Biology Commons^™

The Effects Of Low Dam Removal And Kayak Run Installation On The Biodiversity Of Fish And Macroinvertebrates In The Great Miami River In Downtown Dayton, Ohio, Sarah Anne Stalder

Honors Theses

Five Rivers Metroparks and the Miami Conservancy District have made plans to remove the upper portion of the Monument Avenue low-head dam in downtown Dayton due to the hazard it poses for recreation on the river and its negative impact on water quality and biodiversity. The plans also include modifying the dam with “kayak drops” and the construction of a second kayak drop slightly upstream of the location of the current low dam to enhance recreational opportunities on the river. Typically, low dam removal alter the flow and depth of a river, especially above the dam in the impounded area …

Non-Thermal Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma For Sterilization Of Surfaces And Biofilms, Johanna Ursula Neuber

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial methods is a critical issue in many fields of medicine. This work describes the studies performed to characterize and optimize the bacterial inactivation effects of a non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma brush and plasma jet on a laminate surface inoculated with Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus, and a cultivated Enterococcus faecalis biofilm, respectively. These treatments are pilot studies for eventual application to surface sterilization in hospitals and root canal disinfection. To evaluate bacterial inactivation, after treatment and recovery, the bacterial colony forming units (CFUs) are counted. Several different methods are used to optimize the antimicrobial effect. For the …

Liana Canopy Cover Mapped Throughout A Tropical Forest With High-Fidelity Imaging Spectroscopy, David C. Marvin, Gregory P. Asner, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Increasing size and abundance of lianas relative to trees are pervasive changes in Neotropical forests that may lead to reduced forest carbon stocks. Yet the liana growth form is chronically understudied in large-scale tropical forest censuses, resulting in few data on the scale, cause, and impact of increasing lianas. Satellite and airborne remote sensing provide potential tools to map and monitor lianas at much larger spatial and rapid temporal scales than are possible with plot-based forest censuses. We combined high-resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy and a ground-based tree canopy census to investigate whether tree canopies supporting lianas could be discriminated from …

Structural And Activity Characterization Of Human Phpt1 After Oxidative Modification, Daniel R. Martin, Priyanka Dutta, Shikha Mahajan, Sameer Varma, Stanley M. Stevens Jr.

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Phosphohistidine phosphatase 1 (PHPT1), the only known phosphohistidine phosphatase in mammals, regulates phosphohistidine levels of several proteins including those involved in signaling, lipid metabolism, and potassium ion transport. While the high-resolution structure of human PHPT1 (hPHPT1) is available and residues important for substrate binding and catalytic activity have been reported, little is known about post-translational modifications that modulate hPHPT1 activity. Here we characterize the structural and functional impact of hPHPT1 oxidation upon exposure to a reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Specifically, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify site-specific oxidation of redox-sensitive residues of hPHPT1. Results from this …

Analyzing The Gut Microbiome Of Human Populations In Crawford County, Tayita Abudu, Megan Peters, Mandy Peak

Poster Presentations

Human microbiota is the collection of microbes living in and on our body. Microbial cells outnumber human cells by 10 to 1 in a healthy human body. Previous studies demonstrated the gut microbiome from human samples correlate with disease, diet, and other human characteristics. Three microbe families that are prevalent are Bacterioidaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Lachnospiraceae/ Ruminocooaceae. Even though studies have found a link between microbiome and health, the role in chronic diseases has yet to be elucidated. To determine the type of bacteria in the human microbiome, 16S rRNA gene sequence data is isolated and examined from human DNA. Wastewater …

Evolution Of Alu Element Subfamilies In Papio Baboons, Jon Hunter Strohmeyer

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

15-Lipoxygenase-2 Expression And Activity In Hek 293 Cells, Kirstie Rae Schieffler

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Ammonium Salt Toxicity In Cabbage Family Plants, Madison Boudreaux

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of Mouse Melanoma Model To Evaluate Oncolytic Viral Therapy Using Osv, Kelli A. Clemons

