Life Sciences Commons^™

The Flipped Classroom In An Undergraduate Nutritional Science Course: A Pilot Study, Sidney Man Ngai Chan, Jean Yuk Tin Tse, Peter Hoi Fu Yu

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Effects Of An Extra Trp113tyr Substitution On Yeast D-Amino Acid Oxidase Variant, Kin Sing Wong, Wing Ping Fong, Paul Wai Kei Tsang

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Conversion Of Waste Cooking Oils Into Environmentally Friendly Biodiesel, Heidi Lai Ling Li, Peter Hoi Fu Yu

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

P-04 Cavan Burren 2015 Project, Rhonda Root, Robin Johnson, Ariel Solis, Abelardo Rivas

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

The Cavan Burren is a plantation forest within the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark overlay along the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland border. The exposure of Cavan Burren’s "relict landscape" resulted from a 2012 partial clear fell. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers in architecture, technology, ecology, fine arts, and archaeology investigated domestic architecture reflected in three stone configurations: circular/semicircular sites, rectangular sites, and tomb structures. We also investigated human action on pedestal boulders (PBs), which had been modified by sculpting, splitting, and cutting away. Our first goal was to show human action on structures by using three-dimensional (3D) …

P-29 Diversity And Species Turnover Of Late Cenozoic Ground Squirrels In The Meade Basin, Ks, H. Thomas Goodwin

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

The Meade Basin of southwestern Kansas preserves one of the richest fossil sequences from the late Cenozoic of North America. An ongoing study has documented a rich record of fossils, especially rodents; established episodes of especially rapid species turnover (when species appear or disappear from the local record); and has attempted to relate these processes to environmental change inferred from stable isotope and other proxies for ancient climate. Here, I report on fossil squirrels from the record. At least 7 genera and 13 species are present in the composite record. Species turnover occurs throughout the record, but an especially high …

Flexible Gating Of Contextual Influences In Natural Vision, Odelia Schwartz

Mathematics Colloquium Series

An appealing hypothesis suggests that neurons represent inputs in a coordinate system that is matched to the statistical structure of images in the natural environment. I discuss theoretical work on unsupervised learning of statistical regularities in natural images. In the model, Bayesian inference amounts to a generalized form of divisive normalization, a canonical computation that has been implicated in many neural areas. In our framework, divisive normalization is flexible: it is recruited only when the image is inferred to contain dependencies, and muted otherwise. I particularly focus on recent work in which we have applied this approach to understanding spatial …

Strip Adaptive Cluster Sampling With Application To Cave Crickets, Kurt Lewis Helf

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

The Extirpation Of A Population Of The Endangered Illinois Cave Amphipod (Gammarus Acherondytes) By An Exotic Species: The Wednesday Cave Debacle, Julian J. Lewis, Salisa L. Lewis

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Karst Wreckage: Subterranean Fauna As Collateral Damage, Julian J. Lewis, Salisa L. Lewis

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

White-Nose Syndrome Response At Mammoth Cave National Park, Rickard S. Toomey

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Genus-Wide Assessment Of Bactrurus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) Informs Conservation And Management Of Groundwater Habitats, Matthew L. Niemiller, Steven J. Taylor

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Monitoring In-Cave Resources With Reduced Impact And Increased Quantitative Capacity: Developing Photogrammetry Methodologies For In Cave Environments, Robyn L. Henderek, John R. Wood, Benjamin W. Tobin

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Managing The Spread Of Pseudogymnoascus Destructans And Conserving Bats Threatened By White-Nose Syndrome In North America, Jeremy Coleman, Jonathan D. Reichard, Richard Geboy, Christopher Servheen, Christina Kocer, Mike Armstrong

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Seeps And Springs At A Platteville “Observatory” On The River Bluffs, Bj Bonin, Greg Brick, Julia R. Steenberg

Sinkhole Conference 2015

Residential building construction along the Mississippi River bluffs in the 1970s created a unique enclosed outcrop of the Late Ordovician Platteville Formation at Lilydale, Minnesota. This outcrop was examined in early 2013 after a newly-formed spring flooded an elevator shaft the previous year, drawing attention to the foundation conditions. The Lexington Riverside property is a six story condominium complex constructed within the top of the bluff. A two-level underground parking garage was built into the bluff. Bedrock was mechanically excavated to accommodate the construction of the building, creating an unweathered rock surface. The space between the structure and the excavated …

Learning From Lionfish: Modeling Marine Invaded Systems, Matthew Johnston

Mathematics Colloquium Series

Simulating marine invaded systems requires broad consideration of physical oceanographic processes, such as ocean circulation patterns and temperature, and biological traits of the invader, such as their reproductive strategy and tolerances to their environment. Through this understanding of baseline biological and oceanographic function, models can be developed in order to forecast the incursion patterns of marine invasive species - helpful both to predict their spread as well as forewarn of impacts. To facilitate this understanding, computer simulation is useful in order to quickly and efficiently assimilate large biological and oceanographic datasets into digestible products. Data derived from such simulations are …

Think Inside The Blocks: Health Literacy Outreach To Disadvantaged People In Their Own Environment, Nancy Patterson

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This bilingual (Spanish/English) poster highlights six creative health literacy outreach projects that have proven to be successful in increasing participation in health-related events in their communities and in boosting health literacy in the process.

