Life Sciences Commons^™

Conservation In The Context Of Climate Change: Practical Guidelines For Land Protection At Local Scales, Kevin Ruddock, Peter August, Christopher Damon, Charles Labash, Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue Jr.

Peter August

Climate change will affect the composition of plant and animal communities in many habitats and geographic settings. This presents a dilemma for conservation programs – will the portfolio of protected lands we now have achieve a goal of conserving biodiversity in the future when the ecological communities occurring within them change? Climate change will significantly alter many plant communities, but the geophysical underpinnings of these landscapes, such as landform, elevation, soil, and geological properties, will largely remain the same. Studies show that extant landscapes with a diversity of geophysical characteristics support diverse plant and animal communities. Therefore, geophysically diverse landscapes …

Conservation In The Context Of Climate Change: Practical Guidelines For Land Protection At Local Scales, Kevin Ruddock, Peter V. August, Christopher Damon, Charles Labash, Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue Jr.

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Climate change will affect the composition of plant and animal communities in many habitats and geographic settings. This presents a dilemma for conservation programs – will the portfolio of protected lands we now have achieve a goal of conserving biodiversity in the future when the ecological communities occurring within them change? Climate change will significantly alter many plant communities, but the geophysical underpinnings of these landscapes, such as landform, elevation, soil, and geological properties, will largely remain the same. Studies show that extant landscapes with a diversity of geophysical characteristics support diverse plant and animal communities. Therefore, geophysically diverse landscapes …

Science Fair: Is It Worth The Work? A Qualitative Study On Deaf Students' Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Science Fair In Primary And Secondary School, Vivian Lee Smith

Dissertations

Science fairs have a long history in American education. They play an important role for establishing inquiry-based experiences in a science classroom. Students may be more motivated to learn science content when they are allowed to choose their own science fair topics. The purpose of this study was to examine Deaf college students’ perceptions and experiences regarding science fair participation during primary and/or secondary school and determine the influence of science fair involvement on the development of language skills, writing skills, and higher order thinking skills as well as its impact on choice of a STEM major.

This study examined …

Lysophosphatidic Acid Stimulates Lymphangiogenesis In Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells, John Macbeth, Donna Nofziger-Plank

Featured Research

Lymphangiogenesis is the process by which new lymphatic vessels sprout and grow from existing vessels whether under developmental, immunological, or cancerous conditions. Proper lymphatic vessel formation is important in working alongside normal angiogenesis in order to help regulate the body’s tissue fluid as well as aid in immunosurveillance. Various factors regulate lymphangiogenesis such as members of the vascular endothelial growth factor family (VEGF). Another factor that has recently been identified to play a role in lymphangiogenesis is the bio-active phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) however the molecular mechanism by which LPA regulates lymphangiogenesis has not been well characterized. In this study, …

The Survivin And Ciap1 Anti-Apoptotic Proteins Are Differentially Downregulated In Response To Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Vicki Mercado, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an organelle tasked with synthesis and transport of 50% of new cellular proteins. Dysfunction within this organelle creates signals for repair, adaptation, and in severe cases, cellular apoptosis. Multiple human diseases have been associated with ER dysfunction, and the activation of apoptosis in important populations of cells. Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins are cytosolic proteins that play an anti-apoptotic role in the cytosol. The relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the expression/stability of IAPs is not well characterized. The objective of this study was to characterize the affect of ER stress on the expression/stability …

Evaluating Itpr-Dependence Of Apoptotic Signaling From The Endoplasmic Reticulum, Agustin Vargas, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

Stress within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can be induced by misfolded proteins accumulating in the lumen of this organelle. Signaling of ER stress to other parts of the cell results in altered gene expression, physiological adaptation, and with sustained stress, apoptosis (cell suicide). ER stress is often studied with highly toxic compounds that create severe ER stress rapidly, and a condition that is likely not physiologically relevant within an organism. In this study, we examine the apoptotic signaling induced by moderate ER stress, and in particular the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (ITPR). The ITPR regulates Ca2+ release from the ER lumen, …

Carbon Black And Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Differentially Activate Oxidative Stress And Apoptosis In A549 Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells, Sarah Alvarado, Brianna Manes, Jay L. Brewster

Featured Research

Recent studies have demonstrated that variation between particulate matter compositions have universally adverse effects on cells and living tissues. Carbon black and titanium dioxide are two such particulates that we are continuously exposed to, yet there is limited research to examine the potential deleterious effects on living tissue. The objective of this study is to characterize the effect of carbon black (CB) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) particulates on A549 human alveolar epithelial lung cells. CB and TiO2 powders were dispersed throughout a solution of water and bovine serum albumin by high-powered sonication. The effects of these particulates on A549 cells …

