Digital Commons Network^™

Microbial Community Contribution To Oxidative Stress Defense In High-Biomass Forming Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms (Chabs), Chelsea Donovan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) occur globally, excluding Antarctica, and often involve toxin-producing species such as Microcystis aeruginosa. These blooms threaten both ecosystems and public health, making it essential to understand their underlying drivers. Cyanobacteria generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) during photosynthesis, which can cause cellular damage unless neutralized. Some, like M. aeruginosa, lack the genetic capacity to detoxify ROS and rely on associated bacterioplankton for protection. To investigate the role of phycosphere bacteria in mitigating ROS stress, we conducted an incubation experiment using samples collected throughout the 2023 Lake Erie bloom season. Samples were treated with 10 …

Identifying Alternatively Spliced Events And Exons Between Blood Cell Types, Jessica Holder

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transcript isoforms arising from alternative splicing events can contribute to the development of a cell’s identity and function and overall protein diversity. Peripheral blood is a useful model to study and evaluate computational methods for alternative splicing detection due to its abundant data across various sequencing protocols. The alternative splicing events across different blood cell types have not been completely identified and detecting alternative splicing through short read sequencing is still a challenging problem. Here, we propose to integrate multiple bulk RNA-seq datasets of purified blood cells using a novel integration method to identify the cell-type specific alternative splicing events …

Identification Of Methylation Patterns, Associated Dna Methylating Proteins, And Methyltransferase Inhibitors On The Promoter Regions Of Dax-1, Brandon Tyler Toy

Master's Theses

The DAX-1 gene (Dosage-Sensitive Sex Reversal, Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita, Critical Region on the X chromosome, gene 1) encodes for an orphan nuclear hormone receptor and its mutation is implicated in multiple diseases including congenital adrenal hypoplasia, adrenal cancer, and breast cancer. Previous research has linked DAX-1 downregulation to tumor initiation in breast tissue, suggesting the gene acts as a tumor suppressor with respect to breast cancer. Additional studies completed by the Tzagarakis-Foster laboratory have shown that methylation of the DAX-1 promoter region is heavily influential in breast cancer development, with release of epigenetic repression resulting in slowing of cellular proliferation …

The Effects Of Sugar Alcohols On The Growth Of Cariogenic Bacteria, Jake Sanders Boone

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of sugar alcohols, commonly used as sugar substitutes to reduce the activity of dental caries causing bacteria. Specifically, the sugar alcohols xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, and mannitol were placed into the growth media of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The effects on their bacterial growth were observed. 10% xylitol, 10% erythritol, 10% sorbitol, 10% mannitol, 5% xylitol + 5% erythritol, and 3.3% erythritol + 3.3% xylitol + 3.3% sorbitol combinations were compared to the control groups for differences in bacterial growth. S. mutans samples were significantly inhibited by all groups except …

Hsp70 Chaperones, Ssa1 And Ssa2, Limit Poly(A) Binding Protein Aggregation, Hannah E. Buchholz, Sean A. Martin, Jane E. Dorweiler, Claire M. Radtke, Adam S. Knier, Natalia B. Beans, Anita L. Manogaran

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Molecular chaperones play a central role in maintaining protein homeostasis. The highly conserved Hsp70 family of chaperones have major functions in folding of nascent peptides, protein refolding, and protein aggregate disassembly. In yeast, loss of two Hsp70 proteins, Ssa1 and Ssa2, is associated with decreased cellular growth and shortened lifespan. While heterologous or mutant temperature-sensitive proteins form anomalous large cytoplasmic inclusions in ssa1Δssa2Δ strains, it is unclear how endogenous wild-type proteins behave and are regulated in the presence of limiting Hsp70s. Using the wild-type yeast Poly A binding protein (Pab1), which is involved in mRNA binding and forms stress granules …

Proceedings Of The 12th Research Symposium At Mammoth Cave National Park, Pat Kambesis Editor, Lee Anne Bledsoe Editor, Ana K. Celis Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Proceedings of the 12th Research Symposium at Mammoth Cave National Park: Celebrating 100 Years of Scientific Research & Resource Management in the Mammoh Cave Region.