For example, in Georgetown, South Carolina, a beauty salon owner, concerned about her clients’ frequent frustration with trying to decipher medical information, partners with her local public library and is grant funded to provide a Wellness Workstation in her salon. Years later, her clients research health information between services using the workstation, evening health literacy classes are regularly conducted for community members and continued funding has …

K-Mer Analysis On Developmental And Housekeeping Enhancer Peaks, Yunsi Yang, Anurag Sethi, Mark Gerstein

Yale Day of Data

The regulation of gene expression involves interaction between transcriptional enhancers and core promoters. However, the separation between developmental and housekeeping gene regulation remains unknown. Here, we present a method to detect if different core promoters exhibit specificity to certain enhancers within massively parallel assays for enhancer detection. We use k-mers of various length (3-8bp) as sequence features and compare k-mer frequencies between developmental and housekeeping enhancers. This method shows promoter specificity of enhancers in D. melanogaster.

Characterizing The Rogfp2-Orp1 Fluorescent Biosensor For Detecting Oxidative Stress In Mammalian Cells, Sara A. Doan, Stevie Norcross, Mathew Tantama

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease involving the death of neurons in the substantia nigra and loss of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. The disease leads to progressive loss of motor control. Exact causes and mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease proceeds are unknown, however, previous experiments determine oxidative stress in mitochondria as a factor that results in cell death. Strategies have been implemented to generate fluorescent biosensors to monitor reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations while simultaneously measuring the spatiotemporal distribution and correlation between the ROS, cellular function and organelle. Orp1, an enzyme found in yeast, is a sensitive oxidizing species and when …

Forecasting The Big Picture: Arctic Ecosystems, Climate Change, Shipping & Fisheries, Mary S. Wisz

ShipArc 2015 Conference

No abstract provided.

Arctic Horizons: Educating The Professional Mariner For High Latitude Stewardship, Nathan Gandy

ShipArc 2015 Conference

No abstract provided.

A Field Guide For Grasses And Grass-Like Plants Of Idaho, Justin J. Trujillo, Eva K. Strand (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project is to develop a user-friendly field guide to grasses and grass-like plants in Idaho, specifically geared to those with limited background in botany. The guide will feature 60 Idaho grasses and grass-like plants, intended for K-16 educators and students, ranchers, land owners, recreationists, and nature enthusiasts, with accompanying K-12 lesson plans. In the form of both a printed book and an offline app for iPhones and Androids, the guide will include colorful images showing detailed characteristics and vegetative features of each grass, an easy-to-use dichotomous key, and information on each plant’s history, forage value, and …

The Utilization Of Polymerase Chain Reaction, Dna Barcoding And Bioinformatics In Identifying Plant Species, Lindee J. Triplett, Ryan Foo, Ronald W. Strohmeyer (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Bioinformatics and DNA barcoding is a process used to identify plants, animals, and fungi. DNA barcoding in plants utilizes a key variable region in the genome, the RuBisCo large subunit (RbcL) on Chloroplast DNA. Once the DNA is extracted, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplifies that region and that sample is sent off for sequencing. Bioinformatics and DNA barcoding helps taxonomists determine the sequence of the RbcL gene as well as obtain a unique barcode that can be used to identify plants. Several plant species from our local campus were sequenced and identified using the previously described methods.

Speciation In Western North America: Lomatium As An Example Of Diversification And Convergent Evolution, Edgar M. Sosa, Lauren Polito, Mckayla Stevens, Donald H. Mansfield, James F. Smith (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Species delimitations and understanding the processes that drive speciation are essential to nearly all aspects of human endeavor. Determining species boundaries traditionally used morphology. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequence data provide a means to resolve species boundaries, as well as test hypotheses regarding the evolutionary processes. Numerous species radiations have occurred in Western North America. Among these are several plant groups such as Astragalus, Artemisia, and Lomatium. Recent phylogenetic analyses of Lomatium and related genera have demonstrated that many of the morphological characters used to delimit taxa have arisen multiple times and that most taxa are para- …

