Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons^™

Planaria: An Animal Model That Integrates Development, Regeneration And Pharmacology, Oné R. Pagán

Biology Faculty Publications

Although planarians are established model organisms in developmental biology and regeneration studies, in the last forty years or so, they have caught the attention of pharmacologists, especially to study the pharmacology of drugs of abuse. This review covers the following topics: some fundamentals of the history of animal models and planarians in biomedical research; an abbreviated story of systematic pharmacology research using planarians as a model organism; an example of how planarians are contributing to the search for compounds against acute cocaine toxicity; an analysis of the number of papers on planarians and pharmacological topics from 1900- 2016; some perspectives …

Ionic Regulation Of Critical Cellular Processes In Non-Excitable Cells, Brandon M. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

There are long-standing hypotheses that endogenous ion currents act to control cell dynamics in development, wound healing and regeneration. However, the mechanisms employed by cells to detect the electric field (EF) and translate it into a discernable message to drive specific cell behaviors, such as migration, proliferation and differentiation, are not well understood. A better understanding of how cells are able to sense EFs and react to them is vital to understanding physiological mechanisms are involved in regeneration. Ion channel signaling provides a reasonable suspect for mediating these effects based on their documented involvement in proliferation, migration and differentiation.

To …

Low Cost, Multi-Purpose Genotyping Panels For Dairy And Beef Cattle, Michelle Judge

Theses

rhe selection of animals based on DNA has revolutionised animal breeding, but the associated high cost of obtaining genotypes has limited its uptake. The objective of this thesis was to develop a low-cost, low-density, multi-purpose genotyping panel for the procurement of reliable genotype information, and to quantify the long-term consequences of using such low-density genotype panels in breeding programs. The objectives were achieved through a combination of real-life cattle genotype data and simulations to mimic a cattle population. The in-silico development of genotype panels was based on actual genotypes from up to 58,705 beef cattle. Alternative novel strategies were used …

Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jhunior A. Morillo

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract Primary saproxylic beetles play a major role in forest nutrient cycling and making deadwood accessible to other decomposers. Understanding beetle host preferences and patterns of community assembly is critical for their conservation, and for predicting which species might become invasive. This project aims to investigate the ecological and host specificity, as well as the community composition of curculionids in a mosaic of old-growth (OG) and secondary forest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The subfamily Scolytinae was expected to be the most species-rich and abundant. Ambrosia beetles were expected to have more generalist species than other curculionids. Old growth …

Evolution Of Equine Arteritis Virus During Persistent Infection In The Reproductive Tract Of The Stallion And The Male Donkey, Bora Nam

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Equine arteritis virus (EAV) establishes persistent infection in the stallion reproductive tract, and the carrier stallion continues to shed virus in semen for weeks to years or lifelong. The objective of this study was to elucidate the intra-host evolution of EAV during persistent infection in stallions. Seven EAV seronegative stallions were experimentally infected with EAV KY84 strain and followed for 726 days post-infection, and sequential clinical samples including semen were collected for virus isolation and next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, archived sequential semen samples from two stallions that were naturally infected with EAV KY84 for a long-period (up to 10 …

A Comparison Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Between Perennial And Intermittent Headwater Streams Of The Mattole River In Northern California, Usa, Mason S. London

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Intermittent streams are common throughout the world and comprise 60% or more of total river lengths in the conterminous United States. Despite their prevalence, intermittent streams are understudied, particularly first-order headwater streams, which are vital for maintaining the function, health and biotic diversity of river networks. In June 2016, I sampled five intermittent and five perennial headwater streams in the Mattole River watershed in northwestern coastal California, USA, to compare benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) assemblages between intermittent and perennial streams. BMI samples were collected using a 500µm mesh D-net at eight randomly located riffles along a 150-m reach, and then composited, …

A Study Of Critical Value Notification In The Outpatient Setting: The Relationship Between Physician Response And Patient Outcomes, Kristie Renee Finney

Theses and Dissertations

Critical values are laboratory values that represent a life-threatening condition for which there is a treatment available. Laboratories make immediate notifications to ordering providers when critical values are identified so that they may quickly act to initiate a treatment for their patient. The majority of laboratories apply the inpatient critical value list to the outpatient setting, although there are many differences between an acutely ill inpatient population and an ambulatory outpatient population. The goal of this study was to determine if providers responded to the critical values in the outpatient setting and to determine if there was a difference in …

