Digital Commons Network^™

Automating Pharmacokinetic Predictions In Artemisia, Celin Younan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the time course of a compound in the body that is dependent on mechanisms of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion or ADME. A thorough understanding of PK is essential to predict the consequences of organisms exposed to chemicals. In medicine, predictions of PK of drugs allows us to properly prescribe drug treatments. In toxicology, PK allows us to predict the potential exposure of environmental contaminants and how they may affect organisms at the time of exposure or in the future. Chemical ecology could benefit from computational predictions of PK to better understand which plants are consumed or …

Determining The Effect Of Absorbents And Soybean Systems On Pfas Precursor Transformation, Tamia Wellington

Biological Sciences

PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) refers to a class of chemicals that consist of long-chains of carbon bonded to fluorine. These are chemicals that have many industrial uses, from cosmetics to industrial fire-fighting foam. Since PFAS is so widely used and available, it has become increasingly present in water and soil, resulting in its uptake and bioaccumulation in plants. This study focused on the impacts of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and montmorillonite on the PFOS precursor N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (N-EtFOSAA), in soil, and in plants grown in that soil. This study focused on spiking soil with PFAS chemicals, …

Quantification Of Fibrosis And Infiltrates In The Salivary Gland, Nikhita Kumar

Biological Sciences

Fibrosis is characterized by the excessive buildup of extracellular matrix components (ECM) in tissues and organs in response to injury, chronic inflammation, auto immune disorders, and genetic alterations. Non-obese diabetic mice (NOD) are a model for Sjögren’s Syndrome. We hypothesize that NOD mice, which start to develop Sjögren’s-like disease at approximately 12 weeks of age are suffering from hyposalivation at least in part due to fibrosis of the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs). Fibrosis refers to the over-production of extracellular matrix proteins in the connective tissue compartment. To test this hypothesis 16-week-old mice were treated with either the fibrosis inhibitor Nintedanib …

Improvement Of Depressive-Like Behaviors In Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats With Non-Invasive Peripheral Focused Ultrasound Modulation, Hudy Berger

Biological Sciences

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease with marked loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). In PD, there are motor and non-motor symptoms. Depression, a non-motor symptom, is seen in 40% of the patients with PD which decreases their quality of life. For treatment-resistant depression, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to improve depression. Here, non-invasive focused ultrasound (FUS) is investigated as a therapeutic to improve depression-like behavior by targeting the celiac plexus since it is innervated by the vagus nerve. FUS was chosen due to its parallel mechanism to VNS. …

Progress Towards Peptide And Protein Synthesis Involving Thiol Moieties, Ryan Lo Chen

Biological Sciences

Polypeptides and proteins play crucial roles in biological systems, including enzymatic activity regulation, molecule transport, and cell and tissue structural support. Amino acids are the building blocks of peptides and proteins, and peptides can act as hormones, neurotransmitters, and enzymes. Proteins are made up of one or more polypeptide chains and have diverse functions such as catalyzing chemical reactions, transporting molecules, and providing structural support. Protein preparation can be done biologically by expression systems or isolation and purification from natural sources. While these methods have their advantages, they also have their shortcomings. Chemical synthesis is an alternative method that allows …

Potency Of Novel Anti-Toxoplasmic Compounds, Matthias Walters

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is an intracellular apicomplexan parasite. Toxoplasmosis is often asymptomatic, though, it can be debilitating or fatal to immunocompromised individuals and fetuses, being one of the leading causes of fetal mortality and birth defects. Toxoplasmosis is treated with a synergistic combination of drugs pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine; however, these drugs are only effective against the acute stage of infection, and the pyrimethamine is relatively cytotoxic, damaging bone marrow and causing noxious side effects. Due to these limitations, a safer alternative that targets the chronic stage of infection is needed. In this study, we tested …