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Seed Germination Requirements For Four Fire-Recruiter Chaparral Shrubs, Kati Mcclain

Senior Honors Projects

Wildfires are a natural part of chaparral ecosystems, as they are essential to vegetative regrowth and plant recruitment. For many chaparral species, fire stimulates germination of dormant seeds in the seed bank. This study explored fire-related cues necessary for seed to break dormancy, germinate, and emerge in four chaparral species (Ceanothus cuneatus, C. jepsonii, Arctostaphylos manzanita, A. viscida). Seed were exposed to various treatments mimicking wildfire conditions, including boiling water and charred wood (charate), as well as physical scarification by concentrated acid, and monitored for germination. Our data indicate that Ceanothus seed require heat cues to germinate, but fire-related chemical …

An Analysis Of The Allelopathic Relationship Between Basil (Ocimum Basilicum) And Tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum) As An Alternative To Fertilizer, Keondra Jenkins

Student Writing

Allelopathy is a trait within certain organisms that allows them to produce and secrete certain biochemical that have various effects on other organism’s growth, survival, and reproduction processes. This study compared the growth results of the allelopathic relationship between basil and tomatoes against fertilized tomatoes and untreated tomatoes. With the information from this study and conclusions can be made about whether or not allelopathic or “companion planting” can serve as a viable alternative for fertilizer.

After nearly 5 months of growth, the allelopathic properties of basil were found to be equal, if not more, beneficial to the growth of the …

Volume 08, Meghan Enzinna, Casey Dawn Gailey, Raven Collins, Chiara Enriquez, Amelia Mcconnell, Alexander Morton, Emma Beckett, Leah G. Parr, Briana Adhikusuma, Taylor Embrey, Rowan Davis, Danielle Sisson, Bianca Cherry, Melissa Cacho, Chloe Woodward, Catherine Rollins, Carson Reeher, Landon Cooper, Haley Vasquez, Marlisha Stewart, Eric Whitehead, Sabrina Walker, James Bates

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Interim Dean Dr. Jennifer Apperson

Indigenous Peoples and the Modern Era by Meghan Enzinna

"Who Says": How Selena Gomez and the Scene Attempt to Subvert the Popular Standards of Beauty by Casey Dawn Gailey

Art by Raven Collins

Meltdown on Social Media: Amy's Baking Company Meets Kitchen Nightmares by Nathena Haddrill

Art by Chiara Enriquez

Design by Amelia Mcconnell

Worth More Than a Thousand Words: A Visual Rhetorical Discussion of Virtual Reality by Examining "Clouds Over Sidra" by Alexander Morton

Design by Emma Beckett

The Sonata: An Analysis of Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. …

Brain Tumor In A Dish: Glioma/Astrocyte Co-Cultures As A Model For In Vitro Studies, Erin Eickman, Christina Wilson, Srivatsan Kidambi

UCARE Research Products

This study seeks to engineer an in vitro co-culture model to elucidate the role of glioma-astrocyte interactions on molecular changes in the tumor microenvironment. The use of patterned co-cultures created with polyelectrolyte multilayers and micromolding in capillaries will allow tthe investigation of cell-cell communication. This study will lead to better understanding of the role of healthy cells in cancer progression and potential treatment options.

Computational Modeling Intervention: Using Dynamical Models To Teach Complex Biological Processes, Audrey J. Crowther, Tomáš Helikar, Nicholas Galt, Joseph Dauer, Heather Berganr, Bryan Kowal

UCARE Research Products

The Unites States, while being one of the richest countries in the world, ranks 17th in science proficiency out of 31 countries. New techniques for teaching are needed if the US wants to keep up with increasing global competition. Often the problem with traditional methods for teaching biological processes is that they present the material as linear or causal, when in fact there is a much wider network at play. For example, cellular respiration is often represented as a linear process that always starts with glucose and always ends with ATP and water. However, there are several entry and exit …