Using Extremophile Bacteriophage Discovery In A Stem Education Professional Development Partnership To Explore Model Classroom Research Experiences Integrating The Three Dimentions Of The Next Generation Science Standards, Carrie L. Boudreau Ms

All Student Scholarship

The National Research Council’s (NRC) A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science. The project discussed in this thesis was developed with a NIH SEPA Grant 8R25OD010937 to the Virology and Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Southern Maine (USM) under the direction of Dr. S. Monroe Duboise. The goal of the project was to explore using discovery of extreme environment bacteria and their bacteriophages as a model for using the three dimensions of learning to teach Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Specifically, …

The Reliability Of The Navicular Drop Test And Its Transferability To Dynamic Movement, Joshua Krispin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Navicular drop can be defined as the distance the navicular tuberosity moves from a standing weight bearing to a standing neutral position, as the subtalar joint moves from a relaxed position to a neutral position. Navicular drop is an important measurement for clinicians used to describe foot function, pronation, and excessive movement seen in several pathologies. Objective: The purpose of this study is to see if navicular drop is influenced by mode or speed of locomotion, if it is will there be other influences such as the forefoot and heel soft tissue, and will those factors influence those measures. …

Efficient Method For Transfer Of Microinjected Eggs To Mouse Ampulla For Generating Transgenic Mice, Guang Wen, Jin Di, Qian Li, Jianling Chen, Ling Jin, Cheng Wang, Sanqing Xu

Publications and Research

Background: The new method described here is highly efficient in transferring microinjected mouse eggs (MEs) through the bursa membrane of a surrogate mother mouse to the ampulla of the oviduct without damaging the blood vessels on the bursa membrane.

Results: This method causes no loss of blood, and it produces newborn pups/founders from approximately 70% of the transferred MEs, because only a small hole is made on the blood vessel–free area of the bursa membrane and ampulla of the surrogate mother mouse. The infundibulum remains intact. The small hole on the bursa membrane/ ampulla may already heal up before the …

Whole Genome Sequencing As A Tool For Identifying Phenotypic Properties And Underlying Genetic Mechanisms In Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius, Matthew C. Riley

Doctoral Dissertations

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a Gram-positive bacterial opportunistic pathogen commonly associated with dermal infections in canines, but capable of causing serious disease in other species. Reports of human infections caused by S. pseudintermedius along with an increase in resistance to multiple antibiotics highlights the importance of this organism. Whole genome sequencing can allow large scale investigation of genetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic properties that contribute to the expansion of successful S. pseudintermedius clonal lineages.

The increase in multidrug and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) may result from horizontal transfer of genetic material between bacterial isolates, yet is thought to be rare in Staphylococci …

Punctuated Evolution Within A Eurythermic Genus (Mesenchytraeus) Of Segmented Worms: Genetic Modification Of The Glacier Ice Worm F1f0 Atp Synthase, Shirley A. Lang

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Segmented worms (Annelida) are among the most successful animal inhabitants of extreme environments worldwide. An unusual group of Mesenchytraeus worms endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America occupy geographically proximal ecozones ranging from low elevation temperate rainforests to high altitude glaciers. Along this altitudinal transect, Mesenchytraeus representatives from disparate habitat types were collected and subjected to deep mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenetic analyses. Evidence presented here employing modern bioinformatic analyses (i.e., maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, multi-species coalescent) supports a Mesenchytraeus “explosion” in the upper Miocene (5-10 million years ago) that gave rise to ice, snow and terrestrial worms, derived from …

Targeting Estrogen Receptor Negative Breast Cancer Cells Using Diarylthiourea Analogs Of Sheta2, Hongye Zou

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Abstract will available after document embargo ends.

