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Taxonomic Revision And Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Genus Elytroleptus (Dugés) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Trachyderini), Traci Lee Grzymala

Biology ETDs

The longhorned beetle genus Elytroleptus (Dugés) (Cerambycidae:Cerambycinae: Trachyderini) is revised to include fifteen species. One new species is described: E. quadricostatus sp.n. (Grzymala & Miller). Three new synonymies are proposed: E. dichromaticus (Linsley, 1961) = E. divisus (LeConte, 1884) syn. n.; E. luteicollis (Skiles & Chemsak, 1982) = E. ignitus (LeConte, 1884) syn. n.; E. peninsularis (Hovore, 1988) = E. immaculipennis (Knull, 1935) syn. n. The genus is generally distributed throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) with one species extending the range to the north and southeastern United States. The genus is of …

Rational Design Of Improved Pharmabiotics, Roy D. Sleator, Colin Hill

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Herein we review the most recent advances in probiotic research and applications with particular emphasis on the novel concept of patho-biotechnology: the application of pathogen-derived (ex vivo and in vivo) stress survival strategies for the design of more technologically robust and effective probiotic cultures with improved biotechnological and clinical applications.

Aintegumenta And Aintegumenta-Like6 Act Redundantly To Regulate Arabidopsis Floral Growth And Patterning, Beth A. Krizek

Faculty Publications

An Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) flower consists of four types of organs arranged in a stereotypical pattern. This complex floral structure is elaborated from a small number of floral meristem cells partitioned from the shoot apical meristem during reproductive development. The positioning of floral primordia within the periphery of the shoot apical meristem depends on transport of the phytohormone auxin with floral anlagen arising at sites of auxin maxima. An early marker of lateral organ fate is the AP2/ERF-type transcription factor AINTEGUMENTA (ANT), which has been proposed to act downstream of auxin in organogenic growth. Here, I show that …

Allometry Of The Duration Of Flight Feather Molt In Birds, Sievert Rohwer, Robert Ricklefs, Vanya Rohwer, Michelle Copple

Biology Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

A Unique Group I Intron In Coxiella Burnetii Is A Natural Splice Mutant, Rahul Raghavan, Linda D. Hicks, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cbu.L1917, a group I intron present in the 23S rRNA gene of Coxiella burnetii, possesses a unique 3'-terminal adenine in place of a conserved guanine. Here, we show that, unlike all other group I introns, Cbu.L1917 utilizes a different cofactor for each splicing step and has a decreased self-splicing rate in vitro.

Role Of Inn1 And Its Interactions With Hof1 And Cyk3 In Promoting Cleavage Furrow And Septum Formation In S. Cerevisiae, R. Nishihama, J. H. Schreiter, M. Onishi, Elizabeth A. Vallen, J. Hanna, K. Moravcevic, Margaret Flynn Lippincott , '01, Haesun Han , '08, M. A. Lemmon, J. R. Pringle, E. Bi

Biology Faculty Works

Cytokinesis requires coordination of actomyosin ring (AMR) contraction with rearrangements of the plasma membrane and extracellular matrix. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, new membrane, the chitin synthase Chs2 (which forms the primary septum [PS]), and the protein Inn1 are all delivered to the division site upon mitotic exit even when the AMR is absent. Inn1 is essential for PS formation but not for Chs2 localization. The Inn1 C-terminal region is necessary for localization, and distinct PXXP motifs in this region mediate functionally important interactions with SH3 domains in the cytokinesis proteins Hof1 (an F-BAR protein) and Cyk3 (whose overexpression can restore PS …

Transition State Structures And The Roles Of Catalytic Residues In Gap-Facilitated Gtpase Of Ras As Elucidated By (18)O Kinetic Isotope Effects, Xinlin Du, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ras-catalyzed guanosine 5' triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis proceeds through a loose transition state as suggested in our previous study of (18)O kinetic isotope effects (KIE) [ Du , X. et al. ( 2004 ) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101 , 8858 - 8863 ]. To probe the mechanisms of GTPase activation protein (GAP)-facilitated GTP hydrolysis reactions, we measured the (18)O KIEs in GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by Ras in the presence of GAP(334) or NF1(333), the catalytic fragment of p120GAP or NF1. The KIEs in the leaving group oxygens (the beta nonbridge and the beta-gamma bridge oxygens) reveal that chemistry is …

A New Brevicipitid Species (Brevicipitidae: Callulina) From The Fragmented Forests Of The Taita Hills, Kenya, Simon P. Loader, G. John Measey, Rafael O. De Sá, Patrick K. Malonza

