Digital Commons Network^™

Maternal Stress, Breastmilk Igf-1, And Offspring Growth Among Breastfeeding Mothers-Infant Pairs In The Tampa Bay Area, Lauren Michelle Gottfredson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Maternal stress during utero has been shown to have negative health consequences on the offspring, including low birth weight and increased risk of adult disease. Variation in breastmilk may act as an environmental cue of maternal stress and continue to program the infant during early life. This research aimed to explore the role of breastmilk on developmental programming of the infant. Specifically, to examine how breastmilk may act as a medium for the exposure of stress between the mother and the offspring, and see if variation in insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) a potential mechanism for the relationship.

Methods: …

An Estimation Of Periconceptional Under-Reporting Of Dietary Energy Intake, Laura Mullaney, Amy C. Higgins, Shona Cawley, Anne Doolan, Daniel Mccartney, Michael J. Turner

Articles

Background The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine periconceptional misreporting of energy intake (EI) using the Willet food frequency questionnaire (WFFQ). Methods Women were recruited in the first trimester. Women completed a semi-quantitative WFFQ. Maternal body composition was measured using eight-electrode bioelectrical impedance analysis. Under-reporters were those whose ratio of EI to their calculated basal metabolic rate fell below the calculated plausible threshold for their physical activity category. Results The mean age was 30.1+5.3 years (n ¼ 524). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.4+5.6 kg/m2 , and 16.6% were obese (BMI 30.0 kg/m2 ). Under-reported EI …

Endurance Exercise Training Programs Intestinal Lipid Metabolism In A Rat Model Of Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes, Yu-Han Hung, Melissa A. Linden, Alicia Gordon, R. Scott Rector, Kimberly K. Buhman

Articles

Endurance exercise has been shown to improve metabolic outcomes in obesity and type 2 diabetes; however, the physiological and molecular mechanisms for these benefits are not completely understood. Although endurance exercise has been shown to decrease lipogenesis, promote fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and increase mitochondrial biosynthesis in adipose tissue, muscle, and liver, its effects on intestinal lipid metabolism remain unknown. The absorptive cells of the small intestine, enterocytes, mediate the highly efficient absorption and processing of nutrients, including dietary fat for delivery throughout the body. We investigated how endurance exercise altered intestinal lipid metabolism in obesity and type 2 diabetes …

Effects Of Sex And Mycorrhizal Fungi On Gas Exchange In The Dioecious Salt Marsh Grass Distichlis Spicata, Kassandra Reuss-Schmidt, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Sally R. Rogers, Allie G. Simpson, Sarah M. Eppley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Premise of research. In dioecious plant species, males and females often differ in physiology, and mycorrhizal fungal relationships are likely to influence these differences. However, few data are available on the potential role of mycorrhizal fungi in altering sex-specific physiology and population sex ratios of dioecious plant species.

Methodology. In this study, we measured leaf gas exchange in a multifactorial greenhouse experiment with and without mycorrhizal fungal additions and under field conditions in Distichlis spicata, a dioecious C4 salt marsh grass, displaying extreme spatial sex ratio variation.

Pivotal results. We found a significant interaction between gas exchange, plant sex, and …

High-Throughput Screening Of Age-Related Changes In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Neil Copes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project was developed to identify novel methods for high-throughput culturing and screening of C. elegans to investigate age-related metabolic changes and to survey the proteomic and metabolomic factors associated with age-related changes. To accomplish these goals we developed a novel way to grow C. elegans in liquid culture in 96-well microplates for several weeks without suffering significant fluid loss due to evaporation and without needing to shake or unseal the plates for aeration. We also developed methods for assaying the total volume of live C. elegans in microplate cultures using a fluorescence microplate reader and for performing RNAi experiments …

Metabolic Consequences Of Long-Term Rapamycin Exposure On Common Marmoset Monkeys (Callithrix Jacchus), Corinna N. Ross, A. Salmon, R. Strong, E. Fernandez, M. Javors, A. Richardson, S. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan in rodent models, but the effects on metabolic health and function have been widely debated in both clinical and translational trials. Prior to rapamycin being used as a treatment to extend both lifespan and healthspan in the human population, it is vital to assess the side effects of the treatment on metabolic pathways in animal model systems, including a closely related non-human primate model. In this study, we found that long-term treatment of marmoset monkeys with orally-administered encapsulated rapamycin resulted in no overall effects on body weight and only a small decrease in …

