Life Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of A Newly Implemented Undergraduate Global Health Course In The Public University Setting, Brianna Moore, William Sorensen, Cheryl Cooper

William Sorensen

Teaching To Learn And Learning To Teach: Education In Rangeland Ecology And Management, John Tanaka, Christopher Call, Laurie Abbott, Karen Hickman

John A Tanaka

No abstract provided.

What Can We Learn From Confusing Olivella Columellaris And O. Semistriata, Two Key Species In Panamic Sandy Beach Ecosystems?, Alison Troost, Samantha Rupert, Ariel Cyrus, Frank Paladino, Benjamin Dattilo, Winfried Peters

Benjamin F. Dattilo

Sneakers And Spokes: An Assessment Of The Walkabili Institutionsty And Bikeability Of U.S. Post-Secondary, Tanya Horacek, Adrienne White, Geoffrey Greene, Melissa Reznar, Virginia Quick, Jesse Morrell

Geoffrey Greene

The purpose of the study described in this article was to assess the walkability and bikeability of 15 U.S. postsecondary education campuses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's evidence-based Healthier Worksite Initiative Walkability Audit was modified to rate campus walking and biking path segments for path safety, quality, and comfort. Universities (n = 13) assessed an average of 44 path segments, which earned a mean score of 72.71 +/- 10.77 SD (possible range 0 to 100). Postsecondary technical schools (n = 2) assessed 20 path segments, which received an average score of 76.56 +/- 13.15. About 70% of path …

Effect Of Muscle Length On Cross-Bridge Kinetics In Intact Cardiac Trabeculae At Body Temperature, Nima Milani-Nejad, Ying Xu, Jonathan P. Davis, Kenneth S. Campbell, Paul M. L. Janssen

Physiology Faculty Publications

Dynamic force generation in cardiac muscle, which determines cardiac pumping activity, depends on both the number of sarcomeric cross-bridges and on their cycling kinetics. The Frank–Starling mechanism dictates that cardiac force development increases with increasing cardiac muscle length (corresponding to increased ventricular volume). It is, however, unclear to what extent this increase in cardiac muscle length affects the rate of cross-bridge cycling. Previous studies using permeabilized cardiac preparations, sub-physiological temperatures, or both have obtained conflicting results. Here, we developed a protocol that allowed us to reliably and reproducibly measure the rate of tension redevelopment (k_tr; which depends …

Promoting Amphibian Conservation Through The College Classroom: Detection Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Among Local Amphibians, Julie Wunder, Noel Lampazzi, Kelsey Acre, Nicholas Bent, Sadie Canter, Alexandra Chapman, Margaret Davies, David Kashan, Jonathan Keiley, Rachel Macintyre, Tamara Milton, Kara Weichler, Matthew Wilson, Mizuki Takahashi

Faculty Journal Articles

Many global amphibian declines have been linked to the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The knowledge on Bd distribution provides a fundamental basis for amphibian conservation planning. Yet, such Bd distribution information is currently insufficient, in particular at a regional scale. The college classroom provides an excellent opportunity to expand the knowledge of Bd distribution. Here we provide an example of such research projects to detect Bd prevalence among local amphibians in a college course setting and present the results of work conducted in central Pennsylvania, USA. We collected toe clips and conducted PCR assays of six species, …

(R)-Β-Lysine Modified Elongation Factor P Functions In Translation Elongation, Tammy J. Bullwinkle, S. Betty Zou, Andrei Rajkovic, Steven J. Hersch, Sara Elgamal, Nathaniel Robinson, David Smil, Yuri Bolshan, William Wiley Navarre, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Post-translational modification of bacterial elongation factor P (EF-P) with (R)-β-lysine at a conserved lysine residue activates the protein in vivo and increases puromycin reactivity of the ribosome in vitro. The additional hydroxylation of EF-P at the same lysine residue by the YfcM protein has also recently been described. The roles of modified and unmodified EF-P during different steps in translation, and how this correlates to its physiological role in the cell, have recently been linked to the synthesis of polyproline stretches in proteins. Polysome analysis indicated that EF-P functions in translation elongation, rather than initiation as proposed previously. This was …

The Effect Of Temperature On Seed Quality And Quantity In Crosses Between European (Populus Tremula) And Hybrid Aspens (P. Tremula X P. Tremuloides), L. Koviuranta, T. Latva-Karjanmaa, P. Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

Hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. Populus tremuloides Michx.) plantations are expanding in Fennoscandia and the Baltic countries; however, the possible effects of plantations on the native European aspen (P. tremula) and the level of gene flow between European and hybrid aspen have not been investigated. We studied seed quantity and quality in intraspecific and interspecific crosses of the European and hybrid aspens over a two year period. In order to study whether elevated temperatures due to climate change would benefit the species differently, we performed the crosses in different temperatures. In both years, interspecific crosses produced more seeds with higher …

Filtering Efficiency And Feeding Mechanisms Of Daphnia Pulex On Microcystis Aeruginosa And Nannochloropsis, Elizabeth Orlowicz

Honors Theses and Capstones

The filtering and feeding rate of Daphnia pulex from the Old Durham Reservoir, Durham, NH, were measured to determine the feeding efficiency on different concentrations of non-toxic Nannochloropsis (Class Eustigmatophyceae) and toxigenic cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa. Direct observations of thoracic appendage beats and post-abdominal rejections were also measured at 5*10⁵ and 10⁶ cells mL^-1 concentrations of Nannochloropsis and M. aeruginosa to examine the feeding mechanisms of the D. pulex. In the presence of increasing Nannochloropsis concentrations, the filtering rates decreased and the feeding rates increased. When exposed to M. aeruginosa, both the filtering and feeding …

Orofacial Neuropathic Pain Mouse Model Induced By Trigeminal Inflammatory Compression (Tic) Of The Infraorbital Nerve, Fei Ma, Liping Zhang, Danielle Lyons, Karin N. Westlund

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuropathic pain attacks can be excruciating for patients, even after being lightly touched. Although there are rodent trigeminal nerve research models to study orofacial pain, few models have been applied to studies in mice. A mouse trigeminal inflammatory compression (TIC) model is introduced here which successfully and reliably promotes vibrissal whisker pad hypersensitivity.

RESULTS: The chronic orofacial neuropathic pain model is induced after surgical placement of chromic gut suture in the infraorbital nerve fissure in the maxillary bone. Slight compression and chemical effects of the chromic gut suture on the portion of the infraorbital nerve contacted cause mild …

Molecular Analysis Of The In Situ Growth Rate Of Subsurface Geobacter Species, Dawn E. Holmes, Ludovic Giloteaux, Melissa Barlett, Milind A. Chavan, Jessica A. Smith, Kenneth H. Williams, Michael Wilkins, Philip Long, Derek Lovley

Derek Lovley

Molecular tools that can provide an estimate of the in situ growth rate of Geobacter species could improve understanding of dissimilatory metal reduction in a diversity of environments. Whole genome microarray analyses of the subsurface isolate, Geobacter uraniireducens, grown under a variety of conditions identified a number of genes that are differentially expressed at different specific growth rates. Expression of two genes encoding ribosomal proteins, rpsC and rplL, were further evaluated with quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) in cells with doubling times ranging from 6.56 h to 89.28 h. Transcript abundance of rpsC correlated best (r2= 0.90) with specific growth …

Measuring Population Transmission Potential For Hiv: An Alternative Metric Of Transmission Risk In Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In The Us, Colleen F. Kelley, Eli S. Rosenberg, Brandon M. O'Hara, Paula M. Frew, Travis Sanchez, John L. Peterson, Carlos Del Rio, Patrick S. Sullivan

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Background Various metrics for HIV burden and treatment success [e.g. HIV prevalence, community viral load (CVL), population viral load (PVL), percent of HIV-positive persons with undetectable viral load] have important public health limitations for understanding disparities. Methods and Findings Using data from an ongoing HIV incidence cohort of black and white men who have sex with men (MSM), we propose a new metric to measure the prevalence of those at risk of transmitting HIV and illustrate its value. …See full text for complete abstract.