Biology Faculty Publications

A new species Callulina dawida is described from the Taita Hills, Kenya. It is distinguished from other members of the genus on the basis of the degree of digital expansion. The species further differs from other members of the genus based on molecular sequence comparisons and on its call. The morphological variation in the new species is described, including a comparison of internal and external characters and sexual dimorphism with other species of Callulina. The conservation status of the species, on the basis of its restricted distribution and land use changes in the area, is considered to be of …

Bub2 Regulation Of Cytokinesis And Septation In Budding Yeast, Su Young Park, Addie E. Cable, Jessica Blair, Katherine E. Stockstill, Katie Shannon

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: The mitotic exit network (MEN) is required for events at the end of mitosis such as degradation of mitotic cyclins and cytokinesis. Bub2 and its binding partner Bfa1 act as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) to negatively regulate the MEN GTPase Tem1. The Bub2/Bfa1 checkpoint pathway is required to delay the cell cycle in response to mispositioned spindles. In addition to its role in mitotic exit, Tem1 is required for actomyosin ring contraction.

Results: To test the hypothesis that the Bub2 pathway prevents premature actin ring assembly, we compared the timing of actin ring formation in wild type, bub2Δ …

Identifying Sleep Regulatory Genes Using A Drosophila Model Of Insomnia, Laurent Seugnet, Yasuko Suzuki, Matthew S. Thimgan, Jeffrey Donlea, Sarah I. Gimbel, Laura Gottschalk, Stephen P. Duntley, Paul J. Shaw

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although it is widely accepted that sleep must serve an essential biological function, little is known about molecules that underlie sleep regulation. Given that insomnia is a common sleep disorder that disrupts the ability to initiate and maintain restorative sleep, a better understanding of its molecular underpinning may provide crucial insights into sleep regulatory processes. Thus, we created a line of flies using laboratory selection that share traits with human insomnia. After 60 generations, insomnia-like (ins-l) flies sleep 60 min a day, exhibit difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and show evidence of daytime cognitive impairment. ins-l flies …

Occurrence Of Camponotus Pennsylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In Trees Previously Infested With Enaphalodes Rufulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) In The Ozark Mountains Of Arkansas, Robin M. Verble, Fred M. Stephen

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Black carpenter ants, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), are nearly ubiquitous in North American forests. These ants are documented as predators of red oak borer, Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman), a native longhorn beetle that experienced an unprecedented population increase synonymous with an oak decline event in the oak hickory forests of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas from the late 1990s until 2005. We examined previous red oak borer emergence holes, tree crown conditions, and site aspects in 13 pre-established vegetation monitoring plots and correlated these forest and tree attributes with the presence or absence of black carpenter ants. At each site, all red …

Treatment Options For Hepatitis C And The Rationale For Low Response Rates In African Americans, Cheu Patricia Manka, Ralph Gomes, Rebecca Reviere, Clarence Lee

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the leading cause for liver transplantation, is emerging as1 of the infections that pose public health problems in the world since about 170 million people worldwide are infected with this virus. Inequality in addressing racial/ethnic disparities in treatment for hepatitis C is a pressing problem. HCV is more common among African Americans than among other racial groups in the United States. Although African Americans have been shown to have a lower rate of viral clearance and a higher rate of chronic hepatitis C, they may have at the same time a much lower rate of fibrosis …

Influence Of Reproductive And Environmental Factors On Population Size .. Of Wild Hyacinth [Camassia Angusta (Engelm.· And A. Gray) Blank. (Liliaceae)], An Illinois Endangered Species, Kevin Franken, Janice Coons, Henry Owen, Eric Smith, John Ebinger

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Wild hyacinth (Camassia angusta) is a perennial species native to mesic prairies of the midwestern and south-central United States. In Illinois, the only extant population of this state-endangered species is in a small section of degraded black-soil prairie along a railroad track right-of-way south of Elwin, Macon County. The objectives of this study were to determine the population status, seed production, and effects of scarification and stratification on germination of C. angusta. The population was surveyed from 1990 to 2007. A survey of other plant species present was conducted in 1999. The site consisted of approximately 75% native and 25% …

Biology Of Ultramafic Rocks And Soils: Research Goals For The Future, Robert S. Boyd, Arthur R. Kruckeberg, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

In absence of a text abstract the introduction of the article is provided.