Prothonotary Warbler Nestling Diet And Growth In Response To Variation In Aquatic And Terrestrial Food Availability, Jenna C. Dodson

Theses and Dissertations

Food supply has been suggested as the main determinant of reproductive success in birds. Riparian species can take advantage of seasonal pulses of both terrestrial and aquatic prey, though aquatic resources are often overlooked in studies of diet and reproductive ecology. This study investigates the flux of both aquatic (mayfly) and terrestrial (caterpillar) prey resources and nestling diet of the Prothonotary Warbler throughout the breeding season in two eastern Virginia sites. One site had significantly higher aquatic prey (mayfly) availability. Nestling diet was generally reflective of prey availability, and nestlings grew faster at the site with high aquatic prey availability. …

Ph Dependent Antibiotic Resistance Of An Alkaliphilic, Halotolerant Bacterium Isolated From Soap Lake, Washington, Tiffany Charlynn Edwards

Masters Theses

"Soap Lake, located in Washington State, is a meromictic, soda lake. Many bacterial isolates retrieved from Soap Lake have been noted to possess resistance to multiple antibiotics. A likely explanation for the wide range of antibacterial resistance exhibited by these strains is due to the impact of high alkalinity on the antibiotics themselves and not due to the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. The aim of our study was to determine if select antibiotics are effective against Halomonas eurialkalitoleranis, a bacterium capable of growth over a wide range of neutral to alkaline pH values, to investigate the influence of alkalinity …

Registration Of ‘Newell’ Smooth Bromegrass, K P. Vogel, R B. Mitchell, B L. Waldron, M R. Haferkamp, J D. Berdahl, D D. Baltensperger, Galen Erickson, T J. Klopfenstein

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Of Condition-Specific Regulation Of Mrna Stability By Puf Proteins: From Yeast To Humans, Joseph Russo

Dissertations

RNA binding proteins regulate mRNA decay and translation, two key steps in the control of gene expression in cells. Controlling mRNA metabolism allows cells to respond rapidly to altering conditions by utilizing already available mRNA, bypassing the wait for newly transcribed mRNA. The Puf family of RNA binding proteins bind specific mRNAs through interactions with sequences located in the 3’ untranslated region (UTR). Puf proteins are conserved throughout eukaryotes and have diverse roles including stem cell maintenance, neuronal development, stress response and organelle biogenesis. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Puf proteins are conditionally regulated in response to the cells metabolic. Specifically, in …

Compositional Traits In Sorghum Bicolor Characterized By Transcriptome, Ionome And Genome-Wide Association Analysis, Nadia Shakoor

Theses and Dissertations

To address the challenge of global mineral malnutrition, current biofortification research in crop plants aims to improve mineral concentration and micronutrient bioavailablity via genetic and traditional breeding methods. Many staple food crops are also used as biofuels, and the chemical and mineral composition of these energy crops directly affect biomass quality and subsequent energy output. Identification of genes and QTL that impact mineral and compositional traits in the grain and biomass of major cereals, including sorghum, is fundamental to developing breeding and selection methods aimed at increasing bioavailable minerals and improving biofuel suitability and seed nutritional quality. A combinatorial strategy …

Ferric Reductases And Transporters That Contribute To Mitochondrial Iron Homeostasis, Anshika Jain

Theses and Dissertations

Iron (Fe) is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, yet the availability of Fe to plants is often limited. This is because in most soil types, Fe precipitates as ferric-oxyhydroxy complexes, making it unavailable for uptake by plants. While the mechanisms involved in Fe uptake from the soil are relatively well understood, the mechanisms involved in its further distribution to the aerial portion of the plant and to subcellular compartments are not fully understood. During Fe deprivation, plants up-regulate root Fe acquisition machinery. How plants sense Fe deprivation and tie the Fe status of the plant to …