Genetic Correlations Between Enteric Methane And Traits Of Economic Importance In A Beef Finishing System, Clodagh V. Ryan, Thierry Pabiou, Deirdre C. Purfield

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

With the pressing global challenge of climate change, the potential to breed cattle that produce less lifetime methane offers a transformative solution that is both sustainable and impactful. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic correlations between enteric methane emissions and economically important traits included in the current Terminal Index used to breed animals for meat in Ireland. This Terminal Index is typical of terminal-type indexes used globally, constituting traits associated with calving performance, carcass merit, and efficiency traits such as feed intake and age at finish, as well as some ancillary traits such as docility. Methane …

Minimal Anti-Cancer Effects Of Mushroom-Derived Compounds Hispidin And Chaga Extract On Ewing Sarcoma Cells, Jordan Cosgrove, Fiona Coulbourne, Iris Reyna, Giselle Serna-Flores, Terry Jo Shackleford

Cell and Molecular Methods

Ewing sarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer of adolescents and young adults driven by the EWSR1–FLI1 gene fusion. Standard treatments include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, though survival rates remain low. Natural compounds such as hispidin, derived from fungi, and Chaga mushroom extract have shown potential anti-cancer effects by disrupting cell cycle progression and promoting apoptosis in other cancer models. In this study, we tested the effects of hispidin and Chaga extract on Ewing sarcoma cells to evaluate their ability to suppress cell growth and identify potential therapeutic benefits.

The Effects Of Hispidin And Eribulin Mesylate On Cell Proliferation Of Ewing Sarcoma Cell Lines, Elena Mares, Angelina Juarrita, Sierra Munoz, Terry Jo Shackleford

Cell and Molecular Methods

Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that targets the cells within bones and soft tissue and is most prevalent in younger populations. It is important to look at this specific cancer because there is no cure yet, and the risks increase, even after a patient has completed their treatment. We hypothesize that if we treat Ewing sarcoma cell lines with natural compounds, specifically Hispidin and Eribulin Mesylate, then the cell lines will decrease in cell viability and there will be an increase in apoptosis of the cancerous cell lines. We performed a series of experiments, which included IC50 analysis, …

Common Challenges Faced By Early-Career Researchers In Latin American And Small U.S. Universities, Daniela Cejas, Fatima Rodriguez Acosta, Juan Rivera-Correa

Publications and Research

Early-career researchers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and small U.S. universities are underrepresented in international scientific databases. They have geographical importance, infectious disease endemicity, and exceptional researchers in microbiology, but these factors do not translate to representation in high-impact scientific publications. Many reasons could be involved, including financial burdens such as the inability to pay article processing charges. Additional teaching, institutional, and service responsibilities also highly influence their research productivity. Despite this, they are expected to publish high-impact articles, and their career development highly depends on it. There is an opportunity for global peer collaboration to tackle this inequity and …

Phage Therapy For Urinary Tract Infections: Progress And Challenges Ahead, Chase J. Morgan, Haley Atkins, Alan J. Wolfe, Linda Brubaker, Saima Aslam, Catherine Putonti, Michael B. Doud, Lindsey A. Burnett

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Introduction and Hypothesis: Urinary tract infection (UTI) treatment is a growing public health concern owing to increasing antimicrobial resistance. Phage therapy, an alternative or adjunctive treatment to antibiotics, has the potential to address this challenge. However, clinical use of phage therapy is hindered by knowledge gaps and inconsistent reporting. The objective was to review the current state of phage therapy for UTIs and highlight research priorities that can optimize phage clinical efficacy. Methods: Current literature on UTI phage therapy was examined, focusing on the lack of standardized phage susceptibility testing, phage characterization, and microbiological assessments during and after treatment. Results: …

How Soil Fungal Communities Respond To Invasive Plant Species Treatments In Soil From Banksia Woodland, South-Western Australia, Aaron J. Brace, Katinka X. Ruthrof, Joseph B. Fontaine, Ben P. Miller, Anna J.M. Hopkins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Context. Invasive plants are one of the most significant threats to woodlands globally. Methods of invasive plant control include manual removal and herbicide application. While the impacts of control methods on invasive and off-target native plant species are often explored, the impacts on below-ground organisms, such as fungi, are less well understood. Aims. We conducted a glasshouse trial to investigate the responses of soil fungal communities to herbicides and manual removal that are used to control common invasive plant species in Banksia woodland in south-western Australia. Methods. Broad spectrum (glyphosate and pelargonic acid) and grass-specific (fluazifop-p-butyl) herbicides were separately applied …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Schiff Base Compounds Produced From 6-Bromo-4-Fluoro-2 Aminobenzothazol Assessment Against Antibacterial Activity, Hiba I. Abdullah, Wissam M. R. Al-Joboury, Ibrahim F.O. Aljoboury, Ibtihal K. Hameed, Khalid A. Al-Badrany, Mahmod A. Abdulqader

