Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Selected Drugs On The Memory Recall Of Sleep Deprived Mice, Jenn Pauldurai

Capstone Research Projects

Humans often make use of the neurotransmission altering effects of drugs such as caffeine, ephedrine, and ethanol. These drugs induce changes in memory and learning ability, specifically when used for sleep deprivation. English white mice (Mus musculus) have been shown to exhibit similar cognitive changes when administered drugs while sleep deprived. A sample of 20 mice was divided into three experimental groups (each group receiving a different drug) and one control group. Maze-testing demonstrated that mice performance decreased with sleep deprivation (Treatment-1) but all groups returned to baseline performance when injected (IP) with selected drugs (Treatment-2), regardless of …

Interactive Effects Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus On Soil Microbial Communities In A Tropical Forest, Lei Liu, Tao Zhang, Frank S. Gilliam, Per Gundersen, Wei Zhang, Hao Chen, Jiangming Mo

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition in humid tropical regions may exacerbate phosphorus (P) deficiency in forests on highly weathered soils. However, it is not clear how P availability affects soil microbes and soil carbon (C), or how P processes interact with N deposition in tropical forests. We examined the effects of N and P additions on soil microbes and soil C pools in a N-saturated old-growth tropical forest in southern China to test the hypotheses that (1) N and P addition will have opposing effects on soil microbial biomass and activity, (2) N and P addition will alter the composition of …

Examining Genomics And Your Health, Part 1: Your Genome And Your Health, Emily F. Schmitt Lavin

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

No abstract provided.

A Pharm-Ecological Perspective Of Terrestrial And Aquatic Plant-Herbivore Interactions, Jennifer Sorensen Forbey, M. Denise Dearing, Elisabeth M. Gross, Colin M. Orians, Erik E. Sotka, William J. Foley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe some recent themes in the nutritional and chemical ecology of herbivores and the importance of a broad pharmacological view of plant nutrients and chemical defenses that we integrate as “Pharm-ecology”. The central role that dose, concentration, and response to plant components (nutrients and secondary metabolites) play in herbivore foraging behavior argues for broader application of approaches derived from pharmacology to both terrestrial and aquatic plant-herbivore systems. We describe how concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are used to better understand the foraging phenotype of herbivores relative to nutrient and secondary metabolites in food. Implementing these concepts into the field …

The Vocal Mechanism Of Two Songbirds, The Bengalese Finch (Lonchura Striata) And The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis): 3d Modeling Of Complex Skeleto-Muscular Systems Based On Computer Visualization And Animation Of X-Ray Ct Data, Caroline Blevins

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Isolation Of A Dosage Dependent Suppressor Using Saccharomyces Cerevisiae As A Model System, Rachel Chimner

Masters Theses

Human pathogenic Yersinia use a type three secretion system to deliver various effector proteins into host cells. Once these effector proteins are within the cell, they elicit a cascade of events that disrupt the normal immune response. One of these effectors, YopT, is known to disrupt actin distribution but it is currently unknown what YopT targets within the host cell. To investigate the cellular targets of the YopT effector, we use a yeast model system and a dosage-dependent suppression screen. The dosage-dependent suppression screen isolated three plasmids able to suppress YopT induced lethality within yeast. One of them, 2T9, was …

Variation In Egg Components: A Study Of Maternal Investment And Resource Partitioning In The Nesting Loggerhead Sea Turtle; Estimating Genic Variation And Mapping Genetic Lineage Of A Rare Captive Helodermatid Population: Heloderma Horridum Charlesbogerti, Ketan V. Patel

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Loggerhead sea turtles have the highest egg yields of any oviparous non-avian reptiles. Blood urea nitrogen levels increased as the season progressed while total blood albumen and total protein levels decreased. Wet egg mass (H = 1.7719 df = 2 p = 0.0375*) and albumen mass (H = 6.0507 df = 2 p = 0.0485*) significantly decreased across the nesting season however, wet yolk did not. Analysis of dried egg components showed that dry yolk and albumen did not differ across the nesting season. In addition on no seasonal change in dried egg components, hatchling size was conserved across the …