The Posterior Hypothalamus Exerts Opposing Effects On Nociception Via The A7 Catecholamine Cell Group In Rats, Y. Jeong, J. R. Moes, M. Wagner, J. E. Holden

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Stimulation of the posterior hypothalamic area (PH) produces antinociception in rats and humans, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. The PH forms anatomical connections with the parabrachial area, which contains the pontine A7 catecholamine cell group, a group of spinally projecting noradrenergic neurons known to produce antinociception in the dorsal horn. The aim of the present study was to determine whether PH-induced antinociception is mediated in part through connections with the A7 cell group in female Sprague-Dawley rats, as measured by the tail flick and foot withdrawal latency. Stimulation of the PH with the cholinergic agonist carbachol (125nmol) produced antinociception …

Forest Regeneration On The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Manette E. Sandor

Master's Theses

Woody species diversity of secondary forest has the potential to converge with that found in old growth forest. This study is the first to examine multiple aspects of species and reproductive trait diversity, and their relationship to each other, across a successional chronosequence. Species richness and species diversity increases with increasing age of forest. Diaspore size and diversity as well as fruit size generally increased with increasing age of forest, but fruit size diversity did not. Abundance of animal-dispersed species increased whereas wind-dispersed species decreased in abundance over succession. Insect-pollinated individuals were most abundant overall. Diaspore diversity, pollination diversity, and …

Morc2 Signaling Integrates Phosphorylation-Dependent, Atpase-Coupled Chromatin Remodeling During The Dna Damage Response, Da-Qiang Li, Sujit S. Nair, Kazufumi Ohshiro, Anupam Kumar, Vasudha S. Nair, Suresh B. Pakala, Sirigiri Divijendra Natha Reddy, Rajendra P. Gajula, Jeyanthy Eswaran, L. Aravind, Rakesh Kumar

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Chromatin dynamics play a central role in maintaining genome integrity, but how this is achieved remains largely unknown. Here, we report that microrchidia CW-type zinc finger 2 (MORC2), an uncharacterized protein with a derived PHD finger domain and a conserved GHKL-type ATPase module, is a physiological substrate of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1), an important integrator of extracellular signals and nuclear processes. Following DNA damage, MORC2 is phosphorylated on serine 739 in a PAK1-dependent manner, and phosphorylated MORC2 regulates its DNA-dependent ATPase activity to facilitate chromatin remodeling. Moreover, MORC2 associates with chromatin and promotes gamma-H2AX induction in a PAK1 phosphorylation-dependent manner. …

Piscine Myocarditis Virus (Pmcv) In Wild Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar, Torstein Tengs Dr.

Dr. Torstein Tengs

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) is a severe cardiac disease of sea-farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., but CMS-like lesions have also been found in wild Atlantic salmon. In 2010 a double-stranded RNA virus of the Totiviridae family, provisionally named piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), was described as the causative agent of CMS. In the present paper we report the first detection of PMCV in wild Atlantic salmon. The study is based on screening of 797 wild Atlantic salmon by real-time RT-PCR. The samples were collected from 35 different rivers along the coast of Norway, and all individuals included in the study were …

The Posterior Hypothalamus Exerts Opposing Effects On Nociception Via The A7 Catecholamine Cell Group In Rats, Y. Jeong, J. R. Moes, M. Wagner, J. E. Holden

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Stimulation of the posterior hypothalamic area (PH) produces antinociception in rats and humans, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. The PH forms anatomical connections with the parabrachial area, which contains the pontine A7 catecholamine cell group, a group of spinally projecting noradrenergic neurons known to produce antinociception in the dorsal horn. The aim of the present study was to determine whether PH-induced antinociception is mediated in part through connections with the A7 cell group in female Sprague-Dawley rats, as measured by the tail flick and foot withdrawal latency. Stimulation of the PH with the cholinergic agonist carbachol (125nmol) produced antinociception …

The Rnf Complex Of Clostridium Ljungdahlii Is A Proton-Translocating Ferredoxin: Nad+ Oxidoreductase Essential For Autotrophic Growth, Pier-Luc Tremblay, Tian Zhang, Shabir A. Dar, Ching Leang, Derek Lovley

Derek Lovley

It has been predicted that the Rnf complex of Clostridium ljungdahlii is a proton-translocating ferredoxin:NAD+ oxidoreductase which contributes to ATP synthesis by an H+-translocating ATPase under both autotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions. The recent development of methods for genetic manipulation of C. ljungdahlii made it possible to evaluate the possible role of the Rnf complex in energy conservation. Disruption of the C. ljungdahlii rnf operon inhibited autotrophic growth. ATP synthesis, proton gradient, membrane potential, and proton motive force collapsed in the Rnf-deficient mutant with H2 as the electron source and CO2 as the electron acceptor. Heterotrophic growth was hindered in …

