Life Sciences Commons^™

Trichotorquatus Gen. Nov. - A New Genus Of Soil Cyanobacteria Discovered From American Drylands, Nicole Pietrasiak, Sharon Reeve, Karina Osorio-Santos, David A. Lipson, Jeffrey R. Johansen

2021 Faculty Bibliography

Cyanobacteria are crucial ecosystem components in dryland soils. Advances in describing a–level taxonomy are needed to understand what drives their abundance and distribution. We describe Trichotorquatus gen. nov. (Oculatellaceae, Synechococcales, Cyanobacteria) based on four new species isolated from dryland soils including the coastal sage scrub near San Diego, California (USA), the Mojave and Colorado Deserts with sites at Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve, California (USA), and the Atacama Desert (Chile). The genus is morphologically characterized by having thin trichomes (<4.5 lm wide), cells both shorter and longer than wide, rarely occurring single and double false branching, necridia appearing singly or in rows, and sheaths with a distinctive collar-like fraying and widening mid-filament, the feature for which the genus is named. The genus is morphologically nearly identical with Leptolyngbya sensu stricto but is phylogenetically quite distant from that genus. It is consequently a cryptic genus that will likely be differentiated in future studies based on 16S rRNA sequence data. The type species, T. maritimus sp. nov. is morphologically distinct from the other three species, T. coquimbo sp. nov., T. andrei sp. nov. and T. ladouxae sp. nov. However, these latter three species are morphologically very close and are considered by the authors to be cryptic species. All species are separated phylogenetically based on sequence of the 16S-23S ITS region. Three distinct ribosomal operons were recovered from the genus, lending difficulty to recognizing further diversity in this morphologically cryptic genus.

Structural Characterization And In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity Of Non-Specific Lipid Transfer Protein 1 (Nsltp1) From Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) Seeds, Mekdes Megeressa

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are cationic proteins involved in intracellular lipid shuttling, in growth and reproduction, as well as in defense against pathogenic microbes. Even though the primary and spatial structures of some nsLTPs from different plants indicate their similar features, they exhibit distinct lipid-binding specificities signifying their various biological roles that dictate further structural study. The present study determined the complete amino acid sequence, in silico 3D structure modeling, and in vitro antiproliferative activity of nsLTP1 from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds.

Fennel is a member of the family Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) native to southern Europe and the …

Viral Factors Influencing Early Infection Events During Ex-Vivo Kshv Infection, Ramina Nabiee

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

The enigma of Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus infection, and its persistence despite a quarter century of research on the virus, has given rise to an immediate need for addressing fundamental questions about basic immunology and virology knowledge regarding this virus. Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV), also known as Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), is the etiological agent of Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) and other lymphoproliferative cancers, such as Multicentric Castleman’s Disease (MCD), Primary Effusion Lymphoma (PEL), and a newly discovered rare disease called KSHV Inflammatory Cytokines Syndrome (KICS). Epidemic KS, also known as AIDS-KS, is the most common cancer in untreated HIV …

Changes In Health Behaviors During A Global Pandemic, Olivia Talamo

Senior Honors Projects

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE-2 receptors. COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 (CDC). By March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic. A COVID-19 infection can cause severe health consequences, including death. COVID-19 affects individuals of all ages. Individuals who are 60 years of age or older, and individuals with underlying medical conditions are considered vulnerable populations for severe consequences from COVID-19 infection (WHO). COVID-19 primarily spreads through physical contact. Respiratory droplets are produced from the nose and mouth when speaking, …

Heat And Chemical Cues Enhance Germination Rates In Fire-Dependent Chaparral Species, Zachary Litwinowicz

Senior Honors Projects

Climate change has caused an increase in the frequency and intensity of fire cycles in chaparral ecosystems. In environments impacted by wildfires, some plant species depend on complex fire cues to germinate. Determining how to best replicate wildfire cues is essential to using fire-recruiter species in restoration efforts. This study examines the effects of various simulated fire cues on four chaparral species: Arctostaphylos manzanita, A. viscida, Ceanothus cuneatus, and C. jepsonii. Seeds were exposed to heat, charate, liquid smoke, or combinations of treatments. Other germination cues, such as cold exposure for all species and acid exposure for Arctostaphylos species, were …