Introduction

At this, the 6th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology, it seems timely to review briefl y the present status of the fi eld and to project the needs for future research. Although a great deal of serpentine research was done prior to 1960, as summarized by Krause (1958) and discussed briefl y by Brooks (1987), much of our progress in learning how serpentine geology affects plant and animal life occurred in the mid- to late 20th century. In that era, it was the landmark studies of …

Influence Of Reproductive And Environmental Factors On Population Size .. Of Wild Hyacinth [Camassia Angusta (Engelm.· And A. Gray) Blank. (Liliaceae)], An Illinois Endangered Species, Kevin M. Franken, Janice M. Coons, Henry R. Owen, Eric L. Smith, John E. Ebinger

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Wild hyacinth (Camassia angusta) is a perennial species native to mesic prairies of the midwestern and south-central United States. In Illinois, the only extant population of this state-endangered species is in a small section of degraded black-soil prairie along a railroad track right-of-way south of Elwin, Macon County. The objectives of this study were to determine the population status, seed production, and effects of scarification and stratification on germination of C. angusta. The population was surveyed from 1990 to 2007. A survey of other plant species present was conducted in 1999. The site consisted of approximately 75% native and 25% …

Phylogeography Of The North American Red Fox: Vicariance In Pleistocene Forest Refugia, Keith B. Aubry, Mark J. Statham, Benjamin N. Sacks, John D. Perrine, Samantha M. Wisely

Biological Sciences

Fossil, archaeological, and morphometric data suggest that indigenous red foxes in North America were derived from vicariance in two disjunct refugia during the last glaciation: one in Beringia and one in the contiguous USA. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a phylogeographical analysis of the North American red fox within its presettlement range. We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (354 bp) gene and D-loop (342 bp) from 220 historical red fox specimens. Phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome b gene produced two clades that diverged c. 400 000 years before present (bp): a Holarctic and a Nearctic clade. …

Adiantum Viridimontanum, Aspidotis Densa, Minuartia Marcescens, And Symphyotrichum Rhiannon: Additional Serpentine Endemics From Eastern North America, Tanner Harris, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Serpentine outcrops around the world are known to harbor disproportionately high rates of plant endemism. Remarkable cases of serpentine endemism occur in New Caledonia and Cuba, with 3178 and 920 endemic taxa, respectively, found solely on serpentine. Despite the patchy occurrence of serpentine in eastern North America from Québec and Newfoundland south to Alabama, only one taxon, Cerastium velutinum var. villosissimum, has been broadly recognized as a serpentine endemic for the region. Based on reports in the literature, we suggest that Adiantum viridimontanum, Minuartia marcescens, and Symphyotrichum rhiannon be considered endemic to serpentine soils from the east coast …

Advances In Serpentine Geoecology: A Retrospective, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Robert S. Boyd

Biological Sciences

(In absence of a text abstract the first paragraph of the paper is provided.)

Serpentine habitats have long provided model settings for geoecological research (reviewed in Alexander et al. 2007, Brady et al. 2005, Brooks 1987, Kazakou et al. 2008, Kruckeberg 1984, Proctor and Woodell 1975, Raja-karuna et al 2009). Serpentine loosely refers to a broad group of minerals associated with the weathering of ultramafi c (high iron and magnesium-rich) rocks found along continental margins and orogenic belts. Soils associated with such rocks often differ from more widespread soils, being less fertile and having high concentrations of some heavy metals. …

Finfish Aquaculture In Western Australia. Final Esd Management Report For Marine Finfish Aquaculture., Department Of Fisheries Western Australia.

Fisheries Management Papers

It has been recognized that there are a number of potential impediments to achieving continued growth of this industry. These include the need for increased investment, an expansion in markets and ensuring environmental sustainability. One of the most important however, is meeting the growing expectations of the community that all aquaculture sectors can clearly demonstrate that they are operating within the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries is responsible for the management of aquaculture in the State and is committed to implementing ESD. These principles are contained within the objectives of the Fish Resources Management …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 68 - A Quota Management System For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery, Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (Rliac), Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

There has been much debate over the past two decades on the most appropriate long-term management framework for Western Australia’s Western Rock Lobster Fishery. More recently a debate over whether the fishery would be best managed under a Quota Management System (QMS) or the continuation of the current Input Control Management System (ICMS) culminated in an industry vote coordinated by the Western Rock Lobster Council (WRLC) in 2006 . The outcome of this vote resulted in industry support to retain the existing management system based on input controls2 , however, shortly after the vote there was a renewed level of …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 69 - An Input Control Management System For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery, Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (Rliac), Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (RLIAC), the Hon. Minister for Fisheries and the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia have commenced a process of assessing the options for future management of the Western Rock Lobster Fishery. As part of this assessment, an expert Panel has previously prepared an analysis of an optimal quota management system (QMS) suitable for the fishery. As the next step in the assessment of management options, RLIAC requested that an expert panel also advise them on the design characteristics of an improved input control management system (ICMS) for the fishery and to provide advice on the …

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

Unlocking The Secrets Of The Genome, Susan Celniker, Laura Dillon, Mark Gerstein, Kristin Gunsalus, Steven Henikoff, Gary Karpen, Manolis Kellis, Eric Lai, Jason Lieb, David Macalpine, Gos Micklem, Fabio Piano, Michael Snyder, Lincoln Stein, Kevin White, Robert Waterston, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

Despite the successes of genomics, little is known about how genetic information produces complex organisms. A look at the crucial functional elements of fly and worm genomes could change that.

