Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Varying Heat Indexes On Habitat Utilization And Behavior On Captive Red-Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Rubra), Jeffrey Gammon

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The two captive red-ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) at the Central Florida Zoo experienced a more temperate climate and utilized a differing habitat than they would in their native range, Madagascar. Proper management of the species in captivity is crucial for its long-term survival as they are critically endangered. Over a four month period, heat index temperature, lemur behavior, and habitat utilization data were collected via an instantaneous scan sample. Variables were analyzed to characterize how variations in heat index alter habitat utilization and behavior of the captive lemurs. As the heat index increased, habitat use became more restricted with a ...

Behavioral Analysis Of The Cryptoprocta Ferox In An Ex-Situ Condition, Emilie Alfonso

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Fossas (Cryptoprocta ferox) are the top, endemic predators of Madagascar. Their populations are dwindling and are reported as “Vulnerable” by IUCN. In an effort to combat this, zoological facilities have placed the species on a captive breeding program. This study focuses on concerns one of those zoos had about their captive C. ferox. The purpose of this study was to collect activity budgets on the C. ferox to determine if there is a change in behavior due to construction occurring around the C. ferox’s habitat, analyze behavior changes during estrus, determine any behavior changes, as well as addressing other ...

Occurrence Of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) On Birds In Northwestern Lower Michigan, 2011-2019, William C. Scharf, Lisa Aukland, Gary W. Shugart, Sarah A. Hamer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract

Monitoring tick infestation of wildlife provides baseline tick

occurrence data that may have human or animal health implications. We collected 312 ticks of four species from 5,122 birds of 93 species while monitoring bird migration during 15 fall and spring seasons between 2011 and 2019 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Twenty-seven of 93 bird species hosted ticks with an overall prevalence (=at least one tick) of 3.6% (185/5,122). Median burden was one tick/per infested bird with a range of 1-16 ticks per infested bird. Tick species collected were primarily Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard ...

Observational Study Of Two Ex Situ North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis), Julia Rifenberg

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Zoos enable the ability to study how captive conditions impact the behaviors of animals. In this study, I observed two North American river otters housed at the Central Florida Zoo to evaluate behavioral changes after the male had been removed from the female for a month-long medical examination. The aim of this study was to 1) determine if mating behaviors were still occurring between the two river otters following the male’s removal and 2) to assess the welfare of the male and female river otters in captivity by observing their interactions and individual behaviors. Observed behaviors were compared to ...

Functional Influence Of 14-3-3 (Ywha) Proteins In Mammals, Elizabeth Barley, Santanu De

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

The 14-3-3 (YWHA) proteins are homologous, ubiquitous, and conserved in most organisms ranging from plants to animals and play important roles in regulating key cellular events such as cell signaling, development, apoptosis, etc. These proteins consist of seven isoforms in mammals, termed under Greek alphabetization: beta (β), gamma (γ), epsilon (ε), eta (η), tau/theta (τ), sigma (σ), and zeta (ζ). Each of these isoforms can interact with a plethora of binding partners and has been shown to serve a distinct role in molecular crosstalk, biological processes, and disease susceptibility. Protein 14-3-3 isoforms are scaffolding proteins capable of forming homodimers ...

Assessing Intervals Of Epigallocatechin Gallate (Egcg) And Cannabidiol (Cbd) On Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cell Reproduction As A Possible Application On Cancer Cell Proliferation, Spandana Anchoori

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

What Can A Worm Learn? Nonlinear Categorization By Caenorhabditis Elegans Using A Hydrochloric Acid Gradient, Parth Desai

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Biochar Feedstock On The Remediation Of Acidic Soils And Improvement Of Pisum Sativum V. Saccharatum Growth, Ridha Fatima

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Barometric Pressure, Temperature, And Precipitation On Preterm Labor In Expecting Women In South Carolina, Allison K. Fletcher

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Each year, approximately 9.9% of infants in the United States are born prematurely at less than 37 weeks of gestation with unidentified causes. From 2014 to 2016, the total preterm birth rate rose 3%, and late preterm birth rates rose almost 4%. One source of preterm labor that has been examined in recent years is its potential correlation with meteorological phenomena, including barometric pressure, temperature, and precipitation. In September of 2019, birth data recording 322 deliveries from two South Carolina hospitals was collected along with weather data on the given dates. The changes in temperature, barometric pressure, and precipitation ...

The Effect Of Whey, Azadirachta Indica, And Powdered Whole Milk On Monilinia Fructicola, Evelyn Plakal

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Alcalase Concentration On The Proteins From The Shells Of Litopenaeus Setiferus (White Shrimp), Liam T. Quan

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Chitin is a naturally abundant polymer that also happens to be biodegradable. Chitin can be used in a variety of different products such as biodegradable plastics, papers, medical products, foods, and medical treatments. To extract chitin, shells must be demineralized and deproteinized. The goal of this experiment was to examine the effect of the protease Alcalase in the deproteinization of litopenaeus setiferus shells. The hypothesis was that if the concentration of Alcalase increased, then the absorbance of proteins in the spectrophotometer reading would increase. The null hypothesis was that if the concentration increased there would be no change in absorption ...

