Life Sciences Commons^™

Ua1c11/55 Gordon Wilson Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs taken by and of Gordon Wilson.

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Shoal Chub (Macrhybopsis Hyostoma), Sturgeon Chub (M. Gelida), Sicklefin Chub (M. Meeki), Silver Chub (M. Storeriana), Flathead Chub (Platygobio Gracilis), Plains Minnow (Hybognathus Placitus), Western Silvery Minnow (H. Argyritis), And Brassy Minnow (H. Hankinsoni), Kirk D. Steffensen, Dane A. Shuman, Sam Stukel

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Throughout the past century, the Missouri River has been highly modified which has negatively affected the native fish community. Previous research quantified the reduction of several native Cyprinidae species and made several recommendations to aid in recovery. However, these recommendations were not implemented. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to assess the current population trends of eight native cyprinid species and develop the current management objectives. Over 335,000 fish were collected from the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border with mini-fyke nets and otter trawls from 2003 to 2012. Target Cyprinidae species consisted of less than five percent (n …

The Wild West Of Edible Insects, Kyle Ligman

Capstones

After the UN came out with a report in 2013 recommending insects for human consumption, businesses and restaurants in the U.S. have been racing to grow a new industry. This project explores the psychological, regulatory and production challenges they face.

Smokejumper Obituary: Landis, Dale E. (Missoula 1945), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Identifying Glioblastoma Gene Networks Based On Hypergeometric Test Analysis, Vasileios Stathias, Chiara Pastori, Tess Z. Griffin, Ricardo Komotar, Jennifer L. Clarke, Ming Zhang, Nagi G. Ayad

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Patient specific therapy is emerging as an important possibility for many cancer patients. However, to identify such therapies it is essential to determine the genomic and transcriptional alterations present in one tumor relative to control samples. This presents a challenge since use of a single sample precludes many standard statistical analysis techniques. We reasoned that one means of addressing this issue is by comparing transcriptional changes in one tumor with those observed in a large cohort of patients analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). To test this directly, we devised a bioinformatics pipeline to identify differentially expressed genes in …

No Waste: Nyc, Minda Smiley

Capstones

I produced three video pieces about people who are living zero-waste lifestyles or using zero-waste practices in their businesses. I also wrote a narrative piece about my experience living zero-waste for one week.

When You Can't Watch What You Eat: Examining The Fda’S Recall Process For Food Allergies, Jacob Passy

Capstones

Over a third of all recalls for food products in the United States occur due to an undeclared allergen. In these situations, a food product is often mislabeled or contaminated in some way, resulting in the unknown presence of allergen. For food-allergic consumers, a company's mistake can become life-threatening. By investigating data from the Food and Drug Administration, I found that supermarket chains are responsible for about a fifth of all recalls, and that many recalls occur past the product's expiration date. These factors point to the need to improve the FDA's handling of food allergies in food manufacturing.

Fish Sound Production In The Presence Of Harmful Algal Blooms In The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Carrie C. Wall, Chad Lembke, Chuanmin Hu, David A. Mann

Marine Science Faculty Publications

This paper presents the first known research to examine sound production by fishes during harmful algal blooms (HABs). Most fish sound production is species-specific and repetitive, enabling passive acoustic monitoring to identify the distribution and behavior of soniferous species. Autonomous gliders that collect passive acoustic data and environmental data concurrently can be used to establish the oceanographic conditions surrounding sound-producing organisms. Three passive acoustic glider missions were conducted off west-central Florida in October 2011, and September and October 2012. The deployment period for two missions was dictated by the presence of red tide events with the glider path specifically set …

Mechanisms Of Translational Repression Of The Sperm Mitochondria Associated-Cysteine Rich Protein (Smcp) Mrna In Round Spermatids, Danielle L. Cullinane

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The sperm-mitochondria-associated cysteine-rich protein (SMCP) is a male germ cell-specific protein that localizes to the outer membranes of sperm mitochondria and increases sperm motility. The Smcp mRNA is transcribed in early spermatids, and stored in a translationally repressed state for ~7 days before translation is activated in late spermatids. Identifying the cis-elements and trans-factors that repress the Smcp mRNA in early spermatids is important because these factors and elements coordinate the translational activity of hundreds of mRNAs.

