A Comparison Of Electron Transport Rate, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Light-Adapted Fluorescence, And Dark-Adapted Fluorescence Between Stipa Pulchra And Pennisetium Setaceum, 2018 Pepperdine University
A Comparison Of Electron Transport Rate, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Light-Adapted Fluorescence, And Dark-Adapted Fluorescence Between Stipa Pulchra And Pennisetium Setaceum, Sydney Adams, Brandon Chuck, Agatha Heng, Amelia Vento, Stephen D. Davis
Featured Research
The purpose of this investigation was to provide an explanation into how the invasive species Pennisetium setaceum, Fountain Grass, is able to outcompete the native California grassland species Stipa pulchra, Purple Needle Grass. We used a light adapted and a dark adapted fluorometer to measure the photosynthetic radiation (PAR), leaf temperature, alpha (α), light adapted fluorescence (Fv’/Fm’), dark adapted fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and the electron transport rate (ETR) on young Fountain Grass and Purple Needlegrass. After collecting and analyzing the data, we concluded that the dark adapted fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was the only statistically significant measurement where the Fv/Fm of S. pulchra …
De Novo Assembly Of The Burying Beetle Nicrophorus Orbicollis (Coleoptera: Silphidae) Transcriptome Across Developmental Stages With Identification Of Key Immune Transcripts, 2018 University of Nebraska at Omaha
De Novo Assembly Of The Burying Beetle Nicrophorus Orbicollis (Coleoptera: Silphidae) Transcriptome Across Developmental Stages With Identification Of Key Immune Transcripts, Harim Won, Thomas T. Schulze, Emalie J. Clement, Gabrielle F. Watson, Sean M. Watson, Rosalie C. Warner, Elizabeth A. M. Ramler, Elias J. Witte, Mark A. Schoenbeck, Claudia M. Rauter, Paul H. Davis
Biology Faculty Publications
Burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.) are among the relatively few insects that provide parental care while not belonging to the eusocial insects such as ants or bees. This behavior incurs energy costs as evidenced by immune deficits and shorter life-spans in reproducing beetles. In the absence of an assembled transcriptome, relatively little is known concerning the molecular biology of these beetles. This work details the assembly and analysis of the Nicrophorus orbicollis transcriptome at multiple developmental stages. RNA-Seq reads were obtained by next-generation sequencing and the transcriptome was assembled using the Trinity assembler. Validation of the assembly was performed by functional …
The Effects Of Soil Suffused With Cool-Fire Ash On The Germination And Early Growth Of Radish Seedlings, 2018 Pepperdine University
The Effects Of Soil Suffused With Cool-Fire Ash On The Germination And Early Growth Of Radish Seedlings, Ryan Dalforno, Braden Ritchey, Jay Ogle
Featured Research
In this study, the effects of cool fire ash in soil with varying amounts of water were observed in terms of the germination and early growth of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) seedlings. Measurements regarding plant growth, field capacity, and seedling leaf quantum yield were taken and compared between four (4) trios of pots separately containing radish seedlings planted in ashy and frequently-watered soil (Aw), ashy and infrequently-watered soil (Ad), normal unmodified garden soil that was watered frequently (Nw) and normal soil that was watered infrequently (Nd). While the …
The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Fall 2016, 2018 University of Central Florida
The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Fall 2016, Sandy Avila
Sandy Avila
No abstract provided.
The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Spring 2017, 2018 University of Central Florida
The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Biology, Spring 2017, Sandy Avila
Sandy Avila
No abstract provided.