Diversity, Genetics, And Health Benefits Of Sorghum Grain, Davina Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

Staple cereal crops provide the majority of nutrients to the world's population, and thus, can significantly impact human nutrition and health. Phenotypic and genetic diversity within a crop can be useful for biofortification and crop improvement, but quantitative phenotyping is needed to identify varieties with high or low concentrations of a nutrient of interest, and to identify alleles responsible for quantitative trait variation of the nutrient. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a diverse and widely adapted cereal crop that provides food for more than 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, and is becoming increasingly popular in specialty …

Characterizing The Fitness Landscapes Of Gut Symbionts In Defined Community And Diet Contexts, Meng Wu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

A species' niche is the description of all the environmental conditions required to permit a population of that species to persist, including the effects of the population on those conditions. This definition includes the species' resource requirements, as well as stress tolerances and interactions with other species acting as competitors, predators, parasites, and mutualists. The human gut microbiota serves as a microbial `metabolic organ' tasked in part with the biotransformation of many components of our diet. Relatively little is known about the factors that allow members of the human gut microbiota to persist in a habitat that experiences marked changes …

Quality Change And Thermal Inactivation Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Non-Intact Beef And Veal Patties By Double Pan-Broiling, Kawang Li

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECOH) may translocate from meat surfaces to internal tissues during grinding processes. This study evaluated the inactivation of ECOH in ground beef and veal by cooking to various internal temperatures (55°C, 62.5°C, 71.1°C, and 76°C). Grounded beef/veal were inoculated with 6 log ECOH and prepared into patties, stored aerobically (4°C, 4 -days) before double-pan-broiling to the internal temperatures mentioned above with a three-minute rest. Samples’ color were monitored, which changed significantly during storage and cooking. Pathogen concentration was measured by plating the homogenized sample on TSA and McConkey agar. The pathogen population was below detectable limit when …

Genetic And Environmental Variation In Condition, Cutaneous Immunity, And Haematocrit In House Wrens, Scott K. Sakaluk, Laura A. Vogel, Alastair J. Wilson, E. Keith Bowers, L. Scott Johnson, Brian S. Masters, Bonnie Gp Johnson, Anna M. Forsman, Charles F. Thompson

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Background

Life-history studies of wild bird populations often focus on the relationship between an individual’s condition and its capacity to mount an immune response, as measured by a commonly-employed assay of cutaneous immunity, the PHA skin test. In addition, haematocrit, the packed cell volume in relation to total blood volume, is often measured as an indicator of physiological performance. A multi-year study of a wild population of house wrens has recently revealed that those exhibiting the highest condition and strongest PHA responses as nestlings are most likely to be recruited to the breeding population and to breed through two years …

Trophic Dynamic Interactions In A Temperate Karst River, Elizabeth Malloy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Surface streams in karst landscapes are often characterized by high nutrient levels due to incomplete filtration through series of innumerable, below-ground conduits. Seasonal growth of the filamentous alga, Cladophora, is typically associated with nutrient-rich waters. This research compared macroinvertebrate food web structure between riverine reaches with contrasting underlying karst topography, nutrient levels, and Cladophora cover during summer 2012 and autumn 2013. Recent work in these reaches found a high correlation between Cladophora cover and nutrient content, particularly nitrate. Four questions were addressed during this study: 1. Do longitudinal trends in algal and consumer δ13C values relate to decreased DIC availability …

A Fish Farmer’S Role In Sustainable Aquaculture: An Overview Of Philippine Aquaculture, Janice A. Ragaza, Jonni Fay C. Teves

Biology Faculty Publications

The expansion of Philippine aquaculture is essential to addressing poverty and food insecurity in the midst of a seemingly irreversible decline in national capture fisheries. Concomitant with its rise, however, are compounding environmental problems caused by climate change, lackluster governance and irresponsible farming practices. It is equally important to ensure aquaculture sustainability so that fish demand from a rapidly growing population is continually met and that fish farmers’ socioeconomic well-being is secured. As such, programs have been developed that aim to enjoin the government and private sectors with fishing communities to realize this goal.