A mutation was studied in transgenic mice in which the 16 nucleotides downstream of the first poly(A) signal in the Smcp …

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Sauger (Sander Canadensis), Kirk D. Steffensen, Sam Stukel, Dane A. Shuman

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Early fisheries investigation of the Missouri River fish community indicated that Sauger were common throughout Nebraska, including all major Missouri River tributaries. However due to many factors, their current range is restricted to the Missouri River and the lower reaches of a few tributaries. Hesse (1994) recommended listing Sauger as a state endangered species but this recommendation was never implemented. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to reevaluate the current population status of Sauger in the Missouri River along Nebraska’s border. Over 2,100 Sauger have been captured from the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border since 2003. Sauger were …

Perbedaan Pengaruh Circuit Training Dan Fartlek Training Terhadap Peningkatan Vo2max Dan Indeks Massa Tubuh, Muh. Akmal Almy, Sukadiyanto Sukadiyanto

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) metode circuit training lebih efektif daripada metode fartlek training dalam meningkatkan VO₂Max pada pemain sepakbola (2) Indeks Massa Tubuh (IMT) rendah lebih baik/bagus daripada Indeks Massa Tubuh (IMT) tinggi terhadap peningkatan VO₂ Max pemain sepakbola, (3) Ada kecenderungan interaksi antar kedua kelompok latihan dan Indeks Massa Tubuh (IMT) terhadap peningkatan VO₂Max. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian eksperimen dengan rancangan faktorial 2 x 2. Instrumen dalam penelitian ini adalah Multistage Test dan IMT. Hasil penelitian adalah sebagai berikut. (1) terdapat perbedaan pengaruh yang signifikan antara metode circuit training dan …

Pengembangan Model Latihan Karate Kids Pada Anak Usia Sekolah Dasar Kelas Atas, Widha Srianto, Sugeng Purwanto

Jurnal Keolahragaan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menghasilkan model latihan karate kids pada anak usia sekolah dasar (SD) kelas atas (10-12 tahun). Penelitian pengembangan ini dilakukan dengan mengadaptasi langkah-langkah penelitian sebagai berikut: (1) pengumpulan informasi di lapangan, (2) melakukan analisis terhadap informasi yang telah dikumpulkan, (3) mengembangkan produk awal, (4) validasi ahli dan revisi, (5) uji coba lapangan skala kecil dan revisi, (6) uji coba lapangan skala besar dan revisi, dan (7) pembuatan produk final. Uji coba skala kecil dilakukan di klub Forki Kota Yogyakarta berjumlah 7 anak. Uji coba skala besar di klub Inkanas DIY berjumlah 16 anak. Instrumen pengumpulan data yang …

Dietary Variety Is Inversely Associated With Body Adiposity Among Us Adults Using A Novel Food Diversity Index.Pdf, Maya Vadiveloo, L. Beth Dixon, Tod Mijanovich, Brian Elbel, Niyati Parekh

Maya Vadiveloo

Greater Healthful Food Variety As Measured By The Us Healthy Food Diversity Index Is Associated With Lower Odds Of Metabolic Syndrome And Its Components In Us Adults.Pdf, Maya Vadiveloo, Niyati Parekh, Josiemer Mattei

Maya Vadiveloo

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 30, 2014, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 30, 2014 (12/30/14) 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: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Evolutionary Genomics And Adaptive Evolution Of The Hedgehog Gene Family (Shh, Ihh And Dhh) In Vertebrates, Joana Pereira, Warren E. Johnson, Stephen J. O'Brien, Erich D. Jarvis, Guojie Zhang, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Vitor Vasconcelos, Agostinho Antunes

Biology Faculty Articles

The Hedgehog (Hh) gene family codes for a class of secreted proteins composed of two active domains that act as signalling molecules during embryo development, namely for the development of the nervous and skeletal systems and the formation of the testis cord. While only one Hh gene is found typically in invertebrate genomes, most vertebrates species have three (Sonic hedgehog – Shh; Indian hedgehog – Ihh; and Desert hedgehog – Dhh), each with different expression patterns and functions, which likely helped promote the increasing complexity of vertebrates and their successful diversification. In this study, we …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 36, Nos. 3-4, Fall-Winter 2014, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Modelling Non-Euclideanmovement And Landscape Connectivity In Highly Structured Ecological Networks, Chris Sutherland, Angela Fuller, J. Royle

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

1. Movement is influenced by landscape structure, configuration and geometry, but measuring distance as perceived by animals poses technical and logistical challenges. Instead, movement is typically measured using Euclidean distance, irrespective of location or landscape structure, or is based on arbitrary cost surfaces. Arecently proposed extension of spatial capture-recapture (SCR)models resolves this issue using spatial encounterhistories of individuals to calculate least-cost paths (ecological distance: Ecology, 94, 2013, 287) thereby relaxingthe Euclidean assumption. We evaluate the consequences of not accounting for movement heterogeneity whenestimating abundance in highly structured landscapes, and demonstrate the value of this approach for estimatingbiologically realistic space-use patterns …