Mussel Musings On The Powell River, Aggy Vanderpool

Cumberland Mountain Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture ...

One Step Closer To A Better Starling Trap, James R. Thiele

Human–Wildlife Interactions

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are an invasive species in the United States that damage agriculture, personal property, and threaten human health and safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services provides technical support to mitigate damage by controlling starling populations at concentrated animal feeding operations, landfills, utilities, and urban areas. Wildlife Services uses DRC-1339, a registered toxicant, to reduce starling populations. Trapping can also be an effective tool but requires more time at a higher cost than DRC-1339. Trapping starlings, however, may be needed to provide a viable alternative to mitigate damage in areas where toxicant use may be ...

Adaptive Courseware Implementation: Investigating Alignment, Course Redesign, And The Student Experience, Patricia O'Sullivan, Janelle Voegele, Tonya Buchan, Raiza Dottin, Kari Goin Kono, Misty Hamideh, Wendy S. Howard, Jennifer Todd, Lee Tyson, Stanley Kruse, Johannes De Gruyter, Kevin Berg

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

In this paper, four institutions share student and faculty feedback on the implementation of adaptive courseware through a common case study: biology for undergraduate non-majors. Additionally, each institution has provided a second case study of their choice. Together, researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, Portland State University in Portland, OR, University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS consider student perception of the benefits to the implementation of adaptive courseware, and how the deliberate alignment between adaptive courseware and course organization and structure impacts student experience. This paper highlights the ...

Three-Parent Baby: Mitochondrial Diseases And Gene Therapy, Alexa Arakaki

Horizons

This paper was written for the Honors 491 class, instructed by Dr. Zoia Stoytcheva. I am a University of Hawai’i junior majoring in biology with the aim of pursuing a career in the medical field. I have always looked up to mothers and found it fascinating that the human body can create and shelter life. I discovered my passion for reproductive biology because I was interested in how humans form cellularly in an embryo. I wanted to research more about what takes place in embryos and mothers to birth children who are genetically sick. One of the diseases I ...

Diagnosis And Distribution Of Florida Sand Darter, Ammocrypta Bifascia (Teleostei; Percidae), In The Flint River, Georgia, Camm C. Swift, Gregory R. Moyer, Christine E. Fallon, Brett Albanese

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Abstract: In 2013, we observed the presence of an undocumented Ammocrypta species in the lower Flint River, Georgia. The occurrence represents the first record of the genus in Georgia. Subsequent surveys at 24 sites, using seining or snorkeling, documented additional specimens from mainstem sites (n = 3) between Albany and Bainbridge and from Ichawaynochaway Creek (n = 5 sites), a large tributary to the Flint River. We used morphological and genetic data to identify specimens to species. Morphological examination included 23 morphometric and 8 meristic characters from fifteen specimens that were compared to specimens from Williams (1975). For genetic analyses, we targeted ...

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Innate Pathogenic Traits In Oral Yeasts, Ayat Ibrahiem Esmaeel Al-Laaeiby, Adnan A. Al-Mousawi, Inaam M.N. Alrubayae, Abdullah Al-Saadoon, Maysoon Almayahi

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The normal flora community plays a significant role in both healthy and patient individual’s bodies. It has improved its ability to change from beneficial to opportunistic organisms causing crucial infections in immunocompromised patients. This study was conducted to identify the community of yeast species, and to investigate potential virulence factors. Saliva samples were collected from healthy individuals, yeast species were isolated and identified using both traditional and advance molecular genetics technique. The results revealed that Candida albicans was the dominant isolate, while Meyerozyma caribbica was the least. The phylogenetic tree was constructed for 13 species using the Neighbour-Joining method ...

In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect Of Aspergillus Clavatus Generated Silver Nanoparticles On Raw 264.7 Cells, Shahnaz Majeed, Mohammed Danish Dr., M. N Mohamad Ibrahim Prof., Siti Hajar Binti Sekeri, Shah Aarif Ul Islam Dr., Mohammed Tahir Ansari

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Aspergillus clavatus (A. clavatus ) was utilized for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) isolated from the soil. . About one (1) mM silver nitrate (AgNO₃) was gradually added to the aqueous extract of A. clavatus, the colour of the extract becomes dark brown indicates the AgNPs formation. The UV -Vis spectrophotometry showed the lambda max (-λ_max) at 430 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed the peaks at 3221.40 cm N-H symmetric amide, 1645.78 NH bend amine, 1557.02 N-H bend amide groups are associated with AgNPs. The powder form of AgNPs was recorded for X-ray diffraction ...

Editorial Board

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

No abstract provided.