Selenium Biotransformations In An Engineered Aquatic Ecosystem For Bioremediation Of Agricultural Wastewater Via Brine Shrimp Production, Radomir Schmidt, Prapakorn Tantoyotai, Sirine C. Fakra, Matthew A. Marcus, Soo In Yang, Ingrid J. Pickering, Gary S. BañUelos, Krassimira R. Hristova, John L. Freeman

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

An engineered aquatic ecosystem was specifically designed to bioremediate selenium (Se), occurring as oxidized inorganic selenate from hypersalinized agricultural drainage water while producing brine shrimp enriched in organic Se and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for use in value added nutraceutical food supplements. Selenate was successfully bioremediated by microalgal metabolism into organic Se (seleno-amino acids) and partially removed via gaseous volatile Se formation. Furthermore, filterfeeding brine shrimp that accumulated this organic Se were removed by net harvest. Thriving in this engineered pond system, brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana Kellogg) and brine fly (Ephydridae sp.) have major ecological relevance as important food …

Sugar Promotes Vegetative Phase Change In Arabidopsis Thaliana By Repressing The Expression Of Mir156a And Mir156c, Li Yang, Mingli Xu, Yeonjong Koo, Jia He, R. Scott Poethig

Faculty Publications

Nutrients shape the growth, maturation, and aging of plants and animals. In plants, the juvenile to adult transition (vegetative phase change) is initiated by a decrease in miR156. In Arabidopsis, we found that exogenous sugar decreased the abundance of miR156, whereas reduced photosynthesis increased the level of this miRNA. This effect was correlated with a change in the timing of vegetative phase change, and was primarily attributable to a change in the expression of two genes, MIR156A and MIR156C, which were found to play dominant roles in this transition. The glucose-induced repression of miR156 was dependent on the …

Mechanistic Studies Of Intracellular Delivery Of Proteins By Cell-Penetrating Peptides In Cyanobacteria, Betty Revon Liu, Yue-Wern Huang, Han-Jung Lee

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: The plasma membrane plays an essential role in selective permeability, compartmentalization, osmotic balance, and cellular uptake. The characteristics and functions of cyanobacterial membranes have been extensively investigated in recent years. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are special nanocarriers that can overcome the plasma membrane barrier and enter cells directly, either alone or with associated cargoes. However, the cellular entry mechanisms of CPPs in cyanobacteria have not been studied.

Results: In the present study, we determine CPP-mediated transduction efficiency and internalization mechanisms in cyanobacteria using a combination of biological and biophysical methods. We demonstrate that both Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Synechococcus …

First Bacterial Endosymbionts Found In The Phylum Ascomycota, Eileen Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

Dissertations and Theses

Organisms belonging to the Kingdom Fungi are known to occupy a wide variety of ecological niches and are found globally in virtually all environments. Two members of the smallest of the fungal phylum, the Zygomycota, have also been found to harbor intercellular bacteria initially described as being from or closely related to organisms from the Genus Burkholderia. In this study two microaerophilic members of the species Verticilium from the phyla Ascomycota were characterized. Both appear to carry two bacterial endosymbionts. This is the first evidence of bacterial endosymbionts found within a member of the Ascomycota. Through the use of fluorescent …

Cns Control Of Glucose Metabolism: Response To Environmental Challenges, Deanna M. Arble, Darleen A. Sandoval

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Over the last 15 years, considerable work has accumulated to support the role of the CNS in regulating postprandial glucose levels. As discussed in the first section of this review, the CNS receives and integrates information from afferent neurons, circulating hormones, and postprandially generated nutrients to subsequently direct changes in glucose output by the liver and glucose uptake by peripheral tissues. The second major component of this review focuses on the effects of external pressures, including high fat diet and changes to the light:dark cycle on CNS-regulating glucose homeostasis. We also discuss the interaction between these different pressures and how …

Traversing Swanton Road, 12th 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 …

Teaching Evolution & The Nature Of Science Via The History Of Debates About The Levels At Which Natural Selection Operates, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

Students should not graduate from high school without understanding that scientific debates are essential components of scientific methodology. This article presents a brief history of ongoing debates regarding the hypothesis that group selection is an evolutionary mechanism, and it serves as an example of the role that debates play in correcting faulty ideas and stimulating new research in the pursuit of extending scientific knowledge.