Decontamination Protocols For Watercraft And Wildland Firefighting Equipment In Preventing The Spread Of Invasive Quagga (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis) And Zebra (Dreissena Polymorpha) Mussels, Ashlie Watters

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and Dreissena polymorpha) are two invasive species introduced via ballast water discharged by large oceanic cargo ships to the North American Great Lakes in the late 1980s. Once established, the mussels spread quickly. In January 2007, D. rostriformis bugensis was discovered in Lake Mead, NV-AZ, and in that same year, mussels were confirmed further south on the Colorado River in Lakes Mojave and Havasu. Dreissenids clog water intake pipes, water filtration systems, and electric generating plants. The mussels also ruin boat motors, damage recreational equipment, and once established in the reservoir, routine maintenance …

Characterization Of Histidine Decarboxylase In Drosophila Using An Internal Flag Epitope, Maxwell Mianecki

Masters Theses

Histamine is a neurotransmitter in arthropods and is responsible for synaptic transmission in vision, mechanosensation, temperature sensing and sleep cycle in Drosophila. Histamine is synthesized by the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC). While histamine is detectable within tissues using current immunofluorescent labeling techniques, immunological approaches have not been successful for HDC itself, with both direct antibodies and terminal epitope tags determined to be ineffective. In order to avoid loss of the epitope tag through putative N-­‐ and C-­‐terminal proteolytic cleavage, known to occur for HDC in other organisms, an internal epitope tag that does not disrupt enzyme function was utilized. A …

Role Of Epistasis In Alzheimer's Disease Genetics, Mark T. Ebbert

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease whose basic etiology and genetic structure remains elusive, despite decades of intensive investigation. To date, the significant genetic markers identified have no obvious functional effects, and are unlikely to play a role in Alzheimer's disease etiology, themselves. These markers are likely linked to other genetic variations, rare or common. Regardless of what causal mutations are found, research has demonstrated that no single gene determines Alzheimer's disease development and progression. It is clear that Alzheimer's disease development and progression are based on a set of interactions between genes and environmental variables. This dissertation focuses …

Empirical Demonstration Of Environmental Sensing In Catalytic Rna: Evolution Of Interpretive Behavior At The Origins Of Life, Niles Lehman, Tess Bernhard, Brian C. Larson, Andrew J.N. Robinson, Christopher C.B. Southgate

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The origins of life on the Earth required chemical entities to interact with their environments in ways that could respond to natural selection. The concept of interpretation, where biotic entities use signs in their environment as proxy for the existence of other items of selective value in their environment, has been proposed on theoretical grounds to be relevant to the origins and early evolution of life. However this concept has not been demonstrated empirically.

Results: Here, we present data that certain catalytic RNA sequences have properties that would enable interpretation of divalent cation levels in their environment. …

Stem Nematode Counteracts Plant Resistance Of Aphids In Alfalfa, Medicago Sativa, Ricardo A. Ramirez, John M. Stark

Biology Faculty Publications

Plants are exploited by a diverse community of insect herbivores and phytopathogens that interact indirectly through plant-mediated interactions. Generally, plants are thought to respond to insects and pathogens through different defensive signaling pathways. As plants are selected for resistance to one phytophagous organism type (insect vs. pathogen) in managed systems, it is not clear how this selection may affect community interactions. This study examined the effect of nematode-resistant varieties on aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) suppression, and then determined how infection by the stem nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci, mediated ecological effects on aphids and on plant defense proteins. Four alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties …

Traversing Swanton Road, 17th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Antibacterial Gene Transfer Across The Tree Of Life, Jason A. Metcalf, Lisa J. Funkhouser-Jones, Kristen A. Brileya, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Seth R. Bordenstein

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Though horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is widespread, genes and taxa experience biased rates of transferability. Curiously, independent transmission of homologous DNA to archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, and viruses is extremely rare and often defies ecological and functional explanations. Here, we demonstrate that a bacterial lysozyme family integrated independently in all domains of life across diverse environments, generating the only glycosyl hydrolase 25 muramidases in plants and archaea. During coculture of a hydrothermal vent archaeon with a bacterial competitor, muramidase transcription is upregulated. Moreover, recombinant lysozyme exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial action in a dose-dependent manner. Similar to bacterial transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, …