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Schiff bases exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of study was to synthesized 2-amino-benzothiazole derivatives and showed their novel structure leads to potent antimicrobial activity. The Schiff base compounds derived from 6-bromo-4-fluoro-2-aminobenzothazol was prepared from the reaction of 6-bromo-4-fluoro-2-aminobenzothazol compound (W1) with potassium thiocyanate in the presence of bromine. Unsaturated Alpha-Beta (W2-6) compounds were obtained from the reaction of and aromatic benzaldehyd with para -hydroxy acetophenone in a basal medium. The interaction of alpha-beta - unsaturated compounds with 4,6-dichloro-2-aminobenzothiazole gives compounds (W7-11) 4-(1-(4,6-dichlorobenzothiazole-2-El amino) - 3-aryl) phenol. The prepared compounds …

Estimation Of Some Biomarkers Related To Bone Turnover In Iraqi Women, Wafaa Raji Alfatlawi

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Osteoporosis is defined as a heterogeneous bone disease that leads to weakening in the structure of bones. Bone structure remains dynamic throughout an individual’s life, it undergoes continuous growth and resorption in a specific mechanism called bone turnover. Osteoporosis assumes the perturbation of equilibrium of the growth to destruction towards the destructive away. Bone turnover markers consider as indicators for pathway of bone turning over, it classified into two groups: first group to build the bones, the second group to break it down. By using bio tests and assays, these markers can be evaluated to monitor the activity of the …

Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Regarding Refractive Errors And Spectacle Wear Among Children In Sana’A: A Cross-Sectional Study, Tariek Aldoais, Zakarya Rageh, Khaled Al-Hemyari, Saleh Altheeb, Abdulmogni Al-Barrag, Mahfouth Bamashmus

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Background: Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding refractive errors and spectacle use is essential for promoting eye health and effective vision correction, especially in children.

Objective: This study assessed the demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of participants concerning refractive errors and spectacle use, focusing on correlations influencing these factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 228 participants analyzed demographic data, duration of glasses use, and responses to a structured questionnaire on KAP related to refractive errors and spectacles.

Results: Among participants, 53.1% were female, and 45.2% were aged 8–13 years. Glasses use for 1–3 years was reported by …

Achievement Goals And Burnout In Pre-Health Profession Undergraduate Students, Jamie Jensen, Hunter Nelson, Grant Rousseau, Kenneth Harrington, Isaiah Aduse-Poku, Alexis Call, Tanner Brown

ScholarsArchive Data

These are survey results of BYU undergraduates who are enrolled in pre-health programs. We assessed their Achievement Goal Orientations and their feelings of Burnout.

The Investigation Of Lateral Foraging Patterns In Fin And Sei Whales, Alex Eschmann

Theses - ALL

Lateralization is the specialization that enhances an organism’s survival by dedicating specific tasks to the hemispheres of the brain, strengthening neural pathways to enhance speed and dexterity of task performance. First described in humans in 1861, lateralization has also been observed in non-human organisms where it often plays a critical role in predator-prey dynamics. Lateralized behaviors for prey foraging, social interactions, and communication have been described in some species of marine mammals from across all three distinct taxonomic orders. In the Order Cetacea, toothed and baleen whale species exhibit lateralized foraging behaviors for prey capture. In this study, I investigated …

Temporal Assessment Of Fish Communities In A South Central Plains Ecoregion Watershed, Tara L. Schnelting

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Among South Central Plains ecoregion fish communities, there is limited knowledge of the importance of headwaters yet this information is needed to understand their role in fish communities. I addressed this gap by assessing seasonal changes in fish communities in headwater streams of the Moro Creek watershed, Arkansas. I conducted two studies pertaining to temporal fish community assessments: (i) utilize multi-season, community occupancy models to estimate μ (species probability), Ω (community occupancy mean), and p (detection probability) and (ii) utilize beta diversity (β) analyses to address the diversity across different scales in the headwaters of the Moro Creek …

