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The Effect Of Sucrose Starvation And Salt Stress On Atg6 And Atg13 In Arabidopsis, Lindsey Gish

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Autophagy is a stress reaction process by which eukaryotic cells internalize and degrade cytosol in a vacuole or lysosome and recycle the contents to where they are needed in the cell. The affect on autophagy genes Atg6 and Atg13 were examined in response to sucrose deprivation and increased salt concentration in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. It was concluded that although these genes are always being expressed, they do not increase in expression in response to these stress conditions.

Demonstration Of Toxicity To Fish And To Mammalian Cells By Pfiesteria Species: Comparison Of Assay Methods And Strains, Joann M. Burkholder, Andrew S. Gordon, Peter D. Moeller, J. Mac Law, Kathryn J. Coyne, Alan J. Lewitus, John S. Ramsdell, Harold G. Marshall, Nora J. Deamer, S. Craig Cary, Jason W. Kempton, Steven L. Morton, Parke A. Rublee

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Toxicity and its detection in the dinoflagellate fish predators Pfiesteria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae depend on the strain and the use of reliable assays. Two assays, standardized fish bioassays (SFBs) with juvenile fish and fish microassays (FMAs) with larval fish, were compared for their utility to detect toxic Pfiesteria. The comparison included strains with confirmed toxicity, negative controls (noninducible Pfiesteria strains and a related nontoxic cryptoperidiniopsoid dinoflagellate), and P. shumwayae strain CCMP2089, which previously had been reported as nontoxic. SFBs, standardized by using toxic Pfiesteria (coupled with tests confirming Pfiesteria toxin) and conditions conducive to toxicity expression, reliably detected …

Vertebrate Gld2 Poly(A) Polymerases In The Germline And The Brain, Labib Rouhana, Liaoteng Wang, Natascha Buter, Jae Eun Kwak, Craig A. Schiltz, Tania Gonzalez, Ann E. Kelley, Charles F. Landry, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is important in the control of mRNA stability and translation, and for early animal development and synaptic plasticity. Here, we focus on vertebrate poly(A) polymerases that are members of the recently described GLD2 family. We identify and characterize two closely related GLD2 proteins in Xenopus oocytes, and show that they possess PAP activity in vivo and in vitro and that they bind known polyadenylation factors and mRNAs known to receive poly(A) during development. We propose that at least two distinct polyadenylation complexes exist in Xenopus oocytes, one of which contains GLD2; the other, maskin and Pumilio. GLD2 protein …

Two Men Who Invented Genetics, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

A review of two books:\r\nThe Man Who Invented the Chromosome: a Life of Cyril Darlington by Oren Solomon Harman, 2004 and\r\nGeorge Beadle, and Uncommon Farmer: The Emergence of Genetics in the 20th Century, 2003 by Paul Berg and Maxine Singer.

Knowing When To Draw The Line: Designing More Informative Ecological Experiments, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Jay T. Lennon, Bryan L. Brown

Dartmouth Scholarship

Linear regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are two of the most widely used statistical techniques in ecology. Regression quantitatively describes the relationship between a response variable and one or more continuous independent variables, while ANOVA determines whether a response variable differs among discrete values of the independent variable(s). Designing experiments with discrete factors is straightforward because ANOVA is the only option, but what is the best way to design experiments involving continuous factors? Should ecologists prefer experiments with few treatments and many replicates analyzed with ANOVA, or experiments with many treatments and few replicates per treatment analyzed with regression? …

Rich Mesic Forests: Edaphic And Physiographic Drivers Of Community Variation In Western Massachusetts, J. Bellemare, G. Motzkin, D. R. Foster

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Rich Mesic Forest, a Northeastern variant of the species-rich Mixed Mesophytic Forest association of eastern North America, is an Acer saccharum-dominated forest type typically associated with calcareous bedrock and nutrient-rich, mull soils. Rich Mesic Forest (RMF) is a priority for conservation in the Northeast due to its limited areal extent, high plant species richness, and numerous rare taxa, yet the community characteristics and environmental correlates of this forest type are incompletely understood. This study undertook a quantitative classification of RMF of the northeastern edge of the Berkshire Plateau in western Massachusetts. Cluster analysis of data from ten sites identified two …

A Survey Of Herpetofaunal Diversity In A Longleaf Pine Forest Ecosystem, Jeffrey D. Camper

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Punishment And Rehabilitation Views Of Social Work Majors And Non-Social Work Students: An Exploratory Study, Eric G. Lambert, Sudershan Pasupuleti, Reva I. Allen

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Design And Cloning Of A Hammerhead Ribozyme Targeted Tohiv-1p7fmrna, Katherine L. Anderson, William H. Jackson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Interferon Resistance And Efficiency Of Hcv Replicon Establishment In Huh7 Cells Expressing Simian Virus 5 V Protein, Nicole E. Wagner