Daily Activity Budgets Reveal A Quasi-Flightless Stage During Non-Breeding In Hawaiian Albatrosses, Sarah Gutowsky, Lee Gutowsky, Ian Jonsen, Marty Leonard, Maura Naughton, Marc Romano, Scott A. Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Background Animals adjust activity budgets as competing demands for limited time and energy shift across life history phases. For far-ranging migrants and especially pelagic seabirds, activity during breeding and migration are generally well studied but the “overwinter” phase of non-breeding has received less attention. Yet this is a critical time for recovery from breeding, plumage replacement and gaining energy stores for return migration and the next breeding attempt. We aimed to identify patterns in daily activity budgets (i.e. time in flight, floating on the water’s surface and active foraging) and associated spatial distributions during overwinter for the laysan Phoebastria immutabilis …

A Comparison Of The Caulobacter Na1000 And K31 Genomes Reveals Extensive Genome Rearrangements And Differences In Metabolic Potential, Craig Stephens, Kurt Ash, Theta Brown, Tynetta Watford, Latia E. Scott, Bert Ely

Biology

The genus Caulobacter is found in a variety of habitats and is known for its abilityto thrive in low-nutrient conditions. K31 is a novel Caulobacter isolate that has the ability to tolerate copper and chlorophenols, and can grow at 48Cwith a doubling time of 40 h. K31 contains a 5.5 Mb chromosome that codes for more than 5500 proteins and two large plasmids (234 and 178 kb) thatcode for 438 additional proteins. A comparison of the K31 and the Caulobactercrescentus NA1000 genomes revealed extensive rearrangements of gene order,suggesting that the genomes had been randomly scrambled. However, a careful analysis revealed …

Do Wetland Characteristics, Specifically Plant Communities, Surface Water, And Soils Play A Significant Role In Whooping Crane (Grus Americana) Site Selection?, Kristin Marie Bahleda

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

To examine the relationship of environmental conditions and their effect on Whooping crane (Grus americana) nest site selection; wetland soils, plant community structure and surface water quality were analyzed throughout nineteen established nest sites and twenty non-nesting wetland sites. Due to past fire management throughout the refuge, the effects of fire history were also investigated by comparing burned (n=17) and un-burned (n=22) areas.

A multi-dimensional scaling analysis did not detect significant differences in plant community structure between nest and non-nesting sites, but did find a significant difference with respect to time since last burn. Soil parameters were not …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Algal Symbionts Associated With Four North American Amphibian Egg Masses, Eunsoo Kim, Yuan Lin, Ryan R. Kerney, Lili Blumenberg, Cory Bishop

Biology Faculty Publications

Egg masses of the yellow-spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum form an association with the green alga “Oophila amblystomatis” (Lambert ex Wille), which, in addition to growing within individual egg capsules, has recently been reported to invade embryonic tissues and cells. The binomial O. amblystomatis refers to the algae that occur in A. maculatum egg capsules, but it is unknown whether this population of symbionts constitutes one or several different algal taxa. Moreover, it is unknown whether egg masses across the geographic range of A. maculatum, or other amphibians, associate with one or multiple algal taxa. To address these …

The Phenology Of Ticks And The Effects Of Long-Term Prescribed Burning On Tick Population Dynamics In Southwestern Georgia And Northwestern Florida, Elizabeth R. Gleim, L. Mike Conner, Roy D. Berghaus, Michael L. Levin, Galina E. Zemtsova, Michael J. Yabsley

Environmental Studies / Environmental Science Faculty Scholarship

Some tick populations have increased dramatically in the past several decades leading to an increase in the incidence and emergence of tick-borne diseases. Management strategies that can effectively reduce tick populations while better understanding regional tick phenology is needed. One promising management strategy is prescribed burning. However, the efficacy of prescribed burning as a mechanism for tick control is unclear because past studies have provided conflicting data, likely due to a failure of some studies to simulate operational management scenarios and/or account for other predictors of tick abundance. Therefore, our study was conducted to increase knowledge of tick population dynamics …