Trends In Nestling Body Size In A Declining Population Of American Kestrels, Kristina M. Ollo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are small falcons that feed primarily on large insects but also small mammals and birds. During recent decades kestrel populations have been declining in North America, for reasons still unknown. One plausible explanation is that nestlings are becoming malnourished over the years from lack of food resources and are fledging at smaller sizes. Fledging at a smaller size puts kestrel nestlings at greater risk of post-fledging mortality due to starvation or predation. Here we examined long-term trends in the morphological development of American Kestrel nestlings to see if there have been any significant changes over time. …

Nuclear And Cytoplasmic Spatial Protein Quality Control Is Coordinated By Nuclear–Vacuolar Junctions And Perinuclear Escrt, Emily M. Sontag, Fabián Morales-Polanco, Jian-Hua Chen, Gerry Mcdermott, Patrick T. Dolan, Dan Gestaut, Mark A. Le Gros, Carolyn Larabell, Judith Frydman

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Effective protein quality control (PQC), essential for cellular health, relies on spatial sequestration of misfolded proteins into defined inclusions. Here we reveal the coordination of nuclear and cytoplasmic spatial PQC. Cytoplasmic misfolded proteins concentrate in a cytoplasmic juxtanuclear quality control compartment, while nuclear misfolded proteins sequester into an intranuclear quality control compartment (INQ). Particle tracking reveals that INQ and the juxtanuclear quality control compartment converge to face each other across the nuclear envelope at a site proximal to the nuclear–vacuolar junction marked by perinuclear ESCRT-II/III protein Chm7. Strikingly, convergence at nuclear–vacuolar junction contacts facilitates VPS4-dependent vacuolar clearance of misfolded cytoplasmic …

Validation Of A Novel Genomic Biomarker Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Scalability And Evaluating Genotype Implications On Cellular Senescence, I Kade Karisma Gita Ardana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The market demand for hMSCs continues to increase along with the increasing popularity of hMSCs used in the research, medical and industrial fields. This increase has an impact on the need for good quality MSCs. This quality is determined by the ability of MSCs to proliferate and their resistance to senescence. Donor dependent heterogeneity may affect MSC qualities from one individual to another; therefore, a specific biomarker with the ability to identify individuals with desirable hMSC qualities is required. The GSTT1 gene has been found to be associated with hMSC scalability. This gene is deleted in about 38% of the …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, March - May 2023, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Volume 4, Issue 2

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2-7 Awards and Recognition
Page 8 March 3rd Corothers Seminar
Page 9 54th Geography Convention
Page 10 Spring 2023 Day of Scholars
Page 11 2023 URSCAD Snaps
Page 12-14 Media Coverage of CNS
Page 15 Open PRAIRIE Data

Are Rising Seas Pushing Ghost Crabs Out Of Their Comfort Zone?, Finn Gillette

Honors Theses

Ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata) can be found on sandy beaches bordering the western Atlantic Ocean. These semiterrestrial crustaceans are often found between the swash zone and the dunes on beaches. Dunes are critical refuges for ghost crabs during storms and extreme tide events. This makes them a useful indicator species for monitoring the effects of global warming-induced sea level rise on beach biota, as their distribution patterns among beach zones may correlate with shifts found in other species. Beach surveys conducted from 2015 onward assessed the population density of ghost crabs on beaches of Horry and Georgetown counties …

Heat Stress Effects On Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes, Valeria Montoya

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Extreme weather events such as heat waves are becoming more frequent. This is a concern for both humans and other organisms like insects. Culex pipiens f. molestus mosquitoes are primary vectors of diseases including equine encephalitis, West Nile virus, Rift valley fever, and St. Louis encephalitis. With Cx. pipiens f. molestus being the primary vector of West Nile virus in North America, it is important to understand how more frequent heat waves affect their population dynamics. In this study, I compared the thermal tolerance of larval Cx. pipiens f. molestus that were exposed to prior heat stress to those that …

Effects Of Implementing High Structure And Mastery Level Learning On Student Understanding In An Introductory Biology Course, Alexis Pereira