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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To Avoid Or Not To Avoid? Factors Influencing The Discrimination Or Predator Diet Cues By A Terrestrial Salamander, Aaron M. Sullivan, Amy L. Picard, Dale M. Madison

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Many prey species use chemical cues deposited by predators to assess predation risk, and some prey are capable of discriminating among predator chemical traces based on the predator’s recent diet. Here we test the influence of genetic relatedness (degree of genetic similarity between prey) and ecological relatedness (degree of refuge and trophic overlap between syntopic prey) on the evolution of predator-diet discrimination by red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus. In experiment 1, we examined whether red-backed salamanders from Binghamton University (Binghamton, New York, U.S.A.) would differentially respond to chemical traces from garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) fed conspecific P. cinereus from four populations …

Discovering Cell Mechanisms: The Creation Of Modern Cell Biology, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

Review of Discovering Cell Mechanisms: The Creation ofModern Cell Biology. Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology. By William Bechtel. Cambridge and New York: Cam-bridge University Press. xii 323 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 052181247X. 2006.

Arrival Timing And Seasonal Reproductive Performance In A Long-Distance Migratory Landbird, Robert J. Smith, Frank R. Moore

Faculty Publications

The date when a landbird migrant arrives on its breeding grounds may have reproductive consequences. Generally, early arriving individuals begin breeding earlier and consequently experience greater seasonal reproductive performance. Here, we describe relationships between arrival timing and seasonal reproductive performance in the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), a long-distance passerine migrant, arriving at northerly breeding grounds in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula. Evidence suggests that both males and females benefited from early arrival at the breeding grounds. Early males appeared to settle on higher quality territories and hatched nestlings sooner than later arrivals. Early females began their clutches early, produced …

Phytoplankton Biomass And Species Composition Of Lake Gölbaşı (Hatay-Turkey), Mehmet Naz, Mustafa Türkmen

Turkish Journal of Biology

Seasonal distributions of phytoplanktonic organisms in Lake Gölbaşı were investigated in samples collected from 2 stations between May, 2001, and April, 2002. At each station, monthly sampling was performed from the surface water. The flora consisted of 41 taxa belonging to Bacillariophyta (24), Chlorophyta (12), Pyrrophyta (2), Cyanophyta (2) and Chrysophyta (1). During the 1-year study period, the most dominant group was Chrysophyta followed by Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta and Pyrrophyta. The highest numbers of Chrysophyta were observed in both stations in May, 2001, January, 2002 and April, 2002. Bacillariophyta had the highest biomass in both stations, followed by Chrysophyta, Pyrrophyta, …

Genetic Engineering Of Eukaryotic Algae With Special Reference To Chlamydomonas, Mostafa M. El-Sheekh

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Carbon Sources And Various Chemicals On The Production Of A Novel Amylase From A Thermophilic Bacillus Sp. K-12, Özlem Eren Kiran, Uğur Çömlekçi̇oğlu, Burhan Arikan

Turkish Journal of Biology

The amylase producer thermophilic Bacillus sp. K-12 was isolated from soil samples from Zeytinli hot spring in Kahramanmaraş. Enzyme synthesis occurred at 20-55 ºC with an optimum of 42 ºC. There was a slight variation in amylase synthesis within the pH range 4.5-10.5. Effects of various carbon sources and chemicals on a-amylase production were examined and maximum a-amylase production was obtained in a medium containing 1% starch in 60 h. MnSO_4, ZnSO_4 and EDTA inhibited a-amylase production of Bacillus sp. K-12.

" Revised Distribution Of The African Freshwater Crab Genus Deckenia Hilgendorf, 1868" , Saskia Ae Marijnissen, Sven Lange, Neil Cumberlidge

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Habitat Selection In Four Sympatric Small Mammal Species And The Effects Of Potential Predators On Peromyscus Leucopus, Adam Daniel Chupp

Theses and Dissertations

I examined the effects of potential predators in relation to habitat selection in Peromyscus leucopus. I also examined habitat selection in three other sympatric species (Blarina brevicauda, Blarina carolinensis, Sorex longirostris). I utilized data fiom 49 sampling sites on National Park Service land; Petersburg National Battlefield Eastern Front Unit (15), Five-Forks Unit (17), Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (15) and Booker T. Washington National Monument (12). Sites were categorized by location (park unit) and habitat type (i.e. bottom-land hardwood), and the microhabitat within each sampling site was characterized by four variables (% cover of grasses, herbs, shrubs, and volume …

Limitations And Potentials Of Current Motif Discovery Algorithms, Jianjun Hu, Bin Li, D. Kihara

