial Grown In Southern Ohio 2016, Brad R. Bergefurd

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Strawberry Variety Evaluation For High Tunnel Production In Southwest Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Larry Sutterer

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of 11 Bell Pepper Cultivars In Southwest Michigan, Ron Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Supersweet Corn Evaluations In Central Kentucky, Chris Smigell, John Strang, John Snyder

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.