Photosynthetic Capacity Within The Phantom Gas Field Project, Traci L. Olson, Maria Pacioretty, Keith Reinhardt (Mentor)

Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research

Anthropogenic noise has proven detrimental to organisms like bats, owls, and certain other species whose hunting or navigation success is affected by unnatural sound. However, few studies have quantified the effects of noise pollution across multiple trophic levels. Our study is quantifying the impacts of human noise on insect abundance and herbivory, and plant physiology, using experimental noise stations compared to quiet control sites in the sagebrush steppe southwest of Boise, Idaho. I am measuring variation in leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Both of these measurements are indirect measurements of photosynthetic capacity. We hypothesized that shrubs …

Analysis Of Mitochondrial Turnover In Neuromuscular Junctions Of Parkin Mutants, Kenny Nguyen, Hyun Sung, Peter J. Hollenbeck

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The accumulation of dysfunctional or damaged mitochondria in neurons has been linked to the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease. It has been proposed that proteins PINK1 and Parkin regulate mitochondrial quality control by selectively targeting depolarized mitochondria for autophagic degradation, a process known as mitophagy. Though previously analyzed in the cell bodies and axons of neurons, the role of the PINK1/Parkin pathway in the synapse is unclear, and it is not known whether mitochondrial turnover occurs in the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). To study this, intact Drosophila nervous systems were analyzed in vivo by performing gentle dissections …

Thermodynamic Analysis Of Phenylpropanoid Pathway In Arabidopsis Thanliana, Patrick J. Ioerger, Rohit Jaini, John A. Morgan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels represent a renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. As dependence on fossil fuels rise so does the importance of improving the production of alternative fuels. Lignin poses one obstacle in the development of such alternative fuels. Its presence strengthens cell walls and hinders degradation of polysaccharides into monosaccharides, increasing cost and time while decreasing efficiency of the process. Lignin is composed of three monolignols, each of which is produced through the Phenylpropanoid pathway; a series of chemical reactions. This work aims to determine which reactions in the pathway are least thermodynamically favorable and thus most limiting. From metabolic mapping …

Meta-Analysis Of Dna Methylation And Expression In Liver Cancer Patients, Daniele Todorov, Barbara Stefanska, Katarzyna Lubecka-Pietruszewska

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common liver cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC is often diagnosed at late stages, for which there are no effective chemotherapies. Biomarkers unique to HCC patients could be used to detect HCC early and improve treatment. In the present project, we have performed a meta-analysis to compare the gene-specific DNA methylation and gene expression patterns of HCC patients as reported by four independent studies. Our goal was to discover the strongest changes that distinguish HCC from normal tissue. The relationship between methylation and expression in HCC was examined and genes …

Visualization And Analysis Of Sensory Data, Luke Neumann, Sung Yeon Choi, Brian Olsen, Sungahn Ko, David Ebert Dr.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Recently, California has suffered a severe drought, making water a scarce resource to its population. Many viticulturists are based in this area who rely on heavy irrigation to produce a better grape and a better wine. Not just in California, but throughout the nation, irrigation must be applied intelligently for efficient use of water and funding. By taking measurements of physical characteristics of a vineyard over time, one may be able to visualize trends in the data which lend itself to describing preferred growing methods. Wireless sensors can be used to take measurements including moisture, temperature, sunlight, and more. Sensors …

Characterizing The Role Of Aif4 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Antonia L. Hur Ms., Nina Serratore Ms., Scott D. Briggs

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Chromatin remodelers are important regulatory mechanisms that eukaryotic cells use to modify the structure of chromatin, which is made up of DNA and proteins. DNA wraps around histone proteins to make up chromatin. When these proteins are modified, the shape of the chromatin is altered. “Loosening” the chromatin structure by chromatin modifications allows for active gene expression whereas “tightening” or compaction of chromatin results in gene repression. Therefore the modifications on chromatin modulate gene expression in all eukaryotes. It has been shown that mis-regulation of chromatin remodelers contribute to various cancers. Understanding the biochemistry behind how chromatin associating proteins modify …

Evaluation Of Two Non-Destructive Methods For Estimating Biomass In A Prairie, Arnoldas Pivorius, Laura Ploughe, Jeff Dukes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The estimation of above ground biomass is important in managing natural resources, like assessing habitat conditions. Direct, destructive measurements by clipping, drying, and weighing plant matter is time consuming and labor intensive. It is of interest to develop non-invasive methods to complement or replace direct vegetation harvest. Two non-invasive methods were evaluated, light penetration and visual obstruction, in the Purdue Wildlife Area prairie. Light penetration in the grassland plots were measured using a Decagon light stick (LP-80), 5 cm from the ground and above the plants. Estimation of visual obstruction was done using a Robel pole, which focuses on the …