Neuropathy In Covid-19 Associated With Dysbiosis-Related Inflammation, Busra Aktas, Belma Aslim

Turkish Journal of Biology

Although COVID-19 affects mainly lungs with a hyperactive and imbalanced immune response, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms such as diarrhea and neuropathic pains have been described as well in patients with COVID-19. Studies indicate that gut-lung axis maintains host homeostasis and disease development with the association of immune system, and gut microbiota is involved in the COVID-19 severity in patients with extrapulmonary conditions. Gut microbiota dysbiosis impairs the gut permeability resulting in translocation of gut microbes and their metabolites into the circulatory system and induce systemic inflammation which, in turn, can affect distal organs such as the brain. Moreover, gut microbiota …

In Silico Drug Repositioning Against Human Nrp1 To Block Sars-Cov-2 Host Entry, Şeref Gül

Turkish Journal of Biology

Despite COVID-19 turned into a pandemic, no approved drug for the treatment or globally available vaccine is out yet. In such a global emergency, drug repurposing approach that bypasses a costly and long-time demanding drug discovery process is an effective way in search of finding drugs for the COVID-19 treatment. Recent studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 uses neuropilin-1 (NRP1) for host entry. Here we took advantage of structural information of the NRP1 in complex with C-terminal of spike (S) protein of SARSCoV- 2 to identify drugs that may inhibit NRP1 and S protein interaction. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved …

A Novel Rock Inhibitor: Off-Target Effects Of Metformin, Aysun Özdemi̇r, Mustafa Ark

Turkish Journal of Biology

In drug discovery, most small molecules cannot cross many stages, only a few can become drug candidates. Once the drug molecule is approved and marketed, nontarget effects that are not easily distinguishable from the actual target of the drugs might be evaluated. This situation restricts the treatment. Thus, the discovery of new drugs is a very long and expensive process. In recent years, without developing new drugs, the approach of using different and new target molecules in new indications apart from the indications of licensed drug molecules has gained importance. In this study, using the connectivity map program, it was …

Negative Regulation Of Diminutive Cancer Regulator Through Differentiation And Microrna Pathway Components In Drosophila Cells, Sumira Malik

Turkish Journal of Biology

Drosophila model is intensively studied for the development of cancer. The diminutive (dMyc), a homolog of the human MYC gene, is responsible for cell- apoptosis and its upregulation is responsible for determining the fate of cancerous growth in humans and Drosophila model. This work implores the requirement of dMyc and its expression as one of the major regulator of cancer with other proteins and repression of dMyc mRNA in Drosophila S2 cells. Here we report protein complex of Argonaute 1 (AGO1), Bag of marbles (Bam), and Brain tumor (Brat) proteins and not the individual factor of this complex repression of …

Sustitución De Grasa Por Aceite De Aguacate En La Elaboración De Salchicha Tipo Frankfurt, Diego Alberto Macías Fuyo, Diego Francisco Rodríguez Parra

Ingeniería de Alimentos

El presente trabajo se realizó con la finalidad de determinar el efecto de la adición de aceite de aguacate como sustituto de grasa en una salchicha tipo Frankfurt, las razones de este proyecto fueron, determinar si la emulsión generada, puede hacer parte de una formulación en la salchicha tipo Frankfurt además observar el grado de aceptación del producto. Como primera medida se extrajo el aceite de aguacate Hass (Persea americana), se realizó una caracterización del aceite de aguacate tal como, determinación de densidad, índice de acidez e índice de yodo. Se elaboró una salchicha tipo Frankfurt reemplazando el contenido de …

Copyright And The Creative Process, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

Copyright is typically described as a mechanism for encouraging the production of creative works. On this view, copyright protection should be granted to genuinely creative works but denied to non-creative ones. Yet that is not how the law works. Instead, almost anything—from test answer sheets to instruction manuals to replicas of items in the public domain—is deemed creative and therefore eligible for copyright protection. This is the consequence of a century of copyright doctrine assuming that artistic creativity is incapable of measurement, unaffected by personal motivation, and incomprehensible to novices and experts alike. Recent neuroscientific research contradicts these assumptions. It …

Feeding Habits Of The Non-Native Mayan Cichlid, Mayaheros Urophthalmus, In Estuarine Tributaries Of Southwest Florida, Copley H. Smoak, Jeffrey R. Schmid