Modelling Non-Euclideanmovement And Landscape Connectivity In Highly Structured Ecological Networks, Chris Sutherland, Angela Fuller, J. Royle

Chris Sutherland

En El Do De La Unión Europea: Registro De Denominaciones De Origen Protegidas, Indicaciones Geográficas Protegidas, Etc., Luis González Vaqué, Cristina Vidreras Pérez

Luis González Vaqué

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Developmental And Environmental Signals Via A Polyadenylation Factor In Arabidopsis, Man Liu, Ruqiang Xu, Carrie Merrill, Liwei Hong, Carol Von Lanken, Arthur G. Hunt, Qingshun Q. Li

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The ability to integrate environmental and developmental signals with physiological responses is critical for plant survival. How this integration is done, particularly through posttranscriptional control of gene expression, is poorly understood. Previously, it was found that the 30 kD subunit of Arabidopsis cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (AtCPSF30) is a calmodulin-regulated RNA-binding protein. Here we demonstrated that mutant plants (oxt6) deficient in AtCPSF30 possess a novel range of phenotypes--reduced fertility, reduced lateral root formation, and altered sensitivities to oxidative stress and a number of plant hormones (auxin, cytokinin, gibberellic acid, and ACC). While the wild-type AtCPSF30 (C30G) was …

Tensile Testing To Quantitate The Anisotropy And Strain Hardening Of Mozzarella Cheese, Ramona Bast, Prateek Sharma, Hannah K.B. Easton, Tzvetelin T. Dessev, Mita Lad, Peter A. Munro

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

We explored anisotropy of mozzarella cheese: its presence is debated in the literature. Tensile testing proved a good method because the location and mode of failure were clear. Mozzarella cheese cut direct from the block showed no significant anisotropy, though confocal microscopy showed good structure alignment at a microscale. Deliberately elongated mozzarella cheese showed strong anisotropy with tensile strength in the elongation or fibre direction ∼3.5× that perpendicular to the fibres. Temperature of elongation had a marked impact on anisotropy with maximum anisotropy after elongation at 70 °C. We suggest the disagreement on anisotropy in the literature is related to …

Amylin Structure, Aggregation, And Pancreatic Β Cell Toxicity, Sharadrao Patil

MCB Articles

In most type 2 diabetes patients, amyloid plaques have been found juxtaposed with membranes of pancreatic β-cells. These plaques are composed of amyloid fibrils of the 37 residue endocrine hormone amylin and cause distinct changes in cell membrane morphology associated with the destruction of β-cells. Research is still ongoing to identify the toxic species involved and the mechanisms by which mature fibrils or oligomers cause cytotoxicity. The projects undertaken were designed to study the molecular structural features of amylin, mechanism of amyloid aggregation and, to develop cytotoxicity inhibitors. We determined the structure of human amylin bound to SDS micelles using …

Baseline Survey For Street Dogs In Guam, John D. Boone

Stray and Feral Animal Populations Collection

As is the case for many inhabited islands in Pacific region, dogs are common, including freeroaming street dogs that may be owned or unowned. Reproduction among dogs is largely unchecked, and many owned dogs do not receive adequate levels of basic care in the home or veterinary care when needed. For all of these reasons, Humane Society International (HSI) is exploring options for improving the management of street dog populations and promoting better treatment and care of all dogs on Guam and on the nearby islands of Rota and Saipan. One of the initial steps in this process was to …

Winter Activity Of Bats In Southeastern Nebraska: An Acoustic Study, Jeremy A. White, Brett R. Andersen, Hans W. Otto, Cliff A. Lemen, Patricia W. Freeman

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Many North American bats are active outside hibernacula in winter, but no information on winter activity has been reported for Nebraska. We recorded activity of bats during two winters (December-February 2012-2013 and 2013-2014) at one location in southeastern Nebraska with an acoustic detector. Bats were active throughout both winters and temperature at sunset was a good predictor of bat activity. Red bats (Lasiurus borealis) were active at our site in early December but were not recorded later in winter. We suspect these individuals were late migrants to more southern wintering sites. Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) …