Phytochemistry Predicts Habitat Selection By An Avian Herbivore At Multiple Spatial Scales, Graham G. Frye, John W. Connelly, David D. Musil, Jennifer S. Forbey

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Animal habitat selection is a process that functions at multiple, hierarchically structured spatial scales. Thus multi-scale analyses should be the basis for inferences about factors driving the habitat selection process. Vertebrate herbivores forage selectively on the basis of phytochemistry, but few studies have investigated the influence of selective foraging (i.e., fine-scale habitat selection) on habitat selection at larger scales. We tested the hypothesis that phytochemistry is integral to the habitat selection process for vertebrate herbivores. We predicted that habitats selected at three spatial scales would be characterized by higher nutrient concentrations and lower concentrations of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) than …

Distance And Sex Determine Host Plant Choice By Herbivorous Beetles, Daniel J. Ballhorn, Stefanie Kautz, Martin Heil

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Plants respond to herbivore damage with the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This indirect defense can cause ecological costs when herbivores themselves use VOCs as cues to localize suitable host plants. Can VOCs reliably indicate food plant quality to herbivores?

Methodology: We determined the choice behavior of herbivorous beetles (Chrysomelidae: Gynandrobrotica guerreroensis and Cerotoma ruficornis) when facing lima bean plants (Fabaceae: Phaseolus lunatus) with different cyanogenic potential, which is an important constitutive direct defense. Expression of inducible indirect defenses was experimentally manipulated by jasmonic acid treatment at different concentrations. The long-distance responses of male and female beetles to …

The Passiflora Tripartita (Banana Passion) Fruit: A Source Of Bioactive Flavonoid C-Glycosides Isolated By Hsccc And Characterized By Hplc–Dad–Esi/Ms/Ms, Mario J. Simirgiotis, Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann, Jorge Bórquez, Edward J. Kennelly

Publications and Research

The banana passion fruit (Passiflora tripartita Breiter, Passifloraceae) known as “tumbo” is very appreciated in tropical and subtropical countries of South America. Methanolic extracts from peel and the fruit juice of P. tripartita growing in Chile were analyzed for antioxidant capacity as well as for flavonoid and phenolic content. A chromatographic method was developed for the rapid identification of the main phenolics in the samples by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS. The fast fingerprint analysis allowed the detection of eighteen flavonoid C-glycosides and four flavonoid O-glycoside derivatives which were characterized by UV spectra and ESI-MS-MS analysis. Several of the C-glycosides detected are …

Traversing Swanton Road, 11th 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 …

02. Animal Science, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

03. Biology, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

05. Chemistry, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

12. Kinesiology, University Of Central Oklahoma

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits To Drosophila Melanogaster, Ria Chhabra, Santharam Kolli, Johannes H. Bauer

Biosciences Research

The ‘‘organic food’’ market is the fastest growing food sector, yet it is unclear whether organically raised food is nutritionally superior to conventionally grown food and whether consuming organic food bestows health benefits. In order to evaluate potential health benefits of organic foods, we used the well-characterized fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. Fruit flies were raised on diets consisting of extracts of either conventionally or organically raised produce (bananas, potatoes, raisins, soy beans). Flies were then subjected to a variety of tests designed to assess overall fly health. Flies raised on diets made from organically grown produce …

Evaluating Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides Melissa Samuelis Nabokov) Habitat Selection In The State Of Wisconsin, Usa, Anna Nahuel Hess

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) persists in rare oak/pine grassland communities spanning across the Great Lakes region, relying on host plant wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis). Conservation efforts since 1992 have led to the development of several programs that restore and monitor habitat. This study aims to evaluate Karner blue habitat selection in the state of Wisconsin and develop high-resolution tools for use in conservation efforts. Spatial predictive models developed during this study accurately predicted potential habitat across state properties based on soils and canopy cover, and identified ~51-100% of Karner blue occurrences based on …