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Foraging habits of the non—native Mayan Cichlid (Mayaheros urophthalmus) were investigated in the tidal tributaries to the Estero Bay and Wiggins Pass estuaries in southwest Florida (USA) during 2011—2013. Dietary analysis was conducted by identifying contents in the digestive tracts of 747 fish and volumetrically measuring the food items. Detritus was the predominant food item by frequency (97–100%), volume (34–48%), and alimentary importance index (47–64%). Bivalves, gastropods, decapod and cirriped crustaceans, coleopterans, serpulid polychaetes, and fish scales frequently (>50%) occurred in samples but volume and importance differed among tributaries. Results indicate that the Mayan Cichlid in southwest Florida tidal …

Training Patterns Of Tactical Athletes, Emily Elliott

WWU Graduate School Collection

An online survey was administered to determine what physical fitness training tactical athletes are currently participating in and determine training patterns among the tactical athlete community. One hundred two participants from law enforcement (n = 35), firefighting (n = 11), and military (n =54) were all accepted for this study. The first portion of the survey determined the occupational requirements for physical fitness training. The second portion of the survey determined the frequency, type, and duration of participants’ training within the last six months. This study demonstrated a heavy focus on cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, and muscular endurance in tactical athletes. …

Timing Of Predation Risk During Early Development Influences Oyster Shell Morphology, Armorel Eason, Andrew B. Powell, Sarah H. Roney, Carter Lin, Christa M. Russell, Benjamin A. Belgrad, Delbert Lee Smee

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Peptide Elisa And Fret-Qpcr Identified A Significantly Higher Prevalence Of Chlamydia Suis In Domestic Pigs Than In Feral Swine From The State Of Alabama, Usa, Md Monirul Hoque, Folasade Adekanmbi, Subarna Barua, Kh. Shamsur Rahman, Virginia Aida, Brian Anderson, Anil Poudel, Anwar Kalalah, Sara Bolds, Steven Madere, Steven Kitchens, Stuart Price, Vienna Brown, B. Graeme Lockaby, Constantinos S. Kyriakis, Bernhard Kaltenboeck, Chengming Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chlamydia suis is an important, highly prevalent, and diverse obligate intracellular pathogen infecting pigs. In order to investigate the prevalence and diversity of C. suis in the U.S., 276 whole blood samples from feral swine were collected as well as 109 fecal swabs and 60 whole blood samples from domestic pigs. C. suis-specific peptide ELISA identified anti-C. suis antibodies in 13.0% of the blood of feral swine (26/276) and 80.0% of the domestic pigs (48/60). FRET-qPCR and DNA sequencing found C. suis DNA in 99.1% of the fecal swabs (108/109) and 21.7% of the whole blood (13/60) of …

European Starling Nest‐Site Selection Given Enhanced Direct Nest Predation Risk, Bradley Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Morgan Pfeiffer, Bruce N. Buckingham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is recognized, outside its native range, as an invasive species, and efforts to deter its nesting have generally been unsuccessful. Enhancing perceived risk at the nest site is a little‐explored route in developing a nest deterrent. Specifically, nest predation risk affects site selection, reproduction, antipredator behavior, and fitness in nesting birds. We questioned whether perceived predation risk as related to a snake model positioned inside a nest box, in striking form, moving, and present throughout the period of cavity site selection would induce European starlings to avoid or delay nest construction. We conducted our study …

Welfare Performance Of Three Foothold Traps For Capturing North American River Otters Lontra Canadensis, Matthew J. Lovallo, H. B. White, J. D. Erb, M. S. Peek, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Foothold traps are effective tools for the live capture and restraint of wildlife for management and research. Successful river otter Lontra canadensis restoration programs throughout North America used them extensively. Restoration programs used a variety of methods and models of foothold traps, but comprehensive efforts to describe and quantify injuries associated with river otter captures have been limited. We evaluated injuries of river otters caught in three commercially available models of foothold traps including the number 11 double long-spring with standard jaws, the number 11 double long-spring with double jaws, and the number 2 coil-spring trap. Based on examinations of …

Drought In The Breadbasket Of America And The Influence Of Oceanic Teleconnections, Grace Campbell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