What Are The Genes That Cause Male Sterility In Hybrid Offspring Between Drosophila Mauritiana And Drosophila Simulans?, Naznaz J. Majid, Colin D. Meiklejohn

UCARE Research Products

The purpose of this research project is to better understand speciation -- the process by which new species arise. To better understand how species form we will investigate how reproductive barriers come about-specifically the sterility of hybrid offspring will be the focus of this research. The species under investigation are Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans that produce sterile hybrid males. These species are used specifically because they produce fertile hybrid females which allow genes to be moved between them. There are also published genome sequences for both species, which makes it is easier to identify candidate genes. These species are …

Amp Expression In Energetic Hybrid D. Melanogaster Infected With P. Rettgeri, Cassandra K. Treu, Justin Buchanan, Kristi Montooth

UCARE Research Products

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate immune function and energy metabolism, particularly the levels of antimicrobial peptides produced in Drosophila energetically compromised genotypes. This will provide the ability to investigate energetics of immunity without changing diet. Flies were infected with the bacteria P. rettgeri and the resulting immune response was investigated. Females did not mount as effective an immune response as males. All flies exhibited decreased survivorship from infection. Control flies survived at higher levels and showed no mitochondrial:nuclear interaction.

Lactate Dehydrogenase Is Crucial For Tumor Associated Macrophage Protection Of Multiple Myeloma Cells Against Chemotherapy, Carolyn Stierhoff

Celebration of Scholarship 2012-2017

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer characterized by an accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Although chemotherapy is the most effective treatment, the majority of patients experience relapse. The major cause of treatment failure is the development of multidrug resistance. Thus, overcoming drug resistance will greatly improve patient survival. The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) plays an important role in anaerobic respiration by converting pyruvate into lactate in the absence or low supply of oxygen. It has been observed that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) present in tumor environments can protect MM from chemotherapy treatment. We discovered that an LDH …

Variable Shifts In The Autumn Migration Phenology Of Soaring Birds In Southern Spain, Micah N. Scholer, Beatriz Martín, Miguel Ferrer, Alejandro Onrubia, Marc J. Bechard, Greg S. Kaltenecker, Jay D. Carlisle

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

While alteration of the migratory habits of birds is widely regarded as one of the most evident ecological effects of climate change, studies reporting shifts in migration phenology for long-lived, long-distance migrants have been few. Using time series of count data collected in southern Spain during autumn migration, we examined the magnitude and direction of phenological shifts for six common species of soaring birds. Many current methods for investigating phenological change rely on continuous data sets; however, these data may be unavailable for a variety of reasons. We used a cross-correlation analysis, which allowed us to compare recent data on …

Identification And Characterization Of Ion Channel Activity Of The M2 Protein From Influenza Virus D (Dm2), Jianing Liu

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Viral ion channels are membrane proteins of influenza viruses that play essential roles in the replication cycle, which enables them to be targeted by antiviral drugs. M2 of influenza type A virus, BM2 of influenza type B virus, and CM2 from influenza type C virus have been characterized as ion channel proteins and antiviral drug amantadine was developed to control influenza type A virus. However, few studies have been conducted to clarify the properties of the M2 protein (DM2) of influenza type D virus, a novel influenza virus genus identified in 2014. To identify the ion channel activity of DM2, …

Differences In Sockeye Salmon Antibody Composition: Testing The Immunological Imprinting Hypothesis, Maxwell Elliott Chappell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Anadromous fish such as sockeye salmon return to their natal streams to spawn, during which they undergo significant physiological changes including the release of cortisol, a known immunosuppressive hormone. Our lab has proposed the Immunological Imprinting Hypothesis, which suggests that juvenile anadromous fish respond to pathogens specific to their natal site by producing protective long lived plasma cells (LLPCs) that constitutively produce antibodies against those pathogens. These LLPCs are believed to be highly cortisol resistant. Thus, fish returning to their natal streams have immunological protection from pathogens found at that specific location. I investigated the Immunological Imprinting Hypothesis through analysis …