Importance Of Growth Rate On Hg And Pcb Bioaccumulation In Fish, 2018 University of Windsor
Importance Of Growth Rate On Hg And Pcb Bioaccumulation In Fish, Jiajia Li, G Douglas Haffner, Gordon Paterson, David M. Walters, Michael D. Burtnyk, Ken G. Drouillard
Biological Sciences Publications
To evaluate the effect of fish growth on mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) bioaccumulation, a non-steady state toxicokinetic model, combined with a Wisconsin bioenergetics model, was developed to simulate Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). The model was validated by comparing observed versus predicted Hg and PCB 180 concentrations across 5 age classes from five different waterbodies across North America. The non-steady state model generated accurate predictions for Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in three of five waterbodies: Apsey, Sharbot and Stonelick Lake. The poor performance of the model for the Detroit River and Lake Hartwell, which were …
A Note On The Onset Of Synchronous Egg Laying In A Seabird Behavior Model, 2018 Andrews University
A Note On The Onset Of Synchronous Egg Laying In A Seabird Behavior Model, Dorothea Gallos, Christiane Gallos
Honors Theses
Protection Island, Washington hosts a large colony of Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens). These birds are known to exhibit every-other-day egg-laying synchrony in dense areas of the colony in response to egg cannibalism, which is the main source of egg loss. Here we present an equilibrium analysis of a discrete-time animal behavior model for egg laying. We use Jury Conditions to find the stability criteria for the equilibrium as a function of the colony density and show that a 2-cycle bifurcation occurs when the equilibrium loses stability. The 2-cycle pattern in egg laying becomes increasingly synchronous as the colony density increases. …
Evaluating Mutagenicity Of Burned Arginine-Based Heterocyclic Amines And Anti-Mutagenicity Effect Of Chinese Medicinal Herbs, 2018 Andrews University
Evaluating Mutagenicity Of Burned Arginine-Based Heterocyclic Amines And Anti-Mutagenicity Effect Of Chinese Medicinal Herbs, Rayford C. Alva
Honors Theses
From the unexpected finding that cooked grains and meat substitutes elicit a mutagenic response in Salmonella typhimurium TA98, our work has been aimed at deconstructing this finding via a survey of heated binary amino acid combinations, involving arginine, a plant-based amino acid. secondly, our work has looked towards sing phytochemical extracts from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs to inhibit the mutagenic activity of heterocyclic amines (main culprit for mutagenicity in meat). Two fractions from the burned products of arginine and phenylalanine (RF-HCA-06 and -07) were statistically significant inducers of mutagenesis; Scutellaria barbata and Oldenlandia diffusa, both separately and together, were statistically …
Skeletal, Cardiac, And Respiratory Muscle Function And Histopathology In The P448lneo- Mouse Model Of Fkrp-Deficient Muscular Dystrophy., 2018 George Washington University
Skeletal, Cardiac, And Respiratory Muscle Function And Histopathology In The P448lneo- Mouse Model Of Fkrp-Deficient Muscular Dystrophy., Qing Yu, Melissa Morales, Ning Li, Alexander G Fritz, Ren Ruobing, Anthony Blaeser, Ershia Francois, Qi-Long Lu, Kanneboyina Nagaraju, Christopher F Spurney
Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications
BACKGROUND: Fukutin-related protein (FKRP) mutations are the most common cause of dystroglycanopathies known to cause both limb girdle and congenital muscular dystrophy. The P448Lneo- mouse model has a knock-in mutation in the FKRP gene and develops skeletal, respiratory, and cardiac muscle disease.
METHODS: We studied the natural history of the P448Lneo- mouse model over 9 months and the effects of twice weekly treadmill running. Forelimb and hindlimb grip strength (Columbus Instruments) and overall activity (Omnitech Electronics) assessed skeletal muscle function. Echocardiography was performed using VisualSonics Vevo 770 (FujiFilm VisualSonics). Plethysmography was performed using whole body system (ADInstruments). Histological evaluations included …
Tgf-Β2 In Human Milk Research: Exploration Of A New Field Methodology And New Findings Of Biosimilar Tgf-Β2 In Non-Human Milk, 2018 University of South Florida
Tgf-Β2 In Human Milk Research: Exploration Of A New Field Methodology And New Findings Of Biosimilar Tgf-Β2 In Non-Human Milk, Chlöe A. Sweetman
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Objectives: There are three aims for this thesis: the first is to develop a field and laboratory protocol for the storage and analysis of transforming growth factor–beta 2 (TGF-β2) in human breastmilk; second, to validate this protocol and the immunoassay used to assess this new method; and lastly, to explore the ramifications of biosimilar TGF-β2 across multiple milks on human health, growth, and immunity through the review of laboratory findings and previous literature.