From 1980 to 2020, drought events accounted for 11.4% of the billion-dollar disasters in the United States (U.S.) yet caused the second highest total amount in damages at $236.6 billion. With the average cost of a drought being upwards of $9.5 billion, these natural disasters can create serious problems in agriculture. Drought is defined as a period of below average precipitation that causes damage to agriculture and water supply. Previous research has linked drought events in the U.S. Great Plains to oceanic teleconnections in the Pacific and Atlantic basins, indicating the influence of the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), …

Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) Diversity Of The Highest Elevation In West Africa: The Nimba Mountain Range, Jacob Bowen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Nimba Mountain Range in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Liberia is within the Upper Guinean Forests, a critical biodiversity hotspot highly threatened by various human activities. The region is home to many endemic species including the viviparous Nimba toad, Nimba otter-shrew, and the discrete Bossou chimpanzee population. Dung beetles can act as a focal taxon from which extrapolation to the diversity of other taxa and ecosystem health can be made. Elevational trends in dung beetle diversity were investigated on the Nimba Mountain Range and in the nearby Bossou Chimpanzee reserve in Guinea. Dung beetle species diversity surveys aimed to document …

A Comparison Of Bee Abundance And Species Richness In Three Managed Grassland Types, Emily Russ

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bees are threatened by environmental changes, pathogens, and pesticides (Pettis, 2012, Meeus et al., 2018). The goal of the study is to compare and evaluate the bee abundance and species richness in three different field types. My hypothesis is that bees would favor the fields planted for their benefit, and that the tall grass dominated plantings would be preferred over mowed fescue. My findings have low power considering few replicates and the use of relative abundance and relative species richness for statistical analyses. Bee abundance and species richness had an overall positive relationship of varying degrees across habitat types. Relative …

Antibiotic Resistant Gene Concentrations In Bacteria In Groundwater From Agricultural Waste, Koji Barnaby

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The overuse of antibiotics has led to an increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria since some antibiotics are sent into the wastewater system by waste produced by both humans and agriculture, making exposure to these bacteria more likely. The evolution of these bacteria in groundwater is of particular concern, as groundwater is used as a source of drinking water, and infections by these bacteria would be more difficult to treat. There are no policies in place to monitor or regulate antibiotic resistance bacteria in groundwater, leaving the threat to public health unknown. The study area of Crumps Cave in Smiths Grove, …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Drought Resistance And Recovery In Mixed Conifer Forests Of Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, Zachary J. Wenderott

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Forests throughout much of the western United States are experiencing increasing climatic variability, often resulting in decreased forest productivity and elevated likelihood of tree mortality. Severe drought, such California’s recent 2012-2015 drought, are projected to increase in intensity, frequency, and severity throughout much of this region in coming years. Forest management has long relied on prescribed fire and mechanical thinning to reduce fuel loads and ameliorate potential fire hazards. These treatments may also have the ability to reduce stand density, alleviate competitive pressures, and allow residual trees access to critical resources during periods of extreme stress. Utilizing a long-term National …

Comparison Of Low-Cost Commercial Unpiloted Digital Aerial Photogrammetry To Airborne Laser Scanning Across Multiple Forest Types In California, James Edward Lamping

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Science-based forest management requires quantitative information about forest attributes traditionally collected via sampled field plots in a forest inventory program. Remote sensing tools, such as active three-dimensional (3D) Light Detection and Ranging (lidar), are increasingly utilized to supplement and even replace field-based forest inventories. However, lidar remains cost prohibitive for smaller areas and repeat measurement, often limiting its use to single acquisitions of large contiguous areas. Recent advancements in unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), digital aerial photogrammetry (DAP) and high precision global positioning systems (HPGPS) have the potential to provide low-cost time and place flexible 3D data to support forest inventory …

Grit And Mindset - Unrelated To Performance In A Motor Learning Task, Jacob Smith

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Objective Research has shown grit and mindset can be improved, but no known research has investigated the effect of learning a new skill on grit and growth mindset. While grit and mindset seem to predict success in education and success, it is also not clear if initial grit or mindset have an effect on motor skill acquisition. The purposes of this research are to investigate if grit and growth mindset are predictors of learning a new skill and if learning a new skill leads to improvement in grit and growth mindset. Methods 14 students enrolled in a motor learning course …