Metabolic Impact Of Sex Chromosomes, Jenny Link, Xuqi Chen, Arthur P. Arnold, Karen Reue

Biology

Obesity and associated metabolic diseases are sexually dimorphic. To provide better diagnosis and treatment for both sexes, it is of interest to identify the factors that underlie male/female differences in obesity. Traditionally, sexual dimorphism has been attributed to effects of gonadal hormones, which influence numerous metabolic processes. However, the XX/XY sex chromosome complement is an additional factor that may play a role. Recent data using the four core genotypes mouse model have revealed that sex chromosome complement—independently from gonadal sex—plays a role in adiposity, feeding behavior, fatty liver and glucose homeostasis. Potential mechanisms for the effects of sex chromosome complement …

Impacts Of Drought On Plant Water Relations And Nitrogen Nutrition In Dryland Perennial Grasses, Albina Khasanove, Jeremy J. James, Rebecca E. Drenovsky

Biology

Extensive worldwide dryland degradation calls for identification of functional traits critical to dryland plant performance and restoration outcomes. Most trait examination has focused on drought tolerance, although most dryland systems are water and nutrient co-limited. We studied how drought impacts both plantwater relations and nitrogen (N) nutrition.
We grew a suite of grasses common to the Intermountain West under both well-watered and drought conditions in the greenhouse. These grasses represented three congener pairs (Agropyron, Elymus, Festuca) differing in their habitat of origin ("wetter" or "drier"). We measured growth, water relations, N resorption efficiency and proficiency and photosynthetic N use efficiency …

Ovarian Cycle Activity Varies With Respect To Age And Social Status In Free-Ranging Elephants In Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, Elizabeth Freeman, Jordana Meyer, Sarah Putman, Bruce A. Schulte, Janine Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

Free-ranging African elephants live in a fission–fusion society, at the centre of which is the matriarch. Matriarchs are generally older females that guide their families to resources and co-ordinate group defense. While much is known about elephant society, knowledge is generally lacking about how age affects the physiology of wild elephants. Investigation of the ovarian activity of free-ranging elephants could provide insight into the reproductive ageing process, with implications for population management. Faecal samples were collected from 46 individuals ranging in age from 14 to 60 years for a 2-year period, and progestagen metabolite analyses were used to examine relationships …

Ua12/13 Big Red, Small Planet, Christian Ryan-Downing , Editor, Leslie North , Editor

Sustainability Publications and Resources

At WKU, “The Spirit Makes the Master”. Our commitment to continuous improvement is clearly reflected in our sustainability efforts. WKU’s commitment to sustainability, whether demonstrated in campus operations or in educational programs, helps to ensure that our graduates are prepared to address the complicated environmental, social and economic issues we face today. They will be able to think critically, solve problems creatively and be engaged citizens. If that’s all we accomplish then we will have achieved great success. But our sustainability commitment pays dividends, as it also leads us to reduce our environmental footprint, practice social responsibility, and conserve natural …

Assessment Of Genetic Diversity In Peruvian Amaranth (Amaranthus Caudatus And A. Hybridus) Germplasm Using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers [Abstract], Felix Jimenez, Peter J. Maughan, Aquilino Alvarez, Kiel D. Kielinski, Scott M. Smith, Donald B. Pratt, David B. Elzinga, Eric N. Jellen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Spatially Explicit Model To Predict Radiocesium Body Burdens Of White- Tailed Deer On The U.S. Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Christopher W. Bobryk, Karen F. Gaines, James M. Novak, Susan A. Blas

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

We developed a spatially explicit exposure model to interpolate and predict radiocesium (137Cs) body burdens found in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) to gain insight into and differentiate between the main contributing sources of this radionuclide for use in harvest management strategies that focus on minimizing human risk. Hunting has been allowed from permanent stands as a mechanism to manage the deer herd since 1965. All animals are monitored in the field for gross beta and gamma activity levels, providing a spatially explicit dataset. The models described here use the …