Impacts Of Polyploidization On Endocrine Regulation And Vocalization In The Gray Treefrog Complex, Avery Thigpen

Honors Theses

Comparative genomics data suggest that vertebrates are descendants of ancestral polyploids and that historical polyploidization events fueled evolutionary innovations. For example, polyploidization can modify gene expression patterns and/or increase gene mutation rates to alter the phenotype. While considerable emphasis has been placed on the evolutionary impact of ancient polyploidization events, less is known regarding phenotypic modifications in extant polyploids. I examined circulating levels of adrenal glucocorticoids and gonadal steroids in the diploid-tetraploid gray treefrog complex to understand how polyploidization has impacted hormonal regulation. Furthermore, I examined the relationships between levels of these hormones and acoustic signals to examine if and …

Academic Burnout In Human Anatomy & Physiology I Students, Shivani Shukla

Honors Theses

Human Anatomy and Physiology I is the study of the function and structure of the human body. It is a challenging class that many students have to take for their undergraduate degree. Due to the vast information that is given in this complex class, students can struggle with understanding the material and knowing how to study thus leading to burnout in the course. Understanding why students undergo burnout in their courses could uncover ways that professors and institutions could help the students to prevent burnout. The goal of this study was to determine the level of burnout in Human Anatomy …

Understanding Temporal Changes In Leaf Traits Of Native Smilax Rotundifolia And Invasive Lonicera Japonica Using Long-Term Herbarium Records From Kentucky, Claudia Ebbecke, Claudia Ebbecke

Honors College Theses

Herbarium specimens are the most valuable, verifiable, and sustainable records to study the impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems. Temporal herbarium data can provide critical information on how species respond to changes in habitat conditions by tracking changes in species’ morphological and phenological traits. This study aims to use Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) to assess the impact of climate change on invasive and native plants. Leaf traits, such as leaf size and stomatal density are good indicators of plant’s adaptation to the changing environment. By examining changes in leaf traits …

Student Perceptions Of Supports And Barriers For Transferring Quantitative Reasoning In Introductory Biology Lab Courses, Joelle Prate, Jeremy L. Hsu

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Quantitative reasoning is a critical skill in biology and has been highlighted as a core competency by Vision and Change. Despite its importance, students often struggle to apply mathematical skills in new contexts in biology, a process called transfer of knowledge. However, the supports and barriers that students perceive for this process remain unclear. To explore this further, we interviewed undergraduate students in an introductory biology lab course about how they understand and report the transfer of quantitative skills in these courses. We then applied these themes to the Step Back, Translate, and Extend (SBTE) framework to examine student …

Parental Guidance Suggested: Genetic, Epigenetic, And Environmental Factors Shape Allele-Specific Gene Regulation In Metabolic Traits, Celine Louise St. Pierre

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Deciphering the “genotype to phenotype” map is a crucial goal of biology. We will not improve our ability to predict phenotypes from DNA sequences until we better incorporate epigenetic and environmental variation into our models of human health and disease. Genes are typically presumed to express both parental alleles equally, but genetic and epigenetic factors can cause one allele to function differently than the other (e.g. expressed or silenced more). These allele-specific imbalances can alter the final composition of a gene’s transcriptional product and ultimately shape phenotypes. Allele-specific effects have widespread impacts on complex traits, but how environmental signals contribute …

Disrupting Nrf2-Driven Cancer Biology Through One-Carbon Metabolism Inhibition, Julius Chembo

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with treatment resistance and recurrence posing major barriers to long-term survival. Despite advancements in targeted therapies, many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, significantly limiting their effectiveness. One key driver of therapeutic resistance is nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2/NRF2), a transcription factor that regulates antioxidant responses and drug detoxification. While NRF2 protects normal cells from oxidative stress, its aberrant activation in cancer promotes tumor progression, metabolic reprogramming, and resistance to standard treatments. Alarmingly, NRF2 hyperactivation is implicated in some of the most aggressive and refractory malignancies, yet no …