Historical And Contemporary Dna Indicate Fisher Decline And Isolation Occurred Prior To The European Settlement Of California, Jody M. Tucker, Michael K. Schwartz, Richard L. Truex, Kristine L. Pilgrim, Fred W. Allendorf

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Establishing if species contractions were the result of natural phenomena or human induced landscape changes is essential for managing natural populations. Fishers (Martes pennanti) in California occur in two geographically and genetically isolated populations in the northwestern mountains and southern Sierra Nevada. Their isolation is hypothesized to have resulted from a decline in abundance and distribution associated with European settlement in the 1800s. However, there is little evidence to establish that fisher occupied the area between the two extant populations at that time. We analyzed 10 microsatelliteloci from 275 contemporary and 21 historical fisher samples (1880-1920) to evaluate the demographic …

Increased Feeding And Nutrient Excretion Of Adult Antarctic Krill, Euphausia Superba, Exposed To Enhanced Carbon Dioxide (Co2), Gk Saba, O Schofield, Jj Torres, Eh Ombres, Deborah K. Steinberg

VIMS Articles

Ocean acidification has a wide-ranging potential for impacting the physiology and metabolism of zooplankton. Sufficiently elevated CO2 concentrations can alter internal acid-base balance, compromising homeostatic regulation and disrupting internal systems ranging from oxygen transport to ion balance. We assessed feeding and nutrient excretion rates in natural populations of the keystone species Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill) by conducting a CO2 perturbation experiment at ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 levels in January 2011 along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Under elevated CO2 conditions (similar to 672 ppm), ingestion rates of krill averaged 78 mu g C individual(-1) d(-1) and were 3.5 times …

Ict For Poverty Alleviation In Pacific Island Nations: Study Of Icts4d In Fiji, Deogratias Harorimana, Opeti Rokotuinivono, Emali Sewale, Fane Salaiwai, Marica Naulu, Evangelin Roy

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

ICT for Poverty Alleviation in Pacific Island Nations: Study of ICTs4D in Fiji There has been a vague and little knowledge on the role or potential of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in relation to addressing poverty in Fiji. This may be probably due to the newness of the technology in the South Pacific Region as a whole but also probably due to the fact that only 9.7% of the current Fiji 931,000 populations are internet users (ITC Figures 2011). This paper reports on finding how ICTs is contributing towards poverty alleviation in Fiji. On the basis of reviewed best …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 25, 2012, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 25, 2012 (12/25/12) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

The Impact Of Coastal Phytoplankton Blooms On Ocean-Atmosphere Thermal Energy Exchange: Evidence From A Two-Way Coupled Numerical Modeling System, Jason K. Jolliff, Travis A. Smith, Charlie N. Barron, Sergio Derada, Stephanie C. Anderson, Richard W. Gould, Robert A. Arnone

Faculty Publications

A set of sensitivity experiments are performed with a two-way coupled and nested ocean-atmosphere forecasting system in order to deconvolve how dense phytoplankton stocks in a coastal embayment may impact thermal energy exchange processes. Monterey Bay simulations parameterizing solar shortwave transparency in the surface ocean as an invariant oligotrophic oceanic water type estimate consistently colder sea surface temperature (SST) than simulations utilizing more realistic, spatially varying shortwave attenuation terms based on satellite estimates of surface algal pigment concentration. These SST differences lead to an similar to 88% increase in the cumulative turbulent thermal energy transfer from the ocean to the …

Evaluasi Berat Badan Tidak Naik Pada Bayi Di Bawah Dua Tahun Warga Miskin Setelah Pemberian Mp-Asi, Ratri Ciptaningtyas, Arif Sumantri, M. Arbi Ramadhan

Kesmas

Program Pemberian Makanan Pendamping ASI (MP-ASI) berupa bubur untuk 6-11 bulan dan biskuit untuk 12-24 bulan dan bertujuan untuk meningkatkan status gizi pada anak, terutama pada keluarga miskin. Tujuan penelitian ini mengevaluasi berbagai faktor yang memengaruhi berat badan tidak naik pada baduta keluarga miskin setelah pemberian program MP-ASI kementerian kesehatan. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada 82 ibu baduta yang menerima MP-ASI dengan desain studi kasus kontrol menggunakan data primer dan sekunder. Analisis dilakukan dengan regresi multivariat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan hubungan antara berat badan tidak naik dengan ASI eksklusif (OR = 3,48; IK 95% = 1,38-8,80), pemberian MP-ASI kementerian kesehatan (OR = …