Fish Assemblages In Manistee River Tributaries: Longitudinal Distribution Analysis, Seasonal Variation, And Riparian Improvement Evaluation, Nicholas J. Gressick

Masters Theses

Sedimentation affects both stream physical and biological integrity. Improperly designed stream passage accompanied with sedimentation and altered hydrology can impede fish passage and reduce fish assemblage integrity. The purpose of this study was to: 1) quantify impacts of poorly constructed road stream crossings and eroding banks on fish assemblages, and 2) assess these sites as sediment sources and connectivity breaks on entire fish assemblages and individual fish species. Electrofishing was conducted during spring and fall 2004 and 2005. A total of 29 electrofishing reaches were sampled which included 5 road-stream and streambank restoration sites. Sickle Creek (1st order) had reduced …

What Drives Long-Distance Dispersal? A Test Of Theoretical Predictions, Winsor H. Lowe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-distance dispersal (LDD) may contribute disproportionately to species persistence in fragmented landscapes, non-native invasions, and range shifts in response to climate change. However, direct data on LDD are extremely limited, leaving us with little understanding of why it occurs. I used six years of mark–recapture data on the stream salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus to test theoretical predictions of how variation in habitat quality affects LDD. Frequency of LDD was quantified using the kurtosis of yearly movement distributions from recaptured animals in a 1-km headwater stream. Temporal and spatial variation in habitat quality were quantified with spatially explicit data on the body …

Molecular Data Are Transforming Hypotheses On The Origin And Diversification Of Eukaryotes, Yonas I. Tekle, Laura Wegener Parfrey, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The explosion of molecular data has transformed hypotheses on both the origin of eukaryotes and the structure of the eukaryotic tree of life. Early ideas about the evolution of eukaryotes arose through analyses of morphology by light microscopy and, later, electron microscopy. Though such studies have proven powerful at resolving more recent events, theories on origins and diversification of eukaryotic life have been substantially revised in light of analyses of molecular data including gene and, increasingly, whole-genome sequences. By combining these approaches, progress has been made in elucidating the origin and diversification of eukaryotes. Yet many aspects of the evolution …

Redescription Of The Frog Bladder Fluke Gorgoderina Attenuata From The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Morphological characters used to differentiate North American bladder flukes, Gorgoderina spp., are problematic and different authors use different morphological characteristics for distinguishing species. More importantly, no type specimens exist for four of the 12 North American species infecting anuran and caudatan hosts. A redescription of Gorgoderina attenuata (Stafford, 1902) Stafford, 1905 is based on new collections from 6 species of anurans from Arkansas, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. Morphological comparisons between gravid G. attenuata recovered from bullfrogs and northern leopard frogs indicated statistically significant differences in 11 of 28 morphological characters examined. However, there was overlap among all of these …

Guided Inquiry Lab Exercises In Development And Oxygen Consumption Using Zebrafish, Brian Bagatto

Biology Faculty Research

Zebrafish have become a model organism in many areas of research and are now being used with more frequency in the classroom to teach important biological concepts. The two guided inquiry exercises in this article are each aimed at a different level of instruction, but each can be modified to fit the needs of many high school or college-level courses. The "Zebrafish Development and Environment'' exercise teaches high school students about zebrafish development by presenting a series of embryos at different ages. Without access to visual references, students are asked to rank developing zebrafish by age and explain their choices. …

Effects Of Hematocrit On Impedance And Shear Stress During Stenosed Artery Catheterization, V. P. Srivastava, Rati Rastogi

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The flow of blood through a stenosed catheterized artery has been studied. To observe the effects of hematocrit, blood has been represented by a two-phase macroscopic model (i.e., a suspension of red cells in plasma). It is found that for any given catheter size, the impedance increases with hematocrit and also for a given hematocrit, the same increases with the catheter size. In the stenotic region, the wall shear stress increases in the upstream of the stenosis throat and decreases in the downstream in an uncatheterized artery but the same possesses an opposite character in the case of a catheterized …

Effect Of Glycocalyx On Red Blood Cell Motion In Capillary Surrounded By Tissue, Rekha Bali, Swati Mishra, P. N. Tandon

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The aim of the paper is to develop a simple model for capillary tissue fluid exchange system to study the effect of glycocalyx layer on the single file flow of red cells. We have considered the channel version of an idealized Krogh capillary-tissue exchange system. The glycocalyx and the tissue are represented as porous layers with different property parametric values. Hydrodynamic Lubrication theory is used to compute the squeezing flow of plasma within the small gap between the cell and the glycocalyx layer symmetrically surrounded by the tissue. The system of non linear partial differential equations has been solved using …