Do Beaver Dam Analogues Act As Passage Barriers To Juvenile Coho Salmon And Juvenile Steelhead Trout?, Christopher G. O'Keefe

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the Pacific Northwest, the human-caused reduction of quality and quantity of freshwater rearing habitat is a limiting factor for Pacific Salmon populations. Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) increase suitable rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and promote the restoration of critical stream processes. Installing BDAs is an increasingly popular alternative to more intensive restoration techniques, due to the relatively low cost and effort required to install BDA structures. However, widespread installation of BDAs has been slowed by regulatory agencies’ concerns that BDAs may impede fish passage. Few studies have empirically assessed the extent to which BDAs impede fish passage, and no …

Evaluating Immaturity Risk In Young Stands Of The Serotinous Knobcone Pine (Pinus Attenuata), Katherine Marlin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As wildfire becomes increasingly frequent, many plant populations risk local extirpation if fire recurs too soon, a problem dubbed “immaturity risk”. We studied the regeneration of a serotinous conifer species, knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata), as a function of the time between high-severity fires (6-79 years). We evaluated age, cone production, and regeneration at two burned sites in northern California, the Ranch Fire (2018) in Mendocino National Forest, and the Carr Fire (2018) in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. We found an average of 30.5 filled seeds in closed, brown cones (42% viability of filled seeds). The bulk of the …

Satellite-Based Phenology Analysis In Evaluating The Response Of Puerto Rico And The United States Virgin Islands' Tropical Forests To The 2017 Hurricanes, Melissa Collin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The functionality of tropical forest ecosystems and their productivity is highly related to the timing of phenological events. Understanding forest responses to major climate events is crucial for predicting the potential impacts of climate change. This research utilized Landsat satellite data and ground-based Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data to investigate the dynamics of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands’ (PRVI) tropical forests after two major hurricanes in 2017. Analyzing these two datasets allowed for validation of the remote sensing methodology with field data and for the investigation of whether this is an appropriate approach for estimating forest …

Resolving Variability In Size Structure In An Individual-Based Model For The North Pacific Krill, Euphausia Pacifica, Roxanne Robertson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Individual-based models (IBMs) have emerged as a powerful tool for ecological research and are particularly well suited to studies of plankton ecology. In this thesis, I develop an IBM for the North Pacific krill, Euphausia pacifica, with the goal of replicating observed variability in size-structure in the northern California Current Ecosystem. Krill, and E. pacifica in particular, are central to the structure and function of the California Current Ecosystem. Their response to environmental forcing translates climate variability to higher trophic levels and underpins broader ecosystem responses. Recent observations indicate environmental and climate-related shifts in E. pacifica size distributions, which …

Effects Of Bark Beetle Outbreaks On Forest Landscape Pattern In The Southern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., Kyle C. Rodman, Robert A. Andrus, Cori L. Butkiewicz, Teresa B. Chapman, Nathan S. Gill, Brian J. Harvey, Dominik Kulakowski, Niko J. Tutland, Thomas T. Veblen, Sarah J. Hart

Geography

Since the late 1990s, extensive outbreaks of native bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) have affected coniferous forests throughout Europe and North America, driving changes in carbon storage, wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, and water resource provisioning. Remote sensing is a cru-cial tool for quantifying the effects of these disturbances across broad landscapes. In particular, Landsat time series (LTS) are increasingly used to characterize outbreak dynamics, including the presence and severity of bark beetle-caused tree mortality, though broad-scale LTS-based maps are rarely informed by detailed field validation. Here we used spatial and temporal information from LTS products, in combination with extensive field data …

Genetic Mouse Models Of Liver Disease: Potential Roles Of Zhx2 (Afr1) And Afr2 In Damage And Regeneration, Courtney P. Turpin

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

The liver is the largest internal organ in mammals and responsible for carrying out various processes, including lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, detoxification of chemicals, and production of serum proteins. Liver damage, which can be caused by a variety of agents including viral infection, environmental toxins, alcohol and excessive dietary fats, can cause dysregulation of these critical functions, leading to worsening liver pathophysiology and impacting health. However, the liver has the remarkable ability to regenerate when damaged. Hepatocytes, which comprise a majority of liver cells, are relatively quiescent under healthy conditions. Upon injury, remaining hepatocytes can proliferate to recover from liver …