Honors College

The Introductory Biology courses at Abilene Christian University are infamously labeled "weed out" classes. This daunting association has raised concerns for Biology professors when considering why students are not succeeding at an acceptable rate. We investigated topics such as social, economic, and other background history as a baseline to enhance course outlines. This incorporation into changing the curriculum promoted classroom equity while pursuing societal integrity which is at the root of improving student success. Once taken into account, we focused on implementing mastery learning by including reading assignments, multiple attempts on quizzes, in-class learning activities, and practice exams. We also …

A New Frontier For Fat: Dietary Palmitic Acid Induces Innate Immune Memory, Amy L. Seufert, Brooke A. Napier

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dietary saturated fats have recently been appreciated for their ability to modify innate immune cell function, including monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils. Many dietary saturated fatty acids (SFAs) embark on a unique pathway through the lymphatics following digestion, and this makes them intriguing candidates for inflammatory regulation during homeostasis and disease. Specifically, palmitic acid (PA) and diets enriched in PA have recently been implicated in driving innate immune memory in mice. PA has been shown to induce long-lasting hyper-inflammatory capacity against secondary microbial stimuli in vitro and in vivo, and PA-enriched diets alter the developmental trajectory of stem cell progenitors in …

Fecal Cortisol Metabolites: A Non-Invasive Method For Monitoring The Long-Term Health Of Free Ranging Brown Bears, Justin A. Pinero

All NMU Master's Theses

Ecotourism is a rapidly growing industry worldwide and has been used as a tool that can promote conservation. While ecotourism can serve as a mechanism to help conserve natural areas, increases in visitors present challenges for managers tasked with balancing conservation goals while ensuring positive visitor experiences. As such, managers and ecologists are increasingly using fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) to index stress associated with ecotourism. In this study, I sought to (1) quantify the relationship between blood cortisol levels and FCM concentrations in brown bears (Ursus arctos), and (2) evaluate whether ecotourism elicits a measurable stress response in …

Population Genetics Among Rhipicephalus Sanguineus Ticks In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Bianca Liana Guerra

Theses and Dissertations

Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a common tick species in the lower Rio Grande Valley of both human and veterinary concern. Two lineages of R. sanguineus have been described across the United States known as the tropical and temperate lineage. Both lineages can be differentiated morphologically, genetically, biologically, and by vector competence. The species name for both lineages has not been well established therefore this thesis will utilize their widely used identification. Both lineages have been identified in Texas. While the distribution of these lineages has been well-defined in some regions across the world, recent studies have observed sympatric populations in certain …

Road Mitigation Structure And Road Effect Zone Impacts On Rodent Community Composition, Activity, And Predator-Prey Dynamics In South Texas, Adam F. Sanjar

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of road mortality mitigation structures on rodent activity and rodent community composition are not fully understood, both on the regional scale of south Texas and in the broader field of road ecology. This is primarily due to the low conservation priority of most rodent species and the difficulty of noninvasively surveying for rodents effectively. This thesis focused on characterizing how rodents were impacted by both roads and mitigation structures in south Texas, and if rodents are a significant factor to consider when studying the road ecology of rodent predators in south Texas, particularly ocelots, bobcats (Lynx rufus …

Vibroacoustic Response Of The Tympanic Membrane To Hyoid-Borne Sound Generated During Echolocation In Bats, Chelsie Snipes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hyoid apparatus in laryngeally echolocating bats forms a mechanical connection between the larynx and auditory bullae and has been hypothesized to transfer the outgoing echolocation call to the middle ear during echolocation call emission. We used µCT data to build models of the hyoid apparatus and middle ear from six species of bats and used finite element modeling (FEM) to measure the vibroacoustic response of the tympanic membrane due to hyoid-borne sound generated during echolocation. We found that hyoid-borne sound in all six species stimulated the eardrum within a range likely heard by bats. Although there were minor differences …