Pan-Cancer Universal Targets For Immunotherapy Resulted From Transposable Elements Activation, Yonghao Liang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Transposable elements (TEs) contribute to nearly half of the human genome yet have been overlooked in genomic medicines due to the stereotypic impression as “junk DNA” and technical challenges. However, studies in the last two decades demonstrated that dysregulation of the epigenome in cancer cells resurrects the cis-regulatory functions of TEs, including the promoter activities. The tumor-specific TE activation events along with the resulting tumor-specific RNA and protein molecules, provide a potential “gold mine” for identifying tumor-specific therapeutic targets for cancer treatments, including immunotherapy. Here, I present a series of works to investigate the potential of providing actionable, pan-cancer, and …

Depalmitoylation Regulates Metabolism And Mitochondrial Function, Sarah Lilly Speck

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Tens of millions of Americans suffer from metabolic disorders, predisposing patients to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, infertility, and cancer. Unfortunately, the etiology of many of these diseases remains a mystery, limiting our ability to identify targets for pharmacologic therapies. Due to the relationship between altered lipid dynamics and metabolic dysfunction, we decided to study the effect of the posttranslational lipid modification, S-palmitoylation, on metabolism. S-palmitoylation is the only known reversible lipid modification for proteins, and this depalmitoylation process is catalyzed by acyl-protein thioesterases including APT1 and APT2. We hypothesized that APT deficiency in various tissues would predispose mammals …

Mechanisms Of Mll-Rearranged Infant Leukemogenesis, Jonny Mendoza-Castrejon

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Infant leukemias arise as either B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are primarily driven by MLL/KMT2A-rearrangements (MLLr). Prior work has shown that MLLr transform fetal/neonatal hematopoietic progenitors more efficiently than adult progenitors. However, the genetics and epidemiology of MLLr leukemias present an important paradox. MLLr arise during late gestation under conditions that would seemingly favor leukemic transformation (i.e., fetal/neonatal progenitors have high proliferation rates and self-renewal). Furthermore, MLLr infant leukemias require very few cooperating mutations for transformation. Yet congenital leukemias are 10-fold less common than infant leukemias and >100-fold less common than childhood leukemias …

Parapinopsin: A Photoswitchable Inhibitory Gpcr For Two-Photon Optogenetics, Bobbie J. Brown

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The development of optogenetic tools has greatly advanced the capability of researchers to understand the connection between neuronal activity and behavior. Optogenetics makes use of opsins, which are light activated ion-channels, ion pumps, or G-Protein coupled receptor (GPCR-based) proteins used to regulate cellular activity. Coupled with technological advances in genetics and optical physics/microscopy, optogenetics can be used to control specific populations of cells in a time-locked, spatially specific manner. The experiments possible with optogenetics depend largely on the capabilities and limitations of the opsin used; thus, there have been continuous efforts to design and employ new opsins with a variety …

Oxycodone Self-Administration Modulates Ventral Pallidal Neuron Activity And Plasticity, Jessica Tooley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Opioid use disorder is an urgent public health crisis in the United States. Over 800,000 Americans have died from opioid-related overdoses since 2000. Nearly 30% of people who misuse opioids begin with prescription oral opioids, such as oxycodone, and continue misusing to avoid the immediate aversive state of withdrawal and the persistent dysphoria associated with protracted abstinence from opioids. The persistency of these dysphoric symptoms increases the risk of relapse even after long periods of abstinence. Treatment for opioid use disorder currently consists of pharmacological opioid treatment to reduce withdrawal symptoms and behavioral counseling. However, these strategies have significant real-world …

Induced Cd8a Identifies Enhanced Human Nk Cell Il-15-Induced Proliferation And Metabolism And Modulates Nk Cell Activation, Celia Cubitt

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Natural Killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that play an important role in the surveillance and elimination of virally-infected and malignantly-transformed cells. These primary effector functions are achieved by producing cytokines and chemokines which activate and recruit additional immune effectors, as well as direct cytotoxic killing via perforin and granzymes. NK cell function is tightly regulated by a balance of germ-line encoded activating, inhibitory, co-stimulatory, and cytokine receptors expressed at the cell surface. Through these activating and inhibitory receptors, NK cells recognize and kill targets without prior sensitization through the loss of self-identifying molecules such as major histocompatibility …