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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell Dec 2019

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell

Dissertations and Theses

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the pectoral flipper of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined to address the need to define a comprehensive target site for clinical osteodensitometric assessment and to establish ranges of observed bone density values for this species. Radii were analyzed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the accepted standard in human medical studies. Multiple loci within the radius were identified and assessed for their correlation to BMD of the entire bone. Radii BMD were also examined for differences based on sex, age, total body length, handedness, geographical affinity, and nutritional status at time …


Complex History Of Codiversification And Host Switching Of A Newfound Soricid-Borne Orthohantavirus In North America, Schuyler W. Liphardt, Hae Ji Kang, Laurie J. Dizney, Luis A. Ruedas, Joseph A. Cook, Richard Yanagihara Jul 2019

Complex History Of Codiversification And Host Switching Of A Newfound Soricid-Borne Orthohantavirus In North America, Schuyler W. Liphardt, Hae Ji Kang, Laurie J. Dizney, Luis A. Ruedas, Joseph A. Cook, Richard Yanagihara

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Orthohantaviruses are tightly linked to the ecology and evolutionary history of their mammalian hosts. We hypothesized that in regions with dramatic climate shifts throughout the Quaternary, orthohantavirus diversity and evolution are shaped by dynamic host responses to environmental change through processes such as host isolation, host switching, and reassortment. Jemez Springs virus (JMSV), an orthohantavirus harbored by the dusky shrew (Sorex monticola) and five close relatives distributed widely in western North America, was used to test this hypothesis. Total RNAs, extracted from liver or lung tissue from 164 shrews collected from western North America during 1983–2007, were analyzed for orthohantavirus …


Amino-Terminal Sequencing Of Ssv1 Major Capsid Protein Vp1 Mutants, Nichole D. Procter, Kenneth M. Stedman, Ignacio De La Higuera, George Kasun, Ajay Sapre May 2019

Amino-Terminal Sequencing Of Ssv1 Major Capsid Protein Vp1 Mutants, Nichole D. Procter, Kenneth M. Stedman, Ignacio De La Higuera, George Kasun, Ajay Sapre

Student Research Symposium

Unique lemon-shaped viruses, the Fuselloviridae, or Sulfolobus Spindle-Shaped Viruses (SSVs) of hyperthermophilic archaea are characterized by both their unusual structure and extreme thermal tolerance. The most well characterized of the SSVs is SSV1. Wild-type SSV1 tolerates multiple mutations to its genome while still remaining infectious, making this virus ideal to study molecular processes in extreme environments. The major capsid protein, VP1 forms the unique structure of the virus and provides protection for the genome. The amino terminus of the VP1 protein purified from wild-type SSV1 is glutamate 66 (E66) indicating proteolytic cleavage. E66 is universally conserved in all SSVs. Interestingly, …