Rational: Little anthropological research has been done on TGF-β2 in human milk. Anthropology as a discipline is well positioned to provide insight into TGF-β2, combining biocultural, evolutionary, …
Critical Amino Acids For The Folding Of Carboxypeptidase O, 2018 Andrews University
Critical Amino Acids For The Folding Of Carboxypeptidase O, Donn Latour
Honors Theses
Enzymes must fold properly to function. For carboxypeptidases, a prodomain usually assists in this process. However, carboxypeptisdase O (CPO) can fold without one. We hypothesized that this prodigious ability could arise from an amino acid whose fortunate positioning stabilizes its neighbors during folding. We identified four unique, conserved amino acids and mutated them to their equivalent counterpart in CPA, a cousin of CPO, which requires a prodomain. We expressed the mutated genes in mammalian cells and checked for expression by western blotting. Our results indicate that three of four mutations were not expressed, hinting at the possible importance of these …
The Effects Of The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Decosahexaenoic Acid On Intracellular Myo-Inositol Levels And The Ino1 Gene Expression In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, 2018 Andrews University
The Effects Of The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Decosahexaenoic Acid On Intracellular Myo-Inositol Levels And The Ino1 Gene Expression In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Taejun Ok
Honors Theses
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder portrayed with repeated episodes of mania and depression. Its current treatments often entail inefficacy and negative side effects. From previous clinical research, omega-3-fatty acids were suggested to be effective in the amelioration of bipolar disorder. Such an effect is hypothetically attributed to their ability to alter the level of myo-inositol, a molecule that valproate and lithium are known to deplete out. Thus, the goal of this study is to determine the effects of the omega-3 decosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on myo-inositol levels and the expression of the myo-inositol synthase gene INO1. Yeast cells were cultured …
Emptying And Refilling Of Slime Glands In Atlantic (Myxine Glutinosa) And Pacific (Eptatretus Stoutii) Hagfishes, 2018 University of Guelph
Emptying And Refilling Of Slime Glands In Atlantic (Myxine Glutinosa) And Pacific (Eptatretus Stoutii) Hagfishes, Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
Hagfishes are known for their unique defensive slime, which they use toward off gill-breathing predators. Although much is known about the slime cells (gland thread cells and gland mucous cells), little is known about how long slime gland refilling takes, or how slime composition changes with refilling or repeated stimulation of the same gland. Slime glands can be individually electrostimulated to release slime, and this technique was used to measure slime gland refilling times for Atlantic and Pacific hagfish. The amount of exudate produced, the composition of the exudate and the morphometrics of slime cells were analyzed during refilling, and …
Effects Of Eggshell Coloration On Egg Cannibalism Among Glaucous-Winged Gulls, 2018 Andrews University
Effects Of Eggshell Coloration On Egg Cannibalism Among Glaucous-Winged Gulls, Isabelle Hwang
Honors Theses
A common source of reproductive loss in gulls is egg cannibalism. At a large Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) colony on Protection Island, Washington, cannibalism accounts for 55% of egg loss. Because cannibalism is a form of predation and birds have a highly developed sense of vision, I hypothesized that visible light coloration of Glaucous-winged Gull eggs plays a role in determining whether they are cannibalized. I used logistic regression to test whether egg fate was related to egg brightness, specific coloration, specific spot coverage, coloration relative to the most common coloration, and spot coverage relative to the most common spot …
Examining The Relationship Between Climate And Seasonal Stream Thermal Regimes In A High Desert Ecosystem, 2018 Murray State University
Examining The Relationship Between Climate And Seasonal Stream Thermal Regimes In A High Desert Ecosystem, Hannah Moore, Melody Feden
Scholars Week