A Single Vertebrate Dna Virus Protein Disarms Invertebrate Immunity To Rna Virus Infection, Don B. Gammon, Sophie Duraffour, Daniel K. Rozelle, Heidi Hehnly, Rita Sharma, Michael E. Sparks, Cara C. West, Ying Chen, James J. Moresco, Graciela Andrei, John H. Connor, Darryl Conte Jr., Dawn E. Gundersen-Rindal, William L. Marshall, John R. Yates, Neal S. Silverman, Craig C. Mello

Neal Silverman

Virus-host interactions drive a remarkable diversity of immune responses and countermeasures. We found that two RNA viruses with broad host ranges, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and Sindbis virus (SINV), are completely restricted in their replication after entry into Lepidopteran cells. This restriction is overcome when cells are co-infected with vaccinia virus (VACV), a vertebrate DNA virus. Using RNAi screening, we show that Lepidopteran RNAi, Nuclear Factor-kappaB, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathways restrict RNA virus infection. Surprisingly, a highly conserved, uncharacterized VACV protein, A51R, can partially overcome this virus restriction. We show that A51R is also critical for VACV replication in vertebrate cells …

High Rates Of Hiv Seroconversion In Pregnant Women And Low Reported Levels Of Hiv Testing Among Male Partners In Southern Mozambique: Results From A Mixed Methods Study, Caroline De Schacht, Heather J. Hoffman, Nedio Mabunda, Carlota Lucas, Catharina L. Alons, Ana Madonela, Adolfo Vubil, Orlando C. Ferreira, Nurbai Calu, Iolanda S. Santos, Ilesh V. Jani, Laura Guay

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction

Prevention of acute HIV infections in pregnancy is required to achieve elimination of pediatric HIV. Identification and support for HIV negative pregnant women and their partners, particularly serodiscordant couples, are critical. A mixed method study done in Southern Mozambique estimated HIV incidence during pregnancy, associated risk factors and factors influencing partner's HIV testing.

Methods

Between April 2008 and November 2011, a prospective cohort of 1230 HIV negative pregnant women was followed during pregnancy. A structured questionnaire, HIV testing, and collection of dried blood spots were done at 2–3 scheduled visits. HIV incidence rates were calculated by repeat HIV testing …

Using Plant Volatile Traps To Develop Phenology Models For Natural Enemies: An Example Using Chrysopa Nigricornis (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Vincent P. Jones, David R. Horton, Nicholas J. Mills, Thomas R. Unruh, Eugene R. Milickzy, Peter W. Shearer, Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Callie C. Baker, Tawnee D. Melton

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

A model predicting phenology of adult Chrysopa nigricornis (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in orchards was developed from field (trapping) data supplemented with development data collected under laboratory conditions. Lower and upper thresholds of 10.1°C and 29.9°C, respectively, were estimated from published and unpublished laboratory observations, and were used to develop a phenology model. Season-long field data were collected using white delta traps that had been baited with squalene, a volatile shown previously to be highly attractive to C. nigricornis. The model was developed from data collected in three Washington apple orchards, and was validated using independent data sets collected from apple, …

Discrete Energies Of A Weakly Outcoupled Atom Laser Beam Outside The Bose–Einstein Condensate Region, Teguh Budi Prayitno

Makara Journal of Science

We consider the possibility of a discrete set of energies of a weakly outcoupled atom laser beam to the homogeneous Schrödinger equation with anisotropic harmonic trap in Cartesian coordinates outside the Bose–Einstein condensate region. This treatment is used because working in the cylindrical coordinates is not really possible, even though we implement the cigar-shaped trap case. The Schrödinger equation appears to replace a set of two-coupled Gross– Pitaevskii equations by enabling the weak-coupling assumption. This atom laser can be produced in a simple way that only involves extracting the atoms in a condensate from by using the radio frequency field. …

Real-Time Kinetic Studies Of Bacillus Subtilis Oxalate Decarboxylase And Ceriporiopsis Subvermispora Oxalate Oxidase Using Luminescent Oxygen Sensor, Laura Molina, Thomas Goodall, Umar Twahir, Ellen W. Moomaw

Faculty and Research Publications

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC), an enzyme of the bicupin superfamily, catalyzes the decomposition of oxalate into carbon dioxide and formate at an optimal pH of 4.3 in the presence of oxygen. However, about 0.2% of all reactions occur through an oxidase mechanism that consumes oxygen while producing two equivalents of carbon dioxide and one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide. The kinetics of oxidase activity were studied by measuring the consumption of dissolved oxygen over time using a luminescent oxygen sensor. We describe the implementation of and improvements to the oxygen consumption assay. The oxidase activity of wild type OxDC was compared to …