Identifying Direct Foxo Targets Through Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assays With Sequencing, Alma Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and basal-like breast cancer (BBC) are aggressive cancers associated with poor prognoses. Basal-like breast cancer (BBC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are poor prognosis cancers that lack effective targeted therapies. A deregulation of FOXOs has been linked to cancer, as they regulate the expression of genes involved in multiple cellular processes. Canonically, the FOXO family of proteins is generally considered tumor suppressors, but evidence suggests that they may be involved in cancer metabolism as well as angiogenesis. Research in our lab has found that these factors play a role in glycolysis and the developmental WNT pathway. Here we …

Urbanization Affects Web Abundance And Aggregation Of A Funnel‑Weaving Spider, Agelenopsis Pennsylvanica (Agelenidae), Brandi J. Pessman, Madison Hays, Earl Agpawa, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animals distribute themselves within habitats based on a variety of environmental conditions, including those impacted by urbanization. Suspected global declines in urban arthropod biodiversity have required that we examine how urban conditions affect the distribution of this ecologically important group. Throughout North America, funnel-weaving spiders (Agelenidae) are prevalent across urban habitats and actively choose sites to build webs. We compared Agelenopsis pennsylvanica abundance and distribution between two distinct urban habitats: an urban center (university campus) and an urban forest (city park). These urban habitats differed significantly in features like plant diversity and proximity to roads and highways. We searched along …

Toward Accelerometer Recording Of Pit Viper Foraging Behavior In Nature: Validation And Case Study With Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Morgan L. Thompson

Biology Theses

Accelerometer dataloggers are becoming increasingly common in field studies of animal behavior. Among the most difficult study subjects, and consequently, the most ideal candidates for accelerometer applications, are those for which simultaneous observation of key fitness-determining behaviors, such as foraging, across a sample of individuals in the wild is traditionally impossible or restricted to the use of proxy measures. This is the case for many solitary vertebrate predators, such as all pit vipers (Viperidae; Crotalinae). Large-bodied pit vipers are ambush (sit-and-wait) specialists that represent uniquely challenging and intriguing study subjects in predator ecology. Unlike many comparable avian or mammalian terrestrial …

Uncovering Molecular Targets To Overcome Immunosuppression In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Acquired Tki Resistance, Sonia A. Patel

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Targeted therapeutic agents, such as epidermal-like growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or monoclonal antibodies targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/R), can effectively inhibit upregulated signaling pathways driving tumorigenesis in NSCLC and many other cancers. Unfortunately, however, resistance to such targeted therapies inevitably arise in most patients and can occur through a variety of resistance mechanisms including genomic alterations and upregulation of bypass pathways. Additionally, patients who have acquired resistance to these targeted agents typically have tumors characterized by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and thus …

Characterization Of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps In Naked Mole-Rats: A Step Towards Cancer Resistance, Thomas Abraham Smith

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. One of every five deaths in the United States is due to cancer. A growing area of research involves the analysis of cancer resistant traits in other species to understand their biological mechanisms and eventually make translations to human cancer research and clinical treatment. Because of their remarkable cancer resistance, the naked mole-rat (NMR) is a prime subject for this research, and various studies have already suggested that the immune mechanisms of the NMR might be harnessed for human cancer therapies^1-4,7. …

Protein Nutrition And Immunity In Male Bumblebees (Bombus Impatiens), Carson Stoker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Male bumble bees play a vital but understudied role in their colonies. They are essential to colony reproduction and success, despite not emerging until the end of the colony's life cycle. Even so, the biology of male bumble bees is not well understood, which leaves our understanding of colony health incomplete. This knowledge gap is important because bumblebee populations are declining, which threatens the ecosystems and industries which rely on them for pollination. This study aimed to understand how two understudied factors of bumble bee health—diet and immunity—are related in males. Pollen, a bee’s main source of protein, has been …