Faculty Publications

Computational methods for de novo identification of gene regulation elements, such as transcription factor binding sites, have proved to be useful for deciphering genetic regulatory networks. However, despite the availability of a large number of algorithms, their strengths and weaknesses are not sufficiently understood. Here, we designed a comprehensive set of performance measures and benchmarked five modern sequence-based motif discovery algorithms using large datasets generated from Escherichia coli RegulonDB. Factors that affect the prediction accuracy, scalability and reliability are characterized. It is revealed that the nucleotide and the binding site level accuracy are very low, while the motif level accuracy …

Are Leptodactylus Didymus And L. Mystaceus Phylogenetically Sibling Species (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae)?, Rafael O. De Sá, W. R. Heyer, Arley Camargo

Biology Faculty Publications

The Leptodactylus fuscus species group consists of 25 currently recognized species; within this species group and distributed throughout the Amazon Basin, Atlantic Forests, Gran Chaco, and cerrados is the L. mystaceus species complex. This species complex consists of L. didymus, L. elenae, L. mystaceus, L. notoaktites, and L. spixi. Adult morphologies have been used to distinguish these species from each other except for L. didymus and L. mystaceus (Heyer, 1978; Heyer et al., 1996). Leptodactylus didymus and L. mystaceus are morphologically indistinguishable; the species are recognizable only by the characteristics of their advertisement calls: non-pulsed in L. didymus and pulsed …

Spontaneous Alternating Behavior In Paramecium Caudatum And Paramecium Multimicronucleatum, Nyron K. A. Bovell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Spontaneous alternating behavior (SAB) describes the tendency of an organism to spontaneously select the unfamiliar direction in a two choice situation. Paramecium is the only microscopic genus in which SAB has been studied. The two earlier studies regarding SAB in Paramecium have come to conclusive, but diametrically opposed results. Designing a single new experiment that incorporates the critical differences in the designs of both studies may help to clarify the results from these earlier studies, and provide an excellent opportunity to better understand the factors that influence SAB.

The overall objective of this research project was to determine whether or …

An Sem Study Of The Sporulation Process Of Pandora Neoaphidis And Neozygites Fresenii, Özlem Kalkar

Turkish Journal of Biology

The objective of this study was to investigate the development of fungal pathogens in aphid hosts and identify structures characteristic of each fungal species. Aphids infected by Pandora neoaphidis and Neozygites fresenii were incubated for different time periods and examined by SEM. In P. neoaphidis, hyphal bodies concentrated in clumps beneath the cuticle and these formed rosette patterns consisting of a central structure, the developing cystidium, surrounded by developing conidiophores. Rhizoids were the first structure emerging from the P. neoaphidis-killed aphid. Primary spores were formed after 6 h and secondary spores after 10 h of incubation. In N. fresenii, the …

High Quality Dna Isolation Method For Chickpea Genotypes, Hasi̇be Ci̇ngi̇lli̇, Abdulkadi̇r Akçi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

In chickpea breeding genetic studies of individual plants need to be evaluated at the DNA level using molecular markers. A simple and reliable DNA extraction method is a prerequisite. This small-scale method is cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-based and extracts DNA from 1 to 3 folded young leaves processed in a 1.5 ml tube with 0.5 ml of extraction buffer and homogenized using an electric drill. Compared with the micro-prep method the improved mini-prep CTAB method is highly efficient and much cheaper in terms of time, chemical use and labor input. About 49 samples per day can easily be processed by one …

Pb^{2+} Biosorption By Pretreated Fungal Biomass, Ahmet Çabuk, Semra İlhan, Cansu Fi̇li̇k, Fi̇gen Çalişkan

Turkish Journal of Biology

The effect of pretreatment on the Pb^{2+} biosorption capacity of fungal biomasses, Aspergillus versicolor, Metarrhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae, and Penicillium verrucosum, was investigated. For this purpose, the biomasses were subjected to physical treatments such as heat and autoclaving, and chemical treatments such as sodium hydroxide, formaldehyde, gluteraldehyde, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, commercial laundry detergent, orthophosphoric acid and dimethyl sulfoxide. Dimethyl sulfoxide, hydrogen peroxide and gluteraldehyde increased biosorption of Pb^{2+} in comparison with the A. versicolor live biomass. M. anisopliae var. anisopliae biomass pretreated with hydrogen peroxide, gluteraldehyde, commercial laundry detergent, dimethyl sulfoxide and formaldehyde significantly improved biosorption of Pb^{2+} in …

Competitive Abilities Of The Entomopathogenic Nematodes Steinernema Feltiae And Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora In The Same Host At Different Temperatures, Hi̇lal Aydin, Alper Susurluk