Climate change is negatively affecting ecosystems around the world, and in the coming years, scientists predict that these changes will only intensify and accelerate. In the western mountains of North America, climate change projections predict elevated temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier snowmelt. Elevated air temperatures have the propensity to affect water temperatures in sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Temperature increases may cause streams to reach the upper thermal limit for many aquatic organisms, such as aquatic invertebrates and fish, and result in death or dispersal for these organisms. This makes the availability of cold-water refugia in streams that much more important for …
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, 2018 Murray State University
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, Hannah Moore
Scholars Week
Omnivores feed at multiple trophic levels and have large effects on community structuring and stability. The magnitude and direction of such effects, whether omnivores stabilize or destabilize communities, remains unresolved. Shifts in omnivore diet and trophic position may be of particular importance to community stability in degraded habitats, where resources are sparse. For example, omnivores may reduce the severity and duration of community responses to degradationby dampening the effects of any disturbance-mediated trophic cascade. The relatively simple food webs of freshwater systems are ideal for studying trophic ecology, and in the western U.S., streams are heavily degraded by overgrazing, beaver …
An Insoluble Iron Complex Coated Cathode Enhances Direct Electron Uptake By Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Tie-1, 2018 Washington University in St. Louis
An Insoluble Iron Complex Coated Cathode Enhances Direct Electron Uptake By Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Tie-1, Karthikeyan Rengasamy, Tahina Ranaivoarisoa, Rajesh Singh, Arpita Bose
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is a promising bioelectrochemical approach to produce biochemicals. A previous study showed that Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 can directly use poised electrodes as electron donors for photoautotrophic growth at cathodic potentials that avoid electrolytic H2 production (photoelectroautotrophy). To make TIE-1 an effective biocatalyst for MES, we need to improve its electron uptake ability and growth under photoelectroautotrophic conditions. Because TIE-1 interacts with various forms of iron while using it as a source of electrons for photoautotrophy (photoferroautotrophy), we tested the ability of iron-based redox mediators to enhance direct electron uptake. Our data show that soluble iron cannot …
Investigation Of Alcohol-Induced Changes In Hepatic Histone Modifications Using Mass Spectrometry Based Proteomics, 2018 University of South Florida
Investigation Of Alcohol-Induced Changes In Hepatic Histone Modifications Using Mass Spectrometry Based Proteomics, Crystina Leah Kriss
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Alcohol liver disease (ALD) is a major health concern throughout the world. Currently, in the United States, 17 million people suffer from alcoholism, of which 1.4 million people are receiving treatment [1, 2]. The link between ethanol metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and liver injury in ALD has been well characterized over the last couple decades [3-10]. Ethanol metabolism relies on the availability of the cofactor NAD+ for the oxidation of ethanol into acetate, consequently causing alterations in redox potential. Redox dysfunction within the mitochondria can affect multiple pathways important in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to …
Characterization Of The Interaction Between R. Conorii And Human Host Vitronectin In Rickettsial Pathogenesis, 2018 Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Characterization Of The Interaction Between R. Conorii And Human Host Vitronectin In Rickettsial Pathogenesis, Abigail Inez Fish
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia are inoculated into the mammalian host during hematophagous arthropod feeding. Once in the bloodstream and during dissemination, the survival of these pathogens is dependent upon their ability to evade innate host defenses until a proper cellular target is reached. The establishment of a successful infection also relies on the ability of the bacteria to attach and invade target cells, as failure to do so results in destruction of the bacterium. Rickettsia conorii expresses an outer membrane protein, Adr1, which binds the multifunctional human glycoprotein, vitronectin, to promote resistance to complement mediated killing. Homologs of Adr1 are …
Creating A Predictive Model For Flowering Of Virginia Orchid, Cypripedium Pubescens, 2018 University of Lynchburg
Creating A Predictive Model For Flowering Of Virginia Orchid, Cypripedium Pubescens, Emily Horton
Student Scholar Showcase
No abstract provided.