Immunomodulatory Activity Of Sambucus Mexicana And Trichostema Lanatum On Lps Stimulated Raw 264.7 Macrophage Cells, Victoria Hester, P. Matthew Joyner

Featured Research

Chumash medicinal plants Sambucus mexicana (Mexican elderberry) and Trichostema lanatum (woolly blue curls) were tested for immunomodulatory activity. Anti-inflammatory effects were determined by treating LPS induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with plant extracts and measuring the levels of cytokines: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 10 (IL-10). We hypothesized that both plants would exert immunomodulatory activity by reducing the pro-inflammatory production of TNF-alpha or by promoting M2 polarization with a concurrent increase in IL-10 production. At concentration 0.01 mg/mL woolly blue curls and Mexican elderberry demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the concentration of TNF-alpha in vitro, while levels of …

The Regulatory Effect Of Semaphorin 7a On Proliferation And Migration In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, Steven R. Flemming, Donna Nofziger-Plank

Featured Research

Semaphorin 7A (SEMA 7A), a factor originally identified as regulating axon growth, has recently been implicated as a pro-angiogenic factor. The molecular mechanisms for this ability to stimulate angiogenesis have not been identified. This study examines if SEMA 7A can have a direct effect on vascular endothelial cells or whether it indirectly induces angiogenesis through stimulation and recruitment of macrophages as has been suggested. Using a human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the ability of SEMA 7A to affect proliferation and migration was examined. HUVECs were exposed to SEMA 7A directly or to conditioned media collected from macrophages exposed to …

Effect Of Shear Stress On Ecnos Expression And Dilation In Soleus Feed Arteries, Blanca Perez, Jay L. Brewster, Jeffrey Jasperse

Featured Research

Shear stress causes artery dilation and increased expression of endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) in coronary and placental arteries. We sought to determine the importance of shear stress in maintaining normal dilation and normal levels of ecNOS in rat soleus feed arteries (SFA). SFA were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats and cannulated for in vitro microscopy (Fig. 6). SFA were exposed to no shear stress, low shear stress, or high shear stress conditions for 4 hours. After 4 hours, endothelium-dependent dilation (acetylcholine: ACh) and endothelium-independent dilation (sodium nitroprusside: SNP) were tested. Arteries were then uncannulated, mRNA was isolated, and …

An Ethnobotanical Approach To Finding Antimicrobial Compounds In Wooly Blue Curls (Trichostema Lanatum) Using A Kirby-Bauer Disc Diffusion Assay, Matthew C. Fleming, P. Matthew Joyner

Featured Research

Plants can be an important source of creativity and production of new drugs. In this study, extracts of wooly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum) were made using DMSO and tested for antimicrobial activity on a panel of bacteria commonly found in separate ecological niches. Wooly blue curls (WBC) was chosen due to its being recorded as a strong disinfectant by the Chumash people. It was found that WBC does exhibit antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria and not against gram negative bacteria. However, gram negative bacteria with reduced drug efflux function became susceptible to the WBC extract.

The Effect Of Shear Stress, Potassium, And Adenosine On Α-1 Adrenergic Vasoconstriction Of Rat Soleus Feed Arteries, Tanner J. Heckle, Jeffrey Jasperse

Featured Research

During exercise, blood flow increases to the working skeletal muscle primarily because of dilation of the arteries and arterioles feeding the muscle. Sympathetic nerve activity also increases during exercise, augmenting the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) at the arterial wall and into the blood. NE acts to constrict blood vessels; however, arteries and arterioles within contracting skeletal muscle dilate despite the increased NE present. This has led to the concept of functional sympatholysis (4), the idea that a chemical released from contracting skeletal muscle interferes with NE signaling. NE acts by binding to adrenergic (alpha and beta) receptors, and …

A Discourse On The Public Nature Of Research In Contemporary Life Science: A Law-Policy Proposal To Promote The Public Nature Of Science In An Era Of Academia-Industry Integration, Michael J. Malinowski

Michael J. Malinowski

This article addresses the impact of integration of academia, industry, and government on the public nature of research. The article concludes that, while the integration has benefited science immensely, regulatory measures should be taken to restore the public nature of research in an age of integration.

You’Ll Find No Answers Here, Joseph M. Morelli

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

One Studio Art graduate student's slog through the disciplines of art and science; noting the similarities, overlaps, and differences, and becoming utterly flummoxed in the process. It's about coming to terms with not knowing a whole lot about anything, really, but pressing on regardless.

Full Issue: Volume 6, Number 2

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Volume 7, Number 1

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.