Neuronal Or Intestinal Knockdown Of C. Elegans Nadk-1 Decreases Oxygen Consumption And Reactive Oxygen Species, Jake Regan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2 can damage cellular components and are formed as a byproduct of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Studies using the nematode C. elegans have found that increasing ROS during development or early adulthood can extend lifespan, while increasing ROS during later adulthood normally decreases lifespan. NADPH provides the reducing power for several cellular antioxidants and is synthesized in a two-step reaction from NAD+ with the first step being catalyzed by NAD kinase (NADK). In this study, the effects of knocking down C. elegans cytoplasmic NADK, nadk-1 globally or in a neuron or intestine-specific manner starting from …

Estimating The Functional Consequences Of Intra-Specific Trichome Variation Of Tomato, Solanum Lycopersicum On The Specialist Herbivore, Manduca Sexta, Satinderpal Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1: Plants have a wide array of defenses against herbivores and hence they must confer trade-offs between growth and defense related traits. By using Solanum as a model genus, the major plant defense fitness trade-off hypotheses are reviewed in this chapter along with their assumptions and examples.

Chapter 2: This chapter provides an overview of the enormous intra-specific diversity in trichome morphology in tomato, Solanum lycopersicum. Also, the trichome sub-types are analyzed for the variations in density and dimensions in 10 varieties of tomato by using desktop scanning electron microscope.

Chapter 3: This chapter examines the functional consequences …

Determination Of Cadmium Uptake In Crassostrea Virginica Shell Under Controlled Conditions, Joseph John Pavelites Ii

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The objective of this thesis was to meet growing demand for the development of environmental biomonitors that protect ecosystems and public health. To do this, I determined the potential of oyster shell as a bioindicator of cadmium (Cd) in the environment by determining the mode of Cd uptake and relationships between Cd concentrations in the environment, shell, and soft tissues of juvenile eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin). I performed a review of the literature on the ability of oyster shell to retain metal contaminants and the factors that could affect this process (Chapter 2). I then reared C. virginica …

Cyclic-Di-Gmp Regulates Salmonella Typhimurium Infection Of Epithelial Cells And Macrophages, Abdulafiz Musa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regulation of the bacterial second messenger cyclic-di-GMP in Salmonella Typhimurium allows it to delicately alter phenotypes to optimize invasion and survive intracellularly in epithelial cells and macrophages to become virulent and cause infection. Cyclic-di-GMP concentration is regulated by the presence of external stimuli, sensory diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and phosphodiesterases (PDEs), and cyclic-di-GMP binding effectors. Previous studies established that maintenance of low cyclic-di-GMP concentrations is required for survival in macrophages, and that deletion of 3 active PDEs reduces this survival. Here I showed that these 3 PDEs also influenced the infection of epithelial cells. Further studies re-established the decreased survival in …

Activation Of Opa1 Processing In Differentiated Myoblast Cells, Omar Agustin Carrillo

Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondria are eukaryotic cellular organelles that play a role in energy production, apoptosis, integrated stress response, and aging. Mitochondrial dynamics is the physical fusion (interconnection) and fission (fragmentation) of mitochondria within a cell and tightly regulates mitochondrial functions. Optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) is a dynamin-related GTPase located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, and is responsible for inner mitochondrial membrane fusion. OPA1 exists in five isoforms, the two fusion-active long OPA1 (L-OPA1) and the three fusion-inactive short OPA1 (S-OPA1) isoforms. When the transmembrane potential (∆ψm) is aggravated, the inner membrane metalloprotease OMA1 is activated, causing the complete cleavage of L-OPA1 to …

Maureen Biology: Teaching Environmentalism Through Television, Maureen Kennedy

Senior Honors Projects

Children’s television is proven to be an effective instrument for educational material for young age groups and can be utilized to teach social awareness, traditional educational content, and about worldly issues. Highly successful shows for varying adolescent ages, such as Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, and Bill Nye the Science Guy, exist for the sole purpose of increasing young viewers’ cognition and knowledge. Differing formats are used to convey educational content, such as narrative and expository structures, depending on the material and target age group. This project will develop the script for a children’s television show in the expository format that …