Effects Of Synthetic Turf And Shockpads On Impact Attenuation Related Biomechanics During Drop Landing, Hang Qu

Masters Theses

Synthetic turf has been widely utilized in sports since 1964. Discrepancies, however, in injury incidence on synthetic turf and natural grass have been reported throughout studies. Adding a shock pad under synthetic turf carpet is claimed to aid in energy absorption and decrease impact loading. Although some studies have conducted materials tests and compared mechanical characteristics of synthetic turf with different shock pads, no studies have examined biomechanical characteristics of impact related human movements on an infilled synthetic turf system with different underlying shock pads. The purpose of this research was to investigate effects of an infilled synthetic turf with …

Examining The Combined Effects Of Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, And Body Size On The Physiological Responses Of A Model Macrobenthic Polychaete Species, Capitella Teleta, Kelsey Burns Gillam

Dissertations

While the scientific community is in consensus that coastal systems are threatened by climate change, few climate change studies test the effects of more than one variable directly related to climate change. The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of the ocean are currently subject to both global warming and eutrophication; 94% of all hypoxia zones are expected to experience >2°C increase by 2035. This dissertation aims to examine how a model organism responds to simultaneous thermal and DO stress involving four levels of DO (100%, 70%, 50%, and 20%) saturation and three temperatures (15°C, 20°C, and 25°C).

The polychaete, Capitella teleta …

Guidelines To Avoid Typical Difficulties According To The Rubric For Experimental Design (Red), Annwesa Dasgupta, Nancy Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Experimental design is an important component of undergraduate biology education as it generates knowledge of biology. Despite its importance, there is limited information about what students actually learn from designing experiments. Dasgupta et al (2014) reported on the development and validation of a Rubric for Experimental Design (RED), informed by a literature review and empirical analysis of thousands of undergraduate biology students’ responses to three published assessments. The RED is a useful probe for five major areas of experimental design abilities: the variable properties of an experimental subject; the manipulated variables; measurement of outcomes; accounting for variability; and the scope …

Diagnosis Of Strongyloides Stercoralis: Detection Of Parasite-Derived Dna In Urine, Nilanjan Lodh, Reynaldo Caro, Shterna Sofer, Alan Scott, Alejandro Krolewiecki, Clive J. Shiff

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Detecting infections of Strongyloides stercoralis is arduous and has low sensitivity. Clinically this is a major problem because chronic infections may disseminate in the host and lead to a life threatening condition. Epidemiologically, S. stercoralis is often missed in surveys as it is difficult to identify by standard stool examination procedures. We present, for the first time, evidence that the infection can be detected in filtered urine samples collected and processed in the field and subsequently assayed for the presence of parasite DNA. Urine specimens (∼40 mL) were collected from 125 test and control individuals living in rural and peri-urban …

Understanding The Differences Between Neuronal Calcium Sensor Proteins: A Comparison Of Neurocalcin Delta And Hippocalcin, Jeffrey M. Viviano

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Many neuronal functions, including learning and memory are driven by changes in intracellular Ca2+concentrations. The Neuronal Calcium Sensor (NCS) family of proteins is responsible for mediating the response to calcium. They are typically comprised of 4 EF hands; of which EF 2, 3, and 4 bind calcium.

Hypothesis: NCS proteins carry out unique, non-overlapping functions, and that specific characteristics of the family can be mapped to precise regions of the proteins.

Results: The effect on the following properties were investigated primarily on two highly similar NCS proteins, Neurocalcin Delta (NCALD) and Hippocalcin (HPCA): (1) Response to calcium was determined through …

The Scripps Research Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Ezana Assefa

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

This program is a 10-week internship designed for undergraduates interested in the scientific field to engage in current research. Students have the option of requesting to work under three mentors, one of which they will be paired. Students will work in the lab with the principal investigator and other members of the lab. Along with working in the lab, students in the program will also attend bi-weekly talks/lectures from researchers, grad students, and professionals at TSRI as well as participating in two presentations and a final poster or oral presentation.

Update On Laboratory Diagnosis And Epidemiology Of Trichomonas Vaginalis: You Can Teach An “Old” Dog “New” Trichs, Erik Munson, Maureen Napierala, Kimber L. Munson

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Past viewpoints on Trichomonas vaginalis infection have characterized the associated clinical disease as a “nuisance” condition, with affected demographics largely being older African American females residing in urban centers. The advent of commercial molecular assays specific for T. vaginalis has offered a new outlook on trichomoniasis. Within high-prevalence sexually transmitted infection populations, parasite distribution is not localized to specific population centers, and T. vaginalis prevalence is elevated among both younger and older age groups. Adaptation of these molecular assays can additionally facilitate male screening and subsequent epidemiologic characterization. These findings, combined with associations between T. vaginalis infection and human immunodeficiency …