Turkish Journal of Biology

The effectiveness of Turkish strains of the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora on the last instar larvae of Tenebrio molitor were investigated. Mortality rates of T. molitor larvae caused by each nematode species alone (experiment I) were determined. Then, with the same method, the effectiveness of each species over the other in competition was examined (experiment II). Both experiments were conducted in sterilesand at 12, 18 and 25 °C for 5 days. While in experiment I the efficiency of the species was determined to be 52.5% for H. bacteriophora and 85% for S. feltiae at 12 °C, 93.5% …

Antibacterial Activity Of Some Selected Indian Medicinal Flora, Rathish Nair, Tamanna Kalariya, Sumitra Chanda

Turkish Journal of Biology

Nine plants were screened for potential antibacterial activity. In evaluating antibacterial activity both aqueous and organic solvents were used. The plants screened were Sapindus emarginatus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Mirabilis jalapa, Rheo discolor, Nyctanthes arbortristis, Colocasia esculenta, Gracilaria corticata, Dictyota spps., and Pulicaria wightiana. Antibacterial activity was tested against 6 bacterial strains, Pseudomonas testosteroni, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus morganii, and Micrococcus flavus. Two methods, Agar disk diffusion and Agar ditch diffusion, were used to study the antibacterial activity of all these plants. Ps. testosteroni and K. pneumoniae were the most resistant bacterial strains. S. emarginatus showed strong activity against …

Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases In A Changing Environment, Nurdan Özer

Turkish Journal of Biology

Vector-borne infectious diseases are emerging or resurging as a result of changes in public health policy, demographic and societal changes, insecticide and drug resistance, shift in emphasis from prevention to emergency response, genetic changes in pathogens in the last two decades of the twentieth century. Climate changes also can influence the emergence and reemergence of these diseases which are malaria, dengue, yellow fever, plague, filariasis, louse-borne typhus, lyme disease, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and viral diseases. West Nile virus is just the latest example of this type of invasion by exotic virus. This paper will provide an overview of the distribution, reasons …

Antimicrobial Effects Of Ocimum Basilicum (Labiatae) Extract, Ahmet Adigüzel, Medi̇ne Güllüce, Meryem Şengül, Hati̇ce Öğütçü, Fi̇kretti̇n Şahi̇n, İsa Karaman

Turkish Journal of Biology

Ethanol, methanol, and hexane extracts from Ocimum basilicum Labiatae (sweet basil) were investigated for their invitro antimicrobial properties. A total of 146 microbial organisms belonging to 55 bacteria, and four fungi, and a yeast species were studied using a disk-diffusion and minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) method. The result showed that none of the three extracts tested have antifungal activities, but anticandidal and antibacterial effects. Both the hexane and methanol extracts, but not the ethanol extracts, inhibited three isolates out of 23 strains of Candida albicans studied. All three extract of O. basilicum were different in terms of their antibacterial activities. …

Effect Of \Alpha-Keto Acids Against H_2o_2- And Nan_3-Induced Mutagenesis In Different Strains Of Salmonella Typhimurium, Emi̇ne Öksüzoğlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

The protective effects of \alpha-keto acids on the mutagenicity of H_2O_2 and NaN_3 was investigated in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98, TA 100, TA 102. H_2O_2 (340 µg/plate) was mutagenic to the strains TA 98 and TA 102 while NaN_3 (1.5 µg/plate) was mutagenic only to TA100. The extents of protective effect of pyruvate (220-440 µg/plate) and \alpha-keto glutarate (335-600 µg/plate) against H_2O_2 were observed to be 37%- 65% in TA 98 and TA 102. \alpha-keto acids were ineffective against NaN_3 induced mutagenicity in TA 100. H_2O_2 (340 µg/plate), in the presence of NaN_3 (1.5 µg/plate) and \alpha-keto acids (330-500 µg/plate), …

Identification Of Alkaliphilic Bacillus Species Isolated From Lake Van And Its Surroundings By Computerized Analysis Of Extracellular Protein Profiles, İsmet Berber, Elçi̇n Yeni̇dünya

Turkish Journal of Biology

Five reference Bacillus species and 17 native alkaliphilic Bacillus strains, isolated from the water of Lake Van and the soil surrounding it, were identified using phenotypic characteristics and extracellular protein profiles by the method of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). According to the phenotypic characteristics, all the native isolates were Gram-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming, motile, facultatively alkaliphilic Bacillus spp. It was also found that the native alkaliphilic Bacillus isolates were distinguished phenotypically from other Bacillus species. A numerical analysis based on the resulting extracellular protein profiles revealed 5 distinct clusters: native isolates and B. megaterium formed 4 clusters that varied …