Chronic Stress Elevates Telomerase Activity In Rats, Annaliese K. Beery, Jue Lin, Joshua S. Biddle, Darlene D. Francis, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Elissa S. Epel

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

The enzyme telomerase lengthens telomeres—protective structures containing repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome ends. Telomere shortening is associated with diseases of ageing in mammals. Chronic stress has been related to shorter immune-cell telomeres, but telomerase activity under stress may be low, permitting telomere loss, or high, partially attenuating it. We developed an experimental model to examine the impacts of extended unpredictable stress on telomerase activity in male rats. Telomerase activity was 54 per cent higher in stressed rats than in controls, and associated with stress-related physiological and behavioural outcomes. This significant increase suggests a potential mechanism for resilience to stress-related replicative …

Combining Mbr And Nf/Ro Membrane Filtration For The Removal Of Trace Organics In Indirect Potable Water Reuse Applications, William Price, Nichanan Tadkaew, Long Nghiem, Stuart Khan, Abdulhakeem Alturki, James Mcdonald

Long D Nghiem

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the complementarities of combining membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment with nanofiltration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration for the removal of trace organic contaminants for potential indirect potable water recycling applications. Four commercially available NF/RO membranes, namely NF270, NF90, BW30 and ESPA2, were selected for this investigation. Challenge tests were conducted with 40 trace organic compounds at concentrations of approximately 2 ng/L in initial wastewater solutions using a laboratory scaleMBRsystem and a cross-flow NF/RO rig. The results suggest that the MBR system effectively removes hydrophobic and biodegradable trace organic compounds. The adsorption …

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Desertification In Yobe State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental and socio-economic problems of our time. Desertification describes circumstances of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from the climatic variation and human activities. The fundamental goal of this thesis was to assess the effects of desertification in Yobe State, Nigeria. The present threat of desertification in the sahel has reached an alarming stage where crops cultivation and animal rearing/grazing are no more productive, soil has lost its nutrient/fertility, various infrastructure had given way because of windstorm from the neighbouring Niger Republic and sand dunes had taken over. The …

Buried Clay Pipe Irrigation, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

The buried clay pipe method of irrigation is one of the most efficient systems known and is ideal for gardeners and small farmers. Buried clay pipe irrigation uses a buried, unglazed clay pipe filled with water to provide controlled irrigation to plants as the water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that is influenced by the plant's water use. It has been used for more than one hundred years.This auto-regulation leads to very high efficiency--considerably better than drip irrigation and many times better than conventional surface irrigation. This also reduces weeds, increases yields, and can speed maturity …

Liana Abundance, Diversity, And Distribution On Barro Colorado Island, Panama, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Scott A. Mangan, James W. Dalling, Claire Baldeck, Stephen P. Hubbell, Alicia Ledo, Helene C. Muller-Laudau, Michael F. Tobin, Salomón Aguilar, David Brassfield, Andres Hernandez, Suzanne Lao, Rolando Perez, Oldemar Valdes, Suzanne R. Yorke

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas are a key component of tropical forests; however, most surveys are too small to accurately quantify liana community composition, diversity, abundance, and spatial distribution – critical components for measuring the contribution of lianas to forest processes. In 2007, we tagged, mapped, measured the diameter, and identified all lianas ≥1 cm rooted in a 50-ha plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI). We calculated liana density, basal area, and species richness for both independently rooted lianas and all rooted liana stems (genets plus clones). We compared spatial aggregation patterns of liana and tree species, and among liana species that varied …

An Integrated Genetic Linkage Map For Silkworms With Three Parental Combinations And Its Application To The Mapping Of Single Genes And Qtl, Shuai Zhan, Jianhua Huang, Qiuhong Guo, Yunpo Zhao, Weihua Li, Xuexia Miao, Marian R. Goldsmith, Muwang Li, Yongping Huang

Marian R Goldsmith

Background: Bombyx mori, the domesticated silkworm, is a well-studied model insect with great economic and scientific significance. Although more than 400 mutations have been described in silkworms, most have not been identified, especially those affecting economically-important traits. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are effective and economical tools for mapping traits and genetic improvement. The current SSR linkage map is of low density and contains few polymorphisms. The purpose of this work was to develop a dense and informative linkage map that would assist in the preliminary mapping and dissection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a variety of silkworm strains. Results: …