Stygobitic Crustaceans In An Anchialine Cave With An Archeological Heritage At Vodeni Rat (Island Of Sveti Klement, Hvar, Croatia), Alessandro Montanari, Nicolas Cerveau, Barbara Fiasca, Jean-François Flot, Diana Galassi, Maurizio Mainiero, David Mcgee, Tadeusz Namiotko, Stefano Recanatini, Fabio Stoch

International Journal of Speleology

A group of four amphoras found in the anchialine cave of Vodeni Rat in the Croatian island of Sveti Klement, on a rocky ledge at 24 m water depth, indicates that a freshwater source was exploited at the bottom of this karstic pit by islanders and/or passing-by sailors from the late Roman Republican Period to the Early Medieval Period. In other words, prior to the 4^th–7^th century CE, Vodeni Rat was not an anchialine cave but a Pleistocene karstic pit with a freshwater pool at the bottom. Seawater started to infiltrate this cavity via newly opened ...

Lab Notes

Scientia

Paleo Showcase; Expert Opinions; School of Nursing Director Appointed; EPISTEM Porject; CSH Honors Award Recipients; Diversity Fellowship

Anti-Diabetic Properties Of Sodium Bicarbonate In A Mouse Model Of Type 1 Diabetes, Jenna Nelson, Logan Olson, Amira Zaher, Jace Engelmann, Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje

Journal of Student Scholarship

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease in which T cells destroy insulinproducing β cells in the pancreas, leading to hyperglycemia. Some T cells directly kill β cells, such as Tcytotoxic, or indirectly such as T-helper, while others, like regulatory T cells, actually protect them. A recent study showed that sodium bicarbonate (SB) exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by affecting immune cells other than T cells, implying its potential for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Since SB has never been tested in an experimental mouse model for autoimmunity, we studied the effects of SB treatment on the development and ...

The Tissues Of Adult Female Reproductive System Of The Pipistrellus Kuhlii Bat: Comparative Study With Other Mammals, Muna Rashid

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study is attempt for investigating the tissues, which comprise the female reproductive system of the bat. Then, compare it with the same system of other mammals. The bat has been anatomized and the organs of female reproductive system was taken away. They include: ovary, ovarian duct and uterus, where they have been studied histological.

The results of the microscopic investigation of the tissue of the female bat, showed that the ovary has two parts; an outer cortex and an inner medulla. The cortex consists of follicles, different growth stages and the proper tissues have net of connective tissue fibers ...

Antibacterial Activity Of Selected Plant Extracts On Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Lubna Abdallah

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

Based on the importance of herbal plants in medicine, this study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts of Thymbra spicata, Nepeta curviflora, and Verbascum fruticulosum against two clinical isolates (I and II) of the gram positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Agar well diffusion method was performed to examine the antibacterial activity of all studied plant extracts. Micro-broth dilution method was used to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) then the minimum bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) for all active extracts. The examined isolates were susceptible to the prepared plant extracts. Ethanol and methanol extracts ...

Analyzing Flavonoids In Chocolate-Based Beverages, Ernest Afoakwah

Kean Quest

Some amount of previous research has suggested that chocolate-based drinks are very effective post-exercise recovery beverages. The fluid, electrolyte, protein and carbohydrate content of chocolate milk has been credited with possibly providing this benefit. Antioxidants perhaps contribute to post exercise recovery. Flavonoids, also naturally occurring phytochemicals in cocoa, the chief ingredient in chocolate, may be capable of providing antioxidant benefits. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and colorimetry, the present research involved examining the presence of flavonoids (particularly catechin) in seven chocolate-based milk drinks, as they may serve some importance regarding post-exercise recovery. A similar protocol (which basically involved defatting samples ...

Effect Of Three Classroom Research Experiences On Science Attitudes, Lauren K. Lucas, Frances K. Hunter, Zachariah Gompert

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Here we evaluate undergraduate student attitudes about science after each of three authentic research experiences in a semester of an introductory biology laboratory course at Utah State University. The three course-based research experiences (CUREs) vary in length and student freedom, and they cover different areas of biology. Students responded to the science attitude items of the CURE Survey. When compared to national data, our students faired similarly, and all students struggled with certain epistemic assumptions about science knowledge. As also seen in the national database, change in science attitude was slight and nonlinear. Student self confidence in what a career ...

A Fuzzy Assessment Model For Hospitals Services Quality Based On Patient Experience, Mohamed Khodyer Alkafaji, Eman Salih Al-Shamery

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The patient's experience is a lens for services assessment that provide from healthcare institutions because the patient is the first and the last recipient for the service. The patient's experience carries a lot of uncertainty and an ultimate decision cannot be taken from the patient about the services, but it carries the partial truth. Many artificial intelligence technologies deal with the concept of partial truth, such as genetic algorithms and neural networks, but the fuzzy logic remains pioneering to deal with uncertainty. This paper aims to develop an assessment model by using fuzzy inference that is able to ...

A Systematic Mapping Study On The Risk Factors Leading To Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Karar N. J Musafer, Fahrul Zaman Huyop, Mufeed J Ewadh, Eko Supriyanto, Mohammad Rava

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that has had devastating effects on the general population. It is also among the most popular research trends in modern medicine. Thus, due to the complexity and desirability of this particular affliction, there is a lot of demand towards understanding this disease better, so that it can pave the way towards better solutions in combating diabetes. The aim of this review is to provide a categorization of the risk factors leading to Type II Diabetes. In order to provide a justification for the type of diabetes, an explanation is provided which covers ...